Press Release – Please give author’s credit to Eugene Uman, Vermont Jazz Center, 802 254 9088, eugene@vtjazz.org
NEA Jazz Master and Vocalist Sheila Jordan to Perform Jazz Standards and Bebop at the Vermont Jazz Center on Saturday, June 1st at 8:00 PM
The Vermont Jazz Center is delighted to present an evening of music with NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan. On Saturday, June 1st at 8:00 PM, Ms. Jordan will perform the first set with pianist Eugene Uman, bassist Genevieve Rose and drummer Billy Drummond. The second set will feature Sheila Jordan singing with several surprise-guest performers and the rhythm section. This concert is one of many festive occasions throughout the world celebrating Ms. Jordan’s 90th birthday which took place on November 18th, 2018.
Sheila Jordan is a matriarch of the Vermont Jazz Center family. She joined the faculty in 1997, when the (then) new director, Eugene Uman, asked her to run a vocal workshop as part of the Center’s newly revised summer workshop. She offered a small group of singers a three-day program that has now blossomed into a weeklong workshop with instructor Jay Clayton, 20 vocalists and two rhythm sections. Sheila Jordan’s teaching style is based on reverence for tradition, openness to spirit and dedication to quality. In her workshops, Jordan’s visceral connection with the music and her love for the students envelops their experience, creating a safe environment that gently pushes them to exceed what they had imagined was their potential. Jordan has inspired several generations of vocalists, from amateur to world-famous, most of whom are quick to acknowledge that her coaching has profoundly and positively shaped their professional and personal lives. A few of the awards that have been bestowed upon Jordan include the Lil Armstrong Hardin Jazz Heritage Award (2004), Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs Lifetime Achievement Award (2006), International Association of Jazz Education Humanitarian Award (2007), Mary Lou Williams’ Women in Jazz for Lifetime of Service Award (2008), New York Nightlife Outstanding Jazz Vocalist Award (2010), National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award (2012), University of Massachusetts Honorary Degree, Doctor of Fine Arts (2017), Bistro Ward for Outstanding Contributions to the Art of Jazz (2018), Columbia Center for Jazz Studies Satchmo (Louis Armstong) Award (2018).
Sheila Jordan had a close relationship with one of jazz’s greatest giants, the legendary alto saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker. Bird, along with Jordan’s other friends Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Max Roach and Thelonious Monk, birthed the revolution of bebop music, the musical style whose improvisational language now forms the foundation of modern jazz. Jordan often tells the story of the first time she first heard Bird’s music coming from a Juke Box: It was around 1945 and the song was “Now’s the Time” by Charlie Parker and the Reboppers. Her experience was nothing short of revelatory: upon hearing the sound of Parker’s horn, she knew instantly that bebop music was “the music I’ll dedicate my life to.” Jordan sings about that shining moment in “Sheila’s Blues,” an autobiographical narrative where she illustrates how bebop gave her life meaning and focus. She boldly claims that “if it wasn’t for jazz music I wouldn’t be alive today.” She reminisces how, at age 14, she tried to enter a jazz club where Charlie Parker was performing in Detroit. Dressed in high-heeled shoes and a pill-box hat with a veil (and smoking Lucky Strikes), she was turned away by the bouncer and told to “go home and do your school work.” Jordan found an open door at the back of the club where she could sit in the alley and listen. Sensing her there, Bird turned and played his horn for her, thus kindling a life-long friendship.
Bird became Jordan’s mentor: he heard her perform with her vocal trio (Skeeter, Mitch and Jean) and told her she had “million dollar ears.” The city of Detroit, where Jordan was born, was burgeoning with jazz music while she was in her teens. She grew up singing with luminaries-to-be like Barry Harris, Paul Chambers, the Jones brothers (Elvin, Hank, Thad), Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Burrell and others. She educated herself in bebop by singing along with Charlie Parker’s records and memorizing his complex tunes and improvised solos. She continues to pass this tradition along. Now, 70 years later, Jordan has shared this approach with thousands of acolytes from around the world. By singing Bird’s music, her students become aware of Parker’s bluesy, formidable repertoire and, after much practice, they begin to internalize the essential elements of bebop’s phrasing and note choices. Jordan’s accompanist of over thirty years, pianist Ray Gallon, states “Sheila has taught me so much: how to teach with love and humor while remaining firm…how to arrange songs in an interesting, creative way; how to organize set lists, making every note count, playing every note as if it’s your last, the importance of finding just the right tempo and mood for every song…Above all she always teaches by example the importance of artistic honesty and integrity.”
Joining Sheila for her celebration at the Jazz Center will be pianist Eugene Uman. June’s concert at the VJC is usually an opportunity for him to present the Convergence Project, an ensemble he convened to perform original compositions that mix jazz with funk and Colombian influences. This year he is happy instead to accompany Jordan and relive the joy of a five-city tour they took to Colombia, S.A. in 1998 with bassist Genevieve Rose and drummer Matt Wilson. According to Uman, that tour was one of the highlights of his professional life – the exhilaration of playing and traveling with Ms. Jordan gave him a new appreciation of what it meant to strive for excellence and connect with audiences. Experiencing the deep communication Jordan transmitted nightly from the stage was a turning point in Uman’s life: it demonstrated how music and spirit could be used to transform a large room of people into an environment charged with energy and love. It was not unusual for people to come up to Jordan at the end of a concert in tears, giving praise not only for the music, but for her ability to help them transcend their daily lives into something divine. He is also the director of the Vermont Jazz Center, a composer and educator.
Genevieve Rose played bass on afore mentioned tour of Colombia with Jordan, Uman and Wilson. Rose will once again provide the ensemble with her buoyant, swinging, propulsive beat and superb note choices. She is a first-call bassist of the Pioneer Valley who performs frequently throughout New England. She has appeared at the Kennedy Center as part of their Women in Jazz series, directs the jazz ensemble at Smith College in Northampton, MA, and teaches instrumental music at Orchard Hill School in South Windsor, CT. Rose has been a faculty member of UMass’s Jazz in July Summer Music Programs since 1997. She holds masters degrees from Western New England College and American International College.
Drummer Billy Drummond has been called “one of the hippest band leaders now at work” by Downbeat magazine. He was a touring and recording member of Horace Silver, J.J. Johnson and Sonny Rollins’ working groups. Since then, many of the world’s greatest jazz artists have called upon him to tour and/or record with them, including Eddie Gomez, Joe Henderson, J.J. Johnson, Nat Adderley, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Lovano, Buster Williams, Lee Konitz, James Moody, Tony Malaby, Andrew Hill, Freddie Hubbard, Marty Ehrlich, Charles Tolliver, Sheila Jordan, Toots Thielemans, Jon Faddis, Walt Weiskopf, Charles Tolliver, Javon Jackson, Hank Jones, Vincent Herring, Chris Potter, David Hazeltine, Joe Locke, Eddie Henderson, Larry Willis, and Archie Shepp.
There are numerous reasons why Sheila Jordan is a living legend: her classic recordings, her swinging, clear, sense of tempo, her stunning ability to scat sing and create spontaneous lyrics, her empathic communication with the audience, her embodiment of the essence of jazz, her willingness to embrace creative opportunities, her expansive repertoire…the list goes on and each reason beckons us to seize the day, to experience her gift live whenever possible. To quote Charlie Parker: “Now’s the Time.” Now is the time to hear Jordan’s gift for an entire evening at the Vermont Jazz Center.
On June 1st, 2019 at 8:00 PM, Sheila Jordan will be performing two sets at the Vermont Jazz Center along with Eugene Uman, Genevieve Rose, Billy Drummond and a handful of very special surprise guests. This concert will likely sell out, so be sure to purchase tickets in advance. The VJC thanks this concert’s sponsor, the McKenzie Family Charitable Trust, and recognizes their unstinting generosity and vision aimed towards fostering the well being of this community. The VJC is also thankful for the ongoing support of Holiday Inn Express Suites of Brattleboro. VJC publicity is underwritten by the Brattleboro Reformer, WVPR, WVEW and WFCR.
Tickets for Sheila Jordan and Friends on June 1st at the Vermont Jazz Center are $20+ general admission, $15 for students with I.D. (contact VJC about educational discounts); available online at www.vtjazz.org, by email at ginger@vtjazz.org, and at In the Moment in Brattleboro. Tickets can also be reserved by calling the Vermont Jazz Center ticket line at 802-254-9088, ext. 1. Handicapped access is available by calling the VJC at 802 254 9088.
Media –
Sheila’s Blues, From Don Was Detroit All Star Review (2012). Sheila Jordan – vocals Marion Hayden — bass Sean Dobbins — drums Mike Jellick – piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SfwPb_m1Cw
NEA Jazz Masters Tribute published in 2012, w/interview material from her daughter, Tracey
https://www.arts.gov/video/nea-jazz-masters-tribute-sheila-jordan
With Yoko Miwa – Bird Alone; piano and voice at Sheila’s home (2011)
http://www.yokomiwa.com/2011/03/01/yoko-visits-with-sheila-jordan/
House Concert, Duo with bassist Cameron Brown (2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E__FL3m8ve0
Entire Blue Note Album, Portrait of Sheila from 1963 w/Barry Galbraith (g), Steve Swallow (b) and Denzil Best (d)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F63aINQpbg0
Short Summary
Who: Sheila Jordan (vocal), Eugene Uman (piano), Genevieve Rose (upright bass), Billy Drummond (drums)
What: Bebop influenced melodies and classics from the Great American Songbook, sung by NEA Jazz Master vocalist Sheila Jordan, one of the world’s top jazz singers.
When: Saturday, June 1st, 2019 at 8:00 PM
Where: The Vermont Jazz Center, 72 Cotton Mill Hill, #222, Brattleboro, VT 05301
Tickets available: online at www.vtjazz.org, by email at ginger@vtjazz.org, by phone 802 254 9088, in person at In The Moment, Main St., Brattleboro, VT.
