Becca Stevens (born June 14, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist who draws upon elements of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

chamber pop Chamber pop (or Chamber rock; also called baroque pop and sometimes conflated with orchestral pop or symphonic pop) is a music genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of strings, horns, piano, and vocal harmonies, and other compo ...

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

, and

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

Early life and education

Stevens was born in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...

as the youngest of three children to William Stevens, a composer known for sacred choral music, and Carolyn Dorff, a singer trained in opera and musical theater. During her childhood she performed and toured regionally with her brother, sister, and parents in her family's children's music group, the Tune Mammals. When she was ten years old, she and her mother starred in a year-long national tour of the musical ''

The Secret Garden ''The Secret Garden'' is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in '' The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is one of Burnett's most popular novels an ...

''. After her parents' separation she attended the Peddie School in New Jersey for 9th and 10th grades. She finished high school at the

North Carolina School of the Arts The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is an arts school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It grants high school, undergraduate, and graduate degrees. Founded in 1963 as the North Carolina School of the Arts by then-Governo ...

, where she studied classical guitar; at this time she also sang in her brother's jazz rock band, Gomachi. After high school she spent a year working with Gomachi before attending college at

The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music School of Jazz and Contemporary Music is the second conservatory of The New School. It is located on West 13th Street in New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood. It was known as The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music before it wa ...

in New York City, where she received a degree in

vocal jazz Vocal jazz or jazz singing is an approach to jazz using the voice. Vocal jazz emerged in the early twentieth century, with its roots in Blues. Popular blues singers such as Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey had a great deal of influence of jazz vocalis ...

and composition.

Career

Stevens has released five albums as a leader: ''Tea Bye Sea'' (2008), ''Weightless'' (2011), ''Perfect Animal'' (2015), ''Regina'' (2017), and ''Wonderbloom'' (2020). She has worked with

Jacob Collier Jacob Collier (; né Moriarty; born 2 August 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. His music incorporates a combination of jazz with elements from many other musical genres, and often features extensive use of reha ...

, Laura Mvula,

Billy Childs William Edward Childs (born March 8, 1957) is an award-winning American composer, jazz pianist, arranger and conductor from Los Angeles, California, United States. Early life When he was sixteen he attended the Community School of the Performing ...

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They got ...

Taylor Eigsti Taylor Eigsti (born September 24, 1984) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Eigsti's trio features bassist Harish Raghavan and drummer Eric Harland. He is also a member of Eric Harland Voyager, Kendrick Scott Oracle, and Gretchen Parlato's ...

Timo Andres Timo is a masculine given name. It is primarily used in Finnish, Estonian, Dutch and German societies. It may be used as an abbreviation of Timothy. Arts and entertainment *Timo Alakotila (born 1959), Finnish musician * Timo Andres (born 1985), ...

Brad Mehldau Bradford Alexander Mehldau (; born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Mehldau studied music at The New School, and toured and recorded while still a student. He was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's Qua ...

, Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra, Michael McDonald, and

Snarky Puppy Snarky Puppy is an American instrumental band led by bassist Michael League. Founded in 2004, Snarky Puppy combines a variety of jazz idioms, rock, world music, and funk and has won four Grammy Awards. Although the band has worked with vocalis ...

. She was a member of the band Tillery with

Gretchen Parlato Gretchen Parlato (born February 11, 1976) is an American jazz singer. She has performed and recorded with musicians such as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Barron, Esperanza Spalding, Terence Blanchard, Marcus Miller and Lionel Loueke. ...

and Rebecca Martin. One track on

's Michael League-produced ''Lighthouse'' album featured Crosby, League, Stevens, and

Michelle Willis Michelle Willis (born November 6, 1986) is a British-born, Canadian-raised singer/songwriter and keyboard player. She performs regularly as a solo artist and as a side musician with David Crosby and Becca Stevens. She has also worked with Iggy & T ...

(with Bill Laurance on piano) performing "By the Light of Common Day", a song written by Stevens and Crosby. The quartet became The Lighthouse Band that performed on Crosby's album ''

Here If You Listen ''Here If You Listen'' is an album by David Crosby and his collaborators Michael League, Becca Stevens, and Michelle Willis, who perform on tour together backing Crosby as The Lighthouse Band, and was released on October 26, 2018 by BMG Music. ...

''. Jazz vocalist

Kurt Elling Kurt Elling (born November 2, 1967) is an American jazz singer and songwriter. Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Rockford, Elling became interested in music through his father, who was Kapellmeister at a Lutheran church. He sang in cho ...

listed her as one of his five favorite jazz vocalists and music critic

Ted Gioia Ted Gioia (born October 21, 1957) is an American jazz critic and music historian. He is author of eleven books, including ''Music: A Subversive History'', '' The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire'', ''The History of Jazz'' and ''Delta Blu ...

listed her albums ''Weightless'' (2011) and ''Perfect Animal'' (2015) among the one hundred best albums of the corresponding years. Stevens's album ''Regina'' (2017) was produced by

Michael League Michael League (born April 24, 1984) is an American composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is the bandleader of New York-based instrumental band Snarky Puppy and the international music ensemble Bokanté. He also founded the band Fo ...

and Troy Miller and received a five-star review from ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' magazine, which called it "the most spectacular of albums", while BBC Radio 2 praised the album saying, "Lyrically, the album is astounding".

Personal life

Stevens married Nathan Schram, the violist of the Attacca Quartet, on September 2, 2017. Stevens and Schram live in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York City. They have a daughter (born 2022).

Discography

As leader

* ''Tea Bye Sea'' (self-released, 2008) – remastered version (Core Port, 2015) * ''Weightless'' ( Sunnyside, 2011) * ''Perfect Animal'' (Core Port/

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

, 2014) * ''Regina'' (GroundUP, 2017) * ''Pallet on Your Floor'' with Elan Mehler (Newvelle, 2020) – recorded in 2019 * ''Wonderbloom'' (GroundUP, 2020) * ''Becca Stevens & the Secret Trio'' (GroundUP, 2021) * ''Becca Stevens , Attacca Quartet'' (GroundUP, 2022)

Collaborations

A benefit for "Arts For Life"
With Stevens family and their musical friends in New York and North Carolina * V.A., ''My Life Is Bold'' (Sunnyside, 2012) – compilation The Jazz Gallery and Habitat for Humanity * V.A., ''Home: Gift of Music - Japan Earthquake / Tsunami Relief'' (Sunnyside, 2012) – compilation, 2 tracks. Tillery
With

and Rebecca Martin * ''Tillery'' (Core Port, 2016) Mirrors
With

Gisela João Gisela Joao Gomes Remelho (born November 6, 1983) is a Portuguese fado singer. The album ''Gisela João'' was number one in Portugal and was Ípsilon/ Público's and Blitz's record of the year. Early years Born in Barcelos, João soon develo ...

, Justin Stanton, Louis Cato and

* ''Mirrors'' (GroundUP, 2021)

As guest

With

* '' Djesse Vol. 2'' ( Hajanga, 2019) * '' Djesse Vol. 3'' (Hajanga, 2020) With

* ''Lighthouse'' ( Groove Masters, 2016) * ''

Sky Trails ''Sky Trails'' is David Crosby's sixth solo album, released on September 29, 2017, by BMG Music. It is Crosby's third album in less than four years, whereas his first three solo albums appeared over a span of 22 years. Musicians on the album de ...

'' ( BMG, 2017) * ''

'' (BMG, 2018) * ''

For Free "For Free" is a song by American musician DJ Khaled featuring Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on June 3, 2016 by We the Best Music Group and Epic Records as the lead single from DJ Khaled's ninth studio album, ''Major Key''. The song wa ...

'' (BMG, 2021) – 1 track With

* ''Daylight at Midnight'' (

Concord Jazz Concord Jazz is a record company and label founded in 1973 by Carl Jefferson, the former owner of Jefferson Motors Lincoln Mercury dealership in Concord, California. The label was named after the city in the East San Francisco Bay area, and the j ...

, 2010) * ''Tree Falls'' (GSI, 2021) With

* 2017–18: ''

Finding Gabriel ''Finding Gabriel'' is an album by Brad Mehldau. It was recorded over an 18-month period in 2017–18 and was released by Nonesuch Records in 2019. It won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Background Mehldau wrote that "''F ...

'' (Nonesuch, 2019) * 2020–21: ''

Jacob's Ladder Jacob's Ladder ( he, סֻלָּם יַעֲקֹב ) is a ladder leading to heaven that was featured in a dream the biblical Patriarch Jacob had during his flight from his brother Esau in the Book of Genesis (chapter 28). The significance of th ...

'' (Nonesuch, 2022) With others * Ambrose Akinmusire, '' The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier to Paint'' (

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

, 2014) – recorded in 2013 *

Susana Baca Susana may refer to: * Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA), a network of organizations active in the field of sustainable sanitation * Susana (given name), a feminine given name (including a list of people with the name) * ''Susana'' (magazine) ...

, ''Palabras Urgentes'' (Real World, 2021) *

Steve Bailey Steve Bailey is an American bassist. He is the chair of the bass department at Berklee College of Music. Career Bailey began playing bass guitar at age 12 and started playing fretless bass after he ran over his fretted Stuart Spector with his ...

, ''Carolina'' (Treehouse, 2020) *

, ''Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro'' (

Sony Masterworks Sony Music Masterworks (Sony Masterworks) is a record label, the result of a restructuring of Sony Music's classical music division. Before the acquisition of Bertelsmann's shares in the former Sony BMG, the label was known as Sony BMG Masterwor ...

, 2014) * Peter Eldridge, ''Disappearing Day'' (Sunnyside, 2016) * Guilhem Flouzat, ''Portraits'' (Sunnyside, 2015) – recorded in 2014 * Steve Haines and The Third Floor Orchestra, ''Steve Haines And The Third Floor Orchestra'' (Justin Time, 2019) – recorded in 2018 *

José James José James (born January 20, 1978) is an American vocalist who combines jazz and hip hop. Biography José James attended The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. In 2008, he debuted with his first album, ''The Dreamer'', on the Brownsw ...

, ''While You Were Sleeping'' (Blue Note, 2014) * Antonio Lizana, ''Una Realidad Diferente'' (Warner Music Spain, 2020) *

Kate McGarry Katherine Genevieve McGarry, known professionally as Kate McGarry, is a jazz vocalist. Career McGarry grew up in an Irish-American family with nine siblings in Hyannis, Massachusetts. She attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, graduat ...

+ Keith Ganz Ensemble, ''What To Wear In The Dark'' (Resilience Music Alliance, 2021) * New West Guitar Group, ''Send One Your Love'' ( Summit, 2015) * Aya Nishina, ''Flora'' (

Tzadik Tzadik ( he, צַדִּיק , "righteous ne, also ''zadik'', ''ṣaddîq'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadiqim'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The ...

, 2013) *

Jeremy Pelt Jeremy Pelt (born November 4, 1976, in California) is an American jazz trumpeter. Career Pelt studied classical trumpet as a child and focused on jazz after playing in a high school jazz ensemble. He studied at Berklee College of Music. Among th ...

, ''Shock Value: Live at Smoke'' (

Maxjazz Maxjazz (corporately styled MAXJAZZ) was an American jazz record label founded in 1998 by investment banker Richard McDonnell. Maxjazz recordings are generally regarded as a "straight-ahead" acoustic style of jazz. It was based in St. Louis, Mis ...

, 2007) – live * Laura Perrudin, ''Perspectives & Avatars'' (Volatine, 2021) * The Sachal Ensemble, ''Song of Lahore'' (Universal Classics, 2016) – companion album to the film '' Song of Lahore'' (2015) * Sam Sadigursky, ''Words Project II'' ( New Amsterdam, 2008) * Sirintip, ''Tribus'' ( GroundUP Music, 2018) *

, ''

Family Dinner – Volume 2 ''Family Dinner – Volume 2'' is an album by American jazz fusion group Snarky Puppy that was released on February 12, 2016. Track listing All songs arranged by Michael League. Bonus DVD and digital download tracks Personnel * Michael Leag ...

'' (GroundUP, 2016) – recorded in 2015 *

Esperanza Spalding Esperanza Emily Spalding (born October 18, 1984) is an American bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Her accolades include five Grammy Awards, a Boston Music Award, and a Soul Train Music Award. A native of Portland, Oregon, Spalding ...

, ''

Radio Music Society ''Radio Music Society'' is the fourth studio album by Esperanza Spalding, which was released through the record label Heads Up International on March 20, 2012. The album earned Spalding Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Instrumental ...

'' ( Heads Up, 2012) *

Dayna Stephens Dayna Stephens (born August 1, 1978) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. In addition to leading his own group, Stephens has performed extensively with Kenny Barron, Ambrose Akinmusire, Taylor Eigsti, Julian Lage, Eric Harland, and Ger ...

, ''I'll Take My Chances'' ( Criss Cross, 2013) * Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra, ''Enjoy!'' (Koch, 2008) * Chris Tordini, ''Midnight Sun'' (Newvelle, 2017) – recorded in 2016

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Becca American women jazz singers American jazz singers Guitarists from North Carolina Musicians from Winston-Salem, North Carolina Peddie School alumni University of North Carolina School of the Arts alumni The New School alumni Living people 1984 births Jazz musicians from North Carolina 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American women guitarists 21st-century American guitarists GroundUPmusic artists Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra members Sunnyside Records artists Jazz musicians from New York (state)