Jo Lawry is an Australian singer and musician. Lawry's debut album, ''I Want to Be Happy'', was released in 2008. ''

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 gave it 4.5 out of 5 and selected it as one of the "Best CDs of the 2000s".

Music career

Jo Lawry was raised on an almond farm in South Australia. She studied

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 major ...

Adelaide University The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

and the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music Music school, conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The ...

in Boston. In 2004, she reached the semi-finals in the

Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is a non-profit music education organization founded in 1986. Before 2019, it was known as the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, but was then renamed after its longtime board chairman, Herbie Hancock. The i ...

, and the following year got second in the National Jazz Awards of Australia. In New York City, she met jazz pianist

Fred Hersch Fred Hersch (born October 21, 1955) is an American jazz pianist, educator and HIV/AIDS activist. He was the first person to play weeklong engagements as a solo pianist at the Village Vanguard in New York City. He has recorded more than 70 of his ...

and became a member of his Pocket Orchestra. She was also a member of James Shipp's Nos Novo, a jazz quartet for which she sang and played fiddle, mandolin, and

melodica The melodica is a handheld free-reed instrument similar to a pump organ or harmonica. It features a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. The keyboard usual ...

. In 2009, Lawry began working with

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

after winning an audition to tour with him. She appeared on his DVD ''A Winter's Night... Live from Durham Cathedral'' and toured with him through 2015. She sang on the '' Live in Berlin'' album and DVD and on '' The Last Ship'' album and DVD. On her first album, ''I Want to Be Happy'' (2008), she sang a cover version of his song "

Until Until may refer to Music *''Until'', a 1967 album by Robin Kenyatta *''Until'', a 2008 album by One Little Plane *"Until", a song by Wilfred Sanderson *A version of the song " Anema e core" with English lyrics * "Until..." (Sting song), a 2001 ...

". They performed a duet on "Impossiblé" from her second album, ''Taking Pictures''. Their collaboration on the song "Practical Arrangement" appeared on Sting's ''

Duets A duet is a musical composition or piece for two performers. Duets or The Duets may also refer to: Films and television * ''Duets'' (film), a 2000 film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamatti and Huey Lewis * "Duets" (''Glee''), a 2010 episod ...

'' album in 2021. Lawry is featured in the documentary film ''

20 Feet from Stardom ''20 Feet from Stardom'' is a 2013 American documentary film directed by documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville and produced by Gil Friesen, a music industry executive whose curiosity to know more about the lives of background singers inspired the ...

''. She is married to Will Vinson, a saxophonist from London.

Discography

As leader

* ''I Want to Be Happy'' (Fleurieu, 2008) * ''Taking Pictures'' (ABC Music, 2015) * ''The Bathtub and the Sea'' (Fleurieu, 2017)

As guest

With Sting * ''

Symphonicities ''Symphonicities'' is the tenth studio album by English musician Sting, released on 13 July 2010 on Deutsche Grammophon. This is his first studio album featuring new recordings of existing songs (the second one to date being the 2019 studio al ...

'' (Deutsche Grammophon, 2010) * '' Live in Berlin'' (Deutsche Grammophon, 2010) * '' The Last Ship'' (A&M/Cherrytree, 2013) With others * Quentin Angus, ''Perception'' (Aurora Sounds, 2013) *

Laila Biali Laila Biali (born 3 October 1980) is a Canadian Vocal jazz, jazz singer and pianist. She has been nominated for and won a Juno Award and has worked with Chris Botti and Sting (musician), Sting. Career Born in Vancouver, Biali began playing pi ...

, ''Laila Biali'' (ACT, 2018) *

Jonatha Brooke Jonatha Brooke (born January 23, 1964) is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist from Massachusetts, United States. Her music merges elements of folk, rock and pop, often with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies. She has been a ...

, ''Midnight. Hallelujah.'' (Bad Dog, 2016) *

Guy Klucevsek Guy Klucevsek (born February 26, 1947) is an American-born accordionist and composer. Klucevsek is one of relatively few accordion players active in new music, jazz and free improvisation. Klucevsek was born in New York City, and raised outside ...

, ''The Multiple Personality Reunion Tour'' (Innova, 2012) *

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 ...

, ''If Less Is More...'' (Palmetto 2008) * Karen Oberlin, Michael Winther, ''Waiting for the Angel: Songs with Words by David Hajdu'' (Miranda 2015) * Jeremy Siskind, ''Simple Songs for When the World Seems Strange'' (Bju, 2010) *

Lonnie Smith Lonnie Smith may refer to: * Lonnie Smith (baseball) (born 1955), American baseball player * Lonnie Smith (boxer) (born 1962), American boxer * Lonnie Smith (organist) (1942–2021), American organist * Lonnie Liston Smith (born 1940), American jaz ...

, ''Rise Up!'' (Palmetto 2008) *

Becca Stevens Becca Stevens (born June 14, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist who draws upon elements of jazz, chamber pop, indie rock, and folk. Early life and education Stevens was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as the youngest ...

, ''Regina'' (GroundUP, 2017)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawry, Jo Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Australian women singers