Rebecca Parris (December 28, 1951 – June 17, 2018) was an American
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 ...
singer. During her career she appeared with
Count Basie,
Buddy Rich,
Wynton Marsalis,
Gary Burton
Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be he ...
, and
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...
. She performed at the
Monterey Jazz Festival
The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jaz ...
,
North Sea Jazz Festival
The North Sea Jazz Festival is an annual festival held each second weekend of July in the Netherlands at the Ahoy venue. It used to be in The Hague but since 2006 it has been held in Rotterdam. This is because the Statenhal where the festival w ...
,
Oslo Jazz Festival
Oslo International Jazz Festival (Oslo Jazzfestival, established 1986 in Norway) is a Norwegians, Norwegian music event, held in August, with a focus on music form the jazz genre, performed on stages in Oslo.
History
The pilot project (1984–19 ...
, and the International Floating Jazz Festival. She won the
Boston Music Awards nine times.
Critical reception
"I hear a little
Carmen McRae when I listen to Rebecca", said Ron DellaChiesa, the jazz disk jockey at
WGBH WGBH may refer to:
* WGBH Educational Foundation, based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States
** WGBH (FM), a public radio station at Boston, Massachusetts on 89.7 MHz owned by the WGBH Educational Foundation
** WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV (channel 2), ...
in Boston. "And a little
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer.
Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...
. I think she's on that level".
"Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae were my friends while they were alive, and it was a huge blessing to know them," said Parris. "And being accepted as one of them was huge".
Death
On June 17, 2018, Parris died at the age of 66.
Discography
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parris, Rebecca
1951 births
2018 deaths
American jazz singers
American women jazz singers
People from Newton, Massachusetts
Singers from Massachusetts
20th-century American singers
20th-century American women singers
21st-century American singers
21st-century American women singers
Jazz musicians from Massachusetts