Sheila Jordan (born Sheila Jeanette Dawson; November 18, 1928) is 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 and songwriter. She has recorded as a session musician with an array of critically acclaimed artists in addition to recording her own albums. Jordan pioneered a

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

and

scat jazz In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal Musical improvisation, improvisation with wordless vocables, pseudoword, nonsense syllables or without words at all. In scat singing, the singer improvises melodies and rhythms using the voice as an instrume ...

singing style with an

upright bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar ...

as the only accompaniment. Jordan's music has earned praise from many critics, particularly for her ability to improvise lyrics;

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author.Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles an ...

describes her as "one of the most consistently creative of all jazz singers."

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

often introduced Jordan as "the lady with the million dollar ears."

Biography

Early career

Sheila Jordan grew up in Summerhill,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, United States, before returning to her birthplace of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, in 1940. She sang and played piano in jazz clubs in Detroit. She was a member of the trio Skeeter, Mitch, and Jean (Skeeter Spight, Leroi Mitchell, and Jordan was "Jean"), which wrote lyrics to music by

. They went to Parker's performances in Detroit, met him, and he would ask them to sing. In 1951, Jordan moved to New York City and studied harmony and

music theory Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (ke ...

with

Lennie Tristano Leonard Joseph Tristano (March 19, 1919 – November 18, 1978) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher of jazz improvisation. Tristano studied for bachelor's and master's degrees in music in Chicago before moving to New Yo ...

and

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...

, but she concentrated on the music of Charlie Parker. Jordan and Parker became friends before his death in 1955. She refers to him as one of her teachers. From 1952–1962, she was married to

Duke Jordan Irving Sidney "Duke" Jordan (April 1, 1922 – August 8, 2006) was an American jazz pianist. Biography Jordan was born in New York and raised in Brooklyn where he attended Boys High School. An imaginative and gifted pianist, Jordan was a regul ...

, who played piano in Parker's band. In a 2012 interview with ''JazzWax'', when asked why she moved to New York, Jordan said, "I guess I was chasin' the Bird arker" When asked if the song " Chasin' the Bird" was written for her, she replied, "No. I don't know how that rumor got started."

1960s

In the early 1960s, Jordan performed at the Page Three Club in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

with pianist

Herbie Nichols Herbert Horatio Nichols (January 3, 1919 – April 12, 1963) was an American jazz pianist and composer who wrote the jazz standard " Lady Sings the Blues". Obscure during his lifetime, he is now highly regarded by many musicians and critics. Lif ...

, and at other bars and clubs in New York City. For much of the 1960s, she withdrew from clubs to raise her daughter, and she sang in church instead. She was a typist and legal secretary for twenty years with little time to concentrate on music until the age of 58. In 1962, she worked with George Russell, with whom she recorded the song, "

You Are My Sunshine "You Are My Sunshine" is a song published by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell on January 30, 1940. According to Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), the song has been recorded by over 350 artists and translated into 30 languages. In 1977, the Louisi ...

" on his album '' The Outer View'' (

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

). Later that year she recorded the album ''

Portrait of Sheila ''Portrait of Sheila'' is the 1963 debut album of American jazz singer Sheila Jordan, released by Blue Note Records. In the 1963 ''DownBeat'' magazine Critics Poll, she was ranked first in the vocal category for "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition ...

'' which was released by

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 ...

. Her long working relationship with

Steve Kuhn Steve Kuhn (born March 24, 1938) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and educator. Biography Kuhn was born in New York City, New York, to Carl and Stella Kuhn (née Kaufman), and was raised in Newton, Massachusetts. Hi ...

began in the early 1960s. She also played with

Don Heckman Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON * Don (river), a river in European Russia * Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name * Don, Benin, a town in Benin * Don, Dang, a ...

(1967–68), Lee Konitz (1972), and

Roswell Rudd Roswell Hopkins Rudd Jr. (November 17, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American jazz trombonist and composer. Although skilled in a variety of genres of jazz (including Dixieland, which he performed while in college), and other genres of musi ...

(1972–75).

1970s to present

In 1974, Jordan was Artist in Residence at

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

and taught there from 1978–2005. In 2006, she was presented the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC) Lifetime Achievement Award and celebrated 28 years as an Adjunct Professor of Music. She has taught at

University of Massachusetts at Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...

and the Vermont Jazz Center, InterplayJazz and Arts, as well as teaching international workshops. On July 12, 1975, she recorded ''Confirmation''. One year later she released the duet album ''Sheila'', with

Arild Andersen Arild Andersen (born 27 October 1945) is a Norwegian jazz musician bassist, known as the most famous Norwegian bass player in the international jazz scene. Career Andersen was born at Strømmen, Norway. He started his musical career as jazz g ...

for SteepleChase. In 1979, she founded a quartet with

Harvie S Harvie S (born Harvie Swartz; December 6, 1948) is an American jazz double-bassist. He learned piano as a child and did not begin playing bass until 1967, when he was nineteen years old. Scott Yanow, Harvie Swartzat Allmusic He attended Berkle ...

, and

Bob Moses Robert Moses (1888–1981) was an American city planner. Robert Moses may also refer to: * Bob Moses (activist) (1935–2021), American educator and civil rights activist * Bob Moses, American football player in the 1962 Cotton Bowl Classic * Bob M ...

. During the 1980s, she worked with Harvie S as a duo and played on several records with him. Until 1987 she worked in an advertising agency and recorded ''Lost and Found'' in 1989. Jordan is a songwriter who works in

and

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians during ...

. In addition to the aforementioned musicians, she has recorded with the

George Gruntz George Gruntz (24 June 1932 – 10 January 2013) was a Swiss jazz pianist, organist, harpsichordist, keyboardist, and composer known for the George Gruntz Concert Big Band and his work with Phil Woods, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Don Cherry, Chet Baker ...

Concert Jazz Band, Cameron Brown, Carla Bley, and

Steve Swallow Steve Swallow (born October 4, 1940) is an American jazz bassist and composer, known for his collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton, and Carla Bley. He was one of the first jazz double bassists to switch entirely to electric bass guitar. ...

. In the UK she appeared with former John Dankworth Band vocalist Frank Holder. She has led recordings for Blue Note, Blackhawk,

East Wind An east wind is a wind that originates in the east and blows in a westward direction. This wind is referenced as symbolism in mythology, poetry and literature. In mythology In Greek mythology, Eurus, the east wind, was the only wind not associate ...

, ECM, Grapevine,

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

Palo Alto Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was estab ...

, and SteepleChase In 2012, she received the

NEA Jazz Masters The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), every year honors up to seven jazz musicians with Jazz Master Awards. The National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowships are the self-proclaimed highest honors that the United States bestows upon ...

Award. Her biography, ''Jazz Child: A Portrait of Sheila Jordan'', written by vocalist and educator Ellen Johnson, was published in 2014.

Awards and honors

* 2006 Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs Lifetime Achievement Award * 2007

International Association for Jazz Education International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE), formerly a not-for-profit corporation based in Manhattan, Kansas, was a volunteer-run organization that, among other things, allocated student scholarships through its approved festivals program ...

Humanitarian Award * 2008

Mary Lou Williams Mary Lou Williams (born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs; May 8, 1910 – May 28, 1981) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. She wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements and recorded more than one hundred records (in 78, 45, and ...

' Women in Jazz for Lifetime of Service * 2010 New York Nightlife Award – Outstanding Jazz Vocalist * 2012

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

Jazz Master Award – Lifetime Honors Award * 2018

Bistro Award ''Backstage'', also previously written as ''Back Stage'', is an American entertainment industry trade publication. Founded by Allen Zwerdling and Ira Eaker in 1960, it covers the film and performing arts industry from the perspective of performer ...

Outstanding Contributions to the Art of Jazz

Discography

As leader

* ''

'' (Blue Note, 1963) – recorded in 1962 * ''Confirmation'' (East Wind, 1975) * ''Sheila'' with Johnny Knapp (Grapevine, 1977) * ''Sheila'' with Arild Andersen ( SteepleChase, 1978) – recorded in 1977 * ''

Playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

'' with Steve Kuhn ( ECM, 1980) – recorded in 1979 * ''Old Time Feeling'' with

(Palo Alto, 1983) – recorded in 1982 * ''The Crossing'' (BlackHawk, 1984) * ''Body and Soul'' (CBS/Sony, 1987) * ''Lost and Found'' (Muse, 1990) * ''Songs from Within'' with Harvie Swartz (MA, 1993) * ''One for Junior'' with Mark Murphy (Muse, 1993) * ''Heart Strings'' (Muse, 1994) * ''Jazz Child'' with Steve Kuhn (HighNote, 1999) * ''Sheila's Back in Town'' (Splasc(h), 1999) * ''The Very Thought of Two'' with Harvie Swartz (MA, 2000) * ''Little Song'' with Steve Kuhn (HighNote, 2003) * ''Celebration'' with Cameron Brown (HighNote, 2005) * ''Straight Ahead'' (Splasc(h), 2005) – recorded in 2004 * ''Winter Sunshine'' (Justin Time, 2008) * ''Live At Mezzrow'' (Cellar Live, 2022) – live recorded in 2021

As featured vocalist

With Carla Bley * '' Escalator over the Hill'' (JCOA, 1971) With Cameron Brown * ''Here and How!'' (OmniTone 1997) * ''I've Grown Accustomed to the Bass'' (HighNote, 2000) With

Jane Bunnett Mary Jane Bunnett, (born October 22, 1956) is a Canadian musician and educator. A soprano saxophonist, flautist and bandleader, she is especially known for performing Afro-Cuban jazz. She travels regularly to Cuba to perform with Cuban musicians. ...

* ''The Water Is Wide'' (1993) With

* ''

Theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

'' (ECM, 1983) With

* ''When Elephants Dream of Music'' (

Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first Compact Disc, CD-only independ ...

, 1982) With

* ''

Flexible Flyer Flexible Flyer is a toy and recreational equipment brand, best known for the sled of the same name, a steerable wooden sled with steel runners. Operation Flexible Flyers are flexible both in design and usage. Riders may sit upright on the sl ...

'' ( Arista/Freedom 1974) * ''

Blown Bone ''Blown Bone'' is an album by trombonist Roswell Rudd. It was recorded in March 1976 at Blue Rock Studios in New York City, and was released on LP by Philips Japan in 1979. On the album, Rudd is joined by clarinetist Kenny Davern, saxophonists Ste ...

'' (Philips, 1979) * ''

Broad Strokes ''Broad Strokes'' is an album by trombonist Roswell Rudd. It was recorded during March 1999–January 2000 at various locations, and was released by Knitting Factory Works in 2000. On the album, Rudd appears in a broad range of ensemble contexts, ...

'' (Knitting Factory, 2000) With

* ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

'' (ECM, 1980)

Academia

Former students * Laura Valle

References

External links

Official site

Official site for ''Jazz Child: A Portrait of Sheila Jordan by Ellen Johnson''

Interview at vancouverjazz.com

''Jazz Italia'' article

''One Final Note'' feature from 2005

Sheila Jordan interviewed by Eric Jackson
on WGBH's Eric in the Evening
2009 interview with Alyn Shipton
for BBC Radio 3's 'Jazz Library' series {{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Sheila 1928 births Living people American women jazz singers American jazz singers Bebop singers Scat singers Singers from Detroit Blue Note Records artists ECM Records artists HighNote Records artists Muse Records artists Palo Alto Records artists SteepleChase Records artists Jazz musicians from Michigan Justin Time Records artists 21st-century American women