Catherine Jane Whitney (born in Chicago, Illinois) is an American jazz singer, composer, and lyricist. She was a lyricist for trumpeter
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...
.
Whitney learned about music as a child, since her mother, Dorothy Brady, made a living as a vocalist and bandleader in Chicago in the 1950s and '60s. Her stepfather was George E. Lescher, a pianist who played with the
Spike Jones Band during World War II and was a longtime Chicago resident. In later years, he led the George Lescher Ballroom Orchestra.
Whitney began her professional jazz singing career in the early 1990s under the mentoring of
Von Freeman, a tenor saxophonist in Chicago. Jerry Brown and Gloria Cooper have recorded her work and three songs (in collaboration with
Curtis Fuller,
Rodgers Grant, and Milton Sealey). In October 2010, New York jazz vocalist Suzanne Pittson recorded a rendition of Freddie Hubbard's song "Our Own" (based on "Gibraltar"), which contained lyrics by Whitney. She has collaborated with
Johnny Griffin,
Houston Person,
Clifford Jordan,
Stanley Turrentine,
Ray Brown, and
Pete Cosey. She is also a
Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) affiliated writer.
She has worked with many Chicago musicians, including
Von Freeman,
[Publication:Article from Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) Article date:August 28, 1998 Author:Barbara Vitello, 2009 Paddock Publications.] John Young,
Jodie Christian, John Bany,
Richie Cole, Robert Shy, Tommy Muellner,
Rusty Jones,
Jose Valdes
José Angel Valdes (born August 4, 1957) is a Jazz, Latin jazz and classical pianist, organist and bandleader.
Career Early years
His father, José Valdes, was born in San Carlos, Tamaulipas, Mexico and was his first musical influence. His late ...
,
Arnold Gitard
Arnold may refer to:
People
* Arnold (given name), a masculine given name
* Arnold (surname), a German and English surname
Places Australia
* Arnold, Victoria, a small town in the Australian state of Victoria
Canada
* Arnold, Nova Scotia
Un ...
, and Johnie Faren.
References
* Second Floor Music Co., New York, NY, "One Heart's Dream" lyrics by Catherine Whitney, music by Rodgers Grant, 1994, 1987
* Second Floor Music Co., New York, NY, "Sweet And True" lyrics by Catherine Whitney, music by Curtis Fuller, 1994
* Second Floor Music Co., New York, NY, "New York Dream" lyrics by Catherine Whitney, music by Clifford Jordan, 1994
* Hubtones Music Co., "First Light" lyrics by Catherine Whitney, music by Freddie Hubbard, 1994, 1971
* Hubtones Music Co., "Our Own" lyrics by Catherine Whitney, music by Freddie Hubbard, 1994
* "Sing JAZZ!" Various Vocal(Arranged by Dr. Gloria Cooper) / Published by Second Floor Music, distributed by Hal Leonard (Stock No.: HHL0074021)
* Chicago Tribune article "Jazz Heirs Freeman Shines Among Rising Stars" August 3, 1993, By Howard Reich, Tribune Arts Critic.
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitney, Catherine
American women jazz singers
American jazz singers
Singers from Chicago
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Jazz musicians from Illinois
21st-century American women