JORDAN Sheila 1975

Born Sheila Jeanette Dawson, 18 November 1928, Detroit, Michigan, USA, Sheila was raised in poverty in Pennsylvania's coal-mining country, she began singing as a child and by the time she was in her early teens was working semi-professionally in Detroit clubs. Her first great influence was Charlie Parker and, indeed, most of her influences have been instrumentalists rather than singers. Working chiefly with black musicians, she met with disapproval from the white community but persisted with her career. She was a member of a vocal trio, Skeeter, Mitch And Jean (she was Jean), who sang versions of Parker's solos in a manner akin to that of the later Lambert, Hendricks And Ross.
After moving to New York in the early 50's, she married Parker's pianist, Duke Jordan, and studied with Lennie Tristano, but it was not until the early 60's that she made her first recordings. One of these was under her own name, the other was "The Outer View" with George Russell, which featured a famous 10-minute version of "You Are My Sunshine".
In the mid-60's her work encompassed jazz liturgies sung in churches and extensive club work, but her appeal was narrow even within the confines of jazz. By the late 70's jazz audiences had begun to understand her uncompromising style a little more and her popularity increased -as did her appearances on record, which included albums with pianist Steve Kuhn, whose quartet she joined, and an album, Home, comprising a selection of Robert Creeley's poems set to music and arranged by Steve Swallow.
A 1983 duo set with bassist Harvie Swartz, "Old Time Feeling", comprises several of the standards Jordan regularly features in her live repertoire, while 1990's "Lost And Found" pays tribute to her bebop roots. Both sets display her unique musical trademarks, such as the frequent and unexpected sweeping changes of pitch which still tend to confound an uninitiated audience. Entirely non-derivative, Jordan is one of only a tiny handful of jazz singers who fully deserve the appellation and for whom no other term will do.

CONFIRMATION

To be continued...