Jazz Vocalist Sheila Jordan,Known for Her Unique Style and Connection to Charlie Parker,Dies at 93
Sheila Jordan,a highly respected jazz vocalist celebrated for her improvisational skills and distinctive phrasing,passed away on valentine’s Day,February 14,2024,at her home in peach Lake,New York. she was 93 years old. Her final public performance occurred on the day of her death.
Born Sheila Jeanette Dawson on November 22,1931,in Detroit,Michigan,Jordan’s early life was marked by hardship. She was raised by her maternal grandparents, Clarence and elizabeth Dawson, in Pennsylvania’s coal region after her parents separated. She frequently described a arduous childhood, finding solace and expression through singing. A pivotal moment arrived when, at age 12, she discovered Charlie Parker’s “Now is the Time” on a jukebox in a Minersville, Pennsylvania diner.
“And I put my nickel in, and up came Bird, playing ‘Now is the Time,’ and I said that’s the music,” she recalled in a 2014 NPR interview. “That’s the one I’ll dedicate my life to.”
Jordan developed a close friendship with Charlie “Bird” Parker, who affectionately nicknamed her “the lady with the million dollar ears.” She became a fixture in the bebop scene, performing alongside jazz luminaries despite facing racial prejudice as a white woman associating with Black musicians. in 1952, she married Duke Jordan (born William Elwood Jordan in 1922), a pianist who was a key member of Parker’s quintet from 1945-1948, and collaborated with musicians like Dizzy gillespie and Miles Davis.
Their marriage, however, was strained by Duke Jordan’s struggles with heroin addiction. he left Sheila and their daughter, traci Jordan, in the mid-1960s.Sheila supported herself and Traci through secretarial work while continuing to pursue her musical passion, performing in clubs like the Half Note in New York City.
“You find a way because the music is very important,” she explained.”That’s how I survived, knowing that once or twice a week I’d get a sitter for Traci, and I’d go and sing in this club, and then I’d get up the next morning and go do my day gig.”
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Jordan’s vocal style, characterized by its rhythmic freedom and intimate delivery, defied easy categorization. She released over 19 albums after 2000, including her most recent, Portrait Now, released on February 14, 2024. While she never achieved mainstream commercial success, she garnered critical acclaim and a devoted following within the jazz community.
Beyond her performance career, Jordan was a dedicated educator, teaching jazz vocal workshops for decades at institutions including the City College of New York, New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and workshops internationally. In 2012, she received the prestigious Jazz Master Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, recognizing her significant contributions to the art form. She continued to perform and teach well into her 90s.
“The people that respect what I do and hire me, that’s all I need,” she stated in a 2014 NPR interview.”I just need to keep doing this music as long as I live.” Sheila Jordan is survived by her daughter, Traci Jordan.
