Ellen Johnson – Tue, 26 Aug, 2014 8:40 AM EDT
BERKELEY, Calif., Aug. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- When Sheila Jordan dropped a nickel in the jukebox of a Detroit diner in the 1940s and heard "Now's The Time" by Charlie Parker, she was instantly hooked—and so began a seventy-year jazz journey. With Jordan's full cooperation, author Ellen Johnson documents the fascinating career of the 85-year-old NEA Jazz Master who stands today as one of the world's most deeply respected jazz vocalists and educators. Jazz Child: A Portrait of Sheila Jordan published by Rowman and Littlefield releases on September 16th and is the first complete biography about this remarkable singer's life with a personal and touching foreword by Don Heckman, former Los Angeles Times Jazz Critic and current editor for The International Review of Music.
According to Howard Mandel, author and president of the Jazz Journalists Association, "Ellen Johnson's portrait of Sheila Jordan captures the warmth, modesty, determination and sublime creativity of a unique woman who's become a jazz master and American cultural hero. We read about a golden age of jazz in Detroit and New York City; interracial friendships and romances; abuse, addiction and recovery, motherhood and triumph -- all in the service of illuminating a life of beautiful music." Johnson reveals within the book the challenges Jordan confronted, from her growing up poor in a Pennsylvania coal mining town to her rise as a bebop singer in Detroit and New York City during the 1950s to her work as a recording artist and performer under the influence of such jazz giants as Charlie Parker, George Russell, Lennie Tristano, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, and Thelonious Monk. As The New York Times announced, "Her ballad performances are simply beyond the emotional and expressive capabilities of most other vocalists."
read more: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/rowman-littlefield-releases-nea-jazz-124000177.html
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