Vocalist Sheila Jordan is the definition of a living jazz legend. She mingled and performed with Charlie Parker and Charles Mingus, Lennie Tristano and Max Roach, to name a few. She was one of the first singers to appear on Blue Note Records. And her imagination brought the unusual format of voice and bass to the forefront, making it a thing.
Her journey in jazz began when she was only 14 years old. She heard Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time" on the jukebox while growing up in Detroit and never looked back. Bird became a lifelong obsession. At 95 years old, she wants to make sure the Bird lives on, along with jazz itself.
"Support the music until it can support you," she says. "And you know what? It might never support you, but if you love it, you'll keep doing it because you won't want to give it up."
Certainly, Jordan has experienced her fair share of ups and downs during her life and storied career. As a child, she grew up in poverty, and while she pursued her dreams in music, needed to have hustles on the side. But she kept at it. "I had to sing. I just had to do it," she tells host Christian McBride. The music always kept her going.
Listen to their conversation on this episode of Jazz Night in America.
Set List:
Credits:
Sarah Geledi, writer and producer; Christian McBride, host; Ron Scalzo, episode mix; Suraya Mohamed, project manager; Keith Jenkins, vice president of visuals and strategy at NPR Music. Gabrielle Armand and Anya Grundmann, executive producers.
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