Sheila Jordan

Sheila Jordan (b. Sheila Jeanette Dawson; November 18, 1928, Detroit, Michigan) is an American jazz singer and songwriter. Jordan has recorded as a session musician with an array of critically acclaimed artists in addition to a notable solo career.

Although her mainstream success has been somewhat limited, Jordan's music has earned praise from many critics, particularly for her ability to improvise entire lyrics; Scott Yanow describes her as "[o]ne of the most consistently creative of all jazz singers."

Early career
Sheila Jordan grew up in Summerhill, Pennsylvania, before returning to her birthplace in Detroit in 1940 playing the piano and singing semi-professionally in jazz clubs. She was influenced by Charlie Parker and was part of a trio called Skeeter, Mitch and Jean (she was Jean), which composed lyrics to Parker's arrangements. Sheila also claimed in her song "Sheila's Blues" that Charlie Parker wrote the song "Chasin' the Bird" for her, as she and her friends were known to chase him around the jazz clubs in the 1940s.

In 1951, she moved to New York and started studying harmony and music theory, taught by Lennie Tristano and Charles Mingus. From 1952 to 1962 she was married to Charlie Parker's pianist, Duke Jordan.

1960s
In the early 1960s, she had gigs and sessions in the Page Three Club in Greenwich Village, where she was performing with pianist Herbie Nichols, and was working in different clubs and bars in New York.

In 1962, she was discovered by George Russell with whom she recorded the song, "You Are My Sunshine" on his album The Outer View (Riverside). Later that year she recorded her Portrait of Sheila album (recorded on September 19 and October 12, 1962) which was sold to Blue Note.

For much of the 1960s, Jordan withdrew from music to raise her daughter. She supported herself by working as a legal secretary.

Later in the decade, she sang jazz-inflected liturgies in different churches such as Cornell and Princeton, NYC. Jordan played with Don Heckman (1967–68), Lee Konitz (1972), Roswell Rudd (1972–75) and began her long working relationship with Steve Kuhn around this time.

1970s to current years
In 1974, she was "Artist in residence" at the City College and was teaching there in 1975. On July 12, 1975, she recorded Confirmation. One year later she did the duet album simply called Sheila with Arild Andersen (bass) for SteepleChase in the end of 1976. In 1979, she founded a quartet with Kuhn, Harvie Swartz and Bob Moses. During the 1980s, she was working with Harvie Swartz as a duo and played on several records with him. Until 1987 she worked in an advertising agency and recorded Lost and Found in 1989. In 2012 she was made an NEA Jazz Master.

Sheila Jordan is also a songwriter and is able to work in both bebop and free jazz. In addition to the musicians previously mentioned, she has recorded with the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band (TCB, ECM), Harvie S (MA Recordings), Cameron Brown, Carla Bley (Escalator over the Hill) and Steve Swallow (Home). In addition to Blue Note, she has led recordings issued by Eastwind, Grapevine, SteepleChase, ECM, Palo Alto, Blackhawk and Muse.

As leader

 * Portrait of Sheila (Blue Note 1963)
 * Confirmation (East Wind Records, 1975)
 * Sheila (SteepleChase 1977)
 * Playground - Steve Kuhn/Sheila Jordan Band (ECM, 1980)
 * Last Year's Waltz - Steve Kuhn Quartet (ECM, 1981)
 * Old Time Feeling (Muse (1982)
 * The Crossing (Blackhawk Records 1984)
 * Body and Soul (CBS/Sony 1986)
 * Lost and Found (Muse 1989)
 * Songs From Within (MA Recordings 1989)
 * One for Junior (Muse 1991)
 * Heart Strings (Muse 1993)
 * Jazz Child - Steve Kuhn Trio (1998)
 * Jazz Child (HighNote 1999)
 * Sheila's Back In Town (Splasc(h)] 2000)
 * From the Heart (32 Records 2000)
 * Straight Ahead (YVP/Splasc(h) 2000)
 * I've Grown Accustomed to the Bass (High Note 2000)
 * The Very Thought of Two (MA Recordings 2000)
 * Little Song - Steve Kuhn Trio (2002)
 * Little Song (High Note 2003)
 * Believe in Jazz (ELLA Productions] 2004)
 * Celebration - Live At The Triad (High Note 2005)
 * Winter Sunshine (Justin Time 2008)

As featured vocalist
With Carla Bley With Cameron Brown With Jane Bunnett With George Gruntz With Bob Moses With Roswell Rudd  With Steve Swallow
 * Escalator over the Hill (JCOA, 1971)
 * Here and How! (OmniTone 1997)
 * The Water Is Wide (1993)
 * Theatre (ECM, 1983)
 * When Elephants Dream Of Music (Rykodisc 1982)
 * Flexible Flyer (Arista/Freedom 1974)
 * Home (ECM, 1980)