When Sheila Jordan dropped a nickel in the juke box 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. In 1962, she
emerged as the first jazz singer to record on the prestigious Blue Note
label with her debut album Portrait of Sheila. Exploding on the jazz
scene, this classic work set the bar for her career as an iconic jazz
vocalist and mentor to other promising female vocalists. As The New York
Times then announced, "Her ballad performances are simply beyond the
emotional and expressive capabilities of most other vocalists." Jazz
Child: A Portrait of Sheila Jordan, as the first complete biography
about this remarkable singer's life, reveals the challenges she
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 and in performance with such jazz luminaries as Charlie
Parker, George Russell, Lennie Tristano, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins,
and Thelonious Monk. Jordan's views as a woman living the jazz life in
an era of racial and gender discrimination while surrounded by those
often struggling with the twin evils of alcohol and drug abuse are
skillfully woven into the tapestry of the tale she tells. With Jordan's
full cooperation, author Ellen Johnson documents the fascinating career
of this jazz great, who stands today as one of the most deeply respected
jazz singers and educators. For jazz fans, Johnson's biography is a
testament to a vanishing generation of musicians and her indomitable
spirit is an inspiration to all walks of life. More information is
available at: http: //www.jazzchildthebook.com/
