Sheila Jordan, a celebrated jazz vocalist and staple of the Blue Be aware roster, has died on the age of 96. The information was shared by Sheila’s daughter Tracey on August 11.
She wrote on Instagram: “Dear Jazz Family & Friends, My dearest mum Sheila Jordan passed away peacefully this afternoon, Monday, August 11 at 3:50 pm. Her friend Joan Belgrave was playing her a bebop tune called ‘Bill for Bennie,’ by her late husband Marcus Belgrave…my mom fell asleep listening to the music she loved and helped define.”
“Thank you for your support and generosity, the money raised on her GoFundMe page will be used to pay off medical debt and secure a plot for her at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Jazz Corner…a memorial service will be planned in the future at Saint Peter’s Church in New York City.”
Jordan was born in Detroit on November 18, 1928 however was raised by her grandparents in Pennsylvania as a consequence of her father abandoning her and her mom battling alcoholism. Life wasn’t any simpler within the Allegheny Mountains, and he or she was ultimately taken again to Detroit by her mom, who nonetheless struggled with consuming and abusive companions. She discovered solace in jazz, even recalling her very first introduction to the music that might form her life.
“I always sang but I didn’t know what kind of music I wanted to sing,” she instructed Ellen Johnson, who wrote Jazz Youngster: A Portrait of Sheila Jordan in 2014. “Until that unforgettable day I went to the hamburger joint across the street from my high school.” She cued up ‘Now’s the Time’ by Charlie Parker and His Reboppers on the jukebox, and it modified her life. “After the first four notes I was hooked,” she stated. “I got goose bumps, and I instantly knew that was the music I had been waiting to hear and would dedicate my life to singing.”
Jordan was a fast examine, studying Parker’s notoriously dizzying solos and performing them along with her voice. She was even afforded the chance to showcase her prowess for Hen, who was a frequent performer in Detroit. “I sang one of Bird’s songs, and he said to me, ‘You have million-dollar ears, kid,’” she stated. “I didn’t even know what that meant.”
Sheila ultimately made her method to New York in 1951, marrying Duke Jordan two years later. Jordan was the pianist in Parker’s authentic quartet, and their relationship was shortly dominated by his reliance on heroin. He was repeatedly unavailable to assist elevate the daughter they shared, and so they divorced in 1962. It was that very same yr, although, that George Russell, a jazz theorist, recruited Jordan into the studio to supply some vocals for his 1962 album, The Outer View. It was her first time in a studio, and that very same yr she recorded her 1963 debut, Portrait of Sheila, nonetheless broadly considered one of the vital information in vocal jazz.
Although Portrait of Sheila was a rousing success, it wasn’t till her daughter left for school that she went again within the studio to document its follow-up, Affirmation. After getting her sophomore effort beneath her belt, she was a prolific recording artist, sharing nearly 30 albums as a bandleader or member. Portrait Now, her final launch, arrived in 2025.
Amongst a lot of great accolades, Sheila Jordan was named a Nationwide Endowment for the Arts Jazz Grasp in 2012 on the age of 84. Up till her last years, she was a constant performer and inspiration inside the jazz group. “The people that respect what I do and hire me, that’s all I need,” she instructed NPR in 2014. “I just need to keep doing this music as long as I live.” She did simply that.
