JazzMn Jumpstarts Season With Singer Ernestine Anderson
The great song stylists. They stir our souls and unleash our emotions, often with just the first note out of their mouths. Each has had her own unique sound, be it Sarah Vaughn's warm lower registers, Carmen McRae's masterful phrasing, or Ella just singing scat. Ernestine Anderson is a singer of such magnitude, and will share her vocal gifts with the Twin Cities on October 6th for "Vocal Ease," the opening concert of the JazzMn Big Band's 2001-2002 Spotlight Series.
"Ernestine's voice sounds like honey at dusk."
- Quincy Jones
After more than five decades of singing jazz and blues, Ernestine Anderson remains at the top of her form. Two of her most recent CDs - Blues, Dues & Love News (1996) and Now and Then (1993) - received Grammy nominations. An acknowledged virtuoso of the blues, Anderson is equally superb with ballads and swing. Her sultry, sensuous voice is intimate in small club settings and soars with passionate intensity in the festival arena. On stage, she's charming and vivacious, her joy in the music delighting audiences from Sweden to Japan.
Born in Houston, Texas, on November 11, 1928, into a musical family, Ernestine grew up listening to the blues. As a child, she joined her father and grandmother singing gospel. When she was twelve, Ernestine entered a talent contest and so impressed trumpeter Russell Jacquet that he hired her on the spot to sing with his big band. Soon she was playing with Johnny Otis and then the legendary Lionel Hampton orchestra. Upon embarking on a Scandinavian tour, she became a huge sensation in Sweden, where she was dubbed "Stina" by the adoring crowd. Her star rose rapidly; she was asked to perform in the first Monterey Jazz Festival in 1958, was named by Down Beat as 1959's "Best New Vocal Star", and was featured in Time magazine. After spending much of the 60s in Europe, she resumed her American career with the urging of bassist Ray Brown, signing with Concord Records in 1976. She made nearly 20 albums for the label, two of which received Grammy nominations. Her most recent album, Ballad Essentials, was released in 2000.
The JazzMn Big Band is a professional orchestra that follows the models of classical orchestras, striving for artistic excellence. The group combines the talents of outstanding jazz musicians from throughout the Twin Cities. "Vocal Ease" is on October 6th, 7:30 p.m. at the Benson Great Hall on the Bethel College campus. Tickets are available in advance ($20-$24 for adults, $16-$18 for students) through the Benson Great Hall box office (651-638-6333 or 800-255-8706 x6333), or at the door ($22-$26 and $18-$20). Group rates are available. For more information, call (612) 242-4791. For more on Ernestine Anderson, visit her website at www.ernestineanderson.com.
