Sheila Jordan workshop

"I just love the music whether I'm singing it or teaching it or just going out to support it."
—Sheila Jordan

As part of the NEC music history department's fall semester course on "The Post-Bebop Era, 1949–61," jazz vocalist Sheila Jordan visits NEC for a workshop/lecture.

The first major stage of Jordan's career exactly coincides with the time span of the NEC course. Born in 1928, she began singing in Detroit clubs while still in her teens.

Her first recordings only came in the early 1960s—and one of the first was a monumental rendition of "You Are My Sunshine" with George Russell, who went on to teach at NEC for many years. Jordan tells the story of how this came about in the video interview on this page.

The title of a recent recording, Believe in Jazz, summarizes Jordan's enduring outlook and presence on the jazz scene. Today's workshop is a rare opportunity to connect with jazz history through one of its most vibrant practitioners. Jordan will talk about the social issues that challenged American jazz musicians in the 1950s, and will invite NEC bass players enrolled in the Post-Bebop course to accompany her and other students in impromptu scat singing.