Sheila Jordan: the true jazz child takes to the stage

Jordan’s residency at Millersville began Monday April 19 and continues through the 21. During her stay here, she is filling her time as tirelessly as possible. Throughout the week, she will meet with faculty and students, conduct lectures, discuss the highs and lows of the career of a musician, hold a question and answer session with music majors, participate in a music master class, and work personally with the Millersville University Jazz Band.

Born in 1928 in Detroit, jazz singer Sheila Jordan grew up in Summerhill, Pennsylvania. Restless and wanting to go back to her roots, she returned to the motor city in the early 1940s. Once there, she found her footing as a singer and performed in the trio Skeeter, Mitch, and Jean (she was “Jean”—her middle name is Jeanette), circuiting the jazz clubs of the era.

In 1951, the singer moved to New York City, where she studied music theory under Lennie Tristano and Charles Mingus, some of the greatest jazz composers of the day. By the early 1960s, she was a regular at places like the Page Three Club in Greenwich Village, and had made it enough to earn a living out of jazz music. In 1962, her debut album Portrait of Sheila was recorded under the Blue Note label.

After that success, Jordan withdrew from the music scene to take care of her daughter. For years, she worked as a legal secretary, putting the artist in her by the wayside. In 1975, she revived her career with the release of Confirmation, only her second studio album. Since then, she has released twenty solo albums, some of them live recordings of club performances. Known for her talent with lyrics, she has remained a staple in the jazz scene. Commentator Scott Yanow has hailed her, “one of the most consistently creative of all jazz singers.”

Most recently, she has been performing. For the latter half of March, she had a tour of Germany. A couple weeks later, she was doing gigs in New York City. After giving herself a second to breathe, she now finds herself at the Millersville campus.

To top off her residency, she is headlining a concert on Wednesday night. At 7:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose room of the Student Memorial Center, “Sheila Jordan and Friends,” a musical collaboration between Jordan and the Millersville Jazz Band will begin.

It will be an exciting musical event; along with her countless experience in jazz music, Jordan is especially known for her skills with lyrical and vocal improvisation, always a valuable skill in the unpredictability of jazz rhythms. For someone with her level of expertise, students should expect quite a show.

Tickets are free for Millersville students, $5 for seniors, $10 general admission, and $20 for club seats.