Sheila Jordan's Getaway Place

Thanks for the link to the NY Times article on Sheila. She is a marvel of a singer and a fantastic human being and a friend since 1958 when I first met her at The Page Three on 7th Avenue, 2 blocks South from the Vanguard. I was the house pianist and got to accompany her once a week. She was working days and sang the Monday jazz nights.

What a joy it was to be playing behind her in those days. She never ever missed the first note and all those in between, she scatted her arse off on up tunes, slow tunes and on anything and everything; And Sheila always sang from the heart. She becomes the music. Sheila is music.

I was also blessed to have her sing my Jazz Requiem in 1968. I wrote the solo parts with her sound in mind. She then went on to learn more of my liturgical jazz compositions, all by ear, one phrase at a time, over and over and over, until it was in her bones and musical psyche; once the score was learned and memorized, she had it down forever.