Songs for Sheila Jordan: Penny King with Bronwynn Sprogowski and Libby Hammer
Schedule
Sat, 22 Nov, 2025 at 06:00 pm
UTC+08:00Location
The Ellington Jazz Club - Perth | Perth, WA
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Songs for Sheila JordanPenny King | Bronwynn Sprogowski | Libby Hammer
Saturday 22nd November
Doors 6pm | Music 7pm
In August of this year, the jazz world lost a true legend, and a pioneer of modern jazz vocals, the incomparable Sheila Jordan.
Known for her deeply personal style and fearless improvisation, her lifelong love of jazz and bebop began in her early days in Detroit where she fell in love with the music of Charlie Parker, before moving to New York in the 1950’s to play with Parker, Charles Mingus and countless others, whilst studying with Lennie Tristano. Her groundbreaking first recording as a lead vocalist was an 11 minute version of ‘You are my Sunshine’ on George Russell’s album ‘The Outer View’. This far from traditional version drew the attention of Blue Note records, which lead to her iconic 1963 debut release ‘Portrait of Sheila’, making her the first female vocalist to record for the label.
A celebrated jazz educator for decades, Sheila began teaching at the City College of New York in 1978, and continued there until 2005, as well as holding positions with other faculties, and conducting workshops internationally. Sheila was the recipient of many honours, including the 2008 Mary Lou Williams Award for a Lifetime of Service to Jazz, a National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship in 2012, the highest highest honour for a jazz musician in the United States, and in 2023, was inducted into the Downbeat Hall of Fame. She inspired generations of vocalists, perhaps most notably her protégé and close friend Theo Bleckmann, and in a career spanning nearly 80 years, was still singing just months before her passing.
By invitation of the Ellington Jazz Club, tonight’s performance aims to honour the incredible life and legacy of Sheila Jordan – not to emulate, but to remember her music, her contributions and to honour one of jazz’s most influential vocalists who will continue to captivate generations of jazz musicians to come.
Featuring:
Penny King - vocals
Chris Foster - piano
Nick Abbey - bass
Daniel Susnjar - drums
✨And special guests:✨
Bronwynn Sprogowski and Libby Hammer on vocals!
Tickets: https://www.ellingtonjazz.com.au/tc-events/songs-for-sheila-penny-king-and-friends/
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Where is it happening?
The Ellington Jazz Club - Perth, 191 Beaufort St, Perth WA 6000, Australia, PerthEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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