Artful jazz vocal pioneer Sheila Jordan, who recorded the lion’s share of her catalog and earned critical acclaim late in life, died on Monday at her New York City apartment. She was 96.
Jordan’s daughter, music industry bigwig Tracey J. Jordan, confirmed her mother’s death in a poignant social media post.
“My dearest mum Sheila Jordan passed away peacefully this afternoon… August 11 [at] 3:50 pm.,” she captioned an Instagram photo of her holding her mother’s hands. “Her friend Joan Belgrave was playing her a bebop tune called ‘Bill for Bennie,’ by her late husband Marcus Belgrave…my mom fell asleep listening to the music she loved and helped define.”
No cause of death was given, though her daughter shared on Facebook in April that Sheila was “convalescing at the Actor’s Fund Rehabilitation Home in Englewood, N.J.”
The former Sirius XM vice president thanked her followers and her mother’s fans for their financial support — more than $133,000 in donations as of Tuesday evening — raised on GoFundMe to help pay off medical expenses and cover burial costs.
Describing her mother as “a living bridge to the great musicians who created Bebop and beyond,” Tracey said a portion of the money will be used to secure a plot at Woodlawn Cemetery’s “Jazz Corner,” where legends like Duke Ellington, Florence Mills, Miles Davis and Max Roach have been laid to rest.
A memorial service will be planned at Saint Peter’s Church on Lexington Ave. in New York City, though a date has not yet been set.
Born Sheila Jeanette Dawson on Nov. 18, 1928 in Detroit, the Appalachian mountains-raised singer and songwriter became known for her improvisational style of voice and bass duets while performing at the Page Three lesbian bar in Greenwich Village during the 1950s.
Under the tutelage of revered musicians Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus and Lennie Tristano, she honed her skill and achieved a first shot at solo success with the 1962 album “Portrait of Sheila,” released on the Blue Note record label.
The groundbreaking opus, which included Jordan’s timeless takes on standards such as “Am I Blue,” “Falling in Love With Love,” and “I’m a Fool to Want You,” earned praise across the board.
But while peers such as Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday and Blossom Dearie were able to capitalize on early success and thrive to become renowned vocalists of the jazz genre, Jordan’s recording career was sidelined by her personal life.
She grappled with divorce and single motherhood while working as a secretary, and overcame battles with alcoholism and cocaine addiction before getting back into the swing of things — both literally and figuratively.
Jordan recorded 19 albums since 2000 and was celebrated as a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master — the genre’s highest honor — in 2012 at the age of 84.
Her last album, “Portrait Now” with Harvie S and Roni Ben-Hur, was released on Feb. 14 of this year, the day of her final live performance.
Originally Published:
