“She can be as playful as Ella, as thoughtful as Sarah, as naughty as Etta… Barbara Morrison… has gained a national following with her big personality and delicious sense of swing.” -L.A. Times

Barbara Morrison©Andrea Canter

One of the most soulful songstress of her (or any) generation, Barbara Morrison returns to one of her favorite haunts to usher in the new year when she visits Steamers in Los Angeles, January 4-5. With her swinging renditions of blues and jazz standards, she has no equal as singer and entertainer.

A native of Ypsilanti, Michigan, Barbara Morrison made her show business debut recording for Detroit radio at age 10. Ever since, she has been performing at festivals, including the Montreux and the North Sea Jazz Festivals, and on stage with such legends as Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody, Ron Carter, Etta James, Jimmy Smith, Johnny Otis, Dr. John, Kenny Burrell, Terence Blanchard, Joe Sample, Cedar Walton, Nancy Wilson, Mel Torme, Joe Williams, and Tony Bennett. She opened for Ray Charles and was guest vocalist for the Count Basie

Barbara Morrison © Andrea Canter

When not on tour, Morrison teaches at UCLA, where she is on the faculty of the Ethnomusicology Program. She is also the founder and director of Young Educated Singers, Inc., ("YES"), a California not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation and proliferation of jazz and the blues by inspiring children 12-17 to choose careers as jazz and/or blues singers.

Barbara Morrison can belt out the blues, torch a torch song, and squeeze the soul out of soul, and along the way, she’s a dazzling entertainer and comedienne. Said Rob Adams in the Glasgow Herald, “She makes an audience feel good, like we're all round at her place and she's feeding us in the kitchen.” But it is indeed her voice with its two-and-a -half octave range that ultimately puts her at the top. With over 20 recordings in almost every genre from jazz to blues to gospel and pop, she has received world-wide acclaim: “She can swing a tune with the best of them, and the pointed quality of her vocals allows her to penetrate even the most formidable instrumental accompaniment. To hear her ride the great, roaring orchestral sound is to behold one of the more accomplished jazz-blues singers in the business" (Sidney Morning Herald).

Drawing from her broad repertoire, Barbara Morrison will no doubt energize the Steamers crowd with her soulful and swinging renditions of blues, ballads, and standards. This is classy music in the guise of a down-home songfest!

"...a superlative display of eclectic music-making, engaging as entertainment, compelling as jazz…” (Don Heckman, LA Times)

Barbara Morrison performs at Steamers, 8:30 pm, January 4-5. Steamers is located at 138 W. Commonwealth in Fullerton; www.steamerscafe.com