Originally launched a few years ago as the Twin Cities chapter of the Jazz Vocal Coalition, Jazz Vocalists of Minnesota reorganized last winter when the parent organization dissolved. With a membership of about 30 vocalists, jazz educators and advocates, JzVMn provides networking, education and mentoring for veteran and novice singers as well as performance and learning opportunities for the general public to promote appreciation of the vocal side of America’s indigenous art form. Last fall, the JzVMn held its first public workshop on the art and business of jazz singing. Last summer, the group also presented two showcase events, at the Dakota Jazz Club in downtown Minneapolis as part of the Twin Cities Jazz Festival and at the Artists Quarter in downtown St. Paul to celebrate the release of the JzVMn’s first compilation recording, Vocallage; a fall showcase was held in Burnsville at the Dakota County Steakhouse. Vocallage provides a good introduction to the vocal talents of Twin Cities’ artists, featuring one tune apiece by each of thirteen members of the organization. The CD will be available at the upcoming Showcase and at the March 2nd KBEM Winter Jazz Festival at the new MacPhail Center for Music, where JVM will present another showcase throughout the day. 

Showcase Talents

The Showcase on February 10th will not only highlight the talents of at least a dozen JzVMn singers rotating solos, but will also include some group numbers. Vocalists scheduled to perform at the showcase include: 

• Barbara Bjork always wanted to be a singer. As a child, she could be found in front of the mirror singing into a hairbrush pretending to be Diana Ross. Because she lived in small town Wisconsin, she sang classical and choral music. Today, when she’s not writing for Corporate America or serving on the Board of Directors for the West Bank School of Music, she is a jazz vocalist. She has performed at Cafe Luxx, Jitters, Tiburon, Fusion Music Lounge, The Times, Anodyne, Betsy's Back Porch and numerous private events.
• Thomas Bruce has long roots in vocal jazz, brother of the late Roberta Davis and uncle of Moore by Four’s Yolanda Bruce. But he came to singing himself relatively recently, released the acclaimed Limerence in 2005, and now is ready to release his second CD later this spring. Over the past few years, Tommy has graced the stages of Sophia’s, the Dakota, the Palm Court, Three Fish and more with his soothing tenor and eclectic repertoire.
• Dorothy Doring has been making waves as far south as New Orleans. Her first CD, About Time, was nominated for a 2001 Minnesota Music Academy Award. Her most recent release, Southern Exposure, was recorded in New Orleans in 2005.  In addition to singing jazz, Dorothy has an eclectic background in everything from rock to country to blues and R&B. Not only a performer, Dorothy Doring is a highly respected music educator for the St. Paul Public Schools. In addition to gigs in the Twin Cities, Dorothy performs several times per year in the Crescent City and currently co-hosts the Skylark Singers (showcase) at Jitters.
• Connie Dussl. Currently appearing with Pizzazz Jazz, Connie was one of the co-founders of Mill City Mix, and has performed with the Clinton Avenue Jazz Trio, the Minnesota Jazz Orchestra, the Rod Smith Big Band, Black Tie Affair, Planet Swing and the Wolverines.
• Lee Engele. Think Ella meets Streisand, with a pinch of Julie London, Lena Horne, Keely Smith, Judy Garland and Peggy Lee and you’ll have an idea of the music of Lee Engele. A long-time vocalist for the Just Friends Big Band, Lee also performs with the Somewhat Dixieland Band and her own Lee Engele Jazz Band. Lee recently performed in and produced a tribute to the songs of Cole Porter with fellow singers Reeves Carey and Rhonda Laurie.
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  Nancy Harms sings with bassist Graydon Peterson©Andrea Canter
  Nancy Harms received classical voice training at Concordia College in Moorhead and sang with the Concordia Choir. She has recorded, enjoyed radio play, and performed with many jazz and gospel musicians including her current band, The Nancy Harms Trio, in various cities and venues across Minnesota including the Dakota, Rossi's and the Fine Line.
• Rhonda Laurie began her career as a cabaret singer in New York nightclubs.  She has studied with several renowned vocal coaches, including jazz legend Sheila Jordan and Jay Clayton.  Recently she has performed at Rossi's Blue Star, Sophia's, the Times Bar and Cafe, and Dakota, has a weekly gig at Cavé Vin, and is working on her debut recording with the great Peter Schimke, Chris Bates, Jay Epstein and Irv Williams. Rhonda has served JVM as President for the past two years.
• Gregg Marquardt once heard the director of a school play proclaim: "You're one of the worse singers I've ever worked with." Thus began Gregg’s singing career, now spanning more than 30 years. Armed with that first critique, Gregg started voice training in 1976, eventually working his way towards study with noted Twin Cities music professionals Roberta Davis, Leon Thurman and Vicky Mountain. Gregg models his voice after Mel Torme, Joe Williams and Kurt Elling, and has presented that voice at The Dakota Jazz Club, The Times Bar & Cafe, the Artist's Quarter, Yvette's, and The Café Luxx. His debut CD, Starting Point, has sold in the U.S., Switzerland and Italy. Gregg sings regularly with the Minnesota Jazz Orchestra, and now he'll often hear a fan proclaim: "You're one of the best singers I've ever heard!"
• Jackie Moen is one of the newest members of the Jazz Vocalists of Minnesota. She has been singing and playing instruments all her life, including piano, guitar, and harp; she has a music minor from the University of Minnesota where she studied harp. For the past three years she has been studying vocal jazz with a local artist, focusing on jazz standards as well as blues, rhythm & blues, and gospel. She sings regularly with the Freedom Train vocal ensemble.
• Vicky Mountain’s eclectic past runs the stylistic gamut from warming up for the Hollies, Tim Weisberg, Scarlet Rivera and others to co-writing and performing original jazz operas to concerts from Winnipeg to South America to nightclub and church performances with duos to big bands. Currently she performs with her own group and as a freelance singer, and teaches jazz voice at the MacPhail Center for Music.  Her CDs (Birds Of A Feather and Don't Go To Strangers) feature her original lyrics.
• Lucia Newell has sung in jazz clubs, concert halls and festivals around the world and can be heard on local and national TV and radio jingles. Lucia teaches improvisation and enjoys writing music and lyrics. She released the critically acclaimed CD Enter You, Enter Love with guitarist Joan Griffith, is featured on Laura Caviani’s jazzy Christmas CD, Angels We Haven’t Heard, and collaborated with Pete Whitman’s Departure Point on her 2004 release, Steeped in Strayhorn.
• Connie Olson has had a career that has taken her into various styles of music, including Rock and Roll, Rhythm and Blues and Jazz.  After her start with top Twin Cities’ bands, she moved to Los Angeles, where she attended the Dick Grove School of Music and worked many of LA’s venues. She has performed throughout the world with such top musicians as The Bill Molenhof Group, Peter Duchin’s Big Band, The Peter Graves Orchestra, The Manhattan Transfer, The Brian Setzer Band, Prince and Madonna. Connie’s tribute to Doris Day, Daydreaming, was released in fall 2004, and she has performed various “Doris” gigs ever since.
• Karen Quiroz-Bly has long been a lover of Jazz standards and is now making them her own. While her training has mainly been in classical and choral music, the many years she spent listening to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Joao Gilberto are evident. She loves the wild beauty of Portuguese, the joy of improvisation, and discovering the bluest notes where you least except them. Karen is grateful to her teachers Vicky Mountain, Bruce Henry, Sheila Jordan, and especially Jay Clayton for keeping the lights on in the woodshed.
• Mary Ann Sullivan is surrounded by music. She is married to local sax great Doug Haining, and their two sons are excellent musicians as well, pursuing careers in the field. Maryann herself studied music in college, and played flute and sax in the Augsburg Jazz program. Lately, she’s proven herself to be a fine singer on various stages in the Twin Cities. Jazz fans may recognize Mary Ann as the voice of “Jazz Connections” on MPR.
• Chris With has been singing as long as she's been talking, and has been a jazz vocalist in the Twin Cities for the past 15 years. She has performed solo gigs at the Times, Embassy Suites, and Jitters, where she was one of the cohosts of the Artist's Cocktail musical revue. Chris was a long-time member of Lawrence Hutera’s Nokomis Jazz Workshop  and has performed in jazz ensembles at the West Bank School of Music and MacPhail Center for the Arts. She is currently working on a jazz CD. She is also a life coach who specializes in coaching performers to convert performance anxiety to passionate performance.
  

  JVM presented a showcase at the summer jazz festival©Andrea Canter

Start thinking about love and valentines—and let the Jazz Vocalists of Minnesota put you in the mood on February 10th.  
 

The Artists Quarter is located at 408 St. Peter Street in the lower level of the Hamm Building in downtown St. Paul. Free parking on Sundays is available in the Macy’s Ramp on Wabasha at 7th Place—just a short block from the AQ. For monthly gig listings for Jazz Vocalists of Minnesota, visit the Twin Cities page of Jazz Police. Additional information about the JzVMn is available on the JazzINK website (www.jazzink.com) under “Twin Cities Jazz.” AQ website at www.artistsquarter.com