Nancy Harms©Mark Hannan

“Nancy's going to be a big presence in this town. She's already a total ‘pro,’ but she's working with more and more musicians, learning more about the business all the time, and earning a great reputation among the musicians and audiences alike. There's a lot of very cool stuff ahead for both Nancy and her rapidly expanding fan base.” –Arne Fogel 
 

One of the most entertaining aspects of the recent Twin Cities Winter Jazz Festival was a seven-hour, continuously running Singers Showcase, featuring the wide-ranging, cross-generational talents of the Jazz Vocalists of Minnesota, an organization of singers, instructors and vocal jazz enthusiasts. And most gratifying to the participants were the accolades, particularly the oft-heard, “Wow, where did these great new singers come from?” One of them came from a small town west of the Twin Cities, settling in Minneapolis and launching her public singing career less than a year ago. Nancy Harms has since become a regular performer at venues such as Rossi’s, The Times and Fine Line, and made her Dakota Jazz Club debut last summer. On April 1st, no foolin’, Nancy returns to the Dakota with a trio worthy of veteran talents, featuring Tanner Taylor on piano, Graydon Peterson on bass and Spencer McGinnis on drums. Praised by such area legends as Arne Fogel, Nancy brings a solid sense of swing and a balance of groove and storytelling to the stage through such standard vehicles as Gershwin and Ellington. 

Nancy Harms grew up in Clara City, MN and very early discovered her gift for song. From her first performance at an aunt's bridal shower, she found opportunities to sing “at almost every community event” until she finished high school. Notes Nancy, “A friend once told me that I sing more than I speak and he was only slightly kidding.  I feel I best express myself while singing.”  Nancy gained considerable experience singing in church, and chose Concordia College in Moorhead for its strong choral music program. Although studying classical voice at Concordia, she notes that “I was always involved in a choir but felt a draw to jazz, which was quite foreign to me at the time. I sang with the jazz band there and joined a jazz combo that played at various venues in the Fargo-Moorhead community.” 

After college graduation, Nancy became an elementary music teacher in Milaca, MN, noting that “I wanted to sing professionally” but lacked the “knowledge of how to get started or the guts to leap.”  She continued performing as much as her time would allow, finally made the move to Minneapolis two years ago. “After moving here, my love of jazz was solidified and I have found my musical home in it.”  Starting to perform around the area in summer 2007, Nancy debuted at the Dakota last August and formed the Nancy Harms Trio with pianist Thor Polson and bassist Eric Solberg. “There is so much to learn given my later start,” she says, “but it is a joyous process because it is so meaningful to me.  It is not today's popular music, which makes things a bit more difficult, but I'm doing what I love and there's no replacement for that.  I am excited and honored to be part of this amazing and rich art form.” 

Nancy’s inspiration comes from diverse jazz sources.  She was first attracted to Louis Armstrong and Harry Connick, particularly “their playfulness and sense of swing.” Another favorite is Lauryn Hill, who “possesses one of my favorite voices of all time...she could possibly make me cry by singing about fence posts.  She was a regular in my CD player at college along with Ella, Harry and Louie.” She discovered Billie Holiday more recently. “I find her voice and phrasing to be unbearably charming and sweetly tragic.  Not being much of a belter myself, I have so much to learn about song delivery and phrasing from brilliant non-belters like Billie.”  Among modern icons, she notes that “at the moment I am listening to Kurt Elling the most.  I love what he chooses to sing about and how brilliant he is in the use of his voice.”   

Nancy further finds inspiration on the local scene, where she notes that “there are so many talented vocalists that I am learning from on and off the stage.  I am probably one of the biggest Donald Thomas fans around.  He drums more than he sings, but I've had the privilege to catch him singing at the Times Jazz Brunch and found myself completely enthralled.  He's got a lovely instrument and it appears to be totally effortless for him.  He is a natural jazz singer.” 

Nancy Harms©Andrea Canter

Nancy Harms and her sense of swing has impressed no less than Minnesota’s answer to Bing and Frank, crooner Arne Fogel. “I like listening to Nancy sing,” says Arne. “She has an interesting approach, in that her style is influenced by a wide variety of artists and eras, and she's not afraid to try some very modern pop touches in the course of delivering a jazz performance. But at the root of it all she has a very legitimate, instinctive sense of natural Swing that anchors everything she does and which imparts a special, distinctive, jazz quality. This ‘beat’ is innate in some folks; you either have it or you don't. Harms has it. Her ballads are unique; she's just recorded a version of ‘Cry Me A River’ with Tanner Taylor, Graydon Peterson, and Spencer McGinnis (available on her Myspace) that is quite hauntingly beautiful.”

At the Dakota and Beyond

Nancy Harms will bring a talented ensemble to the Dakota on April 1st, with Tanner Taylor on piano, Graydon Peterson on bass, and Spencer McGinnis on drums—the same band you can hear on her MySpace page. “We will be performing songs from the great American Songbook: Straight-ahead swing with a touch of youth, accenting the catalogues of Gershwin, Ellington, VanHeusen, Mercer, Arlen and Hammerstein.” A few days later (April 5th), she’ll sing for a swing dance at the Tapestry Folkdance Center in Minneapolis, fronting a band with Rick Carlson, Doug Haining, Graydon Peterson and Dick Bortolussi. Her plans also call for a full-length CD within the next few years and hopefully attending the renowned Cabaret Conference at Yale. “I was accepted to the Cabaret Conference at Yale but am not sure if I will be able to attend this year,” she says. “I plan on attending at some point.  I look forward to the professional development it will offer.  I would love to have feedback from the reputable staff at the conference concerning all matters of the art of music-making and being in the music business.” 

Nancy is definitely off to a good start in matters of music-making. Don’t miss your introduction to one of the brightest new voices on the local jazz scene. 

Nancy Harms with the Tanner Taylor Trio takes the stage at the Dakota in downtown Minneapolis on April 1st, 7 pm. The Dakota is located at 1010 Nicollet Mall; www.dakotacooks.com. On April 5th, Nancy will perform at the Tapestry Folkdance Center in Minneapolis at 8 pm; on April 26th, she’ll be at Thistles American Bistro in Robbinsdale at 7:30 pm. For Nancy’s gig schedule and music samples, visit www.myspace.com/nancyharms