Born Sheila Dawson on November 18, 1928, in Detroit Michigan, Sheila Jordan is
an acclaimed jazz and free jazz singer, pianist, and songwriter. She is
best-known for pioneering a scat jazz style often only accompanied by an upright
bass. She grew up in Summerhill, Pennsylvania but returned to Detroit in 1940,
where she would eventually start playing piano in local jazz clubs. Initially
part of a trio who wrote lyrics to Charlie Parker songs, she moved to New York
City in 1951 and studied music theory and harmony under Charles Mingus and
Lennie Tristano. She became friends with Ch...