photo by Frans Schellekens/Getty | |
A Singular Concert Evening for Sheila In Cambridge, Massachusetts . . .
Below is a wonderful story and biography about Sheila Jordan, written by Jim Gavin for JazzTimes.
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“Sheila was listening to bebop when she just closed her eyes and died,” says Theo Bleckmann.
AUGUST 14, 2025 – BY JAMES GAVIN
Full story HERE.
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PRESS RELEASE
Media Contact:
Sue Sue Auclair, President
Sue Auclair Promotions
sue@sueauclair.com | 617.359.5771
For Immediate Release:
Monday, October 19, 2026
SHEILA JORDAN: YOU ARE OUR SUNSHINE
A Singular Concert Evening In Two Parts
THU | NOV 12 | 2026 | 7:00 pm & 8:30 pm
THE MAD MONKFISH
Cambridge | Massachusetts
with Yoko Miwa, Mikayla Shirley, Dominique Eade,
Harvie S, Roni Ben-Hur, Tim Ray, Brad Barrett, and Scott Goulding
Tickets On Sale Now
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"Sheila Jordan was a consummate vocal artist, but that was just one measure of her greatness. Her personal warmth and honesty on stage made people fall in love with her. As we approach what would have been her 98th birthday, my wife Joanne and I are delighted to bring together a team of brilliant artists to remember her and celebrate her legacy,"
says writer, journalist and former jazz radio host Steve Elman
Cambridge, MA--Musicians, fans and friends will come together on Thursday, November 12 at The Mad Monkfish in Cambridge's Central Square for two loving and inventive sets of extraordinary music in a unique salute to jazz singer Sheila Jordan. "Sheila Jordan: You Are Our Sunshine" is the title of this event. The song "You Are My Sunshine" was a song that Sheila often sang, but it was also the song that eventually led to her first album on Blue Note Records.
All of the musicians on this program either performed with her or studied with her. They are pianist Yoko Miwa, bassist Brad Barrett, drummer Scott Goulding, singer Mikayla Shirley, singer Dominique Eade, bassist Harvie S, guitarist Roni Ben-Hur and pianist Tim Ray.
The Mad Monkfish was home to Sheila Jordan's annual "birthday party" events for many years and it spawned many of Sheila's Jazz Workshop events with her unique vocal studies classes. The jazz, sushi and Thai food club/restaurant affectionately shortened to "Monkfish" by area jazz fans, is located at 524 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139. This show is in two parts, 7 pm and 8:30 pm; doors are at 6:30 pm.
Tickets for the entire two set concert evening are $35 plus fees; they are on sale now HERE.
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In a unique situation, nearly all of the incredible artists on this program have new albums to announce and connect to this event!
Pianist Yoko Miwa and vocalist Mikayla Shirley have just recorded a duo album entitled The Midnight Hour on the Cupcakes & Muffins label; it's out for release this week, August 28. Mikayla Shirley is 25 years old, newly graduated from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute masters program, and an attendee at Sheila Jordan's master classes. She has already headlined at the Regattabar Jazz Club at The Charles Hotel.
Singer Dominique Eade has a new album as well, titled Roots & Byways on the Sunnyside label. Eade shares this album with the one and only legendary pianist, and dear friend of Sheila Jordan, Ran Blake. The legendary pianist Ran Blake has enjoyed a long and celebrated career as a composer, educator, and performer. His work with vocalists might be his most revered, as he has always maintained an orchestral but playful approach to co-creating with vocalists.
Vocalist Eade met Blake nearly five decades ago when she arrived in Boston to enrich her musical practice at Berklee College of Music. Hearing Blake perform a solo piano concert was revelatory as he was able to put a new context to the jazz and contemporary classical approaches that Eade had been exposed to at home. Eade quickly jumped to the Third Stream Music Department at the New England Conservatory
Bassist Harvie S, who performed with Sheila for decades has an album due to be released by the time of this performance entitled Bright Dawn on the Origin label. The album features Harvie with Peter Bernstein on electric guitar, Miki Hayama on piano and Matt Wilson on drums. On Bright Dawn, Harvie's 21st recording as a leader, Harvie reaffirms why he remains one of the most expressive and sought-after bass voices in modern jazz. In addition, Harvie is working feverishly to release a duo session recorded in 1983 with Sheila herself, on Dot Time Records.
Guitarist Roni Ben-Hur released Abriendo Puertas on Dot Time Records on June 26, 2026. Abriendo Puertas was recorded in Havana, but the album isn’t built around the drama of arrival. Its beauty lies elsewhere — in musicians finding a shared room and letting that room change the music. The album features Roni on guitar, Alejandro Falcón on piano, Pedro Pablo Gutiérrez on acoustic bass, Ruy López-Nussa on drums, Octavio Rodríguez Rivera on percussion, Emir Santa Cruz on tenor saxophone and Osdalgia Lesmes on vocals.
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HERE'S AN WONDERFUL VIDEO OF
SHEILA JORDAN WITH EMMET COHEN'S BAND FROM 4 YEARS AGO:
| | CLICK BELOW FOR A COOL PODCAST WTIH STEVE ELMAN: | | |
YOKO MIWA
Internationally acclaimed pianist/composer Yoko Miwa is one of the most powerful and compelling performers on the scene today. Her trio, with its remarkable telepathy and infectious energy, has brought audiences to their feet worldwide. Yoko was named a Rising Star Pianist in the 2022, 2023, and 2024 DownBeat Critics Poll.
The Yoko Miwa Trio’s 2021 release Songs of Joy received wide acclaim and reached #1 on national jazz radio charts and was voted a best jazz album of 2021 in the DownBeat 86th Annual Readers Poll. Jazziz called it “a radiant new collection.” CD Hotlist said “…yet another triumph from one of America’s finest jazz pianists, composers, and bandleaders.” Their 2019 CD, Keep Talkin’, showcases Miwa’s fine playing and artful compositions and the trio’s uncanny musical camaraderie. DownBeat gave the recording four stars, calling it “a beautifully constructed album” and noting “the drive and lyricism of a pianist and composer at home in bebop, gospel, pop, and classical.” JazzTimes also reviewed the album favorably, praising Miwa’s “jaw-dropping degree of technique.” The album enjoyed seven weeks in the top 10 on Jazz Week’s charts, much like its predecessor, Miwa’s 2017 release Pathways, which also made Jazz Week’s top 10 for several weeks. In a 2017 feature article on Miwa, DownBeat noted her “impressive technique and a tuneful lyricism that combines an Oscar Peterson-ish hard swing with Bill Evans-like introspection.”
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DOMINIQUE EADE
Poetic and passionate, American vocalist, composer and improviser Dominique Eade blends musical virtuosity with a songwriter’s straightforward emotional sensibility, creating music that has garnered critical acclaim, inspired audiences, and served as a creative signpost for generations of singers. The New York Times called Eade “an exceptional singer” with a “wide vocal range and a grasp on the intricacies of style,” one “who weighs a chanteuse’s coolness against a jazz musician’s exploratory instincts.” The Atlantic Monthly recognized Eade for her “rich voice and effortless delivery” while the Boston Phoenix called her music “sublime and daring.”
Eade’s performances throughout the United States, Latin America and Europe include the Buenos Aires Jazz Festival, the Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival, Mountain Stage, the Rigas Ritmi Jazz Festival, the Panama Jazz Festival, the Molde International Jazz Festival, and the What is Jazz Festival, and clubs such as Los Angeles’ The Jazz Bakery, New York’s The Blue Note, The Five Spot and The Jazz Standard, D.C.’s Jazz Alley and Boston’s RegattaBar. Eade was signed to RCA Victor in 1998, recording with jazz luminaries Dave Holland, Victor Lewis and Benny Golson.
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HARVIE S
Harvie S is an award-winning bassist, educator, composer, arranger, and producer whose artistry has continually expanded the expressive possibilities of the bass. Throughout his remarkable career, he has challenged both himself and his peers, pushing the boundaries of contemporary jazz while maintaining a deeply personal musical voice.
His latest release, Bright Dawn (Origin Records), has received international acclaim and rave reviews, further solidifying his reputation as one of today's most creative and lyrical bassists.
Harvie S recorded 2 albums with Kenny Barron and Witchcraft was Number #1 on JazzWeek and stayed on the charts for 4 months. His recording New York Notes, featuring the Alan Broadbent Trio (HighNote/Savant), remained on the JazzWeek national radio charts for 19 weeks.
A legendary figure in jazz, Harvie S has performed and recorded with many of the music's greatest artists, including Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Dexter Gordon, Tony Bennett, Ray Barretto, Michael Brecker, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Paquito D'Rivera, Gil Evans, Art Farmer, Mark Turner, Jim Hall, Stefon Harris, Billy Hart, Lee Konitz, Yusef Lateef, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny, Paul Motian, Chico O'Farrill, Danilo Pérez, Maria Schneider, Zoot Sims, Toots Thielemans, Ray Vega, James Williams, Phil Woods, Louie Bellson, and countless others.
His extensive discography includes 21 albums as a leader, 15 as a co-leader, and more than 400 recordings as a sideman, collaborating with artists such as James Brown, Chick Corea, Kenny Barron, Tom Harrell, Sheila Jordan, Steve Kuhn, Pat Martino, Alan Broadbent, Wycliffe Gordon, David Matthews, Virginia Mayhew, James Weidman, Eddie Henderson, James Moody, Anat Cohen, Jack Wilkins, Mike Stern, John Scofield, Billy Taylor, and Grover Washington Jr., among many others.
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TIM RAY
Tim Ray’s wide-ranging skills as a soloist and accompanist have afforded him the opportunity to perform with legendary performers from many diverse styles of music. He is perhaps best known as Tony Bennett’s most recent pianist and musical director, appearing in concerts with him until his retirement from singing in 2020.
Featured on over 100 recordings to date, Tim has performed in concert with an extensive list of pop music icons, notably Aretha Franklin, Lyle Lovett, Jane Siberry and Soul Asylum. He regularly performs with leading figures in the jazz world, among them Kurt Elling, Gary Burton, Esperanza Spalding, Phil Woods, Terri Lyne Carrington, Scott Hamilton, Dave Douglas, John Patitucci, Brian Blade, Lewis Nash and Rufus Reid; and his classical credits include solo performances and concerts with the Boston Pops, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and the Glens Falls (NY) Symphony. Tim’s busy schedule has included frequent tours throughout the Americas, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and has included performances at Carnegie Hall, The White House, The Kennedy Center and The 1992 Presidential Inauguration.
Tim has also performed repeatedly on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson and later, Jay Leno, “Late Night with David Letterman,” “The Conan O’Brien Show,” “Austin City Limits” and various other national TV and radio broadcasts. His most recent album as a leader - Fire & Rain - featuring John Lockwood on bass and Mark Walker on drums, was released on the Whaling City Sounds record label in 2023.
Excursions & Adventures, featuring drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and bassist John Patitucci, and Windows (with Lockwood and Walker) are also available on the Whaling City label. He released his first CD as a leader in 1997 - Ideas & Opinions - on Gunther Schuller’s GM Recordings label, which included drummer Lewis Nash and bassist Rufus Reid. His second self-led CD was released in 2003 - Tre Corda - and includes Greg Hopkins on trumpet and Eugene Friesen on cello. This “chamber jazz” trio released their next recording in 2013 - Squeaky Toy - which features original compositions and music by Bela Bartok. Tim also has a solo piano CD: On My Own, vol. 1 – New Works, a collection of original compositions and improvisations. A sought-after arranger and composer, Tim has penned numerous original works for his trio Tre Corda, for solo piano, big band, string orchestra, and an extensive body of writing for jazz trio and quartet. He is a grant recipient from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a longtime Professor on the faculty of the Berklee College of Music.
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RONI BEN-HUR
“A limber and inventive guitarist, Ben-Hur keeps the modernist flame alive and pure, with a low flame burning in every note." –Gary Giddins, The Village Voice
Jazz guitarist Roni Ben-Hur is renowned for his golden tone and improvisational brilliance; he plays straight-ahead jazz, Brazilian music, and other Latin styles with equal finesse. His talents were honed by his work with masters in each of those fields, notably bebop pianist Barry Harris, longtime Count Basie saxophonist and flutist Frank Wess, Brazilian jazz singer Leny Andrade, and composer-singer Marcos Valle. The New York Times praised Roni’s “crisp, fluid style”; Time Out New York proclaimed him “a formidable and consummately lyrical guitarist.”
In addition to leading his own bands, Roni has performed not only with the heroes and peers mentioned above but with Sheila Jordan, Cecil Payne, Etta Jones, Marcus Belgrave, Charles McPherson, Jimmy Heath, Clark Terry, Slide Hampton, Chris Anderson, Earl May, Teri Thornton and Bill Doggett. Roni has also played with pianist Roger Kellaway, whose 2024 release Live at Mezzrow features Roni.
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MIKAYLA SHIRLEY
“Shirley is barely old enough to drink from the martini glass she had perched stage right, but her voice has the athleticism of Ella Fitzgerald’s, the frankness of Billie Holiday’s and the elastic vibrato of Sarah Vaughan. Her vocals transported the audience into a space of romance and elegance.. Somehow, her final note hung in the air until after we realized the show was over.”
- Cambridge Day (Jan ‘26)
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SCOTT GOULDING
An internationally recognized Jazz performer, recording artist, and educator, he has appeared as a sideman on over 40 CD releases on labels in the U.S., Europe and Japan, including releases with Jerry Bergonzi and Larry Grenadier. Scott has recorded at the world famous NYC studios Avatar and Sear Sound with James Farber as the engineer.
He has toured throughout the United States and internationally. Performed with George Garzone, Larry Grenadier, Jerry Bergonzi, Sheila Jordan, Joanne Brackeen, Michel Camillo, Frank Tiberi, Jay Clayton, Rebecca Parris, David Amram, Barry Ries, Peter Eldridge, Grace Kelly, Kevin Mahogany, Charles Neville, Larry Willis, Alan Broadbent, Howard Levy, Brenda Hopkins Miranda, Jeremy Pelt, Hiromi, Robin McKelle, Anat Cohen, Lionel Loueke, Marco Benevento, Avishai Cohen, Chiara Civelo, Hans Glawishnig, Rudresh Manthappa, and Eli Degibri.
Scott has performed in such notable venues as The Blue Note in NYC, Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC, Cotton Club in Tokyo, Japan, and The Blue Note in Nagoya, Japan.
He currently holds the drum chair in the critically acclaimed Yoko Miwa Trio, lead by pianist and JVC Recording Artist, Yoko Miwa. The trio was voted Top Jazz Act in the 2012 Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll. For more than a decade, Scott has been the drummer for piano legend Harvey Diamond in his trio and quartet with vocalist Hannah Rose Diamond.
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BRAD BARRETT
Brad Barrett is a bassist, improviser, and educator. His practice engages the tools of improvisation and southern musical traditions to interrogate the complex interplay between freedom and structure. Jazz Times described Barrett’s style as “diced bits of Derek Bailey skronk” infused with “Delta blues twang,” and the Free Music Collective has lauded his playing as “singularly rhythmically genius.”
In 2019, his first album, Cowboy Transfiguration—featuring Joe Morris on guitar and MacArthur Fellow Tyshawn Sorey on percussion—garnered critical acclaim for its distinctive sonic landscapes and virtuosity. Unlike conventional approaches to composition that place decision-making authority in the hands of a single composer, the compositional frameworks in Cowboy Transfiguration challenge players to maximize their creative freedom while adhering to rules for shared leadership.
Over the past decade, Barrett has worked as an in-demand freelance musician; has performed with jazz luminaries such as Jason Moran, Sheila Jordan, Julian Lage, Evan Parker, Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, Taylor Ho Bynum and Rakalam Bob Moses; and has appeared on several noteworthy albums. In addition, Barrett is an award-winning educator whose innovative teaching practice has been consistently supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Barrett holds a DMA in Contemporary Improvisation and a MM in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory. h
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