JANE
PARKER
About me
I learnt to sing by listening to as many vocalists as possible - and still do. Among my favourites, as well as the famous jazz greats, are artists that include Blossom Dearie, Mark Murphy, Nancy Wilson, Eddie Jefferson and John Hendricks.
I worked in and around the London's West End with 'Lush Life' - a band influenced by New Orleans jazz , film noir and contemporary artists including Tom Waits and Dr John. We played at so many different venues including Ronnie Scotts, 100 Club, The Vortex, Quaglino's, the Cafe de Paris and Le Cafconce in Casablanca. We wrote and recorded the album "Alligator Lounge" released on 33Records. It was exciting to be able to write and arrange our own music and then play it all live.
As a solo performer I have performed at many venues including the 606 Club in Chelsea, Boisdale's of Belgravia and Ronnie Scott's.
I still love writing. I am fascinated by lyric writing as a craft and am in awe of the wonderful lyrics written by the great American songbook composers.
Last Summer I spent ten days at the famous Rudy Van Gelder studio in Englewood Cliffs to record new songs for 2nd Floor Publishing in New York.
These included previously unrecorded songs by Argentinian pianist and composer Sergio Mihanovich and new vocal versions of instrumental numbers by famous Blue Note saxophonist Dexter Gordon ( Le Coiffuer and Valse Robin ), Tommy Turrentine ( Joao and Bonnie) and Lonnie Hillyer ( Tell Me Then "T" and Minor Reflections) for which I had written lyrics.
It was a wonderful experience and great to meet Don and Maureen Sickler who own the famous studio. I hope to return to do more recording in the future.
( Tell Me then "T" , Minor Blues
'Her hypnotic renditions of classic standards are quite special, possessing a timeless elegance that is both wistful and sweet' Steve Rubie 606 Club
'Parker is a bon vivant, a kittenish version of Madeleine Peyroux in love with the glamorous 'old world' pleasures of cocktails, vampy femme fatales and indoor smoking, well aren't we all? ' Jazzwise
‘The splendidly retro Jane Parker arrived in high heels and lacy little
black number to sing Sugar and The Man I Love, emoting with a breathless wide-eyed devotion that recalled Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot.
Jack Masserick, Evening Standard
‘Jane Parker’s breathy vocals,
reminiscent of Rickie Lee Jones
or sometimes Billie Holliday,
are both sultry and steamy as
the bayou itself’
Blueprint