| Nancy King at Pioneer Square Portland, Oregon  |
She's been called everything from a "cult figure" and an "uncompromising artist,(Earshot Jazz); to "the greatest living jazz singer," (Herb Ellis). As one of the few improvisors in vocal jazz to master the vocabulary, Nancy King has "indefatigable scat chops and a remarkable elastic range." (Oregonian's Marty Hughley)
Nancy Whalley came to the San Francisco Jazz scene of the early 1960's as a naive farm girl from Springfield, Oregon; after auditioning for Pony Poindexter, saxophonist for Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, she joined his band. It was at the legendary Jazz Workshop that she met Sonny King, her future mate, and joined his band. They headlined Monday nights at the Workshop for two years. Others she worked with in San Francisco included Vince Guarldi, John Handy, Sonny Donaldson, Flip Nunez. Another major influence was meeting and studying with Jon Hendricks. In '66 and '67, Nancy King did the Playboy Club circuit and was a production singer in Las Vegas, then joined C. Smalls and Company, led by Charlie Smalls, who later wrote the music for The Wiz. In the early 1970's, King took a break from touring, settling in Eugene, Oregon to raise her three soons. She worked in the lounge of the Benson Hotel in Portland, Oregon with a number of past and future jazz luminaries as Larry Dunlap, Pat O'Hern, Tom Albering and Tom Grant. The first recording to feature Nancy King was First Date,an outing with saxophonist Steve Wolfe on the inner City label. Others joining her in the recording studio were Ray Brown, Nick Ceroli and Jack Sheldon. The record's release was celebrated at Michael's Pub in New York City, where fellow Oregonian Ralph Towner and the great pianist Bill Evans stopped in to play a few tunes. In 1978, her long association with gifted pianist, composer and arranger Steve Christofferson began. They formed the NKQ (Nancy King Quartet), performing locally and on the West Coast club and concert circuit. In 1993, the duo released Perennial,featuring Leroy Vinnegar, Dave Frishberg and Ralph Towner. They are still delighting audiences with their music, which sparkles with wit and intuition born of their long association. Ms. King's collaboration with the internationally known ensemble "Oregon" includes performances at New York's Town Hall and the Montreal Jazz Festival. Her latest musical pairing is with Oregon's bassist, Glen Moore. Together as King and Moore, they have recorded three albums since 1991 on the Justice Records Label, beginning with Impending Bloom.That CD the following release Potato Radio,earned five stars from Downbeat reviewers. In October, 1994, the third King and Moore CD Cliff Dance,was released. In 1992, King and Moore appeared at the Monterey and Mount Hood jazz festivals, as well as performing at three festivals in Austria. That same year, Nancy King was one of five female vocalists selected by Downbeat in its annual poll as "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition." The release of the third King and Moore collaboration, Cliff Dance,resulted in even wider distribution of the CD in Europe, where acclaim follows every live performance. Perhaps the time has come for her "sound (which) has been legend in the Northwest," to "put her solidly on the map." (Jazz Times) |