Kendra Shank is an American jazz vocalist.
Kendra Shank | |
|---|---|
| Born | Woodland, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Labels | Mapleshade, Jazz Focus, Challenge |
| Website | www |
Career
editShank's mother was an actress and playwright and her father was a playwright[1] and teacher at the University of California.[2] When she was five, she appeared onstage with her mother in Threepenny Opera.[3] In her early teens she started playing guitar.[4][1]
Shank attended Pacific Lutheran University and the University of Washington, receiving a degree in art and French.[1] During the 1980s, she performed in clubs in Seattle as a folk singer, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar. In 1989 she studied with jazz vocalist Jay Clayton[1] at Cornish College of the Arts.[5] She was a busker on the streets and subways of Paris and while in Paris heard her first Billie Holiday album.[1] Although she had been working as a folk singer in clubs, she bought a method book to learn a few jazz standards.[1]
In the early 1990s, she went on tour with Bob Dorough.[1] Shirley Horn saw her perform and became a mentor, introducing at the Village Vanguard in 1992.[5] Mapleshade released Shank's debut album Afterglow on which she sang and played guitar.[6] She met Frank Kimbrough through Horn, and he became a member of her quartet which recorded A Spirit Free (Challenge, 2007), a tribute to her mentor and friend Abbey Lincoln.[3] She has also recorded with Gary Bartz, Peter Leitch, Ben Monder, John Stowell, and Larry Willis.
Discography
editAs leader
edit- Afterglow with Larry Willis, Gary Bartz (Mapleshade, 1994)
- Wish (Jazz Focus, 1998)
- Reflections (Jazz Focus, 2000)
- A Spirit Free: Abbey Lincoln Songbook (Challenge, 2006)
- Mosaic (Challenge, 2009)
- New York Conversations with John Stowell (TCB, 2013)
- Half Moon: Live in New York with Geoffrey Keezer (Ride Symbol, 2016)
As guest
edit- Abbey Lincoln, Over the Years (Verve, 2000)
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Yanow, Scott (2008). The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide. Backbeat. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-87930-825-4.
- ^ Hebert, James (10 December 2014). "UCSD playwright Adele Shank dies". San Diego Tribune. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^ a b Skelly, Richard. "Kendra Shank". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^ "Kendra Shank: Biography". Kendra Shank. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^ a b Kugiya, Hugo (5 April 2009). "Popular jazz singer Kendra Shank takes the long way home". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^ Yanow, Scott (2013). The Great Jazz Guitarists. San Francisco: Backbeat. p. 233. ISBN 978-1-61713-023-6.