| What
started out eight years ago as a one-night Jazz
in AZ concert has evolved into a much-anticipated
annual happening: The Divas Concert, starring
Valley-favorite vocalists Margo Reed, Nancy Gee,
Delphine Cortez and Sherry Roberson. However,
this year's concert will have a lineup change:
Sherry is out of the country on an extended engagement
in Bangkok; so Vicki McDermitt, yet another of
the Valley's highly respected female vocalists,
will add a new dimension to this year's Diva foursome.
This
event is always like four sensational concerts
for the price of one! Each of the singers has
her own unique style, from overall presentation
to the way she phrases and feels time. It's a
study in contrasts. Whether you are a jazz

aficionado,
familiar with the traditions of Billie Holiday,
Dinah Washington, Carmen McRae, Ella Fitzgerald,
Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson and other jazz greats
carried on by these four divas, or you just love
tunes from The Great American Songbook by the
likes of the Gershwins, Cole Porter and Duke Ellington,
you will be thrilled by the repertoire and world-class
delivery of Delphine, Nancy, Margo and Vicki.
Columbus,
Ohio-born Vicki McDermitt began singing at 3 and
never stopped! She was a vocal music performance
major in college, studying classical music when
she discovered jazz and the Great American Songbook
while working with |
|
| Tulsa's
guitar legend Tommy Crook. She cut her teeth as
the featured vocalist working with saxophonist
Rusty Bryant and Hammond B3 giant Bobby Pierce.
Vicki has toured eight Europeancountries
and been the opening act for entertainers such
as Mel Torme, Sarah Vaughan, Joe Williams and
Buddy Rich.
Margo
Reed is widely regarded as the icon of Valley
female vocalists. She moved here in the early
'70s and opened the door for the Reed's family's
relocation to the Valley, including her sister,
Francine, and brother, Michael. The feisty Ms.
Margo received the Jazz in AZ Lifetime Achievement
Award in 2007. She is known for her “in-the-pocket”
swing, as well as “love-mushy” ballads,
profound message songs and lowdown blues. Margo
is in her ninth year of singing every Monday night
at Kazimierz World Wine Bar in Scottsdale.
Nancy
Gee, whose voice has been described as “velvet,”
reflects strong Sarah Vaughan influences. She
moved to the Valley from Connecticut in the mid-'80s
and landed a steady gig in 1989 in Mary Elaine's
at the new Phoenician Resort. That turned into
a 16-year run. She also sang on her off-nights
at the Nucleus Nuance nightclub in Los Angeles
and performed a tribute to Sarah Vaughan with
the 65-piece Southwest Orchestra in L.A. with
arrangements by Quincy Jones. In 2006, Nancy returned
to the music scene with a successful concert celebrating
jazz legends Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Ella
Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan that was produced
and narrated by Patricia Myers. In 2008, Nancy
received the Jazz in AZ Lifetime Achievement Award.
Delphine
Cortez hails from Indiana and performed at top
clubs on Chicago's famous Rush Street before coming
to the |
|