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