Kim Nalley

Kim Rene Nalley (born 1969)[1] is an American jazz and blues singer with a 3½ octave range[2]

Kim Nalley
Birth nameKim Rene Nalley
Born1969 (age 51–52)
OriginSan Francisco, California, United States
GenresJazz, blues, folk, swing
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, actress, club owner, writer, dancer
Years active1987–present
LabelsRounder, City Hall, CE Jazz & Blues
Websitekimnalley.com

Early life

Raised in New Haven, Connecticut,[1][3] Nalley is from a musical family that includes jazz drummer and photographer Reggie Jackson, she received piano lessons from her great-grandmother.[2] She attended Educational Center for the Arts (ECA) in New Haven.[4]

Career

Nalley switched to jazz shortly after moving to San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1980s,[3] where she attended University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). She received from UC Berkeley a B.A. degree in History and sung in the Cal Big Band.[5] "She studied classical music and theatre and, while attending college, she gained important experience singing in local clubs and jam sessions."[6]

While performing weekly at the Alta Plaza, director Michael Tilson Thomas discovered Nalley, recorded her in concert, and hired her to sing a program of Gershwin tunes with the San Francisco Symphony. She began performing with the Johnny Nocturne Band, charting at No. 12 on the Gavin list and embarking on a national and international touring schedule that included the Mountain Stage. She also performed at the Teatro Zinzanni as Madame Zinzanni.[5]

After spending a couple of years living in Switzerland, she returned to San Francisco to own and run the Jazz at Pearl's North Beach night club during 2003–2008.[7]

Discography

As leader
  • Need My Sugar (CE Jazz & Blues, 2002)
  • She Put a Spell on Me: Kim Nalley Sings Nina Simone (CE Jazz & Blues, 2006)
  • Ballads for Billie (CE Jazz & Blues, 2006)
  • Christmas Time Is Here (2010)
  • Blues People (2015)

As guest

References
  1. Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger. p. 258. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  2. "Kim Nalley's tribute to Billie Holliday in Santa Cruz, 11/30/09". Jazz Police. 2009-11-22. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-07-12.
  3. Gilbert, Andrew (2012-10-04). "Kim Nalley: Masterly singer has focus on jazz's roots". Berkeleyside. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  4. "AUDIO STORY: Joy To The World 2011". PRX. 2011. Retrieved 2019-10-01. A born singer, as a child Nalley was taught piano by her great-grandmother and went on to study opera and theatre at the Educational Center of the Arts in New Haven, CT before relocating to San Francisco in the footsteps of the Grateful Dead.
  5. Andrew Gilbert liner notes, Need My Sugar
  6. Yanow, Scott (November–December 2015). "Kim Nalley: Blues People". Jazz Inside.
  7. "Bay Area African American Women in Music: Kim Nalley Uses Music to Say Black Lives Matter". Oakland Post. 2015. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  8. Odell, Jennifer (September 2010). "Rhoda Scott: Beyond the Sea". DownBeat. Vol. 77 no. 9. p. 64.
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