Jazz Vocalist Tammy McCann Joins MIC
September 6th, 2012
The Music Institute of Chicago is pleased to announce the appointment of vocalist Tammy McCann as Artist in Residence. McCann will perform and present master classes at the Music Institute, as well as represent the institution and its mission to the wider community.
Music Institute President and CEO Mark George said, “Tammy is a superb artist whose stylistic breadth spans jazz, pop, cabaret and gospel music. This appointment symbolizes the institution’s embrace of a range of music, beyond its historical focus on classical music. Tammy is an extraordinary performer who will be a tremendous asset to our many students and patrons.”
McCann at MIC's Billy Strayhorn Jazz Festival
McCann’s first public appearance as Artist in Residence happened Sunday, October 28 during the Music Institute’s Billy Strayhorn Jazz Festival, which honors the work and legacy of one of the great jazz composers and collaborators, presented in partnership with Billy Strayhorn Songs Inc. The Festival includes two star-studded concerts, also featuring trumpet great Terell Stafford, and a screening of the award-winning film Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life followed by a panel discussion.
More About Tammy McCann
Tammy McCann is an internationally recognized jazz vocalist whose powerful, sultry and soulful voice paints pictures and tells stories by merging classical vocal technique and gospel aesthetic with jazz to create a sound that is completely her own. As jazz critic Stanley Crouch said, “Her pitch is superb…clear on the top and startling at the bottom, while all of the steps in between are polished with swing...” McCann’s latest vocal endeavor explores new approaches to standards while remaining traditionally creative. She takes the listener on a sentimental journey on the title track “Never Let Me Go,” then effortlessly changes gears with the rousing anthem of emotional empowerment “Blue Woman.” McCann has performed with such luminaries as Ramsey Lewis and Les McCann and toured as a “Raelette” with the great Ray Charles, with sold-out shows in some of the top jazz venues in America, including Birdland, The Blue Note, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola and the Jazz Showcase. According to Chicago Tribune arts critic Howard Reich, McCann has “a voice that soars in all registers, at all tempos, on all occasions…a voice that inspires wonder!”
Chicago Tribune's article: "Music Institute selects McCann" >>
