Live at Mezzrow

During the COVID pandemic that shut our clubs from March of 2020 through April of 2021 we relied exclusively on funds raised by our not-for-profit, The SmallsLIVE Foundation. It was short of miraculous, but a world-wide support network of jazz fans and musicians came together and kept our clubs alive with donations and support. We raised more than what we needed, and these extra funds became the budget for our “SmallsLIVE Living Masters Series”. This is part life-time achievement award and part recording document. The artists chosen in the first round include this one (Sheila Jordan), Kirk Lightsey, Marshall Allen with Tyler Mitchell, David Liebman, Jesse Davis and George Coleman. Our idea is to document the work of older artists that have had a lifetime in jazz music and a connection to our clubs. Sheila Jordan, along with her bandmates Alan Broadbent and Harvie S, is not just short of miraculous but actually miraculous. At age 93, Sheila Jordan delivers a vociferous performance of standards and bebop. She literally glows with the resonant age of her accomplishments and associations. She prides herself on her friendship with Charlie Parker and speaks often of him. She has the core vibration of the true Detroit sound and hails from the very greatest period of that music. Her fellow Detroiters, such as Barry Harris, Hank Jones, Tommy Flannagan and other have all but left us but she is still here and still vibrant. Sheila still has that vibe and that deep warmth that only a mature spirits can communicate and share. People respond to Sheila with love and gratitude and bask in her modest yet authoritative demeanor. It is a great privilege for us to present Sheila Jordan live at our club, Mezzrow. She’s in an element that she knows best (a crowded and intimate club) and is with musicians she trusts the most. We hope this document can provide you an insight into her work and her depth. Sheila Joran is the debut of our SmallsLIVE Living Master’s Series and we can’t think of a better representative. Spike Wilner New York City February 2022