Deborah Brown vocals

Deborah Brown is one of the greatest jazz vocalists active today, a true reference in the field with a magnificent voice and exquisite technique. It’s no surprise that JD Walter, one of the most acclaimed vocalists of the moment, referred to her as a mentor in a recent interview with All About Jazz. Brown embodies the very best of the jazz vocal tradition.

Based in Kansas City—a city with a pivotal role in jazz history—she spent years living in Europe, where she taught at the Hague Conservatoire while performing on stages around the globe. Thanks to her versatility, she has shared the stage with legends such as Clark Terry, Horace Parlan, Toots Thielemans, Johnny Griffin and a whole host of other jazz icons. She has also recorded duets with pianists Dorothy Donegan and Roger Kellaway, as well as with the Metropole Orchestra of the Netherlands.

Deborah Brown remains of the finest jazz vocalists in the business, a "singer's singer" with a magnificent voice, mind-blowing technique and profound depth of expression. Her skill and versatility is demonstrated by her work, often on record, with large studio orchestras and in the intimate setting of duos —among the latter being sessions with pianists Dorothy Donegan, Roger Kellaway and Cedar Walton, as well as trombonist Slide Hampton. 

Among other stellar artists with whom she has recorded are Jan Lundgren, and the Doky Brothers, on their self-titled 1996 album for Blue Note Records. She has also worked in a musical-literary setting, recording A Lover's Question with the noted African American author James Baldwin. Her quartet Jazz 4 Jazz featured Horace Parlan, Red Mitchell and Ed Thigpen. Other great artists with whom Brown has performed include Benny Bailey, Kenny Drew, Harry "Sweets" Edison,  Roy Hargrove, Ernst Reijseger and Bobby Shew. That these outstanding instrumentalists chose to work with her only confirms her exceptional status as one of the greatest jazz singers in history.