Judy NIEMACK(U.S.A.)VOCALIST / LYRICIST
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| " If you want to know what real jazz singing can be (but rarely is) listen to Judy NIEMACK ...
She is a musician in the truest sense, having mastered her instrument (a beautiful one) and her chosen language and
crafted her own style"
Dan Morgenstern (DOWN BEAT)
| "Judy Niemack ...a very appealing voice with the ability to express a wide range of emotions; plus, she swings, indulges in chance-taking improvisations, and writes her own lyrics to the melodies of Jazz classics."
Scott Yanow - All Music Guide to Jazz
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Judy NIEMACK was born in PASADENA, CALIFORNIA and began singing publically at the age of 7 in a church choir. Throughout her school years, she sang in every type of ensemble:
- madrigals,
- chamber choir,
- musical theatre productions,
- folk and rock bands,
- and finally a vocal jazz quartet.
When she was 17, she decided to make singing her life's work, and began to study classical voice with a teacher of "bel canto". At the age of 18, she heard and met the great tenor saxophonist Warne MARSH, and became fascinated by jazz improvisation. She attended PASADENA City College for three years, continuing to study classical voice, and also jazz improvisation with alto saxophonist Gary FOSTER. She continued to study classical voice for the next six years,
while singing jazz in clubs at night. After studying at NEW ENGLAND Conservatory in BOSTON, she attended the CLEVELAND Institute of Music for an Opera Workshop, and deciding that her true path lay in improvised music,
she then returned to CALIFORNIA to study vocal improvisation with Warne MARSH, who taught her as he would teach a horn player. Her goal was to improvise as freely as a great jazz saxophonist, with all the technical possibilities of a classical singer.
In 1977, Ms. NIEMACK moved to NEW YORK City to pursue her career as a jazz vocalist.
Her first major performance was a week at the Village Vanguard with Warne MARSH in 1978.
Her first recording, "By Heart", was released that year on SEABREEZE Records.
Since then she has performed in most of the major clubs in N.Y.C. including the:
BLUE NOTE, SWEET BASIL, FAT TUESDAY'S, VILLAGE GATE, VISIONES, RAINBOW ROOM
She has toured the U.S. in concerts and festivals with a number of major jazz orchestras including those led by Larry ELGART, Peter DUCHIN (with whom she performed at the WHITE HOUSE in 1986), and Sonny COSTANZO (she was featured in his concert with Dave BRUBECK).
She has given concerts celebrating the songs of George GERSHWIN, Cole PORTER and Irving BERLIN.
Some of the musicians she has performed with are: Toots THIELEMANS,
David BYRNE, George BENSON, James MOODY, Lee KONITZ, Clark TERRY,
Dave BRUBECK, Lew TABACKIN, Warne MARSH, Kenny BARRON, Billy HIGGINS,
Cedar WALTON, Ray DRUMMOND, Joey BARON, Fred HERSCH, Billy HART, Kenny WERNER, Hein VAN DE GEYN, Jim Mc NEELY, Joe LOVANO, Adam NUSSBAUM, Jeanfrançois PRINS, Kirk NUROCK, Michel HERR, Steve KUHN, Mark FELDMAN, Eddie GOMEZ, Harvie SWARTZ, Kirk LIGHTSEY and the N.Y. VOICES.
Ms. NIEMACK has also written and recorded her own compositions, as well as her original lyrics on other musicians compositions, among which are:
Thelonious MONK (Misterioso),
Lee KONITZ (Round & Round & round, Chick Came Around),
Don GROLNICK (Talking To Myself),
Mike STERN (Choices),
Larry SCHNEIDER (Tomato Kiss),
Kirk NUROCK (Rain, Silence of My Soul),
Jeanfrançois PRINS (New York Stories, Love Will Grow),
Michel HERR (Thinking of you).
Internationally, Ms. NIEMACK began by singing in ITALY at the PISA Jazz Festival in 1982 and has since appeared in AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, CANADA, DENMARK, ESTONIA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, HOLLAND, JAPAN, the PHILLIPINES, SPAIN and POLAND.
Recent performances include:
- "JAZZKAAR" Festival (ESTONIA)"
- Jazz sous les Pommiers"
- Avignon Jazz Festival
- ALBI Jazz
- Le Mans
- Calvi Jazz Festival
- Jazz Middelheim Festival, Antwerp.
- Concert with Toots THIELEMANS at the "Botanique"
- Brussels Jazz Rallye (BELGIUM)
- "Save Venice Ball" (ITALY)
- W.D.R. Big Band with Jim Mc NEELY, Hessicher Rundfunk Big Band
- (GERMANY).
And touring JAPAN with Albert "TOOTIE" HEATH, Ronnie MATHEWS and Ray DRUMMOND.
Judy NIEMACK is very active in the world of jazz education, and has given workshops and private lessons at the New School for Jazz in N.Y.C., as well as giving master classes around the world in conjunction with her tours.
In the U.S.A., she has been a clinician at William PATTERSON University (N.J.), Purchase University, LONG ISLAND University and N.Y. City College.
She also has taught in:
FINLAND : SIBELIUS Academy of Music
POLAND : Summer Vocal Jazz Camp
BELGIUM : DWORP Summer Jazz Workshop, Royal Conservatory ANTWERPEN
GERMANY : BERLIN Hochschule Der Kunste, Hochschule fŸr Musik Hanns Eisler,
BUJAZZ-O Big Band Workshop
HOLLAND : Conservatories in DEN HAAG, ROTTERDAM, HILVERSUM and ARNHEM.
DENMARK : COPENHAGEN Rhythmic Conservatory, AARHUS Jazz Program
ITALY : PISA Jazz Vocal Workshop
and every summer is on staff at Janice BORLA's Vocal Jazz Camp in CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.
Since September 1993, she has been on the Jazz Faculty at the Royal Conservatory of ANTWERPEN, BELGIUM, and a Guest Professor at the Royal Conservatory of THE HAGUE, HOLLAND.
Since September 1994, she has been Professor of Vocal Jazz at the
Royal Conservatory of BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.
She is now the Professor leading the Vocal Dept. in the Jazz and Popular Dept. of the Hanns EISLER Hochschule fŸr Musik in BERLIN.
| DISCOGRAPHY: |
| as a leader: |
Educational Background:
1970-74 Private lessons in Classical Voice with Primo Lino PUCCINELLI
in California
1972-74 Pasadena City College: Classical Voice, Jazz Improvisation with
Gary FOSTER
1974-75 New England Conservatory: Classical Voice with Bernard BARBEAU,
Jazz Big Band with Phil WILSON
1975 (Summer) Cleveland Institute of Music: Opera Workshop
1975-81 Jazz Improvisation with Saxophonist Warne MARSH
Teaching Background:
1980: Began teaching privately in New York City
1980-82: Taught Vocal Jazz at NEW YORK SCHOOL OF JAZZ in Port Washington
1982-86: "Improvisation for Singers" clinics at NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE, NEW YORK
NETWORK FOR LEARNING, and at JAZZ FESTIVAL OF PISA, Italy.
1984-87: "Adjunct Professsor, Vocal Jazz" at LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY, Brooklyn, New York, also teaching at WILLIAM PATTERSON UNIVERSITY, Wayne, New Jersey.
1989-92: Continued private teaching in N.Y.C., Gave workshops for singers
in HOLLAND, GERMANY, BELGIUM, POLAND, FINLAND, and DENMARK.
1990- Present: Teacher every summer at JANICE BORLA VOCAL JAZZ CAMP, Lisle, Illinois, Workshops at THE NEW SCHOOL, N.Y.C., New York.
1991- Recorded "Jazz Singers' Practice Tape" in New York City.
1992- Present: "Guest Professor, Voice" at the ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF THE HAGUE, Holland;
"Vocal Jazz" and "Voice" teacher at the ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF ANTWERP, Belgium.
1994- Present: "Professor of Voice, Jazz" , ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF BRUSSELS, Belgium.
1994- Present: Jazz voice and vocal-group teacher for Peter HERBOLZHEIMER's BUJAZZ-O in Germany.
1995- Present: "Professor of voice, Jazz", Hans EISLER Hochschule fŸr Musik in BERLIN.
E-mail : jniemack@aol.com
PERSONAL WEB SITE
