Susannah McCorkle

There are many excellent young jazz singers out there, but Susannah McCorkle is one of the few who could hold up to comparisons with the great singers of the past. This California native didn't get into jazz until after college in the late 1960s, but she must have swing in her blood because soon she was sharing the stage with everyone from Ben Webster to Dexter Gordon. An excellent lyricist and writer herself, McCorkle had the knack that Billie Holiday and Sinatra had for marrying the musical with the narrative; instead of going for flashy vocal pyrotechnics, McCorkle communicated with nuance. She also had a great feeling for material and has unearthed many a buried treasure that deserve to be standards. All of her releases on the Concord label are winners, and From Broken Hearts to Blue Skies (1999) may just be her finest release. Tragically, McCorkle was a longtime sufferer of deep depression. She committed suicide in 2001.