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Soul Singer

Dee Daniels

This interview is just the beginning. There is so much more to Dee Daniels, jazz singer, teacher, mother, wife, and all round great lady. The following just captures the bare essence of this remarkable woman in a short item to promote her Ray Charles, Soul of Ray concert. Behind the scenes is an artist passionate about sharing her knowledge and her life learnings. Watch for more information on her endeavours, workshops and recordings. Meanwhile, take a peak at Dee a remarkably talented singer who has sung with the greatest in the field and knows that music is a powerful healing energy.

Singer Dee Daniels has a great friend. “Jane Jarvis is 90 years old,” explains Dee with warmth and love in her voice. “She’s from New York, a petite pianist who used to be the original organist for the Milwaukee Braves. We met several years ago and she is one of my best friends. I consider her one of my mentors.”

Jane had been trying to reach Dee on the phone while she was being interviewed, and we paused for her to respond. “If I get to live that long, that’s exactly what I want to be doing, mentoring. I think one of my responsibilities as a human on this planet is to share, and it gives me real pleasure.”

With a performing career that spans 33 years of international travel, and opportunities to sing with many of the world’s greatest jazz musicians, Dee already has a life of incredible experience to draw from. “I feel extremely blessed. When you are doing something that you really enjoy, you share that joy, share the love. That’s really what I am about.”

That something is Dee’s greatest gift - her smooth four-octave voice and her performance. “I have met hundreds of people after performances who have told me how happy and grateful they were because when they came to the concert they were down-hearted, or were dealing with some kind of illness, but felt so uplifted at the end of the concert. I know there’s power in music. Even for myself. I let everything go before I walk out on stage, and I feel lifted and healed after I have finished.”

Dee Daniels

Dee grew up with Gospel music and blues but has a love for various genres, particularly jazz. “My personal style is a compilation of all that I heard when I was growing up. I think that’s one of the reasons why I get comments from the audience that it’s so soulful and emotional.”

Over the last number of years she has performed her own Pops program Great Ladies of Swing with symphony orchestras across Canada and the US. When planning a new program she was drawn to Ray Charles and her childhood memories. “I listened to a whole lot of Ray Charles while growing up in California. In the beginning of his career he sounded a lot like Nat Cole, one of his idols. But with his recording of I Got A Woman, he incorporated his Gospel roots and that sound lead him into the big-time. The rest is history.”

Update 2010: Dee's friend Jane Jarvis passed over recently. She is missed.

And Dee? Keeps getting better! She also performs a Tribute to Duke Ellington. And so much more. For more information on her performances, CDs, classes and workshops visit Dee Daniel's web site..

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