Biography Michelle Walker

Based in New York, but originally from Washington, DC, Michelle Walker is a versatile singer blessed with a beautifully distinctive voice. Walker's refreshing approach to arranging and interpreting often easily recognizable contemporary tunes "...sets her apart and gives her an edge over other singers..." says Mike Joyce of the Washington Post. This charismatic jazz vocalist uses an artful blend of blues, bebop, swing and soul that provides a musical playground for her and her band mates with playful rhythmic expressiveness. Dave Nathan at All About Jazz says, "Walker demonstrates an extraordinary degree of musicality." In her live performances you hear the influences of Betty Carter, Nina Simone and Cassandra Wilson.

As a child she attended a school for the arts and was very active in musical theatre. After graduating high school she spent a few years in London, England performing in renowned clubs like Ronnie Scott's. While living in the Washington, DC area, she received her undergraduate degree in 1997 from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) in Government & American Studies with a minor in Music Vocal Performance. In 2000 she received her graduate degree in Public Policy and Economics from American University. While at UMCP, she began to study with Washington, DC based jazz vocalist Ronnie Wells. In graduate school, Walker continued her jazz studies privately with Madeline Eastman, Jay Clayton, Nancy Marano, Pam Bricker, Dena Derose and Miles Griffith. She later studied privately with the renowned jazz vocalist Mark Murphy in New York.

In 2002 she released, toured and promoted her debut release Slow Down. Lee Prosser at Jazz Review says, "For a debut jazz vocals CD, Slow Down is excitingly original in concept and innovative approach." In just a few short years of professional singing, Michelle has begun to amass an impressive musical resume of concert and festival performances, including The Lincoln Center-Women in Jazz Festival, The Silver Spring Jazz Festival, The East Coast Jazz Festival, Goshen Jazz Festival and The Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival. Highlights of her career include opening on tour for jazz vocalist Mark Murphy (Verve) as well as performances with Joel Frahm (Palmetto), Dena DeRose (Maxjazz), Benny Green (Telarc), John Toomey (on Rene Marie's Live at the Jazz Standard (Maxjazz)), David Budway (on Jeff "Tain" Watts Bar Talk (Sony/Columbia)), Steve Davis, Ron Affif, E.J. Strictland, Ritchie Goods, Paul Meyers, Santi Debriani and opening for Wynton Marsalis (Bluenote), Rene Marie (Maxjazz), Terrell Stafford (Maxjazz), Chris Botti, and George Benson.

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