Julia Keefe will perform Bailey tribute at Tekoa

Jazz singer Julia Keefe, who was raised in Spokane, will bring an evening of jazz vocals to the Tekoa Empire Theatre on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m., in a tribute to Mildred Bailey.

Jazz singer Julia Keefe, who was raised in Spokane, will bring an evening of jazz vocals to Tekoa, the home town of legendary jazz singer Mildred Rinker Bailey, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, at the Tekoa Empire Theatre. The event will benefit the Friends of the Empire Theatre.

"Mildred Bailey has been my inspiration since high school. She had a huge impact on jazz history, inspiring great performers like Billie Holiday, Tony Bennett and Rosemary Clooney up to contemporary vocalists like Linda Ronstadt," Keefe said.

Keefe plans to sing some of Bailey's classic songs from the Big Band era at the Empire and has titled the concert "Take Me Back to Tekoa."

Mildred Rinker Bailey was the sister of Alton (Al) Rinker, who at one time performed with Bing Crosby as a member of the Rhythm Boys. At one time both of the Rinkers were part of the Paul Whiteman organization in the 1920s and 1930s. Mildred at one time was married to the late Red Norvo and during the 1930s they were known as "Mr. and Mrs. Swing."

Keefe, who attended St. George's, graduated from Gonzaga Prep in Spokane in 2007 and won outstanding vocalist honors at the Lionel Hampton Jazz festival in Moscow that year. She graduated from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Her tribute concert, “Thoroughly Modern: Mildred Bailey Songs,” performed with the Jerrol Pennerman Octet at the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall in Washington D.C., was a featured event of the Smithsonian Institution's national jazz appreciation month.

Keefe now lives in Los Angeles, but she is residing with her parents in Spokane this spring while she instructs a jazz vocal course at Gonzaga University. Keefe is a member of the Nez Perce Tribe and the Rinkers were members of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe.

Members of the Spokane Jazz orchestra are scheduled to accompany Keefe Jan. 23 to the Tekoa performance, which is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Admission will be $12 for adults and $5 for seniors, students and members of the military.

When: Saturday, January 23, 2016

7 p.m.

Tickets: $12 adults

$5 seniors/military/students

Contact: Diane (509) 284-3121

http://www.tekoaempiretheatre.com

Julia Keefe:

Brief Biography

Award winning jazz vocalist Julia Keefe, a member of the Nez Perce Tribe, has been turning heads and dazzling audiences at jazz clubs from New York to Paris, and from Washington DC to Los Angeles, for nearly a decade.

Julia began singing jazz while in the seventh grade at St. George's School in Spokane, and later at Gonzaga Prep.

She was a regular participant at the annual Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival in Moscow, Idaho, for five years as a soloist and in award winning choir and ensemble groups.

In 2007, as a senior at Gonzaga Prep, Julia won an outstanding vocal soloist award at the Lionel Hampton Festival.

She continued her jazz training at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, graduating with honors, earning her Bachelors in Studio Music and Jazz Voice degree.

Her ongoing campaign to have Mildred Bailey inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame at Lincoln Center has drawn national attention from the media, including National Public Radio.

The effort has also received support from the Idaho State Legislature, Governor Butch Otter, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and the National Congress of American Indians.

In addition to several previous live recorded albums, Julia’s debut studio album “Pure Love” was recorded in Paris, France in 2013.

While living recently in Los Angeles, Julia joined the Cherry Poppins Caburlesque Troupe as their resident jazz vocalist.

Julia made her CPC debut with her character Rose Le Noir in the award-winning production of “The Knock Shop,” which is now a permanent fixture on the Hollywood theatre scene.

Julia is spending this spring in Spokane, teaching jazz voice at Gonzaga University and immersing herself in the rich music culture of the Inland Northwest.