LYNN ROSS
Your Sweetheart
of Jazz
It was almost 35 years ago that Lynn Ross began to sing jazz standards in the studios at CHSJ Television, St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. Jazz is her thing and it has been her whole life, starting with jazz and tap dancing throuhout her childhood. It was the music she danced to.
Thinking back, she never imagined that she would grow up and enjoy singing the same songs.
She loves the great composers of the 30s and 40s, and delights in the fact that there is a familiar tune for everyone in her repertoire.
Lynn’s phrasing, understanding and interpretations are derived from singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Anita O’Day, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday and Rosemary Clooney. Spectacular influence that has helped Lynn remain true to composition, yet full of jazzy surprises.
Singing her whole life, but still new to the scene with only for 7 years of professional experience, Lynn has always tried to be in the best music company possible. In Canada, she regularly worked with jazz pianists Norm Amadio and Bernie Senensky, both covered in the Canadian Music Encyclopedia. Jazz guitarists are dear to her heart as well – in Canada, she worked with Lorne Lofsky (who has played with the late great Canadian legend, Oscar Peterson) and in Las Vegas at the Fremont Street Jazz Festival with jazz guitar virtuoso, Joe Lano. In Dallas, one of Lynn's favoritemusicians whom she worked on a semi-regular basis for about a year at her popular weekly Jazz Jam, was the late Marchel Ivery, the amazingly talented and gracious tenor Saxophonist.
Presently living in Minneapolis, Lynn is absolutely thrilled with the high caliber of musicianship that exists locally. Jazz music is alive and well in Minnesota! A lot of this can be attributed to the Twin Cities Jazz Society, the Jazz Police, and a great jazz radio station, Jazz 88FM - all committed to supporting local and national jazz artists.
““I’m a jazz vocalist and love to sing standards. The freedom of jazz allows me to take just about every song and make it different each time I sing it. By this I mean to say, that as well as the opportunity to improvise on the melody, intro and ending – I get the freedom to play with the tempo and style as well. I love it! It keeps the song new and exciting for me. The wonderful thing about doing songs from the Great American Songbook is that no matter what a person’s favorite type of music is – the chances that they have never heard at least one song is very slim indeed. Everyone likes at least one song and that’s a great start.”
Knowing that variety is the spice of life and that a mixture of music is what makes the world go ‘round - Lynn has taken to adding some contemporary classics made popular by singers like Dionne Warrick, Karen Carpenter, Smokey Robinson, Carol King,…just to name a few,….and jazzing them up.
She giggles when she tells the story of how she went to the owner of a restaurant she was singing at and asked, “So,…what do you think of the modern stuff I’m doing?” And he said point blank and very straight faced, “Lynn,….that’s not modern.” The funny part of it is that he was right. Most of the more contemporary pieces she sings are at least 20 or 30 years old. With a pondering smile she replied, “I know, but they’re modern to me.” It’s all relative.
Whether it be performing in a jazz duo, trio or in a full band, Lynn plans to keep musically active singing at special events, restaurants and night spots in and around the Twin Cities.~
