Norma Winstone
Encyclopedia
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 23 September 1941, Bow
Bow, London
Bow is an area of London, England, United Kingdom in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a built-up, mostly residential district located east of Charing Cross, and is a part of the East End.-Bridges at Bowe:...
, East
East
East is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.East is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of west and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the right side of a map is east....
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
jazz singer and lyricist. In a career spanning over forty years she is best known for her wordless
Vocalese
Vocalese is a style or genre of jazz singing wherein lyrics are written for melodies that were originally part of an all-instrumental composition or improvisation. Whereas scat singing uses improvised nonsense syllables, such as "bap ba dee dot bwee dee" in solos, vocalese uses lyrics, either...
improvisations.
Winstone began singing in bands around Dagenham
Dagenham
Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
in the early 1960s, before joining Michael Garrick
Michael Garrick
Michael Garrick MBE was an English jazz pianist and composer, and a pioneer in mixing jazz with poetry recitations.-Biography:...
's band in 1968. Her first recording came the following year, with Joe Harriott
Joe Harriott
Joseph Arthurlin 'Joe' Harriott was a Jamaican jazz musician and composer, whose principal instrument was the alto saxophone....
. She recorded one album under her own name in 1972. Winstone contributed vocals to Ian Carr
Ian Carr
Ian Carr was a Scottish jazz musician, composer, writer, and educator.-Early years:Carr was born in Dumfries, Scotland, the elder brother of Mike Carr...
's Nucleus
Nucleus (band)
Nucleus were a pioneering jazz-rock band from Britain who continued in different forms from 1969 to 1989. In their first year they won first prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival, released the album Elastic Rock, and performed both at the Newport Jazz Festival and the Village Gate jazz club.They were...
on that band's 1973 release Labyrinth, a jazz-rock concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
based on the Greek myth about the Minotaur
Minotaur
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur , as the Greeks imagined him, was a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, "part man and part bull"...
.
Winstone has worked with most of her peers in British jazz including Garrick, Mike Westbrook
Mike Westbrook
Michael John David 'Mike' Westbrook is an English jazz pianist, composer, and writer of orchestrated jazz pieces.-Early work:Mike Westbrook grew up in Torquay...
and her former husband, the pianist John Taylor
John Taylor (jazz)
John Taylor is a British jazz pianist; he has occasionally performed on the organ and the synthesiser. He is one of Europe's most celebrated jazz pianists and composers.-Performing career:...
. With Taylor and trumpeter Kenny Wheeler
Kenny Wheeler
Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC is a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. since the 1950s....
she has performed and recorded three albums for ECM
ECM (record label)
ECM is a record label founded in Munich, Germany, in 1969 by Manfred Eicher. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a wide variety of recordings, and ECM's artists often refuse to acknowledge boundaries between genres...
as a member of the trio Azimuth
Azimuth (band)
Azimuth was a British jazz trio, active from 1977 to 2000. The ensemble was composed of trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, vocalist Norma Winstone and Winstone's husband, pianist John Taylor...
between 1977 and 1980. In addition she made an album with the American pianist Jimmy Rowles
Jimmy Rowles
Jimmy Rowles was an American jazz pianist who was best known as an accompanist. He also released a number of albums under his own name, and explored various idioms including swing and cool jazz. - Biography :Born in Spokane, Washington, Rowles studied at Gonzaga College in Spokane, Washington...
(Well Kept Secret, 1993).
Norma Winstone was awarded the MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 2007 for her services to Music.
She won a 2010 London Awards for Art and Performance
London Awards for Art and Performance
The London Awards for Art and Performance is awarded in 11 different art categories, by the London Festival Fringe.It is awarded each year, at a central London venue, and is presented to artists and performers who have made an outstanding contribution to their art form.-Awards:- External links :* **...
.
Discography
With AzimuthAzimuth (band)
Azimuth was a British jazz trio, active from 1977 to 2000. The ensemble was composed of trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, vocalist Norma Winstone and Winstone's husband, pianist John Taylor...
- AzimuthAzimuth (album)Azimuth is the debut album by British jazz trio Azimuth featuring trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, vocalist Norma Winstone, and pianist John Taylor recorded in 1977 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(ECM, 1977) - The TouchstoneThe Touchstone (album)The Touchstone is the second album by British jazz trio Azimuth featuring trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, vocalist Norma Winstone, and pianist John Taylor recorded in 1978 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(ECM, 1978) - Départ (with Ralph TownerRalph TownerRalph Towner is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion and trumpet.-Biography:...
) (ECM, 1979) - Azimuth '85Azimuth '85Azimuth '85 is the fourth and next-to-last album by British jazz trio Azimuth featuring trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, vocalist Norma Winstone, and pianist John Taylor recorded in 1985 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(ECM, 1985) - How It Was Then... Never AgainHow It Was Then... Never AgainHow It Was Then... Never Again is the fifth, and final album to date, by jazz band Azimuth, in a career spanning almost two decades. It was recorded in 1994, but not released on the ECM label until 1995.-Track listing:...
(ECM, 1994)
With Eberhard Weber
Eberhard Weber
Eberhard Weber is a German double bassist and composer. As a bass player, Weber is known for his highly distinctive tone and phrasing...
- Fluid RustleFluid RustleFluid Rustle is an album by German double bassist and composer Eberhard Weber recorded in 1979 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review awarded the album 4½ stars.-Track listing:# "Quiet Departures" - 17:29# "Fluid Rustle" - 7:28...
(ECM, 1979)