Ruth Price
Encyclopedia
Ruth Price is an American jazz
singer and the owner of the Jazz Bakery
in Los Angeles
, California. Price was originally a dancer, and attended ballet
school in 1952. In 1954, she sang with Charlie Ventura
, and later worked singing and dancing in Philadelphia and New York City
. She moved to Hollywood in 1957, and later toured with Harry James
from 1964-1965. Price's diverse repertoire includes many obscure, lesser-known gems from the Great American Songbook
. She has worked as an adjunct assistant professor at the UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology
.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer and the owner of the Jazz Bakery
Jazz Bakery
The Jazz Bakery is a jazz club in the former Helms Bakery on Helms Avenue off Venice Boulevard in Culver City, California. It was established as a not-for-profit company by jazz vocalist Ruth Price, others, including Maurice Hall co-founded the bakery. It is based on an informal concert hall model...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California. Price was originally a dancer, and attended ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
school in 1952. In 1954, she sang with Charlie Ventura
Charlie Ventura
Charlie Ventura was a tenor saxophonist and bandleader.Ventura was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He had his first successes working with Gene Krupa. In 1945 he won the Down Beat readers' poll in the tenor saxophone division...
, and later worked singing and dancing in Philadelphia and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She moved to Hollywood in 1957, and later toured with Harry James
Harry James
Henry Haag “Harry” James was a trumpeter who led a jazz swing band during the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was especially known among musicians for his astonishing technical proficiency as well as his superior tone.-Biography:He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a...
from 1964-1965. Price's diverse repertoire includes many obscure, lesser-known gems from the Great American Songbook
Great American Songbook
The Great American Songbook is a hypothetical construct that seeks to represent the best American songs of the 20th century principally from Broadway theatre, musical theatre, and Hollywood musicals, from the 1920s to 1960, including dozens of songs of enduring popularity...
. She has worked as an adjunct assistant professor at the UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos and μουσική mousike , it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music...
.
Discography
- My Name is Ruth Price: I Sing (1955)
- Ruth Price Sings with the Johnny Smith Quartet (1956)
- The Party's Over (1957)
- Ruth Price With Shelley Manne at the Manne-Hole (1961)
- Live and Beautiful (1963)
- Lucky to Be Me (1983)
External links
- [ Ruth Price on Allmusic]
- Interview with Ruth Price at About.com