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Rebecca Parris

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Rebecca Parris
Birth nameRuth Blair MacCloskey[1][2]
Born(1951-12-28)December 28, 1951
Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJune 17, 2018(2018-06-17) (aged 66)
South Yarmouth, Massachusetts[3]
GenresJazz
OccupationSinger
Years active1985–2018
Websiterebeccaparris.com

Rebecca Parris (born Ruth Blair MacCloskey; December 28, 1951 – June 17, 2018) was an American jazz singer. During her career she appeared with Count Basie, Buddy Rich, Wynton Marsalis, Gary Burton, and Dizzy Gillespie.[4] She performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Oslo Jazz Festival, and the International Floating Jazz Festival. She won the Boston Music Awards nine times.

Early life

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Born Ruth Blair MacCloskey in Newton, Massachusetts, Parris was the youngest of three daughters born to musicians Edmund M. MacCloskey and Shirley Robinson, and the niece of vocal coach Blair McCloskey[a].[2][5] She derived her stage names, respectively, from her own nickname, Becky (acquired early in life owing to her perceived resemblance to the title character of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm), and from the Cole Porter song "I Love Paris".[1]

Critical reception

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"I hear a little Carmen McRae when I listen to Rebecca", said Ron DellaChiesa, the jazz disk jockey at WGBH in Boston. "And a little Sarah Vaughan. I think she's on that level".[6]

"Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae were my friends while they were alive, and it was a huge blessing to know them," said Parris. "And being accepted as one of them was huge".[7]

Death

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On June 17, 2018, Parris died at the age of 66.[8]

Discography

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Year Title Label
1984 A Passionate Fling Shira
1990 Love Comes and Goes Entertainment Exclusives
1993 Spring Musicmasters
1994 A Beautiful Friendship Altenburgh
1994 It's Another Day with Gary Burton GRP
1998 Live at Chan's Shira
1999 Double Rainbow Shira
2001 My Foolish Heart Koch
2002 The Secret of Christmas Shira
2007 You Don't Know Me Saying It with Jazz

Notes

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  1. ^ Parris makes a point of explaining to the interviewer that her father and uncle disagreed on the correct spelling of their family name.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Montminy, Judith (May 14, 1989). "Rebecca Parris' Career Reaches High Note". The Boston Globe. p. . Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  2. ^ a b McKenna, Kathleen (May 14, 2006). "'It's been a drag,' but it's spring, again, for Parris; Parris back on stage again". The Boston Globe. Sec. South, pg. 11
  3. ^ Chow, Andrew R. (June 22, 2018). "Rebecca Parris, Jazz Singer, Is Dead at 66". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2018-06-25. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  4. ^ "Rebecca Parris, 66, jazz singer of uncommon range and emotional depth". Msn.com. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Obituaries: Shirley MacCloskey; Was organist at Newton church". The Boston Globe. December 8, 1991. p. 111. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  6. ^ "All About Jazz". All About Jazz. 10 January 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  7. ^ Taylor, Denise (8 September 2005). "Noted jazz singer revisits home turf at Newton South". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  8. ^ Clark, Emily. "Local jazz icon Rebecca Parris dies at 66". Duxbury.wickedlocal.com. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
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