Effie Jansen - femfolkjazz NYC area.... info??
BigSpliff
3,266 Posts
Looking for info on this singer, possibly NYC session singer from 70s with a pp solo jawn. Anybody?
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Effie Jansen originally hails from Denver, Colorado but has been in New York for some time now.When she first came to New York City, Effie had many gigs with Mike Manieri. As she advanced in her career, she attracted the notice of other great jazz artists.Effie was invited to appear with talents ranging from Buddy DeFranco to Ray Anthony to the Tonight Show band.
A fine example of the respect she commands was a time she played with Charles Mingus.Max Gordon had introduced her to him at the start of a Village Vanguard engagement, and Mingus allowed her to sit in.Later in the week, when Effie returned to hear the band, Mingus invited her again.
Effie has performed in the top jazz rooms in Chicago, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Los Angeles, New York City and Tokyo, Japan.During the course of her career, Effie has gained acclaim from the finest jazz and cabaret critics, such as John S. Wilson, Bob Harrington and Don Nelsen. Dave Frishberg once told Effie that his "Peel Me A Grape" should be a blues, so she took his advice and does this song without compare.Her blues rendition is outstanding.
"My Bobby Short kinda gig was here in Denver at a lounge in a hotel called the Senate lounge. The Senate was right across the street from the State Capital building.
My 'Bobby Short' was a lady named "Effie,The Blond Tigress of the Keyboard" I started this gig the night I graduated from High School...I was 17 and it was 1959. Effie was a killer in the LOOKS department! She was a Marilyn Monroe type....tall, blond, with killer knockers, that she displayed as much as possible. She would play a few tunes on vibes and when she did, you could see the whole room part, to get a better angle to view her low cut dress, as she leaned over to play. Believe it or don't, she had a big diamond mounted in one of her front teeth!!!
At 17, I was a little young to get anything goin', if you know what I mean, with her. However, we did get this 'younger brother...older sister relationship happening which resulted in Effie telling me the facts of life on our breaks...including her drawing certain things on a cocktail napkin!
I stayed on this gig for about four years. As you can see, it was a great period in my life. I learned hundreds of tunes in all the keys, including lyrics. It taught me how to deal with people and basically was my "school of music and life"
Effie is in NYC still doing the same stuff in some big hotel...I can't remember which one.
Here's to all the Bobby Shorts of the world!!!!"