Daryl Sherman

Daryl Sherman ranks among the leading swing vocalists to surface in the last three decades. Her light, high voice draws from Mildred Bailey as well as Ella Fitzgerald, Sylvia Syms, Billie Holiday, Blossom Dearie, and Barbara Carroll. Equally accomplished on piano, she brings fresh insight to both familiar standards and lesser-known pieces from the Great American Songbook, revealing an instrumental talent strong enough to sustain a full career without vocals. She has never been forced to abandon either skill.

As the daughter of trombonist Sammy Sherman, she was immersed in jazz from childhood and frequently accompanied her father to jam sessions. Piano study began at age six under his guidance, followed by occasional appearances at his gigs once she turned twelve. Formal lessons continued through college, and she earned her degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1971 while already intending to pursue a dual path as singer and pianist. After relocating to New York in 1974, she came under the tutelage of veteran figures that included Dave McKenna, Sylvia Syms, Milt Hinton, Dick Sudhalter, Red Norvo, Ruby Braff, and Dick Hyman.

Club engagements at Jilly’s, Michael’s Pub, and other New York venues quickly established her reputation for cheerful yet perceptive readings of classic repertoire. Her debut recording, I’m a Dreamer, Aren’t We All, led Artie Shaw to select her for his orchestra, then directed by Dick Johnson, in 1983. Subsequent guest appearances have taken her before the WDR Jazz Orchestra in Germany, the American Jazz Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis’ Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks in Park Avenue Whirl, though she remains most active leading her own small groups. These ensembles have carried her across Europe and to numerous classic-jazz festivals, parties, and intimate rooms.

Her discography spans Tono, Audiophile—where she paid tribute to Mildred Bailey and Red Norvo—After 9, Baldwin Street, and Arbors, the last of which issued A Jazz Original featuring her late father’s trombone work. Across these projects Sherman has consistently emerged as a cheerful, delightful, and deeply musical artist who restores superior but overlooked songs from earlier eras and renders them newly vibrant.