Ernestine Anderson

Ernestine Anderson maintained a firm foothold in mainstream circles while moving fluidly between jazz interpretations, pop standards, and blues material, whether fronting compact combos or large ensembles. Traditional jazz stations played her often because her refined yet faintly grainy contralto supplied steady, unhurried swing without plunging listeners into intense emotional territory, allowing the music to serve comfortably as background while still delivering straightforward artistic value.

She first gained traction in the early days of rhythm and blues. As a teenager she toured with Russell Jacquet’s band beginning in 1943, then spent 1947 to 1949 with Johnny Otis, cutting her initial sides in 1947 with Shifty Henry’s orchestra for the Black & White label.

During the 1950s she turned toward jazz, joining Lionel Hampton from 1952 to 1953 and recording with a unit that included Jacquet, Milt Jackson, and Quincy Jones in 1953, then again with Gigi Gryce in 1955. Rolf Ericson, impressed by the Gryce session, arranged a three-month Scandinavian tour; while in Sweden she made the album Hot Cargo, which ironically raised her profile in the United States. Back home she signed with Mercury and issued several albums for the label into the early 1960s.

After moving to England in 1965 she remained largely out of American view until Ray Brown heard her at the 1975 Turnwater Festival in Canada. Brown became her manager, arranged her appearance at the 1976 Concord Jazz Festival, and secured a Concord contract that quickly produced the live albums Live from Concord to London and Hello Like Before. These and subsequent comeback recordings restored her status as a prominent jazz attraction in the U.S. for years to come. In the 1980s she recorded with the Hank Jones Trio, George Shearing, Benny Carter, the Capp-Pierce Juggernaut, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and her own quartet.

Major-label interest returned in 1992 when she joined Quincy Jones’ Qwest roster. For Koch she released Isn’t It Romantic in 1998. The live set I Love Being Here with You appeared in 2002, and in 2003 she moved to Highnote for Love Makes the Changes. The label issued A Song for You in 2009 and followed it with the live album Nightlife in 2011, recorded in small-group settings and featuring guest appearances by labelmate Houston Person. Anderson died of natural causes on March 10, 2016, at the age of 87.