Born in Edmonton, Canada in 1945, Judi Singh came from a Sikh father and a Black mother. Her dual identity reflected in her music as she made her mark in the Canadian jazz scene as one of the first prominent BIPOC Canadian jazz singers.
The music of convergence
Her parents, Sohan Singh Bhullar, one of the first Sikh settlers in Canada and Effie Jones - a Black-Canadian woman whose ancestors were among the earliest Black arrivals in Alberta - filled her early life with gospel choirs along with Hindustani classical music, making her music a convergence of both.
White male dominated industry
But why is this rare artist not heard of? During the 1960s and 70s the Canadian and international jazz scene was dominated by artists who were white and male, and Singh as a biracial woman had extra hurdles to leap through to make her mark in the industry.
A Time for Love!
In 1970 she recorded her first and only album, ‘A Time for Love’ made with pianist Tommy Banks. Due to the lack of industry support and the perils of being a single parent, Judi Singh never released a solo album again even though she kept performing at gigs until the 2000s.
The Grammy nominations
Judi sang and composed many songs on the 1978 album ‘Rosewood’ by Woody Shaw which was nominated for two Grammy Awards - Best Jazz Instrumental Performance (Soloist) and Best Jazz Instrumental Performance (Group).
Have you heard...
Filmmaker Baljit Sangra’s documentary ‘Have you Heard Judi Singh?’ shone a light on Singh’s journey and artistry. Her voice was laced with bossa nova influences along with Indian elements like the bansuri which her father played growing up.
She passed away in 2021 but her music is being found decades later by a new generation of jazz listeners when the definition of jazz is being written and rewritten by artists of all generations and ethnicities.
A timeless artist
From Laufey’s bedroom jazz to Ezra Collective’s Afro jazz, Judi Singh would have found an irreplaceable place in today’s new wave of jazz’s limelight. But that is the thing with timeless artists: be it five or fifty years down the line, their music lives on, and Singh falls into that category without a doubt.
Image Credits: CBC, Wikipedia
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