Stephanie Jordan Big Band performs at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest on International Jazz Day

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Vocalist Stephanie Jordan leads the Stephanie Jordan Big Band on Thursday, April 30, 2015 at 2:40 p.m. in the Zatarain's/WWOZ Jazz Tent at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

In recognition of International Jazz Day, Stephanie Jordan will pay tribute to Frank Sinatra and Billy Strayhorn's Centennial celebrations taking place around the globe. In honor of Sinatra, Jordan will cover The Good Life, Joey, and Begin the Beguine, all tunes perfected by Sinatra; while she will sing Strayhorn's Lush Life in his honor during her performance. Jordan performed at the inaugural International Jazz Day in 2012 which was celebrated by millions worldwide during an all-star sunrise concert in New Orleans' Congo Square that included jazz luminaries Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard, Ellis Marsalis, and others.

Accompanied by Emmy-award winning arranger Mike Esneault on piano, the Stephanie Jordan Big Band will include Marlon Jordan and Steven Lang on trumpet, Brian Quezergue on bass and Danny Abel on guitar, Roderick Paulin and Michael Pierce on sax, BJ McGibney on trombone, and drummer Miles Labat; Jordan will fill the Zatarain's/WWOZ Jazz Tent with her signature Big Band sound which is her trademark. In addition to the referenced tunes listed above, Jordan will also do select numbers from her self-produced CD; "Stephanie Jordan Sings A Tribute to the Fabulous Lena Horne" which honors the legendary Grammy Award winner.

Following a previous Jazz Fest performances USA Today wrote, "Stephanie Jordan transported audience members to a bygone era with a big-band tribute to Lena Horne ... She unspooled standards such as Let's Fly Away and Stormy Weather before launching into a throaty, melancholic version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, with her sister Rachel Jordan playing the violin, leaving spectators entranced. The Times-Picayune's headline review read "Stephanie Jordan lights a fire in the Jazz tent at the New Orleans Jazz Fest".

Stephanie Jordan is consistently praised for her poise, elegance and soulful articulation. She draws frequent comparisons to her inspirations, the legendary jazz singers Shirley Horn, Abbey Lincoln, Lena Horne and Carmen McRae. Critics have also likened Ms. Jordan to jazz stars Diana Krall and Nancy Wilson.

Jordan has performed in the presence of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama; sang to Stevie Wonder in honor of his birthday; been featured at the private celebration of 'Oprah Winfrey and Friends of Susan Taylor, ' and she sang the National Anthem for the 2008 NBA All-Star Game.

As a late minute replacement for Grammy Award-winning singer Ledisi, Chicago Tribune's leading art critic Howard Reich to proclaimed, "The woman can sing ... bringing heft to music of the Gershwins and Cole Porter without pushing volume levels. Clearly she values plush sound and knows how to produce it." Music critic James Walker added, "Stephanie Jordan . . . stepped in and simply mesmerized the near capacity Harris Theater crowd with a sparkling performance."

Jordan has performed on such stellar stages as the Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the NBA All-Star Game, Chicago's Harris Theater, the Marians Jazzroom in Bern, Switzerland, "The Palace" Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey and others. Jordan served as US Jazz Ambassadors' on a European Tour to Bucharest, Germany, Lithuania and Ukraine on behalf of the U.S. Department of State and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Jordan appears in Lee Daniels' production of "The Paperboy" singing a featured tune, the movie co-stars Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, and John Cusack among others. Jordan also recorded a tune for the 2013 remake of the film "Heat" which stars Jason Statham and Sofia Vergara. In 1995 Stephanie Jordan performed the soundtrack "Season's Start" in the Tribecca Film release of Café Society staring Lara Flynn Boyle and Peter Gallagher.

Stephanie's silky vocals are also featured on Marlon Jordan's "You Don't Know What Love Is" album and Kent Jordan's "Out of This World" CD. The "Christmas with the New Orleans Ladies of Jazz" CD produced by sister Rachel Jordan features New Orleans' renowned jazz divas; Germaine Bazzle, Leah Chase, and Stephanie Jordan with the Music Alive Ensemble.

Recognized internationally, the Sud Ouest French publication calls her "unbelievably superb." The Washingtonian Magazine labeled her "JAZZHOT."

Stephanie is a member of New Orleans' renowned Jordan Family of Jazz whose father is Kidd Jordan; and siblings Kent, Marlon and Rachel.

Started in 1970, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival continues to showcase the most important names in music history alongside many of Louisiana's favorite entertainers. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell is a co-production of Festival Productions Louisiana, LLC. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Festival Productions, Inc.-New Orleans) and AEG Louisiana Production, LLC. (a subsidiary of AEG Live).

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