Camille Thurman (born December 22, 1986) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

saxophonist, singer, composer, and member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Her first two albums, released by

Chesky Records Chesky Records is a record company and label founded in 1986 by brothers David and Norman Chesky. The company produces high-definition recordings of music in a variety of genres, including jazz, classical, pop, R&B, folk and world/ethnic. Ch ...

in 2018 and 2017, peaked at #3 and #25 respectively on the Billboard Jazz Albums Chart. She has performed at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

, and was a runner up for the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition.

Early life

Thurman, who is of

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

heritage, took up music at a young age, as she grew up in the St. Albans section of

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, practicing vocals, piano, and flute before attending

Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, often referred to simply as LaGuardia or "LaG", is a public High school (North America), high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, near Lincoln ...

of Music & Art and the Performing Arts. She first picked up the tenor saxophone, the instrument she is best known for playing, at the age of 15. She went on to earn a bachelor's degree in geological & environmental science from

Binghamton University The State University of New York at Binghamton (Binghamton University or SUNY Binghamton) is a public university, public research university in Binghamton metropolitan area, Greater Binghamton, New York, United States. It is one of the four uni ...

Musical career

Thurman moved back to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

following her graduation, and played with a wide array of jazz musicians, particularly crediting saxophone player

Tia Fuller Tia Fuller (born March 27, 1976) is an American saxophonist, composer, and educator, and a member of the all-female band touring with Beyoncé. Fuller is currently a faculty member in the ensembles department at Berklee College of Music. Full ...

and vocalist/bassist

Mimi Jones Mimi Jones (born March 25, 1972, in New York City) is an American bassist, vocalist, composer, bandleader, education and founder of Hot Tone Music. Background Mimi Jones was born Miriam Sullivan in New York City and was raised in the Bronx. She ...

with helping her in those early years. Thurman went on to place as a finalist in the 2013

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (, March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "List of nicknames of jazz musicians, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

International Vocal Competition, garnering significant attention, and leading to her first record deal. Later in 2013, Thurman released her first album, ''Origins'', on Jones' label, Hot Tone Music. She followed up with her second album on Hot Tone, ''Spirit Child'', in 2014. Over December 2014 to January 2015 Thurman appeared alongside Charenee Wade,

Cyrille Aimée Cyrille Aimée Daudel (; born 10 August 1984) is a French jazz singer. Biography She grew up in the French town of Samois-sur-Seine, in Fontainebleau, France. Her father is French and her mother is from the Dominican Republic. She won the '' ...

Allan Harris Allan Harris (28 December 1942 – 23 November 2017) was an English football player and manager. He played for Chelsea, Coventry City and Queens Park Rangers. His brother Ron was also a professional footballer. Harris was a full-back and b ...

and an eight-piece band including bassist

Alex Webb (musician) Alex Webb (born 1961) is a British songwriter and musician and former journalist. Educated at Manchester University and the University of Connecticut, he is the brother of the late guitarist and composer Nick Webb (musician), Nick Webb (the found ...

's jazz theatre show ''Cafe Society Swing'', at New York's

59E59 Theaters 59E59 Theaters is a venue presenting a year-round curated program of live theater. The three theater building is located in New York City. It shows both off-Broadway (in Theater A) and off-off-Broadway plays (in Theaters B and C). The complex is ...

, which received a Critic's Pick from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. Thurman later signed to

, and released her third album, '' Inside the Moment'', on May 19, 2017, which debuted at #25 on the Billboard Jazz Albums Chart. Thurman released her fourth album, ''Waiting for the Sunrise'', through Chesky Records on August 24, 2018, and the album debuted at #2 on the Billboard Traditional Jazz Albums Chart.

Awards and honors

* 16th Independent Music Award Nominated - Jazz Song with Vocals "Cherokee" * 17th Independent Music Award - Jazz Album with Vocals - ''Waiting for the Sunrise'' * 17th Independent Music Award - Jazz Song with Vocals - "The Nearness of You" * NAACP 50th Image Awards Nominated - Outstanding Jazz Album

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thurman, Camille 1986 births African-American women composers African-American jazz composers American jazz composers American women jazz composers African-American women singer-songwriters American women singer-songwriters 21st-century American composers Binghamton University alumni American jazz saxophonists American women jazz saxophonists Living people People from St. Albans, Queens Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Jazz musicians from New York (state)