AncientFaces Your browser does not support JavaScript!
Please enable JavaScript to view the entire contents of this page.

Holli Ross 2020

Holli Ross was born in United States, and died on May 9, 2020. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Holli Ross.

Holli Ross

mm/dd/yyyy

United States

May 9, 2020

United States

Female

Looking for someone else

Holli Ross Holli Ross (died 2020)

ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM

This page exists for YOU
and everyone who remembers Holli.

Share what you know,
even ask what you wish you knew.

Invite others to do the same,
but don't worry if you can't...

Someone, somewhere will find this page,
and we'll notify you when they do.

Holli Ross' History: 2020

Uncover new discoveries and connections today by sharing about people & moments from yesterday.

- Discover how AncientFaces works.

Introduction

Heart in Her Voice: A Farewell to Holli Ross, From Her Friend Michael Bourne By MICHAEL BOURNE • 9 HOURS AGO COURTESY OF THE ARTIST Holli Ross was one of my favorite singers and dearest friends. She passed early Saturday morning after several years fighting cancer. I first enjoyed her singing when she came on Singers Unlimited more than 30 years ago with the group Mad Romance. Holli was lovely, lively, and we were friends from then on. She was a teacher and a vocal therapist. When I was working too much on the radio, full-time for WBGO and for Sirius, I started suffering from what I called Chops Fatigue. I called Holli for advice and everything she said was helpful. She was also insightful about my foolishness in life. That’s what friends are for. Holli always sang with her heart in her voice. She was a devout jazz singer, especially about vocalese. She wrote lyrics, including words to a melody that Sarah Vaughan composed, “I Have Waited So Long,” recorded by Janis Siegel with the Count Basie Orchestra. Holli was especially active singing in groups, including the trio String of Pearls and in recent years with The Royal Bopsters. She was especially delighted when the Bopsters were singing with some of her vocal idols: Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, Mark Murphy, Bob Dorough and Sheila Jordan. Party of Four, the group’s just-finished new album, features songs with Sheila and Bob, a take on Chet Baker’s version of “But Not for Me,” and Holly’s English lyrics to Tito Puente’s “Cuando Te Vea (When I See You).”
date of

Birth

Birthday

mm/dd/yyyy

Birthdate

United States

Birthplace

ADVERTISEMENT BY
Early Life & Education

JAZZ EDUCATOR Holli holds the following academic positions: Adjunct Professor for applied jazz voice at Hofstra University, Jazz department under the direction of David Lalama since 1996 Adjunct Professor for applied jazz voice and Director of Jazz Vocal Ensemble “Vocamotion” at Montclair State University, Jazz Department under the direction of Jeffrey Kunkel since 2006 Extension Division at Mannes College of Music since 1997 Called upon to substitute teach at The New School, New York University, and City College Holli’s approach when working with jazz vocal students is to address the whole musician. Healthy vocal production, postural awareness, and supportive breathing get you out of the gate. Scales and chordal exercises (including jazz scales and harmony) drill intonation and vocal dexterity. Starting with repertoire from the Great American Songbook, you address learning to choose the correct keys, lyric interpretation, phrasing, and improvisation. Ear training, sight singing, and theory along with lead sheet and chart writing is an integral part of Holli’s teaching approach. “There’s no excuse for an illiterate singer these days,” says Ross. Students are encouraged to learn a chordal instrument so that they can develop rudimentary accompaniment skills. Holli accompanies all her students on guitar. Holli conducts clinics and seminars nationally and abroad. She has taken her programs to the Svebian Art Summer program in Germany, the San Jose Student Jazz Competition where she was also part of the adjudication panel, Niagara High School, The Lucy Moses Center, and many local public schools throughout the tri-state area. Programs include: The Song Is You (jazz performance workshop) – students will sing a song of their choice with a full rhythm section and receive a constructive critique addressing their presentation, interpretation, and communication. An in-depth explanation will offer the student performing and interpretive options to help develop their “own voice” and to think outside the traditional box. With these comments the student is then invited to try and put his or her new ideas into effect for a second rendition. Jazz Master Classes – Holli will discuss and perform a variety of songs that exemplify the well paced set as she would normally present them at a concert or club. This valuable information addresses the flow from song to song where keys, tempos, and grooves (styles) are taken into consideration to offer the listener the fullest musical experience. Q & A to follow. Band Etiquette – What every singer should know in order to communicate their musical needs on and off the bandstand. In this program Holli will drive home the objective to create and become part of an ensemble while maintaining leadership. Levels of preparedness, traditional descriptive terms, accompaniment terms, and social aspects are all addressed to help the singer make music and make a good first impression with her accompanying band. The Bossa Nova Challenge – Here, Holli distributes some music by the great Brazilian composer, Antonio Carlos Jobim and teaches the students the basic rhythms of the bossa nova sound. After they have learned the basic patterns and can sing a Jobim song or two, each is given “The Challenge” to choose a non-Brazilian style song and try to sing it in the newly learned bossa nova style. This is most rewarding when students begin to sway and swoon with this intoxicating rhythm. A good time is had by all. Jazz Vocal Ensemble Training – Have Holli do a workshop with your vocal group of any age and watch her bring greater awareness to students as they learn to listen to their singing neighbors and blend. Vowel and consonant production are addressed as are some of the traditional jazz inflections that are the keystones to swing phrasing. Holli will either work the material your ensemble is presently developing, or she will hand out a simple jazz arrangement certain to whet the appetite of any fledgling jazz singer. Note: String Of Pearls is also available to present this workshop.
Professional Career

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT "YOU'LL SEE" "...Ross’ voice suggests a star sapphire: deep, indigo-hued and immaculately pure, yet shot through with a captivating smokiness.." Christopher Loudon - Jazz Times "...Holli Ross has just released her first solo effort, You'll See, and it is a winner." Joe Lang - Jersey Jazz "...You'll See is a serious jazz vocal album from a singer who knows how to present a song with a measure of elegance...a top-tier jazz vocalist." Edward Blanco - All About Jazz "...a captivating and inventive display of everything good about straight ahead vocal jazz with an all star line up." Brent Black - Digital Jazz News "...exceptional solo release...slow, gorgeous takes...She injects a certain sexuality..." Chris Nickson - Allmusic Guide ___________________________________ PRESS QUOTES Jon Hendricks: As a lyricist, Holli speaks from the heart and she does it well with relevance and quick wit. Bill Kirchner: … a captivating voice and keen intelligence…she’ll grab your heart. Daryl Sherman: Any day that Holli sings is a Holli-day. Stuart Troup says: A standout in and out of a crowd. The voice of experience. A standout jazz vocalist. Curt Davis says: … .. .a classy jazz singer Cadence Magazine: …. a true jazz singer ___________________________________ REVIEWS Cadence The Review of Jazz & Blues: Creative improvised Music Johnston-Lackerschmid Project, New Singers – New Songs, New York Holli Ross is really the only true jazz singer of the bunch, energetically wailing through her melodies and even doing a little sophisticated scatting. The musicianship is a plus too. The rhythm work is consistently good. Lackerschmid takes a number of feathery vibes solos and Lee Konitz and Atilla Zoller both take achingly pretty solos on one song each. New York Newsday Around Town By Stuart Troup Holli Ross: The Voice of Experience A Standout Jazz Vocalist Once in a while a voice is raised in song at the Knickerbocker, the room at 33 University Place. And the change from the usual piano and bass fare is a consciousness-raising experience. Many diners have become inured to instrumental music in restaurants simply because music is everywhere – in department stores, elevators, clinics. The presence of musicians, even such virtuoso players as Kenny Barron and Paul West, is lost on a public whose every move is accompanied by musical background. A voice, however, often commands more consideration. It conveys meanings in a language that even the tone-deaf can appreciate. On these Monday nights at the Knickerbocker, where the conversation level often overpowers the piano/bass offerings, singer, Holli Ross is earning some attention with the musical poetry of Matt Dennis, Duke Ellinton, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, and George and Ira Gershwin. Ross, who has a sweet and malleable voice, has performed as a single many times, but she is perhaps best known as one of the singers in the groups Mad Romance and String of Pearls. "But I'm on my own now," she said between sets the other night. Not quite. She's being accompanied by pianist Russ Kasoff, a hard swinging and nuance-filled player who has long underpinned the singing of Frank Sinatra and Liza Minnelli. He also has been able to stretch out from time to time at the Knickerbocker as a leader. "I've been busy writing material for an album I want to do," Ross said. "and I want to lean toward salsa. There's some Celia Cruz tunes I've been translating and reworking plus I'm writing originals." Her sets this past Monday, however, were filled largely with evergreens – a bouncy "I Could Write a Book," "How Long Has This Been Going On" and some songs dedicated to the memory of Sarah Vaughan, including "My Old Flame." Among the unusual pieces she sang was Oscar Pettiford's "Bohemia After Dark," to which Ronny Whyte has added lyrics, and a swooping "Two For The Road." Ross and Kasoff return to the scene at 9:30 Monday night. Village Herald Hot jazz for a cool time By Phil Holland It was a scene straight out of Greenwich Village in the early sixties. Smoke hung heavily in the air tracing wispy patterns in the glow of amber gels. The patrons sat at the red covered tables sipping Irish coffees and ice cold beers, and the music was hot. It was not lower Manhattan. It was downtown Port Jefferson. It was Grisold's Cabaret and it was Jazz Night. An incredibly versatile group of musicians was on stage rasing spirits and temperatures. The Holli Ross Quartet was hot. Piano, bass and percussion backed Ross, weaving a tapestry of sound around her, sometimes giving mere support to her intriguing vocal line and at other times making a comment all their own. Set after set the group got richer in color and more ambitious. Their style was honest, clean and unencumbered, yet energetic. Like a jigsaw puzzle, they pulled a melody apart and put it back together adding rhythms and rhymes – going from ominous cool to subtle brighter blends of color and harmony. Taking the song "It Might As Well Be Spring," from the relatively unknown musical "Very Warm for May" the quartet worked miracles. Ross sang the vocal line with understatement, reminiscent of the great Miss Fitzgerald. Ross created her own set of rhythms on the Horace Silver classic, "Sister Sadie," and performed vocal gymnastics with "Teach Me Tonight." This group is a must-see. If you like your jazz hot and sultry, innovative and provocative, Holli Ross is someone to hear. German Reviews New York Jazz Flair Dillingen Public enthusiastic about Lackerschmid Trio In the course of a tour of Germany the Wolfgang Lackerschmid Trio made a guest appearance in Dillingen last Sunday. For a good two hours the musicians transported the large audience into the international atmosphere of American jazz clubs. Holli Ross, with her perfect intonation and feeling for jazz interpretation, was a highly competent participant and put the finishing touch on Lackerschmid's compositions. Wolfgang Lackerschmid, who performed on the vibraphone, was accompanied on bass by the Canadian bassist Rocky Knauer, who laid down a solid foundation, and by the fantastic guitarist Frank Kuroc, who was thoroughly convincing with his sympathetic playing. One can hope that Lackerschmid's work with the Dillinger Band "Jazziz" may lead to a repetition of this kind of concert event. THE BLUES BLOOM IN FEELING/SPRING Wolfgang Lackerschmid, vibraphonist of world renown, in the Garsching Ratskeller Holli Ross was the special guest. Lackerschmid works often with her in the USA, ever since they met there at a record date. Holli is most at home in the New York clubs. And though she is not yet so well known here, we know from Sinatra, "If you can make it there...." Holli took up the red thread of the concert with her many sided, bright blues voice. She defiantly sang "I Can't Find a Reason For Spring" against the beer-garden weather, in order to prepare the ground with this sad blues for more lively offerings: swing a la Ella brought the small auditorium (which meanwhile had warmed up a bit) into the mood for Lackerschmid's wild bebop and free work "Take 2", or inviting numbers like "Waltz for Berlin" (made famous by Chet Baker) or a number which sounded like a jazz variant of Bill Withers' "Aint No Sunshine." "Schonste Blutentraume..." ......The New York jazz singer Holli Ross proved that expressiveness and dynamics are possible even with limited amplification and arranged for the most beautiful blossom dreams with capacity to modulate between silky soft and arrestingly forceful. Jazz in the Gulfhouse Vechta …..The very attentive audience was very involved, above all when the NY singer, Holli Ross got into the action. The singer with the look of an American college girl was dazzling with her strongly expressive and intense singing and showered so much energy, so much unrestrained cheerfulness that the audience had no choice but to let themselves be pulled along with it. Lackerschmid and Ross were accompanied by Rocky Knauer (bass), Thomas Cremer (drums) and Peter Reiter (piano).
05/9

2020

Death

May 9, 2020

Death date

Unknown
Cause of death

United States
Death location

ADVERTISEMENT BY
share

Memories

below

Join one other
who remembers Holli

Select options below to share special moments.

Ethnicity & Family History Nationality & Locations Baptism Religious Beliefs Military Service Personal Life & Family Gravesite & Burial Obituary Add Memory Add Photo

Share what you remember.
Ask what you wish to know.
Connect to discover more.
Advertisement
Did you know?

Holli Ross lived 72 years shorter than the average family member when died at the age of .

ADVERTISEMENT BY
Looking for more information?
share

Memories

below