KC'S OWN LISA HENRY:
A Winner at Home and Abroad

© 1995 Dean E. Hampton

Lisa Henry

The latest score card on Lisa Henry is in. Listen to her description of Kenny Burrell's tally:

"He looked me straight in my eye and said, 'Let me tell ya something. Some got it, and some ain't. Honey, you got it!' I was stunned. Tears were coming to my eyes. I cried. This is Kenny Burrell saying this to me! I thought, 'Okay God, you can take me now. Kenny says I got it...'"

When I first met Lisa Henry at the Eblon Club in Kansas City's historic 18th & Vine district, it was clear this child was born to sing jazz. Even then, as a 20 year old novice, she brought spirit, soul and heart to the stage rarely seen in singers of any age.

Her first portfolio contained letters of recommendation from different club owners and one from her mentor, Everette DeVan. There were also articles from local newspapers announcing the up & coming jazz singer's first successes. Today, her press kit includes letters from President Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, pianist and entertainer Steve Allen (in which he asks her to try some of his latest material), and John Loiello, Associate Director of the United States Information Agency.

Ms. Henry's showing at the 1994 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition has spawned opportunities galore. As second place winner of the first Monk vocal competition at Washington D.C.'s prestigious Kennedy Center last November, Lisa became eligible for an additional accolade -- the "Jazz Ambassador Award" -- as described in Mr. Loiello's letter in which he congratulates her for winning a 1995 tour of seven countries in Africa with the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition Winner's Band.

Recent successes have not spoiled Lisa Henry. If anything, they have provided her with an opportunity to further crystallize her thinking and solidify her goals. The same spirit, soul and heart witnessed that night at the Eblon Club years ago continue to drive this still very young lady.

Lisa tells her own story well: a story of the past, the present and the future.

The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition
"The judges were folks who were my idols: Shirley Horn, Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln, Jon Hendricks. It was like I was in this fantasy world. I think it would have been better if they hadn't told me who the judges were! When I learned that Shirley Horn was gonna be out there, it was like, 'Oh, come on guys, give me a break! What'd ya tell me that for?! I'm singing for Shirley Horn? I'm gonna scat in front of Betty Carter? Yeah, right!' And that's not to mention Billy Dee Williams, Herbie Hancock, and many more who were there.

"There was another thing they did that I thought was so cute (laughs). And it didn't help me any as a contestant! There were three of us who had made the finals. Right before we went to the Kennedy Center for the competition, it was someone's wonderful idea to have a reception at Vice President Gore's house. Now, if I wasn't already star struck, I was then. I walk into the Vice President's mansion and, once again, I'm thinking 'I don't believe it! I'm standing in Al Gore's house. Say, there's Tipper. Wow, there's Al.' So we're sitting around and we're doing the finger food thing and socializing, and I'm like, 'This is crazy; I'm only human, you know. You expose me to every jazz idol that I've ever loved -- outside of Sarah Vaughan, Louie and Carmen who are gone now -- and then you show me to the Vice President of the United States?' I mean, you can only imagine how it feels at a moment like that. And I'm supposed to sing after that? 'Who's idea was this?' (laughs) ...I said (to another finalist), 'You know what? I think they're trying to test us to see how well we do under pressure!'

"There were just so many emotions going through my head after it was all over. And it all didn't really hit me until the day I left. You're talking about three or four days of being treated like a performer. I mean, I'm just a girl from Kansas who thinks she can sing a little jazz. It's like, you can really get used to being treated like that! '...Ms. Henry, I'm down in the lobby waiting for you and I just wanted to let you know I am here.' And you walk out the hotel and there's a car to meet you. Huh?! I don't believe that! So, after it was all over, it hit me. 'Oh my God, I came in second internationally... and now I'm going to Africa...' It wasn't as a point of boasting. It was just the realization. After everything I'd done in KC, it was hard to believe this was all happening.

The Early Years: Everette DeVan, Learning the Music & the Business
"It's like God had everything perfectly planned: 'First she's going to meet this person and he'll teach her this. Then, she's going to move on and that person will teach her that.' It was just like clockwork. I've heard a lot of musicians tell hard luck stories about getting in and staying in the business... But, I don't have those stories to tell. I have been so blessed. And I've been surrounded by good folks.

"Because of all the things Everette (DeVan) has ever told me, and all the things I've learned from every musician that I've come across, it all comes through in the music. And it also comes through in how you deal with people, how you deal with the public. I'm just so grateful. It was so nice to come into my career and meet someone like an Everette who took the time to tell me the things that no one else was gonna tell me. You know -- 'Hey, this is what professional etiquette is. This is what you do when you are at a jam session. This is how you handle it.' That stuff means something; those are the little things that can really make or break a person.

"Now that I understand all that, I can do a gig anywhere, anytime, and under any conditions. It doesn't matter, because I've worked with Everette DeVan. And he won't let you complain, either. It's like, you grin, you bear it, you do the job and you make it look like it's the most fun you've had in your whole life... even if you are miserable that night and you can't wait to get off the job. Being exposed to that (approach) really made an impression on me. It doesn't matter where I play now. I can do the lowliest dive you got. Give it to me and I'll dress up and I'll perform. If you want to talk about paying dues, I think I paid them with Everette DeVan. And I went from being a hopeful KC girl, to winning second place in an international singing completion. But -- and I sincerely mean this -- I would not be who I am as an entertainer had it not been for everybody I learned something from in Kansas City. I really need to say that.

Following The Dream
"By the seventh grade, I knew I wanted to do jazz. The women in jazz were so classy. I would look at Billie Holiday or Sarah Vaughan... I saw some footage of Sarah and she was leaning against the piano, wearing a beautiful gown, snapping her fingers and singing the hell out of that song. It was like she was saying, 'It's no problem, just take it easy.' She looked like such a lady.

"And then there was Billie; she could make a song sound like 'her own.' She went over it, under it, around it, and through it. I liked that... how she interacted with the music. It was a whole new world to me. A world that I wanted to be a part of.

"When I heard Billie and Sarah sing, though, I knew that you couldn't sing like that and not have lived it. There was something that came through that was so genuine and so real... something that I wasn't hearing in some of the pop artists.

"To me, jazz is real. You can't sing a song like 'Lush Life' and gloss over it. You either know it or you don't. You can't fake that.

Loving Singing... And Tolerating Crowd Noise
"I love what I do. And part of being a performer is wanting to share that love with people. But when you are trying to share it with someone who doesn't want what you've got, it's kind of an offending feeling. I'm only going to sing 'Misty' a certain way one time. You may hear me sing it again, but I'll never sing it the same. So what I just put out there for you was an original. I'll never sing it that way again. And the way you appreciate it is to ignore it?

"When you get down to the core of most artists, we're very sensitive people. And we want to share our gift. Jazz is not going to make you rich unless you are Ella Fitzgerald or someone like that. We do it because of the love of the art. When I get up on stage, I feel that each person in the audience is getting a piece of my soul. I want you to have that and you don't owe me anything for it because I want to give it to you. You don't have to pay me for it, you don't even have to put money in the tip jar. But, you can at least try to appreciate it.

Comparing Audiences: Africa and America
"Sometimes in the U.S., audiences are so busy drinking and clanging glasses I don't know what they're thinking... or if they're even listening. That forces me as a performer to tune out what's going on around me and focus on my skills and the art instead. Sometimes that can be a really tough thing to do. When I was over in Africa and all we had were quiet rooms, I thought, 'my God, is this what it's like?' We played mostly concert venues, dinner theaters and the like. We played two or three jazz clubs and it was the same -- totally quiet. People were there to hear the music. You could hear a pin drop. I thought, 'Wow, they're listening.'

"After being in Africa, it kind of gave me a new perspective. We have this music at our disposal all the time here, so we tend to forget to appreciate it. I was in a land where they don't get jazz artists live and in person very often. The appreciation level was 200% more. They were just glad to shake your hand even if they didn't get to hear you. They were just happy to be there, to meet you face to face. We have access to so many things, I think we forget how culturally rich we are, not just here in Kansas City, but in America, period. I just can't say (this) enough after Africa. The guys (in the band) and I were talking about this (audiences) on the way back to the United States. It's going to be hard to go back to real life... where nobody is listening.

Still Growing
"Most people don't take the time to plan their musical careers. They just kind of wing it. You don't have to do it that way. You can actually say '...this is what I want. Here is where I am now and this is where I hope to be in five years. And in the course of that, this is what I will accept from myself and others and this is what I won't accept. This is the kind of success I want and this is the kind I don't want.'

"I think the best thing a singer can do is talk to a lot of players, really talk to them, listen to them, empathize with them, put ourselves in their position. That's got to bring us some feeling. To me, when you understand the people you are working with, your perspective changes. We (singers) need to talk to players and listen to what they do. I'm a lot better now, artistically, than I was eight years ago; because I've listened to a lot instrumentalists.

"I listen to a lot of sax players. And piano players. And I listen to everybody's phrasing. That gives me ideas for my voice. It opens up a whole new world for me. That makes the singing better and I can bring a lot more to the table musically. I also think that when others see you thinking like a player, there's a little more respect. You aren't just trying to grab the spotlight. It's just a matter of taking the time to find out where the other person is. That's all.

On Success
"When you allow other people to define what success is for you, you can drive yourself crazy. If success is having a nice peaceful life -- and that's what you've got -- then congratulations, you are successful. Sometimes it doesn't take any more than that.

"I want to do what I do and make a good living at it. I work with kids during the day, so I want to serve as a role model for them. I want to show them that just being a musician is not all that you can be. That's why I'm back in college. I don't want to be defined as only a jazz singer. Although that's the thing that's nearest and dearest to my heart, I'm a lot of other different people. I play a lot of other roles in life. I don't just wake up and go to my closet and say 'which sequined gown do I wear tonight?' That's not real. If I saw myself as just a singer, that would be like denying the rest of life.

"I'd like a Nancy Wilson or Betty Carter kind of success. Let me define what I perceive that to be, especially after meeting Betty in Washington. When I met her, she was such a gracious lady. A very nice, sweet, respectful lady and very low key. People look at her and say, 'You are a jazz woman.' But at the same time, she can live a life. I want the type of success that allows me to do what I love to do and still be Lisa Henry -- a girl who gets up and slips on a pair of jeans and an oversized t-shirt and doesn't have to worry about people probing into things that really don't matter anyway.

Still Having Fun
"I'm very happy to say that throughout everything, since the day I started in jazz, I've had fun. Things haven't gotten so serious and so bogged down that I forget to have fun. That's what it's all about.

"I've also gotten to meet some wonderful people. I'll do a gig and people will say 'I saw you when you first started out. It's great to see all the things you are doing.'

"That's a really great feeling."


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