Dee Daniels
Dr. Dee Daniels is an accomplished vocalist and musician's musician who passionately delivers timeless performances in multiple genres that include: jazz, blues, gospel, and her original compositions. A sultry songsmith and master of storytelling, she has performed for royalty and international dignitaries on multiple occasions and has an extensive list of performances with combos and big bands. Her international career includes performances across Europe, the United Kingdom, Russia, Australia, South America, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Egypt, twelve African countries, and throughout North America.
She crossed the threshold of the classical world with the creation of her spellbinding Symphony Pops programs, “Great Ladies of Swing”, “The Great American Swing Book”, "A Night Out With The Boys", ”The Soul of Ray: The Music of Ray Charles”, and "Red, Hot, and Blues". She shares a successful Pops program with Juno Award winner, Denzal Sinclaire, entitled "Unforgettable: 100 Years of Nat and Natalie Cole". Dee has performed and recorded with orchestras throughout North America and abroad. In addition to her accredited presence and magnetic prowess on keys, Daniels adds a spellbinding four-octave plus vocal range to her potent, natural, and unique spin on every song she touches.
Her vocal style was born deep in the gospel roots of her stepfather’s Baptist church choir in Oakland, California, refined through the R&B era, and smoothly polished during a five-year stay in The Netherlands and Belgium from 1982 to 1987. Dee Daniels has performed and/or recorded with the who’s who of the Jazz world including Jazz legends: Clark Terry, Mulgrew Miller, Claudio Roditti, Benny Green, Houston Person, John Clayton, Russell Malone, Wycliffe Gordon, Cyrus Chestnut, Ken Peplowski, Kenny Barron, Bill Mays, Jeff Clayton, Benny Golson, Grady Tate, Toots Thielemans, Jeff Hamilton, Monty Alexander, Steve Wilson, Marvin Stamm, Lewis Nash, Kenny Washington, Norman Simmons, Hank and Elvin Jones, Dennis Mackrel, Martin Wind, Bucky Pizzarelli, Helen Sung, Christian McBride, David Young, Neil Swainson, Dave Stryker, Bruce Forman, Victor Lewis, and many, many more.
Dee's critically acclaimed 2021 CD release, The Promise, won her the POP Awards Album of the Year (Germany), the Western Canada Music Awards Spiritual Artist of the Year, Global Music Awards, Jazziz Editor's Choice Top 10 of the Month to name a few. In 2020 the National Congress of Black Women of Canada honoured Dee with a Legacy Award; in 2010 she received a nomination for an Atlanta Theater’s Suzi Bass Award; in 2009 received an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Fine Arts and the 2008 President’s Award, both from Capilano University; a recipient of the prestigious and most coveted Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. 2003 saw her induction into the University of Montana’s School of Fine Arts Hall of Honor; a 1997 University of Montana Distinguished Alumni Award; a 2002 induction into the British Columbia Entertainment Hall of Fame and member of Vancouver’s Granville Street Walk of Fame are a testament to her dedication to music.
Dee has cultivated a diverse career that has also seen her on theatre stages including the 2009 premiere of New York choreographer, Twyla Tharp’s, musical, Come Fly Away, and the critically acclaimed musical, Wang Dang Doodle at the Arts Club in Vancouver, BC. She is an inspirational speaker with keynote addresses being delivered at the Women’s CEO & Senior Management Summit in Toronto, the British Columbia Music Teachers Conference, commencement addresses at Capilano University, and many more.
An internationally respected vocal clinician, adjudicator, and mentor, Dee presents clinics, workshops, and master classes globally. In 2019 she joined the faculty of the Conservatory of Music at the University of the Pacific (CA); served on the President's Advisory Council for the Jazz Education Network (JEN) from 2016 - 2018; was Artistic Director for the West Coast’s DeMiero Jazz Fest from 2011 to 2018; created the Dee Daniels Jazz Vocal Scholarship awarded at the DeMiero Jazz Festival in Edmonds, WA in 2017; was on the faculty of the vocal department of the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College (NY) 2013 - 2014. In 2013, she created the week-long Dee Daniels Vocal Jazz Workshop Camp at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp; from 2001 through 2017, she was the creator and donor for the Dee Daniels Jazz Vocal Scholarship at the Capilano University in North Vancouver, BC, and from 2017 to the present, the scholarship continues at the DeMiero Jazz Festival. She was the first artist to serve on the Advisory Board of the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival (2002 - 2008) and has received several awards for her contribution in the field of music performance, music education, and community service.