Johnaye

Johnaye Kendrick has been studying jazz since the age of 18. A San Diego native, she completed her secondary education at the School of Creative and Performing Arts where her focus was the violin. Upon graduation from the School of Creative and Performing Arts, Johnaye relocated to Chicago to attend the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University where she worked with Jennifer Shelton-Barnes, Michael Molloy, Scott Mason, and Patricia Barber. She sang in the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, the Honors Combo, and was the featured vocalist for the Jazz Orchestra. After two years at the CCPA, Johnaye transferred to Western Michigan University and began her studies with Diana Spradling, Steve Zegree, & Sunny Wilkinson. While attending Western Michigan University, Johnaye was a member of Gold Company, the Gold Company Sextet and the Jazz Orchestra. Her travels with these groups include Estonia, Latvia, Belgium, France, and South Africa. She has performed in master classes with Fred Hersch, Billy Hart, Eliane Elias, Marc Johnson, Stefon Harris and others. She won a Down Beat Award as an Outstanding Jazz Vocalist and in April was the featured vocalist for the Intercollegiate Jazz Orchestra at the Midwestern Conference of the IAJE. Johnaye also had the pleasure to perform duo with Fred Hersch as part of an honors recital. In 2005 she was a featured soloist in a composition lead by the legendary jazz bassist Rufus Reid at the International Society of Bassists Conference held on the WMU campus. Johnaye received a Bachelor of Music with emphasis in Jazz Studies from Western Michigan University in 2005. In August, 2005 the Johnaye Kendrick Trio, a San Diego Based jazz trio was one of five jazz groups chosen to participate in the Jazz Aspen Snowmass summer workshop under the artistic direction of legendary jazz bassist Christian McBride. Not only is Johnaye an accomplished singer and violinist, she also has considerable writing and arranging skills. She has already written the music and lyrics for numerous compositions, several of which she has performed across the country. Now residing in Chicago, Ms. Kendrick can be found performing her arrangements, and compositions in some of the city’s greatest venues for live jazz.