JeremyDavenport

Jeremy Davenport was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1970 into a family of musicians — his mother a music educator, his father a longtime member of the St. Louis Symphony. An early friendship with Wynton Marsalis led to a scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music, and it was Marsalis who introduced Davenport to Harry Connick Jr., who persuaded him to move to New Orleans. He enrolled at the University of New Orleans and studied under Ellis Marsalis before joining Connick's big band for six years of international touring.

In 1996 he released his self-titled debut on Telarc, establishing him as one of the most compelling jazz vocalists of his generation. His 2009 album We'll Dance 'Til Dawn on Basin Street Records drew strong critical praise. He has appeared on The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, and performed for audiences ranging from Sting to Paul McCartney.

Since the 1990s, Davenport has maintained a residency at the Davenport Lounge in the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans — one of the city's most intimate and beloved live music rooms. He has become, in the best sense, a fixture: someone whose presence you can plan around, whose performances deliver something reliably exquisite.

His sound sits at the intersection of classic jazz standards and original songwriting, inflected by the mood of the city he has thoroughly claimed as his own. He remains one of New Orleans' most gifted live performers and a warm ambassador for the tradition he inhabits.