Nancie Banks (July 29, 1951 – November 13, 2002)* was an American jazz singer.
Nancie Manzuk in Morgantown, West Virginia, was born into a musical family. The four-octave range of her vocalist dad secured him a spot in the choir at church, while her mother played the piano. Banks' mother began giving her instruction on the instrument before she'd turned five years old. lived in Pittsburgh for a time, then relocated to New York City in the 1980s and studied with Edward Boatner, Barry Harris, and Alberto Socarras, and performed with both small ensembles and big bands.
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| Clarence Banks |
Her debut in the Big Apple occurred with Harris during one of his concerts. Banks' break came when Charlie Byrd hired her to sing with his big band. Also through Byrd, the singer first met her future husband, Clarence Banks, a trombonist. Banks went on to establish several quintets and quartets and led her ensembles in performances throughout the city, while also finding time to sing with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. She also performed with Walter Davis Jr., Dexter Gordon, Michael Max Fleming, Bob Cunningham, Duke Jordan, Walter Booker, Charlie Persip, Sadik Hakim, C. Sharpe, John Hicks, Woody Shaw, Bross Townsend, Jon Hendricks, and Walter Bishop Jr., among others.
Here’s “Night And Day” from the album Berts Blues (1995)
Waves of Peace, Banks' first album issued by Consolidated Artists, garnered critical acclaim as well as a nomination from the Village Voice for inclusion on its list of Best Jazz Records of the Year in 1993. Cadence magazine also included the release among the year's best. Two years later, Bert's Blues made more waves and earned nods from the magazines Cadence and Coda as one of the year's finest offerings. Airplay followed in countries around the world, including Japan, Brazil, South Africa, the Ukraine, Germany, and France.
Nancie performed at Tatou, the Blue Note, Birdland, the Supper Club, the Williamsburg Music Center, Germany's Dennis Swing Club, the Village Gate, Sweet Basil, Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park & Avery Fischer Hall, the Hartford Jazz Festival, the Kansas City Women's Jazz Festival (broadcast nationally on NPR's Jazz Alive) and many other venues.
In addition to her work as a singer and composer, Banks was also a lyricist, arranger, and producer. She also worked on film soundtracks, including Mo' Better Blues (1990) and Housesitter (1992), and in Broadway musicals such as Swingin' On a Star. During the 1990s, she taught jazz at the City University of New York as well as private instruction.
Banks died in New York City in November 2002. Her body was found in her home. * The exact day she died is unknown but some sources give the 13th.