Johnaye Kendrick / säje

About the Project

To retrofit a Joshua Tree vacation rental into a sanctuary-esque recording studio where Johnaye Kendrick and vocal collective, säje (Kendrick, Sara Gazarek, Amanda Taylor, Erin Bentlage) will record and edit the vocal arrangements for their debut album. During the two week residency, säje will offer end-of-day live-streamed/communal breakdowns of daily creative progress. The final recording will feature luminaries such as Terri Lyne Carrington, Jacob Collier, Ambrose Akinmusire and Gerald Clayton, and is set to be released in the Spring of 2022.

Residency Location

Joshua Tree, CA

About the Artist

GRAMMY® nominated vocalist, composer, and educator, Johnaye Kendrick, has emerged as a leading light in a generation of internationally acclaimed jazz artists and creators. Born and raised in Southern California, Johnaye discovered her love of music at a young age, touring widely with the San Diego Youth Symphony Orchestra, where she developed her sense of perfect pitch and adoration for the violin. She received her BM from Western Michigan University, her MM from Loyola University, and an Artist Diploma from the incredibly selective and prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute. One of only 3 singers to have ever graduated from the illustrious program, Johnaye would go on to create with such luminaries as Ellis Marsalis, Sean Jones, George Benson, Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton, Allison Miller, and The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. The late great NEA Jazz Master, Jimmy Heath, is quoted to have felt that, “Johnaye is not just a vocalist. She is a complete musician with a beautiful instrument and open ears.”

In 2014, Kendrick launched her own record label, johnygirl, through which she recorded, produced, and released two albums to critical acclaim: HERE, a collection of heartfelt originals, and FLYING which was nominated for Earshot Jazz’s NW Recording of the Year. Johnaye’s music has brought her across the globe, from Russia to Mexico, and across the entire US — sharing her signature approach to improvisatory expression, soul-moving story telling, compelling original compositions, and thoughtful reimaginings, all through the lens of her masterful and wide-reaching instrument. Most recently, in 2020, Kendrick’s vocal ensemble, säje, received their first GRAMMY® nomination in the Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals category, for their original composition, Desert Song.

A dedicated educator, Johnaye serves as Professor of Music at the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. She has presented and performed at numerous educational festivals, including the Reno Jazz Fest, the Monterey Jazz Fest, Solon Jazz Fest, UNT Invitational, WMU Invitational, and the JEN Conference. Kendrick is also a passionate member of the Jazz and Service Community, as a voting member of NARAS, Vice President of the Seattle Jazz Fellowship Board, the Jazz Education Network board, and the Tacoma Arts Commission. She is a recipient of the 2019 Artist Trust Fellowship Grant, the Chamber Music of America 2020 Performance Plus Grant, and the 2020 Visions and Voices Performance Grant.