Susan Krebs - Jazz Vocalist, Creator of Jazz Aviary

Born and raised in Baltimore, Susan grew up in a home filled with the sounds of Bach, Beethoven, Gilbert & Sullivan, Broadway musicals and the blues of Bessie, Billie and Ella. Graduating with a BA in Drama & Dance from Hollins University, Susan went on to New York City – studying acting with Uta Hagen, appearing in various Off-Broadway plays and musicals, TV commercials and performing with the improvisational theater company, War Babies.

In 1976, Susan and her fellow War Babies flew to L.A. for a TV series. She chose to remain in L.A. and make it her new home – delighted that she could garden and hike – and that there were greater work opportunities. Over the years, she has appeared in dozens of TV shows (Mad Men, Numbers, The West Wing, ER), Films (Million Dollar Baby, 28 Days), Animation, Radio and TV commercials, and Theater, including her own solo musical revue, Lunar, the all-women’s improvisational company, The Wims, and the contemporary opera, A String of Pearls, both in L.A. and at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Theater.

Throughout Susan’s career as an actor and improviser, she was also performing as a jazz vocalist, and studied for several years with the great jazz singer and teacher, Sue Raney as well as the extraordinary Sheila Jordan. Then, in 1995, seeking clarity and artistic direction during a four month "middle years" retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Susan’s sense of herself as a "jazz gardener" came into being - which she explains is "about the art of becoming - whether working with plants or music or with oneself - to dig down, to cultivate, to encourage growth, to thrive and flourish, and eventually to let go and begin the cycle anew." And so, she returned to L.A. with the intent of devoting herself to the art of jazz singing both as a student and as a performer in order to tell her tale through song.

Susan performs regularly throughout Southern California, including such venues as: L.A. County Museum of Art, Jazz Bakery, Jazz @ the Vic and Spazio’s. Following the 1999 release of her debut album, Jazz Gardener (Sea Breeze Jazz), came What Am I Here For? (GreenGig Music 2002). Both projects were created by Suze and her group of superb L.A. based musicians, including her longtime drummer/producer, Jerry Kalaf, and the saxophonist extraordinaire, Gary Foster.

Susan’s current project is the critically acclaimed multi-media concert Jazz Aviary – a celebration of Birds and of the universal music that we share. Conceived and performed by Susan in collaboration with the Soaring Sextet, with Musical Direction by Rich Eames, Jazz Aviary is now a unique and beautiful CD recording as well. Susan explains her long-time fascination with birds: "I remember as a kid, lying stretched out in a hammock between two grand sycamores, watching the birds, listening to the birds - digging the birds! With Jazz Aviary, I want to express the wonder and awe that birds arouse as well as raise consciousness and awareness for their beauty and preservation."

For a printable version of Suze's bio, see Susan Krebs' Media Kit

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