Carrie Wicks, a second- and fourth-grade violist in Summit, NJ, entertained her mother’s friends with soulful renditions Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. In third grade, her favorite band was The Doors. She learned to read poetry by Jim Morrison and she still loves them today. Her family then moved to Dorset in Vermont. There, they didn’t have any string instruments. So she bought a cornet as that was what her new friend was playing. Through eighth grade, she sang in church choirs and took piano lessons. She was able to learn as much as she could from the little red books. She listened to Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall, and The Doors’ Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine as her favorite albums. Through sophomore year of high school, she played the cornet in the jazz band. After that, it was no longer “cool” to be in a band. Skip the record to Indianola Washington. There, at thirty, she discovered a passion for singing again while living alone in the woods. She signed up for a jazz workshop at Seattle Central Community College and fell in love with jazz. Her shy and reserved demeanour gives the impression that Ms. Wicks just got off the library job. She then counts her band, closes her eyes and continues to swing her body, drawing in the audience unassumingly. She sounds like a glass of wine with a piece of dark chocolate after a long day. She is relaxed and unhurried as she moves in and out of a medium swing, noting every detail. Ms. Wicks experienced a lightbulb moment in her first vocal jazz workshop over ten years ago. She has continued her pursuit of her passion for vocal jazz study with some of the best jazz musicians in Seattle and the world ever since. She has performed at Cafe Campagne and Lottie’s Lounge as well as Egan’s, Lucid and St. Cloud’s and 611 Supreme as well as Tulas, Columbia City Theater and the Triple Door. Her debut album, “I’ll Get Around to It”, received rave reviews and reached #26 on the JazzWeek charts. Barely There, Ms. Wicks’s second album, will feature more originals written with Ken Nottingham and a collection of eclectic covers. It will be available in October 2012. bio by Carrie Wicks.net
