Requires a Java Enabled Browser.

Rochelle "Little Betty" Thompson 
with the Jon Weiss Trio
 
 Dindi      No Name Blues      Crazy He Calls Me
 Arrangements by Rochelle Thompson

Email Rochelle:  Sassybizr@aol.com 
   
For bookings contact Jim Morehand @ parlourjazz@aol.com
119 Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 1205  Phone: 718-855 -1981


Upcoming Appearances:
KEEPING JAZZ ALIVE!
  

Sunday, Sunday, August 10, 2008 11:00 a.m. -
Uptown Jazz Lounge: At Minton's Playhouse - Historic Photo Shoot, "Hall of Fame Induction" Inductees: Henry Minton, Teddy Hill, John Coltrane, Charlie "Bird" Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie
"Minton's Playhouse" 208 West 118th Street, (212) 864-8346. www.uptownatmintons.com

Sunday, August 3, 2008 - 3:00 p.m. - 7:07 p.m
 Obama's 47th Birthday Celebration and Fundraiser at Harlem's Famous Jazz Club - Come Out and hear me and other brilliant artists pay Tribute to Barack Obama at: "St. Nick's Pub" @ St. Nicholas Avenue and 149th Street,

"Minton's Blow-Out Jazz Marathon!"--
         Going for the Guinness World Record of Jam Sessions! 
 Friday, July 4, 2008, 12:00 noon  to  Sunday, July 6, 2008, 12:00 noon. 
During daytime hours each day, there'll be a picnic on West 118th Street, West of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Avenue (7th Avenue).  A Complimentary Breakfast will be served from 5:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. on Sunday.  I'm performing Friday, July 4, 2008, at 11:00 p.m. and After.  "Minton's Playhouse" is located at 210 West 118th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues.  Call the Club for further information at:  (212) 864-8346.
 Congratulations to "Minton's Playhouse!"  We broke the Guinness World Record for a Jazz Marathon as of July 6, 2008! 
Friday, July 27, 2007
Medgar Evers College Jazzy Jazz Festival, 1650 Bedford Avenue (Between Crown and Montgomery Streets). Two Shows: 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Rochelle performs with her Trio: "JAZZ! As Soon As Possible!"
Call: (917) 535-9781.

Sunday, September 16, 2007:
 NAACP Jazz Brunch, 2:00 p.n. - 6:00 p.m.  "Thomasina's", 205 - 35 Linden Avenue, Queens, New York, Rochelle Thompson and "Beautiful Jazz," call:  (718) 525-5273 for further information.

Friday, May 11, 2007,
"Celebrating the Life, the Music and Times of Torrie McCartney," Jazz 966, 966 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, Two Shows: 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Sam Pinn, Director. Call (718) 498-2150. Cover: $10.00. Bob Cunningham, Musical Director and Bassist, John Miller, Pianist, Earl "Sir Earl" Grice, Jr., Drums.

April 2006 - Renaming of a Street in Brooklyn for Jazz Legend Betty "Bebop" Carter - Posting of date soon.

Click here for
What They Are Saying About Ms Thompson's Daughter

Coming Soon
Look for:  "The Night Is Beautiful!" Jazz Profiles with Jazz Editor Rochelle Thompson
 
"When I came from Pittsburgh to New York City, I was known as "Little Betty." This was further substantiated when I did "Love Notes To Betty! The Betty Carter Tribute!" for four (4) years and also arranging Ms. Carter's music to my voice. This year has been an amazing year, I've worked on Barack Obama's Campaign for President and worked on housing legislation for New Yorkers!"

 
"The place is called 22 West*. It is a restaurant/club located on 135th Street in Harlem.  Jazz singer Rochelle Thompson says, "It's the legendary place where Malcolm X used to dine in Harlem when he was alive!  And, Malcolm also loved jazz."

Thompson's  magnetic personality generates joy and happiness, which becomes so contagious that it draws the listener into her sphere.  And when she is singing, her proud ancestral jazz culture emerges, expressing her self-love of Harlem and Black folks."         Amsterdam News, NY

 * (22 West a Harlem landmark has closed it's doors as of 2003)

     

Rochelle is a Jazz singer and story teller combined into one. 
When she's singing her jazz stories, the spirit of the jazz ancestors seem to rise up and take residence within her.

 
During any of her performances Rochelle delivers uniquely felt, yet true to era style renditions of a number of legendary jazz artists such as Ella Fitzgerald (with unique scatting) or,  Dinah Washington's, "This Bitter Earth," with mellow deep feelings and rumbling tones that seems to vibrate from within the listener.
   

A story teller at heart, Rochelle performs with exquisiteness expressions from the American Song Book.  Obviously, one can see and hear that she really knows the language of song.

Whether it's Rochelle's arrangement of the standard "That's All," or an elegant sculpture of Billie Holiday's  "God Bless the Child," it is as if the spirits of these legendary ancestors are actually right there inside of her.

  

Generations - Christmas in Shanghai

 

"God has blessed our people with such a gift that we must recognize and express our African folklore."

"People like Zora Neale Hurston, Josephine Baker,  and Al Jarreau are my spiritual teachers - they led me to my very own musical  signature."

Design & maintenance by  CeeLee Productions

Site contents copyright © by Rochelle Thompson