Jacy Parker is a pert pianist from Chicago who, although in her mid-20s, demonstrates ability and jazz sense well beyond her years. But that is because her range of experience is wide and her term of apprenticeship has been long and rewarding.

Jacy (that’s short for Jaqueline Corinne) first studied piano with Marjorie Hyams, who played vibes with Woody Herman’s First Herd and was succeeded by Red Norvo in that wailing band, and who later played vibes with George Shearing’s Quintet. These early studies included technique and theory. Later Jacy attended the American Conservatory in Chicago, where she studied harmony and theory.

“I started playing piano when I was five,” she grinned. “But I started working as a pianist when I was 17. I had a trio in Chicago, and I began to listen to George Shearing’s music. At the start, I was playing his things and playing like him.”

In 1954, she came to New York to study at Juilliard. “I got into town too late for the semester, so I got my 802 card.”

In the New York area, she played at clubs in New Jersey where personal manager Lee Magid heard her. Magid took her under his managerial wing, and she was soon booked into such New York City clubs as The Left Bank, The Embers, Le Bistro, the Crystal Room, Jilly’s, and in Chicago’s Black Orchid.

“I started singing after I came to New York,” Jacy notes. “It was really out of necessity. I felt I wasn’t a singer. But it’s easier to get bookings for a singer.” Jacy plays very un-ladylike piano. “I dig Oscar Peterson and Billy Taylor and Horace Silver,” she grinned. “I like to play hard.” Jacy’s trio plays mostly jazz originals, and relies on her singing to spice the offering with some commercial qualities [...]

His first album is representative of where Jacy stands right now. Where she goes from here depends on many factors, not the least of which is where jazz goes from here. But the performances in this album show off a talent that is definitely on its way. “Music is something else,” she says seriously.

“I love it. I’ve played it nearly all my life. How do you make music a career? Music decides that for you. After a while you find you can’t get along without it. It’s more than a career. It’s a whole life.” And that is one of the reasons the spotlight is on Jacy Parker. The others are on the record.

Taken from the liner notes of her only recorded album "Spotlight on Jacy Parker" (Verve V6-8424)