About Deborah Winters
A Bay Area native, vocalist extraordinaire Deborah Winters is a longtime favorite among jazz-savvy San Franciscans. According to the late, internationally acclaimed Jazz historian, Dr. Herb Wong, “Deborah’s singing reflects the seductive logic and artistry of jazz. Deborah personifies her stories with inward feeling and jazz attitude.” A true believer in her immense talents, Christopher Loudon quotes in JazzTimes magazine, “Ms. Winters is about as polished as jazz vocalists come with a refreshingly free interpretation that is superbly polished and elegant.”
Deborah began her career as a singer/songwriter/guitarist performing a stunning array of original songs that led to her first release, Live in Session. Deborah’s deep connection to the inner self is elegantly manifested through her follow-up CD, Inspired, where she collaborated with the multiple Emmy Award-inning producer/arranger/composer, Gary Malkin. She continued her evolution as a vocalist influenced by her childhood memories of her father’s love of big band jazz, and began to expand her vocal artistry within the jazz genre, developing her sophistication of phrasing and interpretations of melodies.
On her last release, Lovers After All, Deborah joined forces with the late trumpeter/arranger/producer Peter Welker, who brought together a stellar cast of noteworthy jazz musicians from San Francisco, Boston, New York and Los Angeles. This lofty big-band excursion showcases Deborah’s extraordinary versatility and her trademark feeling of intimacy. Working extensively in a big-band environment opened new pathways in her vocal expression which paved the way to other successful collaborations with highly acclaimed producers and arrangers, including Grammy-winning pianist/composer Laurence Hobgood from New York City and most recently with the internationally-acclaimed drummer Harold Jones (Tony Bennett, Count Basie Orchestra).
Locally, Deborah is honored to be a returning cast member of the Cole Porter Society, founded by the great Noah Griffin, with the mission to ensure future generations appreciation of the music of Cole Porter and The Great American Songbook. Deborah was acknowledged in the Pacific Sun’s annual Best of Marin awards, where she was voted as one of the top three in the Best Vocal Coach category. Her jam-packed teaching schedule also attests to the profound impact she has on developing up-and-coming vocalists in a broad array of musical styles.