Missoula based jazz singer and song interpreter Patti Nolan joins host John Floridis for her first visit to Musician's Spotlight.
Born in Seattle, raised in Montana Patti embarked on a life journey that took her to the Bay area, Sicily and then the jazz mecca of New York City before returning to Montana several years ago.
Along the way, she started her musical career singing folk songs before being drawn in to the jazz world by flutist Herbert Laws. Nolan excels at song interpretation in a way that gives a deep strength to the standards, a sense of intention and maturity that comes from her life experience.
Her peers have likened her preparation for her concerts to that of an actor, digging well beyond the simple notes and words on the page to get at the songs inner emotional core.
Patti's Montana roots go deep, with a family members going back to the Buffalo Soldiers of the American 19th century.
Nolan shares openly about her experiences as an African American woman growing up in Montana and how her life experiences shaped her as a musician.
