Pamela Knowles

Born in the greater New York region, Pamela Knowles works as both a singer and actress, delivering jazz-pop through an expressive yet understated vocal style. Even when swinging she avoids belting, favoring control and nuance over force. After earning a B.A. in theater she appeared on New York stages for several years, then relocated to London to study at the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art. From there she moved to Australia and cut her debut album, Love Dance, for the Larrikin label in 1994. Still based in Australia, she next recorded Boite de Jazz, which received only private circulation. Her return to the New York area in 2000 led to the third album, Thirteen Kinds of Desire, in which she sets poems by Yusef Komunyakaa.