Canada has produced yet another standout jazz singer in the person of vocalist Vincent Wolfe. Early on, he absorbed jazz through his father’s role at Mercury Records, his mother’s work as a singer throughout the 1950s, and a guitarist uncle who spent a short time accompanying Nat King Cole and Billie Holiday on their Canadian dates. The Mercury connection gave Wolfe ready exposure to the label’s catalog, where Dinah Washington, Mel Tormé, Sarah Vaughan, and Billy Eckstine left lasting marks on his phrasing. He also lists Frank Sinatra, Joe Williams, and Sam Cooke among his formative influences.
Rather than enrolling in formal conservatory study, Wolfe took private lessons with Alan Paul of the Manhattan Transfer. His professional path opened in 1987 when he joined the Toronto vocal group Fifth Avenue; although the ensemble recorded for CBS, the album never appeared. The late Phyllis Hyman supplied the decisive lift, presenting him to leading jazz figures while coaching both his vocal craft and his understanding of the business. Wolfe’s debut album, Trust the Vibe, released on Counterpoint, is dedicated to her memory.
He has since worked clubs and toured the United States with Jean Carne, Angela Bofill, Norman Connors, and Miki Howard, performing at Blues Alley in Washington DC, Sculler’s in Boston, The Trafalmadore in Buffalo, New York, Chene Park Amphitheatre in Detroit, Michigan, and the Concert Hall in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1997 he shared the stage with Marlena Shaw at the Ottawa Jazz Festival. With a soft yet incisive delivery, an easy swing, and a gift for cradling ballads, Wolfe holds the vocal resources to rise among male jazz singers at a time when that roster has grown thin and stands in need of strong new voices.
