Kim Nalley is an acclaimed American jazz and blues vocalist and scholar based in the Bay Area. Born in San Francisco and raised in New England, she developed a 3½‑octave range and began singing professionally at 14.
Her breakthrough came when San Francisco Symphony’s Michael Tilson Thomas heard her unamplified voice and invited her to perform Gershwin. She owns Jazz at Pearl’s (2003–08), performed worldwide at festivals like Monterey, Umbria, and Lincoln Center, and earned titles like “Most Influential African American in the Bay Area” (2005) and “Best Jazz Group” (2013). Kim holds a 2021 Ph.D. in history from UC Berkeley, merging her musical career with scholarship—her dissertation, “GI Jazz,” explores post‑WWII Black musicians in Germany—and continues to teach and perform, blending artistry with academia
Event Timeslots (1)
California Stage – Sat.
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