Sonny Thornton: drums
Mike Holstein: guitar
Sharon LaMotte: vocals
Sharon LaMotte’s love affair with music and art has shaped her life from the beginning.
Though her immersion in jazz came later, it quickly became a calling. She studied with acclaimed jazz vocal masters Sheila Jordan and Jay Clayton in New York City, deepening an approach to singing that is rooted in honesty, storytelling, and emotional truth. Known for her uncanny gift
for choosing material that fits her voice and spirit, Sharon’s repertoire moves fluidly between lesser-known modern compositions and standards reaching back to the 1920s. Her delivery is personal, intimate, and direct. With a pure, unembellished style, she relies on tone, phrasing, and emotional clarity to reveal the heart of a song.
A defining part of Sharon’s artistry is her love of unique arrangements and the conversational interplay she creates with musicians. Whether sweet and sentimental, adventurous and edgy, or dark and moody, her performances are marked by sincere, sexy honesty — and always swing.
Beyond her work as a vocalist, Sharon has been a vital force in the jazz community as a presenter, producer, educator, and advocate for creative music. As a founding member and former president of the Jazz Composers Forum, she helped create and sustain a listening-room culture for original instrumental jazz, presenting hundreds of concerts featuring local, regional, national, and international artists. Her work has supported musicians, students, audiences, and the broader jazz ecosystem for decades.
Sharon continues to perform, and bring people together through her deep love of jazz and her belief in jazz music as a living art to be experienced.