“Melinda Whitaker is exquisite...a delight for anyone who likes vocal jazz. Her song is her life, and Melinda sings life like no other.” Dr. Peter Gouzouasis Music Director, JAZZ90/WRTI, Philadelphia (1983-1988) “I sing because I breathe,” laughs Melinda Whitaker. That ethos sums up her life-long love of jazz and her spirit’s call to the songs of life. As a member of the Vancouver jazz scene, Melinda has truly done it all. From her early days broadcasting for Jazz Radio Canada from the Red Barrel Lounge at the Hotel Vancouver, to CBC radio and television performances alongside Canadian music icons, to gigs at The Cellar and the Vancouver International Jazz Festival—Melinda has lived her life in song. Melinda’s professional career began early in Edmonton where she sang her own compositions with Tommy Banks on CBC television. When she returned to Vancouver, Melinda poured all of her creative energies into music, singing in jazz lounges six nights a week and making a second home for herself in local studios recording vocals for radio, television and film. There are few master musicians on the Canadian jazz scene with whom Melinda hasn’t worked. Fraser MacPherson, Oliver Gannon, Doug Riley, Ted Quinlan and Dave Robbins are just a few of the people Melinda collaborated with in the past. In 2001 Melinda opened for the Ray Brown Trio at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. In 2003-04, Melinda returned to the recording studio and produced TheTouch of Your Lips. This CD features a collection of joyfully swinging standards as well as rich, textured ballads sung in both English and Spanish. She is brilliantly supported on the disc by renowned Canadian jazz musicians Miles Black (piano), Tommy Doran (drums) and Rick Kilburn (bass). Currently, Melinda is singing at venues throughout Vancouver, including The Cellar and the Hyatt Regency Hotel. You can hear cuts from her CD on CBC Radio. CONTACT INFORMATION Melinda Whitaker info@melindawhitaker.ca For more information, visit www.melindawhitaker.ca