'There will never be another Nancy King': Community mourns beloved jazz singer
Those that knew King described her as a "treasure" and a talented vocalist.
She was not on the list.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Nancy King, a beloved and talented jazz vocalist known across Oregon, has died at age 85.
Her passing was met with an outpouring of love and admiration from musicians and colleagues who worked closely with her over the decades.
Ron Steen, who first met King in the late 1960s, described her as a treasure.
“She's a one and only. There will never be another Nancy King in any way," said Steen.
King was praised for her improvisational skills and talent.
“She's just an incredible improviser who can sing circles around any song," said Portland State University jazz voice professor Sherry Alves.
Alves said arrangements of King's songs have been done at PSU with vocal groups, and King even performed with her students in the past. Alves is working on a dissertation about King as well.
“She was just outstanding, her sense of... her improvisational skills and playing in the musical moment," said Steen, who said King was one of the best jazz singers he ever had the privilege of playing with and hearing.
“Whether you like jazz or not, it would be impossible not to be positively affected by her artistry," he said.
Her death has left a void in the local jazz community.
“You can't help but feel your heart just sink because she's such a big, wonderful person, and I'm going to miss her,” Alves said.
A multi-Grammy-nominated performer, King was widely respected and admired.
“She has a lot of people out there who love her so much," said Alves.
KBOO radio station also played King's records while Steen and others talked about past memories with her, which is how Steen spent his Wednesday afternoon.
Steen last saw her a couple of weeks ago in the hospital, and said even then, joy was still in the room.
“Totally at peace. She was even singing. She was just... she was just Nancy," Steen told KGW.
King was 85 years old.
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