Photo Flash: Jazz Legend, Lillette Jenkins-Wisner Honored in Rehoboth Beach with Concert
Jenkins-Wisner's recordings included “Meditation,” “Lillette Jenkins Live at Chez Josephine's,” “Lillette Plays Music of Lil Armstrong"
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Sep. 24, 2020
Jazz Legend, Lillette Jenkins-Wisner, dubbed Queen of the Keys by Duke Ellington, was honored on Sunday, September 20, 2020 with a concert hosted by her family and friends and held at the Fairfield Inn in Rehoboth Beach. Her granddaughter, Tanya "Toni" Stargell, created a CD with three songs to commemorate her grandmother and benefit the Walk to End Alzheimer's. The CD includes the last recording they made together three and a half years ago of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. It also includes two songs from one of Jenkins-Wisner's previous albums: Flight of the Bumblebee and My Prayer, which was written and arranged by Jenkins-Wisner. CD's are still for sale for $10 with $5 of every sale befitting the Walk to End Alzheimer's. Email Lilsfoundation2@aol.com to purchase a CD.
Lillette Jenkins-Wisner was born on February 6, 1924 and passed away on August 25, 2020. Jenkins-Wisner, an internationally renowned concert pianist and vocalist, began to play piano at the age of four. While she was initially trained at a classical musician, she developed an affinity for gospel and jazz while a student at the Manhattan School of Music. Her career took her around the world performing with the Special Services Unit of the United States Army during WWII, at Carnegie Hall in concert for the United Negro College Fund Choir, in the Lorraine Hansberry Concert Series, at European Jazz Festivals and for touring engagements with the Around the World Concert Cruise Series and Floating Jazz Festival. She was the Music Director for the Off-Broadway musical hit, "One Mo' Time" and Music Director and performer in the production "The Life Story of Thomas A. Dorsey," the father of Black Gospel music. Other shows included, "The Sarah Vaughn Jazz Festival," "Sparrow in Flight" and the Crossroads Theatre production of "Eubie." In addition, she was in several movies including "The Cotton Club" and appeared regularly as a jazz pianist on the ABC television soap series, "All My Children".
She had several recordings including but not limited to, "Meditation," "Lillette Jenkins Live at Chez Josephine's," "Lillette Plays Music of Lil Armstrong," and most recently "Lillette ‐ In Peace
and Love." Lillette served as Director and organist of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church Gospel Choir in Newark, New Jersey for 25 years.
Jason Hastings, Shante' Hastings, Michele Harris-Carter, Tanya a?oeTonia?? Stargell and Taya Durham
Great Grand Children: Maya, Aurora, Triniti, Lillette
Tanya a?oeTonia?? Stargell, Michele Harris-Carter
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