By Sam Speedie

Special to the Gazette

Jessica Tardy's performance at last spring's Ella Fitzgerald Tribute in Chicago produced "a sound so lush, phrasing so distinctive, and a technique so assured that her appearance amounted to something of a discovery," raved the Chicago Tribune's arts critic.

As a junior folklore and mythology concentrator in Pforzheimer House, Tardy has musical talents -- reflected first in her a cappella work as a member of the Harvard-Radcliffe Callbacks, then as lead vocalist for the Harvard Jazz Band, and more recently as an independent soloist -- that have already won her a lofty reputation within Harvard's artistic community.

Tardy's musical development began with five years of piano training, followed by saxophone lessons that began in the third grade. A native of Palmyra, Maine, she enrolled at Nikomis Regional High School, considered to have the strongest musical program in the state. As a sax player in the school's jazz band, Tardy twice performed at the famous Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. She also participated in the Maine Jazz Camp, a series of intensive workshops with respected jazz musicians.

Tardy credits the women in her family for her musical roots. "My mother is a gifted piano player and singer, my grandmother is an amazing piano player, and my great-grandmother played piano for silent movies, back when they had live music as soundtrack."

Although she never received formal training as a vocalist, Tardy's first big break as a singer came after her sophomore year of high school, when she attended a program founded by trumpet player Clark Terry. Through a fortuitous chain of circumstances, Tardy found herself singing before an audience that included Terry and several other jazz luminaries.

She recounts what happened after her performance: "I was in the cafeteria, and all of a sudden I see Clark Terry coming toward me with his tray. He sits down beside me, and says, 'So. I hear you can scat.' And all I could think to say was: 'I do my best.' " That night, Tardy found herself on stage, singing Ellington tunes while being accompanied by a host of jazz legends.

At Harvard, Tardy applauds Band Director Tom Everett for encouraging her to new heights as a vocalist.

"He'll hand me an arrangement of a Mingus tune, and while my first response might be, 'There's no way I can sing this,' he'll say 'Too bad -- you're performing this for the December concert.' I'm not given the chance to fall back on more familiar and less challenging material.

"But singing a Mingus tune with just a bass to back me up is a challenge for my ears and technique," she continues. "I really credit my duo work with John Capello [a member of the Class of '96, now the resident music tutor in Cabot House] with inspiring me to experiment at that level."

Tardy performs whenever she can, doing gigs with a variety of musicians that include Capello and pianist Bruce McKinnon '96-97. During her freshman year, Tardy also jammed occasionally with her brother, Jared Tardy '96, at trombone.

Jessica Tardy has worked with a number of visiting artists at Harvard, highlighted by her ARTS FIRST performance last spring before an audience that included her lifelong idol and fellow redhead, Bonnie Raitt '72.

Folklore and mythology has allowed Tardy to take a liberal number of performance-related courses, of which she singles out two.

"I took a History of Jazz course during freshman year on Duke Ellington, and this semester I'm taking another one called Black Music: Race Politics and Culture, which explores issues of authenticity and how we've come to categorize various forms of African-American music. I think that a historical knowledge of music, an awareness of the artists who have come before you, is crucial to any musician."

Looking ahead, Tardy hopes to make a living as a musician. "Ideally, I would love to record and tour," she says, "but I'd be happy to write songs, sing in clubs, and also teach. As long as I'm spending my days and nights making music, I know I'll be fine."