Jazz Articles about Stella Cole

The Magic of Stella Cole

by Leo Sidran
September 11, 2025

Stella Cole didn't set out to become the face of a jazz revival. Growing up in Springfield, Illinois, she fell in love with The Wizard of Oz and movie musicals. By the time she reached college at Northwestern, she nearly abandoned singing altogether--discouraged by a culture that told her the “old" songs weren't marketable. Then the pandemic hit. Locked down at home, she turned back to the comfort movies and music of her childhood, and began posting short ...