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Kemba Cofield

She's fabulous, flavorful, and flaunts her stuff with grace.

About Me

Growing up in Frankfort, KY, Kemba always sang in talent shows, beauty pageants, musicals and church. After seeing Sarah Vaughan perform at age 12, she knew that she wanted to sing jazz, but it wasn’t until she moved to Atlanta, Georgia that her opportunity to learn the technical aspects of jazz came. Former Freddy Cole drummer, Bernard Linnette, heard Kemba sing during a Tuesday night jam session and was impressed by her voice. Kemba soon began gigging with his sextet and Linnette became her mentor. She taught chorus and piano lessons to students during the day, absorbed jazz during the night and completed her Masters in Music on summer breaks. In 2003 Kemba met trombonist, Wycliffe Gordon who invited her to sing with his ensemble as well as to appear on his album, In The Cross. Her relationships with Linnette and Gordon have exposed her to new audiences and have provided her with an entrée into the broader jazz scene.