Fluent in Jazz

Born and raised in St. Albans, Camille Thurman’s roots are entrenched in jazz, with legendary musicians John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerlad and Count Basie among the neighborhood’s former residents who paved the way for the 24-year-old entertainer.
Thurman, who is a saxophonist, flutist and vocalist, was introduced to jazz by her mother as an infant.
“I grew up listening to jazz,” said Thurman. “My mother is a pianist, vocalist and music teacher at P.S. 147. When she was doing her master’s thesis on literacy, she did a section on the language of music, so she was always playing records. She showed it to me in a way that was more than just music. It was about communicating with people. That was one of the greatest things she did for me as a kid.”
Thurman began her musical life at the age of five by studying the violin. It was in her early years that she would learn the Suzuki Method, a technique that allows musicians to recognize notes and pitch by ear and play them without reading music. The Suzuki Method would prove to be a vital asset for the multidimensional musician later in life, when she would expand her horizons to other instruments.
In junior high school, Thurman began learning the flute and sax. She quickly joined her school’s jazz band, thus beginning her love affair with the improvisational art form. She auditioned and was accepted to LaGuardia High School for both sax and flute.
For Thurman, no one particular instrument is more important than the other, and all play a required role in completing a well-rounded sound.
“Artists have different paint brushes, and no one brush is their favorite,” said Thurman. “Each brush contributes to making a beautiful work of art, just like each instrument does with music. My voice can only go but so low or so high, but my instruments allow me to tap into different parts of my musical range. These instruments are tools to express myself.”
As a young teen, she received a scholarship to Queens College Center for Preparatory Studies in Music, a summer camp where Thurman says she fully realized her passion for music.
“I love music because it is such a beautiful language,” Thurman said. “It doesn’t judge you on anything. You can come from anywhere in the world and from any situation and understand music. It is the only language in the world that is transcendent. You don’t need to know a person to communicate with them. You don’t have to come from the same walk of life or be the same type of person. Music is a universal language. That’s why I fell in love with it.”
Thurman is currently recording her first album with her band, the Camille Thurman 4TeT. The record, titled Origins, is expected to be released early next year. The musical foursome, which features bass, piano and drums along with Thurman’s vocals and sax, plays a wide variety of genres, including jazz, funk and Brazilian. Thurman is also collaborating on the albums of several other artists.
The Camille Thurman 4TeT recently showcased their talents at the 2011 Jamaica Arts Music Summer (JAMS) Festival, held on August 6. They played a 45 minute set, performing four songs.
“The festival was very rewarding,” said Thurman. “It felt amazing that people had a good time, because that’s the most important thing as a musician. Not one person should leave a concert with a frown on their face. It was also reciprocal, because the people were having a good time which made us have a better time, and then we gave it back to them again. It was a beautiful cycle.”
The opportunity to perform at an event she fondly remembers attending as a child, while also entertaining members of the Queens community, was an experience Thurman will never forget.
“I remember my parents taking me to the JAMS Festival each summer,” she said. “It was pretty cool that I used to watch people there on stage and then I was up there performing. It was also great to give back to Queens, because Queens has such a rich music history. It was nice to be from the borough, play wonderful jazz music and see all those beautiful faces out there from across Queens.”
For more information on Camille Thurman, or to listen to clips and watch videos of her performances, visit www.camillethurmanmusic.com.