OP_122718

opprairie.com life & Arts
the orland park prairie | December 27, 2018 | 13
Ava Logan shares classic jazz vocal talent with area
Orland Park resident
a veterinarian by day,
professional musician
by night
Meredith Dobes, Freelance Reporter
Ava Logan’s resume is as unique
and powerful as her voice.
The Orland Park resident began
singing almost as soon as she could
talk, and progressed in her dedication
to and mastery of her craft
through the years.
Along the way, she attended
Yale University and the University
of Pennsylvania to become a
veterinarian, performed in other
countries, portrayed her jazz idols
in Chicago musicals and created
her first album, “So Many Stars.”
Last year, Logan performed at
her 40th high school reunion at National
Cathedral School in Washington,
D.C., which she said was a
highlight for her.
The singer grew up in Washington,
D.C., and has lived in the Chicago
area for the past 25 years.
She said she always had a passion
for music, and she pursued
this interest by taking voice lessons
in grades 6-8, acting in high school,
continuing voice lessons in college
and participating in the Proof of the
Pudding a cappella group at Yale.
She also was a founding member
of the Whim ’n Rhythm a cappella
group at Yale.
After graduation, Logan was not
involved in music for roughly 13
years until she moved to the Chicago
area.
“My late father was sick, and I
was singing to the radio once after
taking him to the hospital for
chemotherapy,” Logan said. “I
was singing, and he remarked, ‘I
forgot you sing. You have a beautiful
voice. You should be singing
in church.’ And so I began taking
voice lessons after that.”
Soon after moving to the Chicago
area, Logan was hired to perform
with a wedding band. She did
this on the weekends for roughly
seven years while working for biomedical
research company G.D.
Searle LLC in Skokie during the
week. She worked there for roughly
10 years, until Pfizer bought the
company and moved jobs out of
the Chicago area.
She said she was happy about the
buyout. She took her severance pay
and began singing on her own.
“I would go to jam sessions,
meeting musicians, and they began
referring me for different jobs,”
she said. “That’s how it’s been
since about 2002 or 2003.”
As Logan began performing
more and to larger audiences, a
colleague referred her to a big band
gig in California. She performed at
Mendocino Music Festival in California
and has been performing
with big bands ever since.
She has traveled to Russia, New
York and Florida, and performs locally
multiple times a month in the
Chicago area.
“The world is wide open,” she
said. “I’m always looking forward
to the next opportunity.”
Musical style
Logan said she is inspired by
jazz singers Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah
Vaughan, Dakota Staton, Nancy
Wilson, Kellye Gray, Nat King
Cole and Frank Sinatra.
“I grew up listening to the music
my parents were playing, and
so I’m sure this seeped in there,”
she said. “When I went to college,
this is the kind of music the a cappella
women’s groups were singing.”
Logan portrayed Fitzgerald in
a Chicago Black Ensemble Theater
production of “Ella Fitzgerald
- First Lady of Song” roughly 15
years ago and also portrayed Wilson
in the theater group’s production
of “Dynamite Divas.”
“It was just too cool,” Logan
said. “This is really what I wanted
to do when I went away to college.
My parents, of course, didn’t think
I’d be able to support myself doing
this. They wanted me to be able to
put a roof over my head and food
in my mouth, but it’s been a dream
to do this.
“I can’t even believe I’m doing
Ava Logan performs earlier this year during a Village of Orland Park concert at Crescent Park.
Laurie Fanelli/22nd Century Media
this at the level I’m doing it at this
point in my life.”
Logan studied with Norman
Simmons, a pianist for jazz greats
who shared with Logan techniques
her idols used and how to tell a
story through performance.
“All the greats were storytellers,”
Logan said. “They didn’t just
stand there and sing; they were telling
a story. There’s a lot going on
when you’re performing and trying
to get a story out — things you’re
doing with your voice, technique,
feeling. It takes a lot of years to
relax and be able to tell the story.”
In 2008, Logan released her
first album, “So Many Stars.” Jazz
guitarist Henry Johnson, who has
worked with Joe Williams and
Ramsey Lewis, produced the album.
Logan said it took roughly six
months to create the album, and
Johnson recruited professional musicians
he worked with to play for
the project.
“It was really an amazing experience,”
she said. “I always wanted
to make a record that would be
played on the radio. It was definitely
a labor of love.
“That was my rookie CD, and
now that I’m more seasoned I
would love to make another one. I
haven’t conceptually come to grips
on how, but I’ve got my sights set
on it.”
Logan said she would also like
to perform more on a national level
going forward by seeking out larger
gigs.
“I’ve had the good fortune that
I’ve been called and available for
gigs,” she said. “Now, I need to
take stock in if I want to perform
on a more national level, I need to
make it happen. I’m not sure what
that looks like quite yet, but I think
I know at least some of what I need
to do. I’m living proof that you
never know.”
To musicians starting out, Logan
said she encourages them to keep
doing what they are doing, because
you never know where your gift is
going to take you.
Local performances
Currently, Logan provides consulting
services and part-time veterinary
relief work at clinics during
the week and remains flexible
to perform during evenings and
weekends. She typically performs
five or six shows a month.
For many years, Logan performed
regularly at 94 West Grille
& Tavern in Orland Park. After taking
a break for a couple of years,
she returned to the spot for shows
in October and November, and she
said she hopes to continue to perform
there in 2019.
“It’s really a great hang,” she
said. “It brings people together,
and I get a lot of support performing
there.”
Logan performs once a month
with Steve Koerner’s Eddie Stevens
3 Band in Naperville. She
performs quarterly for the WDCB
Vocal Jazz Spotlight at venues
around the area.
Last summer, Logan performed
at the Orland Park Public Library,
and she said she plans to perform
there again next summer.
Logan keeps her website up-todate
with upcoming performances,
and she said all are welcome to
attend a performance. For more
information, visit www.avalogan.
com.
“I feel really blessed to be able
to do this on a professional level at
this point in my life,” Logan said.
“You never know where things are
going to take you.”