YVETTE NORWOOD-TIGER 

Award-winning jazz vocalist, recording and international touring artist, songwriter, The Recording Academy voting member, and founder/director of the Palm Beach International Jazz Festival (www.pbijf.org), Yvette Norwood-Tiger, is a Detroit, Michigan native who hails from a family of musicians. Yvette performs with vocally clean and pure interpretations, while emphasizing intonation and storytelling.  Her vocal styling and texture are often compared to that of Ella Fitzgerald.  In addition to jazz standards, her repertoire includes the Great American Songbook, bebop, and Latin jazz.  She also performs jazz songs in multiple languages.

In addition to her jazz compositions, her recordings feature music from great composers such as Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, the Gershwins, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, and others. Yvette’s CD, LOVE IS, stayed on JAZZWEEK'S charts for over sixteen weeks.  Yvette's newest CD, AUTUMN SUN, is a grand tribute to the forefathers of bebop, including Wayne Shorter, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and others.

Yvette resides in south Florida where she performs extensively, including performances at the Raymond F. Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, the Arts Garage in Delray Beach, and the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County. Yvette performs in Europe, South Africa, South America, the UK, the Caribbean, as well as various venues in the US including Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Michigan.  Yvette has performed internationally at historic jazz venues and has sat in several times with jazz orchestra The Cotton Club All Stars at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem, NY.  She has also sat in with the late saxophonist David Fathead Newman, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, family members of Celine Dion, Tito Puente, Jr., and Jay Beckenstein and Tom Schuman of Spyro Gyra. 

Yvette is a recipient of the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County 2022 Artist Innovation Fellowship Program Awards. Yvette was also nominated for the South Florida Indie Awards 2022 - Best Jazz Vocalist. In 2021, Yvette was interviewed and featured in the PBS South Florida "On the Town - Black Voices" segment.  She was also featured in a short film titled "Art Meets Jazz on J Street". A film produced and directed by south Florida film maker, James Venable.  Art Meets Jazz on J Street is the winner of the 2018 Wavelengths Awards.  

Yvette is a true vocal natural in any setting from jazz festivals to intimate jazz clubs. She captivates the audience whether she’s singing with an ensemble featuring piano, bass, drums, trumpet, and saxophone; with a piano or guitar accompanist; or with a full orchestra.  Yvette's mission in music is to uplift, inspire, and entertain her audience through song, lyrics, and storytelling.

By Philip Dorian - Special to The Palm Beach Post

To paraphrase the question about directions to New York City landmarks: “How do you get to Bird land? Practice, man, practice.”  Of course it takes practice, but it also takes talent, determination and faith, all of which Palm Beach County songbird Yvette Norwood-Tiger possesses in abundance.

AWARDS:

2024 Black Achievers Award Nominee

Recipient - Cultural Council for Palm Beach County 2022 Artist Innovation Fellowship Program Award

2022 Best Jazz Vocalist South Florida Indie Awards Nominee

AFFILIATIONS:

Palm Beach International Jazz Festival Organization - Founder/Director

The Recording Academy (GRAMMY) - Voting Member

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) - Member

Cultural Council for Palm Beach County - Performing Member/Artistic Partner for Jazz Events

Women in Jazz South Florida - Member/Past President

PAST CONCERT PERFORMANCES (Partial list - In alphabetical order) -

Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens - Jazz in the Gardens Series, West Palm Beach, FL

Arts Garage – Delray Beach, Florida  

Bar G.Verde -Salerno, Italy 

B-Flat Acoustic Music + Jazz Club -Berlin, Germany 

Birdland Jazz Club -New York, New York 

Brownstone Jazz at Brooklyn Botanic Garden- Brooklyn, NY 

CafeStreet-45 -Torre del Greco, Italy

Cliff Bell’s Jazz Club - Detroit, Michigan 

Elegance Café Jazz Club – Rome, Italy 

Glazer Hall - Palm Beach, Florida

Lyric Theater - Miami, Florida

Martin County Art Festival - Martin County, Florida

Miami International Jazz Festival -Miami, Florida 

Muizenberg Jazz Festival - Muizenberg, South Africa 

Music Hall (Aretha Franklin’s) Jazz Café - Detroit, Michigan 

Norton Museum of Art - West Palm Beach, Florida

Olympia Theater - Miami, Florida 

Palais Des Beaux-Arts (BOZAR) - Brussels, Belgium 

Palazzo de Pesce - Moli di Bari, Italy

Palm Beach County Library - West Palm Beach, Florida

Palm Beach International Jazz Festival -West Palm Beach, Florida

Pecoranera Jazz Club - Naples, Italy 

Raymond F. Kravis Center - West Palm Beach, Florida

Royal Albert Hall -London, England UK 

Skylab, Colliano - Italy 

The Historic Hampton House- Miami, Florida 

The Jazzy Rainbow -Durban, South Africa 

Turino Jazz Festival -Turin, Italy

Private/Corporate Events

Various venues worldwide 2004 - present

The first time I heard Yvette sing, was when she was with a jazz band called The Jazz Cats.  In the past, this band played at Wellington’s Village Music and Café every second Thursday of the month.  I can recall not just falling in love with her smooth yet robust voice when she sang the Classic “At last” by Etta James but also captivated by her peaceful and graceful smile-a smile that she displayed so graciously with band members and her audience.  Yvette’s smile is reminiscent of a warm embrace and a bond or seal with which she connects with the public, both domestically and abroad.   Looking back, I realize, that I had longed to interview her one day.  At last, that “one day” has come to fruition…" ( https://aroundwellington.com/all-that-jazz-an-interview-with-jazz-vocalist-yvette-norwood-tiger/) - Denise Marsh -AroundWellington.com.

“Tiger’s moving rendition of Irving Berlin’s timeless tune “Blues Skies” on Love Is demonstrates her ability to connect to the story being told.Love-Is- CD Her expressive voice gives the song relevance in a modern age. She observes, “Of course, we all experience many ups and downs in our life and ‘Blue Skies,’ to me, celebrates those up times in life when it seems as though everything is going my way. I wrote the lyrics for the intro, which is the melody of one of my favorite jazz concert orchestrations – ‘Rhapsody In Blue’ by George Gershwin.”” - Susan Frances - Modern Jazz

“The romance that jazz brings, Yvette Norwood-Tiger, celebrating the music of Ella Fitzgerald. engaging, consummate professional and oh ... her side-men, of the best that brought us under the influence. Blake Hellaby on grand piano, Lumanyano Unity Mzion drums, Sean Sanby on upright bass and Marco Maritz on trumpet. The ensemble entranced, romanced and finally mesmerized us ... bewitched, bothered, then bewildered us. I had arrived in 5th heaven, resting place of jazz romantics.” - Joey Fourie