Best Jazz Residency in Nashville 2026: Monica Ramey at Nashville Jazz Workshop
Vocalist Monica Ramey sings standards from the Great American Songbook with immediacy, intensity and a luminous tone. No wonder the first concert of her yearlong residency at the Nashville Jazz Workshop sold out weeks in advance. Ramey is best known for her two-decade-long collaboration with late, great jazz pianist Beegie Adair. Together they recorded albums, became fixtures at the Birdland Jazz Club in New York City, and developed an interpretive approach that was remarkable for its effortless sophistication. Ramey’s musical repertoire is vast. At NJW, she’s been sampling many of the classic tunes of Porter, Gershwin and Arlen. But she’s also exploring the songbook’s terra incognita, introducing a new generation of jazz listeners to the half-forgotten melodies of singers like Blossom Dearie. For this service alone, Ramey deserves a standing ovation.
