MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Jilla Webb has had such an amazing career in music that it’s hard for her to pick a favorite memory.
Performing on stage at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium is one of them. A New Year’s Eve in Singapore is another. Performing in Quebec for three summers as part of an ensemble is definitely in there as well.
“I’ve just had these amazing opportunities,” said Webb, who adds to the list the chance to perform solo shows, especially jazz and blues, but also rock and country.
“It’s been kind of a coming of age for me,” she said. “It’s been a great experience as well. Getting to do other voices is also really fun and challenging. I’ve always been the artist to gets hired because I can do a broad selection of stylistic changes in my voice and in my attitude. That’s been useful to me as a performer throughout my life.”
That life has some changes in the works as well. She’s a college student and the graduate assistant for the Music Industry Department at Troy University. “I’ve added those two things into my already insane schedule,” said Webb. “I’m trying to get that master’s degree (in communications) finished, finally.”
She’ll be doing that for the next couple of years, along with finding times to perform locally. In the month ahead, one of the places you can catch her performing is downtown at The Exchange. She’s got a couple of 5 p.m. gigs lined up there for Dec. 13 and Dec. 21.
Singing is a skill that runs in the family. She said her mom, who sang with big band leader and trumpet player Harry James, was her first teacher.
“Harry James was kind of like Uncle Harry to me,” said Webb. “I have grown up around music, and I have been on the road with the band since I was very little. Music was just always a part of my life.”
Webb was in her first band at age 11. “We were out professionally working by the time I was 12,” Webb said. “It’s just always been a part of who I am.”
Since 1991, it’s something she’s taught to young vocalists. “Oh, my God, I’m like a proud mama,” said Webb. “I really develop a close relationship with all of my students. At my studio, I think something that they would say that’s really cool is that everybody become friends. To see them grow each time I do shows with them is fantastic.”
That desire to see her students succeed on their journeys is behind her current education goals. She’d like to teach at the university level one day. “Offering not just pop vocal technique, but also the Alexander Technique, which is something that I’m in the process of getting certified for,” said Webb.
Webb said she’s a proponent of music industry students and singers learning more about communication, “because everything that we do is fundamentally based on how we communicate. How we communicate with ourselves, how we communicate with people on stage, how we communicate with our audience, how we communicate with interviewers, with venue owners, with producers and managers. I think that’s a really important piece that people going into this industry need to learn.”
Working around the River Region as a solo act, and with others, Webb has had a chance to really get to know the music community here.
“The quality of musicians and musicianship here is amazing,” said Webb. “You can’t go to a gig without hearing and seeing someone that is just fantastic. For me as a vocalist to be able to play with so many really supremely talented players in one place like this, you kind of expect that in big cities. You expect to find this population of really amazing players. But everybody down here is amazing. So I was really thrilled to have the opportunity to perform with so many great players, like Kurt (McKinney). It makes the gigs so much fun. There’s a lot of gigs, too. If you were looking from the outside, you might think Montgomery doesn’t have much musically to offer, but that’s not true. I could play every night of the week, if I had time. If my homework would allow. There’s a lot of great gigs here. The fans here really appreciate good music. They come out and they support you. It’s been a really wonderful place for me to be.”
She’s got plans to record in Nashville in 2018, and she’s also making plans for an upcoming solo album. She’s also looking to perform at fairs and festivals. Webb is also working on a one-woman cabaret show, “My Life Through Music.”
“I’m going to include a book that I’m writing to go along with it,” said Webb. “Stories about the songs. Obviously, I’ll go back and talk about the Harry James days, and my mom. Different songs. Songs that got me a record deal. My life through songs and music sort of spanning my career. That’s in the works, so that may take a minute.”
Speaking to her fans, she said she appreciates all of them and that their smiles give her a boost. “When they come out to see me, it means so much that they enjoy what I’m doing,” said Webb. “It’s my hope that when we spend time together at the gig that fun is the focus. Life gets suspended, and we can all just hang out and have a good time.”
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Information from: Montgomery Advertiser, http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com
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