Sidney Jacobs via Boston Court Pasadena Facebook page
The night that changed jazz vocalist Sidney Jacobs happened when he was 11 years old. He would leave his favorite jazz station playing low when he went to sleep at night, and he awoke one night at 1 a.m. to be mesmerized by the vocals of Al Jarreau.
He knew immediately he would become a singer himself, and soon had a breakthrough when he sang a gospel solo in his church and received a standing ovation at a time when such applause was still rare.
Jacobs will hear plenty of cheers Saturday night at the Boston Court Theatre when he performs a concert that combines his love of pop classics with his own original songs and a good dose of scat singing at 8 p.m. The performance is part of a tour that supports his latest album “If I Were Your Woman,” in which he pays homage to the songs of legendary female singers including Gladys Knight, Barbra Streisand and Aretha Franklin.
“I did my own take on ‘I Feel Pretty’ from ‘West Side Story’ a couple of years ago and everyone loved it, so my wife suggested to me that I should do an album of songs associated with female writers and do them my way,” explains Jacobs. “And that’s why I named the album that – to get the point across.”
Born in Harbor City and raised in Los Angeles, Jacobs’ musical tastes were heavily influenced by those of his teenage brother and sister. His father had also once been a disc jockey on a gospel radio station, so music surrounded him.
At 18, Jacobs became a principal singer with the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers. He traveled throughout the United States, Europe and Central America singing the music of Duke Ellington, Thomas Dorsey and William Dawson. While Jacobs enjoyed singing professionally, as the son of a school principal, failing to attend college was not an option, leading him to California Lutheran University.
A surprise encounter with his hero Al Jarreau when he was performing a club show at age 19 didn’t just thrill him. Jarreau also gave him advice that focused his career.
“I was performing Al’s songs exactly like he did, when Al walked in,” he recalls. “Al called me over to his table and asked me, ‘Who are you, man? And what are you doing?’ He brought his producers back to see me, but ‘There’s already an Al Jarreau in this world and you’ve got to find out who you are.
“It was an existential challenge for me, and one of the fundamental challenges and hurdles that many artists have to confront. But I had such a range of singing experience, singing opera, classical and gospel at a pretty high level. And that’s what got me into writing.”
While tonight’s show marks his Boston Court debut, Jacobs notes that he’s long dreamed of performing there.
”I know about its reputation, and I have several colleagues who have performed there,” says Jacobs. “I have passed the club for years because prior to living in LA, I lived in Altadena and was aware of it and having the opportunity to play there has been a goal of mine.
“The facilities are first class and you as an artist want to be associated with first class venues. I’m just so pleased that they put me on their summer bill.”
Sidney Jacobs performs tonight, May 13, at 8 p.m. at Boston Court, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena. Tickets are $27-37. Call (626)683-6801 or visit www.bostoncourtpasadena.org.
