By Jim Harrington | jharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
Wesla Whitfield, one of Northern California’s most acclaimed vocalists, died on Feb. 9 at her St. Helena home, according to multiple reports.
The accomplished jazz singer and cabaret star, who also performed with the San Francisco Opera, was 70.
The cause of death “was complications from bladder cancer,” Whitfield’s husband and frequent stage partner, jazz pianist Mike Greensill, confirmed to the New York Times.
News of her passing brought great sadness to the Bay Area/North Bay music community, which Whitfield was a part of for 40-plus years.
“Shocked and saddened by the passing on of the great Wesla Whitfield,” Bay Area vocalist Jackie Ryan posted on social media. “A great singer, a classy and beautiful lady. One of a kind. May you rest in peace, dear Wesla. Condolences to wonderful, Mike Greensill. You two created something very rare and precious.”
She’ll be remembered for her warm, evocative voice and stellar interpretations on Great American Songbook standards, and for taking such songs as “I Only Have Eyes For You” and “Jeepers Creepers” in intriguing directions.
“Whitfield’s sense of phrasing a lyric or a melody is often unconventional, with a surprising little pause just when you don’t expect it,” a reviewer in Variety reportedly once wrote. “She has a cunning way of reinventing a ballad with torchy finesse, and it’s akin to hearing them for the first time.”
Her fan base included such well-known performers as Tony Bennett
“This wonderful singer thrills me when I hear her,” Bennett is quoted as saying on Whitfield’s website.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/02/10/wonderful-singer-wesla-whitfield-a-longtime-bay-area-favorite-dies-at-70/
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