Kendra Shank

Kendra Shank (born April 23, 1958) is an American jazz vocalist.

Career Shank's mother was an actress and playwright and her father was a playwright and teacher at the University of California. When she was five, she appeared onstage with her mother in Threepenny Opera. In her early teens she started playing guitar. She was a busker on the streets and subways of Paris and while in Paris heard her first Billie Holiday album. She met pianist Frank Kimbrough through Horn, and he became a member of her quartet, which recorded A Spirit Free (Challenge, 2007), a tribute to her mentor and friend Abbey Lincoln. She has also recorded with Gary Bartz, Peter Leitch, Ben Monder, John Stowell, and Larry Willis, among others.

Discography As leader Afterglow with Larry Willis, Gary Bartz (Mapleshade, 1994) Wish (Jazz Focus, 1998) Reflections (Jazz Focus, 2000) A Spirit Free: Abbey Lincoln Songbook (Challenge, 2006) Mosaic (Challenge, 2009) New York Conversations with John Stowell (TCB, 2013) Half Moon: Live in New York with Geoffrey Keezer (Ride Symbol, 2016)

As guest Abbey Lincoln, Over the Years (Verve, 2000)