M'Balia SIngley at Cheltenham Center for the Arts

Jazz Bridge presents their “First Wednesday Neighborhood Concert Series-Jazz in Cheltenham,” at The Cheltenham Center for the Arts, 439 Ashbourne Road, Cheltenham, PA, 19012 on Wednesday, October 7. This season begins with vocalist, M’Balia Singley and her band. Showtime is 7:30-9:00 p.m. and tickets are $10 general admission/$5 for students, and are only available at the door. For more info call: 856-858-8914, 215-517-8337 or visit online at jazzbridge.org/events/neighborhood-concerts.

A singer since childhood, M’Balia Singley has formal training in piano, voice and guitar. Her first musical experiences came from sitting around the kitchen table with her family, after dinner, and lending her voice to the four part harmony while her dad strummed his guitar to anything from Don McClean’s “American Pie” to the Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There” to Solomon Linda’s “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”...

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Jazz Bridge presents their “First Wednesday Neighborhood Concert Series-Jazz in Cheltenham,” at The Cheltenham Center for the Arts, 439 Ashbourne Road, Cheltenham, PA, 19012 on Wednesday, October 7. This season begins with vocalist, M’Balia Singley and her band. Showtime is 7:30-9:00 p.m. and tickets are $10 general admission/$5 for students, and are only available at the door. For more info call: 856-858-8914, 215-517-8337 or visit online at jazzbridge.org/events/neighborhood-concerts.

A singer since childhood, M’Balia Singley has formal training in piano, voice and guitar. Her first musical experiences came from sitting around the kitchen table with her family, after dinner, and lending her voice to the four part harmony while her dad strummed his guitar to anything from Don McClean’s “American Pie” to the Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There” to Solomon Linda’s “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

While attending Yale University, she came to the attention of the legendary Willie Ruff-Dwike Mitchell Duo, and she appeared in concert with them several times. Returning to Philadelphia and armed with her guitar, M’Balia self-released two EP’s of original music while playing such esteemed venues as the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, The Living Room in New York City, and Philadelphia’s World Cafe Live. In 2014, M’Balia began working with various jazz trios around town, enjoying successful stints at Paris Bistro and Jazz Cafe, Relish, and Warmdaddy’s. In between j-o-b’s, M’Balia found the time to sing in wedding bands and record demos with John Legend, one of which, “Stay With Me,” made it onto his debut album, and garnered a Grammy-nomination. 2015 finds M’Balia proud to release her new album, “Halfway There,” produced by pianist/composer, Orrin Evans and featuring Evans, Gene Jackson, Mike Boone, Byron Landham, Madison Rast, and Tim Motzer. “Halfway There” is a collection of original M’Balia compositions and jazz standards she loves.

Jazz Bridge, an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to assisting Greater Philadelphia Metro area jazz and blues musicians and vocalists in times of crisis, sponsors these neighborhood concerts throughout the region to keep the sound of Philadelphia alive.

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