Carmen Lundy

Carmen Lundy is an American jazz singer, composer, lyricist, arranger, pianist, and visual artist from Miami, Florida. Known for her distinctive voice, nuanced storytelling, and singular original work, she was named a 2026 NEA Jazz Master. Her artistry spans modern jazz, gospel, soul, theater, and visual art.

Lundy grew up in Miami, where her mother was lead singer of the gospel group Apostolic Singers. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Studio Music and Jazz at the University of Miami, where she helped pioneer the university’s formal jazz-vocal studies program. She led several bands in Miami before moving to New York in 1978. On her first visit to the Village Vanguard, she was invited to sit in with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, and she went on to perform throughout New York and the surrounding area.

In 1985, Lundy released her debut solo album, Good Morning Kiss, which spent 23 weeks on Billboard’s jazz chart. She has continued to expand the expressive range of jazz vocals through her independent work. Albums including Self Portrait, Moment to Moment, Come Home, Changes, Soul to Soul, Code Noir, Modern Ancestors, and Fade to Black showcase her melodic writing, improvisational feel, and social perspective. Her work often places original songs alongside fresh interpretations of standards. She has written and released more than 180 songs, which have also been performed by Kenny Barron, Ernie Watts, Terri Lyne Carrington, Regina Carter, and others. Her seventeenth album, Notes From The Wine Cellar, released in August 2026, uses ten songs to explore love, faith, family, social awareness, and reflection on life.

As a collaborator, Lundy has recorded and performed with jazz greats including Curtis Lundy, Ray Barretto, Mulgrew Miller, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Cobb, Ron Carter, Randy Brecker, Robert Glasper, and Patrice Rushen. Her albums Modern Ancestors and Fade to Black were each nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. She has also received Grammy recognition for her work on Terri Lyne Carrington’s Mosaic Project.

Lundy has long been active in education and interdisciplinary art. She served as a lecturer in global jazz studies at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music and spent more than twenty years as a resident mentor for the Kennedy Center’s Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program. In 2023, she was appointed Harvard University’s Jazz Master in Residence. Her paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media works have been exhibited in several cities. She has also portrayed Billie Holiday and appeared in the Broadway musical Sophisticated Ladies. She sees composing, performing, teaching, and visual art as connected forms of expression. Carmen Lundy[/caption]