Bio

Minnie Jordan is a violinist, composer, and educator currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Working primarily in the jazz idiom, she draws on a wide swath of American roots music, as well as classical training, to develop a contemporary voice for the instrument. She is an in-demand sideperson for various projects in the jazz, swing, western swing, country, Americana, bluegrass, indie rock/pop, progressive classical, singer-songwriter, and avant-garde scenes, and is an experienced session musician and string arranger.

​Growing up on a ranch in rural Texas, Minnie was immersed in the sounds of Western Swing and Texas fiddle, and began playing publicly at age 9. Minnie attended Berklee College of Music and the Berklee Global Jazz Institute and graduated with a B.M. in Performance and an M.M. in Contemporary Jazz Performance. Other honors have included use of the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin (awarded at the Mark O’Connor String Conference), the Sam Eisenson Award for Country Music (from Berklee), JEN Sisters in Jazz Combo (under the direction of Ingrid Jensen), 2-time nominee/semi-finalist for the NextJazz Legacy Award, and a FreshGrass Award. 

​Minnie has performed and/or taught clinics at the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival, Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center, FreshGrass, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Thomas Point Bluegrass Festival, Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, Shasta Music Summit, Old Settlers’ Music Festival, and other festivals and venues across the country. She regularly performs at various clubs and venues in NYC with her own original project, the Minnie Jordan Quartet/Sextet.

​Minnie has actively sought to expand her musical horizons by studying with some of music’s most gifted contemporary teachers and players, including John Patitucci, Danilo Perez, Terri Lyne Carrington, Joe Lovano, Billy Contreras, and Buddy Spicher, among others. Minnie is also passionate educator, dedicated to sharing her love of music, art, history and literature with the younger generation. She has won awards for her visual and textile art and academic achievement as well, and her other skills include training horses, rehabilitating wild waterfowl, and restoring vintage clothing.