A documentary was just released on BC’s Knowledge Network that covers the long-lasting and riveting legacy of Judi Singh, a Canadian Jazz legend who passed away in Victoria in 2021.
Singh had a fascinating life, and though her music never fully got the attention it deserved, it has recently been having a resurgence via social media platforms like TikTok.
The newly released documentary, Have you Heard of Judi Singh?, directed by BC-based Baljit Sangra, covers Singh’s life, her hardships and most importantly, the legacy of her music.
Singh was born to pioneering Black and Punjabi parents, along with her six siblings, and was initially raised on a homestead in northern Alberta before moving to Edmonton.
It was there that she fell in love with jazz and all kinds of music, cut her teeth singing in clubs and eventually became a fixture of the music scene beginning in the 1960s.
Her career began when she was 17-years-old, as she joined in sessions singing at the Yardbird Suite, a jazz club that opened in 1957 and still is widely known as one of Canada’s most prominent venues.
Singh took well to the spotlight and soon after she began her journey as a musician, at age 19, she had the opportunity to open for Roy Orbison at the height of his career.
She had the chance to work with many prominent musicians, such as Tommy Banks and Woody Shaw.
Banks helped her grow her career early on, recorded her music and put out two duet albums with her called A Time for Love and Make Someone Happy, both of which were released in 1970. When performing with Banks, Singh stylized her name as Judy, rather than Judi.
Around this same time, Banks was also helping Victoria legend David Foster get his start, while also performing alongside Singh.
With Shaw, Singh had the opportunity to sing on his iconic 1980 album For Sure!, on which she performed on “Why?” and “Time is Right,” which was her own composition.
From there, the documentary follows her career east as she began playing in Winnipeg and Toronto, as well as following her personal life, troubles with love and her becoming a mother.
Eventually, she would make her way out west as well, performing at Hermann’s Jazz Club while she was younger, but also playing at the Royal Theatre in 2003 where she performed alongside Banks once again.
She loved the coast so much, she would eventually retire in Victoria in 2016.
“She was kind of like the rest of us in the family, we kind of move back and forth from Victoria to Edmonton,” said Tara Singh, Judi’s great niece. “We called it the Singh highway.”
“For that last move it was more that she just loved the island and wanted to be more back where she felt in her peace at her old age.”
Tara says that her mother Donna was very close with Singh, and so she became very close as well, and has fond memories of dancing with her great aunt in Edmonton, and remembers fondly their time spent together on the west coast.
Because Tara lives out here in Victoria and was very close with Singh, she was actually the last family member to see Judi before she passed away.
When asked what music of Singh’s she remembers most fondly, Tara said though it’s an incredibly difficult decision, she adores “Yesterday I Heard the Rain.”
“It’s just her voice and the lyrics, they are just her—it just gives this essence of my aunt altogether,” Tara told Victoria Buzz.
Even though Singh is no longer alive, her legacy will last forever through her music and the free-to-watch documentary which tells her story and the impacts she has had on the Canadian jazz music scene.
Have You Heard of Judi Singh? is available via the BC Knowledge Network.
See the trailer for the film below:
