Renowned jazz musician Camille Thurman returns to Iowa City

Camille Thurman was aware of her New York City neighborhood's rich jazz history at an early age.

"Ella Fitzgerald lived there," Thurman said while calling from her Hudson County, New York, home. "The same for Count Basie, and that left a huge impression on me. They all lived in my neighborhood in Queens. My mother would drag me to the library to watch VHS tapes of these great jazz musicians. I remember talking to my grandmother about what it was like living in Harlem during the 1930s."

However, just because Thurman — a renowned jazz saxophonist, flautist and vocalist — grew up in a jazz hot bed didn't guarantee that she would learn to play the soundtrack of her neighborhood.

Thurman, 38, hoped to play the trumpet but her elementary school's arts budget was cut. Her mother, who loves jazz, helped make Thurman's musical dreams possible.

"My mother transferred me to a school out of my neighborhood that had an arts program," Thurman said. "That made all the difference in the world."

After Thurman was placed in chorus at her new school, she begged to join the band.

"I asked why they couldn't give me an instrument," Thurman recalled. "I hated being in chorus. I visited the band teacher and he saw that I was so determined that he said, 'Okay, but you have to teach yourself the fingering to get up to speed.’"

It didn't take long for Thurman to excel and become the poster girl for what a school funded program can produce. After graduating from the acclaimed Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and the Performing Arts, Thurman surprisingly earned a geological environmental science degree from Binghamton University.

Thurman was equipped to join the 9 to 5 work force, but she decided to pursue her music career in New York City.

"I didn't know it was possible to do this for a living," Thurman said. "I always loved music but when I was growing up in Queens, I didn't see young women playing music. I didn't see women band leaders or women being celebrated in jazz. I didn't see a woman playing jazz until I was 21 and I saw (saxophonist) Tia Fuller."

The charismatic Thurman, who will perform with the Darrell Green Quartet Saturday at the Hancher, took a chance, and it paid off. In 2013, Thurman placed third in the Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition. Months later, Thurman released her acclaimed debut album, "Spirit Child."

Thurman is a 2015 Martin E. Segal Award recipient, which recognizes Young Outstanding Artists. She is also a two-time recipient of the ASCAP Herb Albert Young Jazz Composers Award.

Thurman has performed with such icons as Chaka Khan, Benny Golson and Alicia Keys.

"It's been an amazing career," Thurman said. "To be able to have a career doing something you love, to support yourself by playing music means everything to me."

Thurman isn't just making a living. Her 2017 album, "Inside the Moment," peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Jazz Albums Chart. The follow-up, 2018's "Waiting for the Sunrise" hit the number 3 spot on the same chart.

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"It's been a dream come true for me," Thurman said.

The same can be said for Thurman's mother, who is over the moon over her daughter's success.

"My mother is ecstatic," Thurman said. "She used to take me to shows when I was growing up. She exposed me to so much great music and helped place me in a school that had a music program. I owe so much to my mother and the educators I had who helped me along the way."

The arts budget cuts in New York City and around the country are on Thurman's radar.

"I'm aware of what's going on, and it's heartbreaking," Thurman said. "So many talented kids, who could become entertainers, won't have an arts program. They won't have teachers pushing and instructing them, and that's just so sad. If I didn't have access to music in school, I would have become a geologist or I would be teaching science somewhere. I wouldn't have had access to music as a child if my mother didn't take me across town. I will always be thankful for my education. It's given me an opportunity to make music and to tour."

Thurman is compelled to usher in the next generation of musicians by teaching at Montreal's McGill University.

"I enjoy my time at McGill, and I also give private lessons in saxophone, voice and improvisation," Thurman said. "I love working with musicians."

When Thurman isn't teaching or recording, she's on the road.

"I love performing," Thurman said. "I look forward to going to places like Iowa City. I remember the last time I was in Iowa City. It was super cold, and I stayed at the Graduate Hotel. I love the college theme there, and I love playing college towns like Iowa City."