KAREN MAYNARD

Karen Maynard was born in Queens, New York home to Jazz legends, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie.  As a child, she skipped through the house singing. She couldn’t wait until she was old enough to join the church choir and she has been a member ever since.  Her favorite activities in kindergarten were song time, were she was always the first child to jump up out of her seat and push in her chair ready to sing.  Finger painting was also one of Karen’s favorite activities in kindergarten which evolved into her love of piano, but not before learning to play the clarinet in third grade. It was here in elementary school where Karen was bit by the jazz love bug, when she heard a fellow class, render a foot tapping, swinging rendition of the standard Blue Skies.  In church, in addition to singing, read more...