CYNTHIA LAYNE

Jazz vocalist Cynthia Layne, 1963-2015 A native of Dayton, Ohio, Layne won the female vocalist category of Indiana Black Expo's StarQuest competition in 1987. She was a fixture of Indy Jazz Fest since the event's debut in 1999, and Layne performed as part of Super Bowl Village festivities in 2012. Saxophone player Rob Dixon, keyboard player Reggie Bishop and drummer Kenny Phelps frequently collaborated with Layne. Her music, which included 2004 album "Reality" and 2008 album "Beautiful Soul," commonly drew comparisons to the work of Jill Scott, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Sade. Treated successfully after a 2012 diagnosis of breast cancer, Layne donated proceeds from album sales to Little Red Door — a nonprofit agency that serves uninsured and underserved cancer patients. A cancer recurrence was diagnosed in 2014. Cynthia Layne, a jazz and neo-soul vocalist who ranked among the most active and in-demand musicians in Indianapolis, died in 2015. She was 51. from https://eu.indystar.com read more...