Isabella Isherwood was just 7 years old when she stepped into her first jazz club. It was in Oakland County, Michigan, and although several decades younger than the usual audience member, she was there for a very special reason. Her grandfather, Jerry Libby, was performing with his trio.
At that time, Isherwood had already been learning piano for three years. She worked hard at it, spurred on by her mother, Sabrina, a classical pianist. But when she saw her grandfather perform, it changed her life.
“Watching everybody on stage and how he interacted with them was so inspiring,” Isherwood said. “It led me to seek out opportunities to study with great jazz musicians myself.”
Now 18, the young pianist who grew up in Naperville is carving out a jazz career for herself. Following in the footsteps of her grandfather, uncle, great aunt, mother and brother, she’s making music her life.
I could write a thousand words describing Isherwood’s sound and it wouldn’t be as expressive as listening to her play for just one minute. So, to get the full picture I suggest you click on her website, www.isabellaisherwoodmusic.com, once you’ve read this.
Yes, she’s young, but I for one am excited to see how she’ll mature over the next few years. The good news is you may be able to see her perform live from her parents’ porch in their Naperville cul-de-sac next month when — weather willing — she’s continuing a series of live free performances for friends and neighbors. Again, for details check her website.
“I was missing live performance so much during the pandemic,” Isherwood said. “This way I get the opportunity to perform for friends and family as well as livestream it around the world. It’s a cool way to keep connected in the age of COVID, when everybody is so isolated.”
Among her prized possessions is a special memento of her grandfather’s, a signed cocktail napkin given to him by jazz legend Oscar Peterson.
“My grandfather owned several jazz clubs in Detroit. He had a tremendous career and played with a lot of big names,” she said.
Isherwood’s musical talents were already obvious as a student. She was the primary pianist for the jazz ensembles at Jefferson Junior High and Naperville North High School and was a section leader with the Naperville Young Singers for more than 10 years.
It gave her the opportunity to sing for a much wider audience in countries like Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic.
“I took part in three international tours with them, which was so inspiring,” she said. “It was amazing being able to sing for people who did not share the same language but who shared the importance of music. I loved performing with them, it was very special.”
Isherwood attributes a lot of her talent to her jazz teachers. From Randy Kulik, director of the Jefferson Junior High Jazz Ensemble, to the late Frank Caruso, who taught at North Central College, they inspired her not only to perform well but hopefully teach others.
“I’ve always wanted performance to be the main aspect, although I also want to give back by teaching in the future,” she said.
Isherwood first performed professionally at 13.
“I’d play in local restaurants,” she said. “Naperville is a fantastic place to grow up in because of it’s proximity to the Chicago jazz scene. I would travel in Chicago to play with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. I had the benefit of going to jam sessions at the Jazz Institute of Chicago. It was an incredible resource for me getting connected to that scene.”
This summer Isherwood and her trio were to be among the opening acts at the Chicago Jazz Festival in Millennium Park. Because of the pandemic, their performance ended up being virtual.
“It was devastating as a musician not to be able to play, a huge part of my life is getting together to jam,” she said. “Thankfully, I’ve got used to connecting through recordings and projects like playing on my parents’ porch.”
Isherwood lists her musical idols as Nina Simone, Diana Krall and Oscar Peterson, among others. She loves to put her own spin on old standards to bring them to life for newer, and most probably, younger audiences.
She also listens to Stevie Wonder, the Beatles and Billy Joel. Her ambitions include recording her own album with her trio and touring and performing nationally and internationally.
Her current favorite song is the old standard “Teach Me Tonight.”
“I fell in love with it when I heard Nancy Wilson sing it,” she said. “I love the arrangement we came up with as a group.”
She credits singers like Wilson pave the way for her.
“I was really lucky to be born in this time in history because women before me have broken down barriers,” she said.
So, what it is about jazz she finds particularly appealing?
“Jazz is the freedom to have the ultimate expression of the human experience and communicate it to other people,” Isherwood said. “It gives me the chance to express core emotions unlike anything else I have ever experienced.”
Playing for a live audience is particularly special.
“They give you the energy that will determine the set, how you play and you approach it,” she said.
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved from England to Naperville in 2007.
