Denise King and Olivier Hutman

Influenced by Nancy Wilson, Marlena Shaw and Sarah Vaughan, Denise King is an expressive, big-voiced singer who combines jazz with elements of R&B, blues and gospel. King was born and raised in Philadelphia, where she was exposed to R&B as a child and discovered jazz at 12 thanks to an uncle who was an avid record collector. After graduating from high school, the Philadelphian entered the medical field and earned her living as a technician and a family-planning counselor. King was in her early 30s when she started doing club gigs around Philly, and eventually, she became a ful...