Cle Thompson at O. Henry Hotel

Cle Thompson is a professional actor and jazz vocalist and has performed as both in New York. Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and all places in between.

From the artist: 

I remember my father parading me down the street when I was a little girl growing up in Chicago to sing for our neighbors. My sister and I sang harmony while we did the dishes. I was always the one asked to sing at assemblies and do roles in high school musicals. Those experiences all led to me becoming a professional stage actress first appearing in the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “No Place to be Somebody” opposite the young rising star, Ben Vereen, quickly followed by a year long run of the New York Touring Company production of the musical “Godspell”. Favorite roles include Adelaide in ”Guys and Dolls” and Miss Daisy in
“Driving Ms. Daisy:. My love of theater and stage has never left me and informs much of who I am as a performer today.

Any musician will tell you, Music is a journey. A journey that has taken me from my hometown Chicago, to San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and North Carolina. A journey that started with singing pop ballads, R&B, a little country, blues and finally jazz standards.My debut CD “I Want to be With You” led me to combine ballads and the blues with bossas, sambas and swing tunes. In “‘Tis the Season”, my holiday album, even to sing songs in Portuguese and Spanish. And ultimately, in “Shall I Compare Thee…” to composing music to Shakespeare sonnets.

Along the way I’ve discovered beautiful and wonderful things. I’ve worked with incredible musicians who nurtured and shaped me. And in LA, learned from jazz legends who taught me that music lives in the soul. Their dedication, skill, and mastery inspires me to this day to keep learning, growing, and reaching just a little bit further each time. And always to follow the musical soul that lives within me.

I sing to tell stories. Touch people’s hearts. Join me, as I journey through the Great American Songbook exploring the endless possibilities of jazz to get your soul swinging and your foot tapping! One story at a time…