When Anita Michelle Jackson tilts her head back, closes her eyes and opens her mouth to sing, something shifts in the room. Her tone and phrasing sit in a sweet space where Dianne Reeves meets Al Jarreau. It’s the kind of sound that makes people stop mid-conversation and lean in.
That makes her a natural fit to headline the Mother’s Day brunch at Jazz St. Louis’ Harold and Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz on Sunday, May 10.
“This is my first time doing the Mother’s Day brunch,” said Jackson, who is a familiar face on the Jazz St. Louis stage. “I’m excited about it. I’m new to it too.”
Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for a buffet-style brunch built around a chef-inspired menu, with Jackson’s performance beginning at 12:30 p.m.
“It will be me and my trio, my gents,” Jackson said. Joining her for the hour-long set will be Phil Graves on keys, Demarius Hicks on drums and Jordan Brewer on bass. Jackson said the performance will be a straight-ahead jazz set.
“Her Mother’s Day performance will provide the soundtrack for a celebration filled with great music, exceptional food and time together with family,” Jazz St. Louis said in a statement. “She will create a joyful afternoon honoring the extraordinary women in our lives.”
Jackson can count herself among those extraordinary women. The St. Louis native has built a reputation for a voice that carries power, warmth and emotional clarity — shaped by gospel, jazz and classic soul. She has become one of the city’s most recognizable vocalists, known for performances that blend musical sophistication with honest storytelling.
She grew up singing in church and performing in school productions before heading to New York City to study at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She spent 12 years there, performing nationally and internationally in theater productions, concerts and workshops. Those years also opened the door to work as a background vocalist for some of the biggest names in music.
Her voice can be heard on Bette Midler’s Grammy-winning “From a Distance,” Patti Austin’s “I Can Move This Mountain,” and Mariah Carey’s “Anytime You Need a Friend.” She toured with Chico DeBarge and performed alongside artists like Joe and Erykah Badu. She also recorded on Cissy Houston’s Grammy-winning gospel albums Face to Face and He Leadeth Me. Those experiences shaped her into an artist unafraid to bring her full self to the stage.
It was motherhood that brought her back home.
“I love New York so much. It feels like my home in a sense,” Jackson said. “But I wanted Christian to experience a childhood like my childhood. I grew up with grass and neighbors. In New York it’s a totally different type of existence. I wanted her to have a backyard and family close by. And we gave her that.”
Her return became a gift to the St. Louis cultural scene. She quickly became a fixture in both the jazz and theater communities. She has starred in productions with The Black Rep, including Gospel at Colonus, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Crowns, Caroline, or Change and Blues in the Night, earning multiple award nominations. Last year, she won a St. Louis Theater Circle Award for Outstanding Performer, Female or Non-Binary for her portrayal of Lena Younger in Raisin.
Her music career has continued to grow as well. Two years ago, she released her debut solo album, Life Is Beautiful, a project that highlights her range and her ability to move seamlessly between genres. She performed selections from the album at last year’s Music at the Intersection, where she has been a featured artist since the festival launched six years ago.
For Jackson, the Mother’s Day performance will be a chance to honor the women who shaped her.
“It’s bittersweet for me, because I lost my mom during the pandemic,” Jackson said. “She would have been the first person in the door.”
She lost her mother and all of her mother’s sisters within weeks of each other from COVID-19.
“They were all staunch supporters of me,” Jackson said. “They would have been the first people there. And my mother would have been bringing about 30 people herself. That’s how she was.”
Performing for others who will be celebrating their mothers brings comfort.
“That’s the sweet part,” Jackson said. “I get to do what I love to do on a day when I would honor her. She’s not here in the flesh, but she’s with me. I feel her.”
“They’re with us,” Jackson said. “They may not be here in the physical, but they are still with us. That’s what I can’t wait to impart — that they’re still with you.”
Jackson said that carrying their memory forward is part of why she encourages people to lean on the women still around them.
“You may not have your mom, but there are women around who can support you,” Jackson said. “And there are women you can support. We can still be a community. And we can uplift this community together. That’s really my main thing.”
The Jazz St. Louis Mother’s Day Brunch starring Anita Jackson will take place at 11:30 a.m. at the Harold and Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz, 3536 Washington Avenue. For more information, visit www.jazzstl.org.
Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.
