Essex County Mourns Loss Of Jazz Singer, Educator: Holli Ross

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Holli Ross (Wasser), a talented jazz musician who graced iconic stages such as the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Newport Jazz Festival, died Saturday at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. She was 63.

Ross, a Maplewood resident, was an adjunct music professor at Montclair State University and a music educator at Hofstra University. (Listen to some of her music here)

According to the MSU website, she performed in top clubs from New Orleans’ Snug Harbor to New York’s Blue Note. She recorded extensively with various vocal ensembles that led to appearances in Germany, France and Japan.

Her songs have been recorded by jazz artists such as Janice Seigel from Manhattan Transfer, Mark Murphy, Meredith D’Ambrosio and Carmen Bradford of the Count Basie Orchestra. She recorded with the likes of Jon Faddis, Claudio Roditi, Romero Lumbambo, Eddie Monteiro, Randy Sandke, Bob Mintzer and Wolfgang Lackerschmid. She also recorded several albums with her female vocal trio, String Of Pearls.

According to Ross’ obituary, which can be seen in full here, her family requests memorial donations be made to the Holli Ross Fund for Jazz Studies. Gifts should be directed to the Montclair State University Foundation, 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043, or online, designated to the Holli Ross Fund for Jazz Studies at https://montclairconnect.org/make-a-gift.

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