Bio
Since the 1990s, jazz vocalist Valerie Kippen has been "intriguing, entertaining and satisfying" (SF Chronicle) discerning jazz audiences at top venues with some of the greatest jazz artists in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Prague.
She's acclaimed for the improbable combination of impeccable rhythm with a vocal style that swings as much as it sings--and long, lyrical lines flawlessly in tune and in time with her band. "She can lavish a single syllable with a variety of colorations." (Bay Times)
In San Francisco, Valerie has headlined at Yoshi's, Jazz at Pearls, Club 36, Rassela's, Lascaux, Domaine Chandon and The Madarine Oriental. She was the first vocalist ever invited to perform at Maxfield's Pied Piper Room in San Francisco's historic Palace Hotel, "an honor that won't surprise San Francisco jazz fans." (Independent) Later, Valerie opened the iconic Ritz Carlton Resort in Half Moon Bay.
In New York, she has performed at world-renowned venues including Birdland, Town Hall, Tatou (formerly Club 54) and Maxim's on Madison Avenue. In Los Angeles, she has performed at The Gardenia Supper Club and The California Yacht Club. And in Prague, she closed the international Prague Proms Jazz Festival in 2025.
Valerie has worked with legendary pianists including Mike Greensill, Kevin Gibbs, Larry Vukovich, Ken Muir and Al Plank; guitarists including Jeff burr, Jack Tone-Riordon, Bruce Foreman, Ron Affif, Vic Juris and Brad Buethe; bassists including John Witala, Bill Douglass, Jeff Chambers and Kengo Nakamura; and drummers including Brian Bowman, Vince Lateano, Omar Clay and Eddie Marshall.