With her striking teal hair, captivating voice, and undeniable charisma, jazz vocalist Meryl Zimmerman leaves audiences “bewitched, bothered, and bewildered.”
All About Meryl
A classic jazz vocalist in the tradition of her heroes Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, and Anita O’Day, Meryl is celebrated for her storytelling, improvisation, and her gift for breathing new life into the Great American Songbook. Every performance is an exploration — a chance to uncover something new in a familiar melody while honoring the songwriters who shaped the genre. Her three-octave range, expressive delivery, and playful stage presence make her both a compelling interpreter and an irresistible entertainer.
Meryl brings a vibrant blend of New York sophistication and New Orleans joie de vivre to every note she sings, a reflection of her bi-city roots. Her mother is from Long Island, where Meryl was born and raised, and her father hails from New Orleans, where she spent countless childhood vacations visiting family. She spent her 20’s living in New York City, attending the Manhattan School of Music and studying jazz voice with renowned faculty members Kate McGarry, Theo Bleckmann, and Peter Eldridge, culminating in earning her Master of Music degree in 2009. In 2012 she left her beloved NYC to start a new life in her other favorite city — New Orleans.
She “displays her vocal chops with relish,” according to Offbeat Magazine.
Meryl has graced some of the Crescent City’s most beloved stages — from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and French Quarter Fest to local landmarks including Snug Harbor, Tipitina’s, the Spotted Cat, Buffa’s, Bacchanal, the Bombay Club, the Toulouse Theatre, the New Orleans Jazz Museum, and aboard the Steamboat Natchez, where she performs every Monday with the John Mahoney Little Band. Meryl enjoys providing musical ambiance for private events (holiday parties, cocktail hours, fundraisers, etc.) and occasionally serves as emcee and bandleader for Trixie Minx’s Burlesque Ballroom — a long-running classic burlesque show in the French Quarter. She hosts Biscuits N’ Jam, a weekly jazz jam session at Carrollton Station — a welcoming space where seasoned veterans, music students from local universities, and musicians visiting from around the world come to play and hang. Since 2024 Meryl has had the immense pleasure of leading her own band, the Meryl Zimmerman Quintet. Meryl’s versatility extends far beyond jazz. She’s collaborated with composer Tucker Fuller on multiple occasions, most notably performing the role of Medea in Fuller’s song cycle Medea As A Lounge Singer. She’s sung with funk and rock bands, and has a repertoire of 60’s and 70’s pop and rock hits ready to go when the opportunity arises. She has sung in church choirs and chanted Jewish liturgy, and has sung to toddlers in preschools and to seniors in assisted living facilities. A passionate educator, Meryl teaches voice at Loyola University New Orleans and the University of New Orleans. She also maintains a private voice studio, with students ranging in age from Gen Alpha to Baby Boomer. Meryl has served on the faculty of the New Orleans Traditional Jazz Camp since 2022, teaching alongside legendary jazz vocalists Banu Gibson and Leah Chase. Meryl is proud to have three albums under her name — Crystalline (2021), A Very Meryl Christmas (2022), and Easy to Love (2024). She has also recorded with Panorama Jazz Band and the Tangiers Combo.