CT River & Roots Concert Series: Orice Jenkins

Orice’s work spans music, genealogical research, and public education, focused on uncovering forgotten stories and keeping cultural traditions alive. His baritone voice draws from the lineage of Nat “King” Cole and Jon Hendricks, while his songwriting reflects the melodic sensibilities of Stevie Wonder and Carole King, paired with arrangements inspired by Quincy Jones and Harry Connick, Jr. Jenkins’ recordings have been featured in JazzTimes, Jazziz, JazzWeekly, and his album Soar reached #11 on the iTunes Jazz chart. 

Parallel to his music career, Jenkins is an accomplished genealogist whose research focuses on Southwest Georgia, slavery, genetic genealogy, and New England. He began researching his own family after discovering a shared ancestral homeland with Whitney Houston’s grandparents in Blakely, Georgia. His research has since traced his ancestry back to 1745 in Central Virginia and has documented the lives of several formerly enslaved Americans.