Tulivu Biography

Ms. Cumberbatch is a native of Brooklyn, New York. Her father, the great baritone saxophone player, Harold Cumberbatch, named here Donna Lynn after Miles Davis' composition, "Donna Lee", made popular by Charlie Parker. The stage was set for her musical voyage.

Her participation in choirs both in church and school, and in particular, the All City High School Chorus under the direction of John Motley, proved to be a great training ground. She studied music formally at Herbert H. Lehman College and informally she studied, listened and learned from such great artists as Carmen McCrae, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Nancy Wilson, among others. Well equiped with heart and soul and training, Tulivu was ready to embark on a career.

Ms. Cumberbatch has performed extensively in New York, the Caribbean, Europe, Canada, West Africa, and the continental United States. Her last European tour included performances with trumpeter Hannibal Lokumbe, his quartet and a symphony orchestra performing his two symphonies, "Children of the Fire," and "Flames of South Africa".Other works by Hannibal in which Ms. Cumberbatch was the featured vocalist were "Fanny Lou Hamer", performed with the Kronos Quartet, and "Love Poems to God" with dancer/choreographer Dianne McIntyre.

Ms. Cumberbatch has also performed with John Hicks, The Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, Diedre Murray, Lonnie Plaxico, Onaje-Alan Gumbs, Curtis Lundy, Cecil Brooks III, Steve Wilson, Andy Bey, Al Harewood, Cecil Payne and Romero Lubambo to name a few. Ms. Cumberbatch currently works with the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra, the Ray Abrams Big Band, the Cliff Smalls Septet, the Brooklyn Repertory Ensemble, and of course her own Magnificent Trio, which includes Donald Smith, p., Mark Johnson, d., and Rachiim Ausar-Sahu, b.

In the past year, Ms. Cumberbatch and her Magnificent Trio, have teamed up with, the spiritually uplifting, thought provoking, sensuous poet, Oisze (Ah-See) to present a program entitled, "A Jazzy Love Thing: A Healing for the Millenium". This program fuses jazz and the spoken word and centers around the themes of forgiveness, patience, righteousness, compassion, and sensuality. It was presented February 14, 2004 at the Skylight Gallery in Brooklyn, New York.

Ms. Cumberbatch has performed in numerous nightclubls including the Blue Note and the Rainbow Room in New York City, concert halls, colleges, and festivals, incuding the first W.E.B. Dubois Pan African Jazz Festival in Accra, Ghana.

Ms. Cumberbatch also does educational jazz workshops for elementary and junior high schools.

Ms. Cumberbatch has three recordings on Ki-Ki Records, "Harmony", "Lullabies In The Key Of Life-For The Child In All Of Us", and "Daughters of the Nile". She can also be heard on numberous other recordings.

Her smooth, sultry, soulful sound has captivated thousands. She has been compared to Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McCrae, and Gloria Lynne, but clearly exhibits her own unique enchanting style.