Grammy-nominated vocalist ROSEANNA VITRO

NEA Jazz Master SHEILA JORDAN

BOB DOROUGH MARION COWINGS

SING A SONG OF BIRD

Vocalist ROSEANNA VITRO is a favorite among jazz aficionados and musicians alike. That’s why Cedar Walton has said, “Roseanna Vitro, one of my favorite vocalists, sings with a great feeling for jazz. Her readings on major compositions are monumental.” Her outsized talents and passion for the music are matched only by the generosity of her spirit, which shines beautifully on her newest recording SING A SONG OF BIRD, a celebration of the great and inimitable CHARLIE PARKER.

Vitro conceived this project driven by a desire to develop new lyrics to Parker tunes. She chose to share the microphone with three of her mentors, bebop jazz legends SHEILA JORDAN, BOB DOROUGH, and MARION COWINGS, each of whom take solo turns with their soulful interpretations of several compositions by Bird. SING A SONG OF BIRD has taken a long time to come to fruition. It was recorded in two sessions, the first in 2017 and the second in 2021.

Vitro had seen Jordan many times on the New York City jazz scene. She has held Jordan in the highest regard, not only for her singing, but also who she is as a person. Vitro says, “I love everything about Sheila. She is a shining example for young or older jazz singers all over the world. She treats everyone with love and dignity, plus she proudly carries the soul and spirit of Charlie Parker's music.”

Vitro and Dorough are both natives of Arkansas. They first met in 1998, when they were inducted into the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame. They soon became friends, and Vitro recorded his song “Nothing Like You” on her 1994 release, Softly. But she had never worked with Dorough, nor had she worked with Jordan. So Vitro conceived of the Bird album as a way to share the stage with two of her favorite artists.

Jordan and Dorough were thrilled with the opportunity to appear on the same bill with each other and Vitro, and the chemistry was apparent right from their first gig at the Deerhead Inn in the Poconos. Vitro relates the story of one of their last gigs, “Bob was such a beautiful soul. We were scheduled to do a show at Kitano in New York, but Bob pulled out. He was very ill with cancer and was going into hospice. It was terrible news. The show was booked and I had already hired a replacement, when I got call from Bob asking me if I still wanted him to do the show because he didn’t die and they kicked him out of hospice. He showed up and was amazing.”

Because Dorough’s health was failing, Vitro quickly organized a session to document his vocalese to Parker’s “Bluebird” and lyrics to “Red Cross.” Vitro is known as one of the premier interpreters of lyrics, and her concept for the album was to sing several Bird tunes with fresh lyrics. She and her husband PAUL WICKLIFFE, who is also a master recording engineer and producer of this album, wrote new lyrics to some tunes, as did Dorough and Jordan. Vitro relates, “I flipped when I first heard Bob’s masterpiece, ‘Audubon's New Bluebird.’ Bob had started writing the lyrics years ago, but never got around to finishing. Although he had wanted to finalize them for years, making the album was the impetus he needed to finally complete them. He was 94 years young when he finished the lyrics and recorded with us. It was worth the wait.”

Vitro assembled some of the top East Coast musicians for the first session, including MARK GROSS on alto saxophone, who is featured on two Grammy-winning albums of Dave Holland, pianist JASON TEBOREK, prolific bass player DEAN JOHNSON, and veteran jazz drummer BILL GOODWIN, well-known for 30 years with Phil Woods. Unfortunately, the album was put on hold after Bob Dorough’s passing, in addition to many life changes, including Covid-19.

When it looked like the worst of the pandemic was behind us, Vitro arranged for a second session with a new band. She brought on board an old friend, jazz singer MARION COWINGS, a master of scat and vocal technique. Vitro says, “Jon Hendricks loved Marion. He possesses an extraordinary voice, interpreting bebop music with clear diction and heart.”

She also added famed saxophonist GARY BARTZ to the mix. Bartz’s history with McCoy Tyner plus his compositions and recordings are well-known in the jazz world. Also in the band are two-time Grammy winner, pianist ALAN BROADBENT, and swingin’ drummer ALVESTER GARNETT. Bassist Dean Johnson, who appears on the first session, completes the band.

Vitro opens the album with “People Chase,” based on “Steeplechase,” with a tale of how the “human race is like a horse race” written by Paul Wickliffe. Vitro and Dorough trade scats on “The Scatter,” with new lyrics by Dorough sung to Bird’s “Red Cross.” “Bird’s Song” (“Relaxin’ at Camarillo”) by Sheila Jordan, is a history of Bird and the musicians who were on the scene. Jordan sang with Bird and her singing on the tune is a master class in bebop phrasing. Cowing’s rich, baritone voice breathes new life into “Parker’s Mood,” with the original lyrics by King Pleasure.

“Audubon's New Bluebird,” based on “Bluebird,” is a prime example of the wit, personality, and immense songwriting talents of Dorough. Vitro finally gets her chance to perform with Jordan on “Sheila, Jazz Child,” based on “Cheryl” with the original first verse lyrics by Gary Brocks, followed by Wickliffe’s ending two verses. On “Quasimodo,” Jordan adds her own original lyrics that describe how important Bird’s music has been to her. Vitro takes a solo turn on “Grapple with the Apple,” based on “Scrapple From the Apple,” re-imagined as a bossa nova with Wickliffe’s lyrics about a New Yorker flying to the beach to escape the madness. Cowings really swings on “Now’s the Time,” singing Jon Hendricks’ well-known lyrics with one verse by Eddie Jefferson.

Vitro sings Bird lyrics to “Yardbird Suite.” “Koko/Cherokee” is an instrumental tune featuring the magnificent Gary Bartz. Vitro saved “These Foolish Things” for the closer. Although it’s not a Charlie Parker tune, she wanted to sing these beautiful lyrics with Bob and Sheila. This song speaks to the joy and love they shared together in this special moment. It is a unique and memorable recording with three legends singing together.

SING A SONG OF BIRD is a special recording that goes beyond being a mere tribute album – it’s legacy. Dorough was 94 and Jordan was 89 when they recorded the heartfelt stories from their lives. Their status as jazz legends is uncontested. Dorough is no longer with us, but Jordan is still going strong, with a busy schedule and performances around the world. Marion Cowings may be heard for the first time here, but we’re sure it won’t be the last. And, of course, we are very lucky to have Roseanna Vitro still making music and dedicated to exploring new avenues of creativity, as she will for years to come.

SING A SONG OF BIRD will be available everywhere on September 24, 2021.

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Spotify playlist: “Roseanna Vitro + For New Listeners”: http://spoti.fi/3priGcb
Michael Carlson, Radio Promotion, mcpro@earthlink.com for radio & Holly Cooper, Mouthpiecemusic.com for the press. Holly@Mouthpiecemusic.com

ROSEANNA VITRO

GRAMMY-NOMINATED JAZZ VOCALIST

2021 release of 1984 classic album

listen here

featuring Roseanna vitro, kenny barron, buster williams Ben riley & Arnett cobb

arrangements fred hersch

Listen: Listen Here Soundcloud

Available February 12, 2021on CD and DIGITAL Formats
Skyline Records

Publicity: Holly Cooper / MOUTHPIECE MUSIC (310) 993-4017 holly@mouthpiecemusic.com
www.mouthpiecemusic.com

Vocalist ROSEANNA VITRO  – performer, recording artist, educator, and journalist – reissues LISTEN HERE, the debut album that launched her career. Featuring veteran pianist KENNY BARRON, the project ushered into the spotlight a formidable new artist with chops and sensitivity in equal measure – a galvanizing spirit who, having already proven she could move live audiences, now certified her power on vinyl.  

The accompanying musicians on LISTEN HERE are Kenny Barron (piano), BUSTER WILLIAMS (bass) and BEN RILEY (drums). Also joining in are ARNETT COBB (saxophone), DUDUKA DA FONSECA (percussion), SCOTT HARDY (guitar), and BLISS RODRIGUEZ (piano, on “Centerpiece”). Arrangements were supplied by FRED HERSCH, with liner notes by STEVE ALLEN.

Though this is the first recording, Vitro shows herself a mature jazz singer. Representative jazz standards bear that out: “I Love You Madly,” “It Could Happen to You,” “No More Blues” and “You Took Advantage of Me.” She swings and emotes and surrenders herself in the service of the music.  She is filled with life.

Her subsequent efforts underscored the point. Following LISTEN HERE, she waxed a number of albums that re-imagined the works of popular music’s greatest songwriters and stylists – among them, Ray Charles, Bill Evans, Clare Fischer, and Randy Newman. It was through the latter’s artful song narratives that Vitro earned a Grammy nomination (THE MUSIC OF RANDY NEWMAN).

Vitro bravely ventured through the Americana of her blues and jazz roots, through the music of Brazil. Along the way, she distinguished herself in a host of group configurations – from duets to big bands.

Hailing from Hot Springs, Arkansas, Vitro began singing professionally in Houston. She soon found herself as a protégé of tenor player Arnett Cobb and singer-educator Ray Sullenger. She became a regular on the Houston jazz scene. Ultimately, she landed a steady gig at the Green Room, where she sang with jazz’s greatest practitioners, including Oscar Peterson, Tommy Flanagan, Bill Evans, and countless other notables.

Her move to New York City enabled her to jump into the city’s vibrant jazz scene and helped cement her credentials. Supporters and collaborators soon followed – a generational mix of prestigious talents: Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, Mark Soskin, Christian McBride, George Coleman, Joe Lovano, Kirk Whalum, David "Fathead" Newman, Elvin Jones, and Eddie Gomez, to name a few.

Vitro decided to re-release LISTEN HERE because the time was right. She and her husband Paul Wickliffe, an accomplished sound engineer with a storied career, recently became grandparents. Their perspective has changed. “It was time to take stock of my life and look back at my career,” she says.  Some of my earlier records were never transferred to a digital format, so they are no longer available. And many reviewers and DJs who have known me over the years have moved on. I think these early recordings stand the test of time and want to introduce them to a new generation.”

 In the meantime, she continues to imagine projects and opportunities that help fulfill her belief in music’s ability to heal. As ever, she seeks to reach people.

 Esteemed jazz journalist Neil Tesser said in USA Today, “Roseanna can sing rings around half the vocalists you can name. Her warm, confident clarity of tone is immediately noticeable but most startling is her boldness of phrasing.”  He might have added, “her unerring talent for finding the truth - through song, through the communal experience of sharing it.” The evidence can be heard easily. LISTEN HERE.

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LISTEN HERE, available on all digital platforms starting February 12, 2021 from Skyline Records.

Online:

roseannavitro.com

Listen Here Soundcloud

RVitroSpotifyPlaylist

facebook.com/RoseannaVitroJazz

@JazzFlamer  (Twitter)

@RoseannaVitro (Instagram)

In an age of alternative facts, TELL ME THE TRUTH is  on time !

The songs featured on Grammy Nominated Vocalist Roseanna Vitro’s new album, Tell Me the Truth, have been harvested from the rich soil of America. They are the roots and vines of our Southern musical tradition, seasoned by the regional colors of gospel, blues, jazz, r&b and country. They speak to and for Roseanna Vitro. It is a soulful album, drawn from living, breathing and internalizing a rich array of musical cultures and life experience. Its essence is the surround sound of her youth, featuring songs written or popularized by mentors; Jon Hendricks, Allen Toussaint, Mose Allison, Mavis Staples, Boz Scaggs and The Everly Brothers, among others. They are newly imagined renditions, reborn with arrangements and group interplay that highlight Vitro’s penchant for story telling and musical colorization. It is the fourteenth recording in her distinguished catalog.

     This amalgam of music shaped the underpinnings of Roseanna’s artistry, which has grown like the roots of a tree, inspiring her to perform and record American classics by Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Rodgers and Hart, et al., as well as the celebrated “modernists" of post-WWII America, Ray Charles and Randy Newman. Tell Me The Truth features her coming of age music reimagined in today's context, much as the cultural, racial, and political tensions of today mirror the zeitgeist of the sixties.

The album’s success owes much to the tight-knit collaboration on arrangements between Roseanna and pianist, Mark Soskin. They are a formidable team, achieving great success with The Music of Randy Newman (Best Vocal Jazz Grammy Nomination 2011) and Clarity, the Music of Clare Fischer (2014).

The Southern Roots band includes guitarist, Mitch Stein, saxophonist Tim Ries, trumpeter Nate Eklund, bassist Dean Johnson, drummer Rudy Royston, plus special cameo appearances by Philadelphia soul singer, Al Chestnut (Respect Yourself), violinist Sara Caswell, vocalists Kate McGarry and Cindy Scott (I’ll Fly Away).

     The songs of Tell Me The Truth trace the musical journey of a southern girl born into a family of gospel singers who insisted “all things are possible.”  She left Texarkana, drawn to Houston and the bandstand of tenor titan Arnett Cobb. Eventually she landed in the West Village of New York City, where she flourished. Vitro has recorded and toured with a host of jazz musicians - among them, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, Elvin Jones and Fathead Newman. She is a Vocal Jazz educator and U.S. Jazz Ambassador. Her career has embraced bold and creative musical choices. She favors infectious grooves and melodic invention. On Tell Me The Truth, she speaks from the heart, echoing themes heard in previous projects, yet crystallized by the urgency of the times. She is a musical activist, using her art to open hearts and minds.

Personnel:

• Roseanna Vitro - vocals, arrangements, Mark Soskin - piano, arrangements,

• Dean Johnson - bass, Rudy Royston - drums, Mitch Stein - guitars,

• Tim Ries – saxophone, Nate Eklund - trumpet, Sara Caswell - violin,

• Al Chestnut - vocals, Kate McGarry - vocals, Cindy Scott – vocals

Tracks:

1. On Your Way Down (Toussaint)

2. Walkin’ After Midnight (Block, Hecht)

3. Respect Yourself (Ingram, Rice)

4. Your Mind Is On Vacation (Allison)

5. I’ll Be Long Gone (Scaggs)

6. Foolin’ Myself (Razaf, Waller)

7. Tell Me The Truth (Hendricks)

8. When Will I Be Loved (Everly)

9. Fortunate Son (Fogerty

10. A Healing Song (Yamin, Carlson)

11. I’ll Fly Away (Brumley)