Roseanna Vitro
| Roseanna Vitro | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roseanna Elizabeth Vitro |
| Born |
February 28, 1951 Hot Springs, Arkansas |
| Genres | Jazz, vocal jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | Motéma, Half Note, A Records, Telarc, Concord, SeaBreeze, Chase Music |
| Website |
www |
Roseanna Vitro is a jazz singer and teacher.
Biography
Born Roseanna Elizabeth Vitro[1] in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on February 28, 1951, Vitro began singing at an early age, drawing inspiration from gospel, rock, rhythm and blues, musical theatre, and classical music.[2] During the 1950s, her father owned a night club in Hot Springs called The Flamingo. He loved Dean Martin's music and opera, and her mother's family sang gospel. By the 1960s, she was determined to be a rock singer.[3]
Vitro was exposed to jazz and it became her genre of choice after moving to Houston, Texas in the 1970s. Ray Sullenger discovered Vitro and presented her to the Houston jazz community where sang frequently with tenor Arnett Cobb.[4] Vitro worked for two years in Houston's Green Room with her group "Roseanna with Strings and Things" hosting a radio show on KUHF-FM. Many jazz musicians stopped in and played with Strings and Things, such as Cobb, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Tommy Flanagan and Keter Betts. Cobb, Peterson, and Sullenger encouraged her to dedicate herself to jazz.
In 1978 she moved to New York City with guitarist Scott Hardy and began to study with Gabor Carelli, a professor from the Manhattan School of Music, and started performing with Kenny Werner and Fred Hersch. She sang with Lionel Hampton and later toured with him. She appeared at The Blue Note, Iridium, Birdland, and Dizzy's Jazz Club at Lincoln Center. She appeared with Steve Allen at The Town Hall and recorded an album of Allen's songs. In 2005 she performed with Kenny Werner at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
Throughout her career she has collaborated with musicians such as Christian McBride, Elvin Jones, Gary Bartz, Kevin Mahogany and David "Fathead" Newman, all of whom have appeared on her recordings.[2] Vitro is an active performer, touring throughout the United States and abroad. She has been broadcast on WBGO-FM (Newark, New Jersey) and on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz.[1] She has recorded thirteen critically acclaimed CDs and toured throughout the U.S. The Music of Randy Newman.[5] received 4 1/2 stars in Down Beat magazine and a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2012.
Vitro has taught vocal jazz at State University of New York at Purchase and currently holds a teaching post at New Jersey City University and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. She holds frequent workshops, clinics, and master classes. She has studied classical voice, ear-training, classical Indian vocal technique, Portuguese language, piano, and jazz technique and concept.[2]
Discography
Except where indicated, all information is from The Encyclopedia of Popular Music at Oxford Music Online.[2]
- Listen Here (Texas Rose Music, 1984)
- A Quiet Place (Skyline, 1987)
- Reaching for the Moon (Chase Music, 1991)
- Softly (Concord Jazz, 1994)
- Passion Dance (Telarc, 1996)
- Catchin' Some Rays: The Music of Ray Charles (Telarc, 1997)
- The Time of My Life: Roseanna Vitro Sings the Songs of Steve Allen (Sea Breeze, 1999; 1986 recording)
- Conviction: Thoughts of Bill Evans (A Records, 2001)
- Tropical Postcards (A Records, 2004)
- Live at the Kennedy Center (Challenge, 2006)
- The Delirium Blues Project: Serve or Suffer (Half Note, 2008)
- The Music of Randy Newman (Motéma, 2011)
- Clarity: Music of Clare Fischer (Random Act 2014) [6]
Awards and honors
- 1998 – Inducted into Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame with Bob Dorough and John Stubblefield.[7]
- 2004 – Selected "U.S. Jazz Ambassador" for The John F. Kennedy Center and The U.S. State Department,[8] and The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad featured artist in 2009 with her band JazzIAm.[9]
- 2012 – Grammy nomination, Best Vocal Jazz Album for The Music of Randy Newman (Motéma Music, 2011)
References
- 1 2 Scott Fredrickson and Gary W. Kennedy. "Vitro (Wickliffe), Roseanna." In The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed., edited by Barry Kernfeld. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. (accessed February 15, 2011).
- 1 2 3 4 "Vitro, Roseanna." In Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 4th ed., edited by Colin Larkin. Oxford Music Online. (accessed February 15, 2011).
- ↑ Roseanna Vitro interprets Randy Newman's songbook
- ↑ M. G. Nastos, "Riffs: Vitro Makes Major Label Debut," Downbeat Magazine, February 1994.
- ↑ Andrew Gilbert. "Roseanna Vitro Interprets Randy Newman's Songbook." Berkeleyside. September 15, 2011.
- ↑ "Clarity: Music of Clare Fischer (Musical CD, 2014)". Worldcat. Accessed May 8, 2015.
- ↑ 1998 Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame Inductees. Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation. Accessed February 15, 2011.
- ↑ McNally, Owen. "Jazz Songstress Roseanna Vitro Returning To Japanalia Eiko". The Hartford Courant. October 28, 2013. Accessed February 7, 2014.
- ↑ The Rhythm Road 2009 Bands. Jazz at Lincoln Center. Accessed February 7, 2014.