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Roseanna Vitro

Having toured the world as an esteemed performer, clinician, recording artist, vocal instructor and ambassador, she has proven herself a reigning member of the jazz community. Her collaborations, covering a wide range of music and stylistic directions, have been cited and celebrated, far and wide.

Roseanna is a soulful communicator, showcasing a thirst for swinging hard and possessing an ear for melodic invention. Her strengths include rhythmic acuity and free-spirited spontaneity, often heard in her improvisations, using both scat syllables and lyrics.

Ms. Vitro’s signature energy and grace can be heard on a host of recordings, notable among them, her breakout recording on Telarc (Passion Dance), which featured Elvin Jones, Christian McBride and longtime musical partner, Kenny Werner, and compelling tributes to Ray Charles (Catchin’ Some Rays), Bill Evans (Conviction), and Brazil (Tropical Postcards), The Delirium Blues Project: Serve or Suffer on Half Note Records, 2008- is a live, blues-based recording of jazz and pop repertoire featuring Kenny Werner’s arrangements and an all-star band of Kenny Werner, James Carter, Randy Brecker, Ray Anderson, Adam Rogers, John Patitucci, Rocky Bryant, Geoff Countryman. In 2010, Roseanna formed the RNP Band (Randy Newman Project Group) with Mark Soskin, piano and arranging, Sara Caswell, Violin, Dean Johnson, Bass and Tim Horner drums. After many hours of research and rehearsals, “The Music of Randy Newman” was released by Motema Music. In 2011, “The Music of Randy Newman” was nominated for best vocal jazz album. In 2012, Roseanna Vitro and Mark Soskin turned their attention in a new direction to the late, great Clare Fisher’s songbook. A musician’s musician, Clare is renown for his harmonic and melodic depth. Clarity, The Music of Clare Fischer is slated for release on Random Act Records on September 30th, 2014. Six new songs brought to life with lyrics by Paul Wickliffe (Roseanna’s husband and recording engineer), Roger Schore and Cheryl Pyle.

Her band mates – on stage and in the studio – have included Kenny Werner, Fred Hersch, George Coleman, ‘Fathead Newman,’ Eddie Gomez, Arnett Cobb, Elvin Jones, Kenny Barron, Joe Lovano, Christian McBride, Eddie Daniels, Joey Baron, Al Foster, Rufus Reid, Buster Williams, Ben Riley, Allen Farnham, Dean Johnson, Tim Horner, Mark Soskin, Sara Caswell, Randy Brecker, Ray Anderson, Adam Rogers, John Patitucci, Mino Cinelu.

Having served as an official Jazz Ambassador, sponsored in 2009 by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. State Department and in 2004 by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the U.S. State Department, she has presented concerts and workshops around the world. Her celebrated performance in the Jazzaar 2010 – The Aargau Youth Pops Orchestra playing The Great American Songbook, (arranged by Bob Freedman – and Kevin Field conductor in Aarau, Switzerland will be aired on Swiss PBS Concert Series in 2011. The Maribor Philharmonic in Slovenia was a televised Christmas ‘Special’ in Eastern Europe in 2001 . Her studies of Indian vocal technique are documented in an article, “From Bebop To Bombay,” heralded by the International Association For Jazz Education Magazine.

Roseanna Vitro at Jazz at the Joint

by C. Michael Bailey
June 20, 2022

Roseanna Vitro Jazz At The Joint North Little Rock, AR May 9, 2021 In Arkansas, when Spring smiles, she reveals a gold incisor of Summer, promising humid warmth and languid pace. So it was entering The Joint Comedy Theater in North Little Rock, on May 9. However, on the second Monday of each month, The Joint Comedy Theater transforms into Jazz at the Joint, a series presented by guitarist Ted Ludwig, who brings in top-drawer ...

Bailey's Bundles

Jazz Vocals 2021

by C. Michael Bailey
December 19, 2021

Here are some notable jazz recordings heard this past year. Roseanna Vitro Sing a Song of Bird Skyline Records 2021 This release addresses jazz vocalese using Charlie Parker's music and is crafted by field expert, Roseanna Vitro while being recorded in two sessions (with two separate bands) on either ostensible side of the COVID-19 pandemic. Vocally (and temporally) joining Vitro are the late Bob Dorough, Sheila Jordan and Marion Cowings. Spiritually, lyricist/singer giants ...

Album Review

Roseanna Vitro: Sing a Song of Bird

Read "Sing a Song of Bird" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
November 2, 2021

Roseanne Vitro is one of those jazz singers who falls into the category of “I recognize the voice, but I just can't seem to place her." She has more than a respectable discography which stretches back to 1982, when she released her debut album Listen Here for the Texas Rose label. Her fall 2021 album, Sing A Song Of Bird, is a combination of abundance of attitude and perseverance, since it is composed of two separate sessions (one recorded in ...

Radio & Podcasts

New Releases Plus A Special Birthday Shoutout For A Broad Spectrum

by Mary Foster Conklin
March 8, 2021

Happy fifth birthday to A Broad Spectrum! Nice to celebrate a milestone after almost a year of remote broadcasting but better times are coming. Music remains a healing force. This broadcast includes new releases from Roseanna Vitro, Out To Dinner, Peter Eldridge, Charles McPherson, Georgia Mancio & Alan Broadbent and Idit Shner with birthday shout outs to Ida Cox, Roseanna Vitro, Claire Daly, Kellye Gray, Sara Serpa, Svetlana and Mayu Saeki, among others. Thanks as always for your support.

Album Review

Roseanna Vitro: Listen Here

Read "Listen Here" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
January 26, 2021

Roseanna Vitro is a singer's singer in the same way as Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae. She is a studied practitioner of the jazz vocal arts, an interpreter, performer, educator. Her repertoire, taste, and vocal chops are beyond compare. Vitro's ability has evolved horizontally and vertically over 14 recordings and nearly 40 years. The singer's most recent release, Tell Me The Truth (Skyline, 2018), was thematically devoted to the rich music of the American South where Vitro capably migrates from ...

Album Review

Roseanna Vitro: Tell Me The Truth

Read "Tell Me The Truth" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
August 20, 2018

It is completely fitting that vocalist Roseanna Vitro conceive of and release a recording devoted to the music of the American South. But, this is not just any thoughtlessly-assembled concept recording. Vitro is the master of intelligently programmed and produced thematic albums as evidenced by: Catching Some Rays: The Music of Ray Charles (Telarc, 1997); The Time of My Life: Roseanna Vitro Sings the Songs of Steve Allen (Seabreeze, 1999); Conviction: Thoughts of Bill Evans (A Records, 2001); The Delirium ...

Album Review

Roseanna Vitro: Clarity: Music of Clare Fischer

Read "Clarity: Music of Clare Fischer" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
September 29, 2014

Roseanna Vitro is a “singer's singer." What does that mean? It means she is so excellent and still warranting much more attention. Her deep and precise alto is perfectly tuned and balanced. Her phrasing is textbook. This is what a jazz singer sounds like. But Vitro's skill set does not stop at vocal prowess. She is also a crack arranger, programmer and music journalist. That is a wealth of grace and talent from Hot Springs, Arkansas. Vitro's ...

Recording

Famed Vocalist Roseanna Vitro Releases 'Sing A Song Of Bird Feat. Sheila Jordan, Bob Dorough, Marion Cowings

Source: Mouthpiece Music
September 22, 2021

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 ...
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Recording

Grammy-Nominated Vocalist Roseanna Vitro Reissues 1984 Debut Album, 'Listen Here,' Feat. Kenny Barron Trio

Source: Mouthpiece Music
January 14, 2021

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 ...
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Performance / Tour

Jazz this week: Sean Jones, Sylvie Courvoisier & Mark Feldman, Roseanna Vitro, and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
December 3, 2015

Even as presenters prepare to go into full holiday mode, it's going to be be a busy week for jazz and creative music in and around St. Louis, with visits from several major touring musicians in the next few days, plus special seasonal performances from a number of local favorites. Let's go to the highlights... Wednesday, December 2 Trumpeter Sean Jones returns to Jazz at the Bistro for the first evening of a four-night engagement in which he'll be recording ...
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Video / DVD

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Six from Roseanna Vitro

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
November 28, 2015

This week, the StLJN video spotlight shines on singer Roseanna Vitro, who will be visiting St. Louis to perform next Saturday, December 5 at the Ozark Theatre. She'll be accompanied by a band of St. Louis musicians including pianist Kim Portnoy, bassist Ric Vice, tenor saxophonist Jeff Anderson, drummer Clancy Newell, and trumpeter Danny Campbell. Originally from Arkansas, Vitro began her career in the 1970s while living in Houston, working with the veteran tenor saxophonist Arnett Cobb. She moved to ...
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Recording

Vocalist Roseanna Vitro Follows Up Her 2011 Grammy-nominated Randy Newman CD With "Clarity: Music Of Clare Fischer," Due Sept. 30

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity
September 3, 2014

The richly harmonic, deeply melodic music of pianist and composer/arranger Clare Fischer (1928-2012) has proven to be fertile terrain for many jazz and pop artists over the last half-century. Vocalist Roseanna Vitro puts her passionate stamp on nine of Fischer’s compositions (and a favorite of his by Ary Barroso) on her gorgeous new CD Clarity: Music of Clare Fischer, which will be released September 30 by Random Act Records. As on her 2011 Grammy-nominated disc, The Music of Randy Newman, ...
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Festival

Jazz This Week: Roseanna Vitro, U City Jazz Festival, a Tribute to Cannonball Adderley, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
September 6, 2013

While the music news in jny: St. Louis this weekend may be dominated by the annual LouFest in Forest Park, and the tribute to the late singer-songwriter Bob Reuter on Sunday at the Casa Loma Ballroom, there's will be plenty for local fans of jazz and creative music to do over the next few days, too. Let's go to the highlights... Tonight, trumpeter and singer Dawn Weber plays at Herbie's Vintage 72; fusion band The Freedom performs at the Rustic ...
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Interview

Singer Roseanna Vitro Interviewed at All About Jazz!

Source: John Kelman
August 1, 2011

While the back panel of vocalist Roseanna Vitro's The Music Of Randy Newman (Motéma, 2011) says “File Under: Jazz/Pop/Vocals," those labels don't do her justice. Vitro's vocals are a conduit to the very core of American music—from blues and rock to soul and jazz—and her recorded output over the past three decades speaks to her talents and wide-ranging abilities in all of these arenas. Some vocalists who have been dubbed “jazz singers" are afraid to move outside of the borders ...
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Recording

Vocalist Roseanna Vitro Debuts on Motema Music with "The Music of Randy Newman" May 17

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity
April 20, 2011

With the release on May 17 of The Music of Randy Newman, her debut CD for Motema Music, Roseanna Vitro stakes a claim as the first jazz vocalist to explore the richly melodic, sharply observant Randy Newman songbook. Having previously covered the music of American icons Ray Charles and Bill Evans in acclaimed album-length projects, Vitro relished the challenge of selecting material from Newman's vast catalog. “What I love about Randy Newman is his ability to tell a story, and ...
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Festival

Sailing Away ... to Lake George (Roseanna Vitro, Mark Soskin, Christian Scott)

Source: RJ on Jazz by R.J. DeLuke
September 26, 2010

Blogging again. (apologies for the gap in submissions. Hectic summer with other things to deal with. Nuff said.) The festival season in the Northeast has wound down, but came to a nice end in lake George, NY, with the village's annual Jazz Weekend. It featured outstanding musicians like David Amran, Buster Williams—who carried Mulgrew Miller, Cindy Blackman and Stefon Harris in his band—and newcomer Sharel Cassity. But one of the most interesting bookings was the Randy Newman Project, featuring the ...
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Performance / Tour

Roseanna Vitro at the Deer Head Inn on May 21st

Source: All About Jazz
May 17, 2010

The famous Deer Head Inn in the small village of Delaware Water Gap is a hot jazz venue located in the serene and beautiful Pocono Mountains. Unpretentious, great food, and lovely rooms. Live jazz Thursday through Sunday. Check the Deerhead Inn's web site for current acts and for information about our jazz weekend packages.

Coming Soon

Friday, May 21, 7 to 11 pm, music charge $5 Bill Goodwin's “Bop Stew" with Special Guest Roseanna Vitro “The ...
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Vitro sings with flawless intonation, pitch-perfect flowing lines and the ability to make the meaning of a song’s lyrics resonate. She exudes plenty of soul and exuberant delight in the storytelling elements of every song she sings. —Owen McNally, Hartford Courant 2013

“Roseanna’s voice is better than ever, more personal, more HER like no one else can be. She’s mostly singing songs we haven’t heard before, but all of Fischer’s breezy songs immediately sound so tunefully familiar. All the playing is lovely, and Sara Caswell’s little counterpoints are the secret weapon. CLARITY is all very enjoyable, enough that one wants to listen to it all again." —Michael Bourne, DJ. WBGO Singers Unlimited, Journalist Downbeat

“Roseanna’s brilliance as a singer, arranger and conceptualist shines through on Clarity, as does her collaboration with the equally brilliant violinist Sara Caswell… a partnership that first blossomed on her excellent Grammy nominated Randy Newman tribute of 2011.” —Jana Herzen, Recording Artist and CEO Motema Music

The Music of Randy Newman

Roseanna Vitro's silky smooth mezzo voice shines in every song on The Music of Randy Newman. From her sultry low end to her belting high notes, her delivery is right on time. Even more impressive, her 'scat' vocalizing is as perfect as any instrumental solo on the album, such as the piano and violin work on “Last Night I Had a Dream.” She's a great jazz singer who brings a lot of heart to her craft.

The Delirium Blues Project

"With her silken yet powerful pipes, Vitro ignites titles such as “Half Moon,“ Jon Hendrick's “ Blue” and Mose Allison's “Everybody's Cryin' Mercy” ...(with) Vitro's scorched- earth readings...(these) rise to the level of widescreen classics." —Ken Micallef, Downbeat (2008)

“Live at the Kennedy Center” top Jazz Albums of 2006." —Herb Wong, IAJE Journal (2007)

“Vitro is a real Jazz singer in the tradition of Ella Fitzgerald. She understands the tradition of “scat', (her scat-improvisation reminds me of Clark Terry and Leon Thomas). But she never looses sight of the sense and content of her songs." —Stephen Richter, Fono Forum (2006)

“This Washington performance is full of vitality and risk, yet avoids falling into the trap of jumping through hoops. With the pianist Kenny Werner leading a thoroughbred trio, the high point is a searching version of Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going to Rain Today." Vitro isn't the first jazz singer to be tempted by it, but this is the definitive version." —Clive Davis, The Times of London (2006)

“Highly respected vocalist/educator Roseanna Vitro's art equates to untainted class. With jazz piano great Kenny Werner and a crack rhythm section blazing forth, Ms Vitro's impeccable diction, depth and sensitivity strikes a distinct chord here.” —Glen Astarita, All About Jazz (2006)

“Vitro's voice is an extraordinarily versatile instrument. Her rendering of Randy Newman's touching "I Think It's Going to Rain Today," for example, displayed a dark, honeyed sound, simmering with just enough edge to emphasize the song's enigmatic lyrics.” ——Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times (2007)

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Primary Instrument

Vocals

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

Phone 732-271-5979 skyline productions

Vocal Chair for the Vocal Jazz Program at New Jersey City University (1998 to present)

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (2001 -2013)

Clinic/Workshop Information

Primary Instrument

Vocals

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

Phone 732-271-5979 skyline productions

Vocal Chair for the Vocal Jazz Program at New Jersey City University (1998 to present)

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (2001 -2013)

Clinic/Workshop Information

Vocal Clinics/Masterclasses Para Phrasing- The Art of Improvising with lyrics Jazz and Singing - An overview of the history of vocal jazz as it relates to American History and politics. The personalities and their art. The Business of Music The world has changed significantly in the past five years. Learn how to produce your cd., promote your music and how to stay positive. Vocal Jazz Clinics In Tune And On Time: The Art of Vocal Jazz - A vocal workshop emphasizing the defining elements of jazz singing, Jazz: Yesterday And Today - A one-hour dvd overview on the history of jazz, including highlights from Ken Burns celebrated multi-part PBS series. Vocalists Are From Venus, Instrumentalists Are From Mars: Skills in Communication – A workshop detailing the keys for successful interplay among singers and bandmates. Making a Recording - Roseanna Vitro has recorded eleven critically acclaimed cd.'s. She will guide your students through: a.choosing material b. your band c. organizing rehearsals and your session d. saving money and making a great product Performances and Programs (Duos, Small Groups, Big Bands, Orchestras) Conviction: Thoughts of Bill Evans; A Program featuring Bill Evans material. Sarah, Carmen, Ella, Joe - Ms. Vitro essays and interprets the greatest works associated with legendary jazz vocalists, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Ella Fitzgerald, and Joe Williams. Catchin’ Rays: The Music of Ray Charles – A spirited evening of soulful stylings, drawn from Ms. Vitro’s classic Telarc recording, with charts from Kenny Werner, featuring such classics as “One Mint Julep,” “Unchain My Heart,” “Lonely Avenue,” and more. New Jazz Standards – Ms. Vitro illuminates the great American songs and songwriters from our most recent past. Compositions by Tom Harrell, McCoy Tyner, Benny Golson, Horace Silver, and Cedar Walton. Delirium Blues – Ms. Vitro extols and examines the blues, from rustic to refined, Tower of Power to Joni Mitchell and Mose Allison. Four horns, a guitar and rhythm section a must for this show! Tropical Postcards– The music of Brazil, its rhythms, its buoyancy, melodies and lyrics of Antono Carlos Jobim, Dori Caymi, Ivan Lins, and Milton Nascimento. The Art of The Big Band – Ms Vitro joins forces with your big band, swinging through an evening of great arrangements by Kenny Werner, including “Whisper Not,” “Freedom Jazz Dance,” “In a Sentimental Mood,” and “Passion Dance,” among others. Orchestral Grandeur – A program rich in Americana, “Blue Skies,” “Old Devil Moon,” “Dreamsville,” plus the Brazilian majesty of Milton Nascimento’s “Cancao Do Sal” and Joni Mitchell’s “The Circle Game”. This program was a televised Christmas special in Slovenia in 2001.

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