Vocal Jazz Clinics

In Tune And On Time; The Art of Vocal Jazz:  A vocal workshop emphasizing the defining elements of jazz singing.  I begin with mental imaging, breathing and stretching exercises, straight into a vocal technique warm up, complete with placement, long tones and tongue stretching exercises.   Once the class is warmed up, I take the vocalists on a run through of ear training exercises in time.   Each workshop is age and experience specific.  After a conversation with the teacher, I  create a package which contains a work packet and a cd. consisting of exercises, vocalese and bebop solos with backgrounds for your students to practice with after the workshop is over.  This has been very successful for me with opera students, jazz students, and high school choir students in the U.S. and abroad.

*New Workshop*: What it Takes to be an Artist: “The only thing you can rely on is change”.  Music as a business can be a daunting proposition to even the most disciplined and organized student.   The art of vocal jazz is finally being taught in conservatories all over the world, but the landscape has changed significantly in the past five years.  I will discuss the options in today’s market place and prepare your students for the reality they face as an artist.  “All things are Possible with a Positive Attitude and Hard Work”.

Jazz: Yesterday And Today:  A one-hour dvd overview on the history of jazz, including highlights from Ken Burns celebrated multi-part PBS series.  This is an excellent presentation for conservatories and high schools who do not have jazz programs.   This workshop is excellent for a sixty to ninety minute class period,  followed by an afternoon or evening concert with my trio or your teachers and/or your big band.  I have several great charts written by Kenny Werner and Pete McGuiness that will invite the joy and approval of a faculty or student body who are not familiar with the great American art form of jazz.

Vocalists Are From Venus, Instrumentalists Are From Mars: Skills in Communication: A workshop detailing the keys for successful interplay among singers and instrumentalists on the bandstand and in rehearsals.  This workshop is also excellent for instrumentalists.  I address issues such as: clairvoyance doesn’t work with musicians in rehearsal or on the bandstand; the importance of mutual respect, how to get it and give it;  how much money do you pay for rehearsals and gigs and how to prepare for your shows.

Making a Recording: I have recorded eleven critically acclaimed cd.’s with some of the best musicians in jazz.  I 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 d. where you can place your music.

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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’ Some 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 Americana: 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 and Aaru, Switzerland Youth Orchestra April 2010.

Workshops: