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With
her spirited jazz & swing vocal stylings, and special
connection to her audiences, Vickie Smith works regularly
with her musicians throughout the New York tri-state area at
clubs, colleges, festivals and other venues seeking upbeat
interactive musical entertainment. Spurred by audience
requests, Smith released her CD “c-Ella-brate” - a
celebration of the music and spirit of Ella Fitzgerald. The
CD contains 12 songs selected from two of her tribute shows
and currently receives both national and international
airplay. Her next CD project is due to be released this
Fall. AllAboutJazz.com
CD review by Craig W. Hurst raved: “The tour de force in
Vickie Smith’s tribute to Ella Fitzgerald is that she
delivers the songs on the recording with much the same
upbeat ebullient spirit that was a regular focus of many of
Fitzgerald’s performances.”
Vickie
contacted Buddy Bregman when she was preparing her second
Ella tribute show. Buddy was an arranger for Ella. They
corresponded via email and had never met. “One day, I was
doing a live radio interview at Joe Franklin’s Memory Lane
Restaurant in New York and there was Buddy, doing an
interview for his latest Bing Crosby tribute. He said,
“I just heard your new Ella CD, and absolutely loved it.
I know that even Ella would have been proud of it for you,
and the two of you would have gotten along famously.”
Vickie’s enthusiasm for the
music of the Swing Era is contagious.
“Vickie Smith is just
exciting,”
says the legendary Joe Franklin, of WOR AM radio. With a
sophisticated selection of tunes and arrangements that she
has a personal hand in creating, Vickie can mesmerize
audiences with a ballad, and in the next number, “She
can get into a song and she can swing. Smith obviously has
appeal,” applauds the Star-Ledger. Audiences of
all ages enjoy Vickie’s performances, and by popular demand,
she is often booked for repeat engagements. Richard
Stockton College in Pomona, NJ, recently had Vickie and her
band return to their performing arts center in a “best of
the best” jazz series. Campus Activities Director, Tom
O’Donnell, says delightedly,
“Vickie is a
tremendous hit and outstanding talent. Our students
welcomed
her back to our Night Of Jazz, held in our Performing
Arts Center. She warmed everyone’s hearts and was embraced
by our entire college community.”
Born into a
family of musicians, Vickie was raised by her mother in her
grandparents’ home in Brooklyn. Vickie grew to adore the
jazz standards that she had heard as a youngster. “My
grandparents greatly influenced my taste in music, with
loads of original 78 rpm records, an antique hand crank
victrola, and stories that brought the music to life.”
Through the years, she studied piano and violin, often
playing songs she would learn just for her grandparents.
With youthful energy,
Vickie brings the music to life once again for audiences of
all ages through her tribute projects such as “Satin Dolls,”
a loving tribute to the ladies of swing. “I want my
audiences to feel they are part of something special,
something created just for them.” After months of research
on the female vocalists of the swing era, Vickie chose four
different stylists for her show: Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah
Vaughan, Peggy Lee and Rosemary Clooney. Vickie weaves a
common thread through the stories of these lady legends -
how they each made the transition from “chick singers”
originally viewed as a novelty, to becoming well-respected
musicians at the top of their field.
Vickie Smith
presents more than just songs in her fast paced, high-energy
shows. Her varied programs showcase her multi-talents and
those of her band members. They have performed for college
communities with musical/educational tributes – highlighting
the development of vocal jazz as well as paying honor to the
jazz greats.
Vickie
studied classical voice technique with co-founder of the
Brooklyn Opera Company, Sandra Alesi. With this strong
foundation, Vickie has a warm and stellar vocal sound.
Backstage notes a “Fresh quality to her voice…scores
on high notes,” while jazz guitar legend Bucky
Pizzarelli loved the low end of her 4 octave range,
“The beauty of Vickie’s singing lies in her ability to
sing in a low register – a rare quality.”
Her latest
project, “Latin Dolls” – celebrating the jazz divas with a
spicy latin flavoring, is due to premiere this summer.
Vickie is currently doing her research and working on
special arrangements – signatured by her spirited love of
the music and authenticated by her fluency in the Spanish
language.
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