Album Notes
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Artist's Bio
After a significant career in dramatic and musical theatre JulieV now concentrates her considerable creative energies on being a jazz vocalist. This artist is an amalgam of her work in many art forms and her embodiment of those influences in her unique jazz style engages each listener in a soulful journey accompanied by the depth and the breadth of her musical persona.
A former art major, she has married her training in bel canto vocal techniques to her understanding of composition, color, texture and form in her performance, painting tonal and rhythmical pictures that support the emotionality of each story. Her liturgical work as cantor and psalmist combined with her theatrical roots informs her deep understanding of the humanity and spirituality of each song, exploring the sacred mysteries of our existence, and conveying that knowledge directly to the listener’s soul. Julie V credits her work in improvisational theatre methods for giving her the freedom to be fully spontaneous and authentic, as she taps into her considerable emotional range. All of which is possible only because she understands and lives the human story and spirit within each piece, which ultimately is not a technique to be learned, but a wisdom earned and intrinsic to JulieV.
Her CD Something New, released in 2000, represents two conjoined personal landmarks in her continuing journey of jazz, simultaneously serving as her first CD and her first published song, Something New for which she wrote the lyrics. The composer of the tune, Bernard Scavella, is also a major collaborator, appearing on 11 of the 12 tunes contained on the CD. Since the CD’s release Julie has sung at St. Nick’s in Harlem, Pearls in San Francisco, the House of Blues in Las Vegas. Chicago performance credits include Andy’s, Lake Shore Ramada, Renaissance Hotel, Sheraton Chicago, Drake Hotel, , Redfish Voodoo Lounge, DaNicola’s, Grace O’Malley’s and the Chicago Music on Michigan Festival.
Julie’s theatrical credits include the role of Nellie Forbush in South Pacific, Heather in Getting My Act Together and Taking it On the Road, Maxine Andrews in the adaptation of Studs Terkl’s The Good War (which was subsequently aired on WFMT Radio), Patricia in Extremities, Esther in To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, Chris in Rumors, Maggie in Bailiwick Theatre’s Jeff Award winning production of Son of Fire and Annie in Speed of Darkness. In addition to her work as leader of Julie V and Company, she has appeared on stage with Gary Sinise and as featured vocalist with the Tommy McKinney Not-so-Big-Band, the Right of Way Combo, The George Koutas Ensemble, The Hugh Pieron Big Band, The Charles Morgan Trio, the Betty Dupree Trio and the Bob Johnson Trio.
