Vanessa Rubin

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Vanessa Rubin
PikiWiki Israel 7376 Vanessa Rubin Girl Talk.JPG
Background information
Born (1957-03-14) March 14, 1957 (age 66)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Genres Jazz, R&B
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active1980s–present
Labels Telarc, RCA, Novus

Vanessa Rubin (born March 14, 1957) is an American jazz vocalist.

Contents

Biography

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, to parents from Trinidad and Louisiana, Rubin grew up in a musical household. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Ohio State University. A standing ovation while she performed "God Bless the Child" at the Miss Black Central Ohio Contest convinced her to pursue a career as a singer.

Rubin returned to Cleveland, where she began singing in clubs and hotels. She formed a band of organ, guitar, vibes and drums. After moving to New York City in 1982, she performed at Sweet Basil and at the Village Vanguard with the Pharoah Sanders Quartet. She then began to study with pianist Barry Harris at his Jazz Cultural Theatre. [1]

She has worked with Kenny Barron, Lionel Hampton, the Mercer Ellington Orchestra, Cecil Bridgewater, Etta Jones, Toots Thielemans, Steve Turre, Cedar Walton, and Grover Washington, Jr. More recently she has completed international tours with Herbie Hancock, the Woody Herman Orchestra, and the Jazz Crusaders.

Rubin has been described as "an impressive song stylist with a Midas touch for challenging material", [2] and her 2019 tribute to Tadd Dameron, The Dream Is You: Vanessa Rubin Sings Tadd Dameron, was nominated for the 51st NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album. [3]

Discography

YearTitleGenreLabelBillboard
1992Soul EyesJazzNovus/RCA9 [4]
1993Pastiche10
1994I'm Glad There Is You: A Tribute to Carmen McRae22
1995Vanessa Rubin Sings
1997New HorizonsR&B, JazzRCA48
1999Language of LoveJazzTelarc
2001Girl Talk
2013Vanessa Rubin & Don Braden Full CircleCreative Perspective
2019The Dream Is You: Vanessa Rubin Sings Tadd DameronNibur

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