 |

Vicki
Burns
is a jazz singer who's been delighting audiences in the Bay Area
for the past 10 years. A vocalist with impeccable taste, a sure
sense of rhythm and a glorious tone, she infuses each song with
heartfelt expression, digging into the lyrics and melody for their
richest interpretation. No wonder the great jazz drummer Max Roach
once described Vicki’s singing as "a gold mine"!
Others have variously described Vicki’s vocals as
"spectacular, yet soothing" and "smooth as
silk." Originally from New England, she brings her unique
song styling to clubs, concerts and special events throughout the
San Francisco Area.
|
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Some of Vicki’s past performing highlights include singing with
the great jazz drummer, Alan Dawson, for the Martin Luther King
Jr. "Journey into a Dream" Concert series in Boston in
1986 and opening for Billy Taylor and Max Roach the same year in
the "Bright Moments" Concert series in Amherst, MA. She
performed regularly at these prominent Boston area jazz clubs
throughout the 80’s: Ryles, 1369 Club, the Starlight Roof and
the Turtle Café. In 1985 she was featured on "Music
America", a syndicated WGBH broadcast hosted by Ron D’Ella
Chiesa.
Since moving
to the Bay Area in 1989, Vicki has performed at Garden City in San
Jose, The San Jose Museum of Art’s "Women in Jazz"
series, in a featured spot in the San Jose Jazz Festival in 1993,
The Great American Music Hall with the Oakland Jazz Choir in 1996,
Kimball’s East in 1996 with Madeline Eastman and the Oakland
Jazz Choir and "The Jazz and All That" Festival on the
Fillmore in July of 1996.
From June to
October of 1998, Vicki was featured at Sweet Jimmie’s, a
legendary jazz and blues club in Oakland, CA. In 1999, she
performed regularly at Dillard’s, also in Oakland. Currently,
Vicki sings at Voulez-Vous and Anna’s, both in Berkeley, CA and
at Café Prague and Circadia in San Francisco. She is also a
featured vocalist at Slate’s Jazz Club in Walnut Creek.
|
|
NOTABLE QUOTES
"Vicki Burns’ singing is a goldmine."

-- Legendary jazz drummer Max Roach
"She
has an exceptional range, impeccable intonation, a great sense of
swing and a great repertoire."

-- Smith Dobson, Bay Area jazz
pianist & community leader
"Vicki
Burns has it all, wonderful, warm sound, great time, perfect
intonation, and the mature rendering of the songs. Her
musicianship is always evident."

-- Bill Douglass, premier Bay Area bassist (Marion
McPartland, Paula West)
"...[Siren
Song] is a captivating 11-song collection that delves into an
emotional zone of haunting enchantment that is seldom explored...
Ms. Burns succeeds with rapturous, mystical beauty."

-- Dan Ouellette, Jazz editor, Schwann Inside;
contributing writer: Down Beat, Stereophile, San Francisco
Chronicle
|
|
In the next few months, Vicki will release her first CD, which
features original music, lyrics and arrangements of both familiar
and unusual standards. Entitled "Siren Song," the CD is
produced by Vicki and the acclaimed flugelhornist, Dmitri Matheny,
who also arranged some of the material. Dmitri describes Vicki’s
voice as a "wonderful, rich instrument" and says that it
was a "pleasure to work with her on this project"! Jazz
critic Dan Ouellette says of Vicki’s debut recording that she
"succeeds with rapturous, mystical beauty."
> E-mail
Vicki at sirensong2001@yahoo.com
|