Acclaimed soulful blues singer/saxophonist, Vanessa Collier, makes her triumphant return to The Hamilton, 600 14th St., Saturday, January 22. Doors: 6:30pm. Showtime: 8:00pm. All ages. Tickets: $35. (Gold Seated); $20. (Seated); $10. (Standing). Info: (202) 787-1000 or visit https://www.seetickets.us/event/Vanessa-Collier/458525 to buy tickets in advance.
“Vanessa Collier was an absolute stand out at the 2021 New York State Blues Festival grand return to the State fairgrounds this past June,” writes NYSMusic.com in a review last December. “She treated Syracuse’s most intimate venue, the 443 Social Club & Lounge to a blue note-esque performance in early December. Club owner Julie B Leone told NYS Music that it was their fastest show to sell out in under 24 hours.”
Vanessa Collier: Some Background
As a seven-time Blues Music Award (BMA) nominee and a two-time BMA Award Winner for Horn Player of the Year (2020 & 2019), Vanessa Collier is excited to kick off her 2021 tour in support of her critically acclaimed, self-produced fourth album, 2020 release, Heart on the Line. In addition to her BMA awards, Vanessa is also a multi- award-winning songwriter, master musician, and multi-instrumentalist, known for seamlessly weaving together funk, soul, rock, and blues styles through soulful vocals, searing saxophone solos, and witty songwriting skills. With her career still in its infancy, Vanessa has already turned many heads, garnering tremendous accolades for her trademark high energy, powerful, fiery, and passionate live shows.
Collier started playing saxophone in the fourth grade and was in every school, all-county, and all-state band possible, while also playing AAU basketball, lettering all four years on her varsity basketball team, and graduating high school with honors. After high school, Vanessa earned a scholarship to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music, where she graduated with dual degrees in Performance and Music Production &; Engineering. Since graduating from Berklee, Vanessa has toured extensively, both nationally and internationally, and has released three critically acclaimed albums prior to Heart on the Line: 2014’s Heart, Soul & Saxophone; 2017’s Meeting My Shadow; and 2018’s Honey Up. Honey Up spent nine weeks on the Top 15 Billboard Charts, three months on the Living Blues Report, and is currently spinning on Sirius XM radio.
Vanessa says she’s happy performing on stages across the world, hoping that she can make a difference with fans and followers along the way. “I am driven to do this because I find it a total form of expression and connection,” she explains. “I love connecting with an audience and feeling their energy and I hope to inspire people to follow their dreams and passions, to find what brings them joy, and then to pursue it doggedly.” Vanessa also takes that message to young people as she runs clinics across the country and is active with Blues in the Schools programs. At a recent Blues in the School program, Vanessa invited a stage full of elementary and middle school aged kids up to dance around her while she performed a blues shuffle. Watching the joy on the faces of Vanessa, the kids, and everyone in the auditorium, it is no wonder why Vanessa has become awe-inspiring to all who meet her. On top of talent and hard work, Vanessa shares an incredible heart and a strong purpose. To borrow from the words of an article in Blues Blast Magazine, “Vanessa is an important part of the future of the blues, and it would be cool too support her journey
“Heart On The Line”: What The Press Is Saying
“On Heart on the Line, Collier’s sax playing is beautifully smooth and mercurial, timed to perfection on her brief solo, utilized powerfully elsewhere to push and lift. Throughout this set, Collier’s band are dynamic, sympathetic and inventive. Heart on the Line is not only the product of a worthy, committed individual, it is a fine blues-rock album which you should definitely check out.“
“Heart on the Line features Collier’s sax playing, beautifully smooth and mercurial, timed to perfection on her brief solo, utilized powerfully elsewhere to push and lift. Collier gives much to the blues, not only via her music, but also through clinics which she runs as part of the “Blues in the Schools” project. Heart on the Line is not only the product of a worthy, committed individual, it is a fine blues-rock album which you should definitely check out.“
“Heart on the Line is Collier’s fourth album, and it makes clear why she has won the admiration not only of Joe Louis Walker, but also of Buddy Guy, who referred to her as “amazing”. She tells a good story and plays with a good deal of energy, whether she’s playing soul or blues. On top of that, she adds vocals that are both strong and smooth. This is not only a showcase for excellent musicians, but also the soundtrack to a good time.”
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(Washington DC) – dougdeutschPR