Valentine's Day with Veronica Swift

Description

Veronica Swift is now being recognized around the country as one of the top young jazz singers on the scene.

In the fall of 2015, she won second place at the prestigious Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition. In 2016 she was asked to perform a concert of her own at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York City and she was a guest artist with Michael Feinstein at Jazz at Lincoln Center with the Tedd Firth Big Band and Marilyn Maye and Freda Payne. Veronica's first appearance at Jazz at Lincoln Center was at age 11 when she performed at the "Women in Jazz" series at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola.

In the summer of 2016 she headlined at the Telluride Jazz Festival, her 10thappearance there - but her first as a headliner. She first appeared there at age 10 with Dave Adams' Young Razzcals Jazz Project and the great saxophonist Richie Cole and later she sang a duet with the featured artist, Paquito d'Rivera.

Veronica finished her undergraduate degree (BM in Jazz Voice) at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in December 2016, where she was a full scholarship student. It was after that that she moved to New York City, where she was almost immediately started performing every Saturday night at the legendary Birdland Jazz Club, a gig she continues to maintain when she isn't on the road.

Veronica has been on tour with her parents, renowned jazz pianist Hod O'Brien and celebrated jazz singer and educator/author Stephanie Nakasian. She has appeared on stage with Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, Esperanza Spalding, Joe Lovano, Bob Dorough, Kim Nazarian, Danilo Perez, and others. With her family she has appeared at The Great Waters Music Festival in NH, Blues Alley Jazz Club in DC, the Jazz Standard in NYC, the Jazz Cruise, and for the New Jersey and Hilton Head Jazz Societies.

Veronica recorded two CDs as a child - one at age 9 with Richie Cole and her father's rhythm section and her mother, and one at age 13 with saxophonist Harry Allen.

Her 2015 Album "Lonely Woman" features some of the hottest young jazz players on the scene including Emmet Cohen, Benny Bennack III, Daryl Johns (with whom she shared the Grammy Choir/Band experience), Matt Wigler, and Scott Lowrie.

In addition to performing the Great American Songbook and Bebop and Vocalese classics, Veronica is also a passionate devotee of 20s and 30s music and has sung with Vince Giordano, Terry Waldo, and Drew Nugent.

Veronica will record her next album for release this year, which will feature the great pianist Benny Green and his trio.