Music | Valerie Gillespie

LIVE

The Valerie Gillespie Ensemble blends vocal and instrumental styles to produce an energetic sound that draws audiences in with a vide variety of familiar songs. The Ensemble features songs from such vocal artists as Nancy Wilson, Diana Krall, Shirley Horn, and instrumentalists Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, and John Coltrane, along with the classic writing of Rogers and Hart, Harold Arlen, George and Ira Gershwin, and Cole Porter. The Valerie Gillespie Ensemble gives audiences music to tap their toes to and sing along with. Audiences love to interact with the Valerie Gillespie Ensemble, as the group enjoys playing special requests and is highly motivated to fulfill the audience’s desires.

ON RECORDING

The Ensemble’s Debut CD “Branded” features straight-ahead instrumental jazz and several original tunes.
The second of the group’s CDs is entitled “Once Again” for which the title cut was co-written by Valerie and Rick Steuart. This CD features vocal solos with the Central Florida Studio Big Band and the Central Florida Studio Orchestra, along with a wide variety of jazz instrumentals covering all eras of jazz, from the 1940’s to present day.
Their CD, “It Takes a Village…”, is a live recording from April of 2005, which has instrumentals and vocals, including “Spain”, “Peel Me a Grape”, “Someone to Watch Over Me”, and “Cherokee”, and includes some solos, by our special guest, Mr. Tim George on bass.
Valerie’s fourth CD, “It Can’t Be Christmas Without You” is an answer to years of requests for a Christmas CD. The title track was written by her brother Chuck Brand, and has prompted many requests for Chuck to write grace us with more beauties of this type!
Valerie’s fifth CD is titled “A Little Rough Around The Edges”, and is comprised of some of the tunes most requested of the band, like “Over the Rainbow”, “Mack the Knife”, “It’s Not Easy Bein’ Green”, “September song”, and “Straight, No Chaser”.
Valerie’s most recent CD is entitled “Lush Life”, and it spans a wide variety of straight ahead jazz, from the beautiful title track, “Lush Life” which is a Billy Strayhorn ballad, to the high-energy samba of Dizzy Gillespie titled “Tanga”. From the traditional jazz tunes “Honeysuckle Rose”, and Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain”, to the more contemporary works of Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” and Chick Corea’s “You’re Everything”, this CD will take you on an historical jazz journey you won’t soon forget.