Teraesa Vinson

Teraesa Vinson
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Singer Vinson belongs to exclusive club
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Singer Teraesa Vinson belongs to a very exclusive club.She is among the very few working jazz musicians who have advanced degrees other areas and have actually worked within their disciplines before turning, or returning, to music.

Teraesa Vinson [File Photo]After two years in New York City, she has just released her debut recording, "Opportunity Please Knock."But first she became a doctor of psychology.

A native of St. Louis, Mo., Vinson was drawn to music at an early age, taking classical piano lessons and participating in numerous choral groups.
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Vinson also appreciated the importance of an education beyond music.Her parents instilled the Midwestern work ethic that is largely responsible for her successful pursuit of academic excellence.Always a bookworm with many different interests, she eventually studied psychology, earning a bachelor's degree at Spelman College in Atlanta and a doctorate at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where she taught for a while after graduation.

"I taught a lot of things on humanistic theory, and I spent a lot of time with students who were sort of in-between, trying to figure out what they wanted to do with their lives.I kept telling them, ‘live your dream' and ‘follow your bliss.' After a while I thought, ‘Wow, I really need to practice what I'm preaching'."

Through a long process, studying in Gainesville with vocalist Brenda Bayne and later displaying her talents in New York City's competitive open-mike venues, including regular sessions with pianist Lafayette Harris at Harlem's famed Lenox Lounge, Vinson has managed to overcome much of the stage fright that for many years prevented her from performing solo.
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Inevitably following her bliss, Vinson moved to New York in 2002.At age 30, she maintains a day job as an administrative assistant for J.P. Morgan while developing her career in jazz.

Bayne introduced Vinson to the music and improvisational magic of singer Sheila Jordan, who later proved a major influence on the young vocalist and even arranged a couple of the tunes on "Opportunity Please Knock" (To read a review of the CD click here).
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"She's so open," Vinson said of Jordan.
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Out of necessity, Vinson and others have resorted to performing in restaurants, coffee bars and other non-traditional jazz venues.

"New York is the center of the jazz universe and it would be nice to have more opportunity."New Jersey, she said, provides some employment opportunities for musicians who live there or who don't mind the drive from the city.

Vinson doesn't rule out returning to the classroom some day, perhaps balancing a part-time teaching career and a singing career simultaneously.

Meanwhile, her colleagues at J.P. Morgan have formed a solid fan base for her live gigs and her first CD."They buy lots of drinks and the whole floor has bought my CD."

Teraesa Vinson and band at East Side Sound in New York City [Photo by Butch Berman]Shifting to a discussion of her first studio experience, she praised her veteran bandmates for their professional advice, their group arrangements and their stellar performances on the CD.
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Among the more familiar melodies given a new treatment by Vinson are "What a Difference a Day Makes," "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes," "I've Got the World on a String," "The Song is You" and "Young and Foolish."
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"That's probably the one I feel most proud of," Vinson agreed."I knew that I wanted to do something with it because it's one of my favorite pop songs.It's a really moving song that always has gotten me." As the band began to arrange and rearrange it in rehearsals, it began to take on a new life, exactly what Vinson had envisioned, and better.

Vinson considers herself fortunate to have had such a high-caliber group of musicians on her first recording, including pianist Carlton Holmes, bassist Nicki Parrott, drummer Dion Parson, guitarist Tom Dempsey and tenor saxophonist Ron Blake.
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With the first CD under her belt, Vinson is ready for the next step, broadening her audience in live performances at home and on the road.

When Teraesa Vinson taught psychology at the University of Florida, the importance of following one's dreams often came up in her lectures.Eventually, she realized that she wasn't taking her own advice."I'd always wanted to be a singer, but wasn't ready to reach out and grab it," she says."I wasn't willing to be onstage, wasn't crazy about the attention."Teaching helped her become more comfortable facing a crowd, so two years ago she traded the ivory tower for the Apple.Yet Teraesa doesn't believe her background in psychology gives her any advantage when dealing with audiences, musicians and bookers."I wish!"she says."Being a psychic would be better than being a psychologist!"Teraesa appears at Langan's in Times Square every Saturday with the Quincy Davis Trio.

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