When putting together her latest project—Sing a Song of Bird, a dynamic production that features Charlie Parker compositions with new arrangements and lyrics—Roseanna Vitro nearly wrote herself off her own album. That wasn’t intentional; she was generously making room for the contributions of other singers, including Sheila Jordan, Marion Cowings, and the late Bob Dorough. However, when Vitro started the process of submitting the album for Grammy Awards consideration, she realized that she had to be on at least 51% of the disc for it to be categorized under her name and not as Various Artists. Her husband, the accomplished recording engineer Paul Wickliffe (also the album’s producer), meticulously counted the minutes; it turned out that she was on exactly 51% of the album.
Why is Vitro willing to share the spotlight to such an extent? She says it’s because she’s always aware of, and thankful for, all the mentors and supporters she’s had in the past. In addition to having a
