WMU alum to Jazz up the Union this Sunday

By Kelsey Joachim
Western Herald

This Sunday, the Union will present Alycia Duprey-Vince, a jazz singer, vocal artist, and Western alum, for the special CD release of her first jazz album, “If It Wasn’t For You.”

Originally from Sheridan, Wyo., Duprey-Vince attended the Western Michigan University’s School of Music on a jazz scholarship.

“I did get full rides to other schools, but what really drew me to Western was Professor Sunny Wilkinson, one of my teachers,” Duprey-Vince said.

Gold Company, the vocal jazz group at WMU also helped with her decision to come to Western.  Duprey-Vince she was able to spend three years in the ensemble.

“I truly enjoyed my experience at Western,” Duprey-Vice said. “I got a very well-rounded education and was always encouraged to get out into the community and perform. I graduated with real life experience and didn’t go out into the real world blind and confused.”

Duprey-Vice traveled with Gold Company around the country, including several trips to New York City to perform and solo in Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

“Performing with Gold Company in New York, especially as a soloist, was enlivening; I felt like a real deal musician, there’s nothing like it,” Duprey-Vince said. “It’s one thing to perform in a large choir but to be one of 16 people and solo is totally irreplaceable.”

Duprey-Vince was featured as the vocalist and co-manager of a Portuguese Brazilian band and toured to Cleveland, Ohio for performances with The Brazil Project with Jamey Haddad and Tom Knific.

Through these various experiences, she has shared the stage and performed with jazz artists such as Fred Hersch, Bobby McFerrin, Billy Hart, Sunny Wilkinson, and Janis Segal.

“Each one of those experiences were wonderful,” Duprey-Vince said. “When I performed with those artists, I got to see who they were and learn from them by just being on the same stage. It was encouraging and a challenge to make myself perform at their level, of course not be able to reach it, but just to be on the stage working with them and getting better.”

“Performing with Bobby McFerrin, being two feet from him, shoulder to shoulder, was a real live experience that will never be replaced,” Duprey-Vince added.

After Duprey-Vince graduated from college, she took part in many albums such as “All I Need” for Brian Fraaza and “Parallels” with Drew Raklovits. She was also asked to write for and join Ryan Andrews on his new CD, “Requiem.”

“Writing and performing others albums was a learning experience and wonderful, but it is nothing like writing your own,” Duprey-Vince said.

Duprey-Vince is now finishing her own album, “If It Wasn’t For You”. The album consists of two of Alycia’s original pieces as well as recognizable standards. All songs are arranged in the form of duo performances, with Duprey-Vince providing vocals and an instrumentalist collaborating.

“The main difference between writing for others and actually making my own album was communication,” Duprey-Vince said. “This time, I got to give my audience specifically what I want them to hear and be able to enjoy.

Music is a great communication tool, music hits different parts in people’s hearts and to be able to tap into this via something that I put down is an amazing emotional feeling.”

Duprey-Vince stated that the album is her attempt to return to the basics of music making.

“I wanted to get back to honest music making,” Duprey-Vince said. “I know so many audio artists who can make anyone sound good. The way I made this album was 2-track live recording – push start, perform for six to seven minutes, then push stop and take the best parts, being as honest as possible. The way we sound on our track is what you will hear live, we are who we are.”

Duprey-Vince’s inspirations come from various experiences. One track, called “Surface Lullaby,” is about living in Kalamazoo and trying to figure things out.

Another song was written while she was on her honeymoon, hiking.

“Walking along the Appellation mountain trails, the song just came to me,” Duprey-Vince said.

Alycia Duprey-Vince will perform at the Union on Sunday, Feb. 28, at 4 p.m.

“It is great to see culture and community in Kalamazoo especially using live music to cultivate that specifically,” Duprey-Vince said. “It doesn’t matter what is going on in peoples personal lives, they come out to support live music. I am very excited to come home and sing to my home crowd again.”

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Posted by kleonard on Feb 25 2010. Filed under A & E, Weekend Scene. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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