Vanessa Perea & Robert Edwards - Play Date (2019)

Play Date is a collaborative project between vocalist, Vanessa Perea and trombonist, Robert Edwards.

Vanessa Perea is a jazz vocalist who embodies the tradition of the masters. She swings hard, sings beautifully with a sweeping range, and can dig into the lyrics of a song to really tell a story. She began her musical journey at the age of 10 with piano lessons and classical voice lessons at the age of 12. In high school, she was involved in school choirs, staged musicals productions and cantor at church. In a desire to continue pursuing her passion for music, Vanessa attended New Jersey City University where she studied with Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist, Roseanna Vitro, and operatic-soprano Donna Connolly obtaining a BA in Music Education. After graduating in 2010, Vanessa started working as a jazz vocalist in the NY/NJ/PA area performing with numerous ensembles. Vanessa currently lives in NYC.

Robert Edwards is one the bright new voices in jazz trombone today. Educated at The Juilliard School, Edwards' move to New York has been highlighted by performances with Jimmy Heath, Claudio Roditi, Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride, and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band. Ever striving for greater musical heights, his vigilance to be a leader in the music is realized by his debut on D Clef Records, "Sound Business". Robert leads his own quintet and big band.

"Robert Edwards is one of the future giants of the jazz trombone." - John Lee, legendary bassist and director of the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band

"Robert Edwards is a wonderful trombonist with a smooth flow of ideas and great intonation. His harmonic understanding is exemplary and his writing is strong both in the tradition and in the modern/contemporary sense. I look for a lot more from Robert in the future." - Steve Turre, Trombone Icon