Judi Vinar is a singer’s singer. Her skills and her collaborative spirit have made her an in-demand vocalist and vocal instructor nationwide. She dropped by Jazz88 to discuss her upcoming shows with Dennis Spears and the Wolverines Jazz Trio at The Capri Theater on Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6. Vinar talked about maintaining her calm, her longtime collaborators the Wolverines and more.
This interview originally aired on The Afternoon Cruise on 3/26/25
READ THE COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT BELOW:
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
It’s the Afternoon Cruise today. I’m visiting with Judi Vinar, a vocalist who’s on an upcoming show at the Capri theater called Thrown to the Wolves. The concert celebrates the legendary sounds of Harlem’s Golden Era, and it takes place at the Capri in Minneapolis on Saturday, April 5 at 7pm and Sunday, April 6 at 3pm Judi Vinar, thank you for visiting with jazz 88
Judi Vinar
Thank you. Sean mcpherseMan!
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
now, Judi, I’ve had the honor of seeing you sing a great variety of music, and one thing you really exude is comfort and enthusiasm, which can often be hard to do at the same time. Like I’ve seen you really bring this, like spirit and energy. And also I would like if I took your blood pressure, I better be really calm, like you always have this sense of like I can handle this. Wow. Thanks. Yeah, I think it’s very important. I remember actually seeing you in a master class with Bobby McFerrin, who you’ve done a lot of work with, and you both were talking about how to keep yourself calm in these moments of potential high intensity, so you can deliver artistic intensity, but actually keeping sort of, your body regulated. And I see you do that whenever I see you sing Thank you. When you have something as exciting as, sort of, the Cotton Club, the Harlem energy, all of that, how do you keep that calm that might be easier to broadcast if you’re singing, you know, a low ballad, but you’re now, you’re really cooking the band’s really cooking. How do you make sure that you still have the calm at you need to deliver?
Judi Vinar
well, I guess my first, the first answer that comes to mind is that I put the music in front and if I just consider it being what’s on stage, and my job is to be the vehicle, then I stay in it. And so no matter what the groove, if it’s a ballad or an uptune, and it will we’ll do both. We’ll do some screaming, fast things, and hopefully we’ll slow down and do some beautiful ballads. And but if you internalize the groove, and a lot of singers don’t necessarily think from this perspective, but I think of everything from the neck down as being my own drummer, and that stabilizes everything I’m going to do as a singer, because the groove supplies me, and then I can just freely fly, if you would, with it already inside of me. So it works. And of course, when you’re with a band like the wolves, in fact, they were my first swing band, so they were the ones that taught me that that, you know, you could not escape that groove when you’re on stage with the Wolverines. And I learned very fast to just sink in and go, you know. And it always works out better that way.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
Let’s talk a little bit about the Wolverines. Rick Carlson has been a huge part of the jazz scene as a member of the Wolverines and beyond as a pianist, and he plays all the time at crooners at the Maggie’s lounge. He seems to not only be a favorite among musicians and listeners in general, but uniquely a favorite among singers. So I wanted to ask you’ve played with countless pianists. What do you think makes him one of the favorite players for that singers want to work with?
Judi Vinar
Well he has, he is one of my favorite pianists, and I still play with him a lot at Maggie’s. In fact, it’s one of my favorite gigs, because he and I just play all night. I mean, we play, play, we paint. You know, we just have so much fun, and we know each other so well after 30 some years. But he’s got all the chops. He needs to be a fancy pianist, and then he chooses them so wisely. He’s such a minimalist, so there’s room for it to be a duet, gotcha. And so I think most great accompanists think of themselves as part of a duet, and I know he’s got one ear on me and one ear on the piano.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
It is the afternoon cruise. I’m chatting with Judi Vinar. She’s preparing for two shows next weekend. That’s April, 5 and 6th at the Capri theater. The show is called thrown to the wolves, and it celebrates the sound and scene of the Cotton Club in Harlem in the 1940s now, Judy, you’re going to be sharing the show vocally with Dennis Spears, who’s a celebrated vocalist, and he’s also curating the show, and he has probably delivered me the most smiles in the fewest minutes when I’ve had him in the booth here, because he is just such a joy. What do you enjoy about singing with Dennis?
Judi Vinar
Oh, look so when I started back in the 90s, I was not really a jazz singer at all. I was a folky and a musical theater and pop music and this and I stalked the Wolverines for about a year when Charmin Michelle was their Wednesday girl, and Dennis was there quite often. So for the first several years, I learned so much from Dennis. He’s a lyric genius. He took lyric improvisation to a whole new place, and I could still probably remember every word he he related route 66 to the streets in Minneapolis. You know, I mean, just, just nuts. And of course, he’s a towering. Gorgeous person who just emulates joy and whatever it is the song wants him to emulate. I think he’s fantastic, and I’m really glad we became friends over these last decades. Everything’s decades now, but his voice. You know, you can compare him to Lou Rawls, or you can compare him to neck and Cole, but he’s really Dennis. To me, he’s got his own thing that stands apart from everybody else, which I love most about him. He’s got his own signature. He’s not a jukebox by any stretch.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
Judi, I asked you a little bit about what people love about working with Rick Carlson, I would say you are the inverse of that instrumentalist. Love working with you, right? You. Thank you. To me, you are known as somebody, and I’ve, you know, I’ve been around for some time as well, just somebody who sort of brings a musician’s mentality, a player’s mentality, to the world of singing and things like that. How, how did you get there? You come into town more as a folky, and you start studying and hanging out and seeing what’s going on. And now, at this point, players of many different genres just adore interacting with you, supporting you and collaborating with you. How do you think you got to being one of those really valued collaborators?
Judi Vinar
Well, first of all, I blush at that. I’m so grateful that you feel that way, and that’s what I hope to be. Certainly, I think it’s because I just dig music so much, and I like to get deeper into the song. I don’t like to stop at the melody and the lyric. And I’m also not really a show busy person, so I I choose not to think about that so much and and a lot of people do quite well, as you know, performing artists, you know, and, and maybe better than me. It’s not that I’m making a judgment. We all have different paths, but I just always wanted to be the smartest singer I could be, and I am nowhere near being done. Just today, I was transcribing a Bobby McFerrin tune from bangzoom, and it’s kicking me. The rhythms he sings is kicking me. And I’m so happy. So this is the mentality that I bring, I suppose, to the gig. And I’ve learned as much or more from players than I have from singers. And that might be it that we have a connection. You know, we have a companionship. I admire players, Holy cats. I wish I could do what they do.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
Judi Vinar, taking the stage of the Capri theater, April 5 and April 6. It’s for a show called throne to the wolves. It’s going to feature the Wolverines jazz trio as well as Dennis Spears and Judi herself. Judi, thank you so much for taking time to visit with jazz88 and good luck on the shows which are coming up in early April.
Judi Vinar
Thank you, Sean, come and see the show!
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