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played with everybody. Cornell is one of my favourites to show off the New Orleans funk! He’s been
playing with Jon Cleary - another of my favourite artists. Laura Chavez is on guitar. She’s just
amazing both from a rhythm perspective and from a soloist perspective. I absolutely love working
with her in a live setting, and a studio setting. William Gorman is on keys. I met him a few years
ago when I was a special guest with Joe Louis Walker at his residency in New York during the

month of December. He’s a really wonderful keys player all around. Doug Woolverton is on
trumpet. I met Doug on my very first Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. His tone is the best tone
I’ve ever heard on a trumpet! He and Mark Earley both welcomed me with open arms at all the
jams. Quinn Carson is playing trombone. I met Quinn in college. I ran into Quinn often at recording
sessions for classes where we were both contracted to play. I always admired his tone and

professionalism. Plus, he’s got the best attitude!

LL: Did you write out all the arrangements for
Laura Chavez
the tunes or did you go with spontaneous
improvisation from the players?

VC: I knew how the song should flow, of course.
Everything has to follow the story, so the form of
the tunes were laid out. I had demos for most of
the tunes, except the covers, to give an idea of
the song. From there, we chatted about specific

parts for each player. I know Laura threw in a
couple ideas that I loved. Once we had laid down
basics, I really went to town writing and
recording the background vocals and horns. It’s
amazing to hear the finished product when it all
comes together. It’s a great group to work with
and I’m so very proud of this record!

LL: I’ve been an educated female band leader
since I was in my twenties, just a few years
ago! I’ve had to work very hard due to my

gender to earn respect and be taken seriously
by my band members. What’s been your
experience?

VC: I can understand that. It’s always a hurdle at first for some reason. I think if we all just keep

doing what we love, playing and/or singing our butts off, the respect is earned at some point. That’s
my thought, anyway. I think for me, I’m very diplomatic. I want to hear other people’s ideas
because I think a healthy debate about the music can be a great thing. But I learned that my
diplomacy was taken as a sign of weakness at first! I’ve since adjusted to express what I think more
readily. I have always been introverted. Most people mistake the quiet patience for weakness.
That’s not true at all for me! I just don’t always see a need to express everything I feel in a given
moment. Sometimes it’s not the right time and sometimes I just don’t care what other people think

of my decisions, if they just feel right to me. A lot of my growth has come from trusting my gut
rather than letting anyone else lead me down a musical path without knowing where I want to go.
At the end of the day, I’m the one who gets to make the final decisions and things fall on my