VANESSA TRIEN’S ‘HOT AIR BALLOON,' IS SET TO TAKE OFF!

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Independent recording artist Vanessa Trien’s new studio CD, ‘Hot Air Balloon’ (Fox Run Records), is set for a January 10 release, marking this Boston-based singer-songwriter’s entry into the world of children’s music. ‘Hot Air Balloon’ is a get-up-and-dance mix of blues, pop, bluegrass, acoustic folk, country, Chuck Berry-style rock ‘n’ roll and Harry Belafonte-esque tropical sounds, all tied together with Vanessa Trien’s clear, lyrical, easy-to-sing-along-with voice and creative lyrics that go right to the heart of children’s imaginations. Vanessa Trien has been crisscrossing musical borders since she hit the scene as a pro in 1992. While grounded in the acoustic folk genre, she has assimilated her own style, shifting effortlessly through an eclectic bag of influences: folk, blues, jazz standards, Brazilian samba and Eighties pop.

Expanding her horizons to include kid-friendly music came naturally. Trien notes, “Inspired by the Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine, ’ I wanted to create a recording that appeals to both big people and little people, one that presents imaginative lyrics with interesting instrumentation in a variety of musical styles that wear well with repeated listening. Neale Eckstein (the album’s producer) and I basically followed our instincts, which led us down many musical roads to arrive at this collection of songs that feels like the real me. I was actually about to record another acoustic folk CD when I learned I was pregnant. That’s when my heart pulled me into finally recording the children’s album I had dreamed of.”

Characterized by layers of sound, ‘Hot Air Balloon’ takes listeners on a musical journey of contrasting styles with smooth connections. Highlights include “Hello World, ” the pop ballad of the album; “Island in the Sun, ” a guitar samba that’s an ode to the ‘Free to Be You and Me’ recording; the double-time rap of “Backward Alphabet Craze;” “End of the Line, ” a bluegrass original reminiscent of Flatt and Scruggs; “Rockin’ Rocket, ” a really rockin’ 12-bar blues; the Caribbean flavored “Bluenanas and Bananaberries;” “Dance Your Blues Away, ” an 8-to-the-bar boogie-woogie; the Nashville-styled “Wyona Wide;” the old-time jug band sound of the title tune, “Hot Air Balloon;” and “Await the Day, ” capturing the 12-string stylings of acoustic folk.

Growing up in New York City, Vanessa Trien cut her musical teeth on family folk sing-alongs, but she blossomed while living in Costa Rica, singing, recording, and performing with an Afro-Caribbean band and later writing and performing her own material. A subsequent move to Boston introduced Trien into the heart of New England’s thriving folk music scene. ‘Wash Away, ’ Vanessa Trien’s debut CD, was released in late 1998 to a sold out audience at Cambridge’s historic Club Passim.

As a complement to her career as a professional musician, Vanessa Trien has made a point of sharing her love of music through teaching and performing for primary and elementary school-aged children. While serving as artist-in-residence for the New York City program LEAP (Learning Through An Expanded Arts Program), Trien designed and taught many different music and expressive arts projects in public elementary schools. One particular bright spot was the establishment of a second and third grade chorus in a Bronx elementary school that didn’t have a music program. By the end of the school year, it was a flourishing and performing 50-student chorus! In the Boston area, Vanessa Trien, who holds a master’s degree in education from Harvard University, taught music at the Cambridge Montessori School and is currently teaching “Music Together” classes in both Brookline and Boston.

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