Heather Pierson - Rootsy Jazz from the White Mountains

Like so many musical discoveries in my Tasty Brew orbit, Heather Pierson came to my attention from Mike Paget, Director behind the Green Guitar Folk House Music Series in Lenexa, Kansas. He discovered Heather’s talent at her official showcase during a past Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City and brought her back to the Heartland as she was touring through the area. You’ll hear us mention another Heartland music series I’ve heard stellar reviews about hosted at The Bixler 108 in Unionville, Missouri. It is so important that stops like the Bixler become available to those trying to lead a lyrical life as they try to connect the dots between major markets like St. Louis and Dallas or west to Denver.

Born to a Scottish émigré mother and Navy veteran machinist father in Joplin, Missouri, Heather started out life in the single-traffic-light town of Galena, Kansas. Music was constantly spilling out of the speakers of her parents’ stereo – a diverse playlist that included such artists as The Allman Brothers, Kansas, Cream, The Beatles, KISS, Cat Stevens, Mario Lanza, Jose Feliciano and Anne Murray. This diversity served to open Heather’s young mind to the rich and varied language of music and to lay the foundation for her future endeavors and experimentations.

Heather is now based in New Hampshire’s White Mountains…. a singer/songwriter, pianist, song leader, and performer with a passion for cultivating joy, both onstage and off. With a toe in each of the realms of New Orleans jazz, blues, vocal chants, instrumental piano, and folk, her multi-genre songwriting places her firmly in a category all her own, one honed by decades of diligent practice and curious exploration. Whether solo, as a duo, with her trio, or in a community sing, Heather’s live performances feature her bell-tone vocals, ease at the piano, and are infused with happiness, honest self-reflection, and a genuine desire to connect and share from the heart. In over twenty years on her own record label, Vessel Recordings, she has released fifteen albums and several singles of original music. Her forthcoming sixteenth studio album, Back To The Light, is her most vibrant release yet. It is slated for a September 2024 release, and it was recorded ‘live on the floor’ at Acadia Recording Company in Portland, ME with her trio mates Shawn Nadeau on bass (Shawn joins us in the studio for this conversation) and Craig Bryan on drums and percussion.

I just know you’re going to dig the seemingly effortless vocal and instrumental offerings from Heather Pierson and Shawn Nadeau during a mid-morning stint on the radio in the Heartland…. Enjoy!