I have been following American saxophonist Jessy J for years at www.smothjazz.eu. Jessy was born in Oregon to a Mexican father and an American mother. She grew up in Southern California, where Latin, jazz and pop were covered. Musically, she was influenced by Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Grover Washington, Jr., Sergio Mendes, Ricky Martin and Gloria Estefan. So there was clearly a Latin side to her musical background, which she showed extensively in her first albums. After graduating from USC in jazz, she recorded and toured with Michael Bublé, Jessica Simpson, The Temptations and Michael Bolton. But as an actress, dancer and saxophonist, she was on stage in the 2004 Broadway show "Blast! Later she toured with smooth jazz giants like Jeff Lorber, Gerald Albright, Jeff Lorber, Euge Groove and Peter White. For her latest album, she sought inspiration from the blues and soul greats of the sixties, composing 8 original tracks with drums ŕ la James Brown and organ ŕ la Ray Charles. "The tone for BLUE was set when I wrote the track "Spinnin'," whose high energy old school vibe was about me pouring out my frustration over cancelled gigs and sudden lifestyle adjustments due to lockdown," she said. "Overall my playing on the album reflects fourteen years of growth as a musician and songwriter, which feels normal considering how young I was when my first album came out. I always want to be evolving as an artist and producer. Blue is very different from my earlier albums because it's a snapshot of where I am now in my life and how I was feeling during these difficult times." She opens with the funky Crusaders-like 'Dig It', in which you can clearly hear the sound of Jeff Lorber. This uptempo song is immediately the first single from it, followed by the title track. 'Spinnin' is a driving track that is guaranteed to get you dancing, created in tandem with veteran pianist and arranger Jay Rowe, followed by 'Malt Shop', again with Lorber in the time spirit of Cannonball Adderley. And we keep dancing, this time with the beautiful, disco-like 'Dance Beat', which nevertheless contains some Latin influences. The softly swinging 'Summer Swing' lets you drift away on a summery jazzy breeze, followed by the catchy 'Mini's Bounce', written for her German shepherd Mini. And closing 'Song for David' is dedicated to her eldest son, who sat at the piano with her when she wrote it. The song balances between a ballad and swing. Jessy J is happy to be back in touch with her fans, as she now leaves on tour. And I'm also happy that I can present you this new album. Because it is again a must, especially if you like sax music.
		Website: Jessy J Tracks: 1. Dig It 2. Blue 3. Spinnin’ 4. Malt Shop 5. Dance Beat 6. Summer Swing 7. Mini’s Bounce 8. Song for David Copied from Cultuurmania with permission of the author.