JESSY J Inspires With SECOND CHANCES Feat. Jeff Lorber, Norman Brown, Jimmy Haslip & Johnny Britt

LOS ANGELES - Sept. 1, 2013 - PRLog -- Los Angeles, CA: Jessy J burst onto the contemporary jazz scene in 2008, blending her love for Latin rhythms and jazz on her chart-topping, award-winning debut album Tequila Moon. Jessy earned the Radio & Records’ ‘Debut Artist of The Year’ Award and Contemporary Jazz ‘Song of the Year’ by both R&R and Billboard for the title track, which held the #1 spot on the chart for eight weeks. The talented saxophonist, pianist, singer and songwriter who has worked with everyone from The Temptations to Michael Bublé, has been developing her musical voice since she was very young, when she could be found practicing the saxophone, instead of heading out to play with friends.

Words like dedicated, focused and hard-working all describe her drive and motivation to succeed and make music a life-long career. With her fourth release, Second Chances, due out on Shanachie Entertainment on September 10, 2013, Jessy reaches a major milestone as she takes over the reigns as the producer of the new album. The set features collaborations with Grammy Award-nominated keyboardist-producer Jeff Lorber, Grammy Award-winning guitarist Norman Brown, renowned bassist Jimmy Haslip (formerly with The Yellowjackets) and legendary pianist Joe Sample.

Second Chances represents a new direction for Jessy as she purposely set out to meld her love for jazz and Latin rhythms with R&B grooves. The ten song set features eight originals and two beautiful covers including the Roberta Flack hit “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and the Sérgio Mendes classic “Magalenha.”

http://youtu.be/OkP0HQ2XyPo



Second Chances opens with the single “Listen 2 The Groove” featuring Jeff Lorber on keyboards and Jimmy Haslip on the bass. Jessy states, “Jeff Lorber and I first worked together in 2008 for the Guitars and Saxes Tour. I really enjoy his musical style. He’s such a legend in the business and has his own sound. To me he’s a genius.

The title track “Second Chances” features Grammy-Award winning guitarist Norman Brown. “Norman Brown and I worked together for the Summer Storm tour 2010...  I really love his style of playing. He’s very unique in his guitar and I think he plays the guitar so fluidly. Johnny Britt and I were working on “Second Chances” and I really wanted Norman to play on it. His guitar sounds beautiful on the track.” Jessy chose to include the Roberta Flack hit “Feel Like Makin’ Love” because, “I’m a big fan of 60s and 70s music. Roberta is a gorgeous singer. We felt that we could redo it in a way that would make it special again and also make it more current. I always thought of it kind of in a Robin Thicke mode with the recurring guitar theme. It also has a Brazilian vibe, the vocals are laid back and almost in a hushed tone.”

Her passion for Latin music shines through on the Sérgio Mendes classic “Magalenha,” one of her all-time favorite Brazilian tunes. Jessy says it was real a “jam session vibe” in the studio with Jeff and Jimmy helping to re-create the song as a “funk samba” and their joy in recording it shines through. In addition to her excellent work on the baritone saxophone and her sweet vocals on the tune, Jessy adds some tasty flute flourishes. She explains, “The World Cup is coming up next year in Brazil and it’s an homage to that and to my Latin heritage. Football is so popular in the Latin community.” The set takes a sophisticated, jazzy turn with the third song she wrote with Jeff and Jimmy, called “Tango For Two.”

On “Dos” a lovely guitar intro gives way to Jessy on both flute and soprano saxophone. She shares, “That song is a really sexy song. It’s about two things: the good and the bad. Sections of the music had a reflective feeling that were dark and then other parts of the music were light. We wanted to have the alter ego - two things. One of my heroes is Grover Washington, Jr. He’s my favorite soprano saxophonist and I always think of him when I’m playing that instrument.”

“La Luna Feliz” features Jessy on tenor sax and flute while singing in Spanish. It opens with a funky bass line from Bryant Siono to get you into the groove right way.

Legendary keyboardist Joe Sample is a friend and mentor to Jessy. The two first worked together on her last album Hot Sauce. Joe helped her write the funky tune “Mambo Gumbo,” her ode to New Orleans featuring Johnny Britt on vocals and trumpet. “Twice” is a bright, upbeat tune to close out the set, co-written with Johnny Britt. It features Jessy on Tenor sax along with her touring bandmates Frank Abraham on bass, Michael Angel on guitar and Richie “Gajate” Garcia on percussion.

Jessy’s connection to her Latin heritage runs deep, as her father is originally from Mexico and her mom hails from Texas. Born in Oregon and raised in southern California, Jessy grew up in a home full of big family get-togethers, Mexican feasts and lots of Latin, jazz and pop music. Her musical influences include Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Grover Washington, Jr., Sergio Mendes, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan and she admires current artists Norah Jones, Diana Krall and Alicia Keys.

Jessy’s diligence paid off when she met Grammy Award-winning smooth jazz producer Paul Brown at the Newport Jazz Festival and he agreed to work on her debut album, Tequila Moon in 2008. She followed that CD with True Love in 2009 and Hot Sauce in 2011. Last year Jessy was able to achieve her dream of becoming a studio musician in Los Angeles, working on the hit television shows American Idol and The Voice. Her work on American Idol impressed Steven Tyler, who invited Jessy to record on the latest Aerosmith album.

Jessy has a lot to look forward to as she continues to enjoy the success of her hard work and dedication. As she says, “It’s a great life and I’m grateful for it. It’s going to be a good year!”

JESSY J
Tour Dates

09/01 - Albuquerque, NM @ Crowne Plaza
09/07 - Austin, TX @ Riverbend Centre*
09/14 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia @ KL Jazz Fest
09/22 - Temecula, CA @ Thorton Winery**
09/28 - Las Vegas, NV @ Las Vegas Jazz Fest
10/05 - San Jacinto, CA @ Esplanade Arts Center
10/26 - Riverside, CA @ Fox Perf Arts Center***
10/27 - Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Jazz Fest
11/06 - Seal Beach, CA @ Spaghettini
11/30 - Seal Beach, CA @ Spaghettini
12/06 - Bari, Italy @ Italian Jazz Fest
01/04 - Chicago, IL @ The Montrose Room

* w/ Marion Meadows & Paul Taylor (Sax and the City)
** w/ George Benson
*** w/ Sheila E

JESSY J
Second Chances
1. Listen 2 The Groove (ft. Jeff Lorber)
2. Second Chances (ft. Norman Brown)
3. Feel Like Makin' Love
4. Magalenha
5. Tango For Two
6. Dos
7. La Luna Feliz
8. Double Trouble (ft. Jeff Lorber & Jimmy Haslip)
9. Mambo Gumbo (ft. Johnny Britt)
10. Twice

"Listen 2 the Groove" (ft. Jeff Lorber) http://soundcloud.com/1888media/listen-2-the-groove-ft-jeff-lorber

http://jessyj.com
http://twitter.com/jessyjsax
http://instagram.com/jessyjsax
http://www.facebook.com/Jessyjsax