Photo courtesy of Dome Records
Jarrod Lawson, the singer-songwriter-keyboardist from Portland, Oregon who emerged seemingly out of nowhere at the age of 37 with a self-titled album that took the jazz and soul world by storm, has completed recording of his long awaited second album. Titled Be The Change, it will be released worldwide by Dome Records on October 30, preceded by the title track as a single.
He is accompanied by a band that benefits from the rhythmic presence of Grammy-nominated percussionist Sammy Figueroa, whose playing in a lengthy career has graced albums by artists as diverse as Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Hall & Oates and Chic. The 11-track album, for release on CD, 2LP vinyl and on digital platforms, once again showcases Lawson’s trademark layered vocal harmonies, keyboard mastery and his inventive jazz fusion arrangements.
Jarrod Lawson, the singer-songwriter-keyboardist from Portland, Oregon who emerged seemingly out of nowhere at the age of 37 with a self-titled album that took the jazz and soul world by storm, has completed recording of his long awaited second album. Titled Be The Change, it will be released worldwide by Dome Records on October 30, preceded by the title track as a single.
He is accompanied by a band that benefits from the rhythmic presence of Grammy-nominated percussionist Sammy Figueroa, whose playing in a lengthy career has graced albums by artists as diverse as Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Hall & Oates and Chic. The 11-track album, for release on CD, 2LP vinyl and on digital platforms, once again showcases Lawson’s trademark layered vocal harmonies, keyboard mastery and his inventive jazz fusion arrangements.
On one track I’ll Be Your Radio he is joined by Moonchild’s Amber Navran on vocals and flute, with her fellow members of the Los Angeles alternative R&B trio playing clarinet and flugelhorn.
Described by the London Evening Standard as “the blue-eyed soul boy of jazz”, Lawson received a Soul Artist of the Year Award from the UK’s Jazz FM in the wake of the release of his debut set and was Album of the Year runner-up at Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards. He has performed at the North Sea Jazz and Love Supreme festivals among many in Europe, Indonesia’s Java Jazz festival and a number of festivals in his native US. He has also played Billboard Live in Tokyo. A European tour, originally scheduled for July, has been rearranged for May 2021.