JAZZ VOCALIST ANDY JAMES TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM, “LET ME SEE YOUR HEART,” FEATURING ORIGINALS AND CLASSICS, VIA LE COQ RECORDS ON AUGUST 9
JAZZ GREATS JON COWHERD, NATE SMITH, ALEX ACUNA AND JOHN PATITUCCI JOIN ANDY ON HER FORTHCOMING COLLECTION; SINGLE TRACK, “NEW YORK STATE OF MIND,” DROPS ON JULY 5.
Las Vegas, NV (June 12, 2024)- Le Coq Records announces the release of jazz vocalist Andy James’ new, upcoming album titled “Let Me See Your Heart,” which will be available worldwide on August 9. Her forthcoming jazz version of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” will drop on July 5. On the album, Andy features some of the genre’s most venerable and legendary studio musicians including pianist Jon Cowherd, drummer Nate Smith, percussionist Alex Acuna and bassist John Patitucci; Grammy Award winning keyboardist John Beasley, saxophonist and bass clarinetist John Ellis, guitarist Chico Pinheiro, and famed Hammond B-3 organist Ronnie Foster, also appear on Andy’s album of original songs, and new renditions of familiar classics.
The deepest, most soul-satisfying expression of Andy’s ever-evolving artistry to date, “Let Me See Your Heart” showcases the singer’s romantic intimacy via an eclectic mix of originals penned by her and her husband and co-producer, Piero Pata, and pianist/arranger Cowherd: “Let’s Talk of Love,” which Andy calls “our take on a 1940s style swing tune”; the haunting, melancholy “Let’s Try”; and the mid-tempo bluesy ballad, “Let Me See Your Heart.”
The album also includes fresh twists on well-known Songbook and pop standards, including “Bali Hai” from South Pacific, a rare, otherworldly vocal version of Dave Brubeck’s “Take 5,” and a bluesy, powerhouse rendition of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind.”
Says renowned jazz critic Will Friedwald (New York Times, WSJ, Entertainment Weekly), “For me, the song that best sums up everything that’s great about this album may, in fact, be ‘New York State of Mind’ – it sounds so new and so different, not only does it makes me feel like I never really heard the song before, but it makes me look at the city itself with whole new eyes. For a lifelong New Yorker, that’s really saying something.”
The track listing for “Let Me See Your Heart” includes:
Take Five
Bali Hai
Photograph
New York State of Mind
For Every Man There’s a Woman
All or Nothing at All
Danny Boy
Let Me See Your Heart
Let’s Try
I Was Born to Love You
Let’s Talk of Love
Says Andy, “We find ourselves in such troubled times, so with all the songs on ‘Let Me See Your Heart,’ I wanted to reflect that reality, while offering a bit of hope. We hope people will feel what I felt in choosing these songs, which all closely align with my thoughts. In our own little way, Piero and I would like to heal the world in some way, believing that music and art can make it a more gentle, gracious and forgiving place.”
Andy will also be embarking on a European summer tour this July and August, with additional dates to be announced.
Andy James’ upcoming tour dates include:
July 16 – Bohemia Jazz Fest – Brno, Che
July 18 – VEF Jazz Club – Riga, Latvia
July 20 – Ecojazz – Reggio Calabria, Italy
July 27 – Jazz and Wine Montalcino – Montalcino, Italy
August 2 – Jazz and Vento – Cortale, Italy
August 9 – Jazz & Image – Rome, Italy
August 10 – Jazz & Image – Rome, Italy
About Andy James:
After many years as an internationally acclaimed flamenco dancer, based in Madrid, and traveling the globe with some of the genre’s most acclaimed musicians and performers – from big theaters in Spain to venues in France, Germany, Czech Republic and Japan (the largest market for flamenco music in the world) – Andy toured the world. Leaving the flamenco circuit for a new life in the U.S., Andy began casually recording her favorite jazz standards, making an artful transition into jazz, both as a singer of heartfelt originals and stellar interpreter of timeless classics and jazz renditions of the Great American Songbook era and beyond when she released her debut album, Caravan, in 2018.
While in Spain, she had participated in players jams at clubs such as Café Madrid, so she felt right at home when she decided to start performing at jazz clubs in Las Vegas, Nevada and in Los Angeles, California, where she headlined at Catalina Jazz Club, Vibrato, and jazz venues globally. Andy and Piero formed an independent label, Le Coq Records to release her music, and that of acclaimed veteran jazz musicians including John Patitucci, Chris Potter, Rick Margitza, Bill Cunliffe, Jon Cowherd, Terell Stafford, Alex Acuna and Vinnie Colauita, and more. Previous albums in Andy’s discography include: Caravan(2018), Shared Lives (2019), Blue (2019) and Tu Amor (2021). She is currently working on a new flamenco vocal project that combines her two creative loves. The collection will feature Acuna, bassist Carlos Del Puerto and drummer Marcus Gilmore, with special appearances by legendary guitarist Carlos Santana.
For more information on Andy James please visit: www.andyjames.com
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