“As I listen to TEQUILA MOON, I wonder if this is how I..d have felt on a first listen to, say, Boney James, or Dave Koz, or Grover Washington, Jr., and I..m thinking, "yes" because she..s that good! This is one of those cases where you just know… from the music and delivery to her personal drive and dedication to excellence… there is absolutely no stopping this empowered performer. Join us in watching her Smooth Jazz star rise to the absolute top!llip;Stand Out…”
-Smooth Jazz.com
“Multi-talented...break through...dazzilng...special!”
-Urban Music Scene
“(Jessy) shows off an individual voice and a gift for melodic improvisation...”
-All Music Guide
“Excellent...strong...pleasant...gifted”
-Billboard Music
“Sax Sensation!”
-Smooth Jazz.com
“the Jessy J sound is what will end up getting you. She soulfully caresses a supremely beautiful tone and feeling out of her instrument, whether it..s her tenor, soprano, flute or voice...”
-Smooth Jazz.com
“This CD has a hot, exotic, latin feel to it & also provides us an in depth look into the talents of Ms. J!”
-Urban Music Scene
“…the project goes after an appreciation for Latin Jazz music & great smooth grooves...”
“Sexy & Sensual”
-Urban Music Scene
“Jazz Sensibilities…Stand Out…”
- Jazz Times Magazine
“Sexy….Soulful…Irresistible…Incre dible”
- Smooth Jazz monthly
“Up-Coming Female Sax Star”
-Smooth Jazz Vibes
“Delightful…top notch...”
-Smooth Jazz vibes
“Fresh…Sexy…Up- Start”
-Peak records
“Terrific...”
-Paul Brown
JESSY J
Tequila Moon
From the moment Jessy J hit the stage in Fresno, California for the first time as a member of super producer/guitarist Paul Brown’s live band on Valentine’s Day 2006, the love between the 20 something -year-old saxophonist/vocalist and contemporary jazz fans has been flowing nonstop. The growing buzz led to her first major show at the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival later that year, and in 2007, as part of the event’s 20th anniversary, she became one of the only artists to ever headline shows on all three weekends. Now she is taking it to the next level, stepping out under the Tequila Moon on her multi-faceted, Brown-produced Peak Records debut that brings to the genre a fresh and inspired energy with vibrant exotic twists.
Jessy’s sizzling mix of hot beats, Latin and samba rhythms and sensuous melodies is quickly catching fire at radio, as the title track was one of the most added smooth jazz tracks immediately upon its release in January. The multi-talented Portland, Oregon born, Hemet, California raised performer draws her inspiration naturally from several unique musical wellsprings, beginning with her Mexican-American heritage. Growing up, her Mexican born father and mother had parties at their house where festive, live Latin music—including the La Banda music of her dad’s home country--flowed all night long. “Even when we weren’t having parties,†Jessy says, “there was always music playing in the house because, like food and dancing, it’s just such a part of the Latin culture. Singing classics like ‘Besame Mucho’ and ‘Mas Que Nada’ and playing tenor and soprano on all of these Latin pop flavored original songs brings back so many fun memories for me.â€
She was a huge fan of Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane, but also loved pop. So when she turned pro after graduating from USC with a degree in jazz studies—she was named “Most Outstanding Jazz Student†of her class--she jumped quickly into recording sessions with artists like Michael Buble and toured with The Temptations (2005-6) and Jessica Simpson. She still currently tours as saxophonist and backing vocalist for pop great Michael Bolton, in addition to her work with two of Mexico’s most popular artists, Gloria Trevi (aka “The Madonna of Mexicoâ€) and Armando Manzanero (whom Jessy calls “the Mancini of Mexicoâ€).
Jessy offers tastes of all of these elements—pop, jazz, Latin, even Brazilian music-- on Tequila Moon, which in addition to her Peak label mate and producer Brown on acoustic guitar, features performances by some of L.A.’s most renowned musicians: keyboardists Gregg Karukas, Ricky Peterson and Kiki Ebsen; bassist Roberto Vally; and drummers Oscar Seaton, Dave Beyer and Sergio Gonzalez.
Long before she contemplated a solo career, Jessy was a driven musician who consistently achieved her goals. By 15, she was named Piano State Champion at the Bela Bartok Festival in California and was playing in many honor bands like The Grammy Band and performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Once she decided to focus on contemporary jazz, she knew she wanted to work with Paul Brown, who has scored over 50 1 airplay hits in smooth jazz (Boney James, Euge Groove, Norman Brown, Peter White) and several years ago launched his own successful solo career. Brown liked the straight-ahead jazz oriented demo Jessy gave him but said he only worked with signed artists. Jessy’s persistence eventually paid off and Brown invited her to his studio to work on a few tracks. He then invited her to go on tour with him, and after she blew the fans away at that first show in Fresno, he decided to break the rules and help develop her as a solo artist.
“I really love working with Paul,†says Jesse, who co-wrote five of Tequila Moon’s seven original tracks with Brown, “and we have an incredible musical chemistry. We’re truly on the same page when it comes to making music that’s both completely who I am yet also something people will easily understand. At first we were going to go for a more organic, earthy style, but then decided it was more ‘me’ to shoot for a straight up Latin sound. Recording the two vocal standards added excitement, depth and a sense of history to the mix. Tequila Moon is partly my influence and partly Paul’s. Two of my biggest inspirations on tenor are Boney and Joe Henderson, and I have learned so much from the sensitive way they play. I really try to love each note, because each note has its own shape and tells a story, like a musical snapshot of my life. Paul really helped bring all those nuances out in me, and he also knew which musicians would be perfect to work with on each track.â€
Tequila Moon opens with Jessy in full-on seduction mode, inviting the listener to enjoy a balmy, slightly breezy evening complete with her low toned tenor melody, laid back percussion, Brown’s gently jangling guitar and Karukas’ retro keyboard sounds. She keeps the smoky and soulful tenor vibe going over the cool grooves of the midtempo ballad “Spanish Nights,†which features Brown’s hypnotic guitar harmonies and Richie Gajate Garcia’s enchanting Latin soundscapes. Next, Jessy takes us down to Rio, playing moodily over an old school samba groove amidst a dreamy, romantic atmosphere on “Sin Ti/Without You;†after Peterson’s high impact Fender Rhodes solo, the rhythms pick up and Jessy digs in for some of the collection’s most explosive improvisational blowing.
She puts down her sax and graces us with her powerful, sensual vocals on the familiar strains of Jorge Bem’s “Mas Que Nada,†best known in the U.S. as the signature song of Sergio Mendes. Jessy intertwines flute and tenor with scorching rhythms and sweeping ambiences on the feisty and percussive jam tune that lives up to its name “Fiesta Velada†before chilling out and picking up the soprano sax for the first time on a heartfelt, lyrical reading of Phoebe Snow’s “Poetry Man.†The melodically compelling, easy strutting Kiki Ebsen-penned song “Turquoise Street†allows Jessy to express her more in the pocket, contemporary soul and jazz chops, while the soaring ballad “PB n’ J†(cleverly referring to its composers, Brown and Jessy) offers a passionate, romantic dance between her sax, Brown’s guitar and Ebsen’s hypnotic piano touches. Focusing strictly on vocals, Jessy reaches back through the years for a gorgeous, lilting take on “Besame Mucho,†and picks up her soprano again for the wistful and easy grooving (courtesy of drummer Chad Wright’s tasteful brushes and percussionist Nino Sanchez’ laid back exotica) “Running Away.†Tequila Moon closes with an emotional rendition of Leon Russell’s beloved ballad “Song For You,†which opens in a blues/soul vein before building dramatically and adding touches of sparse acoustic jazz and one of Jessy’s most memorable improvisational solos.
A true musical prodigy, Jessy J (whose real name is Jessica Spinella) began playing piano at age four and spent most of her childhood as a competitive artist, performing at major conferences, competitions and festivals. These childhood experiences and the discipline and work ethic she gained from them would prove to be a great testing ground for her future career in the industry. Even while working post-USC with so many exciting pop and Latin artists, she was putting together her own band, performing at such L.A. hotspots as The Jazz Bakery and, through her work with the Henry Mancini Institute and Orchestra, performing at numerous official functions and private parties.
In 2004, Jessy joined the cast of the off-Broadway show Blast! and drew on her multitude of skills as an actress, singer, dancer and sax player as she performed throughout the U.S., in London and Tokyo. It was during this time that she started to have a strong desire to write and perform more of her own music. Once she got off the road, her friend, drummer Jamie Tate—a fellow clinician with the Thelonius Monk Jazz Institute—invited her to check out his gig with smooth jazz star Mindi Abair at the Newport Beach Jazz Festival, which further inspired Jessy to go after the dream she is now at last fulfilling with Tequila Moon.
The Spanish-speaking saxophonist is also heavily involved in music programs connected with the Hispanic community, performing over the years with the Hispanic Musician Association Orchestra. In 2006, Jessy had the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall as part of the Latin Jazz Project put together by one of her true sax heroes, Paquito D’Rivera; the program involved D’Rivera mentoring a group of professional musicians under 30 in a workshop setting that led to the performance.
“Whether it’s playing in an ensemble setting like that or playing my own gigs in clubs or at jazz festivals, for an artist, there is nothing more fulfilling than being up there and connecting with the audience,†she says. “My ultimate goal is always to share something with them, so when they leave, they truly feel not only have they experienced something special, but that they also really know me.â€
With her tour schedule heating up, soon everyone will have a chance to experience the magic of Jessy J live. But there’s no need to wait when the music is this beautiful under the Tequila Moon.
For more information please visit http://www.JessyJ.com