Emerging jazz vocalist, composer, and bandleader Emma Hedrick announces her debut album, NEWCOMER, a captivating collection of ten original compositions showcasing her voice, storytelling, and compositional skill. Out now, the album highlights Hedrick’s ability to balance contemporary pop-mellow jazz textures with classic jazz sensibilities.
A native of Indianapolis, Hedrick trained at the Frost School of Music in Miami and earned her Master of Music at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, Holland. Even before turning professional, she garnered recognition with seven Downbeat Student Music Awards, two National YoungArts Awards, and was a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition.
NEWCOMER is a collaborative effort, featuring a band of rising jazz talents: Connor Rohrer (piano), Anton Kot (drums), Thor Eide Johansen (bass), and Shane McCandless (saxophone), alongside guest artists David Sneider (trumpet), Andrew Tinch (guitar), Amy Azzara, Faith Quashie, and a full string section. Veteran jazz vocalist Peter Eldridge produced the album, contributing piano and vocals to select tracks.
The album opens with “The Idea of Love,” one of Hedrick’s earliest compositions, followed by tracks like “Dreamscapes” and the title track “Newcomer,” inspired by her time studying abroad in the Netherlands. From the samba-infused warmth of “In the Warmth” to her interpretation of Langston Hughes’ “Tone Poem in Greenwich Village,” Hedrick blends literary inspiration, personal experience, and inventive jazz arrangements.
Other highlights include “Spring Haiku Collection,” based on Hedrick’s master’s research in adapting haiku structure to jazz lyrics, and “Inside Your Mind,” an emotive reflection on mental and emotional states expressed through free improvisation. Hedrick closes the album with “Waste No More Days,” a contemplative piece featuring her longtime friends on background vocals.
With NEWCOMER, Emma Hedrick establishes herself as a bold new voice in jazz, merging contemporary storytelling with a reverence for tradition, and proving her artistry extends well beyond her years.
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