Blix Street Records today announces JAZZED, an extraordinary new collection celebrating Eva Cassidy’s remarkable vocal versatility and instinctive gift for interpreting some of the greatest songs in the American jazz and popular songbook. Bringing together the full breadth of Cassidy’s jazz performances for the first time, the collection places her artistry firmly alongside the great vocalists of any era.
Spanning ten songs written across six decades of the twentieth century, JAZZED offers a fresh perspective on familiar classics, transformed through Cassidy’s unmistakable voice and deeply personal interpretive style. The result is a collection that feels both timeless and entirely new.
The first track, Duke Ellington’s iconic “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” is released today, offering listeners an immediate taste of the collection’s exuberance and sophistication.
Adding a spectacular new dimension to Cassidy’s vocals are four showstopping arrangements by composer Christopher Willis. His treatments of “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” “Blue Skies,” “Cheek To Cheek” and “At Last” evoke the golden age of American vocal jazz, drawing on the playful, thrilling energy of the classic Sinatra-era arrangements associated with Nelson Riddle and Billy May. Elsewhere, “You’ve Changed” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” take on a more emotionally expansive character, beautifully rendered with the London Symphony Orchestra in arrangements inspired by the rich orchestral sound of Gordon Jenkins.
The ten tracks span Cassidy’s recording career from 1987 to 1996, bringing together performances that will be familiar to longtime fans while revealing new dimensions to her extraordinary artistry. Several songs originally appeared on Live at Blues Alley, while others were featured on later posthumous releases including Eva by Heart, Imagine, Walkin’ After Midnight and I Can Only Be Me. Some performances remain in their original form, four receive newly created band settings by Christopher Willis, and two retain the orchestral arrangements first heard on the acclaimed 2023 album I Can Only Be Me.
For Cassidy’s longtime admirers, JAZZED offers an opportunity to hear beloved performances in a new context. For those discovering her work for the first time, it provides a compelling introduction to a singer whose ability to move effortlessly between genres was matched only by the emotional honesty of her performances.
Transcending era, style and fashion, JAZZED is ultimately a celebration of twentieth-century American songwriting and the artistry of one of its most distinctive voices. More than a collection of jazz standards, it is a testament to Eva Cassidy’s rare ability to make every song her own—revealing why, decades after these recordings were made, her voice continues to resonate with listeners around the world.
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