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Patricia Phillips
patricia@jacquinaylor.com
JAZZ VOCALIST & COMPOSER JACQUI NAYLOR IS IN IT FOR THE LONG GAME TOURING IN EUROPE, ASIA & THE USA WITH HER 11th ALBUM
The Long Game Tour Press Release 2022-2023 (PDF Download)
Acclaimed jazz vocalist and songwriter JACQUI NAYLOR is on tour in the United States, Europe, and Asia, following the release of her 11th album, THE LONG GAME.
Naylor’s current album and concerts highlight the singer’s magnificent songwriting and rich, soulful voice through thoughtfully arranged love songs, all selected by Naylor’s fans via ballots distributed at previous performances, a process she used for her prior four albums.
The title of the album was born from one of Naylor’s philosophies of life: “Keep going, stay hopeful, and enjoy your life. If you continue to make positive efforts, happiness is sure to emerge. We have to play life for the long game, never give up, and win in life and in love.” This sentiment rings especially true today as the world continues to emerge from the global pandemic.
Naylor is known for her ability to interpret a diverse repertoire, bringing together music from different genres and generations. THE LONG GAME features ethereal jazz arrangements of rock classics from David Bowie (“Space Oddity”), Peter Gabriel (“Don’t Give Up”), and Coldplay (“Fix You”). These pair well with Latin treatments of standards from Kurt Weill (“Speak Low”) and Charlie Chaplin (“Smile”). Interwoven throughout are the singer’s own compositions, co-written with long-time pianist, guitarist, and arranger (and Naylor’s husband), ART KHU. “Her songs are Joni Mitchell good,” writes JazzTimes.
“Love Look What You’ve Done” is an original, personal, and hopeful song about finally finding love after a long journey. The songwriter officiated at her sister’s wedding and sang this song to the couple at a concert. Naylor wrote “All My Life” for her partner, Art Khu. The song celebrates the difficulties of maintaining relationships and how important it is to truly appreciate one another. “When my days are over, I’ll be happy that I spent all my life with you.” She placed this song at the end of the album to serve as the celebration of a great journey.
Naylor gained attention with an arranging technique she coined “acoustic smashing,” where she sings the lyrics and melody of a jazz standard over the groove of a well-known rock anthem or vice versa. “Acoustic Smashing marks a turning point in her career,” writes The Wall Street Journal. On THE LONG GAME, she uses the technique on “Fix You” from Coldplay while the band plays a Miles Davis-inspired “It Never Entered My Mind.” “Naylor has the chops and sensitivity to pull this off,” writes New York Magazine.
The musicianship and camaraderie of Naylor and her longtime bandmates, JON EVANS, bass (Tori Amos, Paula Cole, Sarah McLachlan), JOSH JONES, drums and percussion (Don Cherry, Omar Sosa, Steve Coleman), and ART KHU, piano, organ and guitar (arranger and producer for multiple artists and composer of “The Symphony of Souls” for The Oakland Symphony), shine brightly throughout this thoughtfully produced album.
When describing the synergy of these talented players, Khu says, “Each member of this band is an accomplished musician and storyteller, sensitive to Jacqui’s mission and lyrics, supportive, intuitive, and compassionate. Decades of work culminate in THE LONG GAME as each band member uses their individual talents to contribute, shine, and support each other. Jacqui’s interpretations are deep and thoughtful but also human and unpretentious.”
Most of the songs were captured in the studio in just one take, including the vocals. Naylor explains: “‘Like Someone in Love,’ the first track on the album, was also the first song we recorded in the studio, and we used the first take. I knew in that moment we were creating something special.”
The singer returns to touring regularly with her band after more than two years of on-line-only concerts due to the pandemic. Naylor and husband Khu started a monthly livestream concert series they call Home2Home when all national and international tours were abruptly cancelled in early 2020. The couple continues the series to this day, broadcasting the fully produced concert from their home2home studio in San Francisco and from international locations when touring.
Naylor has headlined at esteemed venues and festivals throughout the world, including the Monterey Jazz Festival, Germany’s Women In Jazz Festival, Jazz Aspen Snowmass, The Vancouver Jazz Festival, London’s Ronnie Scott’s, Berlin’s Quasimodo, Lisbon’s Jazz Palacio Baldaya, New York and Hamburg’s Birdland, and the Blue Note Jazz Clubs worldwide in New York, Milan, and Tokyo.
Naylor’s original music has been featured in national advertising campaigns and her signature song “Celebrate Early and Often” was named by Martha Stewart Weddings as one of the best new wedding songs. The singer’s music has also been featured in television and film including a full-length documentary about her called Lucky Girl. Her version of REM’s “Losing My Religion” was featured in the hit reality series “So You Think You Can Dance” and the artist’s many albums have been named in the “Top 10” lists of USA Today, Jazziz Magazine, and The Washington Post, among others.
LEARN MORE ABOUT JACQUI NAYLOR’S LIVE AND LIVESTREAM CONCERTS https://jacquinaylor.com
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THE LONG GAME was released in 2021 on the Ruby Star Records label and is available on all major digital platforms, CD, and vinyl. https://linktree.com/JacquiNaylor
WATCH HOME2HOME LIVE PERFORMANCES OF SELECTIONS FROM THE LONG GAME
I’ll Be Loving You
Space Oddity
Love Look What You’ve Done for NPR Tiny Desk
FOLLOW JACQUI NAYLOR ONLINE
https://jacquinaylor.com/
https://linktree.com/JacquiNaylor
https://facebook.com/JacquiNaylorFans
https://instagram.com/jqnaylor
https://Twitter.com/JacquiNaylor
https://YouTube.com/c/JacquiNaylorMusic
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