Valerie Joyce New York Blue One-Step Pressing

Captivating Singer Covers Jazz Standards & More on One-Step 180g Vinyl LP!
Born in Japan and now living in Seattle, Valerie Joyce recorded two albums for Chesky Records in the 2000s. The first of these was "New York Blue", which was first released in 2005 and was highly acclaimed by critics. The recording was made at St. Peter's Church in Chelsea under sound engineer Nicholas Prout and featured the young singer, accompanied by a first-class Big Apple jazz band: pianist Andy Ezrin, bassists John Hebert and Tim Lefebvre, and drummer Gene Jackson. For some titles, the ensemble is complemented by the smoky saxophone of experienced session musician Lawrence Feldman. Joyce's fascinating repertoire combines skilful interpretations of well-known evergreens from the Great American Songbook ("Darn That Dream") with jazz standards (Miles Davis' "Blue In Green"), jazzy R&B pieces ("Fever"), rock (Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing") and pop ("Golden Slumbers" by the Beatles).
The daughter of a Japanese mother and an American father, Valerie Joyce spent her childhood in Japan, where she began her musical education at the age of six. In 1991 she moved to Tacoma, Washington and studied piano. During this time, she discovered her love for jazz and began singing in the university choir. At an audition at Berklee College of Music in Boston, she received a scholarship to study vocal jazz, which she turned down. Back in Washington, she devoted more time to her vocal training and took lessons from Michael Brockman, Jay Clayton and Jerome Gray. Valerie Joyce recorded her first album Reverie in Seattle in 2002, together with musicians from the region. Through this she came into contact with David and Norman Chesky, for whose label Chesky Records she finally recorded "New York Blue".
The recording was made at St. Peter's Church in Chelsea under sound engineer Nicholas Prout and is a unique gem in the Chesky Records catalog. As part of the "Chesky Original Masters" series, Evosound now presents an excellent reissue of this wonderful album: The 180-gram vinyl (33 rpm) was pressed using a sonically superior one-step process that brilliantly showcases Chesky's famous production and recording techniques, and comes with new liner notes as well as a recent interview with Valerie Joyce.
Bolstered with new liner notes featuring a recent interview with Valerie Joyce, New York Blue is reissued in 2026 as part of the Chesky Original Masters series on 180g One Step Pressing Vinyl LP.

Features:

• 180g Vinyl LP
• Limited Edition
• One-Step Pressing
• New Liner Notes Including an Interview with Valerie Joyce

Musicians:

• Valerie Joyce, vocals
• Andy Ezrin, piano
• Lawrence Feldman, alto & tenor saxophone
• Eugene Jackson, drums
• John Hebert, acoustic bass
• Tim Lefebvre, acoustic bass

Selections:

Side A
1. It Never Entered My Mind
2. Blue In Green
3. Baby Can I Hold You
4. Fever
5. Oasis
Side B
1. Every Time We Say Goodbye
2. Moon And Sand
3. Little Wing
4. Weaver Of Dreams
5. I Fall In Love Too Easily
6. Golden Slumbers