Alison Crockett - Echoes of an Era Redux: My Father's Record Collection, Vol. 1 (2023)

The story of this album begins with Alison Crockett’s music-loving Dad. “The house we lived in had a Bar, and next to it were huge speakers hooked up to a large state-of-the-art sound system. Every night in his home nightclub, which my mother called ‘the Florida Room’, my Dad would sit after work and play music for up to eight hours each night of my childhood. This is how I learned music.”
For her fifth recording as a leader, vocalist and composer Alison Crockett presents a live recording captured at Washington DC’s home of jazz, Blues Alley. This is the initial installment of a series of releases planned by Alison around the theme of “My Father’s Record Collection”, which will feature her interpretations of the music which informed, inspired and influenced Alison growing up within sound of her father’s Florida Room speakers. The series will reflect on the powerful legacy of Jazz and Black American Music through the very records that created the story of America presenting a journey to the past with more than a hint of the present.
Reinterpreting the classic 1982 album Echoes of an Era which featured vocalist Chaka Khan, with jazz legends Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson and Lenny White, Alison’s energetic performance and that of her musicians, connects the spirit of jazz with the passion of the Funky Soul singer. Like Khan, Alison is steeped in beyond-jazz vocal forms, including R&B and house music. Her inimitable vocal ability has been heard on recordings by King Britt, Blue Six, Us3, Landslide, John Wicks, Sylk 130, Mathematics to name a few. She also released a series of critically acclaimed solo albums throughout the 2000’s, both under own name and notably as her alias Diva Blue. Now Alison is back with a compelling new body of work that portrays her artistry in a different light, as well as retaining all of the special elements that make Alison a stand out performer and exceptional musician.
Alison recounts. “Back in the day, there was no Soundcloud or iPod, or streaming music. You had records, and each record showed the artistic idea and emotion of the artist. My father spoke to his family through music. I learned about his thoughts and emotions through the music he played. This series is my connection to my Dad.” Who says that jazz has to be laid back, inscrutable, and something to lay back and listen to. This recording takes you on a sonic journey that makes you want to dance by yourself or with a partner, as she remembers growing up with her music loving father and his record collection.

Alison Crockett - Vocals
Thad Wilson - Trumpet, MD
Paul Carr - Tenor Saxophone
Todd Simon - Piano
Dana Hawkins - Drums
Eliot Seppa - Bass