New Jazz Release: Cynthia Felton | “Freedom Jazz Dance” (Coming June 1st, 2012)
Dr. Cynthia J. Felton serves as Artistic Director of The Ethnomusicology Library of American Heritage, a library that features a collection of sources that explores the study of music from a social and cultural aspect.
Currently based in Los Angeles, Cynthia is active as a performer and an educator. Her background prepared her well for both career areas. She has a Bachelor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, a Master of Arts degree from New York University in Jazz Performance, and a Doctorate in Jazz Studies from the University of Southern California.
Her singing style embodies jazz, rhythm & blues, and gospel music — a perfect fit for the broad stylistic range of compositions featured on this new recording.
On Freedom Jazz Dance, her third CD, Felton demonstrates expertise in spirituals, ballads, and jazz standards. As a vocalist, she is unique because she selected, arranged, and performed on the twelve selections that encompass the CD. All require deep knowledge of both the genre and tradition to produce an artistic and culturally correct performance. In addition to her stylistic interpretations, ability to re-shape and re-compose diverse musical compositions, and spontaneous use of vocal concepts and techniques, Felton’s musicality includes mood, feel, and sensitivity to all African-American musical genres, especially jazz. Overall, on this CD, Felton displays her skills as both arranger and performer.
In addition to being a showcase of her own prodigious talents, all of Cynthia’s cds create settings in which all the outstanding musicians shine as superlative and sensitive accompanists, and many also contribute wonderfully effective and imaginative solos. Some of the musicians include Cyrus Chestnut, Robert Hurst, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Ernie Watts, Patrice Rushen, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Wallace Roney, to name a few.
Freedom Jazz Dance is a collection of my favorite standards to sing. From familiar ballads like My Funny Valentine to more obscure songs such as Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love, this cd covers a wide gamut of jazz classics. The title track, in addition to being a fun song to sing, encompasses words that are historically germane to the development of this musical tradition. Having those two words – Freedom and Jazz linked together, gives insight into the journey and evolution of jazz music. Jazz, America’s true art form, has a history that is rich, and it plays a critical part of America’s culture and achievement.
– Dr. Cynthia J. Felton
Website: Cynthia Felton