Saxophonist Alexa Tarantino to Release New Project “The Roar and The Whisper” on July 25th, 2025 | LISTEN!
Award-winning Saxophonist Alexa Tarantino to Release New Project “The Roar and The Whisper”
Blue Engine Records—Jazz at Lincoln Center’s (JALC) in-house record label—is proud to present The Roar and the Whisper, the fifth studio album by award-winning saxophonist and woodwind artist, composer, educator, and member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Alexa Tarantino. Tarantino (saxophones, flutes) leads a group comprising some of the finest musicians in modern jazz including Steven Feifke (piano), Philip Norris (bass), and Mark Whitfield Jr. (drums), as well as special guests Cécile McLorin Salvant (vocals), and Keita Ogawa (percussion). The Roar and the Whisper is out on July 25, 2025. Pre-save The Roar and the Whisper at jazz.org/alexa. Vinyl and CD release dates to be announced.
The Roar and the Whisper captures the full breadth of Alexa Tarantino’s artistry: from spirited, up-tempo improvisations to intimate, ethereal ballads. The album features Tarantino’s sophisticated compositions as well as her razor-sharp quartet. Multi-Grammy-Award-winning vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant contributes her stellar vocals to the quartet’s rendition of Salvant’s own composition “Moon Song”. Salvant and percussionist Keita Ogawa contribute their talents to Billy Strayhorn’s “Tigress.” Tarantino joining forces with Salvant and Ogawa is indicative of the many years they toured and performed together in Salvant’s GHOST SONG band.
“The album title comes from a memorable experience that Cécile and I had while we were in New York,” explained Tarantino. “A total stranger interrupted us, attempting to make his way into our conversation over and over again…We were taken aback by this person’s boldness and tactlessness. In response, we had polar opposite reactions. My reply was ‘the roar:’ strong, matter-of-fact, and loud. Cécile’s approach was ‘the whisper:’ quiet, but undeniably clear, and direct. It was a fascinating dichotomy of two different characters. We could have gone either way—I could have been ‘the whisper’ and she could have been ‘the roar’—it exists in both of us. It floored me how, together, we made up the complete package in that moment, and that we each needed the other there to create that full impact.”
Tarantino is a shining example of the passion and dedication that define Jazz at Lincoln Center. A distinguished alumna of JALC’s Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival and current Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra saxophonist, she plays a key role in nurturing the next generation of jazz musicians through her active leadership in a range of JALC’s educational programs.
“Playing with Alexa has been one of the great joys of my musical life,” said Cécile McLorin Salvant. “She is such a talented, dedicated, and versatile musician and her energy is contagious on and off stage. She makes us all more joyful, and more generous with our music. I am so glad I got the chance to sing with her on her record. It was a warm reunion between old friends and I think the songs reflect that.”
Throughout June 2025, Alexa will perform with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, NY; Kimmel Center in Philadelphia; the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; and at some of the most revered jazz festivals in North America including the Montreal Jazz Festival, Rochester Jazz Festival, and Ottawa Jazz Festival. For more information, visit jazz.org/tour.
The release of The Roar and the Whisper launches the milestone 10th anniversary of Blue Engine Records. In 2015, Jazz at Lincoln Center launched the label to release new studio and live recordings by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, the most celebrated musicians in modern jazz, emerging artists, as well as previously unreleased material from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s vast archives spanning nearly 40 years. The first Blue Engine Records title, Live in Cuba, recorded by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, was released on August 21, 2015. Blue Engine Records also has released archival recordings, including Betty Carter’s The Music Never Stops (March 2019) and Roy Hargrove’s The Love Suite: In Mahogany (October 2023) from the organization’s performance history.
TRACK LISTING:
Inside Looking Out
The Roar and the Whisper
This Is For Albert
Portrait of a Shadow
Luminance
Moon Song (ft. Cécile McLorin Salvant)
Back in Action
Provoking Luck
All Along
Tigress (ft. Cécile McLorin Salvant & Keita Ogawa)
All titles composed by Alexa Tarantino with the exception of: This Is For Albert (Wayne Shorter), Moon Song (Cécile McLorin Salvant), and Tigress (Billy Strayhorn)
PERSONNEL:
Alexa Tarantino – Saxophones, Flutes
Steven Feifke – Piano
Philip Norris – Bass
Mark Whitfield Jr. – Drums
Cécile McLorin Salvant – Vocals
Keita Ogawa – Percussion
Website: alexatarantino.com
Blue Engine Records