*“It’s a solo album,” Jazz Keyboardist Gail Jhonson said about her new album “Joy” (Shanachie) featuring her all female band Jazz in Pink. “The label is helping me brand my band.”
The Jazz in Pink band was founded 12 years ago by Gail, flutist Althea Rene and promoter Kyna Hubbard. Through the years it has had over 50 musicians as members.
“We’ve had women from all over the country,” she said about Jazz in Pink. “Having all women, it was deliberate. When we got started women were under represented, so I said, when I saw Rene performing, I said, ‘You killing it! Let’s support each other and start a band?’ and as a result everyone has been able to develop a solo career. We don’t get much stage time alone cause of what we (the band) are doing.”
A Philadelphia native Gail’s “Joy” album has two singles released thus far, “Joy, Joy,” featuring guitarist Paul Jackson, Jr. and saxophonist Kim Waters, and “Keystroke.” For over 20 years she has spent her career as music director for Grammy Award winning guitarist Norman Brown. She is proficient in Jazz, R&B, Funk and Gospel music. As a musicians’ musician Gail Jhonson has played the piano for such iconic vocalists as Janet Jackson, Pink, Morris Day, Bobby Womack, Peabo Bryson, Ray Parker Jr., Patti Austin, and Shiela E
“I went to Kim Waters studio, I said, ‘He is great!’…I was humbled,” Gail said about working with Waters on the “Joy” album. About Paul she said, ‘It’s important to have a person who can…understand your flow.”
Jhonson said her love of working with vocalists is, “…a marriage, a melding together.”
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The “Joy” album offers 10 songs that musically describe her joy for music. Her musical talents was transferred to her children – pianist/vocalist Tamina Khyrah-Joi, a Berklee College of Music alumni has Gail is, and her son Aaron “Vein” Jones, a producer, keyboardist drummer, rapper and songwriter.
“It was play or get out,” Gail laughed when talking about her children performing with her during the shows. “But my son, God he was so talented. I lost my son eight years ago. He was a very talented artist. I was listening to his music the other day. My daughter has a beautiful voice. We ‘do’ work together” www.Shanachie.com www.GailJhonson.com www.JazzInPink.com
SYNDICATED COLUMN: https://eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/NoahHaiduTrio_BusterWilliams_NoahHaidu_LennyWhite-1.jpg, MS, MBA, MPhil has an estimated weekly readership of over ¼ million with The Pulse of Entertainment. She is also a Public Relations Strategist and Business Management Consultant at Freelance Associates, and is Promotions Director (at-large) for The Baltimore Times. www.ThePulseofEntertainment.com. EVENTS: “Uplifting Minds II” Entertainment Conference (ULMII), founded by Eunice in 1999, is into its 21st year. Next events are coming to Los Angeles Saturday, November 7, 2020 via Zoom Video Conferencing and to Baltimore Saturday April 17, 2021 at Security Square Mall. The ULMII event is a free conference offering an Entertainment Business Panel Q&A Session, a Talent Showcase and Talent Competition (vocal, songwriting, dance and acting) where aspiring artists have a chance to receive over $15,000 valued in prizes/product/services. Log onto www.UpliftingMinds2.com for more information or to RSVP for Zoom Access email [email protected].
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