As Is: "A Love Like Ours (Remaster 2022)" May 27th, 2022 #jazz

Described as "nothing short of enchanting" (All About Jazz), the musical union of jazz guitarist, Alan Schulman and jazz vocal stylist, Stacey Lynn Schulman is the heart of As Is. The couple - both on and off stage - have made a name for themselves for their imaginative re-expressions of 20th century song classics. “They find new ways to approach the songs, ways that preserve the origins yet make out of them very personal statements” (Jazz Mostly). As Is takes audienceson an intimate journey through the world and words of songs long-forgotten - but newly created - with both the soulfulness and swing that's accessible, memorable and highly musical. As Is has toured extensively in the US, Europe and Asia performing live and in the studio with contemporary jazz talents including Marcus Baylor, David Binney, Christie Dashiell, Corcoran Holt, Kokayi, and Gregoire Maret.

 

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, jazz guitarist Alan Schulman studied with the late great

guitarist Cal Collins (formerly of the Benny Goodman Orchestra). Known for his versatile chops from the warmth of his “soft, round tone” (All About Jazz) to his ability to “pick out clever melodies and musical frames” (Jazz Weekly), Schulman became a mainstay of the Chicago jazz scene with jazz educator, David Bloom, before earning his Masters degree in Jazz Arranging & Composition from Howard University in Washington, DC. A Thelonius Monk Competition Top-10 finalist, he has appeared with such noted jazz artists as Anita Baker, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis & Michael Feinstein.

 

Stacey Schulman is a native of the New York City area, where her dynamic, stylistic vocal range has been featured on radio commaercials, TV series and movie soundtracks since the age of nine. Schulman regularly “summons delicate lace on one song and a bouncy jam on another” (All About Jazz), but her calling cards are ballads where both the strength and expressiveness of her art shine (Jazz Artistry Now). Together, “the musical chemistry between Stacey and Alan Schulman is energetic and contagious” (The Jazz Page).

 

The As Is discography began in Rome, where the couple recorded an intimate debut album of standards, A Love Like Ours (2015). Their sophomore release, Here’s to Life (2018) with

Grammy-nominated producer, James McKinney, established the duo as compelling storytellers and arrangers, offering listeners new soundscapes that could swing hard while leaning into latin, classical, vocalese and Indian sonic accents. Recorded at Eusonia Studios, NYC, andmastered by Emily Lazar at The Lodge, NYC (assisted by Chris Allgood), the album debuted at #1 on Amazon Jazz, #6 on iTunes Jazz and #9 on Billboard's Traditional Jazz Chart. It was wellreviewed and embraced by jazz radio in 2018.

 

In December 2021, As Is released a new twist on a holiday classic with a joyful, samba-inspired, O Holy Night. May 2022 will bring a remastered version of their debut album with a new bonus single, a soulful acoustic rendition of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now. Their 3rd full-length album, an exploration of “life as we feel it,” is expected in late 2022.

 

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