Releasing june 6, 2024

Stephanie Austin Letson’s debut album, Telling Stories, with Fred Randolph, Mason Razavi, Dave MacNab, John O’Reilly, Jr., Manu Domergue, Christian Roy, and Roger Letson, is due to premiere June 6, 2024. 

Celebrating this, Austin Letson will be joined by Bay Area greats Fred Randolph (bass), Mason Razavi (guitar), Jason Lewis (drums), Sheldon Brown (saxophone and clarinet) and Joel Behrman (trombone) for a two-concert release tour which marks the date for album purchase availability and streaming.  The concerts will be held at two completely different venues, at opposite ends of the Bay Area.  The tour will kick off on June 6 at Coterie Winery, 885 West Julian Street, San Jose.  This Wine and Appetizer Show will open at 7:30 with the concert beginning at 8:00 PM.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stephanie-austin-letson-album-release-concert-tickets-876340005547?aff=oddtdtcreator

The second concert will greet audiences on June 9 at The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Avenue, Berkeley.  Doors will open at 7:30 and the concert begins at 8:00 PM.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stephanie-austin-letson-album-release-w-fred-randolph-and-mason-rasavi-tickets-851055077647?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

 The album, Telling Stories, was mainly recorded in Milpitas, CA at the multi-Grammy award-winning, Bill Hare Productions. 

“Bill preferred to lay down the foundational tracks with just bass, guitar and voice.  His preference was to hear the vibe of each tune and then to add color with different instruments.  Bill had a drummer that he had worked with for many years, John O’Reilly, Jr., who recorded his tracks in Philadelphia.  I had two long-time friends in France who I wanted to add for their lyricism and soulfulness.  Manu Domergue recorded both in Paris and Milpitas, and Christian Roy recorded solely in Grenoble.”

What is Telling Stories about?  The album tells a song cycle story about love in all of it’s complexities…the love wished for, how love feels, what people do for love, what love does to each individual, and what everyone gains from love. 

“In one listening session years ago, I heard Schumann’s song cycle Frauenliebe und leben and was so touched by the music’s beauty, and the heroine’s emotional depth within the relatively simple story.  I thought to myself, if I ever have the chance to record an album, I’d like to try to create that feeling.  When time came to select this album’s songs, I looked to reflect my eclectic listening, but even more, for songs that told stories about love in all of its complexity with feelings of hope, dreams, longing, hurt, disillusionment, euphoria, detachment, fulfillment, and transcendence.” 

The album was created with arrangements by Stephanie Austin Letson (vocals), with Mason Razavi (guitar) composing the horn parts on A Sunday Kind of Love and Love’s Divine.  The all-star band is rounded out with Fred Randolph on bass, Dave MacNab on guitar (Out of My Dreams and Lonely Woman), John O’Reilly, Jr. on drums, Manu Domergue on mellophone, Christian Roy on soprano saxophone and clarinet, and Roger Letson on shaker percussion.

Recording the album was an idea that grew out of an experimental recording session.  Austin Letson, originally a concert pianist from New Orleans, gave up her performing career to focus on teaching music.  Invited to create a vocal and piano performance program at Contra Costa College in 2000, Austin Letson dedicated herself to creating opportunities for the underserved community and student population in San Pablo, CA.  Twenty-five years later, after building a national, award-winning and international touring jazz vocal program, she decided to record soundfiles for a new project, an online teaching startup.  When listening to the mp3’s, her husband, Roger Letson, noted that two of the songs had a different vibe, and that they would be a great nucleus for an album. 

Creating the album’s vision and feel grew from Austin Letson’s diverse experience sitting-in in Manhattan, touring France and Spain as a soloist and jazz vocal director, and producing seven professional, jazz vocal student albums with multi-grammy award-winning producer, and friend, Bill Hare.  

“Bill has produced so many rich and exciting recording projects for musicians around the world, including NBC’s The Sing Off, the Swingle Singers, the Pentatonix, and Calling All Dawns with Christopher Tin.  His exceptional ear could immediately determine what was missing on each track. Using his vast experience, Hare was able to craft and hone each song into a gem.”

Drawing from Austin Letson’s influences, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Carmen McRae and Sting, her collaboration with Hare has yielded a powerful yet intimate musical palette full of color and nuance.