FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
HERE'S TO LIFE
AS
IS
featuring
Alan & Stacey Schulman
Marcus Baylor, Drums
David Binney, Saxophone
Rashaan Carter, Bass
Matt Geraghty, Bass
Alejandro Lucini, Percussion
Gregoire Maret, Harmonica
Navin Girishankar, Tabla
Christie Dashiell, Background Vocals
"Kokayi" Walker, Background Vocals
Produced by James McKinney
Infinite Icon Enterprises
Engineered and Mixed by Scott Jacoby, Eusonia Studios, NYC
Mastered by Emily Lazar at The Lodge NYC. Assisted by Chris Allgood.
Top 10!
Jazz Charts
#1
Jazz Charts
Top 10!
BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM
BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTS & VOCALS
HERE'S TO LIFE
"There are fresh new voices emerging who throw change ups into their songbooks and adventurously and creatively pursue giving a tune its full worth. Welcome to AS IS, the wife-and-husband team of the alluring, captivating vocalist Stacey Lynn Schulman and her husband, the sparking jazz guitarist, Alan Schulman."
Dan Ouellette, Liner Notes,
Editor ZealNYC & Downbeat Contributor
AS IS released their sophomore album - Here's to Life - this year with Grammy-nominated producer, James McKinney. The album blends the duo’s signature intimacy with the talents of special guest artists including Grammy-nominated drummer, Marcus Baylor (The Baylor Project, The Yellowjackets); acclaimed saxophonist, David Binney; harmonica virtuoso, Gregoire Maret; vocalese talents Christie Dashiell and Kokayi, and members of the DC-based String Queens. Recorded at Eusonia Studios, NYC and mastered 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 and peaked at #76 on the Top 200 JazzWeek chart on radio stations across the U.S.
Hailed as an accessible, mainstream jazz release, Here's to Life is an eclectic mix of tunes - from jazz standards to pop favorites - that showcases Alan’s soulful acoustic and electric jazz guitar playing and Stacey’s versatile vocal stylings. The CD is a testament to the creativity and exploratory resilience of artists who refuse to settle for hackneyed tropes. Proceeds from the sale of the album's title track benefit ILADEF, the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Educational Foundation to support physician training to recognize and treat Lyme Disease. Stacey Schulman is a 10-year Lyme warrior.
REVIEWS
LISTEN
"A superb collection of heartfelt storytelling" with "sublime performances that stretch across the spectrum of jazz expression."
- Dan Ouellette, Liner Notes. Downbeat contributor, editor ZealNYC
"4 STARS! Hot scat-singing, heated guitar playing... an excellent introduction to the music of Stacey and Alan Schulman."
- Scott Yanow, Jazz Artistry Now
“Exceptional album… Stacey’s singing voice, fresh and vibrant, casts a youthfully optimistic glow on the songs she sings, while bringing mature understanding to her interpretation of the lyrics… they find new ways to approach the songs, ways that preserve the origins yet make out of them very personal statements.”
- Bruce Crowther, Jazz Mostly
"The team knows hows to swing like gypsies."
- George Harris, Jazz Weekly
"The instrumental harmonic center of the recording remains the soft, round tone of Alan Schulman's guitar. Stacey Schulman summons delicate lace on one song and a bouncy jam on another."
- C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
"Tasty swinging vocals. Solid swing that doesn't quit. This is the kind of high octane set that's always a treat."
- Chris Specter, Midwest Record
"A lyrical guitarist and a skilled storyteller come together in life and music. The sweet and sassy result is what makes AS IS."
- Debbie Burke, Jazz Author
"The musical chemistry between vocalist Stacey and Alan Schulman is energetic and contagious."
- D. Glenn Daniels, The Jazz Page
"The sparseness of this production is effective and makes Schulman’s voice twinkle and shine like a Northern star... Alan Schulman’s dexterity and rhythm guitar become the trampoline where his wife’s vocals can dance and play."
- Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs Blog
"Singing is glide-smooth; it’s often alluring. Varied scats are executed with second-skin ease. Breathy notes often emerge and fade as if diffused by airbrush, yet never fray. Guitar fingering is pristine whether manifesting enunciated jazz or contemplation."
- Alix Cohen, Cabaret Scenes
RADIO HIGHLIGHTS
275 radio stations including syndicated jazz shows: Jazz After Hours, Jazz Happening Now, The WFMT Network, Jazz Variations, Hawaii Public Radio, Pub Jazz and Simply Timeless.
Peaked at #76 on JAZZWEEK Top 100.
Radio features (click to watch/listen):
Tuesday Lunch with Abe (KEBF-FM, 97.3)