It’s fun starting projects and working on them, but nothing beats getting one across the finish line- even if it takes longer than we expected ( or in this case, a lot longer!)

Today, I’m happy to announce the release of my new album, Jazz On King Vol. 1, featuring Dave Winter (keys), Dave Santana (drums), and my daughter Bailey Fulginiti (as guest vocalist on several tracks).

The album is a set of tunes inspired by the twice-monthly gigs I’ve been playing for the past 2 years at a great venue in my hometown of Lancaster PA called Tellus 360.  Bill Speakman, of Tellus, wanted to feature jazz at the venue but from a slightly different angle.  Rather than the standards-heavy sets heard at restaurants, or the often intense playing heard in more serious jazz clubs, Bill wanted the music to conjure the feeling of being inside a Josh Agle painting (aka Shag) or perhaps at a Mod party in late 1950’s London. If you’re not familiar with Shag, check him out- he’s my favorite!

Jazz On King may seem like a strange name for a jazz night and an album, but Tellus is located on King Street in Lancaster, PA- thus the name.

This project started out as just a casual recording session. I wanted to record the group just so we had a record (no pun intended) of what we sounded like; something we could listen to for our own enjoyment when our current standing gig eventually ends.  It was only after we got started that I began thinking about finishing the whole thing and releasing it.  

We recorded most of the album in one day back in July 2022. A few days after that session, our keyboard player was diagnosed with lung cancer. He spent several months undergoing treatment. With Dave struggling through that process, it just didn’t seem as urgent or as interesting to finish all the post production stuff involved with the recording, so I let it sit- for months. When this spring rolled around, Dave had beaten cancer back, returned to playing, and is currently feeling really good overall. I took the Jazz On King album project off the shelf and finished it up.

This is a digital only release for now which means you can only hear it on streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, etc, so pop over to your favorite spot and check it out! Physical products, such as vinyl records and cd’s, are a risky proposition these days. Vinyl is expensive to produce.  Cd’s are cheaper but most people aren’t buying them anymore.  Nevertheless, I hope to have info soon about possibly getting the album pressed in some format- stay tuned!

My daughter Ally created an album cover that I think really captures the vibe of the music.  The recording was done by engineer Steve Puffer at Parallel Productions in Willow Street, PA; and mixed by Thomas Blondet of Rhythm & Culture Records in Washington DC. I got some great production help from Bill Speakman as well.  Thanks to everyone for their contributions- and especially to Dave Winter, Dave Santana and Bailey Fulginiti for their great playing & singing.

Jazz On King is intended to be a fun and relaxing record.  I hope you’ll give it a listen.

For more info & upcoming events, visit www.toddfulginiti.com