VOCALIST PAULINE JEAN TO RELEASE HER SOPHOMORE ALBUM "NWAYO."

VOCALIST PAULINE JEAN TO RELEASE HER SOPHOMORE ALBUM “NWAYO” Jazz vocalist Pauline Jean is releasing her sophomore album entitled NWAYO on May 26, 2016, marked by an inaugural performance at the Baruch Performing Arts Center’s Engelman Recital Hall in New York City. NWAYO (pronounced n-wah- yo) is a Haitian Creole word that refers to the hardest part of the fruit, or the core, and aptly represents Jean’s deep reflection from her most recent body of work. Through compositions and arrangements, Jean passionately reveals her personal narrative and explores the fusion between tradition and modernity by blending jazz with Haitian rhythms and tonalities. The recording showcases a diverse repertoire that is not often captured in a single recording. Jean’s velvety contralto creates a powerful sense of emotion and liberation that transcends language barriers. The album features Pauline Jean (vocals), Axel Laugart (piano), Jonathan Michel (bass), Godwin Louis (alto sax), Jean Caze (trumpet), Obed Calvaire (drums), Markus Schwartz (percussion), and Jean Mary Brignol (percussion).

About Pauline Jean:

Haitian-American vocalist, composer and arranger, Pauline Jean, is a performing artist whose distinctive contralto has caught the attention of audiences young and old. Jean brings a refreshing sound to today’s music, by creating an erudite blend of worldly jazz that draws from her Creole roots and integrates modern and traditional inflections. She has received considerable press from leading media publications, including DownBeat, Jazzwise, All About Jazz, Le Nouvelliste, and many more, and has been featured both as a performer and bandleader at numerous festivals around the globe. Jean has also collaborated with various multidisciplinary artists, including writer Edwidge Danticat, classical pianist Denis Matsuev, the Ivanov Brothers, Emeline Michel, and Wyclef Jean, among others.