Kieran Brown - Loving You

2025
Those of you looking for a shining new record from an exciting new voice in jazz are in luck: Kieran Brown’s debut has finally hit the scene.

Kieran Brown is a force. By sixteen years old, she was singing the National Anthem at Madison Square Garden, and by seventeen, she had cemented herself a spot at a prestigious undergraduate jazz program. Since moving to New York in 2023, she has performed at some of the best-known clubs on the New York Jazz scene. Jazz at the Ballroom Artistic Director Konrad Paszkudski said about Brown: “the future of jazz and the American Songbook lies in the hands of this incredibly talented artist.” This album proves him right.

The songs Brown has selected for her debut are pulled from a rich history of classics that she makes her own. American Songbook Association Magazine cited her as a “performer who can present skillfully contrasting styles,” and this album is a fantastic representation of that mastery. Stand outs on the album are Joe Block’s arrangement of Mandal and Mercer’s “Emily,” Brown’s own arrangement of the title track “Loving You” by Stephen Sondheim, and Aaron Matson’s arrangement of Burt Bacharach’s “Alfie.” These arrangements perfectly capture Brown’s diverse musical and vocal range, going from American Songbook to contemporary and folk.

Brown has surrounded herself with instrumentalists and arrangers with as deep a breadth of musicianship as she. Outside of Brown’s own arrangements, the album features string arrangements by Joe Block, a renowned pianist in his own right, who has arranged for the likes of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Overton, and the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia. Featured tenor soloist and Grammy award winner Chris Lewis boasts an expansive jazz background, playing with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Internationally recognized artist Tony Glausi, celebrated as one of the most accomplished trumpet players on the planet, has performed with the United States Marine Corp All-Star Jazz Band and more, before lending his talents to this record. However, the true beauty in this ensemble is the fresh new musicians Brown brings along with her, including rhythm section leader and pianist Tyler Henderson and bassist Joseph Raneri. The majority of musicians on Brown’s debut are coming up in New York City as well. There’s a freshness to the energy they bring to the record, a vibrancy that can only be found amongst this younger generation, hungry to keep this music alive.

The opening number on Loving You is an apt one. Brown’s rendition of Previn and Previn tune “You’re Gonna Hear from Me,” arranged for the album by guitarist Aaron Matson, is a rousing welcome to her debut. She croons “listen world, you can’t ignore me,” and she’s right. This song is the first of ten that firmly plant Kieran Brown in the jazz spotlight. She wants you to hear her, and really, you should.

by Sam Stafford