Tyreek McDole is set to release his highly anticipated sophomore album, CHROMA, coming out on November 6 via Artwork Records. The album is the follow-up to the Florida-born vocalist and arranger’s critically acclaimed debut, Open Up Your Senses, which was well-received by jazz critics and listeners alike. With CHROMA, McDole explores themes of home, identity and musical lineage by reimagining the music of his muses, from past to present, that have inspired him as an artist.
Joining him as a executive producer on the project is GRAMMY-nominated trumpeter and composer Theo Croker, who helped McDole bring to life his musical vision with original compositions and reimagined remakes from the likes of Nina Simone, Andre 3000, Miles Davis, Richie Havens and Kendrick Lamar.
CHROMA also includes pianist Michael King, bassist Brandon Rose, trumpeter Akili Bradley, drummer Joe Dyson, and guitarist Emmanuel Michael. The album was came of being shortly after McDole’s work with legendary pianist Kenny Barron on his latest album, Songbook. McDole was inspired by Barron’s comfort in his identity as a musician and how it showed up in the music. This led McDole to reflect on what he’s musical identity looked like which he discovered was rooted “in the meeting of inner solace with the force of history, politics, and culture in the music of the present.”
Since winning the 2023 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocals Competition and releasing Open Up Your Senses, Tyreek McDole has been a rising star in the contemporary jazz scene, making appearances at various jazz festivals and venues. With this sophomore effort, McDole solidifies himself as a force to be reckoned with.
CHROMA is preceded by the singles, “WILD IS THE WIND,” “THINK OF YOU” and “she’s alive.”
