Articles by Acacia Grace

Live Review

Jill Scott with Freeman and the Future of Soul R&B

by Acacia Grace
October 17, 2026

Jill Scott Zénith Paris October 14, 2026 Jill Scott arrived at Zénith Paris--La Villette with the presence of a woman who understood both her artistry and her message. Opened in 1984, the venue sits within a cultural district with a long-standing relationship to jazz and popular music, including La Villette's jazz-festival tradition dating to 1986. On this evening, Scott brought that spirit of musical exploration into a performance where neo-soul, jazz, blues, and the rhythms ...

Live Review

Nao Yoshioka Brings Neo-Soul and Old-School Soul to Bizz’Art

by Acacia Grace
October 7, 2026

Nao Yoshioka Bizz'Art Paris, France September 25, 2026 From jazz and soul veterans to contemporary voices working across R&B, Bizz'Art has become one of those Parisian unassuming venues where international music feels remarkably close to home. The venue has also welcomed artists including Leela James, Sy Smith, Eric Roberson, and Kindred The Family Soul, reflecting its longstanding connection to the broader continuum of soul, jazz, funk, and contemporary R&B. On Friday, September 25, ...

Album Review

Confusion Project: IDENTITY

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by Acacia Grace
October 2, 2026

What does it sound like when a jazz trio looks to its own cultural roots to define where it is going next? For Polish trio Confusion Project, the answer is Identity-an expansive, cinematic project that brings contemporary jazz together with fusion, progressive elements, and the rhythmic character of the Polish mazurka. The trio consists of Michal Ciesielski on piano, Piotr Gierszewski on bass, and Adam Golicki on drums. They have spent more than a decade developing their musical language, and with ...

Album Review

Plas Moon: More Love More Life

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by Acacia Grace
October 1, 2026

How can somebody sing about love and make you feel like you've entered a relaxing meditative state? That is the first question that comes to mind while listening to Plas Moon's More Love More Life. This is soulful, ethereal music that does not simply ask to be heard: it creates an atmosphere to fall into. The vocals are soft like silk, yet there is power underneath the restraint. Rather than placing the voice aggressively at the front of ...

Album Review

Sarah D'Angelo: You Are There

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by Acacia Grace
September 27, 2026

There are albums that reveal themselves immediately, and this is one of those albums. Sarah D'Angelo's You Are There is an intimate collection of jazz performances built around restraint, storytelling, and the kind of vocal delivery that feels more at home on a small stage than in a crowded room. D'Angelo has the instincts of a jazz balladeer, approaching each lyric with the theatricality of a stage storyteller while maintaining the intimacy and nuance of a seasoned jazz ...

Play This!

Joseph Quiles Takes the Scenic Route on Sunset Cruisin

by Acacia Grace
September 12, 2026

"Sunset Cruisin'" is the kind of track that settles into a smooth groove and makes you want to stay there. Joseph Quiles delivers a vibrant blend of contemporary smooth jazz, soul, and funk, built around a mid-tempo pocket that feels effortless while still carrying plenty of energy. Lush piano textures bring warmth to the arrangement, while Quiles' bass provides the track's unmistakable pulse. The production is infectious without feeling overworked, giving the performance a relaxed confidence that immediately ...

Live Review

Célia Kameni at Parc Floral de Paris: A Siren, a Calming Voice, and a Journey Through Sound

by Acacia Grace
September 2, 2026

Célia Kameni Parc Floral de Paris Paris Jazz Festival August 29, 2026 On a rainy August afternoon, the gardens of the Parc Floral provided the perfect stage for a performance that moved effortlessly between genres. Located in the Bois de Vincennes in Paris' 12th arrondissement and near the Château de Vincennes, Parc Floral is a 31-hectare botanical garden inaugurated in 1969. Its summer music programming has long embraced the relationship between music and ...

Album Review

Tim Larkin: Setting Standards

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by Acacia Grace
September 1, 2026

Immerse yourself in the smooth, sophisticated sounds of contemporary jazz with Tim Larkin's Setting Standards. From the opening notes, Larkin establishes an effortless atmosphere, allowing his horns to take center stage without overpowering the arrangements. There is a relaxed confidence to his playing that makes the album particularly inviting: music that feels equally suited to attentive listening or simply setting the mood. One of the standout tracks of this album is Larkin's reimagining of “Through the Fire.“ Rather ...

Album Review

Estrella Acosta: Caminos: A Latin American Landscape

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by Acacia Grace
August 27, 2026

Estrella Acosta's Caminos: A Latin American Landscape is an inviting introduction to contemporary Latin jazz, balancing the sophistication of jazz with the warmth and rhythmic energy of Latin American music. Acosta has a smooth yet commanding presence, and her vocals give the album a feeling of intimacy even when the music becomes lively and exuberant. Her work is rooted in the sounds of her native Cuba while drawing on a wider range of Latin American and Brazilian influences.

Album Review

Lisa Marie Simmons: NoteSpeak (In a Word)

Read "NoteSpeak (In a Word)" reviewed by Acacia Grace

by Acacia Grace
August 26, 2026

Lisa Marie Simmons has a story to tell, and she tells it through melody, harmony, spoken word, lively woodwinds, jazz-inflected instrumentation, and a cast of special guests in NoteSpeak (In a Word). This is a unique vocal project, one that feels as much like a work of jazzy poetry and storytelling as it does a traditional album. And Simmons has a way with words throughout the entire project. For NoteSpeak (In a Word)there is a lot happening ...