Ravita Jazz’s Alice Blue is one of the best, most consistently intriguing and engaging contemporary jazz albums of 2025.
—Jonathan Widran
Ravita Jazz released Alice Blue in May of 2025. In the liner notes, jazz journalist and author Raul d'Gama Rosewrote: “Throughout Alice Blue the poetics of musical tradition are impressively maintained. The balance of melody, harmony and rhythm present in compositions and improvisation make this an album worth adding to your collection.”
Bassist, composer, educator, and radio host Dr. Phil Ravita leads Ravita Jazz, a dynamic ensemble rooted in modern jazz traditions and creative innovation. As one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most versatile and in-demand bassists, Ravita has worked with music greats Joe Coleman, Jimmy Heath, Bobby Shew, Claudio Roditi and Ruby Glover, Ravita also appears in numerous classical engagements.
O’s Place Magazine calls Ravita: ”One of the finest jazz bassists outside of New York.” He holds a master’s in jazz performance from the University of Maryland College Park and a doctorate in music education from Boston University. A Maryland State Arts Council Touring Artist, he uses Aguilar Bass Amplifiers, MONO cases, and REMIC Microphones.
Alice Blue follows his highly praised album Oriana. The The JW Vibe’s Jonathan Widran stated, “Alice Blue is one of the best, most consistently intriguing and engaging contemporary jazz albums of 2025.” Ravita Jazz features pianist Greg Small, drummer Nucleo Vega , saxophonist Paul Carr, percussionist Mark Leppo and vocalist Deirdre Jennings-Holton. The new project features tunes by two of the six band members.
Members of he group have worked closely together in the Mid-Atlantic since attending graduate school together at the University of Maryland, College Park. Ravita, pianist Greg Small and drummer Nucleo Vega have known each other since 2007 and since shared gigs in New York City, Washington, DC , and Baltimore.
Ravita Jazz’s new album, Alice Blue, is a vibrant, emotional journey through original compositions and creative reimagining that draw on jazz, blues, funk, Brazilian rhythms, and modern harmonies. Across ten engaging tracks, Alice Blue highlights Ravita’s lyrical bass work, expressive writing, and the constructive collaboration of his seasoned ensemble.
“Broken Light” (Ravita) is inspired by refracted light through a cracked window; this funk-rooted piece balances chromatic harmonies with scale-based melodies in a colorful tone poem. “From the Start” (Laufey and Spencer Stewart) is a contemporary bossa nova vocal tune featuring Deirdre Jennings. Synth textures, jazz harmonies, and subtle Brazilian grooves blend modernity with tradition.
The title track “Alice Blue" (Ravita) is a graceful bossa nova written during Ravita’s time at the University of Maryland, which captures the tranquil mood of a clear blue sky with blues-based melodies and bebop rhythms. Whereas “Almost Blue” (Ravita) is a witty, layered blues with a twist. Conceived through experimentation and pedal layering, this track dances to the edge of form and freedom.
Switching gears, “I Can’t Stand the Rain” (Peebles/Bryant/Miller), a classic soul tune, gets an emotive jazz treatment with lush chromatic harmony and heartfelt vocals. Another dip into nostalgia is “Fool in the Rain / Sunny Side of the Street” (Jones/Page/Plant + Fields/McHugh). It is an unexpected and clever mashup of a rock anthem and jazz standard, arranged pre-pandemic but made more poignant during it. Delivered with playful contrast and bossa rhythms.
“Hereafter” (Greg Small) offers a dark, spacious, and introspective mood; this minor-tonality tune explores themes of mortality and spirit, with haunting interplay between bass, soprano sax, and piano. Additively, “Blackout” (Ravita) is a moody, harmonically rich piece that reflects modern uncertainty. Major/minor modal interplay and understated rhythm evoke a sense of duality and depth.
“Golden Sky” (Ravita) uplifts with a bright, bebop-tempo composition that shifts from minor to major, mirroring hope breaking through darkness, an energetic, uplifting highlight. In closing, “Signal and Noise” (Greg Small ) offers a brilliant contrafact on “My Shining Hour,” exploring the idea of filtering life’s distractions to find clarity—executed with rhythmic precision and melodic finesse.
Released on the Ravita Music label, the album goes to radio and is on sale in May 2025. Sample and purchase tracks are available through ravitajazz.hearnow.com.
Bassist, composer, educator, and radio host Dr. Phil Ravita leads Ravita Jazz, a dynamic ensemble rooted in modern jazz traditions and creative innovation. As one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most versatile and in-demand bassists, Ravita has worked with music greats Joe Coleman, Jimmy Heath, Bobby Shew, Claudio Roditi and Ruby Glover, Ravita also appears in numerous classical engagements.
O’s Place Magazine calls Ravita: ”One of the finest jazz bassists outside of New York.” He holds a master’s in jazz performance from the University of Maryland College Park and a doctorate in music education from Boston University. A Maryland State Arts Council Touring Artist, he uses Aguilar Bass Amplifiers, MONO cases, and REMIC Microphones.
Alice Blue follows his highly praised album Oriana. The The JW Vibe’s Jonathan Widran stated, “Alice Blue is one of the best, most consistently intriguing and engaging contemporary jazz albums of 2025.” Ravita Jazz features pianist Greg Small, drummer Nucleo Vega , saxophonist Paul Carr, percussionist Mark Leppo and vocalist Deirdre Jennings-Holton. The new project features tunes by two of the six band members.
Members of he group have worked closely together in the Mid-Atlantic since attending graduate school together at the University of Maryland, College Park. Ravita, pianist Greg Small and drummer Nucleo Vega have known each other since 2007 and since shared gigs in New York City, Washington, DC , and Baltimore.
Ravita Jazz’s new album, Alice Blue, is a vibrant, emotional journey through original compositions and creative reimagining that draw on jazz, blues, funk, Brazilian rhythms, and modern harmonies. Across ten engaging tracks, Alice Blue highlights Ravita’s lyrical bass work, expressive writing, and the constructive collaboration of his seasoned ensemble.
“Broken Light” (Ravita) is inspired by refracted light through a cracked window; this funk-rooted piece balances chromatic harmonies with scale-based melodies in a colorful tone poem. “From the Start” (Laufey and Spencer Stewart) is a contemporary bossa nova vocal tune featuring Deirdre Jennings. Synth textures, jazz harmonies, and subtle Brazilian grooves blend modernity with tradition.
The title track “Alice Blue" (Ravita) is a graceful bossa nova written during Ravita’s time at the University of Maryland, which captures the tranquil mood of a clear blue sky with blues-based melodies and bebop rhythms. Whereas “Almost Blue” (Ravita) is a witty, layered blues with a twist. Conceived through experimentation and pedal layering, this track dances to the edge of form and freedom.
Switching gears, “I Can’t Stand the Rain” (Peebles/Bryant/Miller), a classic soul tune, gets an emotive jazz treatment with lush chromatic harmony and heartfelt vocals. Another dip into nostalgia is “Fool in the Rain / Sunny Side of the Street” (Jones/Page/Plant + Fields/McHugh). It is an unexpected and clever mashup of a rock anthem and jazz standard, arranged pre-pandemic but made more poignant during it. Delivered with playful contrast and bossa rhythms.
“Hereafter” (Greg Small) offers a dark, spacious, and introspective mood; this minor-tonality tune explores themes of mortality and spirit, with haunting interplay between bass, soprano sax, and piano. Additively, “Blackout” (Ravita) is a moody, harmonically rich piece that reflects modern uncertainty. Major/minor modal interplay and understated rhythm evoke a sense of duality and depth.
“Golden Sky” (Ravita) uplifts with a bright, bebop-tempo composition that shifts from minor to major, mirroring hope breaking through darkness, an energetic, uplifting highlight. In closing, “Signal and Noise” (Greg Small ) offers a brilliant contrafact on “My Shining Hour,” exploring the idea of filtering life’s distractions to find clarity—executed with rhythmic precision and melodic finesse.
Released on the Ravita Music label, the album goes to radio and is on sale in May 2025. Sample and purchase tracks are available through ravitajazz.hearnow.com.
