As VJE leader Josh Feldstein puts it, his band strives to appeal "to everyone from people in their twenties who know nothing about bebop to people in their '80s who grew up in the swing era."
Having raced to the number one spot on the JazzWeek chart with its 2018 album Connect the Dots, staying in the top 10 slot for nine amazing weeks, the VJE attained maximum liftoff in reaching a wide range of listeners with its follow-up recording, Night Mode, also reaching top 10 radio chart status for 6 weeks in 2019.
Now, the VJE releases its first live album, The VJE: Very Live! a lucky product of a live performance in January 2020 just before the pandemic shut down live performances everywhere. The group's 7th album is an entertaining mix of original compositions by various members, and both popular and lesser-known jazz classics.
"There's so much amazing music that people haven't heard," said Feldstein, the VJE's drummer who studied under the legendary Morello as well as the also-legendary John Riley, another Morello mentee. "One of our jobs is to find music that is fresh, with melodies we love, and blow the dust off it.”
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