Autographed VINYL of  Duo Encounters
 
Duo Encounters on vinyl is curated specifically for the side A & side B experience, taking you on a journey engaging all the senses.  Featuring the top ten songs of the Duo Encounters album released March 24, 2023.
 
 
Duo Encounters features twelve thoughtful, innovative performances of timeless jazz standards, arranged for a duo context, pairing Thomas with a ‘who’s who’ of jazz’s front-line. The album begins with a sultry rendition of “Love For Sale”, featuring pianist Helio Alves which exemplifies, from the very first downbeat, Thomas’ warm vocal tone and the intentionality and soul that the vocalist packs behind every note. Next, Thomas communes with Mr. Ron Carter for a spirited performance of “Willow Weep For Me”. This piece is one of the finest examples of the stellar interplay Thomas employs throughout the release with her duo partners.
Another highlight from the release is Thomas’ heart-rending rendition of “My Foolish Heart” alongside guitarist Russell Malone. Malone provides a perfect sonic backdrop over which Thomas’ vocals soar. A stunning and unique offering is Thomas’ take on the classic “ Lush Life” alongside saxophonist Wayne Escoffery - Thomas’ vocal quality and story-telling harken back to the classic sounds of Nancy Wilson and Billie Holiday. Escoffery provides counter-melody lines that reflect the harmonic under-pinnings of the composition while perfectly complementing Thomas’ melodic refrains. Thomas demonstrates her complex rhythmic acuity on “Everytime We Say Goodbye”, delivering blues-tinged phrasing, circumlocuting the beat in a masterful way alongside bassist Noriko Ueda. The album concludes with a truly special rendition of “Round Midnight” featuring cellist Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf. The vocalist’s dulcet tones can be heard a capella for a section prior to Dorman-Phaneuf’s contrapuntal accompaniment enters. The piece builds tremendously as vocals and cello weave around each other and ultimately fall into a stunning, descending unison line closing out the arrangement and this inventive release as a whole.
 
The vocalist notes “This album was birthed coming out of covid lockdown when I could finally enter the same room and create musically with one other musician. The intimacy of communication within the duo setting is thrilling. There is something so satisfying with simply two instruments. For Duo Encounters, I invited uniquely great instrumentalists that each have their own style to engage in musical conversations with my voice. This album is about creating, and revealing the deep parts of the musical journey.”