JEFFREY GIMBLE’s second album BRAND NEW KEY is a collection of standards, some not-so standards, and several songs that deserve to be standards. This is the vocalist’s long-awaited endeavor since the release of his 2013 debut album Beyond Up High. All About Jazz said, “Vocalist Jeffrey Gimble makes one heck of an entrance into the jazz world, with an impressive debut that's beyond good; it's quite frankly, terrific in style, swing and swagger.”
BRAND NEW KEY features top Los Angeles players, including acclaimed pianist and composer, JOSH NELSON, who produced the album, guitarist LARRY KOONSE, bassist DAN LUTZ, and drummer DAN SCHNELLE. Gimble had wanted to work on a recording with Nelson for some time. “Josh is such a brilliant pianist and arranger. We kept talking about doing a project together, and given that he's one of the best pianists in town (and he's also one of my closest friends), I thought, how could I not?”
Gimble grew up in a jazz-filled home in Houston. Whether accompanying his bandleader dad to gigs, spending endless hours listening to his family’s vast jazz record collection, or just playing piano and singing, his musical destiny was fixed at an early age. It was then that he discovered the Great American Songbook as well as the works of the American Musical Theatre
BRAND NEW KEY calls attention to a few musical gems that deserve broader recognition and explores his passion for the grooves and sounds of the 60s and 70s. It heralds Gimble’s personal feelings about his growth as an artist. He explains, “I think the real reason I decided on this album title is that ‘brand new key’ for me says that I'm a different singer at this point. I’m bringing something to the plate that I didn’t have before. I’m full of new ideas and excited about where I can take a song.”
Gimble demonstrates this newfound confidence on the first track, singing the Ray Henderson and Mort Dixon 1926 jazz standard “Bye Bye Blackbird.” A fan of old school R&B from the ‘60s and ‘70s, he wanted to give the song a funky groove after listening to a Curtis Mayfield tune. “Tryin’ Times” was originally recorded in 1969 by the recently deceased multi-Grammy winner, Roberta Flack. It’s a powerful song that urges one to be a part of the solution and to always remember that love is stronger than hate. The recording and mixing engineer, Talley Sherwood, adds a layer of texture by weaving real life street sounds into the recording.
Gimble calls Rodgers and Hart two of the greatest composer/lyricists of all time. He chose “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” from their 1939 Broadway musical Too Many Girls because he loves the lyrics and its joyous attitude.
Gimble nostalgically recalls the bossa nova records his parents frequently played during his childhood and sings “A Rā (A Frog)” in Portuguese. He has loved bossa nova ever since he can remember and was such a huge fan of Sergio Mendes that he was able to single out Mendes in a crowd – at the age of four - when he and his father were backstage attending a concert. Gimble and Nelson usually play “The Nearness of You” on their gigs, and although Gimble didn’t plan on recording it, when he and Nelson played around with the song during downtime in the studio, they both felt it deserved to be included.
The album’s title track, “Brand New Key,” was a pop hit by Melanie in 1971. Gimble says, “It's a little sexy, it's a little goofy, and I really enjoy singing it.” It was the first record he ever bought. He is also a big fan of singer/pianist Dena DeRose and decided to sing “In the Glow of The Moonlight” because he was drawn to its melody that’s full of twists and turns and octave jumps.
The music segues to “Quietly There,” famously recorded by Shirley Horn. He was drawn to the lyrics about someone whose lover has left and now waits for a knock at the door that signals their return. “Somebody Groovy,” the album’s penultimate track, was made famous by Cass Elliott on The Mamas and Papas’ 1966 debut album. “It’s such an iconic pop ‘60s song, with the ‘Fa la la, Yeah, Fa la la, No,’ coda,” says Gimble. “I’ve been wanting to perform it as it’s been in my head all these years and it’s a lot of fun to sing.”
The opening lyrics of “Music’s The Only Thing That’s on My Mind,” the album’s closer, dovetails with his own youth. “As a kid I would sit and listen while my father played ‘Sweet Adeline.’ And the music that he taught me, it just reached right out and caught me. Music’s the only thing that’s on my mind.”
Gimble’s father, Maynard Gimble, was adamant about Jeffrey listening to his heart regarding his life choices. Indeed, Gimble follows his heart on BRAND NEW KEY with his sensitive interpretations. Nelson’s excellent arrangements and the stellar playing by the band of top-notch musicians validate those choices.
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BRAND NEW KEY will be released on Café Pacific Records and will be available at Bandcamp (physical copies) and all streaming platforms April 4, 2025.
WATCH: “Bye Bye Blackbird”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASq0oEQKIYQ
Online: Jeffreygimble.com Facebook.com/jeffreygimble IG: @jeffreygimble Jeffreygimble.bandcamp.com/album/brand-new-key | 
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