April April Varner

• 1 April Blues 04:40
• 2 I'll Remember April 03:51
• 3 April Joy 05:39
• 4 April Come She Will 02:15
• 5 April Give Me One More Day 04:33
• 6 April Again 04:29
• 7 Sometimes It Snows In April 07:11
• 8 Dear April 04:06
• 9 April In Paris 03:15
• 10 Lost April 05:37
• 11 Who Let April Back Into My Dreams 04:23
• Total Runtime 49:59

Info for April

Refreshing & Ravishing Vocalist April Varner Reveals Her Vernal New Album April, Composed Of Originals & Standards Around Her Namesake Month.

Just in time for the big bloom, award-winning jazz vocalist and composer April Varner has announced her intimate, imaginative debut album, April, due out June 28 via Cellar Music. A cleverly curated and totally cohesive opening statement, April offers a banquet of standards and rock-era classics — all with “April” in the title — bookended by two succulent originals: “April Blues” and “Who Let April Back Into My Dreams?”

The New York City Jazz Record has hailed the 26-year-old dynamo as a “direct, authentic singer…”, who demonstrates “vocal dynamism… authentic jazz phrasing… electrifying numbers” and possesses a “profound command of deep scat and vocalese.” Varner has amassed several viral videos of her challenging solo transcriptions, cleverly crafted vocalizes, and acapella renditions of the Great American Songbook. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music who has studied with jazz luminaries like Tierney Sutton, Russell Malone, Sachal Vasandani, Jane Monheit, Kurt Elling, and others, Varner garnered much attention last year as the winner of the 2023 International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition.

April is produced by famed drummer-producer Ulysses Owens Jr., who was first introduced to the singer via Theo Bleckmann. “She’s one of the most dynamic and studious musicians I have encountered in many years,” Owens Jr. reflects. “I have worked with a lot of talented artists, but not many that possess the work ethic and ambition that April encompasses, coupled with her incredible talent. She can sing anything and can morph into whatever the style is.” Working together was a natural step, and the two went to work in April.

The result is a vibrant and cohesive album guided by self-reflection. “I wanted it to be like a letter to myself, and how far I’ve grown as an artist,” the singer says. “I want the world to see who April is and what that name invokes. It’s a reflection of both my personality and the many feelings associated with the season of Spring. My goal was to showcase different emotional layers that people could resonate with.” April features pianist Caelan Cardello (who also is the album arranger), guitarist Russell Malone, bassist Reuben Rogers, drummer Miguel Russell, trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III, and tenor and soprano saxophonist Dayna Stephens. When choosing the band, Varner wanted to include musicians who had inspired her. Varner’s years-long history with Cardello and Russell particularly is displayed by their discernible interplay and tight musical connection. In selecting the guests, Owens Jr. played a significant role, in shaping the bandstand by suggesting players that would best complement the vocalist.

As mentioned, April kicks off with the spare and spine-tingling “April Blues,” with a delivery beyond her years, and supple phrasings that dance in sync with bassist Rodger’s beat.

From there, Varner and company swing straight into “I’ll Remember April,” where she trades improvised vocaleses with Benack with conversational ease and aplomb. This leads into Pat Metheny’s spectacular “Joy of April,” followed by a jaw-dropping take on Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel’s melancholic classic “April Come She Will,” alone with guitarist Malone.

Varner takes “April Give Me One More Day” on a spin through a medium-slow arrangement, with a distinctly Anita O’Day flair to her balladeering. “April Again” features an unforgettable solo by Dayna Stephens on soprano sax, and Cardello on simmering piano and organ.

“Sometimes it Snows in April” is a Prince and the Revolution classic from their 1986 album Parade; much like “April Come She Will,” Varner makes this non-jazz chestnut utterly her own. She continues in this vein with Frank Ocean’s hymnal “Dear April,” where Varner’s penchant for short endings and long phrases is on winning display. This track, which is the album’s second single, was produced by her former Manhattan School of Music professor, Theo Bleckmann. “The time spent with him was invaluable to say the least. He has taught me so much about myself and about my music so I knew I wanted to include him in some way on this project,” she says. “His skill set in layering his voice into lush harmonies and the use of effects made this track truly something incredible.”

What jazz album of April songs could fly without “April in Paris”? Here, it’s a swinging duo with pianist Cardello, who takes big swings with phrasing and style to keep the vibe vividly modern. She follows this with a slow, simmering take on “Lost April,” with an especially haunting precision to Russell’s drumming.

It all concludes majestically with the other Varner-written bookend, “Who Let April Back in My Dreams?”, which further displays her chops as a skillful crafter of original music. March came in like a lion, and out like a lamb — but Varner has just arrived, as a bona fide lion on the jazz-vocal circuit. And unlike the month, this April is bound to stay awhile.

April Varner, vocals
Caelan Cardello, piano
Russell Malone, guitar
Reuben Rogers, double bass
Miguel Russell, drums
Benny Benack III, trumpet, vocals
Dayna Stephens, saxophone

Produced by Ulysses Owens Jr.

April Varner
“I am music” was one of April’s first proclamations as a very young child and it holds true to this day. Since singing her first notes as a four-year-old, inspired by none other than the Disney Princess movies, her journey toward growing as a musician began. In fact, April has spent the majority of her life performing and competing in the arts.

NYC-based jazz vocalist with the curly red hair from Toledo, Ohio, April Varner is a name you won’t soon forget. She began taking voice lessons at the University of Toledo as a classical vocalist at age 8 and began studying piano from her grandmother at age 6. No stranger to the stage, April began displaying vocal, musical theatre, drama, and piano talents at the local, regional, national, and international levels at a young age. This includes being a guest vocalist at the Toledo Symphony Orchestra Pops Concert, a 2-time All-National Honors Ensemble member in Nashville, TN, and a National Finalist at the Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook Academy in Carmel, IN. By age 16, April had made her Carnegie Hall debut in Weill Hall following a first-place award by the American Protégé International Vocal Competition, and had traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland as part of a drama group to share the stage with world actors at the renowned Edinburgh Arts Fringe Festival.

April began her musical transition into jazz after discovering a deep passion for it following her freshman year at Indiana University. April soon after became the director of the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, ResoluSHion, within the Grammy-nominated show choir, The Singing Hoosiers. During her final semester at IU, April was the vocalist in the Du Vido Septet, a Brazilian Jazz Ensemble led by Brazilian composer, arranger and pianist, Guilherme Ribeiro. The group was chosen as one of three finalists within the famed Detroit Jazz Festival’s Collegiate Combo Competition. In the spring of 2020, April graduated with her undergraduate degree in Jazz Studies (Voice).

At the age of 27, April has immersed herself deeply into the jazz tradition and has performed/studied with a multitude of legendary artists and jazz luminaries such as Tierney Sutton, Russell Malone, Sachal Vasandani, Jane Monheit, Kurt Elling, Walter Smith III and others.

April has performed/will be performing at some of the most notable venues in the Northeast, such as Chris's Jazz Cafe (Philadelphia), Blues Alley (Washington D.C), Con Alma (Pittsburgh), 54 Below (NYC), Birdland Jazz Club (NYC, sold out debut show), and Mezzrow Jazz Club (NYC, sold out debut show). She also recently made her International Debut, headlining the Longjumeau Jazz Festival (Longjumeau, France) in celebration of the great Ella Fitzgerald, along with two full shows at Sunset Sunside in Paris. In October, April will be an invited featured artist in the Jazz For All Ages Festival (Hilton Head, SC), alongside some of the most notable figures in jazz, such as Kurt Elling, Catherine Russell, John Pizzarelli and Emmet Cohen.

April graduated in May of 2022 with her Master’s degree in Jazz Voice Performance from the Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of 2-time Grammy© nominated vocalist and teacher Theo Bleckmann. Soon after, she released her first EP, entitled "Hummingbird", featuring both original compositions and original vocaleses. It can be found on all streaming services.

She was awarded the 2023 Winner of the International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition and most recently received a 2024 Honorable Mention Award in the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Competition. The release of her debut full-length album, entitled “April by April Varner”, will be released on June 28th, 2024 on Cellar Live Record Label. This genre-busting collection of all April-titled songs was produced by Grammy-Award winning drummer, producer and educator, Ulysses Owens Jr.

The personnel of the album include Russell Malone, Benny Benack III, Dayna Stephens, Theo Bleckmann ("Dear April" Track Producer/Vocal Arrangement), Reuben Rogers, Miguel Russell and Caelan Cardello (Album arranger).

This album contains no booklet.