Arkadia Records is proud to announce the signing of highly acclaimed Jazz vocalist, Songwriter and Educator, JD Walter. “I have been a fan of JDs music for a while,” said Bob Karcy, the Founder of Arkadia, “and now I am really happy to be able to present his music to the world.” In late 2022, JD Walter and Arkadia Records entered into a long-term recording agreement for multiple new albums. Arkadia Records will also distribute JD Walter’s eight previously recorded self-released albums.
The First Album on Arkadia is
Release Date: May 19, 2023 – First singles available now!
LISTEN NOW:01/13/23 Golden Lady (Stevie Wonder)with Jean-Michel Pilc, piano; Steve Varner, bass; Greg Hutchinson, drums01/27/23 Dressed In A Song (JD Walter)with Grammy Award Winner, pianist Taylor Eigsti02/10/23 And I Love Her (John Lennon, Paul McCartney)with Gilad Hekselman, guitar; Taylor Eigsti, piano; James Genus, bass; Obed Calvaire, drums
02/24/23 I Was Telling Her About You (Moose Charlap)with pianist Steve Rudolph
This album of overlooked gems displays JD Walter’s skills as a composer, his mastery of the intimate ballad, his talent for reinventing pop and jazz Standards to bring a new depth to these songs, and his ability to swing, scat and harmonize like no one else.The album delivers a mix of three JD Walter original compositions, reinterpretations of three pop hits (Stevie Wonder’s Golden Lady, Lennon and McCartney’s And I Love Her, Burt Bacharach & Hal David’s What the World Needs Now), and four poignant romantic Jazz Standards.
WHAT THE CRITICS SAY ABOUT JD WALTER
“I mean, he scats like nobody else. Comparisons fail me. He plays with long tones like Betty Carter, takes risks like Kurt Elling, possesses a velvety smoothness like Mel Torme, investigates wordless ululations like Milton Nascimento, croons with the confident serenity of a Nat King Cole.” – Bill Donaldson, Marge Hofacre, JAZZ NEWS“He’s built a reputation for going down his own idiosyncratic path, while simultaneously crafting music that’s at once accessible and adventuresome, and undeniably soulful.” -John Murph, Downbeat Magazine“…lithe and audacious” – Nate Chinen, New York Times“Walter is reshaping what jazz singing is all about. He is opening up familiar material to the most adventurous kinds of interpretation, while continuing to engage and entertain his audiences…he is an original in an art overpopulated with copycats.”
– Don Heckman, LA Times
JD WALTER – IN BRIEF
Vocalist and songwriter JD WALTER is considered by many to be the among the very best jazz singers, with his immediately recognizable smokey sound, his virtuosic talent for improvisation, his compelling original songs, and his ability to reinvent standards. Over the decades, Walter has performed as a featured artist at numerous American jazz clubs and festivals in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, Central America as well as over 80 tours in Russia. He remains a regular in the New York music scene, and has headlined at Dizzy’s Lincoln Center, The Jazz Standard, The Blue Note, and The Jazz Gallery, among other venues.
After extended studies in Amsterdam with Jazz vocal Icon, Deborah Brown, Walter returned to the U.S. and embedded himself in the New York Jazz scene. He has released eight albums as a leader and been a guest on over 100 recordings.
JD has shared the stage with many legendary artists including: Dave Liebman, Billy Hart, Tom Harrell, Kurt Elling, Taylor Eigsti, Eddie Gomez, Bob Dorough, Nicholas Payton, Jean-Michel Pilc, Mark Murphy, Greg Hutchinson, Ari Hoenig, Orrin Evans, Obed Calvaire, Dave Kikowski, Robin Eubanks, Eric Revis, and others. In 2022, JD Walter took a new path and signed an exclusive recording agreement with esteemed New York based Grammy Nominated label Arkadia Records. The first album, What the World Needs Now, will be released on May 19, 2023. A brand new recording is now being mixed and will be released for the 4th quarter. It features DJ Walter with David Pulkingham, Taylor Eigsti, James Genus, Obed Calvaire and Gilad Hekselman. Stay tuned. This one is truly special.
English 
French 
Spanish 
Italian 
Portuguese 
German 
Japanese 