New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Los Angeles native and jazz saxophonist Carly Stock has returned home where her musical journey with the alto saxophone began to release her debut single, "Finally." Available to stream on all platforms beginning June 9, Stock's interpretation of the jazz ballad leads the listener on a soulful and unrestrained odyssey of her development into the artist she has long aspired to be.
"
Finally" holds a special place in Stock's heart because it's the first song she's ever written; it started with the catchy melody and it wasn't until two years later that it was fully realized. The jazz ballad begins with piano and adds more instruments until the melody is fully developed, then moves into improvisation. The piano solo builds into a wall of sound, only to be released when the alto sax takes over, where an even larger build occurs until it all comes crashing down, back to the original melody. Stock's modern composition is inspired by saxophonists Braxton Cook and Terrace Martin, leading innovators in jazz, hip-hop, rap, and neo-soul. She is accompanied on the piece by Jake Nalangan (piano), August Bish (electric bass), and Colman Burks (drum set). The piece was recorded by Seth Blitstein in Denton,
Texas in March of this year, produced by Stock, and mixed by Jeffrey Hepker.
Stock is a Los Angeles-born jazz saxophonist and woodwind artist known for her big tone and even bigger personality. Since she first took up the alto saxophone at age 10, she fell in love with masters like Kenny Garrett and Antonio Hart, and as she honed her craft, began implementing their creativity, huge sounds, and grit into her own unique style. But it wasn't until high school when she saw the famed University of North
Texas (UNT) One O'Clock Lab Band perform on tour that she knew she wanted to pursue music full-time. Stock went on to study saxophone with Professor Brad Leali at the UNT College of
Music in Denton, Texas, where she earned her BM in Jazz Studies and minor in Commercial
Music in May of this year. At UNT, she was a member of the seven-time, Grammy-nominated One O'Clock Lab Band — a group NPR dubbed "one of the most prestigious jazz ensembles in the world" — for almost two years. She is the only female saxophonist to have earned a seat in the band in nearly 30 years. Prior to her university career, Stock studied with Lee Secard for seven years at the esteemed Colburn Community School of Performing Arts in downtown Los Angeles, where she was a part of the Downbeat Magazine award-winning Colburn Jazz Workshop.
What People Are Saying About Carly:
• "The most promising of young talent…relentless." — interview for NPR's World Café feature on The One O'Clock Lab Band (April, 2023)
• "Carly is creative, soulful, and has been a consistent fan favorite." — Alan Baylock, Director, The One O'Clock Lab Band, College of Music, University of North Texas
• "Carly is a standout in all aspects…a superb musician…a Renaissance woman." — Jonathan "Dr. Capital" Patterson, Japanese TV personality and former Assistant Professor of Popular
Music Theory, Technology and Performance, USC Thornton School of Music
