The funky, soulful, swinging singer, pianist, and composer CLIFF
BEACH sounds like he could be the love child of Ella Fitzgerald and
Stevie Wonder. A prolific recording artist, he is now releasing his
newest album, YOU SHOWED ME THE WAY, a collection of jazz tunes
that show the breadth of Beach’s imagination and the many
influences that have shaped his aesthetic.
A graduate of Berklee College of Music and a vocalist with a 3+ octave
range, Beach has released one album a year for the last 10 years. His
2013 debut recording project, Who the Funk is Cliff Beach?, earned
Beach several L.A. Music Awards nominations, including Record of
the Year, Jazz Artist of the Year, and Urban Music Artist of the Year.
Alpha Magazine has said, “Cliff Beach is a one of a kind musician, with
powerful vocals and mean hands when playing the keyboard. The
writing skills he has developed are top notch. What makes him even
more unique is his soulful funky music style.”
Beach’s music reflects the many styles of music he has absorbed. He
says, “It doesn’t matter whether you play jazz, soul, gospel, country,
or pop, because all the different musical styles are really branches of
the same that has its roots deeply embedded in American soil. When
I’m composing or singing, I don’t think about a particular style, I just
think about what I’m trying say and try to make it different and
engaging.”
YOU SHOWED ME THE WAY is Beach’s first foray into a full album of
jazz standards. He dedicated the album to Ella Fitzgerald and chose
songs from her songbook, with each song coming from a different
period of her career. Beach has a commanding voice and sings with a
great deal of heart. Although the songs on YOU SHOWED ME THE WAY
have been performed countless times by artists over the years,
Beach convincingly adds his own very contemporary, appealing and
unique treatment to them that will surprise and delight aficionados
of the Ella Fitzgerald songbook.
