It’s April Fools Day, and these jazz artists aren’t foolin’ around with good music. New York City-based jazz vocalist Sweet Megg, real name Meaghan Farrell, and saxophone/clarinet extraordinaire Ricky Alexander take their new single “Foolin’ Myself” – which PopWrapped are delighted to premiere – very seriously while still having fun. They breathe new life into the Billie Holiday classic, recorded in 1937, which depicts a courtship in which a mutual attraction is ignored for fear of heartbreak.
“Foolin’ Myself” is the first single from the duo’s upcoming album, ‘I’m in Love Again‘, out on Turtle Bay Records on June 11th. The album is composed of 11 jazz hits that tell stories of love, romance and togetherness. Other tracks include Duke Ellington’s “I Got It Bad (and That Ain’t Good)” and title track “I’m in Love Again,” originally recorded by Peggy Lee in 1964.
The duo have been performing together in NYC since 2014. They have both also had tremendous success with their own bands, both of which have toured nationally. The pandemic gave the duo the perfect opportunity to get together with other artists who were itching to perform and create their new album.
Ricky says of their new single: “When I think of Billie Holiday, I think of Sweet Megg. She’s taken so much repertoire and inspiration from Billie. When Megg sings ‘Foolin Myself,’ you can really hear Billie shining through.”
As testament to Ricky’s statement, Megg plans to host a special showcase event, “Billie Night” on the legend’s birthday, April 7th. The event will feature various vocalists and will stream live on Sweet Megg’s Facebook that evening at 7 pm NYC time.
The duo also created a performance video for the single, which you can check out below. The video features Sweet Megg on vocals and Ricky Alexander playing saxophone, while also spotlighting Mike Davis on trumpet, Rob Edwards on trombone, Jerron Paxton on guitar, Dalton Ridenhour on piano, Rob Edwards on bass and Kevin Dorn on drums at various times throughout the video.
“Foolin’ Myself” drops on all digital platforms tomorrow and album ‘I’m in Love Again’ will be released on June 11. For more info on the duo, visit Sweet Megg‘s and Ricky Alexander’s websites. Header photo credit: Rose Callahan.
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