Since their formation in 2015, Brooklyn-based duo Rachael & Vilray have achieved a certain timeless quality with their singular take on traditional pop. Though rooted in the language of an earlier age, their songs transcend nostalgia with wit and a flair for the theatrical. On their third album West of Broadway, vocalist Rachael Price (also of Lake Street Dive) and guitarist/singer/songwriter Vilray evolve their music’s previous dreaminess to achieve a refreshing angularity built on left-of-center instrumentation (e.g., vibraphone and alto saxophone coasting above the moody strains of baritone sax and trombone). Produced by Dan Knobler (Allison Russell, Bahamas), West of Broadway unfolds in a series of sharply drawn vignettes inspired by a recent fascination with classic musicals—bringing their luminous vocals to offbeat tales of love and heartache along city streets. Recorded at the legendary Sear Sound in Manhattan, West of Broadway took shape with the help of renowned musicians like saxophonist Steve Wilson (a former member of Chick Corea’s Origin sextet) and drummer John Riley (Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie). Over the course of 10 lush and effervescent tracks, the album delivers standouts like “Love Comes Around” (a joyously romantic piece that set the direction for the LP’s West Coast jazz-inspired aesthetic), “My Key to Gramercy Park” (a fantastically salty number narrated by a well-to-do character who lives in lonely suspicion of all those who covet their key to the notoriously exclusive private park), and “Off Broadway” (on which golden-voiced comedian Stephen Colbert joins in for what the duo dubs an “oddly grumpy anti-Broadway screed”). Thanks in large part to the colorful detail and extravagant personality of Rachael & Vilray’s storytelling, West of Broadway ultimately immerses the audience in an exquisitely out-of-time vision of their beloved New York City.

Kate Kortum is a 23-year-old breakout jazz vocalist from Houston, Texas, known for her warm, distinctive sound that blends bebop, blues, the Great American Songbook, and musical theatre with captivating, story-driven lyrics. Her artistry offers audiences a fresh, contemporary take on the jazz tradition. Kortum’s passion for music began at Houston’s legendary High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where she studied flute and saxophone before ultimately falling in love with singing. She went on to earn a degree in jazz voice from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and a master’s degree from the Juilliard School. Her debut album, Good Woman, released in September 2023 on Bandstand Presents, reimagines jazz standards originally written by men, reclaiming them through bold arrangements and a female perspective. The album resonated widely, surpassing 1 million streams in its first month and now boasting over 3.5 million streams. In her short career, Kortum has already received numerous accolades, including multiple DownBeat Magazine and National YoungArts awards. She has performed on some of the most iconic stages in jazz, including the Newport Jazz Festival, SXSW, Birdland, Mezzrow, Dizzy’s Club, Blue Note, and Jazz at Lincoln Center alongside the renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. She has also collaborated with leading artists such as Cyrille Aimée, Bryan Carter, Peter Bernstein, Emmet Cohen, and Wynton Marsalis. Kortum’s highly anticipated sophomore album, Wild Woman, is set to be released on August 15, 2025, promising to further showcase her daring musicality and singular voice in the contemporary jazz landscape.