New York Metropolis saxophonist and composer Alison Shearer is ready to launch her sophomore studio album, In The Backyard (Pinch Information), on Friday, October 10, 2025. This coming-of-age musical testomony invitations listeners into the intricate sounds and reflections of Shearer’s journey as she explores her artistry. Collaborating with engineer and Pinch Information founder Scott Lindner, Shearer has created a good looking reward that highlights her years of dedication and her emergence as a number one feminine voice in jazz.
Her debut album, View From Above (NPR Music “Prime 10 Albums of 2022” – Nikki Birch), was a heartfelt tribute to her father, the famend civil rights-era photojournalist John Shearer. After enduring the lack of her father to prostate most cancers on June 22, 2019, Alison displays in In The Backyard, expressing a newfound confidence in her sound. “Artists use music to evoke feelings in ways in which different mediums can not,” Shearer explains. “By means of writing, I delve into my id, and at 36, I lastly really feel poised to share my story, hoping to pave a smoother path for different ladies in music.”
On the coronary heart of In The Backyard is Alison’s working band, that includes Kevin Bernstein on piano, Fender Rhodes, and synthesizers, Marty Kenney on bass, and Horace Phillips on drums. Shearer’s compositions combine a pop sensibility inside intricate rhythms, coining the album as a “assortment of strange meter earworms.” The primary single, “Homer,”, impressed by famous drummer Nate Smith, delivers an brisk punch with Alison’s efficiency hitting the mark. It’s set to launch on August 1, 2025.
One other standout monitor, “Sophie’s World” (dropping on August 29, 2025), attracts its title from Jostein Gaarder’s philosophical e book. The contemplative tone is enriched by Bernstein’s enchanting Wurlitzer and Kenney’s easily rotating bass line, with refined rhythmic nuances interwoven that reward affected person listeners.
“Liberty Market” (releasing September 26, 2025) captures the full of life essence of a market in Lahore, Pakistan, that Shearer visited throughout her 2022 tour with Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East. The mixture of soprano saxophone and flute weaves by dynamic multi-metric landscapes, creating an audible depiction of coloration and motion, mirroring the vibrancy of {the marketplace}. This monitor, like the remainder of the album, was recorded reside, fostering an infectious jubilation. Alison’s rendition of the traditional “Skylark” provides a private contact, remodeled with a singular 7/8 really feel and a particular piano ostinato.
The album encompasses a extra easy sound in “However Not For Now,”, which showcases Kevin Bernstein on piano and Marty Kenney on acoustic bass, that includes a pleasant baroque-style interlude/outro. The titular monitor, “In The Backyard,” ends with an exhilarating alto solo, channeling a Kenny Garrett-like vitality. Alison shares, “The idea of being within the backyard is about being able to bloom.” Lastly, “Treehouse” introduces her first uptempo bembe piece for the quartet, positive to resonate with followers of Willie Colon. The monitor transitions easily into the jubilant “Keep in mind When,”, which options hovering solos from each Bernstein and Shearer, culminating in an thrilling drum and sax duo between Phillips and Shearer.
About Alison Shearer
Alison Shearer stepped right into a famend legacy because the daughter of John Shearer, a legendary civil rights-era photojournalist recognized for his work with LIFE journal, capturing historic moments together with the funerals of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., in addition to an iconic {photograph} of Muhammad Ali previous to his landmark battle with Joe Frazier. Alison’s grandfather, Ted Shearer, was a notable illustrator whose work included the primary nationally syndicated cartoon that includes a black character, Quincy. The Shearer household has a outstanding historical past of breaking boundaries within the black neighborhood, having lived amongst luminaries like Cab Calloway and Sidney Poitier in Greenburgh, NY. Regardless of this pedigree of excellence, Alison’s racial id was formed by her lighter pores and skin tone, presenting complexities as she navigated her mixed-race id in a predominantly white neighborhood in Westchester County.
Inheriting her household’s drive, she enrolled on the esteemed Manhattan College of Music at 17, however her time there was marred by extreme trauma, essentially altering her relationship with jazz and music. Selecting to not stay silent, she acknowledges her experiences, figuring out she isn’t alone in going through comparable challenges in elite educational environments. Regardless of all the things, Alison has constructed a formidable profession, performing internationally with teams like Pink Baraat and Sunny’s Jain Wild Wild East, alongside educating on the Jazz at Lincoln Middle’s Excessive College Jazz Academy. As a composer, she has obtained chamber commissions from the USCB Middle for the Arts in each 2024 and 2025, alongside a saxophone concerto fee set to premiere in September 2026 with ROCO in Houston, Texas.
Alison’s return to the studio with In The Backyard marks a major milestone, revealing a deeply private narrative woven with themes of grief, resilience, and rebirth. Greater than only a assortment of songs, In The Backyard serves as a sonic memoir, representing Shearer’s introspection about her life and heritage by music that blends technical mastery with highly effective emotional expression. This album positions her as a dynamic and compelling presence in trendy jazz, with very important tales to share.
To discover Alison Shearer’s upcoming tour dates, please go to: alisonshearermusic.com
