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Emma Hedrick: Newcomer

By Pierre Giroux
August 31, 2025
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In the competitive world of young jazz vocalists,

Emma Hedrick

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Emma Hedrick stands out as an artist who both respects tradition and offers a distinctive personal voice. On her confident debut album Newcomer, she channels seven years of lived experiences into 10 original compositions that serve as a musical memoir of that period, while never losing sight of her influences, namely

Duke Ellington

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Ellington for his sense of orchestral colour, and

Ella Fitzgerald

vocals
1917 - 1996

" data-original-title="" title="">Ella Fitzgerald for her impeccable phrasing.

Accompanied by a group of rising talents, including pianist

Connor Rohrer

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Connor Rohrer, drummer

Anton Kot

drums
b.2002

" data-original-title="" title="">Anton Kot, bassist

Thor Eide Johansen

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Thor Eide Johansen and saxophonist

Shane McCandless

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Shane McCandless, with several guest artists featured on individual tracks, Hedrick varies the instrumentation to reflect each piece's mood. "The Idea of Love" opens the set with a warm, harmonically rich arrangement that blends Rohrer's piano voicings with McCandless' supple soprano sax lines, as Hedrick's voice glides over the changes with natural ease. "Dreamscapes" drifts into a more ethereal mood with some interesting articulation featuring Hedrick and the horns, followed by an inviting melodic solo from trumpeter

David Sneider

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">David Sneider.

The title track, "Newcomer," is an understated ballad and a testament to the singer's ability to convey emotional nuance without theatrical excess. The interpretation benefits from the addition of strings, which enhance the arrangement. The varied inspirations shine in "Tone Poem in Greenwich Village," where the imagery of a

Langston Hughes

" data-original-title="" title="">Langston Hughes poem is channeled into the energy of the New York City jazz scene and translated into a vibrant city soundscape.

The back half of the album maintains the previously established emotional arc. "Inside Your Mind" has a probing quality that delves into the need for sharing. Sneider and trombonist

Zach McRary

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Zach McRary take the solo spotlights, both playing in a spare manner. "In the Garden" offers pastoral lyricism enriched by Johansen's lyrical bass solo. The band joins Hedrick at the mic as a choir to take the song out. "Come on Home," with its pop-inflected phrasing, might feel right at home on the pop charts. Helping with this approach, Hedrick is joined by guitarist Andrew Tinch and

Peter Eldridge

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Eldridge on vocals.

The session closes with "Waste No More Days," a buoyant exhortation filled with rhythmic vitality. Participating with Hedricks on background vocals in the number are Any Azzara and

Faith Quashie

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Faith Quashie, reminding listeners that her artistry is as much about hope as reflection.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

The Idea of Love; Dreamscapes; Newcomer; In the Warmth; Tone Poem in Greenwich Village; Spring Haiku Collection; Inside Your Mind; In the Garden; Come on Home; Waste No More Days.

Personnel

Emma Hedrick

vocals

Connor Rohrer

piano

Anton Kot

drums

Thor Eide Johansen

bass

Shane McCandless

saxophone

David Sneider

trumpet

Zach McRary

trombone

Peter Eldridge

vocals

Album information

Title: Newcomer | Year Released: 2025 | Record Label: Self Produced

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