Rebecca Jade

By Ken Capobianco

It’s taken time

but singer-songwriter

Rebecca Jade is getting traction as a solo artist in the music industry, thanks to the smooth jazz community, which has embraced the soulful musician whose work is deeply rooted in R&B.

After touring extensively as part of Sheila E.’s band and opening for numerous other headline artists, the San Diego, California, native released her second solo record, A Shade of Jade, last year to positive notices, and she’s appeared more frequently at jazz clubs and smooth jazz festivals throughout the country.

It’s all part of her plan to establish herself as a solo artist who can cross genres and find mainstream success. A confident, engaging collection of R&B, pop and funk, A Shade of Jade showcases her songwriting prowess and powerful vocals, which have caught the ear of an array of smooth jazz artists such as Dave Koz, Eric Darius and DW3, all of whom have collaborated with her.

The album demonstrates her versatility and refusal to be pigeonholed into a specific musical category.

“I came up singing a lot of different genres and wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to focus on with the record to be my sound,” said the vocalist whose debut album, The Jade Element, came out in 2011. “This was about discovery for me. I guess it ended up being more of an R&B album/neo-soul vibe mixed with jazz and rock peeking through. I called it Shade of Jade to leave open what the next album might sound like. This is just one shade. What comes after might be different. Who knows what direction it will go.”

While most of her work has been centered around the R&B and soul world, Jade has found a home in the smooth jazz community over the past few years. She has performed on Koz’s cruises and been featured on Darius’ tours while appearing at smooth jazz festivals. She’s scheduled to perform at the San Diego Smooth Jazz Festival on June 24.

Jade said that her fortuitous break came through her connection with Koz, who invited her to perform on his cruises.

“I was introduced to the smooth jazz community through Dave Koz’s cruises, which I’ve been a part of since 2016,” she explained. “I was brought in to be a key part of the party band. I was introduced to him by mutual friends, and he was wonderful.”

She was enthusiastic about smooth jazz audiences, which have fully embraced the R&B singer. “I found out the smooth jazz community is so supportive. They appreciate the music, and I think they genuinely like the people, the artists.

“My takeaway is they support us as people by buying the music and develop a healthy attachment to the musicians. From Dave’s cruises, I started meeting everybody, and then toured with Sheila E. for a number of years. From there, I met Eric Darius. I met him and his wife, Lynne, on Sheila’s tour we had mutual friends, and I started touring with him in 2019.”

She said that while her music doesn’t quite fit within the traditional smooth jazz boundaries and skews more toward pop and soul, good music is good music no matter what it’s labeled, and she’s pleased to find such a receptive audience.

“It’s been this wonderful progression of meeting like-minded musicians. A lot of that feel-good energy comes through in the music. There’s a place where soul and R&B cross over with smooth jazz, and that’s where the two worlds collide. You can think of someone like Maysa, who is definitely an R&B singer and has been embraced in smooth jazz, so it works.”

Jade has the music in her, as Kiki Dee might have said. She comes from a family with a rich musical tradition, and singing was instilled in her at a very young age. She had a head start as music filled her household, and her family served as crucial role models.

“My mom is a singer, so I grew up around music and listening to her. She sang in the choir in church, but she also sang professionally,” Jade said with pride in her voice. “She sang with her father and brother when growing up, so it’s generational. My grandfather was known as the Lonesome Lonely Traveler. It was more folk and gospel. That’s what they all played.

“When I was 3 years old, we moved to Puerto Rico, so my mom would work a full-time job and play gigs on weekends. That’s what I knew growing up. She exposed me to a lot of music from a very young age.”

Jade quickly discovered the riches found in every musical genre. At home, she had a music school away from school and found the magic of song in the grooves of her mother’s music collection.

“She was a big fan of Three Dog Night, like rock-soul, and then, of course, she loved Patti LaBelle and Stevie Wonder,” Jade reminisced. “I discovered jazz greats like Billie Holiday, who was my favorite singer. Later, I found classical music—my favorite movie was ‘Amadeus.’

“But I learned everything about music and harmonies from my mom. Since I grew up in it, I didn’t know everyone else wasn’t musical or singing. Who knew?” she laughed.

As her career takes hold, Jade continues to develop as a songwriter and performer. She attributes part of her growth to what she’s gleaned from the many artists she’s collaborated with.

“I am a student of music and always observing other musicians I work with in order to get better. I watch how people react to something Sheila or Eric [Darius] does. I love how Dave [Koz] talks to people. Sheila and Eric always give out so much energy, and I try to match that. When I do my thing, I do me, though. I’ve evolved as a performer from watching and absorbing what the people I work with do.” continued on page 18 continued from page 17

When she’s not making music, Jade is an avid basketball fan and motorcyclist. She attended the University of California, Berkeley, on a full basketball scholarship and earned a degree in theater and performance studies. While she plays basketball intermittently these days and tries to keep up with college and pro basketball despite her hectic schedule, the singer feels that the lessons she learned on the court during her college days translate to working in a band.

“Sports applies to so many aspects of life. Working together, teamwork, trying to reach a goal in life and that no-quit attitude. Seeing things through to the end—sports give you a different perspective and help you see things that people who don’t play might not understand. That definitely spills over to working in a band and with other musicians.”

Jade, who recently celebrated her 18th wedding anniversary with her husband, Rico, enjoys riding motorcycles, but she’s a prudent rider—the need for speed is not what pulls her in.

“I have two motorcycles—one’s a Harley, and one’s a street bike,” she said. “I like to ride, but I don’t like being cold, so I ride in the summertime. It’s a fun thing that’s different than anything else. I have that sense of adventure, I guess, but I’m a safe rider. Safety is a priority.”

She has been flexing her musical theater chops in San Diego as part of the company in the musical “Respect” at the Lamb’s Players

Theatre in Coronado, California. Her run in the show ended in April because of her other commitments, but she explained that she had a wonderful experience singing the songs of some of her favorite vocalists.

“The show is based on singers and songwriters from the 1960s, like Aretha [Franklin], Gladys Knight, The Shirelles, The Supremes, Janis Joplin and Carole King. They all are such great artists. It’s a six-women ensemble, and I’m so proud to be a part of it.”

Jade has many ideas for future records and is considering a more funk-soul vibe in the vein of Chaka Khan for her next effort, but she’s keeping her options open and gauging which way her career goes.

Whatever she experiences, Jade knows the one direction she is headed is forward.

“I just keep pushing … no matter what the situation is. You can always work on something and move ahead,” she emphasized. “That’s a big part of my mentality.

“This can be a tough industry, and I have a saying that keeps me going. It’s a quote by Thomas Edison: ‘Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they came to success when they gave up.’ That to me reinforces that I need to keep going.

“If you are not feeling it or if you are out of sorts or uncomfortable, do it anyway. I think that also comes from the sports mentality. In life, you are going to be down, but it doesn’t last, and you have to keep pushing on.”

For more information on Jade, including her tour schedule, visit https://rebeccajade.com.