KENNESAW, Ga. | Mar 1, 2016

School of Music jazz instructor Trey Wright recently released his third album titled Songs from Oak Avenue. Wright spent nine months co-producing the album with Marlon Patton, who also plays drums on the album.

“This album came together fairly quickly. It actually happened out of a recital I did here at KSU. I had written several tunes that were acoustic in nature and my trio did a recital of that material. The drummer, Marlon Patton, pulled me aside afterwards and said ‘It would be really cool for you to record these.’ So we did.”

Recorded at Blue Canoe Records, Marlon’s studio in Tucker, Songs from Oak Avenue draws from an array of inspirations. Each track showcases a different style of jazz, all of which reflect Wright’s diversity as an artist.

“Everything I’ve done draws from a wide range of things. I’ve always loved all styles of jazz, from traditional to modern to everything in between. I don’t have a desire to put out an album of just your typical jazz standards. I feel like I found a voice as a writer with this project.”

Although he spent a considerable amount of time perfecting each song, selecting the musicians to feature was simple. Marc Miller and Marlon Patton, who play upright bass and drums on the album, have jammed with Wright since the 1990’s. Sam Skelton, director of Jazz Studies at KSU, and Mace Hibbard, who collaborated with Wright on their jazz group The Hibbard/Wright Project, are both close friends to Wright.

It is his connection to Kennesaw State University’s School of Music that Wright credits with giving him creative freedom to pursue projects like Songs from Oak Avenue. In addition to teaching and composing on a regular basis, Wright also assisted with KSU’s Jazz Festival on April 30th.

“The faculty throughout the College of the Arts is all so talented and we all get along. Even as we’ve grown, that sense of community has continued. The enthusiasm that I feel for the music I’ve written carries over into my teaching. I encourage my students to write their own music and to develop their own voice. I think one of the best ways we can instruct our students is through modeling.”