As 2023 has come to a close I take a moment to pause and reflect.  What would I like to share about my life? What’s been going on?  What are my personal triumphs?  What can I be proud of?


There are many professional accomplishments through my music with my Album “Magic Mirror”.  The Single “Magic Mirror” celebrated enormous success on Radio Formats including Sirius XM Watercolors airplay and Year End Chart Reports for Top Songs of the Year. Billboard placed it at #36 Song of the Year, Smooth Jazz Network at #10 Song of the Year; SmoothJazz.com placed the Album at the #2 Album of the Year.  Spotify and Apple music continue to stream significant numbers from my catalogue.  Almost 10 million on “Perfect Sunday”, 3 Million for “Stronger Now” with  “Fire & Water”  added to a big playlist and already over 1 Million.  Apple added “Magic Mirror” and already has extensive play on “Sun’s Out” and “Fly Away Butterfly”.


While “Magic Mirror” has been riding the wave of Contemporary Jazz Radio I’ve continued writing and recording new music.  In February 2023, I recorded a new tune with Paul Brown in Los Angeles when I attended the Grammys 2023.  It was great working with Paul again at Carmen Grille’s studio playing on his Yamaha C3.  The Grammys provided me a chance to see old friends and make new ones at networking events surrounding the Grammys.  


I was asked to Perform at the Berks Festival in Reading, PA and also to be an Educator in the Berks Arts Jazz Educational Series for High School Students during the Festival Week.  It was a great experience and also lots of fun.


There were other fun Events that I performed at in the Spring and Summer; WSIE Virtual Performance (St Louis), Lake Oconee Wine & Jazz Festival (Ritz Carlton),  Rialto Club Theater (Athens, GA) Battle of Bryon, Festival (South GA),  Mountain Brook Jazz Festival (North Carolina),  Elmira Jazz Festival (New York),  Grayson City Amphitheater, Suwanee Dam Dinner (GA), Women of Jazz, Lyman Center, (New Haven Connecticut).    


In July  “Time Sensitive”, a Classical Recording from my Georgia State Senior Concert that I found in storage and restored was released in Digital and CD Format.  It has works from Bach, Schubert, Brahms, and Prokofieff and is on all streaming sites as well as my web store.  


It was great to work on Greg Chambers new Single “Just Feels Right” as a Featured Artist in August..  It has been received very well with Sirius XM Watercolors and other Radio Airplay. “Sol Ipanema” also went to Radio in September and had a great run on Smooth Jazz Radio Formats. 


The new Single “Sunshine Yellow” featuring Peter White is set for release January 26, 2024. Work is continuing on other new songs as well working with Roberto Vally, Paul Brown, Dennis Johnson, Ragan Whiteside, Paula Atherton and more for a new Album release. 


Personally I’ve been staying healthy, getting out more socially with friends, walking and hiking a lot, making new friends and driving a 16 year old around.  While I didn’t go on any major vacations this year I spent a lot of quiet time in the mountains, with family and my dogs.  


I’m extremely grateful for all the love and support from my fans, radio programmers and listeners and friends.  Without this support it wouldn’t be possible to continue writing and recording my music.  


There will be more details in the upcoming months of new shows, events and new works during 2024.     


Until the next one, 


Much Love,


Carol 
​

June opened with a flurry of preparation and activities.  The promotion of “For The Moment” Single was off to a great start with Billboard most Added and Most Increased plays as well as other Smooth Jazz Chart Debuts. 

The Elkhart Jazz Fest in Elkhart, Indiana June 18 proved to be a great success.  It felt great to be performing in a Theatre on a Grand piano with amazing band members Kris Brownlee, Andrew Hauser, Rafael Chavez Moreno, Chris Chapman, and Jeff Keefer.  The audience was very receptive and everyone was happy to be out and about for the summer. 

The performance at “Jazz Under The Trees” in Birmingham, Alabama on July 4 also was great fun and a huge success.  The top-notch band members Roberto Vally, Dan Baraszu, and PJ Spraggins lived up to their stellar reputations. Thomas Waters of State Farm was an outstanding host for the evening and left no stone unturned to make us feel welcome and appreciated with fans old and new in the audience.

SmoothJazz Magazine featured Carol on the Summer Jazz Festival July/August 2021 Issue. 

Stay tuned for more performing dates to be announced and get ready for Catalina Jazz Trax October 24 at Catalina Island, California. ​

While some people kept going with their regular lives the music stopped playing. Now here it is - a year later - and their are a few tinkles of live music but not very many. There is an emptiness on the stage. ​

Many have recovered and many still suffer. This is a confusing time. Through this fast tide of change I’ve focused on how to move forward with my musical life and negotiated the challenges of pandemic reality personally. ​

As the light at the end of the tunnel promises new hope it also presents challenges we face going forward in our new reality. Many think everything will just go back to normal but most admit they’re not sure what that is anymore. ​

As I continue working on new music,  I’m encouraged by the many heartfelt notes I’ve received about “Stronger Now”.  Music is the healer of the heart and I continue to reach inside mine for inspiration for more to come. ​

Much love,
Carol ​

Summer is in full swing but like so many other people I have not taken a vacation, travelled, performed or enjoyed my usual summer fanfare.  My 4th of July was spent at home watching fireworks on TV and burning sparklers in my back yard.  While this summer has been so different from all my other summers I have found hope lying in so many hidden aspects of my life.

I have hope for the future.  I have hope that as an Artist I can tap into this experience and create my best work yet. I have hope and inspiration from my daily surroundings from my garden, nature and family. I have hope due to the innovations and creativity that has risen in all facets of life from this time. My biggest hope is that we can learn from this and treat others with more kindness, respect and love.

With some extra time on my hands I have had a renewed interest in history. Looking back through history I’m reminded of the despair and unbearable events humans have suffered throughout the ages through disease, tyrants, incredible cruelty, wars, but also the hope in the human spirit that has allowed survival and renewal. 

Music continues to provide inspiration, healing, and unification. I continue to write and practice and hope to be able to share with you in the future through performances and new recordings.  As tough as this time has been, it has also been a time of hope.

I want to close with my latest video “Love Again” from my new Album Stronger Now which embraces this theme Hope and Love. ​

Much love,
Carol

During April and May “Stronger Now” Single continued to be in the Top 20 Billboard Smooth Jazz Chart and is currently on its 16th week , Top 10 MediaBase for 16 weeks peaking at #1, Top 5 Smooth Jazz Network and Smooth Jazz Global, #2 Groove Jazz and RadioWave the week of May 25th. Many positive personal  comments have been made on my UTube Video of Stronger Now  as well as increased listeners on Radio Outlets, 75.8K listeners on Spotify for May , Apple Music  and others.  My Album Stronger Now and Merch is available directly from the Official Store by clicking here.

While I haven’t performed during this period due to Lockdowns and postponed events, I have been booked for Catalina Island Jazz Trax Festival for the closing weekend October 18 http://jazztrax.com/ , Re-booked for Elkhardt Jazz Festival June 2021, and have other dates soon to be announced. ​

My students have continued to take piano  lessons via Facetime. I was able to have a Spring Piano Recital via Zoom. It hasn’t been an easy time but there are some Silver Linings. Several families had relatives all over the world to tune in via Zoom for the Recital which was a new experience for all of us and made the families very happy. ​

On a personal note, I have had some time to catch up with my family, my home and garden, and some friends on Facetime and Zoom. I also have a new puppy named Marigold. She and Zeno have had lots of attention and play all the time.  We have enjoyed some walks along the river trail and other outdoor trails. ​

​March 2020 blew in with a whirlwind of anticipation. I performed at The Tin Pan March 5 in Richmond, Virginia with the best Band imaginable, which included Joseph Patrick Moore, Dan Baraszu, Jay Williams, and Art Sherrod. We absolutely killed it on the Stage. Unfortunately it was clouded with the oncoming storm of Coronavirus COVID-19. It was the beginning of the storm overtaking the US and we were very concerned on our travel through the airports. But we had no idea it would be our last show for a while to come.

As March is coming to a close I have spent time picking up on projects that I have put on the backburner for a while. One of these is putting to Sheet Music my Piano Pieces for others to learn on the piano. I’ve been working on “Stronger Now” and “Sun’s Out” to start with. My goal is to have all my piano pieces available from my website so please check out my web store from time to time to keep up with the latest available.

I have Performances lined up for the Summer and Fall and I am hopeful that I will be able to Perform at these and we will see a resurgence of Festivals and Live Concerts return in a new healthy environment for all of us.

In the time I have had at home while sheltering in place I’ve spent some time in my Garden pulling weeds and tending to neglected plants. It’s been a time of self-examination and quiet introspection. I’ve explored some ideas for new music and had lots of melodies run through my mind.

During this time I have also had great pleasure in seeing “Stronger Now” rise to #1 on MediaBase Smooth A/C, Top 20 on Billboard, Top 10 on Smooth Jazz Top 20, #1 Smoothjazz.com , #3 GrooveJazz Chart, #5 RadioWave Smooth Jazz now we will all emerge “Stronger“ and more resilient at the end of this. Check with your favorite Radio Station for “Stronger Now”.

Stay tuned for more upcoming news…

Love, 
Carol

The evening featured a live band with and opening act by Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Konner Scott and Flutist, Vocalist and Songwriter Ragan Whiteside. In fact, Stronger Now includes the Brazilian flavored "Femme Flight," which hit #4 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart. Produced by Carol, mixed by two-time Grammy-winning hit-maker Paul Brown and featuring flutist Ragan Whiteside and saxophonist Magdalena Chovancova, the track also earned Albert a new legion of fans via airplay on SiriusXM's Watercolors.

Carol Albert received a standing ovation from over 100+ fans in attendance, including WCLK program director David Linton and a host of media representatives and family members.

First and foremost, my heart is full of gratitude for the amazing reception of my Single “Sun’s Out”!!  When we went to Radio with Gorov Music Marketing the week of July 4thit wasn’t an expectation that “Sun’s Out” would still be on Billboard at Thanksgiving.  Now entering the 22nd week, “Sun’s Out” is celebrating its 18th Week on Billboard Smooth Jazz Chart, and still rides on Groove Jazz at #2, RadioWave #2, and  peaked on MediaBase Chart at #1 , being my 1st Number 1 Hit.  
 
During October “Stronger Now” Album was finished and has already received rave Reviews from Critics.  I was fortunate to have amazing talent add to the integrity of my work.  Please visit the dedicated page for “Stronger Now” for full details. 
 
On a personal note I visited family in Washington, DC at the end of October.  It was a really great trip full of fun and laughter but I caught a nasty bug on the plane ride back.  Flying is great but has also been termed a” Germ Tube” for many reasons.  I’m fully recovered now and have a renewed appreciation for my health.  
 
Yesterday I found out that I was Nominated Best Smooth Jazz Artist 2019.  I was completely overwhelmed at the Honor.  Voting takes place now through January 3rd.  Please check out the Website to Vote and have a look at the other Artists as well. 
 
Currently I’m making preparations for the Holiday Season.  I’m performing several gigs, preparing my Piano Students for the Holiday Piano Recital, and Booking Shows for 2020.  
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