About Us
Inspired by an upbringing listening to smooth jazz and oldies, Kayla Jazzmin, always loved the sax. At the current age of 28, she has progressed on the alto and soprano saxophones. This journey was filled with schooling for music, gigging at local spots, learning other instruments, writing her own brand of jazz music, and learning the ins-and-outs of recording. She was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1987. To sum up her sound, would typically be a splash of smooth jazz, funk, old school, R&B, and hip-hop mixed together. This includes different time signatures and “break it down” parts.
In 2005, Kayla Jazzmin put out her first CD which sold 1000 copies locally. That CD was entitled “Prelude to a Blessing.” Kayla Jazzmin was the saxophonist in the quartet consisting of a bassist, drummer, and pianist. Gospel singer Tye Tribbett added plenty of help as she was 17 at the time from mastering the songs to adding guest solos from Jeff Jones and Chris "Cat" Stevens. Through the years, Kayla Jazzmin has taken music courses at colleges including Berklee College of Music, as well as Liberty University and the Community College of Philadelphia where she studied under saxophonist Larry McKenna. Through a carefree outlook, she has sat-in with the group War, Bootsie Barnes, opened for Yolanda Adams, and opened for Jingleball at the Tweeter Center in New Jersey. Kayla Jazzmin has also performed at numerous venues in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Hawaii, Chattanooga, Austin, Virginia, and even Iraq. These venues have enabled her to perform with Billy Jolly, Thelonius Monk Jr., The Legends of Jazz, radio station conventions, and Stanley Clark.
In High School, she made 1st alto sax parts two years in a row and enabled her to be 1st alto in marching band, jazz band, jazz combo, All-City Symphonic Band, All-City Jazz Band, concert band, and show band. Since her first solo her freshman year in high school, music has always been her passion. While growing up with a hard life, music was always there to make her feel better. From the beginning of Kayla Jazzmin’s musical endeavors, she started to study the jazz greats, favorites being Grover Washington, Jr. John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Cannonball Adderley, Joshua Redman, and Boney James. With all these artists, she finds something special about each one, which encourages her to invent her own original style. She wants to bring something different to jazz. From putting effects on her sax to sound like an electric guitar to using a bass clarinet sound in place of bass, she wants to stand out and say something new to jazz listeners. Even after doing a gospel-jazz CD, another place you would find her would be jazz clubs asking the drummer to play a standard at a different tempo, different time signature or different style altogether. Kayla Jazzmin has a taste for all music, “All good music is good music” which she often states.
She also knows when to draw limits. Some effects are good, but they get old fast. Trying to mix styles together won’t sound good if not done smoothly and correctly. When writing music, you will see Kayla Jazzmin noodle on her acoustic guitar, plucking out chords on her Stratocaster electric guitar, or having a blast on her Korg M3 workstation. Completely investing in her art she is a self made self owned artist hoping for that big break. Already starting a label entitled “Just After Dark Music LLC,” she hopes to bring rappers, singers, and even video game designers into her realm using beats she has made and continues to make. "This life hasn’t been the happiest trip, from being homeless and hungry trying to pay for college and then finally joining the Army for the benefits". This gave her an immediate ticket to Iraq less than a year after signing the contract. Kayla Jazzmin is ready for these music challenges now that she has been working on her crafts and is hoping everyone is ready for her. She is not doing this for the money, but doing it for the love. She is using lessons learned from past events and is continuing to learn to be the best artist she can be!
In 2005, Kayla Jazzmin put out her first CD which sold 1000 copies locally. That CD was entitled “Prelude to a Blessing.” Kayla Jazzmin was the saxophonist in the quartet consisting of a bassist, drummer, and pianist. Gospel singer Tye Tribbett added plenty of help as she was 17 at the time from mastering the songs to adding guest solos from Jeff Jones and Chris "Cat" Stevens. Through the years, Kayla Jazzmin has taken music courses at colleges including Berklee College of Music, as well as Liberty University and the Community College of Philadelphia where she studied under saxophonist Larry McKenna. Through a carefree outlook, she has sat-in with the group War, Bootsie Barnes, opened for Yolanda Adams, and opened for Jingleball at the Tweeter Center in New Jersey. Kayla Jazzmin has also performed at numerous venues in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Hawaii, Chattanooga, Austin, Virginia, and even Iraq. These venues have enabled her to perform with Billy Jolly, Thelonius Monk Jr., The Legends of Jazz, radio station conventions, and Stanley Clark.
In High School, she made 1st alto sax parts two years in a row and enabled her to be 1st alto in marching band, jazz band, jazz combo, All-City Symphonic Band, All-City Jazz Band, concert band, and show band. Since her first solo her freshman year in high school, music has always been her passion. While growing up with a hard life, music was always there to make her feel better. From the beginning of Kayla Jazzmin’s musical endeavors, she started to study the jazz greats, favorites being Grover Washington, Jr. John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Cannonball Adderley, Joshua Redman, and Boney James. With all these artists, she finds something special about each one, which encourages her to invent her own original style. She wants to bring something different to jazz. From putting effects on her sax to sound like an electric guitar to using a bass clarinet sound in place of bass, she wants to stand out and say something new to jazz listeners. Even after doing a gospel-jazz CD, another place you would find her would be jazz clubs asking the drummer to play a standard at a different tempo, different time signature or different style altogether. Kayla Jazzmin has a taste for all music, “All good music is good music” which she often states.
She also knows when to draw limits. Some effects are good, but they get old fast. Trying to mix styles together won’t sound good if not done smoothly and correctly. When writing music, you will see Kayla Jazzmin noodle on her acoustic guitar, plucking out chords on her Stratocaster electric guitar, or having a blast on her Korg M3 workstation. Completely investing in her art she is a self made self owned artist hoping for that big break. Already starting a label entitled “Just After Dark Music LLC,” she hopes to bring rappers, singers, and even video game designers into her realm using beats she has made and continues to make. "This life hasn’t been the happiest trip, from being homeless and hungry trying to pay for college and then finally joining the Army for the benefits". This gave her an immediate ticket to Iraq less than a year after signing the contract. Kayla Jazzmin is ready for these music challenges now that she has been working on her crafts and is hoping everyone is ready for her. She is not doing this for the money, but doing it for the love. She is using lessons learned from past events and is continuing to learn to be the best artist she can be!