About
Long-dedicated to upholding and aligning himself with the first class carriage and aesthetic of timeless entertainment, singer/actor/dancer/recording artist/author and host, Elijah Rock has been officially dubbed as a new face and Global Brand Ambassador of The World Famous Cotton Club in Harlem, NYC. Rock will headline the re-launch and rebranding of The Cotton Club this spring 2022, as he has long made his mission clear of keeping the proud traditions and legacies of The Great American Songbook not just alive…but vibrant. The Legendary Tony Bennett recently exalted Rock by saying, “Keep on singing and keep this beautiful music alive!”
Tradition, style and romance meet at the audio crossroads of Ageless & Timeless boulevards on Matters of The Heart, the 10-song sophomore recording of baritone crooner Elijah Rock who is also the album’s executive producer. And it is well worth the wait. Herein, Rock continues his impassioned excavations of love’s seductive soundtrack and even contributes a couple of sparkling originals to the brew. “My goal with this project, as always, is to pay homage to and further the legacy of American Classical Jazz heritage,” Rock states. “To make this vital music more meaningful and universal to audiences young…and young at heart. Matters of The Heart was attentively produced by Suzi Reynolds, the music arranged by stalwart arrangers Uli Geissendoerfer, Kevin Toney and Les Rogers . The sound mix by Brian Chirlo and the warm final mastering by Alan Silverman render the listener to feel as if they are 5th row center smack dab in the saloon!
The finer points of romance are a too often overlooked art…but with triple threat Elijah Rock around, they are ever in bloom and on the rebound. Rock slides back into the spotlight ever so smoothly with his tastefully swingin’ rendition of “All I Need is The Girl” – a gentleman’s classic from the 1959 Broadway show “Gypsy” (Words by Jule Styne, Music by Stephen Sondheim). It’s the perfect song to spring into summer as America opens back up from 15 months of uncertainty into a reviviscence of hope eternal…and a flinty rekindling for mingling. Rock’s single release of “All I Need is The Girl” reached #1 on the World Indie Music Charts and #3 on the European Indie Music Charts! Acclaimed jazz ciritc Scott Yanow from the LA Jazz Scene, praised Rock in his album review with “Rock’s swinging style and large voice recall Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole of the 1950’s without closely copying any of them.”
Elijah Rock is as right as rain on an island summer’s eve with the 4 selections cherry-picked for the Spanish EP including the evocative tango “El Bulevar de Suenos Rotos (The Boulevard of Broken Dreams)” [promoted with a video directed by Rock lensed in his longtime stomping grounds of The Las Vegas Strip], the wee hours film music heart-stopper “Tu Sonrisa Especial (The Shadow of Your Smile)” [additionally offered as an intoxicating ‘lyric video’ drawn by artist Freedom Bean, pairing Rock with a deliciously drawn mystery lady], and the lovers anthem standard “Alrededor del Mundo (Around the World).”
Of special note is the sexy, breezy bossa nova “Susurros en la Noche,” personally brought to Rock in English as “Whispers in the Night” by songwriting duo Joel Evans & Adryan Russ after seeing him perform and opening their songbook to him. The number worked so well that Rock is also including it on Matters of The Heart En Español. A-list musicians include pianist Uli Geissendoerfer (who arranged the charts for many of the songs on both albums) and percussionist Pepe Jimenez. Translations from English to Spanish for Rock were handled by Jenny Sotolongo.