"A rowdy debut departs from Singh’s American bolero work to revel in the chaos of atonal scrapes, cymbal splashes, wonky horns and raucous vocals...Referencing avant garde pioneer Ornette Coleman’s free form improvisations as much as Joni Mitchell’s emotive lyricism, the result is a rowdy debut that launches Singh as one of the more distinctive new voices in jazz." - THE GUARDIAN

Renowned vocalist Laura Ann Singh leads an all-star ensemble across a repertoire that fuses poetry, free jazz, and avant-garde energy in an evening of captivating soundscapes.

Mean Reds (OOYH 038), the debut album by Richmond-based vocalist and composer Laura Ann Singh, was conceived after she first heard Asha Puthli’s incredible contributions to Ornette Coleman’s Science Fiction in 2023. Though a relative newcomer to the improvised music world, the multilingual Singh is internationally renowned as a founding member of the bolero band Miramar, and recently as the featured vocalist in Tomeka Reid’s Ellington project. She has long admired free and avant garde jazz, but knew that her contribution to the genre would not be sound-based or heavily dependent on extended techniques like many modern singers. Her compositional approach, less common in the avant jazz world, is rooted in song.

The material on Mean Reds ranges from full on free jazz to experimental rock, and Singh’s strength as an improviser is to never be tied to a specific interpretation of her melodies. The transparent instrumentation of her Fracas Quintet, a chordless quintet of vocals with tenor saxophone, trumpet, bass, and drums (strongly resembling Ornette Coleman’s classic 1960s bands), leaves considerable space for her profound lyrics to be the focal point of the album. Listeners may hear glimpses of Bjork, Joni Mitchell, Annette Peacock, and even The Breeders and Pixie’s Kim Deal throughout the 8 tracks that make up Mean Reds, making it quite unlike anything currently happening in the world of modern creative jazz and improvised music.

Laura Ann Singh’s performance on Scott Clark’s 2023 Dawn & Dusk (OOYH 021) got the album attention as one of the Best Vocal Releases of the Year by the New York City Jazz Record, and of Singh Free Jazz Collective said “She has a hauntingly angelic voice, that is at once assertive and fragile. If anyone is showcased on this, she is, and for good reason.” Bandcamp's Best of Jazz said “This album radiates presence. When it takes a step, you feel the impact, which makes its lyricism that much more precious. It has a certain gracefulness, where a melody’s trajectory can rise up to be the sole focus.”

Soon after the release of Dawn & Dusk Singh began composing her own material, first lyrics to Ornette Coleman’s Broken Shadows, then her own compositions for the Fracas Quintet that would become Mean Reds, with OOYH’s Scott Clark on drums and Adam Hopkins on bass, Bob Miller on trumpet, and John Lilley on reeds. Clark’s style of slow moving drone music, influenced by Morton Feldman and often cited as the sound of Richmond free jazz, is certainly present on Mean Reds; in fact Singh and Clark co-wrote two of the songs, Mean Reds and As Strange As It Is. But Singh refuses to have her own music so easily defined, and unlike many modern avant jazz artists she has no shame in wearing her wide-ranging influences on her sleeve. River, the melancholy and serene album opener is immediately followed by the anxiety-drenched forthcoming single Highway Monster (out 10/15), which gives us the first glimpse of the panic and dread that inspired the album’s title. The album continues in a similar fashion, alternating introspective dreamscapes with rhythmic horn-laden free jazz, the lyrics always presented with an honest vulnerability that draws the listener in. Mean Reds is a vocal debut that introduces a truly special artist, and if Singh continues down this compositional path she will quickly become a recognizable name in the improvised music community.

Mean Reds will release on LP + digital on October 24, 2025 on Out Of Your Head Records.

With only 100 seats, shows at Révéler are intimate and immersive. A romantic venue with exquisite sound and dreamy vibes, Révéler offers a unique selection of cocktails, wines, beers, bubbles, and non-alcoholic beverages. Our kitchen delivers small plates crafted with care.

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