Theresa Grayson

Building a musical foundation on regular performances at church beginning at age 12, she further honed her musical skills and developed her passion under the tutelage of internationally known instructors/musicians Chuck Nolan, Dr. Woody Witt, and Dr. Rod Cannon of Sam Houston State University and North Texas University—where she earned a degree in music performance and jazz studies. Drawing on her church music background for her inspirational instrumental debut, It’s All About You, Grayson tapped renowned gospel and jazz pianist and multi-instrumentalist Terence Fisher to help take her urban Jazz game to the next level. Her second solo release, Live2Love, spawned the successfully charting radio singles “Afterthoughts” and a cover of Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger”, the multi-talented Grayson showcased her versatile skills on soprano and tenor sax and flute, along with her soulful lead vocals on several tracks. The album blended everything from gospel, pop, and R&B to blues, calypso, Latin, and classical music into her unique brand of cutting-edge contemporary jazz.

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Expanding her palette of world music, Grayson creates a freewheeling, global fusion vibe full of exciting cultural explorations and musical surprises on her latest full-length collection World Blue. From the socially conscious, spoken word intro on the jazzy, grooving opening track “Atmosphere” through the multi-cultural fusion of the closer “World Kall” (featuring chanting vocals, Eastern instrumentation, African percussion, Latin guitar, violin, and tropical vibes), Theresa Grayson devotes herself to a mission to make World Blue a global journey celebrating the multi-cultural magic of music. Her exciting and inspiring “world tour” begins with stops in Eastern Asia, with “Crane’s Dance,” an atmospheric piece featuring a synth koto and lead flute melody; France, for “Je t’adore”, a lush, soulful, and exotic French language ballad sang beautifully by Grayson; and India, for a sensual swirl of soulful soprano sax, percussive intensity, and hypnotic chants. After the funky, in the pocket urban jazz tune “Playing with Jas” and a free-spirited, mystical and muscular twist on “Radioactive”, the saxophonist jets to Africa for the heavily soundscaped, chant driven “Sisi Ni Moja,” which floats her whimsical soprano sax melody over deep native grooves.

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While embarking on her solo career, the Texas-based saxtress has performed in her hometown of Houston and most of the state’s major cities with her band and two renowned cover ensembles. She’s since shared the stage and opened for notable contemporary jazz stars like Peter White, Marion Meadows, Mindi Abair, and Ronnie Laws as well as vocalists Michael Bolton and Will Downing. Over the years, Grayson has performed at the Third Annual Soul Fest in Austin, Texas, Beaumont Jazz Festival, Red Cat Jazz Festival, Idyllwild Jazz Festival, Zachary Breaux Jazz Festival, Women In Jazz, AFRAM Festival, Baltimore, MD, Jeff Majors Homeless Tour, One Love Cruise, Yolanda Adams Wellness Tour, Lamp Lighters Awards, KHOU Great Day Houston, Channel 26 Fox Rocks Live, Music World’s House of Dereon, Dr. Bobby Jones Gospel Artist Showcase, The House of Blues and Houston International Jazz Festival.