Features : Jay Clemens Transcends Genre on His Debut Album ‘New Nirvana’

For many people, the pandemic was a time of isolation and sadness. For Jay Clemens, it was a time of self-reflection, creative experimentation, and personal discovery. After retiring from a decades-long career in the corporate legal world, he took an online songwriting class at the Jazz School in Berkeley, California. The songs originating in that class became the core of Jay’s New Nirvana album. They offer a new take on the themes and stories that captured Jay’s focus during the pandemic - evolving stories of love and loss, the “new normal” of isolation, and the evolution of values in a rapidly changing world.

Jay’s foil in writing the album was Rachel Efron, his teacher at the Jazz School, who also served as co-writer, producer, and background vocalist. Jay credits Rachel with recruiting exceptional musicians who brought his songs to life. In particular, popular Bay Area performers Scotty Wright and Maurice Tani provided inspired lead vocals on numerous tracks. The remarkable versatility of the instrumentalists and arrangers is also evident in the album. Every track features the excellent work of James DePrato (guitar), Jason Slota (percussion), Daniel Fabricant (bass), and Omree Gal-Oz (keys).  

New Nirvana defies classification by genre. Although several tracks on the album are anchored by Jay’s country roots in North Dakota, his love of jazz music can be heard throughout the album. Jay likens the traditional harmonies of jazz to a gigantic painter’s palette. “Complex harmony allows the songwriter to convey more nuanced emotions, and the lyric traditions of the Great American Songbook create room for playfulness and unconventional imagery.” The ghosts of Johnny Mercer and Dave Frishberg can been heard wandering through several of Jay’s songs on the album.  In particular, “I Could Use a New Muse” provides a poignant yet humorous perspective on the loss of a songwriter’s muse and love interest. Bolstered by Shaina Evoniuk’s string arrangements and the mournful alto saxophone sounds of Kenny Shick, the song takes us on a journey we have all experienced.   

However, jazz is not the only genre in New Nirvana. Jay sees his music as the artistic product of the many places and musical traditions he has experienced in his life.  “New Nirvana” provides glimpses of the rural American west, the bustling streets of China, and the sometimes sophisticated and sometimes funky vibrance of the big city.  Jay does not want to be associated with only one music genre. He aspires to blend elements from multiple genres to provide the listener with a sense of surprise and heightened depth of meaning and emotion. “I've taken a cross-section of my musical roots and experiences and put them in the album…I haven't tried to narrow the definition of who I am or what I write in order to fit into a category. I hope listeners will enjoy the variety.”

As for releasing the music to the world, Jay found the experience both exciting and scary. He quoted D.W. Winnicott who said, “Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide.” Jay said that releasing New Nirvana was an act of both hope and courage. “Most songs are not autobiographical, but there is still a lot of songwriter in every song.  You have to summon the courage to present your songs and reveal something about yourself.  You don’t know whether listeners will appreciate the songs or whether they will disappear into the ether.”  Two of Jay’s songs on the album have already avoided the ether. “Halo Above Her” and “Falling in Love on Zoom,” which were released as singles earlier this year, have won awards in three national songwriting competitions.  

New Nirvana is a throwback to the golden era of American songwriting, but it is also an experiment in taking old traditions new places.  In the hands of the master story-teller, the songs both entertain and inspire.  

You can listen to New Nirvana here.

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