Gospel Jazz Music is a burgeoning genre consisting of the improvisational and African American influences of the sacred, Gospel music, and secular, Jazz. Melvin Smith is a master at both. A consummate saxman, his talent has placed him on stages with artists such as Kirk Whalum, Jonathan Butler, Oleta Adams, Norman Connors, Fred Hammond, BeBe Winans, Israel Houghton and Byron Cage. A skilled musician, who was a performer at the famed Montreux Jazz Festival – at the age of thirteen, Melvin is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and the City of New York – Queens College.

Now he is taking his education and experience and pouring it into his first Gospel Jazz project, Blessed. available now on digital media outlets everywhere, Blessed is a collage of Gospel music favorites. A five-song EP, Blessed, features the Fred Hammond hit, “We’re Blessed.” A long-time fan of the urban praise and worship icon, Smith’s remake is a unique take on the church classic. Pulling from the musical influences of Washington, DC, he infused Go-Go into the song, providing the listener with an African-inspired praise experience. “We’re Blessed” holds a special place in the musician’s heart. “This song has reverberated in my soul from the first time I heard it in 1998,” Melvin said. “’We’re Blessed’ is a song I live by, and it’s a song that inspires me to this day.”

Smith features other well-known Gospel tunes on the record as well including Lamar Campbell’s “More Than Anything”, Mary Mary’s “Walking” and Vashawn Mitchell’s “Nobody Greater”. Flowing from one familiar cut to another, Smith’s saxophone tells a story with each song on the newly released EP. His tone, interpretation and execution make listening to Blessed a memorable musical experience.

Download the album here.