Greentown native returns home to celebrate his first album

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Jazz musician and central Indiana native Zach Connolly will bring a jazz quintet to Rhine Hall, 507 N. Union St., on Fri., July 17, for a concert featuring his recent album release, Before the Sky Turns Gold.

The event marks Connolly’s return to his home community, as he was raised in Greentown. He took his vocal talents to Portland, Ore., in 2018, where he has performed at various venues in that region. But the release of his first album meant coming home to share his accomplishment.

“I was living in Greentown up until 2018, and I spent a couple years going down to Carmel to do the Songbook Academy,” said Connolly. “That sparked my interest into vocal jazz. After moving to Portland, I started going to jam sessions there. That’s kind of how I got into it. I met a bunch of musicians and put together bands. And I studied vocal jazz performance at Portland State University.

“I just released my first album in January, and I was thinking it’d be fun to come out to Kokomo and do a little show, just to show everyone what I’ve been up to while I’ve been away.”

Musicians joining Connolly for this concert include Richard “Sleepy” Floyd on drums, Brandon Meeks on bass, Monika Herzig on piano, Destiny Angel on saxophone, and Cheressa Lawson providing vocals. He is very appreciative of the local artists who have agreed to collaborate with him.

Connolly cited the influences of Chet Baker, Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Kurt Elling, and Mark Murphy as the genesis of his jazz journey. And those attending the concert may recognize their imprint on his style. But this is central Indiana, so there is one legendary artist who will be represented in the set list.

“You should prepare for a good amount of Great American Songbook,” said Connolly. “So, there definitely will be some Cole Porter. I’ve got ‘Night and Day’ on there, and then I’ve also got a good collection of the songs from my most recent record release.”

Putting together an album was a major accomplishment for Connolly, who described the process as an outlet for his creative freedom.

“It was a lot of work,” said Connolly. “I did most of it on my own, but I had some friends who said if I ever wanted to get some studio time and get a band together, to just call. So, I found a band to work with and got a sound engineer. There’s a guy local to Portland who did all the mastering for me, and I reached out to a local Portland company that helped me print all my albums on vinyl, and some CDs as well.”

For those who desire a physical copy of the album, Connolly is best reached at www.zachconnollyjazz.com. The album is also available for streaming on all major platforms, such as Spotify and Apple Music.

Tickets for the July 17 concert are $25 at the door or can be reserved in advance by visiting www.zachconnollyjazz.com. Doors at Rhine Hall open at 5:30 p.m., and the show starts at 6 p.m.