Changing Perspectives
Awarded and named “Best Jazz Group” at The 2019 New York City Reader’s Jazz Awards, the husband and wife duo known as Sounds of A&R, aka S.O.A.R., is the brainchild of vocalist April May Webb and trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist Randall Haywood.
In 2022, S.O.A.R. was one of ten ensembles selected to represent The United States as U.S. Cultural Ambassadors a part of the American Music Abroad 2022 & 2023 international touring season. In 2023, SOAR became the 2023 grant recipient of the Performance Plus program presented by Chamber Music America through the generosity of the Doris Duke Foundation. Since 2017, S.O.A.R. has had the distinct honor of touring and joining forces with the legendary Jazz drummer Thelonious Sphere Monk III, aka T.S. Monk.
In 2021, Sounds of A&R released their third studio album, “Questions Left Unanswered” It peaked at #12 on The National Jazz Week Charts and landed on Jazz Week’s Top 50 Jazz Albums for the year 2021, and was nationally syndicated on Sirius XM. Pulling inspiration from their deep love for one another, S.O.A.R. expresses that love through beautifully crafted compositions with fresh, innovative arrangements that, pun intended, SOARS.
