Visions Jazz Ensemble + April Varner | “Of The People” Album Release

7p Show | Doors at 5p

Sam Butler – trumpet

Garrett Fasig – alto sax

April Varner – vocals

Caleb Robinson – tenor sax

Jeff Parker – trombone

Alex Turner – guitar

David Linard – piano

David Richards – bass

Francis Bassett-Dilley – drums

Since its founding in 2023, the Visions Jazz Ensemble—led by Indiana University alumni Sam Butler and Garrett Fasig—has been dedicated to delivering fresh, modern interpretations of both original compositions and timeless jazz standards. Their debut release, Across The Field (Patois Records), garnered critical acclaim, earning a feature in DownBeat Magazine and worldwide radio play for its inventive jazz arrangements of college fight songs, and collaboration with esteemed trombonist WycliFe Gordon. Each performance highlights new works by Butler, Fasig, and members of the band, with the ensemble bringing a vibrant and joyful energy to every stage. Sam, the 2023 International Trumpet Guild Jazz Solo Competition winner, and Garrett, whose compositions have been showcased by the New York Youth Symphony and renowned vocalist Brianna Thomas, push the envelope with every performance, blending creativity, artistry, and positivity in their music. Now back with their second album, Of The People presents a new musical identity for the Visions Jazz Ensemble, featuring acclaimed vocalist April Varner.

Award Winning NYC-based jazz vocalist and composer, April Varner, has often been described as a “direct, authentic singer...”, demonstrating “vocal dynamism... authentic jazz phrasing...electrifying numbers...” and possessing a “profound command of deep scat and vocalese...” (Marilyn Lester, The New York City Jazz Record). Recognizable by her curly red hair and voice of an “old soul”, April brings her listeners to another place- one long ago when the giants of jazz were still gracing the stage. Amassing several viral videos on her social media of her challenging solo transcriptions, cleverly crafted vocaleses and acapella renditions of the Great American Songbook, April’s voice can fit itself into a myriad of diFerent molds. April has performed/will be performing at some of the most notable venues in the Northeast, such as Chris's Jazz Cafe (Philadelphia), Blues Alley (Washington D.C), Con Alma (Pittsburgh), 54 Below (NYC), Birdland Jazz Club (NYC, sold out debut show), and Mezzrow Jazz Club (NYC, sold out debut show). She also recently made her International Debut, headlining the Longjumeau Jazz Festival (Longjumeau, France) in celebration of the great Ella Fitzgerald, along with two full shows at Sunset Sunside in Paris. In October, April will be an invited featured artist in the Jazz For All Ages Festival (Hilton Head, SC), alongside some of the most notable figures in jazz, such as Kurt Elling, Catherine Russell, John Pizzarelli and Emmet Cohen.

At the age of 27, April has immersed herself deeply into the jazz tradition and has performed/studied with a multitude of legendary artists and jazz luminaries such as Tierney Sutton, Russell Malone, Sachal Vasandani, Jane Monheit, Kurt Elling, and others. April graduated in May of 2022 with her Master’s degree in Jazz Voice Performance from the Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of 2-time Grammy© nominated vocalist and teacher Theo Bleckmann. She was awarded the 2023 Winner of the International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition and most recently received a 2024 Honorable Mention Award in the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Competition. She just released her Debut Album, “April by April Varner” (Cellar Live Record Label), available on all streaming platforms. This genre-busting collection of all April-titled songs was produced by Grammy-Award winning drummer, producer and educator, Ulysses Owens Jr.

Her next album, entitled “Ella” was released in late March 2026 with Cellar Live. Having been April’s biggest vocal inspiration, this album features a collection of Ella Fitzgerald’s greatest hits with a twist, spanning from the very beginning of her career to her peak. Produced by Ulysses Owens Jr., personnel include Emmet Cohen, Yasushi Nakamura, and more!

“Of The People”

After 250 years as a country, the United States has grown a rich cultural history of songs and stories, written, told, and sung by people who’ve come here and people who’ve lived here. As we mark this quarter-millennium milestone, what better music to pay tribute to America than through jazz, which employs song to tell a story? An artform of many influences from many places that emerged on these shores in the early 20th century, jazz has come to represent the country’s spirit of freedom and democracy, individualism and community, and discipline and improvisation.

In that same spirit, Of The People presents an eclectic and gorgeously reimagined array of spirituals, country and folk pop songs, traditionals, and straight-up odes to the U.S.A. Chosen by Visions Jazz Ensemble co-leaders Sam Butler and Garrett Fasig, Indiana University jazz professor Brent Wallarab, and producer Greg Reynolds, the repertoire forms a unique mosaic of these United States, forged in a smithy of musical craftsmanship and creatively dynamic writing. - David Brent Johnson