Brian Byrne Assembles All-Star Voices for Expansive Jazz Song Cycle SHE MUST GO

Brian Byrne’s She Must Go (Timberlake Records / Big Shoulders Records, distributed by Sony Orchard) is a bold new jazz song cycle that fuses centuries of poetry with the immediacy of contemporary performance. Originally commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the project began as a live symphonic performance before transforming into this sweeping recording. Drawing on the words of Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Sara Teasdale, Emma Lazarus, Dylan Thomas, Alan Bergman, Steven Sater, and Kasey Jones, Byrne reimagines timeless texts with fresh melodies that move effortlessly between silence and song, sorrow and joy. The album’s inspiration is deeply personal: it is dedicated to Byrne’s late sister-in-law Christine, with artwork created by her daughter Caelainn, underscoring the album’s central meditation on time, memory, and love.

With its powerhouse lineup of guest vocalists, She Must Go places the voice at the heart of the modern jazz songbook. Kurt Elling, Curtis Stigers, Veronica Swift, Tierney Sutton, Kate McGarry, Montel Moore, Nayanna Holley, and the LA Children’s Choir each bring their distinctive artistry to Byrne’s expansive orchestrations. The songs range from the hushed intimacy of Dickinson’s Hope to the swinging reinvention of Whitman’s O Captain! My Captain! and the luminous choral rendering of Emma Lazarus’ The New Colossus. What emerges is not just an album, but a kaleidoscopic journey—one that celebrates poetry’s capacity to transcend eras while affirming jazz’s power to make those words resonate anew.

Golden Globe–nominated composer, conductor, and producer Brian Byrne has built a career that bridges film, television, concert music, and jazz. His award-winning credits include scores for films such as Albert Nobbs and Jenny’s Wedding, collaborations with directors Jim Sheridan and John Carney, and conducting major orchestras across the U.S. and Europe. Byrne has also worked with artists ranging from Barbra Streisand and Alanis Morissette to Wynton Marsalis and Bono. With She Must Go, Byrne extends that spirit of collaboration, bringing together some of today’s most celebrated jazz vocalists in a project that honors both tradition and innovation, and affirms his place as one of music’s most versatile and visionary voices.

Learn more about Brian Byrne and She Must Go at Brian's official website.

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