Zacchae'us Paul Shares New Album "JAZZ MONEY VOL.2 - SWINGING' R&B" + track "TEN OUTTA TEN"

Today, Philadelphia-based multi-instrumentalist, producer, and vocalist Zacchae’us Paul released his highly anticipated sophomore album JAZZ MONEY VOL. 2: SWINGIN’ R&B, a truly genre-blurring amalgam of great Black music. Out now on Candid Records, the new record connects the dots between hip-hop, hard-swinging modern jazz, neo-soul, and more.

LISTEN TO 'JAZZ MONEY VOL 2' HERE

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR "TEN OUTTA TEN" HERE

Following the release of Paul’s debut album JAZZ MONEY, which landed on NPR Music’s Essential Jazz Discoveries of 2024 list, JAZZ MONEY VOL. 2: SWINGIN’ R&B continues that beyond-genre ethos. The diverse 17-track LP is uniquely bookended with spoken word from legendary jazz figures Marshall Allen and Eric Wyatt, and features an outstanding class of collaborators, including still-rising musicians like trumpeters Keyon Harrold and Milena Casado, emcees like donSMITH and Happy Qavah, and player-producers such as Morgan Guerin and saxophonist Kebbi Williams.

Part of today’s release is the album’s smoke-filled focus track, “TEN outta TEN,” a certified hood jazz classic. As a Georgia native, Paul created this trip track to pay tribute to the legendary Atlanta hip-hop producer, Zaytoven.

“I've always felt a connection to Zaytoven,” shares Zacchae’us Paul. “We're both preacher's kids and organists whose musical foundation was built in the church. Even after all of his success, he still plays in church today. That has always inspired me because it reminds me that your gift belongs to God before it belongs to the industry.”

He continues, “Ironically, trap was the first style of music I ever learned to produce. I started making beats in middle school before I ever considered myself a jazz musician. From there, I became obsessed with exploring every branch of Black American music—jazz, gospel, blues, R&B, soul, funk, hip-hop, and beyond. To me, they're all connected. This record is where those worlds meet: a tribute to one of Atlanta's greatest producers through my own musical language.” 

Another icon Paul wanted to give flowers to is the godmother of rock n’ roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The song “SISTA SISTA” is Paul’s tribute to her in his own language.

Paul says, “Sister Rosetta Tharpe was playing what we now recognize as rock & roll at a time when Black artists were constantly being exploited—our music was borrowed, repackaged, and often outright stolen without proper credit, royalties, or ownership. Because of that history, generations of Black people grew up associating many of the genres we created—rock, country, and even jazz—with white artists. When you really study this history, you realize this isn't just a story about music—it's a story about ownership, identity, and who gets remembered. Sister Rosetta Tharpe stood in the middle of all of that with grace, faith, and an electric guitar that changed the course of popular music forever.”

Expanding on the inspiration, he adds, “I also wanted to honor her in my own way by presenting it as an a cappella arrangement—something you rarely hear today. For me, this is where Rhythm and Blues comes back home to jazz. It's a reminder that before the labels, before the categories, before the industry divided our music into genres, it all came from the same well of Black musical expression. This one's for you, Sister Rosetta.”

Additional standout tracks that showcase Paul’s extraordinary skills as a classically trained jazz musician, dedicated rap and R&B producer, plus neo-soul crooner, include the bona fide R&B heater “STAY,” the Hot 97-ready banger “SHE BAD,” and the celestial “CHERRY LAFFY TAFFY.” Other highlights include the previously released pair of singles “LOOK TO THE SKY” and “SHE F*CK WITH THE RACKS,” which is a pure distillation of Paul’s notion of “jazz money” as a spinoff of the “hood rich” concept: the confluence of elegance and ambition with a street-level sensibility.

“Growing up in the church gave me a foundation that allowed me to understand all of these genres because they're all connected,” explains Paul. “I couldn't make authentic jazz without understanding gospel. I couldn't make authentic R&B without understanding jazz, blues, and the church. They're all part of the same family tree. I'm an R&B artist, and I'm a jazz artist. The only difference is that I'm presenting this work under the umbrella of jazz because my mission is to re-center jazz in a Black cultural context...This record is proof that I don't have to choose one lane. I do this.”

Plenty of artists have attempted the alchemy that Zacchae’us Paul offers with JAZZ MONEY VOL. 2: SWINGIN’ R&B; But few, if any, have pulled it off with the seamlessness, ingenuity, and sheer quality that the emerging star manages.

Diamond-sharp beats complement nimble acoustic jazz drumming. Emcees with effortless flow alternate with jazz soloists spinning long-form improvisations. Excellent jazz rhythm sections thrive on an album that also features producer tags, interludes, and bookends of spoken word. And the lessons in spontaneous creation that guide a classic jazz LP meet the cinematic storytelling that defines so many LPs from hip-hop’s golden age.

Zacchae'us Paul is available for interviews.

TRACKLIST

1. THE INTRODUCTION BY MARSHALL ALLEN

2. SWINGIN' R&B

3. SHE F*CK WITH THE RACKS

4. SISTA SISTA

5. STAY

6. JAZZ MONEY VOL 2

7. LOOK TO THE SKY

8. FUEL

9. NEW ZACH SWING

10. BETTER MUST COME

11. GREATER MUST COME

12. CHERRY LAFFY TAFFY

13. SHE BAD

14. PULL UP ON ME

15. KEYBASS SYMPHONY IN C

16. TEN outta TEN

17. THE ERIC WYATT INTERVIEW

About Zacchae'us Paul

Paul, who is still only 27, was raised in Atlanta, Georgia, where his earliest musical breakthroughs occurred as a producer immersed in the ATL’s most prominent hip-hop export, trap. At the same time, his father was a pastor who introduced him to the gospel tradition, and to consistent work as a musician in the church band, where he sang and played keyboards, organ and drums. His love for gospel grew alongside his adoration for classic R&B acts like Earth, Wind & Fire, and in middle school he experienced his jazz revelation when a teacher showed him a lead sheet for John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.”

“This was my first time ever seeing a chart in my life,” he recalls. “I had no history of reading music before then, or even having a formal education in music.” But he’d been searching for more interesting chord voicings, and he found them in pianist Duke Ellington as well as in some older gospel records. He went on to study music formally in Puerto Rico and Audio Engineering in Florida, buttressing his passion for R&B and hip-hop with jazz learning.

But he’s never far from hip-hop, even when he’s not playing music. Case in point: Paul recently started a side hustle called Jazz Money Mobile Detailing, which refreshes cars in New York City and Philadelphia. (For real.) That hip-hop-rooted entrepreneurial spirit will serve Paul well in the years to come, as a newly married young man with a new baby daughter. But as he tells it, everything’s interconnected - from detailing cars in Manhattan to playing jazz piano and crafting sprawling masterworks like JAZZ MONEY VOL. 2.

As part of a new wave of jazz artists pushing the boundaries of the genre, Paul is making his mark on the music industry. His debut album, JAZZ MONEY, executive produced by NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington and featuring guest artists like Gregorie Maret, donSMITH, Cisco Swank, and Candid label mate Morgan Guerin, was published in 2024 on Candid Records.