Sunday Jazz at UPH: Belle-Skinner and the Easy-Speaks

Belle-Skinner is a dark nostalgic singer-songwriter based in New York. Though her influences cover a broad range of genres – from French chansons and Russian folk to contemporary alt-pop and jazz – her voice often draws comparisons to the likes of Joni Mitchell, Astrud Gilberto, Mary Hopkin, and early St. Vincent. Joined by Tyler Giroux on piano and Jason Emmond on upright bass as “The Easy Speaks,” Belle-Skinner will play and sing her favorite jazz songs, as well as many of her own original jazz compositions.

Tyler Giroux is a piano and valve trombone player in Upstate New York.  He has performed and studied with many notable musicians, including Alan Ferber, Mitch Frohman, Sheila Jordan, Brian Lynch, Scott Robinson, and Tony Succar.  He has performed at numerous festivals, including the Monterey Jazz Festival, Quebec Jazz Festival, and Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival.  He performs with his own groups, as well as “Alex Torres and His Latin Orchestra,” “GNP,” “The Dylan Perrillo Quintet,” “The Giroux Brothers,” “The Brass Machine,” and several other local musicians.

Jason Emmond is an upright/electric bass player and composer residing in upstate New York. After growing up in New Hampshire and studying music at the University of New Hampshire, Jason moved to Kansas City to play jazz and continue his musical studies. He relocated to upstate NY in 2021, where he has continued with his music career. You can find him playing with keyboardist/composer Eddie Moore and his band, “We the People,” who have backed up notable artists such as Andre Hayward, Chantae Cann and Andrew Bailie. He also frequently plays with drummer Joe Barna, whose group of rotating musicians has included world class artists such as Stacey Dillard, Ralph Lalama, Jon Gordon, Joe Magnarelli, and Gary Smulyan.