Eddie Gripper & Elijah Jeffery - debut album and UK tour, June and July 2025.

Thursday, May 22, 2025

Pianist Eddie Gripper and vocalist Elijah Jeffrey will release their eponymous debut album on June 6th 2025. They will be touring in the UK during June and July.

We have received the following press release;

Eddie Gripper & Elijah Jeffery
UK Album Tour 2025
Released 6th June 2025

A brand-new album by two young titans who have collaborated in a focused project which reflects both their passion for music, and the strong desire to create. Written and recorded within 8 weeks, pianist Eddie Gripper and vocalist Elijah Jeffrey capture stories invented by two young men not afraid to explore themes of darkness and danger, balanced by hope and love in some of its many guises.

This has been achieved with Eddie exploring a mix of conventional and complex chord voicings, unison melody lines, and thrilling improvisations that sparkle in this crossover original repertoire. Elijah demonstrates an authority augmented by an impressive vocal range, controlled vibrato, and an individual voice; the perfect tool to purvey their messages with an authoritative conveyance. Their impressive relationship with dynamics reinforces the intent of their compositions, and the narrative they generate nods to music being more than what they play, rather how they make the listener feel.

I feel enthused after listening to this recording. I am excited for the future of both musicians and their desire to conceive projects that take them beyond the genres they have been brought up in. This is a journey that we are all invited to be a part of… - Dr Linley Hamilton OBE

This self-titled album is the culmination of both musician’s fruitful working relationship and individual passion for songwriting. With seven original songs and one never-before heard adaptation of a 17th century Aria, Elijah Jeffery & Eddie Gripper offer up an “eagerly awaited” (The Jazz Mann) collaboration straddling the genres of progressive pop, indie folk and alternative jazz.

Live Dates:

6th June, Kings Road Yard, Cardiff

11th June, Oxford University Jazz. Society

12th June, Smokey Joe’s, Cheltenham

13th June, Burford Jazz Club, Oxfordshire

16th June, Bexley Jazz Club, London

18th June, Concorde Club, Eastleigh

22nd June, SMJC, Southampton

25th June,  Aberjazz, Fishguard

26th June, The Small Space, Barry

10th July, Hampstead Jaz Club, London

11th July, Cabaret, Cardiff

Elijah Jeffery is a Hampshire-born vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. From an early age, Elijah developed a passion for musical theatre and the Great American Songbook, taking inspiration from many of the great vocalists and lyricists of the 20th Century. A Jazz graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Elijah has established himself as an up-and-coming artist in Wales and the South West, collaborating with the likes of Claire Martin OBE, Ian Shaw, and big bands such as Capital City Jazz Orchestra. Elijah released his debut EP, ‘One of Her Clowns’ in June 2023, marking his first foray into writing original music. Fusing a lifelong love of jazz with singer-songwriter and folk sensibilities, ‘One of Her Clowns’ weaves bittersweet tales of love lost and found through “poetic and intelligent lyricis[m]” (The Jazz Mann).

Having “already garnered comparisons with the greats”(Jazzwise) after the release of his debut album ‘Home’, pianist Eddie Gripper has rapidly established himself as a young contender on the national jazz circuit. He has worked as a performer, promoter and producer alongside top musicians in his field such as Nigel Price, Simon Spillet and Pete Long. Outside of Jazz, he has collaborated with Welsh folk artist Angharad Jenkins, writing and performing music that explores the various aspects of folk, jazz and contemporary classical traditions In 2024, Gripper embarked on a 29-date tour across the four nations of the UK and Republic of Ireland, and remains active on the national and international scene (having played at venues such as Crazy Coqs, Pizza Express and various festivals, both under his own name and with other projects).

“[An] exposed setting revealing Jeffery to be a poetic and intelligent lyricist who has learnt well from the ‘Songbook’ tradition”
– The Jazz Mann

“Gripper’s melodic compositions have an easy charm about them that demand repeated listening.” – Jazz Views

TRACK LIST
(all tracks written by Elijah Jeffery & Eddie Gripper unless otherwise stated)

Shifting Seasons
Good, Honest Men
Close Your Eyes
Because of You
True Love Never Dies
Love Is A Game
Dido’s Lament (When I Am Laid In Earth) - comp. Henry Purcell
Swan Song