About The Lively Air 

Vocalist and composer Aubrey Johnson and Greenleaf Music present her second album, The Lively Air, marking her return to composing after several years focused primarily on recording and interpreting other artists’ music (notably, Lyle Mays, Billy Childs, Alex Sipiagin, Sara Serpa, and more). The album features Johnson’s original compositions alongside arrangements of works by Joni Mitchell, Kurt Elling, late uncle and legendary keyboardist Lyle Mays, a collaborative piece with her brother Gentry Johnson, and a newly-commissioned piece from Tomoko Omura. Co-produced by bassist Steve Rodby, who worked extensively with Mays in the Pat Metheny Group, and mixed and mastered by Rich Breen, the recording continues Johnson’s family legacy while establishing her own sonic space. 

Reviews

STEPHEN GRAHAM
MARLBANK
“Clearly the year’s best jazz album to date…” 

J. POET
DOWNBEAT ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Johnson’s impressive vocal range and improvisational prowess are on full display as she frolics around melodies sprinkling melismas, scats and vocalese phrasing into the arrangements”

EMILIE PONS
JAZZ TIMES
“Aubrey Johnson’s riveting album is one of the finest I have heard in a long time. Every song arrives as a surprise, yet the only expectation the album ultimately establishes is one of constant excellence.” 

JOSH GAGNON
THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD
"Johnson’s control of tone and meticulous melodic style are valuable additions to the contemporary jazz landscape, and with her latest album, The Lively Air, these strengths serve as a gravitational center with a great band and captivating compositions in orbit."

THIERRY DE CLEMENSAT
PARIS MOVE
“...a luminous, carefully shaped world in which every sound seems to know precisely why it exists.”

TAKEHIKO TSUNEMORI

INTOXICATE MAGAZINE

Fully reborn, Aubrey Johnson carries forward the musical spirit of Lyle Mays while opening a new door of her own.

Album Credits:

Personnel:
Aubrey Johnson, voice
Tomoko Omura, violin 
Alex LoRe, bass clarinet, alto sax, flute, tenor sax 
Chris McCarthy, piano, Rhodes 
Matt Aronoff, bass
Jay Sawyer, drums 

Production Credits:
Produced by Aubrey Johnson and Steve Rodby
Edited by Steve Rodby
Mixed and Mastered by Rich Breen

Recorded April 17, 18 and May 25, 2025 at Sear Sound, New York City

Released March 20, 2026 on Greenleaf Music

"Hope", "The Words I Cannot Say", "Don't Be Afraid", "For Luna", and "I'll Never Need to Know" composed by Aubrey Johnson 

All arrangements by Aubrey Johnson, except for “The Miracle Is In Us,” by Tomoko Omura