Regena Hoye Regena Hoye: an American original. The Senior Super Star.
Jazz is a style that defines the American origin. Today’s media might have you believe that top musical talent comes in the form of young, edgy 20- or 30-year-olds, but what happens when several decades of musical experience is allowed to steep, only to be heard after a lifelong journey of musical exploration? The answer is Regena Hoye, a jazz musician and author based in Jackson, MS.
Regena is the talent behind numerous jazz hits, including her EP, “Opposite,” her second completed album. This new album marks a new path compared to Regena’s earliest recorded music, with social commentary found in songs like the album’s title track. Yet, the album puts on display the wide range of emotions jazz is capable of, with alluring tracks like “Sunday Ride” and others that are just plain fun to listen to, like “Hello.”
Because of this variety, Regena’s music feels both old and new at the same time. It’s a reflection of jazz’s origins with a modern twist both in terms of lyrics and style, with inspirations from artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and Nancy Wilson.
Born in 1948, Regena has witnessed the rise and fall of many musical stylings and trends. A steady constant for well over a century of musical history has been jazz, and it is jazz music that has entranced Regena since her earliest years. As Regena puts it, “jazz is a style that defines the American origin.”
Regena’s introduction to jazz took place as a teenager using one of the first devices to ever play recorded music… an old phonograph in her relative’s home. Since then, she has had a love affair with jazz music, collecting vinyl records of the many jazz greats from history. Regena may not have had the money for a large collection, but it was a meaningful one, with 20 LPs that inspired her for years to come and ultimately led to Regena writing her own music.
That journey has been a long one, but it has also been years in the making. Oddly enough, it all started with a book… Regena’s children’s book, titled Miss Titta Nurse Chloe. The southern mystery inspired Regena to write some songs to go along with the story. The world was painfully close to never hearing Regena’s music, as the songs remained tucked away in a drawer for years after writing. But in 2012, Regena walked into a recording studio, met a talented producer who could manifest her vision, and there she recorded her first CD, “Soft Sumer Night.”
Regena’s music is a testament to the versatility of jazz music, as she finds inspiration from both her time outdoors and sociopolitical events alike. All her life experience is expressed in her new album “Pray On This”. Regardless of where the inspiration comes from for any individual song, Regena’s loftiest ambition for her music, however, is a simple one: to create sounds that will be remembered and appreciated by their listeners. And that is something she is well on her way to achieving.
