Ella Fitzgerald's Granddaughter Signs First Recording Contract

Los Angeles: Haylee, grand-daughter of Ella Fitzgerald, signed her first recording contract with SRI Jazz. Her debut will be a duet with dad Ray Brown Jr. singing Ella’s first hit, "Tisket-A-Tasket". The song will be featured on “Friends & Family”, the all-star project of duets with Ray Brown, Jr, produced by Shelly Liebowitz.

“When I heard that Ray’s daughter had won a school talent contest singing “Tisket-A-Tasket”, I knew we had to have it on this CD. So I asked Haylee if she would do Grandma’s first hit as a duet with her dad. I am so very proud to have produced her first recording, I know there will be many, many more to come,” says Liebowitz.

Ray Brown Jr, is the son of legendary jazz performers Ray Brown and Ella Fitzgerald. He is currently recording a duets style project entitled "Friends And Family". It contains a collection of unique song arrangements that will highlight Ray’s soulful and versatile voice in duets with a varied group of artists. For this album Liebowitz has assembled an amazing group of artists, each one bringing something special to this project. Guests on this historic album include Dionne Warwick, Melba Moore, Paul Williams, Dr. John, Maria Muldaur, Jane Monheit, David “Fathead” Newman, James Moody, Sophie B. Hawkins, Terry Gibbs, Freda Payne, David Somerville, Sally Kellerman, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Haylee and a duet with Ray and his parents

The release of "Friends and Family" is scheduled for late June 2008.

Founded by veteran producer Shelly Liebowitz, SRI Jazz is an independent jazz label that releases classic jazz and blues recordings by the biggest names in music plus new recordings from a selective group of artists. The label has an extensive catalog of recordings by virtually every major name artist in the history of jazz and blues. Our mission is to preserve and promote great music, from classic recordings by legendary artists to new important recordings from current artists. SRI Jazz is a division of the SRI Entertainment Group. For more information please visit us on the web at www.srirecords.com