Ashley Daneman is a singer who combines “a literary sensibility with a driving experimental jazz style where the heart of the song can find itself anywhere and always in a personal intimate space” (Marlbank). Her new release, People Are Fragile (Flood Music), traverses the emotional waters of pain, recovery, and rebirth following a series of losses.

The music feels very exposed and intimate, like a deep, late-night conversation between old friends who don’t spare each other’s feelings. It features Rob Clearfield and Rufus Ferguson on piano, Wurlitzer, and organ; Matt Gold on guitar and lap steel; Andrew Vogt on electric bass; Makaya McCraven and Quinlan Kirchner on drums; and Kevin Bujo Jones on percussion. It’s a mature, honest and fearless record that signals the next big step in the musical career of Ashley Daneman.

Daneman grew up in Toledo, Ohio studying classical voice and performing in musicals before turning to jazz and songwriting in her twenties. She honed her craft in Washington, DC, New York City, and by touring in the U.S. Daneman was also a resident artist at The Kennedy Center’s Betty Carter’s JazzAhead and The Banff Centre’s Jazz and Creative Workshop in Alberta, Canada. She earned her master’s degree from Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of Peter Eldridge, Kate McGarry, and Theo Bleckman.

People Are Fragile follows her 2015 critically acclaimed album Beauty Indestructible. Selected by DownBeat Magazine as “Editor’s Pick,” her music draws comparisons to Becca Stevens, Laura Nyro, and even Stephen Sondheim. “Beautiful jazz art music from a gorgeous voice with superb accompaniment,” says Mark S. Tucker, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange, and Richard Kamins (Step Tempest) called it, “a profound work of art that is so alive, so positive, and so blessedly musical.” Daneman addresses the fundamental healing power of love” (C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz).

Ashley lives with her husband, trumpeter Benje Daneman, and their kids in beautiful Savannah, GA.