A well respected bass player, composer and radio personality, Dr. Phil Ravita released the 2025 album by his group Ravita Jazz and the results are stellar and sparkling sounding. The Mid-Atlantic based Ravita Jazz group features a number of fine musicians and their latest album release, the ten-track Alice Blue features an intriguing mix of original music and covers.

Among the players supporting the acoustic and electric bass work of Phil are Paul Carr (sax), Mark Leppo (percussion), Greg Small (piano), Nucleo Vega (drums). Also on board for a few tracks is Deirdre Jennings (vocals). Most of the tracks are a range of Ravita instrumentals along with a pair of tracks written by keyboardist Greg Small.

There’s also a track here featuring the vocal talents of Ms. Jennings featuring a 1930 jazz standard called “Sunny Side Of The Street” that is combined in a “mash-up” with parts of a 1979 Led Zeppelin song called “Fool In The Rain”.

The combination of musicians on the Alice Blue album makes it a good choice for fans of contemporary jazz. The album has just the right amount of adventurism and mainstream sounding jazz originals to keep the interest high. Most of the tracks are recent compositions but the title track “Alice Blue,” with its Bossa Nova vibes, dates to 2014.

Album vocalist Deirdre Jennings takes the spotlight on a few tracks here including the Ann Peebles classic “I Can’t Stand The Rain,” that dates to 1973. Fans of the Tina Turner version from 1984 will want to hear this updated version of a timeless song classic covered here by Ravita Jazz.

In fact, the album is so relaxed and refined sounding, that modern day jazz fans will surely want to give the entire album a listen. Alice Blue by Ravita jazz is truly one of the coolest mainstream jazz albums of 2025.

 

RMR presents an interview with Dr. Phil Ravita

RMR: When did you create Ravita Jazz and how many albums have you released so far? How would you compare the group’s musical evolution from album to album and how long has the group been recording and performing live?

Phil Ravita: Ravita Jazz started about 8 years ago. I began booking gigs at that time. The group has released two albums. Oriana in 2023 and Alice Blue in 2025. The group’s evolution reflects the growing pop and stylistically eclectic nature of the current jazz scene. The group has been performing live for about 8 years. We have been recording since 2023. Individually, the members of the group have been performing live and recording for much longer.

 

RMR: You lead the Ravita Jazz group yet you’re also a college professor with a master’s degree and a doctorate as well as a radio host on WTMB. How do you balance so many hats?

Phil Ravita: I view it as just one job with many facets. It is important to stay focused and organized. I sound busy, but I do get the occasion evening and weekend off.

 

RMR: Where are you from originally and who were some of your first musical influences; both artists and albums that inspired you to write, teach and perform music?

Phil Ravita: I am from Baltimore, Maryland. Some of the artists that have inspired me to perform, teach, and write are James Jamerson, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, The Beatles, Debussy, Stravinsky. Albums…. too many to mention… Anything Ellington, Coltrane, Davis, Beatles, or recorded as a part of the St. Martin in the Fields concert series on Deutch Gramophone. I really like works by Chopin.

 

RMR: When did you start on the electric and acoustic bass guitar and which do you prefer more, electric, or acoustic bass? Can you tell us about the instruments you play on the Alice Blue album? Also why did you call the album Alice Blue and what can you say about the title track? It was composed in 2014? Why did that track take so long to record?

Phil Ravita: I started on the electric as bass as most bass players do…the band I was in where I played rhythm guitar needed a bassist. I started playing acoustic bass when I was preparing for college auditions. I love both instruments, each one has its voice and draws out various aspects of my creativity. I write music using both. On the Alice Blue album, I play a 6-string walnut neck through the body electric bass with active pickups made by Ken Smith. The acoustic bass I play is a round back Lowendall shop bass made in Germany around 1850.

I called the album Alice Blue because I like blue. I wrote the bossa nova Alice Blue in 2014. I had some time between classes at the University of Maryland College Park where I was finishing post masters work in Jazz Studies. I was at the piano just running scales and working on random substitute chords when a melody popped into my head. I was trying out various time signatures but settled on 4/4 time. I experimented with prolongation of the chord progression before getting to the V7 Chord. While using a blues scale avoiding flat five. I used some be-bop rhythms that are fund in “Yardbird Suite”, one of my favorite John Coltrane’s songs.

The title of the song is deceptive; there is no person I had in mind when I wrote the song. The song was originally called "Azure". This was as I was looking out my practice room window and saw a blue sky. I was just writing out a progression and melody as an exercise that turned into a song that I liked. The name change was suggested to me and occurred later in the song’s history. I am told it is the name of a color of paint that artists use. I wrote a lot of tunes. I was playing around with this one and though it blended well with the other selections on the CD.

 

RMR: The group featured on the Alice Blue album is great. How long have you been playing with these musicians that play on the new album and how would you describe the chemistry between these musicians, and did they also play on the other Ravita Jazz albums?

Phil Ravita: I have been working with Greg Small and Nuc Vega since we met in graduate school at the University of Maryland College Park in 2008. I have worked with Mark Leppo for the past 18 years or so. I met Deirdre Jennings at a jam session in D.C. about 12 years ago I was impressed by her singing and have been putting her on shows since then. These guys have been with me on both recording projects. We all seem to get along well together and are supportive of each other on and off the stage.

They are all easy to work with and maintain extremely high professional standards. They all have great ears and are very musically sensitive to nuances during performances. That makes all the difference in the world. I just met Paul Carr at a jazz festival last year at the college where I teach. We started talking about music. One thing led to another, and he agreed to be on our current album.

 

RMR: There are some classic jazz covers on Alice Blue including a cover of “I Can’t Stand The Rain” and a mash-up of sorts combining “Sunny Side Of The Street” with a Led Zeppelin track called “Fool In The Rain.” Tell us about the choice of covers on Alice Blue, why you chose them? Do you enjoy recording covers or originals more?

Phil Ravita: I chose the covers you mentioned because I linked the tunes. The group had been doing them for a while, and they seemed well received by our audiences. I like doing covers and originals equally. The creative process it takes to present covers and originals is the same. You must give the song what it needs to make its voice heard.

 

RMR: Alice Blue features mostly originals written by you and pianist Greg Small. Tell us about working with Greg and what songs of his did you find the most interesting to record and how would you compare your compositional style with Greg’s? What’s the chemistry like between you and Greg?

Phil Ravita: I have worked with a lot of fantastic pianists, but Greg is one of the best pianists I have ever worked with. He makes it easy to develop bass lines by giving me room harmonically playing with notes and playing more melodically. It helps that we both had many of the same instructors at the University of Maryland College Park. As we both had similar training and have worked together for so long our compositional styles are remarkably similar. Although I tend to lean more towards the fusion end. We have always worked together very well.

 

RMR: Tell us about working with vocalist Deirdre Jennings. How long have you been working and recording with Deirdre and what do you like best about her as a vocalist and fellow musician? What does Deirdre bring to the Ravita Jazz group?

Phil Ravita: Deirdre is fantastic to work with both live and in the studio. She is always prepared and gives 100% She has a fantastic stage presence and can really engage an audience. She is really the heart and soul of the group.

 

RMR: What do you have planned for 2025 and beyond? Will there be another Ravita Jazz album planned for the future?

Phil Ravita: I am already writing for the next album. As for future plans, too early to reveal, It will be some cool things.