Tyreek McDole doesn’t call himself a jazz singer. He views himself instead as a caretaker of Black music, honoring a history that stretches back to its earliest roots.
“Personally, I don’t identify as a jazz artist,” McDole said. “I feel like I’m more of a steward of Black music. That includes everyone, dating back to the beginning of Black history."
The vocalist, who won the 2023 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, brings that philosophy to Chris’ Jazz Café in Philadelphia on Oct. 24 ahead of his upcoming album “Chroma.”
McDole holds John Coltrane and Miles Davis in the same regard as Wyclef Jean, Sweet Micky, Marc Anthony and Celia Cruz. He would like his music to reflect the diaspora he has encountered through his travels.
His 2023 debut, “Open Up Your Senses,” included “Wongolo Wale,” a traditional Haitian folk song he said traces back to his lineage in Angola. His new single, “Think of You,” incorporates Haitian and Caribbean rhythms, including rara, which he described as a nod to his heritage meeting “the jazz continuum.”
McDole shares that the past three years have outpaced anything he imagined when he arrived in New York.
“In 2023, I just graduated college. I just moved to New York. I had like $500 in my bank account,” he said. “I had no idea that because of the music, and also the competition and the work I put in every day, I'd be traveling the world.”
Since then, he has performed at the Sarah Vaughan Centennial in Miami alongside Patti Austin and Lisa Fischer. He also sang at a James Moody centennial tribute that featured Jon Faddis, Christian McBride, Terri Lyne Carrington and Renee Rosnes. He even opened for actor and musician Jeff Goldblum.
“More than that, it’s because these people believe in and trust that I could be a steward of the art," he explains.
“Chroma” draws on music associated with Nina Simone, Kendrick Lamar and André 3000. McDole called them “Black geniuses” who are singular in their approach but deeply studied.
He noted that during his upbringing, Coltrane and Lamar were both on his playlist simultaneously.
“I’m like, wow, this person is as studied in his thing as Trane is in his,” he said of Lamar.
The album’s title refers to the intensity, brightness or purity of a color. McDole described the term as a metaphor for his understanding of identity. The record centers on the idea of home, which he said means finding a home within himself rather than in a place.
“Going home means knowing what is and what is not for you,” he pointed out. “Going home means understanding that you need a little bit of rest occasionally. Going home means surrounding yourself with people who are like-minded and actually understand and recognize you.”
He wrote the closing track “Go Home” in Amsterdam during what he called an intense period of his life. He described two potential paths he could take: one clear path that could lead to success but might not allow him to fully realize his true self, and another riskier path that offered a chance for deeper personal growth.
“Take the path less taken and really get to know Tyreek,” he said. “Find home rather than performing it.”
McDole noted that many young people don’t realize how many ways there are to get into jazz. He says did not grow up in a jazz household, but rather “I brought jazz into the house."
He found the music through sampling. Hip-hop and R&B videos led him to the jazz records behind them.
“I know Ahmad Jamal because I met Nas,” he explained. “It’s all Black music. That source, that spark of creativity, is the through line.”
His message to young listeners is direct.
"Try the music; it's yours. This music has been developed and created by young people.”
McDole has toured schools with education programs, including jazz at Lincoln Center’s. He said the gap between traditional musicianship and beat-making is less about preference than about access to instruments and training.
“I don’t fault them for finding other ways to be creative, like sampling or using a computer to make music,” he added. “I don’t think it’s a matter of options as much as its resources and community and intergenerational community building.”
He rejected claims that jazz is dying, saying “I think that’s really silly." He compared those claims to the pitch of artificial intelligence (AI) companies that promise to replace years of study with a product.
“You’ll be able to make a track just like anyone else in 30 seconds,” he said, describing that.
McDole is not from Philadelphia, but he called the city a major influence. He pointed to Coltrane’s time here, bassist Christian McBride, the Clef Club’s role in developing artists such as Joey DeFrancesco and Kurt Rosenwinkel and Jill Scott.
“Whether it be R&B, soul, hip-hop or jazz, [Philadelphia's] just a place that curates beautiful music," he said.
McDole mentioned that his upcoming performance at Chris’ Jazz Cafe will encompass the diverse spectrum of Black American music.
“I use music as a tool to heal. I use it as a tool to gain community,” he said. "I believe my show offers all these things and more."