Release Date: September 25th, 2026
Trumpeter and composer Rachel Spencer to release a new recording, “The Next Right Thing“, via the Resonant Postcard outlet. The sextet comprises of trombonist Michael Dease, alto saxophonist Gene Centeno, pianist Andy Langham, bassist Liam O’Dell and drummer Adam Jackson.
About Rachel Spencer
Trumpeter, composer, and educator
Trumpeter Rachel Spencer is a jazz artist, composer, and educator whose original music seamlessly blends the melodic sophistication of post-bop with contemporary grooves and modern improvisation. Influenced by legendary artists including Blue Mitchell, Kenny Garrett, and Roy Hargrove, Spencer’s compositions combine lyrical storytelling, expressive improvisation, and a deep reverence for the jazz tradition while presenting a distinctive artistic voice.
An accomplished performer, Spencer has appeared nationally and internationally as both a bandleader and freelance musician. She served as lead trumpet on the North American tour of The Addams Family: A Musical Comedy and has performed at acclaimed venues and festivals including Monk’s Jazz Club, Parker Jazz Club, the Elephant Room, SXSW, and numerous concert stages across the United States.
Spencer’s debut album, The Next Right Thing, was written over a five-year period spanning the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic through the completion of her Doctor of Musical Arts degree. Featuring seven original compositions and guest trombionist Michael Dease, the recording chronicles her search for an authentic artistic voice during one of the most transformative periods of her life. Exploring themes of mentorship, imposter syndrome, creative resilience, and artistic growth, the album draws inspiration from a mentor’s enduring advice: “Just focus on doing the next right thing.” The result is a deeply personal recording that celebrates choosing artistry over fear-one thoughtful step at a time.
In addition to her performing career, Spencer is a respected educator with more than fifteen years of teaching experience. She is an active clinician and masterclass presenter, committed to mentoring the next generation of musicians. Her doctoral dissertation represents the first comprehensive study of the later career of acclaimed trumpeter Blue Mitchell, contributing significant new scholarship to the field of jazz studies. In 2025, Spencer was honored with the Preser Foundation Graduate Music Award in recognition of her artistic achievement and ongoing contributions to the jazz community.
“JUST DO THE NEXT RIGHT THING.”
Those words, shared by one of my mentors during my late teens and early twenties, have remained a guiding principle throughout my life and artistic journey.
For much of my life, I have been inclined to wait for ideal circumstances before moving forward. Yet experience has taught me that perfect conditions are rarely guaranteed. Instead, growth requires the courage to take the next step, even when the path ahead is uncertain.
The right direction is not always obvious, and the journey often shapes us more profoundly than the destination itself. The Next Right Thing is a celebration of that universal courage-the willingness to move forward with purpose, faith, and resilience despite ambiguity.
This music also reflects my belief in the responsibility of every artist to contribute something meaningful to the world. Each composition represents another step in that lifelong pursuit: to create with honesty, to serve through music, and to leave the world a little better by adding the next bit of good.
TRACK NOTES :
“The Next Right Thing” was based off my mentor’s advice, and the composition musically reflects my journey to get back to myself. The almost-too-slow vamp represents my restlessness and need to fully commit to myself and my dreams as an artist. The swinging groove change represents breaking through my fear to commit to my dreams, letting myself hold the identity of artist and educator hand in hand.
“Steamrolling” is something I first wrote to blow off steam over a professional conflict wherein I had a lot of anger for someone “Steamrolling” over my values, but as I wrote it it became more about me blowing “full steam ahead” and charging toward my goals as an artist despite what obstacles I may need to overcome. Please forgive the relevant puns.
“Queen of Cups” was written shortly after “Steamrolling” (in the same week!). The Queen of Cups is a tarot card is used to indicate love, healing, and internal development and reflects my ways of moving past situations where I have been treated unfairly (especially as a woman playing jazz trumpet in the south) and counter it instead with understanding and love for the music.
“Liminal Spaces” was written during the pandemic, wherein I was doing my best to find meaning in my day job as a middle school band director and grappling with feelings of inauthenticity as an artist. As I searched for meaning among those I admired, I watched trumpeter Ashlin Parker give an online interview wherein he described that time as a liminal space for artists, but didn’t necessarily denote that as a bad thing, changing my perspective. This is my oldest composition on the record, and, due to the irregular form and free nature, it has allowed me to find joy in the in-between life and art. Something I love about this composition is that it never sounds the same twice when we perform it.
“Bias” reflects my time coming back to full-time freelancing after spending the years in the pandemic. I was largely insulated from the inherent bias many people hold toward others in the music world, and it was jarring to be confronted with it full force again after so much time. I found I had to thicken my skin quite a bit more to make up for it.
“I can almost remember” is a contract of “How Deep is the Ocean”, inspired by my musical hero Blue Mitchell’s 1962 recording. It explores the concept of learning to find childlike wonder and joy through art and music, despite the heaviness you may now carry, and finding peace with the fact that, while your childlike innocence may never return, you can still approach life and art with curiosity and joy every day.
“Essential Company” celebrates my community, in every sense of the word. First written to celebrate the adoption of my two precious cats during the pandemic (hence the two grooves), it became about every living being that inspires me to keep doing the next right thing act of good in the world.