Fiona Ross doubles your pleasure with not one but two previews of her upcoming landmark album Moments in My Notebook — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
London jazz vocalist and songwriter Ross has never been one to follow convention, and her latest album — due May 30 — is a testament to her boundless creativity and storytelling prowess. Moments in My Notebook is a chronicle of love, loss, discovery, and relentless creativity, marking her 100th original song release. Across 21 tracks of jazz-fueled storytelling — including the new singles Let Your Soul Shine and I Don’t Want Money — the award-winning vocalist, pianist, composer and producer delivers an expansive, deeply personal collection that spans the intimate hush of a late-night ballad to the rhythmic pulse of Latin jazz, with moments of raw, stripped-down vulnerability woven throughout.
Ross, best known for carving her own lane in contemporary jazz, Latin rhythms, and vintage club sounds, crafted this album as both a journey through time and an exploration of the present. “I still write everything in notebooks,” Ross shares. “Some songs started with a bassline, some with a lyric, some from something I overheard in a café. This album is 21 moments from those pages — 21 moments in my life.” The record is also a love letter to the past, featuring some songs she wrote as a teenager that have finally found their voice.
The album’s first single, Let Your Soul Shine, is a luminous anthem of resilience and self-worth, inspired by a moment of serendipity at a market stall. “I saw a sign that said, ‘Let Your Soul Shine,’ and I couldn’t stop thinking about it,” she recalls. “I walked home, sat at the piano, and the song just poured out in 10 minutes.” The result is a soul-stirring piece that encourages listeners to find strength in their own light. Then there’s I Don’t Want Money, a track that captures the struggle every musician knows too well. “Wouldn’t it be nice to just make music without thinking about the cost of it all?” Ross muses. “But the reality is, we live in a world where money dominates everything. This song is for every creative who just wants to do what they love.”
Moments in My Notebook features a stellar lineup of musicians — Gibbi Bettini (guitar), Derek Daley (bass), Marley Drummond (drums), Loren Hignell (saxophones, clarinet, flutes), Simon Todd (percussion) and Dave Boa (trumpets), with guest appearances by Laura Impallomeni (trombone), Charlotte Keeffe (trumpet), Hannah Horton (saxophone), Diana Torti (vocals) and Migdalia van Der Hoven (drums). The album was engineered, mixed, and mastered across multiple studios, a labor of love that captures both the exhilaration of live jazz and the precision of a carefully honed composition.
With Moments in My Notebook, Ross cements her place as one of the most fearlessly original voices in contemporary jazz and singer-songwriter storytelling. She’s 100 songs deep, and she’s just getting started.
To celebrate the album’s release, Ross will embark on a U.K. and European tour, bringing these songs to life on stage. The official album launch will take place on June 4 at London’s newest jazz venue Soul Mama, where fans can experience the magic firsthand.
Fiona Ross Live Dates
May 31 | Highworth Jazz Festival, U.K. Tickets & Info
June 4 | Soul Mama, London, U.K. Venue Info
Aug. 16 | Acorn Theatre, Cornwall, U.K. Tickets & Info
Sept. 13 | Hampstead Jazz Club, London, U.K.
Watch the videos for Let Your Soul Shine and I Don’t Want Money above, hear more from Fiona Ross below, and share a moment her website, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
