Emily Kuhn releases first single "Roses" off of her debut release "Sky Stories"

Chicago-based trumpet player Emily Kuhn’s debut album, Sky Stories, is a celebration of Chicago’s natural beauty and its diverse musical communities. The album brings Kuhn’s lyrical compositional voice together with some of the most innovative musicians from the jazz, classical, Latin, folk, and world music scenes in the city, weaving diverse musical threads into a lush soundscape that floats freely between improvisation and orchestration. 

Her first single, “Roses” was initially inspired by the playful sentiment of Mary Oliver’s poem by the same title. The song is inspired by the idea that a fleeting moment, such as a flower shifting in the wind, is made exquisite by its ephemerality. It features lush string writing, a chorus of background vocals, and interweaving improvisations which builds to an exuberant Brazilian groove. Directed by Zack Sievers, the gold-toned video intersperses time lapse footage of roses blooming and dying from 1925 and shots of a dramatic sky over Chicago in 2020 with live footage from the recording sessions.