PJ Morton has joined fellow musician and longtime collaborator Keyon Harrold on a bright new track titled “Beautiful Day.” The jazzy tune appears on Harrold’s third album, Foreverland, out now on Concord Jazz.
On “Beautiful Day,” Morton optimistically sings about embracing what life has to offer. We can choose peace even in tumultuous moments, as there’s always a glimmer of light ready to shine.
“I know you’ve been hurtin’ / So just let the sunlight in / Just forget what they say / What do they know anyway / Today is a beautiful day,” Morton croons.
“It’s such a beautiful thing to create music that comes from the heart and soul,” says Harrold. “‘Beautiful Day’ is a song that PJ Morton and I wrote together in New Orleans, after a heart-to-heart conversation about life.”
Harrold continues, “We’ve been making music together for years, and every collaboration is just as special as the last. PJ is truly one of my favorite songwriters and artists, and it was an absolute honor to create ‘Beautiful Day’ for my Foreverland album.”
Foreverland, a 10-track offering, includes appearances from Robert Glasper, Common, Jean Baylor and Laura Mvula. It’s the follow-up to Harrold’s 2017 album, The Mugician.
Aside from his solo work, Harrold has been keeping busy with collaborations. He contributed to Gallant and Terrace Martin’s “311!” from their joint project, sneek, released last fall. Harrold also worked on Goapele’s “Time Heals” from her album, Colours, which also dropped in 2023.
Most recently, Harrold played the horns on Norelle’s beautiful cover of Sade’s “Like a Tattoo,” in honor of Sade Adu’s 65th birthday.
Circling back to Foreverland, Harrold will support his new album at upcoming tour stops that begin Friday (Jan. 19) at The Sun Rose in Los Angeles, California. He will play a second show on Jan. 20, before traveling to several U.S. cities. In March, he will head to Europe, before returning towards the end of the month to Michigan.
Check out Keyon Harrold’s new song “Beautiful Day” featuring PJ Morton and his tour dates below.
1/19: The Sun Rose – Los Angeles, CA
1/20: The Sun Rose – Los Angeles, CA
1/22: Blue Note New York – New York, NY
1/23: Blue Note New York – New York, NY
1/24: Blue Note New York – New York, NY
1/26: Jazz St. Louis – St. Louis, MO
1/27: Jazz St. Louis – St. Louis, MO
2/16-2/24: Capital Jazz Cruise – Ft Lauderdale, FL
2/25: Portland Jazz Festival – Portland, OR
3/2: Ronnie Scott’s– London, UK
3/5: Blue Note Milano – Milan, Italy
3/6: New Morning – Paris, France
3/9: Transition Festival – Utrecht, Netherlands
3/10: Bird – Rotterdam, Holland
3/11: Jazzclub Q4 – Rheinfelden, Switzerland
3/12: Jassmine – Warsaw, Poland
3/13: Cabaret des Péchés – Brno, Czechia
3/14: Jazz Dock – Prague, Czechia
3/16: Fasching – Stockholm, Sweden
3/29: Blue Llama – Ann Arbor, MI
3/30: Blue Llama – Ann Arbor, MI
7/1 – 7/3: Montreal Jazz Festival – Montreal, Canada