Biography
Born in South Africa yet now calling Los Angeles home, Justin Lee Schultz revitalizes jazz and classic R&B with fresh energy. Well before issuing his initial recordings in the early 2020s—including the 2023 release Just in the Moment—he had already drawn notice from musicians senior to him.
Schultz took up piano at age five and soon began joining sessions alongside his father, a jazz bassist. He later broadened his abilities to guitar, bass, horns, and additional instruments. Live shows brought acclaim from figures such as Quincy Jones and Harry Connick, Jr. Starting in 2018, he issued original material that led to his debut album, Gruv Kid, appearing on the Shanachie label in 2020. That project climbed to the Top Ten on Billboard’s smooth jazz charts, aided by renditions of Stevie Wonder’s “Do I Do” and Bob James’s “Angela”—the Taxi theme, which included a guest spot by James himself—plus contributions from jazz and session veterans Jeff Lorber, Paul Jackson, Jr., Najee, and Pieces of a Dream. The 2023 follow-up Just in the Moment consisted almost entirely of new compositions, apart from a version of Eddie Harris’s “Freedom Jazz Dance,” and featured appearances by Robert Glasper and Dave Koz.
Schultz took up piano at age five and soon began joining sessions alongside his father, a jazz bassist. He later broadened his abilities to guitar, bass, horns, and additional instruments. Live shows brought acclaim from figures such as Quincy Jones and Harry Connick, Jr. Starting in 2018, he issued original material that led to his debut album, Gruv Kid, appearing on the Shanachie label in 2020. That project climbed to the Top Ten on Billboard’s smooth jazz charts, aided by renditions of Stevie Wonder’s “Do I Do” and Bob James’s “Angela”—the Taxi theme, which included a guest spot by James himself—plus contributions from jazz and session veterans Jeff Lorber, Paul Jackson, Jr., Najee, and Pieces of a Dream. The 2023 follow-up Just in the Moment consisted almost entirely of new compositions, apart from a version of Eddie Harris’s “Freedom Jazz Dance,” and featured appearances by Robert Glasper and Dave Koz.
Singles
