Phaze II Jazz with Sharon Rae North
“Over the years, Washingtonians have been fortunate to witness with pride the extraordinary number of outstanding jazz groups that have sprung forth from our area. We have another bright star to get excited about, PHAZE II.”
Bob Jenkins, Smooth Jazz 105.9
Since 1997, PHAZE II has been providing Smooth and Funky Jazz sounds on the local music scene in the Washington, DC area, by honing its craft of delivering quality music to their listeners. PHAZE II has embarked on a journey to show the world the many talents that this jazz band has to offer. PHAZE II has travelled around the world with award-winning Jazz and R&B artists and is sought after as the premier backup band for performances in the Washington, DC area. Their unique style, versatile sound and creativity continue to make this band a powerful force in the music industry.
Determined to broaden their vision, PHAZE II entered the 13th Annual Capital Jazz Festival 2005 Capital Jazz Challenge Competition. This competition was sponsored by Washington DC’s Smooth Jazz 105.9 and Baltimore, Maryland’s Smooth Jazz 104.3. The final competition consisted of 6 bands chosen from 600 competition entries. Phaze II was chosen the winners of the competition received a monetary contribution and had the opportunity to open the next day on the Capital Jazz Festival’s main stage.
PHAZE II has been fortunate to back up various national and world renowned artists such as; Regina Belle, El DeBarge, MeL’isa Morgan, Kenny Lattimore, Frank McComb, Conya Doss, Paul Taylor, Jackiem Joyner, Marcus Anderson, Lori Jenaire, Althea Renee, BK Jackson, Cindy Bradley, Bob Baldwin, Shelby Brown, Gail Jhonson, Tony Exum Jr, Lynn Fiddmont, Dee Lucas, Kevin Whalum Paula Atherton, Matthew Whitaker and Lin Roundtree just to name a few. Phaze II has become a very sought after band for national artist when they come to perform in the Washington, DC area.
PHAZE II released its first CD entitled, Options, in which Smooth Jazz 105.9 radio personality, Al Santos, described as a very credible debut CD. The Options CD embraced creativity, powerful producing, collaboration, and above all, the musical gift that each band member offers. Backtalk, their sophomore CD, has unique style and versatile sounds that range from Latin Jazz to R&B. This CD was actually re-released by Smoothjazz.com in 2016. Phaze II has also released Live N Uncut a two disc CD/DVD set.
Sharon Rae North is a talented songstress who sings jazz (straight-ahead, contemporary, smooth, standards). She is currently in the studio working on a 10-song album Silhouette, scheduled for release in summer 2022. The current single from the upcoming project, We Should Be In Love (Silhouette), dropped December 31, 2021. Her latest project, a Smooth Jazz/Adult Contemporary EP titled Sincerely Yours was a first ballot contender in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category for the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017 and had two songs hit the Billboard Smooth Jazz Chart, Lonely Nites and Sincerely Yours.
