“Electrifyingly new and strangely familiar at the same time ... with his mix of modern sounds and old-fashioned feeling, Raymond is steering jazz in the right direction.” That’s what Downbeat Magazine had to say about John Raymond’s most recent work. Raymond is a UW-Eau Claire alum who’s been making serious waves in New York’s jazz scene as an up-and-coming trumpeter along with his band, Real Feels. Their new album, Real Feels – Vol. 1, is the follow up of their debut album, Real Feels. The new album developed during live recordings from tour performances earlier this year and came to express their innovative sound and style – soulful and energizing. The band’s deep chemistry can be felt with every note and chord, and their improvisation-based pieces draw influence from a large foundation of genres, including indie rock, folk, blues, and electronic music. “I feel like I identify so much with my Midwestern roots and the sense of family, understatedness and soulfulness that comes out in the people in Eau Claire and Minneapolis (his hometown), and it’s coming out more and more in everything I do musically,” Raymond said. On Dec. 3, Raymond and the band are returning to Eau Claire for a live CD release party at Ambient Inks. They’ll be performing a handful of tunes on their albums and also several songs originally written by Raymond to be recorded for a future album. For the band and the audience, it’ll be a special show. “When we play for audiences that we feel an emotional and personal connection with, the music always takes on a whole new dimension that ends up making it a really memorable night. I feel this in Eau Claire as much as anywhere,” Raymond said. You can stream the new album via SoundCloud or check out his work at johnraymondmusic.net.