For those unaware, Luke Carlos O’Reilly is an award winning pianist and organist whose musical style is heavily influenced by Jazz, Soul, R&B, Gospel, Latin Jazz and Classical.

After a Boston upbringing, O’Reilly moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to attend Esther Boyer School of Music at Temple University on an academic and music scholarship.

It was in Philadelphia where he had the opportunity to tour and record with artists such as Seal, Roy Ayers, Curtis Fuller, Nicholas Payton, Dave Valentin, Billy Paul, Bobby Watson, Slide Hampton, Fred Wesley, Macy Gray, Steve Turre, Musiq Soulchild, Bilal, Carol Riddick, K’naan, Wiz Khalifa and many others.

To date, O’Reilly has released four (4) solo albums; Living In The Now (Prospect Hill Records 2011), 3 Suites (Prospect Hill Records 2013), I Too, Sing America: A Black Man’s Diary (Imani Records 2021), and now his brand new release, Leave the Gate Open (2024).

In addition to his continued touring of his own projects, O’Reilly works often as a sideman as well. He is currently teaching at The Kimmel Center of Philadelphia and The University of The Arts.

1. Soul Dancing (04:28)
2. Keep On Keeping On (4:29)
3. Only Option (5:09)
4. When Darkness Takes Our Light (2:32)
5. Little Man (5:24)
6. Deshazor (4:43)
7. Mini Mama (5:47)
8. City Called Heaven (6:53)

This thoroughly impassioned, heartfelt and wholly all-embracing new recording opens on the low slung finger-snapper Soul Dancing and the joyful R&B soul found within Keep On Keeping On and then we get the drum-led grooved jazz of Only Option, and the comes my own personal favorite, the late night, skin-stroked shuffle of When Darkness Takes Our Light.

Along next is the gently frenetic Little Man and the veritably shimmering Deshazor and they are in turn backed by the rapturous Mini Mama, closing on the luxuriant City Called Heaven.

Purchase Link

www.lukecarlosoreillymusic.com