Southeast Texas musicians Justin and Ashley Pierce will release a new jazz album, *Sway*, on August 14, 2026.
The album is the debut full-length recording from saxophonist Dr. Justin Pierce, a Vidor native and 2022 inductee into the Vidor Walk of Fame. His wife, Orangefield High School graduate Ashley Pierce, sings lead vocals on seven of the album’s 10 tracks.
The project marks more than 20 years of musical collaboration between the couple.
“Ashley and I have been making music together since we were young,” Justin Pierce said. “Her voice has been part of my musical life for most of my career, so it was important that she be at the heart of this album.”
*Sway* features selections from the Great American Songbook, including “Moon River,” “L-O-V-E” and Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood.”
Recorded in a single session in Fort Worth, the album draws on the Gulf Coast music Justin and Ashley grew up hearing in Southeast Texas. New Orleans-inspired second-line rhythms appear throughout the recording, bringing warmth and rhythmic energy to the jazz arrangements.
“The musical culture of Southeast Texas and Louisiana shaped both of us,” Pierce said. “That sense of rhythm, joy and personality naturally became part of the record.”
Pierce began his band journey at Odom Academy in Beaumont, studied saxophone with Kurt Killion at Swicegood Music and gave his first jazz performances at The Ten Lounge on Crockett Street.
He later developed through Vidor’s music program under the guidance of many influential teachers, including junior high jazz band director Trubie Smith, high school head band director Ronnie Touchstone and his aunt Nancy, who served as choir director.
“There are far too many teachers to name who encouraged me and invested in me,” Pierce said. “Southeast Texas gave me an extraordinary musical foundation, and I still carry their influence every time I perform or lead a band.”
Pierce later earned music degrees from McNeese State University and the University of North Texas. At UNT, he completed a doctorate in saxophone performance and served as lead alto saxophonist in the internationally acclaimed One O’Clock Lab Band.
He taught jazz at the university level for more than a decade and now leads Justin Pierce Music, a Fort Worth-based live music company serving events throughout Texas and in markets including New York City and Los Angeles. He also serves as music director at Fort Worth Presbyterian Church.
Grammy-nominated composer Rich DeRosa, director of jazz composition and arranging at the University of North Texas, described *Sway* as “an impressive musical statement” with “great musicianship throughout.”
Justin and Ashley live in Fort Worth with their five children.
*Sway* is available for preorder at justinpiercemusic.com/sway and will be released on all major streaming platforms August 14.
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