Elena Mîndru takes a personal journey to jazz standards, enriched by life experiences and reinvention
Award-winning jazz vocalist and composer Mîndru presents Second Time Around, her seventh album as a leader and the first in her career devoted entirely to the repertoire of the American Songbook.
Released digitally on July 3, 2026 through SibaRecords, the album brings together nine jazz standards reimagined through contemporary arrangements, fearless improvisation, and a deeply personal artistic perspective.
While jazz standards have been part of Mîndru’s concert repertoire throughout her career, Second Time Around marks the first time she has dedicated an entire recording project to the American Songbook. The album offered an opportunity to engage directly with the repertoire that shaped generations of jazz singers while simultaneously discovering new dimensions within her own artistry.
At first glance, Second Time Around is an album about jazz standards. At its heart, however, it is about what happens when life gives us a second chance: to love again, to trust again, to rebuild, to rediscover ourselves, and to tell familiar stories from a new perspective.
How do we tell the same story with the same words, yet make it mean something new? That question became the starting point for Mîndru’s artistic journey.
“The lyrics of these songs have remained the same for decades. What has changed is the life experience behind the voice singing them,” says Mîndru.
“I don’t feel that I am a different person than I was twenty years ago. But I have lived. I have loved, built a family, pursued an international career, faced difficult choices, experienced successes and disappointments, questioned myself, learned to stand up for my own dignity, and discovered strengths I did not know I had. All of those experiences now live inside these songs.”
Recorded with pianist Artturi Rönkä, bassist Oskari Siirtola, and drummer Anssi Tirkkonen, the album revisits beloved standards such as After You’ve Gone, Mean to Me, Three Little Words, I Cried For You, and A Song for You. The performances move freely between swing, Latin grooves, odd meters, spoken word passages, vocal loops, and contemporary harmonic colors while remaining firmly rooted in the jazz tradition.
Although the project originated in Mîndru’s doctoral research at the Sibelius Academy, the album itself is first and foremost an artistic statement. Her research explores the tradition of the second chorus in jazz singing—a practice in which a vocalist repeats the same lyric while reshaping the melody through variation and improvisation. As the project developed, Mîndru began to see the concept as something larger than a musical technique.
“The more I explored the second chorus, the more I realized it reflects something deeply human. Throughout our lives, we revisit the same questions, relationships, hopes, and disappointments, yet we never return to them with exactly the same perspective. The second chorus became a metaphor for resilience, growth, and renewal.”
The album’s title track, The Second Time Around, captures this idea perfectly. Giving something a second chance, seeing it from a new perspective, rebuilding trust, rediscovering oneself, and finding the strength to continue after setbacks are themes that run throughout the recording.
“Many of these songs deal with love, longing, disappointment, hope, and the complexities of human relationships. As I worked with them, I found myself reflecting on my own experiences—on partnership and independence, trust and respect, family life and ambition, vulnerability and strength. The songs became mirrors, reflecting not only who I am, but also the journey that brought me here.”
“In jazz, repetition is never really repetition. Every return is an opportunity for discovery. Life works much the same way. Sometimes we need to revisit something a second time around before we truly understand its meaning.”
For Mîndru, the album’s message extends beyond jazz performance practice.
“This project began with a research question, but it ultimately became a reflection on how we navigate life. We all encounter moments when we are asked to begin again: to rebuild trust, to reclaim our dignity, to choose ourselves without giving up on others, or simply to continue forward after disappointment. In that sense, every second chorus is an act of hope.”
Said about the album
- “In her doctoral work, vocalist Elena Mîndru delves deep into the mysteries of jazz vocal interpretation. In the event of only one chorus of lyrics available on a song, the classic generation of vocal greats had a habit of singing a variation of the melody on repeat. This so-called second melody or vocal variation is at the core of Elena Mîndru’s artistic study. She masterfully revisits the gems of the American Songbook, discovers new dimensions and opens new horizons with her interpretations for colleagues and fellow researchers alike. Congratulations, Elena! A job beautifully done!” Professor of Jazz Music Jukkis Uotila, Sibelius Academy
- “Elena Mîndru and her band have recorded a very interesting project. Her singing and arranging reflect her taste for contemporary pop, employing strong rhythmic grooves and unexpected harmonic progressions that provide a fresh take on standards and originals. She uses scat lines and spoken word sections, adding new colors to each song. The band provides her with crystal clear accompanying and exciting soloing, while her singing is powerful, unique and impressive.” Renowned jazz vocalist and educator Judy Niemack
- “I very much appreciated Elena’s interpretations of very classic, familiar standards with thoughtful arrangements that made them feel new. I also like the fearlessness Elena sings with—there are many chances being taken vocally, and bold choices being made, and landed.” Jazz trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III
- “The overall project shows solid musicianship and stylistic awareness.” jazz drummer, musician and educator Markus Ketola
Second Time Around
- Elena Mîndru – vocals, arrangements
- Artturi Rönkä – piano, arrangements
- Oskari Siirtola – double bass
- Anssi Tirkkonen – drums
- Recorded between August 22–23, 2026 at the Sibelius Academy recording studio in Helsinki, Finland.
- Recording and mixing by Joonas Saikkonen.
- Mastering by Jaakko Viitalähde @ Virtalähde Mastering.
- Cover photos by Teemu Mattsson.
- Graphic design by Andrei Budescu.
- Digital Release: Siba Records
- Physical CD Release: EM Records
- Release Date: July 3, 2026
- Album Release Concerts: Pori Jazz Festival (14.7.2026, Pori), Juttutupa / Rytmihäiriöklubi (28.10.2026, Helsinki), April Jazz Club (20.11.2026, Espoo).
- Other Upcoming Performances: Oulu Sinfonia Open (20.8.2026, Oulu), Echoes of Broadway with UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra (9–12.9.2026, Helsinki & Loviisa), Interbelic Reimaginat prin Jazz Sinfonic with the Timișoara Philharmonic Orchestra (18.9.2026, Romania), Kirkkonummen Kamariorkesteri (14.11.2026, Kirkkonummi).
Availability
- The album will be available on digital streaming platforms from July 3, 2026.
- Physical CD copies released by EM Records may be requested by contacting contact.emrecords@gmail.com
- Album master tracks, press photos and additional information: