La Jolla High School grad returning to perform for album release

Allison Scull, a La Jolla High School graduate, and Victor Martin will perform in La Jolla on Saturday, June 3.

Allison Scull and partner Victor Martin will play their acoustic jazz and soul on Saturday, June 3, at The Flower Pot Cafe and Bakery.

May 27, 2023 3 PM PT

Acoustic jazz/soul duo Allison Scull and Victor Martin are bringing their brand of music to La Jolla, where Scull’s musical journey began years ago.

Scull, a graduate of La Jolla High School whose parents and two of her siblings still live in La Jolla, will perform with Martin on Saturday, June 3, at The Flower Pot Cafe and Bakery to mark the release of their fourth album, “Nation of Jubilation.”

Scull plays guitar, Martin plays tenor saxophone and both sing, as they have together for about 20 years.

Scull began playing while at La Jolla High and met Martin a short time later at one of her performances in Northern California, where they now live.

“He came to hear me play,” said Scull, who grew up in Belgium, where she learned French. Some of the duo’s music is laced with French lyrics.

The two began dating, and Martin, who is from Delaware, “started improvising to my original songs,” Scull said.

The two “organically joined together,” she said. “It’s grown into its own thing.”

The title track on “Nation of Jubilation” is about making connections through music, Scull said. “Part of it’s autobiographical. … It’s about us traveling around and linking people up through music, and it’s that shared experience.”

“Everybody has a gift of theirs to bring that makes this world a little bit better,” she said.

Scull and Martin’s strength as a duo comes from their differences, Scull said. With varying musical tastes and backgrounds, “the fact that … we’ve managed to find a musical road together is what keeps us together, keeps us playing, keeps it interesting.”

Playing in La Jolla has her “unbelievably excited,” she said. “We have worked very hard on our recording, and it just feels good to now share it.”

Several of Scull’s family members and fellow La Jolla High alumni will be at the performance, she said.

La Jolla’s landscape has influenced a few of her songs, she said. “Nature is kind of a big part of my songwriting — the beauty of the ocean and the outdoor experience of living in such a beautiful place.”

Scull and Martin will be selling their music at the show on CDs and a flash drive with a custom peace sign key chain.

After the performance, the duo’s plans are “just touring and playing music,” Scull said. “A lot of doors are opening for us right now. It’s exciting.”

Scull and Martin’s music is available on all streaming platforms and at allisonandvictor.com/music.