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Project HumanityDo you desperately need to recapture the essence of a dream for tomorrow? Have you even forgotten what Hope represents? If so, Project Humanity is for you! We are a humanitarian organization focused on providing reasonable housing, agriculture education, clean water projects, HIV/AIDS education, and orphan care. We mobilize people from all walks of life and professional training to take their marketable skills and partner with us to make a difference in our projects! www.theprojecthumanity.net |
Healing of MagicHEALING OF MAGIC is a carefully designed, systematic approach to the therapeutic use of simple magic tricks in physical and psychosocial rehabilitation. It is a viable treatment modality that continues to gain wide-spread support from therapists and health care professionals around the world. www.magictherapy.com |
The Moscow CircusThe Moscow Circus productions are shows for children and adults alike. The current show "A Russian Folk Fair" is based on Russian traditions and culture. The production is a dramatic tale told and based on a foundation of the circus arts, and the famed performers of the Moscow Circus, in a Theater-Circus format. Combined with Russian folk musicians, dancers, and ornate costumes and backdrops, the show combines drama, cultural history, and, most of all, the excitement and entertainment that can only be created by some of the greatest circus performers on earth.
Sasha and Lena Vosk of the Global Entertainment Productions have been producing and successfully touring the Moscow Circus shows in North America since 1998. With its rich tradition and enviable reputation, The Moscow Circus® continues to be the standard by which all other circuses are judged. Produced on a proscenium stage, The Moscow Circus®shows allow audiences everywhere to experience one of the crown jewels of Russia’s rich cultural heritage, and an evening of unforgettable excitement.
“As you know the audience response buying tickets was so great that we added a second show which also sold out. We have received many compliments from our audience and look forward to the next time we can engage the Moscow Circus. Many thanks...” MICHAEL F. WOLF, Performance Manager CERRITOS CENTER
They played to a sell-out audience of people ranging from toddlers to grandparents, and captured the imaginations of all. This was a wonderful mid-winter boost for all of us. In particular, I’d like to note that in addition to offering an amazing and visually exciting, often funny, gentle and warm performance, the troupe is a treat to work with. They are professional and clearly very seasoned performers, but in the manner of really great people, they are down to earth, hardworking, unassuming and easy to work with. As a presenter, I particularly appreciated this! NANCY DECHERNEY, Executive Director JUNEAU ARTS & HUMANITIES COUNCIL |
Freckleface Strawberry
Freckleface Strawberry was just like every other girl – except she had bright red hair and something worse…FRECKLES!
 Creative Team:Produced by Rose Caiola (producer/co-writer of Book) founder and Executive Artistic Director of Manhattan Youth Ballet and Manhattan Movement and Arts Center (MMAC). She conceived the work Freckleface Strawberry for the stage. Gary Kupper (music & lyric's /co-writer of Book) his musicals include Consumer Behavior, Fringe Festival NYC 2002; Timmy The Great 2005 First Tribeca Theatre Festival & Duke Theater Workshop directed by Savion Glover; The Worlds Greatest Lover, 2007 Playwrights Horizons directed by Moni Yakim. Julianne Moore (Author of Freckleface Strawberry book) In addition to writing the best-selling "Freckleface Strawberry", Moore is the author of the book series which also includes "Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully". A third book is due out in 2011. She garnered huge praise and nominations for her role starring along with Annette Bening in "The Kids Are All Right" and currently can be seen in Crazy Stupid Love opposite Steve Carrel. For additional information about the creative team please visit www.frecklefacethemusical.com
www.frecklefacethemusical.com |
Arc Attack
Creators of the original Singing Tesla Coils, the crew of ArcAttack uses their high tech wizardry to generate a truly 'electrifying' performance. Two custom engineered hand built Tesla Coils throw out electrical arcs up to twelve feet long, each one acting as an instrument with a sound reminiscent of the early days of the synthesizer. A robotic drum set accompanies the spectacle, it's high power LED's flashing bright colors with the stroke of each mechanica ArcAttack is all about putting on a show that is not just a concert, but an otherworldly experience. In doing so with the technology that we've created, we hope to inspire minds, the young and the old, to take up an interest in science, the arts, and their applications, to examine where they intersect, where they are going, and to re-examine the works of past researchers and performers such as Nikola Tesla and Delia Derbyshire in light of the ever evolving face of this amazing world. Maybe they'll have as much fun as we have. But either way, we want them all to enjoy the show, and maybe, just maybe, be inspired to help to leave the world a little better than the way they found it.
ArcAttack offers a comprehensive, curriculum based 60 minute school time show for children that meet National Science Education Standards. The group strives to be a leader in educational entertainment inspiring students across the world to pursue their interest in physics, mathematics, chemistry and engineering. In a show unlike anything students have ever seen, ArcAttack will take classrooms on an interactive journey of discovery where children will learn the science behind the amazing show they see on stage. Students will learn about Nikola Tesla and his contributions to the birth of commercial electricity, discover Delia Derbyshire and how music and technology are related, develop an understanding of machines and robotics, have a chance to talk to the cast of ArcAttack in a wonderful Q&A session and explore the world of science and technology in a way unlike they've ever experienced in this completely safe (for the audience anyway!), and accessible show. Each member of ArcAttack has a deep and thorough knowledge of science and technology. The ensemble, led by an engineer, an electrician, an audio engineer and a science teacher create everything students see on stage from scratch in the ArcAttack workshop. The material is presented in a completely accessible and interactive manner that's guaranteed to keep students talking well beyond the end of the show. The experiments and materials outlined in the comprehensive study guide have been vetted by the teachers and professors that work closely with ArcAttack in their native Austin, Texas. In an era where science is no longer deemed "sexy" and too often found to be "boring" there finally is a show that not only teaches students the fundamentals of science and technology but also sparks their imagination, gets them excited about learning and makes them leap off their feet screaming for more! |
HolidelicEverett Bradley’sHOLIDELICNativi-tay
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Four Sides of 40Four Sides of 40 takes a hilarious look at the prime of your life!
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Carl HurleyAmerica's Funniest ProfessorCarl's comedy is a regular feature on XM Satellite Radio's LAUGH USA Channel 151Carl Hurley, drawing from his roots in the tradition of such other American humorists as Andy Griffith and Garrison Keillor, delights audiences with his reflections on life as viewed by a native of Appalachia with a singular sense of the absurd. Part of a family of natural-born storytellers from the hills of Laurel County, Kentucky, Hurley combines his innate skills a yarn-spinner with the expressiveness of a great comic actor. With an impish giggle on his lips and a benign twinkle in his eye, Hurley spreads an infectious form of fun that is often outrageous yet always good-natured and clean. His unique comedy style, coupled with a background in public education, has earned him the title of "America's funniest professor."
www.carlhurley.com |
The Passing ZoneThe PASSING ZONE.... They're like The Flying Karamazov Brothers (but more hip), Penn & Teller (but cleaner), The Smothers Brothers (but younger), Cirque du Soleil (but American), Blue Man Group (but less blue), the Blue Collar Comedy Tour (but funny), and Carrottop (but less, well, Carrottoppy), all rolled into one!! THE PASSING ZONE, JON WEE AND OWEN MORSE, DELIVER A HIGH-ENERGY, GUT-BUSTING THEATRICAL EVENT THAT THRILLS AUDIENCES OF ALL AGES. IN THEIR NEW SHOW, "GRAVITY ATTACKS!", THEY ASK YOU TO JOIN THEIR FIGHT AGAINST THE UNIVERSE'S MOST EVIL FORCE - GRAVITY! TAKE A LOOK AT THE VIDEO ON THIS PAGE FOR A SNEAK PEEK AT THEIR COMEDIC AND JUGGLING VIRTUOSITY. Owen Morse and Jon Wee met in 1986 at a juggling convention and instantly knew they were destined to be a team. But they decided to graduate from college first. Which they both did. Rather than pursue careers in Economics and Psychology, they lit some torches, and started throwing stuff into the air. And things clicked. Two weeks after their first performance together they won the Silver Medal at the International Jugglers' Association Teams Competition. The next year they won the Gold. That recognition earned an invitation to appear at the renowned Comedy and Magic Club in Los Angeles, where on their first night they were approached by the "Tonight Show" talent scout and booked for their first national television appearance in September 1990. Johnny Carson enjoyed them so much they were asked back less than a year later. Their first feature film followed, The Addams Family Movie, where Jon and Owen doubled for Gomez (Raul Julia) and Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd) in the climactic Mamushka dagger-passing scene. More recently, they appeared in the award-winning comedy documentary, The Aristocrats.
Jon and Owen are known as much for their comedy as their juggling skills. They were featured twice on the gala stage at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and have opened for comedians Bill Cosby, George Carlin, Bob Newhart, Bob Hope, and Penn & Teller. Television appearances have included "Comic Strip Live," "An Evening at The Improv," "MADtv," Penn & Teller's "Sin City Spectacular," "Steve Harvey's Big Time," and regular returns to NBC's "Today." And they were commentators on ESPN for their coverage of the World Juggling Federation competitions. For even more video visit the website below! www.passingzone.com |
Funny, fast-moving and it will entertain children of all ages!"
Our kids loved it and so did we! A simple message delivered in the most entertaining way!"
Hayley Podschun as Strawberry is a delight! It's a treat!"
An interactive sparkle fest that delights children, amuses adults, and teaches both groups a li'l something about self-esteem and image."
Whether you have freckles or not, you are bound to fall in love."
lly actuated stick, while ArcAttack's six members churn out rhythmic instrumental melodies. Live instruments meet drum loops and samples to produce rock, electronica and indie with a splash of punk and a dash of metal served with a side of pop. During the show, the MC engages both the crowd and the Tesla Coils by walking th
If you’ve ever wondered what life would be like if a type-A, high strung, alpha male wound up raising three daughters, then look no further than a night of informative comedy with Eric McMahon.
Veteran comic Patty Rosborough was the co-host of Comedy Central’s “Short Attention Span Theatre” with Jon Stewart. As a top New York City comic, you can follow her breathless, frenetic, and shamelessly uninhibited performances through every major club in New York. She has stacked up a list of stand-up television credits ranging from Comedy Central, A&E, Showtime and VH1.
Al Ducharme, the newlywed of the group makes his home in NYC with his wife and their no kids. While their married friends are getting kids to school and picking them up from soccer practice Al and his wife are busy myspacing people, drinking martinis and contemplating whether or not they are ready to adopt a Chihuahua (hey, a dog is a BIG responsibility!).
JAZZ AVIARY “You have to listen harder to the natural world so you can separate out the primal song from the songs of our civilization and from our static.” (Bill McKibbon) The above quotes started LA based actor and jazz vocalist Susan Krebs on a journey which resulted in a multimedia concert called Jazz Aviary. Susan explains: “I hope to express the “wonder and awe that nature arouses”, specifically that birds arouse: through wide-ranging Music; beautiful Visual Projections; Poetry & Spoken Word; fascinating ornithological Facts; and by listening to the birds themselves from field recordings of Birdsong.”
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Rene Marie
René Marie, the award winning singer whose style incorporates elements of jazz, soul, blues and gospel, has quickly become a heroine to many; a woman of great strength exuding stamina and compassion; often explaining how finding her voice and self through singing gave her the courage to leave an abusive marriage. But since the release of her recording debut, Renaissance, this Colorado based heroine has also evolved into one of the greatest and most sensuous vocalists of our time. Unmistakably honest and unpretentious while transforming audiences worldwide with her powerful interpretations, electrifying deliveries and impassioned vocals - René Marie has drawn a legion of fans and music critics who find themselves not only entertained, but encouraged and even changed by her performances.
With her latest release Voice of My Beautiful Country (Motema Music), listeners will hear her trademark vocals but will also be struck by the wide variety of songs that she interprets. During the course of the album, Marie brings her personal touch to everything from Motown to Tin Pan Alley to “America the Beautiful.” But Voice of My Beautiful Country is much more than a demonstration of Marie’s eclectic musical tastes; it is an ambitious celebration of Americana and the cultural diversity of these United States.
Although most of Voice of My Beautiful Country is performed in English, Marie sings in Spanish on the Latin standard “Angelitos Negros,” After falling in love with Roberta Flack’s version of "Angelitos Negros" when she was a teenager, Marie included the song to acknowledge the importance of Hispanic culture as a basic building block of America.
It is hard to believe that Marie didn’t sing professionally until after she turned 40. But in fact, the Virginia native, married at 18, mother of two by 23 and a member of a strict religious group with her then husband only occasionally sang in public while she was focused on raising a family. It was in 1996 that Marie’s eldest son Michael urged her to take the plunge to pursue a career. “He told me that was exactly what I needed to do” she explains. Two years later following an ultimatum by her husband to either stop singing or leave their home, she chose to leave after 23 years of marriage.
What followed was a whirlwind of success and great critical acclaim rarely seen in the jazz world, from The LA Times to the Washington Post, from the Miami Herald to the Chicago Tribune. She has received several awards throughout her career including Best International Jazz Vocal CD (besting Cassandra Wilson and Joni Mitchell) by the Academie Du Jazz (Paris, France) and has graced the Billboard Charts multiple times propelling her to headliner status at major festivals in the US & abroad including the prestigious Women In Jazz festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Spoleto festival in Charleston, SC, the Edinburgh Jazz Festival (Scotland) Shanghai Jazz Festival (China) among many others.
In 2007 René Marie released Experiment in Truth as well as the single “This Is (Not) A Protest Song,” a fund-raiser for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. And in 2009 she released the sound track for her touring one-woman play, Slut Energy Theory (which follows the protagonist U’Dean Morgan, on a journey from sexual abuse to self esteem, imparting some very down home and hilarious wisdom along the way). Marie also released a digital single, “Three Nooses Hanging,” which musically embodied her shock and reaction to the Jena Six case in Louisiana.
Almost 15 years after the debut of Renaissance, René Marie’s creativity, boldness and exuberance take hold on Voice of My Beautiful Country. Documenting material that Marie has been performing to great effect for several years, it also follows up a nationally publicized incident where Marie was invited to sing The Star Spangled Banner in Denver at the Mayor’s State of the City address. Instead Marie sang the lyrics to ‘Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” with the melody of the Star Spangled Banner. The event touched off a firestorm of press and right wing criticism, and even death threats.
Often used to describe the classic Tin Pan Alley songs that Gershwin, Porter, Berlin and others composed during the first half of the 20th Century, The Great American Songbook for Marie also includes jazz, R&B, gospel, folk, rock and the blues — with her “Imagination Medley” she unites Tin Pan Alley, Motor City soul and rock by marrying Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Imagination” and Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong’s “Just My Imagination” (a major hit for the Temptations in 1971 that was also covered by the Rolling Stones in 1978). Marie celebrates other aspects of Americana with interpretations of material that range from Dave Brubeck’s jazz jaunt, “Strange Meadow Lark” to the Dobie Gray hit “Drift Away” (a soul/soft rock favorite from the early 1970s) to the traditional folk standards “John Henry” and an anthemic version of “O Shenandoah.”
One of the most intriguing choices on Voice of My Beautiful Country is Jefferson Airplane’s psychedelic rock favorite “White Rabbit,” which was inspired by the drug counterculture of the late 1960s. Marie notes: “I picked Jefferson Airplane because of the affection that Americans have for mind-altering substances—not that it’s unique to this country, but it is an American personality trait. When I perform ‘White Rabbit’ live, I don’t like to tell audiences what we’re getting ready to do. I just like to see the expressions on their faces when they realize that we’re doing ‘White Rabbit.’”
The center and title piece of the album is Marie’s extraordinary Voice of My Beautiful Country Suite, an ambitious jazz and soul tinged medley of the patriotic anthems “America the Beautiful,” “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” On “America the Beautiful” and “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” Marie takes a radical departure by performing these exalted lyrics, familiar to us all, over fresh melodies that she has composed and over which she improvises. “The whole idea was to take the most popular forms of American music—jazz, blues and gospel—and use it to underscore the power and universality of these lyrics,” Marie points out. “I love the original melodies for ‘America the Beautiful’ and ‘My Country ‘Tis of Thee’; my eyes get teary when I hear them, but there is another emotion altogether that gets touched when I sing over these new melodies, and I have found that audiences really get moved by bringing this new context, this new way to love our country.”
René Marie
René Marie, the award winning singer whose style incorporates elements of jazz, soul, blues and gospel, has quickly become a heroine to many; a woman of great strength exuding stamina and compassion; often explaining how finding her voice and self through singing gave her the courage to leave an abusive marriage. But since the release of her recording debut, Renaissance, this Colorado based heroine has also evolved into one of the greatest and most sensuous vocalists of our time. Unmistakably honest and unpretentious while transforming audiences worldwide with her powerful interpretations, electrifying deliveries and impassioned vocals - René Marie has drawn a legion of fans and music critics who find themselves not only entertained, but encouraged and even changed by her performances.
With her latest release Voice of My Beautiful Country (Motema Music), listeners will hear her trademark vocals but will also be struck by the wide variety of songs that she interprets. During the course of the album, Marie brings her personal touch to everything from Motown to Tin Pan Alley to “America the Beautiful.” But Voice of My Beautiful Country is much more than a demonstration of Marie’s eclectic musical tastes; it is an ambitious celebration of Americana and the cultural diversity of these United States.
Although most of Voice of My Beautiful Country is performed in English, Marie sings in Spanish on the Latin standard “Angelitos Negros,” After falling in love with Roberta Flack’s version of "Angelitos Negros" when she was a teenager, Marie included the song to acknowledge the importance of Hispanic culture as a basic building block of America.
It is hard to believe that Marie didn’t sing professionally until after she turned 40. But in fact, the Virginia native, married at 18, mother of two by 23 and a member of a strict religious group with her then husband only occasionally sang in public while she was focused on raising a family. It was in 1996 that Marie’s eldest son Michael urged her to take the plunge to pursue a career. “He told me that was exactly what I needed to do” she explains. Two years later following an ultimatum by her husband to either stop singing or leave their home, she chose to leave after 23 years of marriage.
What followed was a whirlwind of success and great critical acclaim rarely seen in the jazz world, from The LA Times to the Washington Post, from the Miami Herald to the Chicago Tribune. She has received several awards throughout her career including Best International Jazz Vocal CD (besting Cassandra Wilson and Joni Mitchell) by the Academie Du Jazz (Paris, France) and has graced the Billboard Charts multiple times propelling her to headliner status at major festivals in the US & abroad including the prestigious Women In Jazz festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Spoleto festival in Charleston, SC, the Edinburgh Jazz Festival (Scotland) Shanghai Jazz Festival (China) among many others.
In 2007 René Marie released Experiment in Truth as well as the single “This Is (Not) A Protest Song,” a fund-raiser for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. And in 2009 she released the sound track for her touring one-woman play, Slut Energy Theory (which follows the protagonist U’Dean Morgan, on a journey from sexual abuse to self esteem, imparting some very down home and hilarious wisdom along the way). Marie also released a digital single, “Three Nooses Hanging,” which musically embodied her shock and reaction to the Jena Six case in Louisiana.
Almost 15 years after the debut of Renaissance, René Marie’s creativity, boldness and exuberance take hold on Voice of My Beautiful Country. Documenting material that Marie has been performing to great effect for several years, it also follows up a nationally publicized incident where Marie was invited to sing The Star Spangled Banner in Denver at the Mayor’s State of the City address. Instead Marie sang the lyrics to ‘Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” with the melody of the Star Spangled Banner. The event touched off a firestorm of press and right wing criticism, and even death threats.
Often used to describe the classic Tin Pan Alley songs that Gershwin, Porter, Berlin and others composed during the first half of the 20th Century, The Great American Songbook for Marie also includes jazz, R&B, gospel, folk, rock and the blues — with her “Imagination Medley” she unites Tin Pan Alley, Motor City soul and rock by marrying Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Imagination” and Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong’s “Just My Imagination” (a major hit for the Temptations in 1971 that was also covered by the Rolling Stones in 1978). Marie celebrates other aspects of Americana with interpretations of material that range from Dave Brubeck’s jazz jaunt, “Strange Meadow Lark” to the Dobie Gray hit “Drift Away” (a soul/soft rock favorite from the early 1970s) to the traditional folk standards “John Henry” and an anthemic version of “O Shenandoah.”
One of the most intriguing choices on Voice of My Beautiful Country is Jefferson Airplane’s psychedelic rock favorite “White Rabbit,” which was inspired by the drug counterculture of the late 1960s. Marie notes: “I picked Jefferson Airplane because of the affection that Americans have for mind-altering substances—not that it’s unique to this country, but it is an American personality trait. When I perform ‘White Rabbit’ live, I don’t like to tell audiences what we’re getting ready to do. I just like to see the expressions on their faces when they realize that we’re doing ‘White Rabbit.’”
The center and title piece of the album is Marie’s extraordinary Voice of My Beautiful Country Suite, an ambitious jazz and soul tinged medley of the patriotic anthems “America the Beautiful,” “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” On “America the Beautiful” and “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” Marie takes a radical departure by performing these exalted lyrics, familiar to us all, over fresh melodies that she has composed and over which she improvises. “The whole idea was to take the most popular forms of American music—jazz, blues and gospel—and use it to underscore the power and universality of these lyrics,” Marie points out. “I love the original melodies for ‘America the Beautiful’ and ‘My Country ‘Tis of Thee’; my eyes get teary when I hear them, but there is another emotion altogether that gets touched when I sing over these new melodies, and I have found that audiences really get moved by bringing this new context, this new way to love our country.”
www.renemarie.com |
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Oran EtkinThrough a decade of work in the many musical worlds that harmoniously coexist in New York, Oran Etkin has cultivated a singular voice that brings together elements of modern jazz with traditional African and Israeli music. Kelenia, his debut recording on Motéma Music, features his working group of Malian, Israeli and American musicians, along with guest appearances by vocalist Abdoulaye Diabate and Grammy Award-winning artists Lionel Loueke, and John Benitez on a collection of eleven tracks that pay true testament to the essence of "kelenia," which is the Bambara word for love between people who are different from each other. Since first forming Kelenia in 2003, Oran and the band's other original members - Balla Kouyate (balafon) and Makane Kouyate (calabash and vocals) - have developed an almost telepathic connection that transcends nationality and genre to create music that is free and spontaneous enough to go into uncharted territories, and at the same time speak honestly from the heart. It is particularly apt that their recording debut was released on Motéma Music. "Oran is in many ways a quintessential Motéma artist... a virtuosic player with multiple influences, who is savvy as a band leader, courageous with his compositions and inspiring in his dedication to bringing a new vision to the art form," says label owner Jana Herzen. "The infectious brew of jazz, Klezmer and traditional Malian music that Oran cooks up with Kelenia, is illuminating, uplifting, and incidentally, a whole lot of fun!" Although many jazz musicians incorporate world elements into their music, Oran's approach has a special power born of his triple-threat fluency in the musical languages of West Africa, Jewish music and jazz. Etkin is highly respected amongst the best practitioners of all three genres due to his musical journeys to his native Israel, his time spent in Mali, and his years on the highly demanding modern jazz scene of New York City. Given the rarity of musicians who share this depth of fluency in jazz and world music, it is no surprise that Oran and Lionel Loueke were drawn to each other early on in their professional careers. "Lionel and I began playing soon after we moved to New York," Oran recalls. "It's always fun to play with him, building off each other's melodies and sounds and letting the music lead us to a different place each time." Oran grew up playing jazz, mentored at a young age by the likes of George Garzone, Yusef Lateef and Dave Liebman. He has been working with various West African musicians in the US and Africa for over ten years and learned their music the traditional way-by listening and playing it with the masters. For his formal training, Oran also studied classical clarinet and composition, an experience that inspired him to add a string section to one track, the sinuous "New Dweling". "I have always loved playing clarinet with strings", explains Etkin "On this album, I decided to take that sound one step further, adding strings to Kelenia. All that sound of wood vibrating in the room-the violin, cello, bass, and also the balafon, calabash and bass-clarinet created such a warm and rich sound together." From the spirited opener "Yekeke," which sparkles with Balla Kouyate's balafon and is buoyed by Daibate's soaring vocals, through the impassioned rhythmic title track and the cleverly Klezmer-tinged interpretation of Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing," Kelenia is an adventurous exploration into a uniquely kaleidoscopic musical landscape. Having developed a high level of virtuosity on an instrument that for years has been absent in the modern jazz world, Oran stands out amongst a small handful of musicians who are putting the clarinet and bass-clarinet back into the forefront of modern improvised music. “He’s a great clarinet player”, Ben Ratliff of the New York Times recently remarked on WBGO radio. “He’s got a beautiful sound… and he’s an excellent improviser” Although Kelenia represents Oran's debut CD as a leader, he has recorded with artists as diverse as Wyclef Jean and Frank London. He has performed at venues throughout the US, Europe, Africa and the Middle East including Joe's Pub, Blue Note, the United Nations (for of Kofi Anan, Al Gore and presidents of several nations), Central Park SummerStage, Miami's American Airlines Arena and Montreal's Festival International Musique Haitienne. In his travels to Mali, Oran had the opportunity to play for the Chief of all Griots and sit in with some of the region's most respected musicians, including Toumani Diabate, Habib Koite and the Super Rail Band. An avid advocate of the power of music education, Oran sits on the faculty of the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and has developed a new method for teaching music to 2-6 year olds that has so far shown exciting results with over 400 young students. "Ebullient swing rhythm" - The New York Times "A hypnotic balance between straight-ahead jazz and world music" - The Boston Globe "A woodwind maestro" - PRI's "Afropop worldwide"
www.oranetkin.com |
Stone Parade
Since their inception in 2003, STONE PARADE has toured extensively around Australia, supporting major artists such as Maroon 5, Hoobastank and 3 Doors Down.
www.stoneparade.com |
Nick MotilThis singer-songwriter is destined for success; Sharing the spotlight with artists Jason Mraz, Chantal Kreviazuk, The Verve Pipe, Keller Williams, Everclear, The Calling, Duncan Sheik and others; Three albums in three years and hundreds of shows later, Nick Motil is just getting warmed up. Nick Motil creates songs you can relate to. His songs take you to a place you've never been, but feel like you've lived there all your life. His live performances capture you, draw you in, and make you sing along... even if you're unsure of the words. The humor Nick Motil displays on stage breaks the ice to an evening-long conversation in which the stage becomes a living room. Kick off your shoes and enjoy. After all, "everything's better barefoot." www.nickmotil.com |
Kendra ShankKendra Shank's crystal-pure tone, powerful musicianship and elastic phrasing have won her rave critical notices and fans internationally. Hailed by The New York Times as a "superbly skilled vocalist" and an artist of "effervescence, depth," and "integrity" (Nate Chinen), she headlines at top venues across the U.S. and abroad, captivating audiences with her genuine warmth and musicality. Shank combines jazz originals, standards, world music, French songs, folk/pop tunes, and open improvisation in an adventurous, genre-bending style that inspired Gary Giddins to call her "one of New York's most original performers." (Jazz Times) Originally a folk/pop singer-guitarist based in Seattle, Kendra Shank comes to performance naturally. Born in California to a playwright father and actress mother, Kendra was acting in plays at age 5, picked up the guitar at 13, and at 19 began her music career playing in Parisian subways and sidewalk cafés. After several years on the west coast folk music circuit, a Billie Holiday recording inspired her to pursue jazz. In 1989 Shank began studying with jazz vocalist Jay Clayton in Seattle, while keeping dual residency in Paris, France where she gigged in jazz clubs. Her jazz career blossomed quickly and in 1991 she was hired by Bob Dorough as vocalist-guitarist-percussionist for his west coast tour. She soon caught the attention of jazz legend Shirley Horn, who invited Kendra to perform as her guest at the Village Vanguard in New York and co-produced Shank's critically-acclaimed debut compact disc Afterglow (Mapleshade, 1994), featuring pianist Larry Willis and saxophonist Gary Bartz. Ms. Shank relocated to New York in 1997 and recorded two albums for Jazz Focus Records: Wish (1998), which Time magazine's Terry Teachout called "delectable" and advised "get in on the ground floor, this lady is going up," and Reflections (2000), which made the Boston Globe's Top Ten list: "This vocalist makes lyrics believable, invents like an instrumentalist, and has an ear second to none for little-known and unknown tunes," wrote the Globe's Bob Blumenthal. Reflections debuted The Kendra Shank Quartet, her current working band, featuring pianist Frank Kimbrough, bassist Dean Johnson, and drummer Tony Moreno. This ensemble, in which Shank focuses on improvisational group interplay, is also featured on her ground-breaking 2007 release, A Spirit Free: Abbey Lincoln Songbook (Challenge Records), which received numerous Best of the Year citations and charted on jazz radio. Journalist Lawrence Brazier marveled that the group displays "...a practically telepathic integration...these four people appear to have emerged from the same womb" (Jazz Now). The quartet's decade-long collaboration reaches new depths of creative expression on Shank's upcoming release Mosaic (April 14, 2009, Challenge Records), where they are joined by multi-reedist Billy Drewes and guitarist Ben Monder. This album unifies Shank's rich and varied musical journey from folk singer-guitarist to jazz improviser to boundary-less performing artist. In addition to her recordings as a leader, Shank was guest guitarist on Abbey Lincoln's CD Over The Years (Verve), sang vocalise lines on Peter Leitch's Blues On the Corner CD (Reservoir), and has been a vocal guest with Jay Clayton, Bud Shank, Rhiannon, and Randy Halberstadt. Hailed by Downbeat magazine as a top female vocalist (1999, 2006, 2007), she has been featured on National Public Radio's JazzSet and Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland, and has taught clinics at the University of North Carolina-Asheville, The New School (New York City), Brooklyn/Queens Conservatory of Music (New York City), and the Jazz in Marciac Festival (France). Appearances include Blue Note, Birdland, Iridium, Jazz Standard, JVC Jazz Festival, Blues Alley, Scullers, Regatta Bar, Jazz Bakery, Jazz Alley, The Green Mill, The Dakota, Jazz in Marciac Festival, Jazz à Vienne Festival, Edmonton Jazz Festival, Calgary Jazz Festival, and countless others.
To see video's of Kendra in concert click HERE www.kendrashank.com |
Rufus ReidRufus Reid, one of today's premiere bassists on the international jazz scene, and one of the most popular touring jazz artist around. Rufus participated in the BMI Jazz Composer's Workshop for five years which has empowered him to move more deeply into the composing arena. He won the Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Award for his composition, "Skies Over Emilia." His composition, "Whims of the Blue Bird" is the result of this award's commission. This has led to further commissions. He is writing for string orchestra, jazz ensembles large and small, and double bass ensemble pieces. The JOHN SIMON GUGGENHEIM MEMORIAL FOUNDATION named Rufus a Guggenheim Fellow in June of 2008. This award is in the category of Composition. The fellows were appointed on the basis of distinguished achievement and exceptional promise for future accomplishment. ''They're people who have already made significant contributions to the field and are at a point where they are about to do something very fine,'' the president of the foundation stated. This year's winners range in age from their late 20's to their late 70's. Rufus Reid received a 2006 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts to enable him to continue composing, and he received The ASCAP/IAJE Commission for Established Jazz Composers, which was premiered at the 2007 IAJE Conference in New York City.
The 2006 Sackler Commission Prize was awarded to Rufus which allowed him to fulfill a dream he has had to compose a work dedicated to the artist, Elizabeth Catlett. Her life and work inspired in Rufus a desire to honor her and introduce her to people who might not know about her. This four movement work, inspired by four of her sculptures, for Jazz Big Band will be premiered at The University of Connecticut at Storrs and at Stamford in March, 2007. 2010 marks Ellizabeth Catletts 95th birthday. This amazing project featuring multimedia with a full big band will tour performing arts centers, museums and colleges throughout the country.
QUIET PRIDE
New for the 2010/2011 touring season Quiet Pride is a collaboration between Rufus Reid and legendary American sculptor Elizabeth Catlett. Winning the Sackler Award for composition for Quiet Pride, Reid has written a suite of music based on four Elizabeth Catlett sculptures. Written for big band in conjunction with multimedia this is not only a performance but an educational opportunity with panels & lectures available by Reid and members of the Catlett family on such diverse subjects as music, art, Civil Rights and Women's Studies.
For a Video presentation of this project please click HERE
www.rufusreid.com |
Lynne ArrialeLynne Arriale has captured the imaginations of jazz and mainstream music lovers with her outstanding CD and DVD recordings and performances. She has been critically acclaimed as having a ‘singular voice’ as a pianist, leader, composer, arranger and for “putting the heart back into jazz” (London Times). Arriale’s consistently excellent recordings have topped every notable jazz chart. With back to back #1 Jazz Week radio hits, a #17 debut on Billboard’s Jazz Chart, the top ten “Best Of” lists for The New Yorker, United Press International and The German Record Critics Association, Arriale has earned her place among elite international jazz artists. Further evidence of her status includes her being featured on the PBS nationally televised program, Profile of a Recording Artist, and on multiple NPR programs including Weekend Edition, Jazz Set, and Piano Jazz with Marion McPartland. In August ’08, and in a departure from her ten previous trio recordings, Arriale presented an extraordinary new lineup of iconic musicians who joined her on her new CD/DVD, “Nuance,” The Bennett Studio Sessions. In addition to Arriale as leader/composer/arranger, the remarkable band features jazz legend George Mraz on bass; Anthony Pinciotti on drums, whose work with James Moody and John Abercrombie has received high critical praise; and the great All-Star, Randy Brecker on trumpet / flugelhorn. The project was recorded at the multi-Grammy and Emmy Award winning BENNETT STUDIOS, and will include video documentation of behind the scenes footage of the CD recording, a bonus DVD program of a live, private, “in-studio” audience concert, and up close and personal interviews with each artist. With the release scheduled for April ’09, this stellar group will be on tour internationally in support of this CD/DVD release. This Motéma Music release will feature Arriale’s compelling new originals, as well as her innovative reinventions of pop classics, jazz and world music selections. Arriale’s current release, LIVE (Motéma), recorded by BR-TV at Germany’s oldest and most prestigious jazz event, The Burghausen Jazz Festival, won the 2007 German Record Critics Award for best jazz CD/DVD recording. She has toured Japan with the legendary “100 Golden Fingers”group, a bill Lynne shared with jazz legends Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Barron, Cedar Walton, Ray Bryant, Junior Mance, Harold Mabern, Roger Kellaway and Monty Alexander. In 1993 she earned first place at Jacksonville’s prestigious Great American Piano Competition. Arriale continues to perform such internationally prestigious venues as The Spoleto Arts Festival, Ireland’s Cork Jazz Festival, The Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Pori Jazz Festival, the Burghausen and Stuttgart Jazz Festivals, The Montreal Jazz Festival, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, The Folly Theater, The Gilmore Festival, The Jacksonville Jazz Festival, The San Francisco Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival and numerous other festivals, concerts and clubs throughout Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Romania, Norway, The Czech Republic, Ireland, the UK and Australia. Over the past few years, Arriale has performed with legendary saxophonist, Benny Golson as well as jazz luminaries Rufus Reid, Roy Hargrove, Buster Williams and Eddie Henderson. Upcoming dates in ‘09 include performances with Grammy winner, trumpet/flugelhorn player, Randy Brecker and jazz icon, bassist George Mraz. Deeply committed to jazz education, Lynne Arriale is currently Assistant Professor of Jazz Piano and Director of the Jazz Combo Program at The University of North Florida. She also conducts master classes, clinics and workshops internationally for professionals, students and communities at large. For video on Lynne visit HERE CONFIGURATIONS FOR LYNNE ARRIALE Lynne Arriale, solo piano
Lynne Arriale "Nuance" Quartet, featuring Randy Brecker, trumpet and flugelhorn; George Mraz, bass and Anthony Pinciotti, drums Lynne Arriale "Convergence" Trio or Quartet, featuring Bill McHenry, tenor sax, Omer Avital, bass and oud, and Anthony Pinciotti, drums Special featured guests in any format with Lynne Arriale (duo, trio or quartet): George Mraz, bass Rufus Reid, bass www.lynnearriale.com |
Rondi Charleston
"Utterly delightful...a joy to hear!"
“Who Knows Where The Time Goes”
Rondi Charleston is an outstanding contemporary jazz singer and an even better songwriter. In Who Knows Where The Time Goes, Rondi has combined traditional standards, originals, and thoughtful treatments of a wide range of material, and created one of the better vocal albums you're likely to hear right now. - Will Friedwald, Jazz Journalist
Time, in music and in life, is everything. Knowing how to savor each moment, make it rich, satisfying and memorable, is Rondi Charleston's special gift. In her life, as in her music, she intently culls every nuance, savors its opportunities and makes the most of it. She scans her landscapes, drinks it all in and magically, a story in song is born.
Rondi consciously embraces the passage of time along with the challenges, joys and unexpected adventures it brings. On her Motéma Music debut, Who Knows Where The Time Goes, Rondi invites listeners to join in this celebration through her exquisite vocals and thoughtful, eclectic selection of originals, jazz standards and pop classics.
No stranger to hard work and with an eye for a great story, Rondi paid her dues in broadcast journalism and was rewarded with Emmy and Peabody Awards in 1995 for her contributions as a producer on Primetime Live with Diane Sawyer. What makes this story all the more remarkable is that she did so as her “second act.”
Growing up in Hyde Park, Chicago, with her mother, (a professional singer and voice teacher), and her father, (an English professor and now classical radio announcer), she loved seeing Carmen McRae live and singing with guitar in tow at the city’s famed folk clubs. Entering Juilliard at age 16, Rondi excelled in drama and voice; graduated with a BM and MM in classical music; and found work immediately on opera stages (“Act 1”). But, she longed for a larger life experience. How better to expand her world view than as a journalist, filling in the blanks with more diverse, real slices of life than she ever imagined? She entered the Master’s program at NYU’s School of Journalism, broke a major cover story just prior to graduation, and landed a job as an investigative reporter for ABC News. Her appreciation for the synergy of art, music, and detail of delivery served her once again, on the job and as she “moonlighted” in jazz clubs (“Act 2”).
But it was “Act 3,” marriage and motherhood, that taught her it's not how much time you have -- it's how you use it! Her many journeys and reinventions of life shine through her music with impeccable style. The stories she chooses to tell resonate universally. Says Rondi, “I find myself mentally cataloging snapshots of moments that deeply affect me and chronicle these vignettes with the feelings that complete my visual picture. These form the nuggets of stories that later become the lyrics of new songs.”
Such is the case with Land of Galillee. While Rondi was traveling in Jerusalem with her family, a deep, heavy snow fell for the first time in decades, beckoning children and parents, Arabs and Jews, outside to revel in the “silvery playground” created by this miraculous moment of “beauty and harmony,” a hopeful metaphor for “imagining the possibilities” for this troubled region of the world.
Dance of Time was inspired by the golden anniversary of dear friends, whose love has grown even stronger through the years, “stretching the dance of time” as they “breathe together with souls intertwined.” Notes Rondi, “I love the idea of painting beautiful word pictures that transport us in time, and hope people live the movie of my songs through the lyrics.” Nowhere is this more evident and compelling than on Your Spirit Lingers, an ode to her paternal great-grandmother, Indiana, who wrote of her journey from Norway and across the American plains to California in her handwritten, leatherbound memoir, Erindringer, passed on to Rondi by her father. Its vivid depictions of hardship, loss, adventure and triumph found their way into this song through Rondi’s stirring lyrics, “Memories of the caravans and wagon wheels / memories of the little children heaven steals / wondering how you found the strength and what your soul reveals / your spirit lingers, it lives inside of me / this hunger, this yearning, sails on….”
Featured on Entertainment Tonight, Charleston’s Song For the Ages was initially released as a single and received airplay and media attention nationally. “I was moved by the challenges we face as a country to write an anthem of hope to lift our spirits and help us move forward through these difficult times,” says Rondi. Not surprisingly, the song got the attention of Obama’s Inaugural Committee.
These memorable originals are peppered among an array of handpicked, pop classics, including the magnificently re-imagined Who Knows Where the Time Goes, originally brought to light by Judy Collins; Stevie Wonder’s infectious Overjoyed; and Percy Mayfield’s bluesy plea, Please Send Me Someone to Love. And then the unexpected, powerful Bobby McFerrin jazz/gospel/blues anthem, Freedom Is A Voice. Rondi made this her own by asking a professor of Zulu at Columbia University to translate the lyrics to be sung by her own back-up choir, consisting of her daughter, Emma, and friends Bailey and Sage, later joined by the entire band at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola. The full house rose and cheered. Add to this remarkable mix a courageously vulnerable read of the usually full out male, baritone highlight of South Pacific, This Nearly Was Mine; Frank Loesser’s I Hear Music, brought to a new, syncopated jazz high by Rondi’s arrangement concept with dear friend and bass master, Rufus Reid; and two gorgeous Brazilian jewels, the familiar but more modern, percussive take on Wave and the less familiar Nacscimento original, Tudo Que Você Podia Ser, which Rondi translated into English and passionately sang as Everything That You Were Meant To Be, her hope for everyone who loves life as much as she does.
Timeless, musically diverse, sophisticated yet completely accessible, intoxicating, smart and irresistible all describe this extraordinary collection of material, but even better describe Rondi Charleston, an extraordinary artist who brings it all to life on her own terms, in her own time. “Act 4” -- time is everything….
The world of jazz has embraced her with open arms. JazzInside
A magnificent album. She’s dynamite! - NPR
To see Rondi's latest EPK click HERE For much more video, press & reviews visit
“Who Knows Where The Time Goes”
Rondi Charleston is an outstanding contemporary jazz singer and an even better songwriter. In Who Knows Where The Time Goes, Rondi has combined traditional standards, originals, and thoughtful treatments of a wide range of material, and created one of the better vocal albums you're likely to hear right now. - Will Friedwald, Jazz Journalist
Time, in music and in life, is everything. Knowing how to savor each moment, make it rich, satisfying and memorable, is Rondi Charleston's special gift. In her life, as in her music, she intently culls every nuance, savors its opportunities and makes the most of it. She scans her landscapes, drinks it all in and magically, a story in song is born.
Rondi consciously embraces the passage of time along with the challenges, joys and unexpected adventures it brings. On her Motéma Music debut, Who Knows Where The Time Goes, Rondi invites listeners to join in this celebration through her exquisite vocals and thoughtful, eclectic selection of originals, jazz standards and pop classics.
No stranger to hard work and with an eye for a great story, Rondi paid her dues in broadcast journalism and was rewarded with Emmy and Peabody Awards in 1995 for her contributions as a producer on Primetime Live with Diane Sawyer. What makes this story all the more remarkable is that she did so as her “second act.”
Growing up in Hyde Park, Chicago, with her mother, (a professional singer and voice teacher), and her father, (an English professor and now classical radio announcer), she loved seeing Carmen McRae live and singing with guitar in tow at the city’s famed folk clubs. Entering Juilliard at age 16, Rondi excelled in drama and voice; graduated with a BM and MM in classical music; and found work immediately on opera stages (“Act 1”). But, she longed for a larger life experience. How better to expand her world view than as a journalist, filling in the blanks with more diverse, real slices of life than she ever imagined? She entered the Master’s program at NYU’s School of Journalism, broke a major cover story just prior to graduation, and landed a job as an investigative reporter for ABC News. Her appreciation for the synergy of art, music, and detail of delivery served her once again, on the job and as she “moonlighted” in jazz clubs (“Act 2”).
But it was “Act 3,” marriage and motherhood, that taught her it's not how much time you have -- it's how you use it! Her many journeys and reinventions of life shine through her music with impeccable style. The stories she chooses to tell resonate universally. Says Rondi, “I find myself mentally cataloging snapshots of moments that deeply affect me and chronicle these vignettes with the feelings that complete my visual picture. These form the nuggets of stories that later become the lyrics of new songs.”
Such is the case with Land of Galillee. While Rondi was traveling in Jerusalem with her family, a deep, heavy snow fell for the first time in decades, beckoning children and parents, Arabs and Jews, outside to revel in the “silvery playground” created by this miraculous moment of “beauty and harmony,” a hopeful metaphor for “imagining the possibilities” for this troubled region of the world.
Dance of Time was inspired by the golden anniversary of dear friends, whose love has grown even stronger through the years, “stretching the dance of time” as they “breathe together with souls intertwined.” Notes Rondi, “I love the idea of painting beautiful word pictures that transport us in time, and hope people live the movie of my songs through the lyrics.” Nowhere is this more evident and compelling than on Your Spirit Lingers, an ode to her paternal great-grandmother, Indiana, who wrote of her journey from Norway and across the American plains to California in her handwritten, leatherbound memoir, Erindringer, passed on to Rondi by her father. Its vivid depictions of hardship, loss, adventure and triumph found their way into this song through Rondi’s stirring lyrics, “Memories of the caravans and wagon wheels / memories of the little children heaven steals / wondering how you found the strength and what your soul reveals / your spirit lingers, it lives inside of me / this hunger, this yearning, sails on….”
Featured on Entertainment Tonight, Charleston’s Song For the Ages was initially released as a single and received airplay and media attention nationally. “I was moved by the challenges we face as a country to write an anthem of hope to lift our spirits and help us move forward through these difficult times,” says Rondi. Not surprisingly, the song got the attention of Obama’s Inaugural Committee.
These memorable originals are peppered among an array of handpicked, pop classics, including the magnificently re-imagined Who Knows Where the Time Goes, originally brought to light by Judy Collins; Stevie Wonder’s infectious Overjoyed; and Percy Mayfield’s bluesy plea, Please Send Me Someone to Love. And then the unexpected, powerful Bobby McFerrin jazz/gospel/blues anthem, Freedom Is A Voice. Rondi made this her own by asking a professor of Zulu at Columbia University to translate the lyrics to be sung by her own back-up choir, consisting of her daughter, Emma, and friends Bailey and Sage, later joined by the entire band at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola. The full house rose and cheered. Add to this remarkable mix a courageously vulnerable read of the usually full out male, baritone highlight of South Pacific, This Nearly Was Mine; Frank Loesser’s I Hear Music, brought to a new, syncopated jazz high by Rondi’s arrangement concept with dear friend and bass master, Rufus Reid; and two gorgeous Brazilian jewels, the familiar but more modern, percussive take on Wave and the less familiar Nacscimento original, Tudo Que Você Podia Ser, which Rondi translated into English and passionately sang as Everything That You Were Meant To Be, her hope for everyone who loves life as much as she does.
Timeless, musically diverse, sophisticated yet completely accessible, intoxicating, smart and irresistible all describe this extraordinary collection of material, but even better describe Rondi Charleston, an extraordinary artist who brings it all to life on her own terms, in her own time. “Act 4” -- time is everything….
The world of jazz has embraced her with open arms. JazzInside
A magnificent album. She’s dynamite! - NPR
“Who Knows Where The Time Goes”
Rondi Charleston is an outstanding contemporary jazz singer and an even better songwriter. In Who Knows Where The Time Goes, Rondi has combined traditional standards, originals, and thoughtful treatments of a wide range of material, and created one of the better vocal albums you're likely to hear right now. - Will Friedwald, Jazz Journalist
Time, in music and in life, is everything. Knowing how to savor each moment, make it rich, satisfying and memorable, is Rondi Charleston's special gift. In her life, as in her music, she intently culls every nuance, savors its opportunities and makes the most of it. She scans her landscapes, drinks it all in and magically, a story in song is born.
Rondi consciously embraces the passage of time along with the challenges, joys and unexpected adventures it brings. On her Motéma Music debut, Who Knows Where The Time Goes, Rondi invites listeners to join in this celebration through her exquisite vocals and thoughtful, eclectic selection of originals, jazz standards and pop classics.
No stranger to hard work and with an eye for a great story, Rondi paid her dues in broadcast journalism and was rewarded with Emmy and Peabody Awards in 1995 for her contributions as a producer on Primetime Live with Diane Sawyer. What makes this story all the more remarkable is that she did so as her “second act.”
Growing up in Hyde Park, Chicago, with her mother, (a professional singer and voice teacher), and her father, (an English professor and now classical radio announcer), she loved seeing Carmen McRae live and singing with guitar in tow at the city’s famed folk clubs. Entering Juilliard at age 16, Rondi excelled in drama and voice; graduated with a BM and MM in classical music; and found work immediately on opera stages (“Act 1”). But, she longed for a larger life experience. How better to expand her world view than as a journalist, filling in the blanks with more diverse, real slices of life than she ever imagined? She entered the Master’s program at NYU’s School of Journalism, broke a major cover story just prior to graduation, and landed a job as an investigative reporter for ABC News. Her appreciation for the synergy of art, music, and detail of delivery served her once again, on the job and as she “moonlighted” in jazz clubs (“Act 2”).
But it was “Act 3,” marriage and motherhood, that taught her it's not how much time you have -- it's how you use it! Her many journeys and reinventions of life shine through her music with impeccable style. The stories she chooses to tell resonate universally. Says Rondi, “I find myself mentally cataloging snapshots of moments that deeply affect me and chronicle these vignettes with the feelings that complete my visual picture. These form the nuggets of stories that later become the lyrics of new songs.”
Such is the case with Land of Galillee. While Rondi was traveling in Jerusalem with her family, a deep, heavy snow fell for the first time in decades, beckoning children and parents, Arabs and Jews, outside to revel in the “silvery playground” created by this miraculous moment of “beauty and harmony,” a hopeful metaphor for “imagining the possibilities” for this troubled region of the world.
Dance of Time was inspired by the golden anniversary of dear friends, whose love has grown even stronger through the years, “stretching the dance of time” as they “breathe together with souls intertwined.” Notes Rondi, “I love the idea of painting beautiful word pictures that transport us in time, and hope people live the movie of my songs through the lyrics.” Nowhere is this more evident and compelling than on Your Spirit Lingers, an ode to her paternal great-grandmother, Indiana, who wrote of her journey from Norway and across the American plains to California in her handwritten, leatherbound memoir, Erindringer, passed on to Rondi by her father. Its vivid depictions of hardship, loss, adventure and triumph found their way into this song through Rondi’s stirring lyrics, “Memories of the caravans and wagon wheels / memories of the little children heaven steals / wondering how you found the strength and what your soul reveals / your spirit lingers, it lives inside of me / this hunger, this yearning, sails on….”
Featured on Entertainment Tonight, Charleston’s Song For the Ages was initially released as a single and received airplay and media attention nationally. “I was moved by the challenges we face as a country to write an anthem of hope to lift our spirits and help us move forward through these difficult times,” says Rondi. Not surprisingly, the song got the attention of Obama’s Inaugural Committee.
These memorable originals are peppered among an array of handpicked, pop classics, including the magnificently re-imagined Who Knows Where the Time Goes, originally brought to light by Judy Collins; Stevie Wonder’s infectious Overjoyed; and Percy Mayfield’s bluesy plea, Please Send Me Someone to Love. And then the unexpected, powerful Bobby McFerrin jazz/gospel/blues anthem, Freedom Is A Voice. Rondi made this her own by asking a professor of Zulu at Columbia University to translate the lyrics to be sung by her own back-up choir, consisting of her daughter, Emma, and friends Bailey and Sage, later joined by the entire band at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola. The full house rose and cheered. Add to this remarkable mix a courageously vulnerable read of the usually full out male, baritone highlight of South Pacific, This Nearly Was Mine; Frank Loesser’s I Hear Music, brought to a new, syncopated jazz high by Rondi’s arrangement concept with dear friend and bass master, Rufus Reid; and two gorgeous Brazilian jewels, the familiar but more modern, percussive take on Wave and the less familiar Nacscimento original, Tudo Que Você Podia Ser, which Rondi translated into English and passionately sang as Everything That You Were Meant To Be, her hope for everyone who loves life as much as she does.
Timeless, musically diverse, sophisticated yet completely accessible, intoxicating, smart and irresistible all describe this extraordinary collection of material, but even better describe Rondi Charleston, an extraordinary artist who brings it all to life on her own terms, in her own time. “Act 4” -- time is everything…. www.rondicharleston.com |
From its first “flight” in 2004 at a small performance space in Venice, CA, through many incarnations including several engagements at LA’s premiere jazz concert halls, Giannelli Square, the Jazz Bakery, and, Vitello’s Jazz & Supper Club, Susan’s intent has been not only to entertain, but to awaken and re-connect people to the natural life around them - and the need to protect it.