A Myriad Of Special Guests Including Patrice Rushen, Geri Allen, Randy
Brecker, Simphiwe Dana, Bennie Maupin, Carol
Robbins, Warren Wolf And More
Los Angeles, California.
“Soul To Soul,” a passionate
new song cycle from vocalist, songwriter, producer and musician Carmen Lundy, is set for release September 23rd, 2014 via Afrasia Productions. “Soul
To Soul”, Lundy’s 14th album, is
the next chapter in her critically-acclaimed career as both a musical artist and a visual artist;
a return to her roots but also an exploration of these roots -- and the journey
that those roots can take you on. The release of “Soul To Soul” will be accompanied by tour dates both in the U.S.
and overseas.
Carmen Lundy
began working on “Soul To Soul” well
over a year ago in a very hands-on manner – literally composing, co-composing
and arranging eleven of the thirteen tracks and then playing and recording all
the instruments - including bass, drums, piano, guitar and percussion - in her
home studio to get a working “feel” for how the music might sound. She then
“sweetened” the songs by adding string sounds and other software instruments to
elaborate and experiment with the aural mood of each track, interpreting and
identifying with each track’s sound individually as well as part of the overall
song sequence. On the final CD, Lundy
plays guitar on all tracks, piano and Rhodes on many tracks, and drums on
two.
“I wrote the music with specific players in mind for each
respective instrument,” says Lundy. “My producer and label co-owner Elisabeth Oei
encouraged me to reach out to those musicians whose music I have loved and have
been inspired by; some of whom I had worked with but never recorded with. I
consider these artists specialists on their instruments. These are players who bring a distinctive
sound to everything they play and
add another layer of individuality to my original music.”
Patrice Rushen, for example, is featured on nearly every
track on “Soul To Soul” because of
the deep musical connection Carmen felt with her. “I could hear her sound in my music,” says
Lundy, “Patrice creates these beautiful sonic palettes from which I could soar
freely through the music. This project
would not be as special to me if it were not for her incredible contribution.”
Featuring the stellar talents of guest artists Patrice Rushen,
Geri Allen, Randy Brecker, Mayra Casales, Simphiwe Dana, Bennie Maupin, Carol
Robbins, Ada Rovatti, and Warren Wolf along with Carmen’s core rhythm section
members Darryl Hall and
Jamison Ross, “Soul
To Soul” invites the listener on an intriguing journey. Whether the source
of inspiration comes from time spent in Sardinia, Italy (“Soul To Soul” and “Sardegna”)
or from her hometown of Miami in the songs “Kindred
Spirits” and “Grateful” – “It’s
important to acknowledge and remember where you come from and all those who
provide unwavering moral support” says Lundy; from the beauty of Mary Lou
Williams’ “What’s Your Story, Morning
Glory” - “Geri Allen and I have spent many years performing the works of
this great pianist,” Lundy remarks, “I could not miss the chance to have yet
another of the great pianists/composers of our time be a part of this musical
journey”; to the sexy bossa nova beat of “Everything
I Need”, the moods and moments of “Soul To Soul” are genre-bending and
traverse many borders, both literally and figuratively.
Of special note is the story of the track “Grace,” the
result of a meeting with South African vocalist Simphiwe Dana. At the time of the meeting – which coincided
with tour dates Lundy and Dana had in Johannesburg and
Los Angeles – Lundy was in the process of writing the song on guitar and
had been haunted by it for months. She
then played the track for Dana who immediately began to sing the melody in her
native tongue, and whose contribution to the track on the CD adds yet another
dimension to the journey of “Soul To
Soul.”
Added Lundy, “It is an honor to have these players joining
in this majestic musical adventure. I
hope listeners – both new and established - enjoy the voyage.”
Carmen Lundy is also a celebrated
mixed media artist and painter, and her works have been exhibited in New York
at The Jazz Gallery in Soho, at The Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, and at a
month-long exhibition at the Madrid Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. For additional information and media
requests, please contact Chip Schutzman at Miles High Productions, 323-806-0400;
e: chip@mileshighproductions.com
A complete track listing with credits is as follows:
TRACK LISTING:
- Kindred Spirits (Carmen
Lundy)
- Life Is A Song In Me
(Carmen Lundy, Julie Raynor)
- Soul To Soul (Carmen Lundy)
- When Will They Learn
(Carmen Lundy, Julie Raynor)
- Daybreak (Carmen Lundy)
- Between Darkness and Dawn
(Carmen Lundy, Julie Raynor)
- Grace (Carmen Lundy,
Simphiwe Dana)
- Grateful Pt. 1 (Carmen
Lundy)
- Grateful Pt. 2 (Carmen Lundy)
- Everything I Need (Carmen Lundy)
- Don’t You Know How I
Feel (Marilyn Castilaw)
- Sardegna (Carmen Lundy, Deborah Ash)
- What’s Your Story, Morning
Glory (Mary Lou Williams)
Personnel:
Carmen Lundy – Vocals
(all), piano (track 1) Rhodes (track 11), keyboards (track 8), guitar (tracks
1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12), drums (track 12), percussion (tracks 1, 6),
string arrangements and programming
Patrice Rushen –
piano, Rhodes, keyboards (all tracks except 8, 13)
Darryl Hall –
acoustic bass, electric bass (all tracks)
Jamison Ross – drums,
percussion (all tracks)
Geri Allen – piano
(track 8, 13), Rhodes (tracks 6, 9)
Randy Brecker –
trumpet (track 3, 10, 11), flugelhorn (track 3)
Mayra Casales –
percussion, congas (all tracks except 13)
Simphiwe Dana –
Vocals (track 7)
Bennie Maupin – tenor
sax, soprano sax (tracks 5, 9)
Carol Robbins – harp
(tracks 4, 5, 6, 10)
Ada Rovatti – tenor
sax (track 3, 10)
Warren Wolf – vibes
(tracks 5, 8, 12)
Background Vocals –
Carmen Lundy, Patrice Rushen, Jamison Ross (track 2), plus Mayra Casales,
Darryl Hall, Elisabeth Oei (track 7).
All songs composed
and arranged by Carmen Lundy, C. Lundy Publishing/ASCAP except * by Marilyn
Castilaw (Redfield Music/BMI); ** by Mary Lou Williams (Cecilia Music), Paul
Francis Webster, Jack Lawrence; *** by Carmen Lundy and Julie Raynor (Castle
Dream Music/ASCAP); **** by Carmen Lundy and Deborah Ash (Compashe
Music/ASCAP); ^ by Carmen Lundy and Simphiwe Dana (Black Carrot Publishing).
Produced by Elisabeth
Oei and Carmen Lundy
Recorded and Mixed by
Don Murray at Firehouse Recording Studios, Pasadena, CA and Mixed at Afrasia
Studios, Woodland Hills, CA. Basic tracks recorded and played by Carmen Lundy
at Afrasia Studios.
Mastered by Doug Sax
at Mastering Lab, Ojai, CA
CD Cover Photo by Victor
Dlamini
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