Nora McCarthy & The People Of Peace Quintet - Blessings

Time: 66:46
Size: 154,6 MB
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Love Poem For The People (11:12)
02. Akara Moi Moi ( 5:03)
03. Nimbus ( 9:37)
04. Into The Middle Of Something ( 7:16)
05. Restless Mind ( 5:35)
06. The Blessing ( 6:48)
07. Passion Dance ( 7:32)
08. Listen Close To What The Trees Are Saying ( 5:42)
09. Night On Earth ( 7:56)

blesSINGS features: The People of Peace Quintet - Nora McCarthy-voice, compositions, lyrics, poetry, arrangements; Jorge Sylvester-alto saxophone, compositions, arrangements; Pablo Vergara-piano; Donald Nicks-electric bass; and, Kenny Grohowski and is dedicated to: Alto Saxophonist/Composer-Arranger/Conductor Jorge Sylvester, Poet James Randolph Daniels – Akinwale Pitan-Ogun Adisa, Conductor Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris, the Creative Jazz Musician, and to People of Peace everywhere.

Produced by Nora McCarthy and recorded at Tedesco Studio in Paramus, New Jersey on August 26 & 27th, 2015, blesSINGS is a modern jazz record that combines several elements to make its powerfully beautiful statement: original compositions and lyrics; innovative vocal improvisation, poetry, straight ahead jazz, blues, grooves, mixed meters, jazz ballads, free form, and imaginative arrangements.

blesSINGS addresses the overwhelming need for compassion, environmental awareness and understanding in our world today; it is first and foremost a love story that urges us to love one another and ourselves, to be the best we can be, to open our minds and hearts and acknowledge our individual and collective blessings. It is about gaining peace through harmony, liberation through creative expression, reaching for our higher selves and expanding our consciousness, recognizing and holding steadfast our connection to one another (brotherhood), to the earth (our mother) and to our place within the universe (immortality/spirit). It pays homage to the subtle energies that influence creativity, and ultimately give birth to hope and renewal.

The artistry on blesSINGS is stunning; the musicianship throughout is exquisite and the overall sound is reminiscent of the great creative jazz recordings of the ‘60s and ‘70s where the artists used their music as a conduit for spirituality and as a reaction to turbulent events that were taking place in the country, much like today: war, racism, civil unrest, terrorism, mass killings.

McCarthy felt compelled to put out a CD with a positive message, a healing balm as it were, a solution to be considered, something to hold on to, something to feel good about in a world where bad news prevails and can be so discouraging. In looking over her many compositions, Nora made a discovery. There assembled before her eyes was the music that would be that tap root she sought to provide peace and optimism to the world. The golden thread that wove them all together so perfectly was the word “blessing” as they all contained within their bars and measures, their form and structure, a blessing, and so, blesSINGS came into being.

Blessings

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Nora McCarthy & Joshua Wolff - A Time For Love

Size: 158,7 MB
Time: 68:29
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. A Time For Love (9:11)
02. Better Than Anything (6:26)
03. Small Day Tomorrow (6:31)
04. I Like You You're Nice (4:05)
05. Love Came On Stealthy Fingers (7:23)
06. It Isn't So Good It Couldn't Get Better (2:56)
07. Blue Gardenia (5:04)
08. I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry (7:23)
09. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most (7:30)
10. You Are There (7:00)
11. Lucky To Be Me (4:54)

A Time For Love, is comprised of music written by some of the most beloved contemporary composers and lyricists of Great American Music namely: Johnny Mandel, Tommy Wolf, Fran Landesman, Jules Styne, Sammy Cahn, Dave Frishberg, Leonard Bernstein, Bill Loughborough, David Wheat, Bob Russell, and Blossom Dearie. With timeless pieces such as, “A Time For Love,” “Small Day Tomorrow,” “Blue Gardenia,” “Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most,” “You Are There ” and, “I Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out to Dry,” among others, the musical chemistry between McCarthy and Wolff is palpable and their near telepathic, spontaneous, and compelling performance is unforgettable.

The music on this CD was captured on May 28, 2010, at the internationally acclaimed jazz cabaret, The Metropolitan Room, NYC. It was a magical night of remembering, honoring, sharing , friendship, and love.

Nora McCarthy has thus far had a very productive and significant musical career. Recently listed in the "Best Jazz of 2012 for Female Singer and Top Vocal Jazz Album" categories by Arnoldo DeSouteiro, Journalist, Founder and CEO of JSR (Jazz Station Records), for her CD, In the Language of Dreams, she is known as a brilliant improviser. A poet and a songwriter in addition to being a highly original singer, she is an important force in the advanced New York jazz vocal scene since 1996 when she recorded her first of thus far six CD’s, red&blue. Nora's burnished alto voice is rich, subtle and laced with varying degrees of earthy blues and soulful phrasings that are rooted in the Jazz tradition.

From Seattle, Washington, Joshua Wolff was known for being a strong soloist and sensitive accompanist. His performances took him all over the United States and to Europe including several tours to Japan with legendary jazz singers Mark Murphy and Sheila Jordan. One of the first gigs Wolff performed in NYC was with the beautiful, talented singer Nora McCarthy on December 31, 1998. Wolff recalled “It was love at first sight and sound . . . I knew right away that she had something magical about her. It was more than her sense of intonation and time; she simply understood the music and was able to share it in a very personal way. This is a very rare quality in any musician. I knew at that moment, that this was the beginning of a very wonderful musical relationship.”

"....Joshua Wolff was more than a competent accompanist; he was a unique voice, an artist of the highest caliber, a musical architect who had incredible ears, a wonderfully percussive technique—excellent sense of timing, and tremendous emotional capacity. The journey we embarked upon this night was unpredictable and it would also be one of our last together. I will forever treasure the music and memory of this evening. This night we were not just a singer with piano accompaniment, No, we were two artists playing together, making music, telling our story, dancing our dance together, and on this night our music became immortal; Joshua Wolff passed away, May 19, 2013 of pancreatic cancer...." Nora McCarthy

This CD reminds that life is about embracing every moment, living to the fullest, squeezing every drop of delicious juice from it, taking chances, having no regrets, surrendering your all, touching hearts and leaving your mark with dignity and love.

A Time For Love

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