circle in a square
Transcription
circle in a square
HI-FIDELITY DOTI-1001 LAUREN KINHAN CIRCLE IN A SQUARE CIRCLE IN A SQUARE MY PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY ANOTHER HILL TO CLIMB CHASING THE SUN I’M LOOKIN’ FOR THAT NUMBER TO LIVE OR DIE POCKETFUL OF HARLEM WE’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE TODAY CHAUSSURE’S COMPLEX BEAR WALK VANITY’S PARAMOUR THE DEEP WITHIN LAUREN KINHAN CIRCLE IN A SQUARE CIRCLE IN A SQUARE Music by Lauren Kinhan & Ada Rovatti Lyric by Lauren Kinhan Andy Ezrin, Fender Rhodes Ben Wittman, drums + percussion Will Lee, bass Randy Brecker, trumpet Lauren Kinhan, Marlon Saunders, Ella Marcus, backround vocals MY PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY CHASING THE SUN Music by Lauren Kinhan Andy Ezrin, piano David Finck, bass Ben Wittman, drums + percussion Aaron Heick, alto flute Romero Lubambo, guitar I’M LOOKIN’ FOR THAT NUMBER Music & Lyric by Lauren Kinhan Andy Ezrin, piano David Finck, bass Ben Wittman, drums Joel Frahm, Soprano Saxophone Horn arrangement by Lauren Kinhan Andy Ezrin, piano and B3 organ David Finck, bass Ben Wittman, drums Donny McCaslin, tenor saxophone John Bailey, flugel horn ANOTHER HILL TO CLIMB TO LIVE OR DIE Music and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan Music & Lyric by Lauren Kinhan String quartet arrangement by Rob Mounsey Andy Ezrin, piano David Finck, bass Ben Wittman, drums Sara Caswell (1st violin), Joseph Brent (2nd violin), Lois Martin (viola), Jody Redhage (cello) Music & Lyric by Lauren Kinhan Andy Ezrin, piano David Finck, bass Ben Wittman, drums + percussion Romero Lubambo, guitar POCKETFUL OF HARLEM Music by Lauren Kinhan & Andy Ezrin Lyric by Lauren Kinhan Andy Ezrin, piano Will Lee, bass Ben Wittman, drums + percussion Chuck Loeb, guitar Lauren Kinhan, background vocals WE’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE TODAY Music & Lyric by Lauren Kinhan Andy Ezrin, piano David Finck, bass Ben Wittman, drums CHAUSSURE’S COMPLEX Music & Lyric by Lauren Kinhan Andy Ezrin, piano David Finck, bass Ben Wittman, drums + percussion Gary Versace, accordion BEAR WALK Music by Jiro Yoshida, Lyric by Lauren Kinhan Andy Ezrin, piano Will Lee, bass Ben Wittman, drums Randy Brecker, trumpet VANITY’S PARAMOUR Music and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan Andy Ezrin, piano David Finck, bass Ben Wittman, drums Donny McCaslin, tenor saxophone THE DEEP WITHIN Music by Peter Eldridge & Lauren Kinhan Lyric by Lauren Kinhan Peter Eldridge, piano David Finck, bass Ben Wittman, drums Joel Frahm, tenor saxophone LAUREN KINHAN CIRCLE IN A SQUARE T ANDY EZRIN BEN WITTMAN DAVID FINCK WILL LEE with SPECIAL GUESTS RANDY BRECKER ROMERO LUBAMBO CHUCK LOEB DONNY MCCASLIN JOEL FRAHM GARY VERSACE and PETER ELDRIDGE he first thing you notice is her voice, and then her savvy choices. Lauren Kinhan possesses a rare and beautiful instrument, tough and tender, clear and fine-grained in every register, whether she’s dipping down into husky chest tones or ascending into silvery head tones. With her glorious sound, she could sing anything and make it a memorable listening experience, but Kinhan is defining herself as an artist by creating her own material, making a compelling case that 21st century jazz singers can thrive outside the context of the American Songbook. Rooted in jazz’s improvisational imperative, she knows that you best celebrate the music by remaking it in your own image. “Think of me as a horn player who sings a lyric or a dancer filling a phrase, a reedy voice that’s lived in, adventurous and unapologetic,” Kinhan says. “It all circles around living in the moment, telling a story and letting conventions be undressed and re-outfitted.” Circle in a Square is only Kinhan’s third release under her own name, but she’s already established a vivid identity as a songwriter with a gift for capturing the emotional currents of everyday life. She made a powerful first impression with 2000’s Hardly Blinking, an eclectic program of original songs exploring an array of topics and instrumental textures. A decade later, she followed up with the highly personal Avalon, an album deeply informed by her experience of motherhood, and the pleasures and challenges of family life. In many ways Circle In a Square picks up where Avalon left off, evoking the numinous possibilities in a flirty pair of shoes, a familiar melody, or an insinuating groove. Part of what makes Circle in a Square so revelatory is that it provides a rare 360-degree glimpse into Kinhan’s musical world. She wrote all the lyrics and almost all the music for every piece, and shaped each arrangement working with her core rhythm section of pianist/keyboardist Andy Ezrin and drummer Ben Wittman (the well-traveled Will Lee and David Finck divide bass duties). The steady personnel provides a cohesive feel throughout the album, while an all-star gallery of special guests contributes instrumental commentary and eloquent solos, such as Brazilian guitar great Romero Lubambo’s perfectly sculpted acoustic passage on the intricate, lyric-less “Chasing the Sun” and trumpet maestro Randy Brecker’s melodically charged passage on the title track. Let’s talk about that title track, which opens the album. “It’s a bird/It’s a plane” Kinhan sings, but instead of a Superman sighting she’s hailing music itself. Sounding like a cross between Donald Fagen and Joni Mitchell, the song captures the evocative power of a record spinning on a turntable with a finely etched lyric married to a seductive melody that embodies the very transportive power Kinhan describes. It’s a bravura performance, and everything that follows lives up to its implicit promise. She often makes brilliant use of contrasting musical elements, like the way the jagged piano figure sets off the long sinuous melody of “My Painted Lady Butterfly” (a song tied together by Joel Frahm’s serpentine soprano sax solo). She summons the intensity of a gospel singer on the deceptively languorous “Another Hill to Climb,” which initially sounds like an uplifting anthem but instead unfolds as a cautionary tale. Whether rapturously becalmed (“The Deep Within”), on the good-time prowl (“Pocketful of Harlem”), or tormented by the search for unknowable answers (“To Live or Die”), Kinhan turns each piece into a self-contained emotional narrative driven by her unerring musical taste. A master at folding her particular gifts into collaborations with other musicians, Kinhan has spent her illustrious career keeping superlative company. None other than avant-garde legend Ornette Coleman gave her an early boost, featuring Kinhan on “Don’t You Know by Now,” a ravishing tune from his 1996 album Sound Museum, Three Women. He was so taken with her voice and presence that he invited her to reprise the song with him at Lincoln Center and to sing one of her originals. But she’s best known as a singer who thrives amongst fellow vocalists, particularly for her ongoing 20-year tenure with New York Voices. She’s also a founding member of two other vocal supergroups, the quintet Moss (with Luciana Souza, Kate McGarry, Theo Bleckmann, and Peter Eldridge), and the trio JaLaLa (with Janis Siegel and Laurel Massé). But there’s no denying the scope and power of Kinhan’s individual vision. With Circle in a Square she fully reveals herself as an inspired singer and songwriter whose voice gains depth with every listen. Andrew Gilbert is a music writer in Berkeley, Calif. who writes for the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, JazzTimes and other publications. I would first like to thank my dear friend and partner Elliot Scheiner for making this one of the most creative and pleasurable recording experiences of my life. You create an environment of trust and respect that everyone thrives in. Thank you for opening your home to me and sharing your wonderful family (that means you Diana). Which leads me to your talented and charming son, Mathew Scheiner, who began engineering our vocal sessions and quickly became a core part of the realization of the project. Awright, now! Thank you to my trio extraordinaire. Whether the formation was Andy, Ben and David or Andy, Ben and Will, you guys gave me such rich and nuanced performances. Andy, thank you for the extra care in preparing for the session. You are an exquisite musician and human being. Ben, we have shared all three of my solo projects together and on each one you graced it with your artistry, generosity of spirit and taught me so much along the way. David, thank you for bringing your magnificent sound and vibe to the music. And Will, wow, what a thrill to have you be a part of this. You bring so much more than personality and good wardrobe, you are all about the music. Your attention to detail and willingness to explore showed your heart and why you are the Cat and always will be the Cat! Thank you to my very special guests who took this from a lovely trio and voice record to a densely layered chocolate cake. Randy, you are a master and one heck of a cool dude. Romero, you gave the songs that extra helping of passion and groove that I was looking for. Chuck, I’m so honored we found a way for you to add your incredible voice to the “Pocket.” Gary, what can I say, I’m still laughing and crying at the same time, you are an extraordinary musician and nailed the vibe on the French bistro piece. Joel, you never cease to amaze me with your heart. You just know how to get to the essence of the music and say the most profound things. Donny, having known you from our Berklee College of Music days, you are that unique and powerful voice that comes along once in a lifetime. And Peter, my dear friend and colleague, I know my musical life is grander because of you. Thank you Rob Mounsey for the delicious string quartet arrangement that was in turn so divinely played by Jody Redhage, Sara Caswell, Joseph Brent and Lois Martin. Thanks to Aaron Heick for adding the deep moan of the Alto flute on “Chasing the Sun.” And a big hug to my dear friend Marlon Saunders for “whooping up” the “Circle in the Square” vocals, along with my talented daughter Ella Marcus who is becoming quite the beautiful singer and musician. Thank you to Ada Rovatti, Jiro Yoshida, Andy Ezrin and Peter Eldridge for your wonderful contributions to the compositions. Much gratitude to Michael Brorby at Acoustic Recording and Cynthia Daniels at Monk Music Studios. Sandrine Lee for the beautiful photos and vision, Burton Yount for another exquisite package, and the talented Flynn Pyykkonen and Madeleleine Cooke. Also, thank you to Melissa Hammons for helping me hold all the pieces together on the big tracking days. Thank you to Ann Braithwaite, Max Horowitz, Andy Gilbert, Jonas Herbsman, Linda Lorence, and Pat Rustici for the professional support. A special shout out goes to my Kickstarter family that got this whole thing started. I could not have done it without you. Thanks to Steve Ridley, Peter Gontha and Stephanie Barada for your special generosity and faith. Thank you to my mom, brothers and sisters, close knit friends and extended family in New York Voices for your constant support. Heartfelt thanks to Paul Slifer, Amy Estrin, Don Frank, Linda Kinhan, David Kinhan, Char Fitzpatrick, and Sarah Slifer for your fine art creations for this project. And finally, thank you to my husband Rob and daughter Ella for sharing this dream with me everyday and making our life one big circle of love, art and laughter. CIRCLE IN A SQUARE Music by Lauren Kinhan and Ada Rovatti Lyric by Lauren Kinhan It’s a bird, it’s a plane, have you heard I’m gonna play a record on the Hi Fi Analog, outta date, antiquate The echo of a generation gone by In the mind of one so young You replay it, relive it A circle in a square Sacred rite, black as night, turn me on, So I can be reminded of my first love And sometimes there’s just another hill to climb Just when the day is done and the doubt begins to holler And another chance to shine just slipped away To my surprise, the pain is my sister Giving my loneliness a harbor to escape, to escape, I’ve got to let it go now, and get away And in the morning I got nothin’ but a feeling A condition that just won’t go away To keep trying so hard, I gotta try so hard, I gotta keep trying so hard Hey Mr. Newton, Sir, put another nickel in the juke box electric It sings to me, plays to my very soul Didn’t I hear you say, with every motion there’s a counterpoint at play It’s added ten years to my life just by turnin’ up the volume louder Hey Mr. Newton, Sir, put another nickel in the juke box electric The gravity’s pushing and pulling me higher and higher Oh, While away Its just another ordinary day And sometimes there’s just another hill to climb MY PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY If all the questions asked were ever satisfied And everyone could have a piece of cherry pie Would the combat warrant what we sacrifice Or could we shoulder our pride Could we shoulder our pride Music and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan The day will come when the simple truth will set your world on fire Saying goodbye to what’s said and done is all that I desire for you, it’s true Close your eyes my painted lady butterfly and dream, the forest for the trees Light as a cloud, you are free to roam the land (sea) and sky alone Tattooed and wild kaleidoscope returning nature’s call to let live and let live Cuz to want for more is what you can’t deprive the wonder, the thistle, the hunger ANOTHER HILL TO CLIMB Music and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan How many million dreams are hanging in the balance It’s a mystery we just can’t understand Just tell me how to set my direction Knowing that time is the condition we can’t change we can’t change it, no matter how hard we try, we can’t change Seen through a looking glass, the problems, they just get larger Cuz the more I look, the more I realize I try so hard, I try so hard, I just try too hard Oh, While away Its just an ordinary day I’M LOOKIN’ FOR THAT NUMBER Music and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan I got a bone to pick, I got an itch to scratch I’m feeling palpitations of a heart attack I gotta tie that bonnet hard across my back And shoulder my pride, and shoulder my pride Because I’m fit to be tied of singing the blues The cows in the meadow, and the man’s on the moon The concept is simple, but concepts elude If anybody knows where I’m growing old I’m lookin for that number Well if you said to stay or if you said to jump And everybody had a case of monkey does Would the slapback feel just like a hand in glove Or could you shoulder your pride Say could you shoulder it baby Cuz there’s an omen in the point of no return And there’s a beauty in the face of what’s absurd But right now I stand before you bare and burned And I can shoulder my pride, said I can shoulder my pride TO LIVE OR DIE Music and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan A Hobbit in a hole, an Alice up a tree An imaginary hero fighting back the enemy Where the lost boys play with their psychosomatic schemes So they’ll never be lonely … except for now An accomplice to a crime, a suitcase on the ledge An intoxicating stairway going nowhere in the end Where the lost boys play with the melodramatic toys So they’ll never be lonely…..except for now So take these tears and hold me tight So the pieces of my life can somehow explain To live or die, I’m asking why To live or die is worth fighting for A handshake in the dark, no after to the fact So you’re off to join the circus with those monkeys on your back Where the lost boys play with their “I’m not afraid to die” So they’ll never be sorry … Except for now So take these tears and hold me close So the fragments of my life can somehow explain To live or die, I’m asking why To live or die is worth fighting for POCKETFUL OF HARLEM Music by Lauren Kinhan and Andy Ezrin Lyric by Lauren Kinhan Spoken like a man of means, Pocketful of Harlem dreams Kinks inside the armor, cool effecting his disarming Of a certain Satin Doll, as stubborn as the days were long Hot, the humid weather, melts the science she’s pretending Time and again, somebody is going to hit their head Losing the thread, It’s the same ole song Dangerous and Debonair, call the Devil, he may care No stranger to friction, an imposter for a living Following a nightingale, enchanting the n’ere do well No one saw it coming, his undoing by her charming Time and again, somebody is going to hit their head Losing the thread, It’s the same ole song Dangerous and Debonair, call the Devil, he may care No stranger to friction, an imposter for a living Following a nightingale, enchanting the n’ere do well No one saw it coming, his undoing by her charming self composure, and the feeling that it’s over WE’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE TODAY no one hears your sneakers sneakin’ out that garden door I used to think that anything could happen A dreamer’s disillusion realized Like falling up an escalator’s staircase We’d measure every year in photographs Who’s that sittin’ in my chair What’s that cookin’ on the stove You’ll regret your passing fancy if you think the grass is grassy on the other side But now the book is harder to remember With every page I turn, I question how How can anybody tell me what to write here When words, like photographs, just can’t be found Dig this, you made a mess a me and you, so what cha waitin’ for Seems like, there’s only liquor when the plot gets thicker Ask Miss Ridinghood Music and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan We’re not going anywhere today We’re not having company at all The laundry’s folded neatly near the alabaster wall If anyone could find me, they’d see no one’s home at all The mirror doesn’t change our soft reflection And how the lines are playing tricks on me To years spent in the quiet of the house we used to make The answer to my question can’t un-say That we’re not going anywhere today Lock that honey in the pot Hawk that apple that cha cored Doncha be so high falutin’ when you’ve got no where to move in, eat that humble pie Straighten up the game is over, you regained your self composure, nothin’ left to hide Problem with the dalliances, guilty feet have got no chances left to compromise Certainly you can’t be thinkin’ no one hears your sneakers sneakin’ Get that message through your head CHAUSSURE’S COMPLEX Music and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan Love Me, don’t let shoes stand in the way of all this awkward romance Unless it’s clear You’d prefer another pair to wear, Pied a Terre Just say you may, Trip the night away Lead Me, of our own volition, no misgivings, chaussurre’s complex When you’re hand in mine, sends a tempo to my heel and toe Before you know The stockings hung from whence the shoe was flung Stay, if you will Remain perfectly still Just to contrast the beat of my heart Leave it at that, on the small of my back Let loose to roam where it will Hold Me, like a slipper’s fit, we’ll contemplate the last temptation On the heals of love, We’ll incorporate the him, the her, the pas de deux Before too long, we’ll have a fav’rite song Rehearsing all our tomorrows from now on BEAR WALK Music by Jiro Yoshida, Lyric by Lauren Kinhan Who’s that sleepin’ in my bed What’s that stocking on the floor Certainly you can’t be thinkin’ VANITY’S PARAMOR Music and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan Ten in one, you go out to a habitat everyone there is anonymous Preying on all the dark alley dances to music you heard at the carnival Haven’t you had enough of spinning that empty bottle? Baby you can’t afford your addiction is leading you only to posthumous Don’t let the arms of Aphrodite push you around with a pomegranate smile, she leads you under ground You got to hang on to reason, while you walk the crooked mile Side steppin’ the wrath of the Concubine Fantasy over facing the music is daring the walls to come down on you Agony over taming the elephant taking up space in your living room When you go waking up, you’ll see you’re in mighty quick sand Saber and Cape in hand, you’re a Matador looking for Vanity’s Paramour Don’t let the arms of Aphrodite push you around with a pomegranate smile, she leads you under ground You got to hang on to reason, while you walk the crooked mile Side steppin’ the wrath of the Concubine Oh, down you go Where it stops, ain’t nobody gonna know You’re all foot loose, in your fancy feather bed You just a blind sighted, bold submission heavy on the sacreligion B flat, bull fight, short stick, hell of a sacrifice Oh, down you go Where it stops, ain’t nobody gonna know But you’re all foot loose, in your fancy feather bed You just a blind sighted, bold submission heavy on the sacreligion every little thing’s so convoluted an aphrodisiac infusion B flat, bull fight, short stick hell of a sacrifice THE DEEP WITHIN Music by Lauren Kinhan and Peter Eldridge Lyric by Lauren Kinhan Tulips edge the cornerstone Grass is growing green again Sweater on my shoulders sit Unfurling leaves on trees amidst The spring showers will fall Birds sing random haikus Often heard across the lawn Dandelions laugh at order Promising a sea of gold I don’t mind at all No, the heart revives, it always does The eyes will have their turtledove It’s written in our porous skin The sleeve that holds the deep within Sundays I don’t go to church One day trees will tell their tale Apples fall to the seeker Hand to mouth and fruit to cheek As natural as the day None the wiser for the taking Nature holds us in suspense Ages spent in solitary Yield the human melancholy Is this all there is? No, the heart revives, it always does The eyes will have their turtledove It’s written in our porous skin The sleeve that holds the deep within 1 CIRCLE IN A SQUARE 4:59 7 POCKETFUL OF HARLEM 4:44 2 MY PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY 4:56 8 WE’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE TODAY 5:05 3 ANOTHER HILL TO CLIMB 6:46 9 CHAUSSURE’S COMPLEX 5:52 4 CHASING THE SUN 5:18 10 BEAR WALK6:18 (L. KINHAN, A. ROVATTI) Best of Kin, SESAC, Ada Rovatti SIAE (LAUREN KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC (LAUREN KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC (LAUREN KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC 5 I’M LOOKIN’ FOR THAT NUMBER 5:26 (LAUREN KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC 6 TO LIVE OR DIE 4:51 (LAUREN KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC (L. KINHAN, A. EZRIN) Best of Kin, SESAC, Ez It Iz Music, ASCAP (LAUREN KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC (LAUREN KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC (J. YOSHIDA, L. KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC, Columbia Japan, Platonic Ltd. 11 VANITY’S PARAMOUR 4:50 (LAUREN KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC 12 THE DEEP WITHIN 4:49 (P. ELDRIDGE, L. KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC, Rueben’s Tunes, ASCAP pc2014 LAUREN KINHAN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. UNAUTHORIZED DUPLICATION IS A VIOLATION OF APPLICABLE LAWS. www.laurenkinhan.com