Carmen Lundy - Changes

High Quality 180 Gram Vinyl! Re-mastering by Ray Staff at Air Mastering! Pressed at Pallas in Germany!

Carmen Lundy’s 12th release, and one of her finest ever, features 8 new originals composed and arranged by Carmen Lundy, and one lone but standout classic, “A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square”. Her core band of stellar musicians - Anthony Wonsey on piano, Kenny Davis on bass, and Jamison Ross on drums - and special guest artists Oscar Castro-Neves on guitar, Nolan Shaheed on trumpet and flugelhorn, and George Bohanon on trombone, round out this superb collection of new songs. Recorded and mixed by the incomparable Don Murray and mastered by the legendary Doug Sax, this album is sure to win over old and new fans alike.

Contemporary jazz vocalists, caught in the current trend to accelerate their careers, are often indistinguishable from the pack, the essence of their music lost in haste. With her release of "Changes" , veteran singer Carmen Lundy proves that this premise does not apply to her, rising to that proverbial summit to enjoy the rarefied air of the chosen few.

Graced and gifted with a smooth, effortless voice, Lundy has been highly heralded since her landmark 2005 record, Live at the Madrid (Afrasia). Though she has done other records since, she is back with a supple encore of original compositions and novel directions. She states that she approached these songs with the guitar in mind and, accordingly, brought in premier guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves for his expertise in dealing with subtle, nuanced rhythms. Though he lays back on much of the recording, on "Sleeping Alone" he begins with his soft guitar sketching a distant samba. Lundy delivers the swaying tempo as only she can. They combine for another guitar/vocal duet on "Where Love Surrounds Us," where the acoustic arrangement is sublime. There is a definite retro feel to this production, which hails back to a period of authentic recording methods when musicians took their time in composing, arranging and rehearsing. Pianist Anthony Wonsey plays a vintage Fender Rhodes on "So Beautiful" and "Too Late For Love," which features trumpet man Nolan Shaheed playing off of the vocals. The band is fully in tune under Lundy's spell and the result is stupendous.

Lundy attests that she is taking chances and making changes in her approach to songwriting and performing, and there is an underlying percussive element drifting throughout the selections. With a caressing style that blends intention with improvisation, Changes is that personal record she had within her. She has let it out for the world to hear.

Features:
• 180g Vinyl
• UK pressing
• Re-mastering by Ray Staff at Air Mastering!

Musicians:
Carmen Lundy, vocals, harp
Anthony Wonsey, piano, Fender Rhodes
Kenny Davis, bass, electric bass
Jamison Ross, drums, percussion
Oscar Castro-Neves, guitar
Nolan Shaheed, trumpet, flugelhorn
George Bohanon, trombone

Selections:
Side A:
1. The Night Is Young
2. So Beautiful
3. Love Thy Neighbor
4. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
Side B:
1. Sleeping Alone
2. Too Late For Love
3. Dance The Dance
4. To Be Loved By You
5. Where Love Surrounds Us