rearranged
#2 on the NACC jazz charts
“Being a composer is about more than creating amazing music. It’s also an opportunity to reach hearts and minds through the metaphysical power of that music.” JENNY DAVIS
Composer, bandleader and critically acclaimed jazz vocalist Jenny Davis has shifted the focus of her art to reflect her life as an advocate for change. This aspect of her life’s work cuts deep onRearranged (the Yeoman Warders Project), her fourth album as a leader. It is an album in which the art of composition takes center stage, as all but three works featured here have been crafted by Davis. Featuring three-time Grammy-nominated, Seattle-based Brazilian musician, Jovino Santos Neto. The pianist and composer/arranger is a long-time music director of Hermeto Pascoal’s band, has collaborated with symphonic orchestras in the US and Europe, and not only brings his own eloquent pianism and his trio to this project, but also contributes an arrangement to the album. Rearrangedbrings together an all-star cast of musicians including, .
Most importantly, throughout her burgeoning career, art and an activist life have collided, resulting in an inspiration and propensity to create socially relevant work, inspired by that activism. This special calling has metamorphosed into compositions that reflect the powerful metaphysical force of music. The latest and perhaps most significant example of this is reflected in Rearranged (the Yeoman Warders Project), which metaphorically describes the work that many do to stand on guard and protect others, and bring about social change through greater empathy and true respect for universal human rights. The central theme of this recording is reflected in the trilogy of compositions: “Come with Me”, “Yeoman Warders” and (the two versions of) “Rearranged”. Essentially, the inspiration for this music comes from the stated intention to promote the acceptance of diversity in society: the Yeoman Warders Project has been created in the hope of changing hearts and minds through the medium of music.
It does not end there, as proof of the endeavor ultimately rests with the scores that Davis has composed and arranged specially for this unique project. This evidence comes in the form of a sophisticated, refreshingly non-egoistic performance by an artist who shows that she can be as singularly original as she is quietly magical. This, of course, begins with the relevance of Davis’ art; in this case the music itself and – when the heady notes require further adornment – the lyrics.
~ Raul da Gama, Global Music Media
TRACK LISTINGS
- Aceptar (Jenny Davis)
- And What If I Don’t (Herbie Hancock)
- Come With Me (Jenny Davis)
- Rearranged (Jenny Davis)
- Yeoman Warders (Jenny Davis)
- Invitation (Bronislaw Kaper)
- Saying Yes (Jenny Davis)
- Calling You (Bob Telson)
- Answer the Call (Jenny Davis)
- Gemini Tango (Jenny Davis)
- Wise Up (Jenny Davis)
- Rearranged – Bonus Track (Live performance by Sirius String Quartet & Jenny Davis)
FEATURING:
Jenny Davis — vocals
Jovino Santos Neto — piano
Chuck Deardorf — bass
Jeff Busch — drums
Kurt Festinger – tenor sax
Dmitri Matheny — flugelhorn
Mark Taylor – alto sax
Heather Bentley — viola/violin
David Lange – accordion
Lorrie Ruiz – additional vocals (7)
Vanessa Littrell – background vocals (3)
YEOMAN WARDERS SAX QUARTET
Kate Olson – soprano
Mark Taylor – alto
Cynthia Mullis – tenor
Jim Dejoie — baritone
ARRANGEMENTS
Jenny Davis (1) (3) (4) (5) (11)
Jovino Santos Neto (9)
Tim Carey (2) (6)
Christian Dancy (7) (10)
Chuck Easton (8)
Produced by JohnPaul Beattie & Jenny Davis
Recorded & Engineered at David Lange Studios
Mastered by Nyberg Studios
