NEW RELEASE: Lauren Henderson's 'MUSA' - Due Out June 11th, 2021 via Brontosaurus Records

Award-winning singer, composer and bilingual lyricist Lauren Henderson honors her cultural and musical heritages with release of Musa, due out June 11th, 2021 via Brontosaurus Records

Acclaimed vocalist-composer and lyricist Lauren Henderson returns with her most  personal gesture to date. A multilingual rumination on themes of love and longing, Musa explores existing connections — and creates new relationships — among Henderson’s mingling lineages.  

Toward the beginning of the pandemic, the New York artist sought to record an album  braiding together traditions that influence her sound. “I wanted my next record to blend  jazz, flamenco and Afro-Latinx music” says Henderson, “kind of melding all that makes me me, culturally and musical identity-wise.”  

Due out on June 11th, 2021 via Henderson’s label Brontosaurus Records, Musa — her eighth release as a leader  — features eleven tracks of original compositions and vibrant interpretations of standard tunes, including “I Concentrate on You,” “Wild is the Wind” and Valerie Parks Brown’s, “Forget Me.” Layer by layer, the lattermost title — Musa’s first single release — reveals an undercurrent of intensity pervading Henderson’s expression. Through each satin-swaddled lyric, she intuits dynamic tension and release. Her unrelenting awareness serves every dimension of the music. “I love being a musician because we’re always learning and we’re always growing,” says Henderson, who assembled a deft and dextrous outfit to interpret Musa’s range of identity. “Some of these songs blend jazz, R&B and soul; others incorporate flamenco, so I had to ask, ‘Who would be perfect for this record?’” 

“This is jazz mastery” — DownBeat Magazine

Core personnel includes Sullivan Fortner on piano, Eric Wheeler on bass and Joe Dyson on drums. When Henderson felt ready to share her music, she went straight to Fortner, her longtime collaborator who has played on all her leader releases since 2011. “Sullivan is the first person I usually go to to share my original music,” she says, “just to get feedback from someone I trust, someone I know will give their honest opinion of what they think about the music.” Following a socially distant duo rehearsal, Henderson set the record dates.

Throughout the recording, Henderson engages a complexity of both musical and cultural identities, allowing them to influence the direction of the music in a head-on and  multidimensional way. The sound she sought for each track emerged as bold, textural and authentic. After laying down mixes at Flux Studios in Manhattan — under the direction of  studio engineer Daniel Sanint — Henderson sent tracks to extended ensemble members, trumpet player-composer Marquis Hill; electric guitarist Nick Tannura; stage, screen and studio performer Daniel J. Watts; Madrid-based flamenco guitarist Paco Soto; and legendary flamenco percussionist Sabu Porrina. “Paco is an amazing flamenco guitarist,” says Henderson, who met the Spanish artist when she spent a semester abroad in Spain. The two developed a friendship and creative partnership via Instagram, “Like a lot of other millennials [laughs].” 

“Somewhere between a comforting whisper and a cogent declaration” — The New York Times 

“As a composer, I really want to honor honesty and integrity,” says Henderson. “As a  vocalist, it’s my responsibility to deliver a story to the listener and share my interpretation of the story. I just try to be kind of simple with my compositions and let things breathe. It’s been such an honor — and a blessing — to work with the people I’ve been able to call because they add so much life and their own voice to the music.” 

Wheeler casts vivid shadows of tension and tenderness on “La Marejada” as Soto’s guitar radiates across Henderson’s melodies and interludes. Full of grace and syncopation, “Luz” features signature interplay between Henderson and Fortner buoyed by Dyson’s nuanced and reflexive touch. “Wild is the Wind” reveals the impact of intimacy — contemplative, purposeful and engaging a conflux of time feels. The album’s sole English-lyric original  “Leeward” presents a hymn to the enduring nature of love. Hill’s lustrous conversational melody and moments of self-talk call and response serve the mood’s surrender. Porrina joins the ensemble for the album’s title track, providing textural dimension and resonating authenticity.  

Composing for her own sound has taken Henderson on a journey of self-discovery. She found her shy disposition could become the focal point of her music — the most intimate aspect of her expression. “I’m not a belter,” says Henderson. “It’s more nuanced. While intensity is a powerful tool that we can use in a beautiful way and in a positive way, I can be more private at times, and I think I bring some of that to the stage. I’m so grateful for people who take the time to listen. I’m saying more with less and people have to listen to be able to receive it.” 

1. “I Concentrate On You” feat. Paco Soto, Sullivan Fortner, Eric Wheeler & Joe Dyson

2. “La Marejada” feat. Paco Soto, Sullivan Fortner, Eric Wheeler & Joe Dyson

3. “Forget Me” feat. Marquis Hill, Sullivan Fortner, Eric Wheeler & Joe Dyson

4. “Corazón, No Llores” feat. Nick Tannura, Sullivan Fortner, Eric Wheeler & Joe Dyson

5. “Wild Is The Wind” feat. Sullivan Fortner, Eric Wheeler & Joe Dyson

6. “Luz” feat. Sullivan Fortner, Eric Wheeler & Joe Dyson

7. “Leeward” feat. Marquis Hill, Sullivan Fortner, Eric Wheeler & Joe Dyson

8. “Ahora” feat. Sullivan Fortner, Eric Wheeler & Joe Dyson

9. “The Sweetest Sounds” feat. Paco Soto, Sullivan Fortner, Eric Wheeler & Joe Dyson

10. “Musa” feat. Paco Soto, Sullivan Fortner, Eric Wheeler, Joe Dyson & Sabú Porrina

11. BONUS TRACK: “Leeward (Love)” feat. Daniel J. Watts, Marquis Hill, Sullivan Fortner, Eric Wheeler & Joe Dyson

Lauren Henderson (voice)

Sullivan Fortner (piano)

Eric Wheeler (bass)

Joe Dyson (drums)

Daniel J. Watts (spoken word)

Marquis Hill (trumpet)

Paco Soto (guitar)

Arrangements: Lauren Henderson & Sullivan Fortner

Recorded at Flux Studios NYC (New York, NY Feb 11th & 12th of 2021)

Produced by Lauren Henderson

Brontosaurus Records

Recording and Mixing Engineer: Daniel Sanint

Mastering Engineer: Oscar Zambrano

Lauren Henderson Website

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Lauren Henderson - Riptide (BRONTOSAURUS RECORDS 2018)

STORIES OF LOVE AND LOSS DEFINE

JAZZ VOCALIST LAUREN HENDERSON’S SECOND ALBUM OF 2018 RIPTIDE (EP)

Vocalist, composer, and arranger LAUREN HENDERSON is having an exceptionally busy year. Besides a full touring schedule, which includes performances in several European countries, she’s releasing two CDs in 2018. Ármame was released in March and received stellar reviews for both her vocal performance and her original compositions. RIPTIDE, her second recording project of the year, is an EP comprising six of her original tunes that explore a complex and tumultuous relationship.

RIPTIDE is Henderson’s fourth CD. Each of her projects stands as a chronicle of her growth as an artist. She began making a reputation for herself with her first recording in 2011, when she was still in her early twenties. The eponymously titled Lauren Henderson featured mostly jazz standards. She began including her own writing on La Madrugada, her 2015 release. Midwest Record said of the CD, “She has this special knack for being cutting edge and retro at the same time. An interesting feat when it can be pulled off as skillfully as Henderson does. Sophisticated listening for sophisticated ears.”

Henderson’s music is strongly inflected with jazz, Latin, soul, and fusion elements, and it also reflects her multicultural background. Her mother is the daughter of immigrants from Panama and Montserrat, and her father is African-American with roots in the Caribbean. Although her parents aren’t professional musicians (her father was a dean at MIT and her mother a vice president at Fidelity Investments), Henderson credits them with her love of music. “I heard jazz when I was still in the womb. I think my father put speakers up to my mother’s belly,” quips Henderson. “My father is pretty much a jazz historian, and I probably got 99% of my early music education from him.” She began studying piano at the age of seven, and although she only plays piano these days when she’s composing or rehearsing a song, her technical knowledge of music clearly informs her singing.

Henderson has been shuttling back and forth between New York City and Miami for her performances, and to Providence, R.I., where she’s attending Wheaton College to earn an MBA degree. Besides being a musician, she’s also a businesswoman. She began her own record label, called Brontosaurus Records, which she would like to grow into a small, boutique company that will maximize profits for the artists.

The musical milieus in New York and Miami are quite different and offer Henderson the opportunity to focus on the full range of her musical interests. Miami has a large Cuban population, and Henderson sings a lot of Latin music when she performs there, but she feels the Miami audiences are also more amenable to R&B elements. The New York jazz scene is more attuned to straightahead jazz, though Henderson enjoys fusing all the different styles wherever she performs.

Henderson engaged some up-and-coming jazz stars from both New York and Miami to appear on RIPTIDE. Based in New York, CHRIS PATTERSHALL, who plays piano, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, and synthesizer on this disc,  was recently named by Wynton Marsalis as one of the top five jazz musicians under 30 to watch. He’s also the recipient of the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer’s Award. JOE SAYLOR is another New York mainstay.

He plays percussion in Jon Batiste's Stay Human, the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Bass player ERIC ENGLAND is a versatile, first-call musician in the Miami area. He’s performed with some of the top names in the jazz and pop worlds, including Jon Secada, Lil Wayne, and Rihanna. Henderson says, “When we play, it’s almost like a jam session. Of course, I lay down the groundwork and give the musicians the charts, but I know how talented they are, and I trust their instincts. I haven’t been disappointed yet.”

Henderson’s voice is sultry and soulful. Whether she’s singing in English or Spanish, she has a sure sense of swing that doesn’t rely on melisma or pyrotechnics. Her music aims for your heart rather than your head.

She opens the CD with “Ámame,” which means “love me” in Spanish. The bouncy, Latin-tinged song is about the first blush of love. “Riptide,” the title tune, has a strong, rhythmic feel. The song explores the contradictions you start to experience in a relationship and the feeling of being pulled down by forces out of your control. In “Separate,” Henderson writes about the moment you realize the relationship has failed and it’s time to break up.

“Bahito” has a mysterious, almost trippy feel. The song reflects on the empty, lost feelings you have as you move through your days after the break up. “Ennui” sets in when you know the relationship is never going to work. Henderson ends the CD with a more upbeat feel. “Slow Control” involves getting back control of your life and emotions and the feeling of letting go.

Lauren Henderson is a rising jazz star. She’s talented, smart, and driven to make interesting, multicultural, multi-textural music. She’s been growing her audiences in jazz clubs and up and down the East Coast and around Europe, and she’ll soon be breaking into the African music market with a tour in South Africa scheduled for early 2019.

featuring

LAUREN HENDERSON  vocals

CHRIS PATTISHALL   piano, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, synthesizer, Mellotron

ERIC ENGLAND  double bass, electric bass

JOE SAYLOR  drums, percussion

Music & Lyrics by Lauren Henderson

tracks

1. ÁMAME  3:21

2. RIPTIDE  3:01

3. SEPARATE  4:38

4. BAJITO  5:27

5. ENNUI  6:52

6. SLOW CONTROL  4:03