Music:
Member Since: 11/18/2006
Band Website: geocities.com/armede/everwonder.html
Band Members: If you enjoy my music, please check out my other MySpaceMusician site called "Busting Through, at http://www.myspace.com/bustingthrough, or just CLICKHERE . I have some more jazz and world beat for your pleasure.
While I love soloing, I really like performing with others. I love harmonizing, I remember when you sister and I were kids, we would harmonize together for hours. We had a few favorite song we sang together. She has a sweet voice. Maybe some day she will do something with it. A dear friend Andie taught me how to play acoustic guitar in High School. She also had a beautiful voice - probably better than mine. Her whole family is creative. Her brother is an excellent piano player and artist. Her son is a gigging musician. And her cousin is Chris Issak. All of them have the purist voices I’ve ever heard.
I also have my Mother to thank for making a commitment to make sure I could take music lessons. She was the one who bought me my first violin. I love her for that. The violin takes me to another world. I love going up into the hills and playing violin outside.
Influences:
I started out playing piano at seven years old, violin at eight, guitar at 14. I remember sitting on the floor with my ear glued to my Parents stereo console listening to Mantovanti, Pappa Earl Hines, Mancini, Ahmad Jamal, Mariam Makeba, Jackie Gleason's Orchestra, any and all Bossa Nova, Sam Cook, Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Odetta. Carmen McRae, Ella Fitzgerald, Mahailia Jackson.In high school I played and sang folk music. My influences were Nina Simone, Laura Nero, Aretha Franklin, Jonie Mitchell, Roberta Flack, Leonard Cohen, Randy Newman, Leon Russell, Jackson Brown, Harry Belafonte, Linda Tillery, It's a Beautiful Day. Jimmy Hendrix, Joe Baker and Elvin Bishop, Taj Mahal. Carlos Santana, Al Jerreau, Steely Dan, Tracy Nelson (the original one) Lidia Pence. Chicago, Los Lobos. And of course Mr. Bob Marley. I have always loved his song "Waiting IN Vain". I though long and hard about covering it. After all, how can I even come close to his voice, groove, spirit. I finally realised that one of the things he celebrated was each of us livening up our lives our own way. One day Al Amis brought this awesome Salsa arrangement into the studio and "Waiting in Salsa" was born. Thank you Al, and thank you Bob Marley for your inspiration.
I soloed almost everywhere I could. My guitar was pretty much glued to my hand. I sang in garage bands. Rock, folk, Latin. In the early 80's I started singing jazz. The late 80's I did the Blues circuit in SF. The 90's, World Beat.
Here is a beautiful African song written by Ze' Manel. "Your young daughter". The songs warn fathers about leaving their daughters at the dance hall alone - lest they fall into the hands of a lecherous man. There are "vultures there, chicken hawks circling, waiting to get their hands on her". It's a very moving song. A song that crosses all cultures.
Sounds Like:
It's been both exhilarating and scary to return to performing solo again. To return to accompanying myself on the guitar. It is scary though, just a guitar and myself - nothing to hide behind. LOL!!! I really enjoy singing with others though. I enjoy the camaraderie of a group of musicians and I love harmonizing. Returning to California and joining up with Guitarist Greg Reginato again was fantastic. He is an amazing guitarist and a phenomenal accompanist. I also re-connected with Al Amis, Squid Viscious and David Wharton of The Palm Gardens Band. It's the classic blues guitar of David and Squid that you hear on "Stormy Monday". Steve Corvallo is on horn and Al amis is buring up the bass. We all did the SF Blues circuit in the 80's. Al Amis recorded the songs one this and my other site. I am very thankful to both he and Squid for their help. They run VooVoo Hut Productions. I will be linking their site to this one in case so people can buy my CD's.Unfortunately my "Masters" were destroyed. But if there are any producers out their who work with disabled musicians I would really like to talk to you about some re-records and another project I'd like to work on this year.
Singing with The Dalt Williams Group was a blast, it felt so good to sing Jazz standards again. Each of them are primer musicians and it was a pleasure singing with them. Please take time to check out Dalt's site listed in my Geocities web pages.CLICKHEREI will be forever thankful to Ganga of Kalass, for giving me a chance to return to World Beat music. I grew up on Calypso, Bosso Nova, and Latin music. It was a such a gift to learn about contemporary African music. To get a chance to sing in Spanish, French, Portugesa and African. Spanish was my Grandmothers first language.
I have fond memories of the Mexican music that flowed from open windows in San Berdo and Riverside on hot summer nights in southern California.These days I continue to love music from all over the world. And many of hte awesome contemporary american music. Baily Rae, Ben Harper, Ozo Motely, LLB, Habib Koite', Les, Nubians, Rokia Traore, Bjork, Talvin Singh, UNKLE, Pura Fe, Mana, LOs Lobos, B - Side Players, Bobi Cespedes, SRV, Eagle-Eye Cherry, Peter Gabriel, NIN, Aqualung, Radiohead, Portis Head, Bob Marley, Gill Scott Heron, Jill Scott, MArvin Gaye, DJ Shadow, Cesaria Evora, Henri Dikongue
Record Label: Voo Doo Hut Productions
Type of Label: Indie
