When
Grammy Award®-winning musician Billy Childs was 11 years old, his older sisters
introduced him to the work of Songwriter and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
singer-songwriter Laura Nyro. Her blend of Broadway-inspired melodies, jazz
improvisation and socially conscious lyrics have stayed with him. Now Billy has
returned to his early source of inspiration, conceiving and orchestrating his
new album, "Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro."
Childs
is not alone in his enthusiasm for Nyro's music, an incredible range of
musicians join him in interpreting her narratives. Classical soprano Renée
Fleming and cellist Yo-Yo Ma add new meaning to her hometown ode, "New
York Tendaberry." Jazz stars Esperanza Spalding and Wayne Shorter
collaborate on Nyro's pictorial "Upstairs by a Chinese Lamp," and
R&B chanteuse Ledisi updates one of Nyro's biggest hits, "Stoned Soul
Picnic." Other prominent voices include Alison Krauss, Rickie Lee Jones,
Shawn Colvin, Dianne Reeves, Susan Tedeschi, Lisa Fischer and Becca Stevens,
with featured instrumental soloists Chris Botti, Jerry Douglas, Chris Potter
and Steve Wilson. Childs' own experiences leading jazz chamber groups proved
invaluable to creating the widescreen scope of "Map to the Treasure"
his focus was on arranging the ensemble and guests to best present Nyro's
imagery. Even after Childs' decades of considering Nyro's music, at the heart
of it all is his unyielding devotion to her art. That love is the heart of the
re-imagination of "Map to the Treasure." ~ billychilds.com / sonymasterworks.com
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