The Like A Bridge CD is available on iTunes at Bandcamp and at Amazon. The CD can also be found on Spotify and most online services.
Lua Hadar with TWIST performs international standards with a different ‘twist’ on style; they also present both original and rarely performed songs, in several several languages. English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and Malagasy (the language of Madagascar) are represented in the new recording, which uses the Bridge as a metaphor for the connections we can make with each other to foster world unity and harmony.
Following a well-received preview performance at Yoshi’s Jazz Club, the New York CD release of Like A Bridge was a sellout on April 14, 2012, at midtown Manhattan’s SOMETHIN’ Jazz Club. TWIST celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge this year, with a West Coast release at Berkeley’s Jazzschool on June 3.
Lua Hadar with TWIST – Like A Bridge
CD Recorded LIVE at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California, USA, 2012
Released April 14, 2012, at Somethin’ Jazz Club, New York City
Lua Hadar – Multilingual Vocals
Jason Martineau – Piano, Music Director/Arranger
Dan Feiszli – Acoustic & Electric Bass
Celso Alberti – Drums
Ian Dogole – Udu, Dumbek, Shakers, Cajon
Larry De La Cruz – Alto, Tenor, Soprano Sax & Flute
With special guests Dave Miotke on jazz accordion, Emil Miland on cello & Fumiko Ozawa on koto.
Co-Producers – Candace Forest & Lua Hadar
Recording Engineer – Jesse Nichols
Live Sound Engineer – Craig Griffeath
Mixing Engineer – Dan Feiszli
Mastering Engineer – Ken Lee
Cover Photo – Kingmond Young Photography
Graphic Design – Paige Smith
TRACKS
1- Bridge Over Troubled Water (5:53)
Paul Simon; Paul Simon Music
This American pop classic has been embraced by the world and beautifully expresses how all human beings can reach out to each other; person to person, country to country, culture to culture. Larry De La Cruz solos on alto sax, adding to the rich warmth of Lua’s vocal in this world beat rendition.
2- Beyond the Sea/La Mer (French) (5:25)
Charles Trenet, Albert Lasry. SDRM & France Music Corporation
Jazz Accordion – Dave Miotke
Charles Trenet’s La Mer was Americanized and popularized by Bobby Darin. In contrast, Lua’s rendition is steeped in French nostalgia, even quoting the French children’s song about dancing on a bridge, Sur le Pont D’Avignon (On the Bridge of Avignon), performed in a round with jazz accordion, piano and voice. The jazz accordion solo by the adept David Miotke moves as fast as the silver reflections on the Mediterranean.
3- Raha Mbola Misy (Malagasy) (4:04)
Bessa sy Lola; with permission of the songwriter
A folk classic from the island of Madagascar, the former French colony off the east coast of Africa. Sung by Lua in the original Malagasy language and twisted as a samba, the lyrics ask, encouragingly, “If there is still a smile and time to share happiness, why waste your winter nights crying, hungry for the light?” Larry De La Cruz solos on flute.
4- San Francisco (French) (3:58)
Maxime Le Forestier; Editions Coincidences
The French pop tribute to the now famous Blue House has recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, after Le Forestier introduced millions to the culture of San Francisco in 1971. Along with Music Director Jason Martineau, Lua met and sang with and for Le Forestier in June 2011. Inspired by this meeting, TWIST recorded San Francisco as a funk tune with bass solo by Dan Feiszli and Hadar on the French lyric. “It is a Blue House, couched in my memory; we come on foot, no need to knock, they’ve thrown away the key.”
5- Child of Man (4:49)
Achinoam Nini (aka Noa), Gil Dor. Universal-MCA Music Publishers
Israeli-born, American-bred singer-songwriter Noa has achieved great popularity, singing with the Israeli Philharmonic and in such venues as Lincoln Center. A joyous celebration of life, this world beat anthem is enhanced by global percussionist Ian Dogole on the udu. Only the last line is in Hebrew, “I wish I were a flower or a tree.”
6- Imagina (Portuguese) (3:45)
Antonio Carlos Jobim, Chico Buarque. SDRM & Corcovado Music Corp.
Cello – Emil Miland
A mystical waltz in Portuguese by Tom Jobim and Chico Buarque, its wide vocal range is usually covered with a male-female duet. Lua’s duet is with renowned cellist Emil Miland, evoking the oneness of man and woman in the cosmos.
7- Sukiyaki/Ue o Muite Aruko (Japanese) (4:24)
R. Ei, H. Nakamura. Beechwood Music Corp.
Koto – Fumiko Ozawa
Ue o Muite Aruko made its debut on the world pop stage in 1963, known then as Sukiyaki, so that the pre-globalized world could pronounce the title. A song of dignity and hope, it was notably reprised after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, encouraging the devastated populace to “walk with its head up.” Music Director Jason Martineau collaborated with koto player Fumiko Ozawa, learning the “vocabulary” of the koto in order to create a new east-west arrangement of the pop classic, sung by Lua in Japanese. TWIST was honored to perform this song at the West Coast’s most famous jazz spot, Yoshi’s Jazz Club and Japanese Restaurant, on the first anniversary of the tragedy (3/11/12)
8- Ojalá Que Llueva Café (Spanish) (3:28)
Juan Luis Guerra. Karen Publishing Co.
“If only it would rain coffee on the people, and on the fields.” And not only coffee; also yucca and tea, watercress and strawberries, flour and rice and bacon. Lua sings this exuberant anthem of the 99% in Spanish, backed up by the driving force of Celso Alberti on the drum set, Ian Dogole on cajon, with Larry De La Cruz wailing on tenor sax.
9- Isfahan (Instrumental) (5:47)
Billy Strayhorn; Duke Ellington’s Far East Suite. Tempo Music Inc.
The Far East Suite (1966) was inspired by a world tour undertaken by cultural ambassador Duke Ellington and his orchestra in 1963, which took them to the Middle East, India and North Africa. The Khaju Bridge in Isfahan, Iran, is regarded as one of the most beautiful bridges in the world. Our arrangement of Strayhorn’s Isfahan features Jason Martineau on piano, Dan Feiszli on bass, Larry de la Cruz on alto.
10- Stregata dall’Amor/Ravel’s Bolero (Italian) (5:26)
Love theme from La Strada – Nino Rota, M. Galdieri, H. Shear, R. Wiegand. Universal-MCA Music Publishing/Bolero – Maurice Ravel. SDRM & Universal Music MGB Songs
Martineau’s arrangement pairs the love theme from Fellini’s La Strada and its palpitating Italian lyrics with the world famous Ravel’s Bolero. Hadar sings with passionate intensity: “You say you do know how to love, you say you cannot love; but you are bewitched by love!” Celso Alberti on the snare drum and Larry De La Cruz on the classic soprano sax theme.
℗© 2012 Bellalua Records, a division of New Performance Group. All Rights Reserved.
Lua Hadar with TWIST: Like A Bridge 