Album Notes

Jennifer Robin has long felt that she most freely expresses her thoughts and feelings through music. Recently she has seen a lot of life and Nonodey is a beautifully crafted 11 song set that dives into the depths of this emotional pool and pulls up thought provoking lyrics that are picturesque, oblique and hopeful. Jennifer is responsible for both the music and the lyrics.

Nonodey (a feminine name meaning "little plum") is the third CD from Jennifer. The first being the uniquely titled "Fish Up A Tree" and recorded for the Japanese label Denon. It was released world-wide and distributed in the US. on A+M. It received rave reviews and strong airplay. Andy Denemark from The Jazz Show hosted by David Sanborn said "It's a wonderful collection of songs. I'ts not pure jazz. It's not pure folk. It's pure enjoyment." The CD made it into the radio trade magazine The Gavin Report as one of the Top Ten Favorite Adult Alternative releases of '91. It was highly played on College, Jazz and Wave radio. Her second CD "Eye Of The Storm" was released on Pony Canyon in Japan and Southeast Asia. It was given the highest rating in Stereo Magazine.

The instrumentation on Nonodey has been kept deliberately simple. It has a very warm acoustic sound. At the heart is Jennifer's unusual picking style on steel string guitar. Her very intimate voice is clear, vulnerable, playful and reassuring all at the same time. It often has the effect of whispering in your ear. She adds spoken word that gives it a sly beatnik vibe reminiscent of poetry readings from the early coffee houses.

She is surrounded by such diverse instruments as flute and clarinet played by jazz whizz Jeff Clayton, Dominic Genova on acoustic bass, snappy live percussion by Michito Sanchez, cello by Roger Lebow, live drums by jazzy Quentin Dennard and multi-gifted Greg Porée played nylon, steel and electric guitars. Greg produced Nonodey as well. He has produced such luminary talents as Vinx, Charlie Terrel, Arnold McCullers and Gretchen Lieberum. This is the second collaboration for Jennifer and Greg.

Nonodey is the first release on Jennifer's own label Risky Robin Records and is a very personal expression of the way she sees, hears, and walks through the world.

REVIEWS

Reviewer: BLISS-PASADENA WEEKLY. Jennifer Robin's music is a whisper of cool contemplation. Her voice sounds inspired equally by Diane Schuur and Rickie Lee Jones as it skips, glides and coos through original compositions rooted in sophisticated guitar work and jazz progressions. Her newest CD "Nonodey" (Risky Robin Records) - a lovely 11 song set of suggestion and poetic observations - even includes some sly spoken-word segments. "He Lived In Romeo" and "Morning Speak". Three of it's songs are being used in the cable TV show "Rosarito Weekend".

Robin's command of guitar is what sets her apart from the teeming field of singer-songwriters. Her nimble finger-style playing is deceptively light; a deep understanding of music is required to execute such complex work with the kind of quiet grace Robin displays during performances.

Many of her legitimately gifted contemporaries are mired in ho-hum strumming patterns that do little to enhance their songs. Robin's music, while not jazz, incorporates complicated chord voicings, time signatures and percussion accented arrangements with a jazz-conscious style.

JOSEF WOODARD - HOUSEHOLD INK RECORDS. I really like Nonodey. It's wonderful to hear a singer-songwriter with a harmonic vocabulary and something to say.

GAVIN REPORT - Jennifer Robin isn't just a bookish folkie slyly using a quartet to jazz up dreamy lyrics from her journal, she's running through the doors opened by Joni Mitchell and Suzanne Vega, adding some exciting news and sonic possibilities. Robin has a pleasingly wide vocal range.