This is a brand new CD from instrumentalist/composer Jessica Lurie, featuring Todd Sickafoose and Allison Miller from Ani DiFranco's current band, with Charlie Hunter keyboardist Erik Deutsch and genius banjo and guitarist Brandon Seabrook. SHOP OF WILD DREAMS (Jan 2009 release) is original, soulful, and entirely unpredictable - call it jazz as that's the only genre big enough to contain it but listen for influences from East European choral singing to roots American country gospel to deep groovin' funky hip hop beats. Wild, quirky and edgy, imbued with plenty of space and exquisite melodies weaving it all together. Where some jazz gets lost in fancy instrumentation, Lurie's rich vocals and soulful melody lines root her music fully in the heart from which the genre grew.
The songs on this album grew out of many international and personal journeys. "Number Six" catches up in its own momentum in a 5/4 groove; "I Don't Care if I Don't Care" is a lovers quarrel that hopes for resolution; "Grey Ocean" is that space separating 2 people, finding a way to meet in the middle; "Grinch" - the guy who is a little mean but funky; "Anthem" is a prayer for peace and compassion worldwide; the title track, Shop of Wild Dreams, something that we all look for but have in ourselves. "The Usual Things" came from thinking about the Iraq War (no. 1 & 2) and how small things matter so much, "Circus Rain" a song about Seattle storms and New Orleans floods; "Pinjur" a spicy tasty spread, Flying Man - sort of about Icarus but also about reaching out around you to explore and risk it all, which is sort of how I feel every time I make a new CD and put it out there in the world.
I am a composer, performance artist and multi-instrumentalist from Seattle now living in Brooklyn, New York. My main instruments are saxophones, flute, clarinet, as well as voice and accordion. I performs and records worldwide with several groups including the Jessica Lurie Ensemble, The Tiptons Sax Quartet (Seattle/NYC, formerly the Billy Tipton Memorial Sax Quartet), Living Daylights Trio (Seattle) , Tunneltrio with Abraham Gomez and Chris Stromquist (NYC), The Living Daylights Trio (Seattle), La Buya (NYC) and Sheqer (NYC). She has performed, toured or recorded with international artists such as Bill Frisell, The Indigo Girls, Danijel Zezelj, Amy Denio,  Ellen Fullman, Carlo Actis Dato, Skerik, Mike Clark, Allison Miller, The Pat Grainey Dance Company, Eyvind Kang, Wayne Horvitz, Booker Washington Jr., Leo Neocentelli,  Paul McCandless, Calvin Weston, Sleater Kinney, The Shakin' Ray Levis Society, Frank London, Kenny Wolleson, Todd Sickafoose, Brandon Seabrook, James Blood Ulmer Trio, The Brazilian Girls, Les Claypool, Nels Cline, MMW, The Berkeley Symphony and NYC' s Great Small Works theatre company among others. I have performed all over Europe and the US, and have received support from CEC Artslink, The National Performance Network, Arts International, Artist Trust Seattle, Seattle, King County and Washington State Arts Commissions, Earshot Jazz, The Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, The Croatian Ministry of Culture,  Jack Straw Institute, and in 2006 she was a Sundance Composers Fellow. In 2000, Lurie started her own label, Zipa! Music, and am on over 60 recordings.
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