Album Notes

Larissa Jaye’s "All This Empty Sky" was released on Rella Records in September of 2006, to commemorate the five-year anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center. An ethereal and futuristic firsthand narrative that speaks to the concept of historical tragedy as big-screen blockbuster, "All This Empty Sky" is a piece that Jaye conceived in the immediate aftermath of September 11th, but one whose first draft took almost two years to complete.

"It was not an easy thing for me to write, but something that I needed to get out, to get through---like a lot of people at that time, it was tough for me to find any sort of empowerment in all of the sadness and the fear of day-to-day New York; writing was the only kind of healing I could get inside of and connect to. It was painful, though I felt like I still needed to give something more, even if it was just my own expression of the events," she says.

A five-time recipient of the ASCAPLUS Award for recognition as a songwriting talent on the rise, Jaye was still looking to give more, and saw opportunity in the business of her art. In late 2005, Jaye enlisted the help of NYC producer, studio owner and friend Scott Jacoby (John Legend, Jess Klein, Antje Duvekot) whose inspirations finally brought "Empty Sky" to life through the addition of such haunting and imagery-rich elements as live strings and marching drum. As their finished product began to accumulate affective reactions from music industry on both coasts, Jaye decided that September 2006 would be timely for an independent release.

"What we did with this song...it was really intense; I’m extremely proud of it---the end result couldn’t be more of what I wanted for it. I don’t doubt that it will find its place...but all of a sudden I realized that we’re five years removed [from 9/11]...and for better or worse there will always be organizations that could benefit from donations through the sales of this track."

Consequently, "All This Empty Sky" has been available since 2006 as a special edition commemorative benefit single; a portion of each sale is marked for donation to the American Red Cross and to NYC’s Tuesday’s Children. Tuesday's Children is a non-profit family service organization designed to address the ongoing needs of thousands of children who have suffered the defining loss of a parent to the terrorism of 9/11.

To sign up to receive email updates on this and future projects, please visit Jaye’s website at www.larissajaye.com. More information can also be found at www.rellarecords.com. Jaye is currently celebrating the release of her first all-original full-length album, NEW LEAVES OVER, and continues to write and perform in and around New York City.