Album Notes

On AZURE, following her acclaimed debut "More Than You Know" (Brownstone), vocalist Maggie Galloway once again presents heartfelt, finely-wrought renditions of standards and Americana, this time in a deeply intimate trio alongside guitarist Anthony Weller and bassist Bob Nieske.

"Her repertory takes us through the realms of thoughtful jazz and into pure inventiveness, but always with a musicality and richness of feeling that carries deep respect for the nature of the text and its meaning. To hear her is an expedition into lyricism," writes poet Peter Davison.

From start to finish, AZURE is suffused with a profound mood of reflection-the sense of someone exploring a new phase in her musical and personal life. Composers such as Gershwin and Porter (I Loves You Porgy and Every Time We Say Goodbye) are balanced by Ellington's prayer Come Sunday, his more familiar Sophisticated Lady (given new life as a duet with bass), and the obscure, haunting Azure (a classical guitar duet, like Luiz Bonfá's The Gentle Rain).

Alec Wilder's rarely-recorded ballad Blackberry Winter glows especially bright, with its cathartic yet strengthening lyrics. Here, too, are the neglected Autumn Nocturne, and the American folk song Wayfaring Stranger, heard in a treatment of unusual power and majesty. The trio's special ability to dream as a detailed ensemble soars in Steve Kuhn's Tomorrow's Son (recorded by the pianist with singer Sheila Jordan in the 1970s).

"The tunes I sing have to do with my age and where I am in life. There was a time when I couldn't sing some of them," Maggie says. "Now I pick songs that I've lived, with lyrics I really understand. The love of music-all music-motivates me more than anything else."

A professional singer since 1976, Maggie Galloway has been performing around New England for more than two decades, as well as throughout the rest of the U.S., the Caribbean, Asia, and South Africa. Both her supporting musicians have played beside her for years. Jazz and classical guitarist Anthony Weller works frequently with trumpeter Herb Pomeroy, and has recorded with violinist Stéphane Grappelli. Bassist Bob Nieske is Jazz Artist in Residence at Brandeis University and an accomplished composer; for twelve years he toured the world with Jimmy Giuffre's quartet.

"The classic songs of American jazz have been covered so many times that it takes an exceptional singer to make them come alive. Maggie Galloway is such a songstress." - The Boston Globe