Album Notes

Yvonne Washington is a woman whose story needs to be told...

I first met Yvonne Washington in 2000, while playing a Wednesday night church service in Houston. She asked to do "Amazing Grace." I played an intro and waited for her to start. When she began singing, I realized two things: one, this was no ordinary singer and two, any accompaniment ideas I had in mind needed to be quickly tossed aside. Yvonne was telling a story with phrasing and pacing that turned my accompaniment approach completely upside down. I quickly went into complete spontaneity mode, reacting and interacting with Yvonne in a way that would seal our musical friendship for years to come.

During those first few measures together, I knew nothing about Yvonne.  I did not know that she was born 60 years ago in San Antonio at The Good Samaritan Hospital for Colored People. I knew nothing of her first musical experiences with her grandmother and young cousins in the Hill Country of Texas. Or that her first professional gig was with the San Saba Rodeo singing "Jambalaya, Crawfish Pie" when she was five. 

Yvonne grew up in the Catholic Church, attending Catholic school. But it was during high school when she happened upon the sounds of the choir at New Light Baptist Church in San Antonio and knew she had to be a part of that group. As Yvonne says, "I'd go to mass, and then I'd go to church!" 

You can hear in Yvonne's voice the influence of gospel greats Mahalia Jackson, James Cleveland, and Shirley Caesar, as this was the music her grandmother "allowed" her to listen to. Later on, withthe sounds of Fats Domino, Jimmy Reed, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, and especially Sam Cook coming into her life, her sound began to take its shape. But interwoven in that tapestry of her voice were less obvious influences: The Beatles' songwriting was completely different than what she had heard before; Barbra Streisand's voice introduced a smooth and silken quality to Yvonne's palette, that was absent from her gospel singing; and the movies with the likes of Perry Como, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and the great Ella Fitzgerald made her an entertainer.

Coming of age during the civil rights movement, there were no venues for a black woman to perform other than beer joints or working clubs on the road. Where she was once considered the second class citizen only allowed to enter through the back door, she now headlines her own successful group. She can be heard on the soundtrack of the Richard Gere film, Autumn in New York. She has been invited to sing at mayoral inaugurations, and memorial services of state and national dignitaries. And when the Smithsonian Orchestra comes to Houston, they request her. What has emerged from this rich and colorful experience is an artist with a voice and style that encapsulates her entire life. 

Looking back on "Amazing Grace" that day, it all makes perfect sense…her voice was her history.  
 
Now ten years later, we finally set out to record a CD. We decided to have only voice and piano for a number of reasons. It is an homage to where we began our musical collaboration. It also allows for the most expression. And with the piano and voice fully exposed, we hoped to achieve a simple, raw, and pure performance — an intimacy that will beckon you right into the room with us. 

Rather than talk too much about the songs and the performances, I will let the music speak for itself. Suffice it to say, we chose a range of material and genres that would reflect our influences, display our ever-evolving styles on some classic songs, and at the same time, try to maintain the spark that ignited our collaboration in the first place... Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound.

Yvonne Washington is a woman whose story needs to be told. It is my honor and privilege to be a small part of it.