Chris Stamey & The Fellow Travelers
Brand New Shade of Blue
*digital release July 17th*
The follow-up to Stamey’s acclaimed
New Songs for the 20th Century, Vols. 1 & 2
Among many others, one of the musicians contributing to the project is
Peter Holsapple, who plays banjo
Peter Holsapple, who plays banjo
Chris Stamey’s collaboration with The Fellow Travelers, A Brand-New Shade of Blue, was inspired by the intimate small-combo sound of the late ’50s and early ’60s—a time when the “cool jazz” compositions of such luminaries as John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk lived alongside the expanding pop vocabulary of Burt Bacharach and Jimmy Webb. “These are songs for late nights and rainy days,” Chris explains. “I wrote most of it in the dark of winter, in whispers, in the ‘wee small hours of the morning,’ that magic time ‘when the whole wide world is fast asleep.’ And these great singers and musicians kept that mood alive throughout the sessions that followed.”
The music started as song sheets, in the old style: just words and melodies on paper. Members of an N.C. ad hoc collective of singers and players, known informally as The Fellow Travelers, next gathered in Stamey’s Modern Recording studio in early 2020 to read through the songbook and bring the tunes to life. “I’d put down a rudimentary piano pass, then hand out the sheets,” Stamey explains, “and let the players take it from there.” First up was vocalist Brett Harris, who became the primary singer on the set and was joined by the accomplished trio of Charles Cleaver (piano), Dan Davis (drums), and Jason Foureman (acoustic bass), with Chris on guitar. (read more HERE)
In his liner notes, Chris writes, "These songs were primarily written, unexpectedly, in November 2019. Initial sessions were held in early 2020 at Modern Recording (Chapel Hill, N.C.), but come March all stopped. Then tracks were completed ad hoc in alcoves and crannies, with microphones arriving by morning post, while sheltering in place."
Watch the preview trailer from Omnivore Recordings
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