Nana Simopoulos

Sunday April 10th

Nana Simopoulos, vocals, guitar, sitar,
Mary Ann McSweeney bass,
Ronen Itzik drums,
Caryn Heilman vocals, percussion
Special guest: Claudia Rahardjanoto rhythm tap all Sundays
Special Guest: Dimitri Vassilakis (on April 10th only)

Nighthawks Restaurant (Corner of Christopher)

679 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10014 

www.nighthawksnyc.com

Nana Simopoulos, the internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and educator, is set to release Skins, her seventh recording, on June 20, 2016.

Skins  features eight Simopoulos originals, brilliantly performed by a band of world-class jazz musicians and first-class world musicians, including saxophonist Dave Liebman and sarangi maestro Ustad Sultan Khan. The beautifully recorded album draws from sources and influences spanning centuries and the globe, with the composer referencing various cultures and her own past.

The CD title, Skins, is taken from a piece Simopoulos wrote for a performance in which a dancer used projections of different skins on her body, creating virtual costumes. The title could apply to Simopoulos herself—the artist is a musical shape shifter who has explored diverse forms of expression with sound, including musical theater, film scores, and dance scores for a range of styles including ballet and tap, as well as accompaniment for spoken word and poetry.  She is deeply immersed in the music of India, Greece, South America, Africa, and Asia. Simopoulos is known for putting her own distinctive stamp on each performance and composition.

The accomplished and versatile Simopoulos studied piano as a child and went on to study guitar with Ralph Towner, Joe Diorio, and Pat Martino; she also has performed and recorded on sitar, bouzouki, didgeridoo, kora, synthesizer and other instruments. She is intrigued by the sonic potential offered by found objects such as tools and construction materials, and has written site-specific pieces utilizing them. Simopoulos has played with jazz legends including Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgins; world music icon Nana Vasconcelos; and appeared with the New York City Opera and RAI Symphony Orchestra. She’s performed in venues from the intimate Café Sabarsky to the imposing Cathedral of Saint John the Divine to the open-air Montreux Jazz Festival.

Besides Simopoulos’ unique musical tone of voice and point of view, Skins proudly flaunts jazz, New Age and world music influences, drawing from lyrical inspiration from sources as diverse as the Persian Sufi poet Rumi and a Native American shaman known as Owl Woman. There’s a sensual and spiritual feel in the lyrics and delivery throughout that can be interpreted – and enjoyed! – on many levels.

The result is an earworm-laden recording that is distinctly beyond category, in the best possible way.