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| 16-Year Old Ukulele Wiz Killian Mansfield's All Star Benefit Album Somwhere Else is the dream project of Killian Mansfield, a 16-year-old ukulele wiz from Woodstock, NY who has an advanced and rare form of cancer. Recorded in a window of time between a long hospitalization last winter and entering hospice care this spring, Somwhere Else is an eclectic and uplifting labor of love. The album includes original songs and eclectic covers performed by Killian on "uke" with critically acclaimed singers and musicians including Dr. John, Kate Pierson, John Sebastian, Todd Rundgren and Levon Helm. Somwhere Else is a benefit recording for the Killian Mansfield Foundation, which supports integrative therapies like acupuncture, aromatherapy, reflexology and nutritional advice for children with cancer. About the cause he champions, Killian says, "Cancer is just a disease. It doesn't get to decide who I am or how I deal with feeling sick. Conventional medicine does what it can to cure cancer and other diseases but sometimes the cure feels brutal and elusive. Integrative therapies are important because these practices are safe and available now to help make people feel better. Like integrative therapies, making this album with Ralph and all the other musicians has brought me 'somewhere else'-beyond all this cancer business." Produced and engineered by Ralph Legnini, Somwhere Else includes world-class rock, jazz, blues, country and folk musicians doing a lot of genre hopping, (picture B-52's Kate Pierson with renowned country fiddler Jay Ungar). With performances by Zachary Alford, John Ashton, Frank Campbell, Ralph Carney, Randy Ciarlante, Jay Collins, Gail Ann Dorsey, Molly Farley, Amy Fradon, Scott Healy, Amy Helm, Levon Helm, Dr. John, Bruce Katz, Sara Lee, KT Legnini, Lucia Legnini, Ralph Legnini, Dennis Mackrel, Barbara Mansfield, Calder Mansfield, Killian Mansfield, Molly Mason, Laurel Masse, Sham Morris, Eric Parker, Kate Pierson, Todd Rundgren, Rob Sabino, Dorraine Scofield, Bar Scott, John Sebastian, Jules Shear, Jim Treutlein, Jay Ungar and Chris Wood-if you stacked up all the albums these artists have played on, the pile would probably reach the top of Mt. Tremper here in the Catskills. These artists have helped Killian to re-interpret songs ranging from Prince's "Kiss" to David Bowie's "Starman" to Elvis's "If I Can Dream." Sample the album here http://429records.com/sites/429records/429details/d_killianmansfield.asp The complete track listing includes: "Express Yourself" by Charles W. Wright "Scratch My Back" by James H. Moore (aka Slim Harpo) "Somewhere Else" by Barbara Mansfield "Fishin' Blues" by John Sebastian "Girl From Ipanema" by Vinicius De Moraes, Norman Gimbel, Antonio Carlos Jobim "Kiss" by Prince Rogers Nelson "Heaven Bound" by Johnny Average "Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin "There's Love In My Food" by Robert Burke Warren "Jack & Jill" by Barbara Mansfield, Julie Fogliano "Fire In My Pocket" by Ralph Legnini "Starman" by David Bowie "If I Can Dream" by Walter Earl Brown Killian Mansfield started violin lessons at age 3. By age 9, Killian had established himself as an outstanding advocate and dedicated musician. Out of thousands of nationwide entries, Killian's essay about music won an award of $5, 000 from the Entertainment Industry Foundation, resulting in new musical instruments for his elementary school. Killian was diagnosed with Synovial Sarcoma at age 11. After 9 months of chemo, two major and more than half a dozen other surgeries, several courses of radiation, and 3 clinical trials, Killian's cancer is still in his body. Throughout his medical journey, however, Killian has refused to be defined as "a kid with cancer, " wishing instead to be known for his artistic achievements. "I've played a lot of string instruments, but I'm crazy about ukulele-it's so inviting. . .. It brings out the essence of a song. I had this dream of doing fun music, music you wouldn't think of as ukulele music, to promote integrated therapies for cancer care. When you're a kid with cancer, there's a lot you don't have control of-even decisions are made for you. I wish more kids with cancer knew that choosing to eat well and doing acupuncture, reflexology, aromatherapy and the like can make them feel better." Ralph Legnini is a musician / songwriter / producer, and owner of E Boy Music Studio, a recording studio near Woodstock, New York. He began his studio career working at Nile Rodgers Productions on records by Madonna, David Bowie, and Mick Jagger and then on to production manager for music wizard Todd Rundgren, on everything from film and TV soundtracks, music videos, and records produced for XTC, Psychedelic Furs, Meatloaf, Jill Sobule, Jules Shear, and Paul Shaffer, along with all of Rundgren's solo records, and those by Rundgren's band, Utopia. As a musician, Legnini has played on songs and albums with Jules Shear, Tin Huey, Jon Anderson, Rick Danko, Jorma Kaukonen, James Taylor, Todd Rundgren, Pete Seeger, Chip Taylor, Mick Ronson, and Kate Pierson, and produced and engineered many others. His TV credits include music producer on Saturday Night Live, composer of the soundtrack for the Academy Award nominated short The Real New York, and scoring the acclaimed HBO children's series Encyclopedia for the folks at Sesame Street. Recently, Legnini stepped out from behind the scenes to write and produce a unique record for kids with Tom Wait's hornman, Ralph Carney. Together they are called Ralph & Ralph, and their initial release, Opposites, will be available on Leg Knee Knee Records, in fall 2009. Legnini says, "SOMEWHERE ELSE is a wonderful record I produced for my friend Killian Mansfield, the most incredible person I have ever met. It was challenging to make a record with dozens of musicians and singers, and all different combinations of players, and styles, on every track, but the essence of Killian is interwoven into every track and holds it all together. This record goes out into the world now, as just one of many thousands that we can buy and put on our iPods. Yet, this one is different, because the artist is a 16-year-old boy, just one step into manhood, who is already braver than any soldier that walked before him. I have not seen him complain, feel sorry for himself, or do anything to compromise his dream of raising awareness and funds to help other kids who are battling something no child should ever have to fight." The Killian Mansfield Foundation is a not for profit entity created to support and promote the use of integrative therapies for children with cancer and other life threatening illnesses. These innovative therapies reduce debilitating symptoms (such as nausea, stress and fatigue), which exhaust patients and their families. By expanding the treatment options available to medical practitioners and caregivers, patients and their families can focus on comfort and recovery. The current beneficiary of the Killian Mansfield Foundation is the Hope & Heroes Children's Cancer Fund, which sustains an excellent Integrative Therapies Program. For more information, or to make a donation go to www.killianmansfield.org. Hope & Heroes is a nonprofit charity that provides philanthropic assistance for children and their families battling pediatric cancer at Columbia University Medical Center. Proceeds of this CD will benefit one of our specialized programs, The Integrative Therapies Program for Children with Cancer. The program provides free integrative therapies to all children and their families, as an aid in decreasing symptoms such as nausea, stress and fatigue. This is the first fully integrated program in the United States that has been recognized both nationally and internationally as a model for delivering integrative services to children with cancer and their families. For more information, or to make a donation go to www.hopeandheroes.org. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |