SALLY TERRELL “FEEL ALIVE”

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Boldly showcasing her expansive talents as a singer-songwriter for the first time, Sally Terrell artfully captures the zeitgeist of the pandemic era with a collection featuring deeply emotional, socially conscious originals and fresh interpretations of jazz standards that uniquely fit our collective moment.

Artist: SALLY TERRELL

Title: FEEL ALIVE

Artist Website: www.sallyterrell.com

Release Date: April 22, 2022

Label: Sally Terrell Music

UPC Code: 195269151515

Track listing

1. Feel Alive (Sally Terrell) 6:32

2. Blue Skies (Irving Berlin) 3:13

3. Choose (Sally Terrell) 3:50

4. Almost Like Being in Love (David Brooks and Marion Bell) 3:46

5. Lights and Sirens (Sally Terrell) 5:50

6. When I Fall in Love (Victor Young and Edward Heyman) 5:22

7. Beautiful (Sally Terrell) 5:08

8. You Don't Know Me (Cindy Walker and Eddy Arnold) 5:21

9. Out in the Blue (Sally Terrell) 4:21

10. Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most (Tommy Wolf and Fran Landesman) 6:41

11. Feel Alive (Alt) (Sally Terrell) 5:43

12. Some Other Time (Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Nancy Walker, and Cris Alexander) 4:55

Total CD Time: 60:47

Musicians: Sally Terrell - vocals, John di Martino - arranger, musical director, piano, organ, keyboards, Aaron Heick - soprano and alto saxophones, clarinet, alto flute, English horn, Tim Ouimette - trumpet, flugelhorn, Wesley Amorim - electric and acoustic guitar, Lonnie Plaxico - electric and acoustic bass, Vince Cherico - drums, Samuel Torres - percussion, Reginald Bowens - choral arrangements, vocals (Tracks 1, 3, 10), Christie Dashiell, Mariah Kamau, Danielle Withers - vocals (Tracks 1, 3, 10), Giacomo Gates appears courtesy of Savant Records (Track 5)

In March of 2020, a week after the pandemic shut down the community college where Sally Terrell has taught writing, literature and communication for 32 years, the versatile singer—who released her indie debut album Just in Time in 2019—began writing songs at the piano as a way to cope with the dizzying events of that tumultuous spring. She quickly reached out to her musical director and arranger John di Martino with just a few songs but a great vision—to create an album that could speak stark truth to our anxious collective moment, yet offer hope, affirm life and pointedly address just what it means to "feel alive" in this extraordinary time.

The result is Feel Alive, a collection blending five musically sparkling, lyrically hard-hitting and socially conscious originals with fresh, timely and artfully subtle twists on a half dozen standards. Alternating her own compositions and the classics from track to track, the singer creates a fascinating musical conversation with an ensemble of excellent intuitive musicians brought together by di Martino. Complementing di Martino on piano, organ and keyboards are multiple woodwind player Aaron Heick, trumpeter/flugelhornist Tim Ouimette, guitarist Wesley Amorim, bassist Lonnie Plaxico, drummer Vince Cherico and percussionist Samuel Torres. The album also features choral arrangements by Reginald Bowens on three tracks and an appearance by Giacomo Gates on "Lights and Sirens."

Feel Alive begins with the vibrant, soulful, horn-fired and gospel-tinged title track, an emotional tune about getting outside, breathing fresh air and moving our bodies as an antidote to despair. A whimsical, easy swinging waltz through Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" offers a sense of cautious optimism. Starting with Di Martino's funky piano vamp and Heick's punchy sax, the bluesy "Choose" captures that moment when we move on from bad choices and decide to live with intention. She follows a gentle, pensive bossa nova arrangement of "Almost Like Being in Love, " with the moody, richly atmospheric original "Lights and Sirens, " a hard-hitting reflection born out of her frustration about the divisions in our country.

A lush, intimate piano trio arrangement of "When I Fall in Love" communicates the difficulty of personal connection and trying to find a mate "in a restless world." A visceral response to the murder of George Floyd and more generally to the physical and psychological violence we inflict on one another, her heartrending, blues and gospel infused original "Beautiful" is a call to communicate more effectively and without judgment. The low key piano trio vibe on the Cindy Walker gem "You Don't Know Me" allows us to focus more deeply on Sally's beautiful tone and impeccable phrasing.

The balmy tropical samba breezes and beachy imagery of "Out In the Blue" offer a gentle reminder to celebrate moments and places where we make memories and find solace among the spirits of departed loved ones. Sally wraps Feel Alive with wistful spins on "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" (featuring Amorim's exquisite acoustic guitar) and "Some Other Time, " a song from the Leonard Bernstein musical "On the Town" that captures a sense of longing for one more moment with a special person.

Sally began her lifelong love affair with the piano and singing at age six, poking out melodies alongside her father, a classically trained pianist and jazz aficionado. While setting her musical dreams aside for many years to develop a successful career as a college professor, she launched her singing career by creating the popular Green Jazz Band with her husband in 2010. In 2016, Sally had her first solo outing at the Palace Theatre Poli Club in Waterbury, CT. Two years later, the Green Jazz Band played at the Lewiston Jazz Festival in her hometown in Western New York, where this year she will return with John di Martino and Lonnie Plaxico to open the festival's 20th anniversary in August. Whether serenading audiences in English, French, or Portuguese, Terrell's intuitive interpretations and razor-sharp ear showcase a gift for sharing the timeless stories of jazz. The original songs on Feel Alive mark her auspicious debut as a singer/songwriter.

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