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Singer/Composer Lisa Marie Simmons' NOTESPEAK 12 Drops February 24th - A Multi-leveled Global Jazz Hybrid! NoteSpeak 12 is a multi-leveled global jazz hybrid built upon the foundational concept of unity and connection. Musically, NoteSpeak 12 explores the considerable distance between two disparate musical outposts – dodecaphonic (12-note scale) iconoclasts Schoenberg and Stockhausen to represent western culture, and AfroBeat to represent African culture – but also allows the musicians to play with freedom within these two pillars and breathe their own creativity into the groove. “AfroBeat is music from the body – no chorus, no harmony, just lots of rhythm and riffs, ” explains pianist-composer Marco Cremaschini. “I also pulled in African jazz-folk forms, like pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, and then European folk forms, too.” “Since he was talking about the 12-note scale, I concentrated on the number twelve for the lyrics, ” says lyricist and vocalist Lisa Marie Simmons. Her contributions to NoteSpeak 12, in substance and form (sonnets, free verse, rondeau prime, and others), meditate upon the ubiquitous presence of the number 12 and its various worldly incarnations (in Islam, in Judeo-Christianity, in astrology, in physics) and its metaphysical representation of harmony, empathy, and unity. Lisa is a multi-disciplinary storyteller: She is a singer/songwriter (Ropeadope ), essayist (Huffington Post, Family Stories Project, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jazzfuel, AfroElle), and published poet currently based in Italy. She fronts the poetic/musical ensemble NoteSpeak, which debuted in America at the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival in Boulder (CO) in September 2017. She was invited to be a speaker and performer at the 70th Conference on World Affairs at the University of Colorado in April 2018. In November 2019, she presented NoteSpeak (Amore e Tragedie in Musica) in Italy, Austria, and Prague. In January 2020, Lisa presented NoteSpeak in India on the Jaipur Music Stage. Ropeadope released her poetic/musical album Note Speak (Amori e Tragedie in Musica) in March 2020, which received a four-star review from Downbeat magazine. In October 2021, she flew to Florida to search for her birth father; Angela Tucker and her Emmy Award winning husband Bryan Tucker filmed a documentary about the search: Lisa & Isell: A story about adoption and the Ghost Kingdom, which premiered in June 2022. Angela and Lisa co-wrote an essay advocating for the rights of Black fathers for the Harvard Law Bill of Health digital symposium in May 2022. Her jazz standards album Lisa Meets Gianni featuring legendary Italian drummer Gianni Cazzola was released in June 2022, on Ropeadope. Lisa was invited to perform at the Biennale in Venice in October 2022 for artist Simone Leigh's Loophole of Retreat. Her new album NoteSpeak 12 is scheduled for February 24, 2023 release by Ropeadope. NoteSpeak 12 Lineup (Touring Band) Lisa Marie Simmons Lead Vocal, Lyrics, Composer; Marco Cremaschini Piano, Keyboards, Arrangements, Composer; Laura Masotto - Violin; Federico Negri - Drums Marco Cocconi - Electric Bass; Acoustic Bass Manuel Caliumi - Alto Saxophone, Soprano Sax Mauro Negro - Tenor Saxophone Federico Pieranton - Trombone Fulvio Sigurtà - Trumpet, Flugelhorn Weedie Braimah - Percussion Ernest Ikwanga - Guitars Denise Dimè - Vocals Donata Greco - Flute |
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