‘Morning’ early pre-release EPK for bookers’ eyes only
‘Morning’, the anticipated first full-length solo album of Brooklyn based singer/songwriter Sami Stevens, will be released July 28 on Sunnyside Records. Born from a love of classic American music and an ear for storytelling, the album showcases Stevens’ thoughtful songwriting and rich vocal delivery as it ebbs between intimate personal stories and beautiful symphonic textures.
Stevens is gearing up for a well supported and publicized release. ‘Morning’ was produced by Simon Hanes (Tredici Bacci, John Zorn, Eartheater), and will be supported by four videos, including an upcoming music video and visualizer by Haoyan of America (Crumb, Mmeadows, Cautious Clay). It will be promoted by Stephanie Weiss (Ariel Pink, Dorothy Ashby, Nina Hagen), and CDs will be distributed by Sunnyside (Amadou & Miriam, Tigran Hamasyan, Lee Konitz). The album will be released with a show on July 27th at the formidable Joe’s Pub at the Public Theatre of NYC.
Full Press Release
To write a song about or paint a portrait of someone can inspire us to see them with new eyes. Applying this poetic lens, we may be opened up to new pathways of understanding one another, and consequentially, ourselves. In all of us, good and bad stand side by side, rendering us complex, beautiful, and endlessly fascinating.
These are the themes explored in singer/songwriter Sami Stevens’s anticipated debut solo album, “Morning." In it, Stevens treats the vastness of the human condition with painterly impressions and an empathetic disposition. Inspired by the musical world of the 60’s and 70’s, Stevens’ writing draws upon folk, soul, jazz and singer-songwriter traditions with refined spaciousness and a measured pace. Inspiration from artists like Carole King, Donny Hathaway and Minnie Riperton lends her a maturity far beyond her years. In her vocal delivery, Stevens draws on artists as distinct as Sarah Vaughan and Joni Mitchell, supported by lush, well-delivered arrangements.
The daughter of a painter, Stevens creates loving, unfiltered images with her work, depicting portraits of complex individuals and impressionistic scenes in our very imperfect lives. In “Margaret,” “Tonight,” and “Nothing’s Wrong,” she captures the unflinching beauty found in even the darkest moments of three women's lives, their strength and vulnerability reflected by a masterful yet raw vocal delivery. Stevens contrasts the weight of these themes with light-hearted love songs like the title track “Morning,” in which she conveys the sweet rhythm of love from morning to night, balanced playfully by a tongue-in-cheek reminder to “count our blessing,” notably in the singular form. Further into the album, the languid “Right In The Middle” captures a yearning; the bittersweet ennuie of being far from home, as Stevens' usual reserved control opens up into soaring improvised vocals which carry the second half of the track.
In discussing her influences, Stevens refers to her adolescence in rural Maine. “When I was a kid, for a few years I was really surrounded by death in this incredibly beautiful natural setting, and I think it really affected the trajectory of my life. There were a lot of suicides, a homicide, some natural death, and the cumulative affect was sort of hard to measure. Death shows us that we have to do something meaningful in life. I think it also shows us that we’re all just trying to figure out how to live. Nobody’s really got it figured out yet, we’re all just trying.” It may come as no surprise that Stevens followed this experience by pursuing a degree in Psychology at Tufts University, and in Jazz Performance at the New England Conservatory.
Complicated emotions are a strong theme in Stevens’ writing. The churning “Paint It Blue” focuses on the toll the artist’s’ life has taken on Stevens herself, laying out her doubts and fears, but always returning to the same hopeful refrain, a re-commitment to “paint it blue,” a sentiment she describes as “the sad girl version of Paint it Black, and maybe even reference to Picasso or Joni Mitchell if we want to be generous.” In a political turn, “Choir Will Sing,” serves as a testimony to Stevens’s resistance to the Post-Truth era, and her intention to “preach the gospel of knowledge not fear,” illustrating what she sees as the artist’s role in public and political life. Whether or not this role is sufficient, she leaves up to the listener; as she puts it in the song, “Rich men will lie and the choir will sing.” Regardless, her performance is moving; Stevens is nothing if not sincere.
Stevens wrote ‘Morning’ on keyboard and voice, workshopping new songs solo on smaller stages around Brooklyn. She then brought the songs in to be fleshed out collaboratively with her rhythm section, featuring drummer Bob Edinger, bassist Jed Lingat, and pianist Noah Macneil. In turning the songs into an album, Stevens worked with producer Simon Hanes to add lush depth in the form of string and brass sections, harp, vibraphone, guitar, pedal steel, and percussion, recording in New York City and San Francisco throughout the pandemic. This album may be seen as the culmination of a decade of Stevens’ and Hanes’ collaboration, as the pair have worked together extensively in acclaimed faux-Italian soundtrack band Tredici Bacci since 2013. ‘Morning’ also features Stevens’ other longtime collaborator and husband Kazemde George on tenor saxophone, who recently featured Stevens’ vocals on his debut album ‘I Insist’ on Dave Douglas’ label Greenleaf.
A remarkably seasoned singer, Stevens is often called upon for her versatility and musicianship. She has toured extensively with various groups, her experience ranging from Soundtrack music to Jazz, Folk to Soul/Rnb, Rock to Experimental music. But in Morning, the number one thing she displays is her restraint. “It’s not like anything I’ve done before, it’s all landscapes. I’m hardly singing really, it’s just about honoring the songs, the arrangements, like scenes out of a car window.” Life is full of complexity, pain and light and imperfection. With Morning, Sami Stevens asks us to look for the beauty in all of it.
Press on the album is upcoming, but press for Sami’s previous projects has come from publications including Downbeat, Rolling Stone, the New York Times, Pitchfork, the New Yorker, etc. Sami has worked with John Zorn, Jason Moran, Ty Segall, Gary Wilson, Jesse Harris, J.G. Thirwell and Fred Hersch.
Short Bio
Brooklyn-based Jazz, Soul and Folk influenced singer/songwriter Sami Stevens crafts a musical world based in silence. This summer 2023, she is proud to present ‘Morning’, her anticipated first full-length solo album, on Sunnyside Records. ‘Morning’ showcases Stevens’ thoughtful songwriting and rich vocal delivery as it ebbs between intimate personal stories and stunning symphonic textures. She treats the vastness of the human condition with painterly impressions and an empathetic disposition, “weaving through darkness, understated humor, optimism and the complexities of love." -Paste
Singing and accompanying herself on keyboard, Sami will be joined by Matt Aronoff on bass and Pete Moffett on drums for this very special run of shows to celebrate ‘Morning’s’ release. She warmly invites you to join her.
For more info on Sami’s solo act, see the Sami Stevens EPK.
For booking, please contact samistevensvoice@gmail.com