vivian sessoms: blog

I find glory in a golden sky..

The seed was planted in stealth with great care and before I realized, the affair began to take shape.
It started with little things but more than anything, it was how much She loved you..adored you even.
I suppose that would make any lover infinitely more attractive, to be adored by one such as her, that was the first thing.
Oh.. how she spoke of you often & with pride, eyes gleaming as she did.
I can remember how depressing that used to seem to me, her loving you so, after all, what had you ever given her but heartache?

I now journey down a long, dark tunnel at the end of which is the smallest, faintest light hurtling toward me faster than I can control and I collide with it in a big, huge BANG!! Into nothingness...except for blinding.. white.. light.
Here, I can see everything...vividly, how is that possible?
I have these big bangs & as I grow older they seem to happen with more frequency where daydreams & nightdreams, conversations & memories, history, philosophy & bits of collective consciousness all coincide with life force.
For a split second who I am/what I am does not matter.
I am nothing and yet see all, know all, not with my mind but on my skin. The hair on my arms and the back of my neck raise in awareness that I am part and parcel of something else.
Something so large, so beyond me....and here is the key to it all..
Love.. is the Thing.. that thing that is the constant underlying thread to all humanity, and oh.. God.. how glorious are the dreams, how wonderful!
They're like a drug to me, the beauty, the peace, the souls who only visit in dreams.
I feel a warmth in the pit of my stomach, it's the feeling of coming home to a place I never want to leave... and that glorious golden sky..
I am secure as I journey through the space-time continuum..

Writer, dreamer, know thyself and from whence thy came, that you may see what you shall, and must become, for it is you who shall lead the masses.

She insisted, no demanded that I know myself at all times and in all places even when I would rather shrink from my jet black, golden brown, light skinned, ugly but beautiful self. Those times I was lost and thought I didn't care.
She said there was a place for me, for us, a time that would embrace us, & we would be guided and oh..how she loved you so..even as she mourned you and the weight she carried. The betrayals, the travesties, loved you through your suffering and so did she, suffer I mean, albeit silently.

She said I must love you as well, but then again I hated you sometimes too. I suppose you seemed all consuming to me then,
you sure sucked the life out of her and so many others before.
I often wonder if she wondered had she done all she could.

No matter, it's all over now but the shoutin' and by the way she could scream & shout too! Liked to shout about you to any & all who'd listen.
Who could deserve this much love especially when you behaved like a son of a bitch, beating her ass in the street for whatever reason, uplifting you or some such thing.

But she said I must be gentle with you and that I must know you & love you as myself for you would one day be me & mine.
The young are so impatient, so angry and impetuous, but not she.
It always comes back to her, my model, my mentor, my muse.
She believed us to be the last
vestiges of hope and faith who could remind the world of that constant, yet invisible, underlying thread.
Like her belief in God she believed in us....
and loved us so...


Happy birthday grandma,
I love you

Every now & then I like to print things here that have some meaning to me outside of music.

The following is a letter from Tyler Perry on being invited to the opening of a new school built by Oprah Winfrey in South Africa...


'It's Sunday morning. I'm sitting here in South Africa watching the sun rise.
I'm aware that the time is seven hours ahead of the east coast and that most of America is asleep, but I wish that I could wake you all up
to see this.
It is so peaceful here. In a few
hours I will be heading home and I will take from these ten days a lifetime of memories.
It started with the invitation from
Oprah to join her here for the opening of her school. I was a little reluctant to come and spend New Year's here because I have been in church every New Year's night since I can remember.

Well, I can honestly say that this was truly more spiritual than being in any watch night service that I've ever been in.
This entire trip has been unbelievable. From the time that I left, I have been having unforgettable memories. Like,
getting to have several conversations with the most eloquent man that I have ever met--Mr. Sidney Poitier. He has so much class and grace. The wisdoms that he left me with on this trip were worth the trip alone. Then getting to this continent and being greeted by African drums? WOW! And the spirit of all the invited guests.
It seemed that everybody that I spoke with left me with something that I could use in my life. I know that God was here.

The New Year's Eve bash was too much for your senses to take in. I
can't even begin to explain how beautiful it was.
It started with an African choir singing native songs and then ending with "Amazing Grace" and "Oh Happy Day". It was the clearest night that I had ever seen and with the biggest moon.
It was as if God, Himself, wanted to show off the heavens to us.
At midnight I stepped away and said a prayer.
When I turned around Mary J Blige was taking the stage and she rocked the place. Then there were several impromptu performances--Patti Labelle then Baby Face. He sang "If I Could Change The World".
This was all unsolicited mind you. Then India Arie sang, then Tina Turner closed the show with "Simply The Best".
I danced until the sun came up.

The next day we left Sun City and headed to Johannesburg. We drove through some of the townships. The poverty was heartbreaking, but the children were so happy.
Someone said to me, "I wonder what they dream about". It didn't take me long to find out. As many of you know, after educating thousands of children in America,
Oprah has opened a school here for girls. And when I saw these children, my God, you had to see their faces and hear their stories to understand.
When we got to the school, these girls (12 and 13 years old) talked about how they dreamed about not just becoming doctors and teachers, but discovering the cure for AIDS, or becoming President, or the Minister of Education. I have never in my life seen so much gratitude and so much hope.

Then the next day I got to meet Madiba Nelson Mandella! Life changing, life changing is all I can say.
I also went to Robben Island and saw where he was in prison. I stood in his cell. I don't think that my life will ever be the same after that visit.

I know that this is a long e-mail this time, but hear me when I say this--Let 20007 be the year that you follow your dream.
Don't let anybody tell you what you can't do.
With the help, grace and favor of God you can live your dream and bring it to pass.
Believe in yourself. All of you who have stopped dreaming, go find it,
dust it off, get back at it. It's never too late. That dream that has been
nagging you and won't let you rest will lead you to your destiny.
It's how God moves.
Go for it! It is possible!
Faith can take you to fruition..
when you believe.'

Tyler


Naturally (albeit unfortunately), the press is having a field day:

'Jan. 13, 2007 I
Winfrey's unguarded comments about the opening of her school revealed the degree to which arguably the most influential woman in the United States is still driven by the specter of her own beginnings as a poor, sexually abused child in Mississippi, and her seemingly endless spiral of desire to set the world right not simply for other young women, but for her own prepubescent self. For a moment, her self-spin veered out of control, and we got a brief snapshot not just of Winfrey's good intentions, but of the loneliness and solitude experienced by a woman who is historically and culturally unique in her power, wealth, life story and position in the world.

People magazine described the fluffy duvets that will cover the beds of the girls -- who will pair up in dorm rooms, each of which features a kitchen and a small balcony. CNN reported on the cafeteria's marble tabletops, and Winfrey crowed to every reporter in earshot about how she had chosen "every brick, tile, sheet and spoon" for the school. There are murals and a yoga studio, and trees under which the girls can read, and they will sleep on 200-thread-count sheets. Winfrey told Newsweek, "These girls deserve to be surrounded by beauty, and beauty does inspire."

Winfrey might have known that news of her students' swank surroundings might not wash with American critics, who don't bat an eye at white hotel heiresses dancing on banquettes, or reality shows about sweet-16 parties with budgets that could build a home for a Katrina victim. But impoverished black girls sleeping on nice-ish sheets? That didn't go over so well. The affronted sense that these girls deserved only bare-minimum accommodations and that a private citizen's money should have been used to educating them in bulk rather than in gracious individual style reflects our own beliefs that the bare minimum is all poor (black) girls need. And in part, it's surely that kind of attitude that has fueled Winfrey's obsession with aesthetics. She told several publications that South African builders initially sent plans that made the school look like a chicken coop. "It was clear that the attitude was 'These are poor African girls. Why spend all this on them?'" she told Newsweek. "It was unbelievably upsetting."

Indeed, criticism of the Leadership Academy's luxury is practically immoral. It's Winfrey's money and should she want to use it to provide six randomly selected babies with a lifetime supply of Rolos, then no one outside of the babies' families and dentists would really be in a morally sound position to object. But that Winfrey did not see this reaction coming, and thus did not temper the admittedly wacky emphasis on the aesthetic and the decorative aspects of her project, is unusually unperceptive. She walked right into this -- with the tawny bricks and embroidered O's -- and in doing so, revealed the extent to which she is still shaped by her own emotional hunger, despite all the money and influence in the world.'


Unbelievable, isn't it!?
Who gives a damn, really, what her reasons are?
I print these excerpts because I am utterly amazed at how racist and small minded people can be, how unforgiving and cruel particularly toward a country that has been through as much as Africa (Rwanda, Darfur..).
The woman is singlehandedly changing the face of a nation.

To really grasp the magnitude of poverty in South Africa, and what a school like this will mean for underpriveledged families & underserved communities, communities that have been ravaged by their lack of education, aparthied and AIDS please check out the links below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6224001.stm http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-01-02-winfrey-school_x.htm?POE=LIFISVA http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0105/p01s03-woaf.html

may you all be inspired,
may God bless you Ms. Winfrey..
thank you for reading..
peace&love

**stepping down off soap box**

Ok, so....
Where to begin?
I have been BUSY...
Alright, first, did I mention that on New Years eve Chris & I went to Levon Helms Midnite Ramble up in Woodstock?
It was sooo awesome!!
If you don't know who Levon Helm is, he is one of the founders, lead singers and drummer for 70's supergroup The Band.
Martin Scorcese did a documentary on The Bands farewell tour in the 70's, called 'The Last Waltz' in which Levon talks about the Midnite Rambles of his childhood where musicians from town and neighboring towns would gather in a local barn, each person bringing an instrument and a dish and just jam 'til the mroning hours.
He started his own Midnite Rambles about 2 years ago in his recording studio/barn and they've grown out of control, never an empty seat in the house!
If you're up to making the drive up to Woodstock you won't be disappointed, there's always special guests dropping in, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Steel Dan, Elvis Costello, & the list goes on.
Check out Levon Helms website:

http://www.levonhelm.com
The following week my bud Julian Velard called me and said there was gonna be a hush show at Rockwood Music Hall featuring Amos Lee (I'm a big fan) so I hustled over to see the man and his music (I was in me nappies at the time), and I'm really glad I did 'cause he was beautiful.
Beautiful smile, beautiful voice, great songs.
We met my other friends Matty Beck and his lovely wife Barbara there after which we proceeded to get nice and toasty, lol.
Check me out with Amos, Julian & Matt:



Next stop, Boston, Mass. where Kim Davis, Keith Fluitt and I backed up Patti Austin for the Inaugural Ball of the first black Governor of Massachusettes, Deval Patrick.
He gave one of the most moving speeches I've ever heard.
It was a great honor to be there watching history being made.
We have come a long way..
Check out a few photos from the evening of the Governor himself and Kim, Keith & myself:



Lastly, I spent part of last week in the Bahamas at the Michael Jordan Golf Tournament.
I went there to backup the incomparable Jennifer Holiday
(the original dreamgirl) and believe me, she was nothing short of INCREDIBLE! She sang 'And I am telling you' and brought THE house down!!
While I was there I met a few awesome people including Ricky Lawson (drummer extroadinaire), Greg Philligaines (he's worked with everybody y'all), Michael Beardon (bad boy on the keys, same b'day as me :)), Alex Al (sweetie pie on the bass), Greg Moore (fawnkee guitarist) & his wife, author Toy Moore (check out her website guys), and last but not least, the lovely Lisa Vaughn, who was also there to do backups for Jennifer. Lisa has worked with Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, CeCe Winans and many others. She was the BOMB y'all!!
Loved working with her!
Stop by Toy & Lisa's websites if you get a chance, and check out the pictures below of me, Lisa & Jennifer Holiday and me Lisa & Micheal Beardon:

http://www.toymoore.com http://www.lisavaughnmusic.com


Told you I'd been busy, hahaha..
Ok, so I know I promised my next blog would be about the 'Sundown' recording like, 3 blogs ago, but I promise it's coming.

By the way, just posted some video of live perfromances on the myspace page and I'm gonna' put some on this site too in a day or so, so do be sure to stop back by & check them out.

Before I sign off I just wanna say how much we miss you guys and we promise we'll be back soon. We don't have any Albright shows for a while but I will be sitting with a few folks, and I'll keep you all posted right here.

Thanks for reading &
keep supporting independent music..
Peace&love

Beethoven meets young Liszt

"The most memorable time I experienced with Liszt was when he told me of his meeting with Beethoven. 'I was about eleven years old', he began, 'when my highly esteemed teacher Czerny introduced me to Beethoven. He had long before told him about me and had asked him to hear me play. But Beethoven had aversions against prodigies and for a long time refused to hear me. Finally though he was persuaded by my
indefatigable teacher Czerny and said: 'Then for God's sake – bring the little rascal'.

It was one morning about ten o'clock when we entered the two small rooms of the Schwarzspanierhaus, where Beethoven lived. I was somewhat embarrassed – but Czerny kindly encouraged me. Beethoven was sitting by the window at a long narrow table working. For a moment he looked at us with a serious face, said a couple of quick words to Czerny but turned silent as my dear teacher signaled to me to go to the piano.

First I played a small piece of [Ferdinand] Ries [another pupil of Beethoven]. When I had finished Beethoven asked if I could play a fugue by Bach. I chose the C minor fugue from Wohltemperiertes Klavier. 'Can you transpose this fugue', Beethoven asked.

Fortunately I could. After the finishing chord I looked up. Beethoven's deep glowing eyes rested upon me — but suddenly a light smile flew over his otherwise serious face. He approached me and stroked me several times over my head with affection.

'Well – I'll be blowed' he whispered, 'such a little devil'.

Suddenly my courage rose: 'May I play one of your pieces?' I asked with audacity. Beethoven nodded with a smile. I played the first movement of his C major piano concerto [nr. 1]. When I had finished Beethoven stretched out his arms, kissed me on my forehead and said in a soft voice:

'You go on ahead. You are one of the lucky ones! It will be your destiny to bring joy and delight to many people and that is the greatest happiness one can achieve'.

Liszt told me this with great emotion; his voice trembled but you could feel what divine joy these simple words had given him. Never did Liszt – the human being – make a greater impression on me. The flamboyant man-of-the-world, the revered artist was gone; this great moment he had experienced in his childhood still resounded in his soul. For a little while he was silent – then he said quietly:

'This was the proudest moment in my life – the inauguration to my life as artist. I tell this very rarely – and only to special friends.'"



rip jb

Hey guys,
Viv here with lots of news.
Honestly, I have so much to tell you, I don't know where to begin! Whew..
Ok let's start with our last gig at Rockwood Music Hall.
I know, i know..I shoulda posted this weeks ago.
It was beautiful..acoustic music is something I really love doing, I really do. The intimacy, being able to be heard so clearly, every word, every little breath. Songs seem to take on a new life performed that way and it's funny how well certain songs lend themselves to that setting.
A big thanks to the guys over at Rockwood, Ken & Tommy and to you guys, we had a nice crowd that evening.
I had Chris Parks on acoustic guitar & electric bass and Sherrod Barnes on acoustic & electric guitar that evening with my good friend Noam Dworman sitting in on 1 song.
You know, I never thought people cared about this stuff but a lot of people write in and ask me what the setlist was so I'll try to remember from time to time to list it here.

The setlist for that evening was as follows:
1.sundown (title track of our new cd)
2.hair of the dog (mike viola)
3.brighter than sunshine (aqualung)
4.holdin' on (ours)
5.what have I done (ours aka vivid)
6.dreamin with a broken heart (john mayer)
7.unwell (rob thomas)
8.don't go (ours)
9.here comes the sun (beatles)
10.heart (ours)

We threw in a lot of covers 'cause there's just so much great music out there now and it seems like acoustic music in particular is on a steady rise lately.
(check out the sirius radio station 'coffehouse')
Check out a couple of pics from Rockwood below..



After Rockwoods, I dashed up to the Sugar Bar and did backing vox for Black-i, our drummers band and we had a BALL, in fact we had such a good time that Nick Ashford & Valerie Simpson stopped in and wound up staying for the whole show. It's so fun playing with Black-i 'cause they're sooo funky, I told you about them already but if you don't rememeber, check out their
site www.black-i.com.
Imagine Prince x Sly Stone, add in fresh & new and there you have it,
BLACK I.
Check out a few pics from the Black-i show below with Chris Fischer, Mike Griot, Teddy Crockett, Eric Brown (whom you can't see) & me..



After that (told you I had a lot to tell you), me & the crew headed back downtown to the Bluenote to see Stokley of Mint Condition perform with Chris Dave, Sheddrick Mitchell, & Derrick Hodge where he proceeded to kick ass and believe me when I tell you he killed it!!!
Every singer worth their measure was in the house to see Stokley!!
It was a packed house.
Check out a couple pics from the evening below, the 1st one is of Queen Aaminah, Stokley & myself and the 2nd is of Melonie Daniels, Queen Aaminah, Camiile Gaynor & me..



Ok, so I know I haven't been the best at keeping this blog up to date but since we're not gonna do any shows for a while, we're gonna keep you guys updated on all the happenings with us right here, so check in often.
Next entry: 'The Sundown
Recordings'.
Peace&love

Viv & Keith Fluitt belting out their version of 'Stop On By' by Rufus & Chaka..


Hey People,

Hope your holiday was wonderful and you're all recovering nicely from the extra turkey and pumpkin pie ya couldn't pass up :)
I gained a few pounds myself so I'm sitting here dreaming about the gym, haha..
Dreaming, I say...

Just wanna take a moment to thank you all for showing
your love and support by coming out to the Cutting Room last week!

As promised it was a killing show, in fact one of our best!
We've never gotten so many e-mails before from people saying how much they enjoyed the show!
Needless to say we had a ball and you guys all made it so,
so THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!

We wanna give a special thanks to Marlon Saunders and his crew (Arif, Biti, & Joe) for doing their thang,
and to his manager Michael Dumas, who was so awesome throughout.

Also wanna thank designer Leon Greene for the fabulous red lace dress I had on that evening, and photographer Arnold Gadson for wonderful photos he took (stop by the photo gallery & and take a look), and my buddy Tom Paul for promoting and handling the mailing list (you're awesome).

Can I just take a moment to talk about my new band?? Can I??
'Cause they are truly
OFF THA' CHAIN!!
Sherrod Barnes
Eric Brown
Casey Benjamin
Chris Parks
Queen Aaminah
Keith Fluitt
& Darius Booker

Have you ever heard of a band that has so much fun playing together, that when you try ending a song they keep right on playing!!
Have you?
Every one of 'em big uppin' each other and having a ball, lol..
They're really something else..
Sooo damn funky the only word that comes to mind is EXPLOSIVE!!

Anyhoo, we've got a lot of exciting stuff we wanna' tell you about coming soon.
The cd release, which is getting really close (we're making plans for it now), & we'll be sending out an e-mail shortly.
Also, our last gig of the year, and some dates in early January, after which we'll be taking a short break to tie up all the loose ends with the cd.

We'll be playing at Rockwood Music Hall next month on December 15th, where Chris and I will be doing an acoustic set.

We were scheduled to be at The Canal Room in December too, but that date got postponed 'til February so keep checking back on our site for that info.

Lastly, I'll be opening for my buddy Julian Velard (remember him? he played with me at the Jazz Standard last month) for a little mini tour doing more acoustic sets which is a totally new thing for me. I love doing the acoustic thing 'cause you can really stretch out and get into the music on a more intimate level.
These dates will be sometime in the beginning of January.

So stay tuned and thank you again for all your love and support throughout the year.

Lots of love
& remember to keep supporting independent music!

Happy Holidays....fa la la lah
V&C

Hey people,

Just wanted to take time to thank you all for coming out to the Jazz
Standard last Monday night.
It was such a pleasure and we really had a blast. So far the best crowd yet!

I didn't know what to expect presenting this new material which is so different from Albright but you guys put me right at ease, and I have to add that I had the most stellar band ever!!

So many people were asking for cd's after the show, we promise
they're coming soon so hang in there with us, we're really close. :)
If you didn't make it to the show there's a review posted below by our buddy Marshall Shephardson (Thanks Marshall <3)
Also, stay tuned next month for a couple shows we have in store starting with Chris and myself doing an acoustic set at Rockwood Music Hall on November 2nd where I'll be opening for Julian Velard.
In case you don't remember, Julian's the guy that sang with me last week at the Standard, where so many of you raved about his voice.
We'll follow that up with an Albright show at the Cutting Room on November 17th, where we will again be opening for the ever soulful Marlon Saunders and have as a special guest Sherrod Barnes.

Again, thank you all so much for coming out & supporting us, it was truly awesome to see so many friendly faces in the crowd.

See you soon,
and keep supporting independent music..

Peace
Vivian


'AS A TESTAMENT TO HER UNFETTERED AMBITION..'

The solo performance of Vivian Sessoms at The Jazz Standard on October 2 was a perfect testament to her unfettered ambition. While we all still salivate over the ever-postponed release of her (still!) forthcoming Sunny One Day, Vivian is already promoting that album’s follow-up: Sundown. And if the two sets at the Jazz Standard accurately predicted the timbre of Sundown, it’ll be a more acoustic, more contemplative companion to the funky groove of Sunny One Day.

Each set featured a mix of covers and originals, but Vivian as always made every song her own, turning the entire songlist into something exciting & novel. Most memorably, Vivian’s honey-slow take on the Beach Boys’ 'God Only Knows' and sweeping space-age exploration of Allison Krauss’ 'You Will Be Mine Ain' True Love' each would doubtless have brought a tear to its composer’s eye to see how wonderfully their brainchild had grown up since setting off into the world.

But no less rich and mature were Vivian’s newly-minted compositions, which are still waiting to be set free into the hearts of another generation of creative listeners…(hint, hint)

And the players were as varied and dynamic as the songs: Chris Parks, this time on guitar, seamlessly alternated between crisp acoustic plucking and slick electric sizzle; multi-stringer Matt Beck let fly with woozy lap-steel and glittering mandolin solos; Misha Tsiganov’s piano and keyboards traversed the entire terrain from tinkly trills to lush cascades, usually over the course of one song; Eric brown crisply shuffled and marched on the skins; and Carlos Henderson’s work on both stand-up and electric bass was consistently solo-worthy…no matter who was soloing.

Finally, Julian Velard stepped in to contribute deft back-up vocals and to join Vivian for some stirring duets. In the middle of it all, Vivian’s voice and presence served to draw together and focus each element into one pure musical message. She was clearly as humbled by the sterling musicianship surrounding her as she was proud that her vision had brought it all together.


http://www.julianvelard.com http://www.mattbeck-fans.com http://www.mishatsiganov.com http://www.myspace.com/blackidrumandbass (Eric Browns' band)

Hey guys..
I know this is kinda late, but check this out.
The review below was submitted by our buddy Marshall Shepardson. Marshall, whom I consider to be a real music buff, has been hanging out with us since the days of our first band 'VIVID' and is one of our most supportive & loyal friends.
Thank you Marshall for the beautiful words and for always coming out!
I also wanna thank Christian for having us at the Blue Note, my sister Sybil for contributing pictures from the show (more in the gallery), and our most awesome band!
..And if you haven't heard, Jenny just left to go on the road with pop artist Pink, go jen (she's my idol)!!
So get out to a show and show her some love :)



ALBRIGHT PLAYS THE BLUE NOTE, SEPTEMBER 1st, 2006

"It was raining, and well past midnight in New York’s Greenwich Village, and a crowd was gathered in the city’s premiere jazz venue. But, rather than the detached coolness you might expect at an event called the “Blue Note Late Night Groove Series,” the feeling at Albright’s second full-length show was as warm as a hearth-heated family reunion. Fans of all the
many projects, side-projects, and collaborations of the impossibly prolific Vivian Sessoms and Chris Parks had gathered to hear the duo take center stage. And, as you might expect, the crowd was as varied as Albright’s influences: from dapperly-clad night-outers down to your studiedly grungy village hipsters.

Apparently unaware of her own genre-transcending magnetism, Vivian was as always the consummately humble superstar, insistent upon plugging every album in the folk-soul indieverse, except her band’s own long-awaited “Sunny One Day.” Of course, nothing could sell Albright’s upcoming album better than the songs: from the shuffling bump of “A Day in the Park” to the wrenching soul of “Heroin,” each of Albright’s songs is an exquisite groove, subtly girded by dramatic storytelling. In addition to the band’s own gems, they also put their unique soul-rock twist on a handful of grateful classics, like Soft Cell’s/Slum Village “Tainted Love,” Sheryl Crow’s “Strong Enough” and Gnarls Barkley’s instaclassic, “Crazy.” Tonight’s surprise gem was a haunting rendition of Roberta Flack’s rarity, “25th of Last December”, and in its discriminating diversity, Albright’s repertoire comprised an unmistakable vision: at once darkly daring, and luminously hopeful. It’s music that acknowledges that things may not be perpetually sunny, but that always something bright waits beyond the horizon."

Marshall Shepardson--

thanks for reading..

http://www.queenaaminah.com http://www.myspace.com/jennydouglas

Ok...
so sometimes we get a little bored over here seeing the same old thing..
then again, we've got a good reason to change up our outfit, chris has got himself a new bio, so go check it out and read all about him.

by the way, i owe you all a write-up on the bluenote, i haven't forgotten. back in a jif with that.

the cover art you see above is the cd cover for my friend tim reis' latest work "the stones project" which is a refreshing and lovely re-working of some classic rolling stones tunes (with whom he is also currently touring as saxophonist).
the album features norah jones, sheryl crow, lisa fisher and a few of the stones pitching in their efforts to make this a real gem.
i've been performing these songs with tim over the last year and in fact we played the Iridium Jazz Club last week. i've had a splendid time meeting all the brilliant musicians tim keeps company with.
whether you're a stones fan or not, i promise you will love this cd so treat yourselves to something new when you get a chance, and be sure to check out his site.

that's all for now..
thanks for reading :)

www.timreis.com

There are shows and then....
there are SHOWS..

Some performances are good,
some performances are great..
some will change your life...


I once saw Labelle at summer stage and it changed my life.. forever..
It was the thing that made me absolutely positive I wanted to do music.
Seeing Prince live did that for me,
seeing D'angelo & Marvin Gaye did
that for me,
I've seen footage of Ella, and Sarah,
or Sly & early Natalie Cole on Don Kirschners Rock Concert as a kid and I knew..

Last night I saw Michael McDonald open up for Steely Dan and believe me when I tell you it was one of the most remarkable shows for sheer talent and execution of great music I have ever witnessed.
The music was as good as, and most of the time better than the recordings,
I kid you not, and that is not something you see often and most certainly not something you see in artists today.

I went on Donald Fagens site when I got home to read up on the man. He had a whole blog on Ray Charles and how much Ray had inspired him while growing up and how to him, Ray changed the face of music.
I love when an artist you admire and respect speaks so well of another performers artistry.
He also said in another blog
that nothing new & exciting has happened to music since Bob Marley & reggae.
hmm...
I almost agree..
I am a reggae/ska fanatic myself.

Donald Fagen, Walter Becker, Michael McDonald are heroes to me. I didn't know I had heroes..
I will not tell you about the show itself, you MUST go see it!

Last night inspired me..
it changed me..
I am better for it..
That is the power of music.

mama said " in my time, we thought music could change the world if people listened"

Thank you for listening..


www.steelydan.com www.michaelmcdonald.com

ALBRIGHT FEATURED ON RADIO SHOW & PODCAST THIS WEEK!!

DJ Vinnie over at Afternoon Groove Radio featured us in the first hour of his broadcast this past Wednesday, playing our song "Dunno What". The show aired already but if you wanna check it out e-mail the folks at Afternoon Groove Radio to request it.
So far Afternoon Groove was an internet broadcast but we heard throught the grapevine that the show is moving to over FM and the
show we're featured on will be the first FM broadcast!
Congrats to everyone over at Afternoon Groove, we wish you much love & success with the new format!!

We're also on The Unsigned Artist Showcase podcast this week and you can go to their website listed below and listen to the show from the site or download the show.
They're playing the title track from our forthcoming cd "Sunny One Day".

By the way, our friends Heavy (awesome band! check out their website) were invited to be the featured dj's for the global soul podcast last month and they played one of the songs from our cd, "He Who Knows" (written & produced by Heavy). You can go to the website to download that show also.
So check us out, we're getting around!

We wanna' give a big shout out to DJ Vinnie, Reg T. & Heavy for supporting us & playing our music.

In other news you can hear partner Chris on guitar on the latest Amel Larrieux cd's including the newest one "Morning" & her last cd "Bravebird".
Chris is also in the studio with Heavy working on their latest cd which is pure fiyah, stay tuned for it!

More later y'all,
Thanks for checkin' in..
Peace

www.unsignedartistshow.com www.afternoongrooveradio.com www.globalsoulmedia.com www.heavymusic.net www.amellarrieux.com

Earlier in this blog, I mentioned that Tim Ries (Rolling Stones saxophonist) & I were featured guests on our friend Mads Baerentzen's c.d., an extremely gifted pianist & arranger from Denmark. Well, I am happy to say that finally the c.d. has just been released.
I don't know if you can purchase it here in the states yet as it is a European release but it will be available soon!
You can also go to Mads website www.madsbaerentzen.com to order the c.d. directly.
It is a really beautiful record written and arranged by both Mads & Tim and we had so much fun doing it. I just got a copy and I've been playing it over & over.
By the way Mads & Tim are also doing a few arrangements for my "other" c.d. More about that later.
Stay tuned..
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just a quick note to let you know we have a few new pics posted of the village underground show.
a big to thanks to tom paul (check out his website by the way), my sis sybil & dawn for the wonderful photos.
we're hard at work on our second c.d. , we'll keep you posted!
back in a minute :)
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ok, first things first..
YOU GUYS ROCK!!!!

hey everybody,
viv here sending out a tremendous thanx to everyone who came out to the village underground last thursday!!!
it was our best crowd yet and that is most definitely thanks to all of you,
so thank you, thank you, thank you!

i was a little nervous about everything going smoothly but i
have to say everything went off without a hitch.

sherrod barnes opened for us and judging from your comments and e-mails he won all of you over just like i knew he would. what a wonderful musician, and all around guy, we truly love him.
he said he'd never performed his own show before but you would never have been able to tell that.
to put it simply, he amazed everyone, and believe me, you will see him with us again very soon!

as for our show, we started out with "oh baby" and the night sped off from there!! we coverd a lot of ground, talked about a lot, and made a lot of music.
so many of our good friends, family, and people we admire were there to support which made the night very special indeed. we had people from as far as australia, and florida. there was a lot of hugging and picture taking afterwards (val, i looked for you but you disappeared), catching up with friends we don't see enough of, making new friends, etc.

i wanna give a special thanks to limited tyme p.r. (((shirl&abby))), bella starr (shae-muah), my buddies tom p., mike c., noam d., & cisco for the use of their e-mail lists & for helping to spread the word. i also wanna give a shout out to my boy marshall who has been hanging around since the "vivid" days (our first band) and never waits to chat after, he just glides in & glides out after, lol (you're a doll)...
i also wanna thank dawn waski for the beautiful pics of the rt tour posted in the photo gallery.

SO...
if you didn't make it out this time, don't fret,
we've got more shows coming up soon.
the first one is:

Friday, September 1st, 2006
@ The Blue Note
http://www.bluenote.net 12 Midnite
131 West 3rd Street
NYC, NY 10012
Price: $12.00

the bluenote, as you can imagine is a big deal for us and we really want to fill the place up, so mark your calendars, set your bberries & get ready 'cause we're gonna add a bunch of new songs and we'll be smokin' by then!!

we've got all kinds of stuff in the works, so stay tuned
and once again,
thanks for helping us make thursday our best night yet!!
lots of love
& remember to keep supporting independent music!!
bye for now ;)
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I swear it feels like the last day of high school around here. Everyone is buy turns missing their homelives but at the same time sad to be leaving each other for what we know will be a long while..
I've been on some long tours, made lifelong friends, had loads of fun, (and shopped til' i nearly dropped) but I never went home feeling like this before..
I'm gonna miss these guys <3 Let's go back to the beginning, when Jen & I first walked into rehearsals not knowing what to think. It was supposed to be an audition but by the end of the day they were taking our clothing measurements and ordering dinner for us, lol. It was an instant party!
You know how you can fall in love with people and not have it be a sex thing at all??
Seems like everyone fell in love with each other's musicality & personalities, guitarist with drummer, bass player with keyboard player, etc.
We'd literally spend hours and hours in each others rooms talking,
hanging, vibing and then trying to kill the audience at every show!!
WHAT A BLAST!!!!
We ate together, fought, didn't speak, made up, smoked, drank, talked shit, played each other our favorite music, jammed, propped each other up, supported one another, laughed, went on rides,
played games, disagreed, agreed to disagree, and still made time to watch the trailer park boys, Family Guy and Ali G, all along the way making friends!
You guys have become like brothers to me, and I'm gonna' miss you all..
Love you lots, bye for now <3
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VIVIAN ON TOUR WITH ROB THOMAS
You can catch Vivian and Jenny Douglas McRae singing with Rob Thomas of matchbox twenty performing his solo album "Something To Be".
Check out live performances including Live8, Fashion Rocks & The American Music Awards on:

Launch.com
Sessions@aol
VH1.com
mtv.com
itunes
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LALAH HATHAWAY/OUTRUN THE SKY
Vivian & Chris wrote and produced 3 songs on the latest Lalah Hathaway disc entitled "Outrun the Sky".
Get your copy now 'cuz it sells out fast!
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DAVID MORALES/2 WORLDS COLLIDE
Vivian is one of the co-writers and featured vocalists on the new David Morales album entitled "2 Worlds Collide".
Be sure to pick up a copy.
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MADS BAERENTZEN TRIO
Due out this fall, Vivian is one of the featured artist on Danish composer/pianist Mads Baerentzens album, along with saxophonist/composer Tim Ries.
Stunning arrangements of gems like the Duke Ellington classic "Come Sunday", and the standard "Tenderly" contributed by both Mads & Tim will make this cd a must have. Stay tuned!
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KHANI COLE/LIFETIME
Vivian & Chris produce jazz singer
Khani Cole's latest effort entitled "Lifetime" on Expansion Records.
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V&C GET SONG IN FEATURE FILM
Vivian & Chris have a song featured in an upcoming independent film entitled "Moonlight Serenade" set in the '40's, about a composer who writes a ballad that becomes a hit song, their song is the featured song.
Stay tuned for more info!
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LOOK FOR CHRIS SOLO RELEASE
Thats right! Look for Chris to do his thing on his upcoming release MUDBOY/"BeatJunkie" in the spring/2007.
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V&C WORK WITH STARSEARCH RUNNER UP
Freedom Bremner, 2x Star Search runner up is starting work on his project with Viv & Chris @ SuprDupr. You can find Freedom's current single "Cuddly Toy" on cdbaby.com or on his site
houseofreedom.com
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There's lots to see here, so kick back & stay a while.
For instance, if you go to dates, you'll be able to see what Chris and I are up to on a weekly basis, if we're playing anywhere and who with.
In news, you can get the all the info on our latest projects, who we're writing with or producing, any press.

In case you didn't know, Chris and I have been working on a record for the last 3 years and finally it's
ALMOST finished. We're so proud of this offering and hope all our friends, old and new, will go out and buy it (in a few months if you click on buy, you'll be able to purchase your very own albright cd right from home).

This music is a departure for us artistically, but we felt like it was time for a change and the change feels right.
It's soulful, it's bluesy, there's an experimental feel to some of it, in that we played with a lot of elements, though overall it is a soul/r&b record, or maybe it's a jazz/hip hop record, I don't know. It just has a warm, laid back, ride in your car feel to it. We hope you like it!

For all my VIVID people, there's something on the cd for you too, but hang tight cuz' we'll definitely be doing more rock stuff in the future. Also, since so many of you ask if there is a VIVID cd and there isn't one yet (sorry), there are a few VIVID tracks in the music section, along with some other goodies we think you'll like so be sure & check it out.

Stop back often, cuz' we're busy at work on lots of things and have so much exciting stuff lined up.
One of the things we'll be working on is a cd for Jenny. Those of you who know me surely know Jenny Douglas-McRae, as we are practically one anothers shadow. Jenny is an amazing singer-songwriter whom we hope to start work with early next year. For those of you who don't know her, she's worked with Janet Jackson, Joe Cocker, and Glenn Lewis to name just a few.

Chris has started work on his solo offering as well and knowing Chris that'll be a real eclectic mish-mosh of rock/hip-hop/electronica

Just about everyone we know is talented and I mean EVERYONE, so if you're looking for an outlet reach out to us. We're usually in the middle of 3 or 4 projects at a time and always need a good song, a good lyric, or just a plain old good idea.

It really is amazing what the internet allows people to do!
It gives all of us who normally wouldn't have a way to reach people, an outlet and a voice!

Thanks for checkin' in,
PEACE&LOVE
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we've gotten some letters from people asking where the name "albright" came from.
albright is my maternal grandmothers maiden name, and in fact, i was named after her.
for as long as i can remember she wrote short stories and poetry but was never published though it was her life's dream.
naming our band albright felt like a fitting way to remember her for her writing and for her love of words. She in turn passed that love on to me...


vivian cora albright sessoms
02.03.27 - 04.19.92