Two hour program @First Unitarian Church, New Bedford to feature sacred & secular musical traditions in gospel, spirituals, classical, folk & jazz
Earlier this afternoon, Judith Stillman was featured on the NBC 10 Facebook Live. During her time on the show, she so beautifully shared a piece of her composition. Her show entitled April in Paris with Poulenc, features five RI Philharmonic Orchestra members. These include, flutist Rachel Braude, oboist Denise Plaza-Martin, clarinetist Ian Greitzer, French hornist Kevin Owen, and bassoonist Ronald Haroutunian. The piece is a collaboration among various art institutions. April in Paris is not only a concert but a play as well, in conjunction with visual features for the audience- transforming the performance from a show into an experience. All these aspects aid in portraying the story of the great French composer and pianist, Francis Poulenc.
Click here to view the live stream.
The upcoming concert will be held Saturday, April 27th, 2019, at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School located at 667 Waterman Ave, East Providence, RI.
Click here to purchase tickets.
Reverbnation: Jazz/Vocalist/Pianist/Singer/Songwriter Providence RI Rank #1
You Tube: Debra Mann “The Dry Cleaner”
Mixed Media Client since: 2014
Publicity: Brown University, What’s Up Rhode Island (Holiday Feature on local musicians) The Rhode Show, The Cranston Herald/Warwick Beacon, The New York City Jazz Record Feature (page 11),The New York City Jazz Record Review (page 31), What’s Up Rhode Island, Motif, Providence Journal, Fall River Herald News, Southcoast Today: Debra Mann, Southcoast Today: Narrows Fest, Ken Franckling’s Jazz Notes, Midwest Record, Sippican Week
Radio: New World N Jazz
peaked at #46, 11 weeks on the chart
Interviews: Tish Adams/Vocalists and Localists/WRIU 90.3 FM 9/6/18; Steve Bianchi/Jazz Brunch/WBLQ 1230 AM; aired 9/9/18 between 1-3p, Steve Klamkin/Saturday Morning News, WPRO
It is with deep shock and sadness that we report the unexpected passing of Debra Mann, an acclaimed and supremely talented jazz singer, pianist and composer on our Whaling City Sound label. Her most recent recording, #FullCircle, featuring the music of Joni Mitchell, was released in August 2018. She had also released three CD recordings on her label, Jobe Records.
Her career was decorated with highlights. A Berklee College of Music grad, Debra was widely hailed as Rhode Island’s premier jazz pianist and vocalist. She performed at Symphony Hall Boston as a featured guest soloist with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra. She had the distinct honor of performing at the request of Frank Sinatra. In celebration of Women’s History Month, she performed with her trio on Ron Della Chiesa’s WGBHradio program “Music America.” She was a prized member of the regional jazz community, having shared the stage with artists including Dick Johnson, Herb Pomeroy, Gray Sargent, Marshall Woodall, Ted Casher, Jeff Stout, Ed Saindon Vibraphone, and many others. Dino Govoni, Jay Azzolina, David Zinno, Marty Richards, Jerry Leake, and Paul Angel joined her on our “Full Circle” release, recorded with Steve Rizzo, Stable Sound Studio.
She was also a passionate educator, on the faculty of Brown University and Wheaton College Massachusetts.
We at Whaling City Sound, along with the music community, will miss Debra’s extraordinary and elegant musical voice. We mourn deeply her passing and extend our sympathy to her family and friends.
Debra Mann Performs “Be Cool” at the Narrows!!
Neal Weiss, John Stein and company!
Dori Rubbicco and Steve Klamkin (WPRO NEWS).
Midwest Record review of Full Circle
JazzWeek Most Added+12 Debra Mann “Full Circle Music of Joni Mitchell” Congratulations to Debra on the hard work and fantastic album
A Woman of Heart and Mind
Jazz talent Debra Mann interprets
The textured sounds of Joni Mitchell
It is rare indeed to catch a sighting of Joni Mitchell. The Canadian songwriter, chanteuse and sublime talent has not really toured much, or released an album of new material for that matter. The last time that happened was 2007. So what’s a Joni fan to do? Catch Debra Mann.
Mann is a Joni fan from way back, so much so that she’s taken to performing her songs. The Providence-based jazz artist will be performing a night of jazz-tinged interpretations of Mitchell’s music at Chan’s. The combination makes good sense, considering the fact that Mann is an outstanding jazz performer and so much of Mitchell’s oeuvre resonates with generous jazz overtones.
Debra Mann, pianist and vocalist, has performed in the northeast corner of the U.S. for three decades. Her own artistry was deeply influenced by Joni’s music—from her folk years through her more than deep exploration into jazz.
The reclusive Mitchell is widely regarded as one of the most influential and revered songwriters of our time. Her category-defying style links the worlds of acoustic music with rock, jazz, and classical. Her lyrical sense, phrasing and poetic imagery are as visual as they are musical. Certainly, with no chance of seeing the original, why not enjoy the next best thing?
This is not Mann’s first shot at covering Mitchell’s work. In fact, the first few times were so memorable that her fans were asking for an encore. As an added attraction, Debra’s band features the mega talents of Dino Govoni (sax), Steve DeConti (guitar), Dave Zinno (bass), and Marty Richards (drums).
So come by Chan’s for a night of great music as we celebrate the work of a gifted and influential artist being covered by a gifted and supreme talent in her own right. Ladies and gentleman, on piano and voice, Debra Mann!
Dear Friends,
I hope you all had a great summer. I can’t remember a better one, myself. As summer comes to its inevitable close, I am preparing for another Joni Mitchell Tribute concert in a new venue. Please help spread the word to jazz and Joni lovers. I hope to see you there. Peace, Debra
Saturday, October 4, 2014
7:30 PM
FEATURING:
DEBRA MANN-PIANO & VOCALS
DINO GOVONI-SAX
STEVE DeCONTI-GUITAR
MARTY BALLOU-BASS
MARTY RICHARDS-DRUMS
Tickets: $25
http://www.spirecenter.org/
Websites: Paul Cienniwa, Dorian Bandy
Publicity: The Diapason, The Tannhauser Gate,Strings Magazine, The Whole Note, Audiophile Audition, The Huffington Post
Radio: WFMT
Previous Whaling City Sound Releases by Paul Cienniwa
Johann Sebastian Bach/Sonatas for Viola da Gamba (WCS046)
Harpsichord Music For A Thin Place (WCS059)
Mixed Media Client since: 1999
Telemann: Violin Sonatas
Dorian Komanoff Bandy; Paul Cienniwa, hpsi
Whaling City Sound 108—80 minutes
This is the second recording I have encountered of Telemann’s unusual 1715 publication of sonatas for violin and harpsichord. The first was made by Valerio Losito and Federico Del Sordo and released by Brilliant (S/O 2017).
These are stylistically interesting works, marked by Telemann’s immersion in French styles. The performances here are alert and stylist, just a bit broader than the processors. For all that, this new recording makes space to add to the 1715 set a sonata that survives only in manuscript, marked by some stylistic foibles.
Romanoff Bandy uses a vibratoless technique that has its piercing moments, but his playing is certainly expert. It is also favored over the harpsichord in the balances.
The booklet notes by Bandy comment extensively on the styles and compositional techniques in these sonatas.
Both recordings have their merits, but I prefer this new one.
John W. Barker
For October 26, 2018 Release
Classical
Telemann Sonatas for Violin & Harpsichord (WCS108)
Dorian Komanoff Bandy, Paul Cienniwa
(Note that the “Frankfurt, 1715” is the “opus number” of this sonata set, so it’s part of the title, but it doesn’t need to be as big as the rest, or on the same line. I’d suggest formatting it something like what I’ve done above.)
Artists:
Dorian Komanoff Bandy, baroque violin
Paul Cienniwa, harpsichord
Composer:
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Track Listing:
Tracks 1-24: Six Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord (Frankfurt, 1715)
Sonata no. 1 in G minor, TWV 41:g1
Sonata no. 2 in D major, TWV 41:D1
Sonata no. 3 in B minor, TWV 41:h1
Sonata no. 4 in G major, TWV 41:G1
Sonata no. 5 in A minor, TWV 41:a1
Sonata no. 6 in A major, TWV 41:A1
Sonata in F-sharp minor, TWV 41:fis2
WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING
###
BACH EXPLORED, a series of three concerts surveying the roots of Bach’s musical language
With Violinist Dorian Komanoff Bandy & harpsicordist Paul Cienniwa presenting a recital-series
“Dark Visions”, probes the deepest reaches of human expression, from the musical ars moriendi to violinist depictions of grief and dispair
Second serie concert:
Wednesday & Thursday, January 28 & 29, 2015 @ 7:30pm
Jan 28: At New Bedford Art Museum/Artworks!, 608 Pleasant Street, New Bedford, MA
Jan 29: First Church in Boston, 66 Marlborough St., MA
$20 suggested donation
Contact: Paul Cienniwa, 617-466-9042 for more information
Thinly Disguised: New Release From Paul Cienniwa
Harpsichord Music For a Thin Place
So, what exactly is a ‘thin place’?
Mr. Cienniwa’s describes his vision; “A thin place is the threshold between the ordinary and the spiritual. The listener is brought here through the beautiful, stately elegance of the harpsichord’s most introspective repertoire.”
This definition provides insight into Mr. Cienniwa’s (Sin-‘e-wa) new recording and helps elevate the experience of this master work from musical to a more spiritual one, from terrestrial to celestial.
He continues, “This recording contains some of my very favorite slow, meditative harpsichord pieces. I was careful to select contemplative works over melancholy ones, favoring major keys over minor keys.” Bach, Byrd, Couperin, Forqueray, Froberger, Rameau, Sweelinck, and Bell.
From the selection of the repertoire, to its preparation, to the recording venue itself, Mr. Cienniwa adds that this project was made within a prayerful, meditative context. “It is my hope that the recording will touch and move listeners to crave other meditative experiences, while also encouraging them to seek out harpsichord recitals and recordings.”
Harpsichord Music for a Thin Place (Whaling City Sound #059), is, indeed, a visionary and meditative experience. With its focused concept and careful selections, the recording is consistently entrancing. Mr. Cienniwa’s harpsichord (William Dowd, 1966), the sole featured instrument, is pristinely played. Recorded in St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Swansea, MA in high-resolution digital, without audio compression, the recording itself is intimate and balanced, with rich sonority and expressive movements. There is little doubt of Cienniwa’s technical command of the instrument; what surprises is the depth of emotion, superbly captured, in these evocative performances.
Over the years, critics have showered Cienniwa with praise. His harpsichord playing has been called “expert” (Boston EDGE), and the Boston Musical Intelligencer wrote, “Not everyone can capture the Baroque French style as Cienniwa does.” For his recent recording of the Bach Viola da Gamba Sonatas (WCS046) with cellist Audrey Sabattier-Cienniwa, KBAQ radio (Phoenix, AZ) called his ability to accompany “spot-on…perfect.”
Throughout his career, he has demonstrated impressive versatility. For example, his recording with Grammy Award-winning uilleann piper Jerry O’Sullivan was called “drop-dead gorgeous” and named one of the top ten Irish traditional albums of 2010 by The Irish Echo.
Mr. Cienniwa began his piano study at the age of six, and migrated to harpsichord at the age of 19. Following undergraduate studies with harpsichordist Roger Goodman at DePaul University, he became a student of Richard Rephann and was awarded a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Yale in 2003. From 2003 to 2010, he led Newport Baroque Orchestra (later Newport Baroque) in works from Arne to Zelenka, including performances of Bach cantatas and Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas and joined in collaborations with the Providence Singers, the Tufts Chamber Choir and Providence College. With grants from Target, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, the Apple Pickers Foundation and private donors, Newport Baroque Orchestra presented eight successful concert seasons of baroque music on period instruments. He now serves as organist, conductor, and music director at First Church in Boston, heard on weekly by WERS (88.9 FM, Boston).
distributed by: Allegro Media Group
Track List:
1 Premier Prélude 1:36 F. Couperin
2 Passacaille, C Major 6:43 L. Couperin
3 La Sylva 6:05 Forqueray
4 Quatriéme Prélude 2:04 F. Couperin
5 Andante, BWV 964 4:14 Bach
6 Cinquième Prélude 3:09 F. Couperin
7 Allemande (1726) 7:17 Rameau
8 Sarabande, Op. 97 2:46 Bell
9 O lux beata trinitas 4:03 Sweelinck
10 Ave verum corpus 3:27 Byrd
11 Chaconne ou Passacaille, g minor 3:47 L. Couperin
12 Fantasia 10, BWV 797 2:28 Bach
13 La du Vaucel 5:17 Forqueray
14 Second Prélude 1:53 F. Couperin
15 Allemande, D Major (1656) 4:09 Froberger
16 Les Soupirs 6:58 Rameau
One Thing About This Album:
A thin place is the threshold between the ordinary and the spiritual. The listener is brought here through the beautiful stately elegance of the harpsichord‚s most introspective repertoire. This recording contains slow, meditative harpsichord pieces, contemplative works over melancholy ones, favoring major keys over minor keys. From the selection of repertoire to its preparation to the recording venue itself, this recording was made within a prayerful, meditative context.
Key Promotion Markets:
Label Hometown: New Bedford; Artist Hometown: Niles; Also: Fall River, Boston, Phoenix, Chicago, Newport, Evanston, New Haven, NYC, Portland
Also Available: Whaling City Sound, WCS046, Audrey & Paul Cienniwa, Johann Sebastian Bach / Sonatas for Viola da Gamba
Press Quotes: …Cienniwa’s violoncello piccolo has a rich, dark-chocolate sonority well suited to expressive slow movements such as rapt andantes of BWV1027 and 1028…uncomplicated, instinctive…with a sure technical command, sound stylistic sense and remarkable musical rapport. They play the jubilant concertante-like second movement of BWV1027 and the spirited opening vivace of BWV1029 with vivid characterization, exhilarating spontaneity and all the requisite verve and drive, and their reading of the central Adagio of BWV1029 is poignant and profoundly expressive. Their inspired inclusion, as makeweights, of aria arrangements from two of Bach’s cantatas sets this disc apart from most of its competitors. The recording is full and resonant… The Strad
Music industry consultant and publicist Ginny Shea has garnered international exposure for her clients through radio and video promotion, print media, and her vast industry network.
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