LAUREN KINHANCIRCLE

IN A SQUARE

CIRCLE IN A SQUAREMY PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLYANOTHER HILL TO CLIMBCHASING THE SUNI’M LOOKIN’ FOR THAT NUMBERTO LIVE OR DIEPOCKETFUL OF HARLEMWE’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE TODAYCHAUSSURE’S COMPLEXBEAR WALKVANITY’S PARAMOURTHE DEEP WITHIN

HI-FIDELITY DOTI-1001

CIRCLE IN A SQUARE Music by Lauren Kinhan & Ada Rovatti

Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

Andy Ezrin, Fender Rhodes Ben Wittman, drums + percussion

Will Lee, bass Randy Brecker, trumpet

Lauren Kinhan, Marlon Saunders, Ella Marcus, backround vocals

MY PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLYMusic and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

Andy Ezrin, piano David Finck, bass

Ben Wittman, drums Joel Frahm, Soprano Saxophone

ANOTHER HILL TO CLIMBMusic & Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

String quartet arrangement by Rob MounseyAndy Ezrin, piano David Finck, bass

Ben Wittman, drumsSara Caswell (1st violin), Joseph Brent (2nd violin),

Lois Martin (viola), Jody Redhage (cello)

CHASING THE SUNMusic by Lauren Kinhan

Andy Ezrin, piano David Finck, bass Ben Wittman, drums + percussion Aaron Heick, alto flute Romero Lubambo, guitar

I’M LOOKIN’ FOR THAT NUMBERMusic & Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

Horn arrangement by Lauren KinhanAndy Ezrin, piano and B3 organ David Finck, bass Ben Wittman, drums Donny McCaslin, tenor saxophone John Bailey, flugel horn

TO LIVE OR DIEMusic & Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

Andy Ezrin, piano David Finck, bass Ben Wittman, drums + percussion Romero Lubambo, guitar

LAUREN KINHAN CIRCLE IN A SQUARE

POCKETFUL OF HARLEMMusic by Lauren Kinhan & Andy Ezrin

Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

Andy Ezrin, piano Will Lee, bass

Ben Wittman, drums + percussion Chuck Loeb, guitar

Lauren Kinhan, background vocals

WE’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE TODAYMusic & Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

Andy Ezrin, piano David Finck, bass

Ben Wittman, drums

CHAUSSURE’S COMPLEXMusic & Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

Andy Ezrin, piano David Finck, bass

Ben Wittman, drums + percussion Gary Versace, accordion

BEAR WALKMusic by Jiro Yoshida, Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

Andy Ezrin, piano Will Lee, bass Ben Wittman, drums Randy Brecker, trumpet

VANITY’S PARAMOURMusic and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

Andy Ezrin, piano David Finck, bass Ben Wittman, drums Donny McCaslin, tenor saxophone

THE DEEP WITHINMusic by Peter Eldridge & Lauren Kinhan Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

Peter Eldridge, piano David Finck, bass Ben Wittman, drums Joel Frahm, tenor saxophone

LAUREN KINHANCIRCLE IN A SQUARE

T he first thing you notice is her voice, and then her savvy choices. Lauren Kinhan possesses a rare and beautiful instrument, tough and tender, clear and fine-grained in

every register, whether she’s dipping down into husky chest tones or ascending into silvery head tones. With her glorious sound, she could sing anything and make it a memorable lis-tening experience, but Kinhan is defining herself as an artist by creating her own material, making a compelling case that 21st century jazz singers can thrive outside the context of the American Songbook. Rooted in jazz’s improvisational impera-tive, she knows that you best celebrate the music by remaking it in your own image. “Think of me as a horn player who sings a lyric or a dancer filling a phrase, a reedy voice that’s lived in, adventurous and unapologetic,” Kinhan says. “It all circles around living in the moment, telling a story and letting conven-tions be undressed and re-outfitted.”

Circle in a Square is only Kinhan’s third release under her own name, but she’s already established a vivid identity as a songwriter with a gift for capturing the emotional currents of everyday life. She made a powerful first impression with 2000’s Hardly Blinking, an eclectic program of original songs exploring an array of topics and instrumental textures. A de-cade later, she followed up with the highly personal Avalon, an album deeply informed by her experience of motherhood, and the pleasures and challenges of family life. In many ways Circle In a Square picks up where Avalon left off, evoking the numinous possibilities in a flirty pair of shoes, a familiar mel-ody, or an insinuating groove.

Part of what makes Circle in a Square so revelatory is that it provides a rare 360-degree glimpse into Kinhan’s musical world. She wrote all the lyrics and almost all the music for ev-ery piece, and shaped each arrangement working with her core rhythm section of pianist/keyboardist Andy Ezrin and drummer Ben Wittman (the well-traveled Will Lee and David Finck di-vide bass duties). The steady personnel provides a cohesive feel throughout the album, while an all-star gallery of special guests contributes instrumental commentary and eloquent so-los, such as Brazilian guitar great Romero Lubambo’s perfectly sculpted acoustic passage on the intricate, lyric-less “Chasing the Sun” and trumpet maestro Randy Brecker’s melodically charged passage on the title track.

Let’s talk about that title track, which opens the album. “It’s a bird/It’s a plane” Kinhan sings, but instead of a Superman sighting she’s hailing music itself. Sounding like a cross be-tween Donald Fagen and Joni Mitchell, the song captures the evocative power of a record spinning on a turntable with a finely etched lyric married to a seductive melody that embod-ies the very transportive power Kinhan describes. It’s a bra-vura performance, and everything that follows lives up to its implicit promise. She often makes brilliant use of contrasting musical elements, like the way the jagged piano figure sets off the long sinuous melody of “My Painted Lady Butterfly” (a song tied together by Joel Frahm’s serpentine soprano sax solo). She summons the intensity of a gospel singer on the deceptively languorous “Another Hill to Climb,” which initial-ly sounds like an uplifting anthem but instead unfolds as a cautionary tale. Whether rapturously becalmed (“The Deep Within”), on the good-time prowl (“Pocketful of Harlem”), or tormented by the search for unknowable answers (“To Live or Die”), Kinhan turns each piece into a self-contained emotional narrative driven by her unerring musical taste.

A master at folding her particular gifts into collaborations with other musicians, Kinhan has spent her illustrious career keeping superlative company. None other than avant-garde legend Ornette Coleman gave her an early boost, featuring Kinhan on “Don’t You Know by Now,” a ravishing tune from his 1996 album Sound Museum, Three Women. He was so taken with her voice and presence that he invited her to re-prise the song with him at Lincoln Center and to sing one of her originals. But she’s best known as a singer who thrives amongst fellow vocalists, particularly for her ongoing 20-year tenure with New York Voices. She’s also a founding member of two other vocal supergroups, the quintet Moss (with Luciana Souza, Kate McGarry, Theo Bleckmann, and Peter Eldridge), and the trio JaLaLa (with Janis Siegel and Laurel Massé). But there’s no denying the scope and power of Kinhan’s individual vision. With Circle in a Square she fully reveals herself as an inspired singer and songwriter whose voice gains depth with every listen.

Andrew Gilbert is a music writer in Berkeley, Calif. who writes for the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, JazzTimes and other publications.

ANDY EZRIN BEN WITTMAN DAVID FINCK WILL LEE

with SPECIAL GUESTSRANDY BRECKERROMERO LUBAMBOCHUCK LOEB DONNY MCCASLINJOEL FRAHMGARY VERSACE and PETER ELDRIDGE

I would first like to thank my dear friend and partner Elliot Scheiner for making this one of the most creative and pleasurable recording experiences of my life. You create

an environment of trust and respect that everyone thrives in. Thank you for opening your home to me and sharing your won-derful family (that means you Diana). Which leads me to your talented and charming son, Mathew Scheiner, who began en-gineering our vocal sessions and quickly became a core part of the realization of the project. Awright, now! Thank you to my trio extraordinaire. Whether the formation was Andy, Ben and David or Andy, Ben and Will, you guys gave me such rich and nuanced performances. Andy, thank you for the extra care in preparing for the session. You are an exquisite musician and human being. Ben, we have shared all three of my solo proj-ects together and on each one you graced it with your artist-ry, generosity of spirit and taught me so much along the way. David, thank you for bringing your magnificent sound and vibe to the music. And Will, wow, what a thrill to have you be a part of this. You bring so much more than personality and good wardrobe, you are all about the music. Your attention to detail and willingness to explore showed your heart and why you are the Cat and always will be the Cat!

Thank you to my very special guests who took this from a love-ly trio and voice record to a densely layered chocolate cake. Randy, you are a master and one heck of a cool dude. Romero, you gave the songs that extra helping of passion and groove that I was looking for. Chuck, I’m so honored we found a way for you to add your incredible voice to the “Pocket.” Gary, what can I say, I’m still laughing and crying at the same time, you are an extraordinary musician and nailed the vibe on the French bistro piece. Joel, you never cease to amaze me with your

heart. You just know how to get to the essence of the music and say the most profound things. Donny, having known you from our Berklee College of Music days, you are that unique and powerful voice that comes along once in a lifetime. And Peter, my dear friend and colleague, I know my musical life is grander because of you.

Thank you Rob Mounsey for the delicious string quartet ar-rangement that was in turn so divinely played by Jody Red-hage, Sara Caswell, Joseph Brent and Lois Martin. Thanks to Aaron Heick for adding the deep moan of the Alto flute on “Chasing the Sun.” And a big hug to my dear friend Marlon Saunders for “whooping up” the “Circle in the Square” vocals, along with my talented daughter Ella Marcus who is becoming quite the beautiful singer and musician.

Thank you to Ada Rovatti, Jiro Yoshida, Andy Ezrin and Peter Eldridge for your wonderful contributions to the compositions.

Much gratitude to Michael Brorby at Acoustic Recording and Cynthia Daniels at Monk Music Studios. Sandrine Lee for the beautiful photos and vision, Burton Yount for another exquisite package, and the talented Flynn Pyykkonen and Madeleleine Cooke. Also, thank you to Melissa Hammons for helping me hold all the pieces together on the big tracking days.

Thank you to Ann Braithwaite, Max Horowitz, Andy Gilbert, Jonas Herbsman, Linda Lorence, and Pat Rustici for the pro-fessional support.

A special shout out goes to my Kickstarter family that got this whole thing started. I could not have done it without you. Thanks to Steve Ridley, Peter Gontha and Stephanie Barada for your special generosity and faith.

Thank you to my mom, brothers and sisters, close knit friends and extended family in New York Voices for your constant support. Heartfelt thanks to Paul Slifer, Amy Estrin, Don Frank, Linda Kinhan, David Kinhan, Char Fitzpatrick, and Sarah Slifer for your fine art creations for this project. And finally, thank you to my husband Rob and daughter Ella for sharing this dream with me everyday and making our life one big circle of love, art and laughter.

CIRCLE IN A SQUAREMusic by Lauren Kinhan and Ada Rovatti Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, have you heardI’m gonna play a record on the Hi FiAnalog, outta date, antiquateThe echo of a generation gone byIn the mind of one so youngYou replay it, relive itA circle in a squareSacred rite, black as night, turn me on, So I can be reminded of my first love

Hey Mr. Newton, Sir, put another nickel in the juke box electric It sings to me, plays to my very soulDidn’t I hear you say, with every motion there’s a counterpoint at playIt’s added ten years to my life just by turnin’ up the volume louderHey Mr. Newton, Sir, put another nickel in the juke box electricThe gravity’s pushing and pulling me higher and higher

MY PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLYMusic and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

The day will come when the simple truth will set your world on fire Saying goodbye to what’s said and done is all that I desire for you, it’s trueClose your eyes my painted lady butterflyand dream, the forest for the trees

Light as a cloud, you are free to roam the land (sea) and sky aloneTattooed and wild kaleidoscope returning nature’s call to let live and let liveCuz to want for more is what you can’t deprivethe wonder, the thistle, the hunger

ANOTHER HILL TO CLIMBMusic and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

How many million dreams are hanging in the balanceIt’s a mystery we just can’t understandJust tell me how to set my directionKnowing that time is the condition we can’t change we can’t change it, no matter how hard we try, we can’t change

Seen through a looking glass, the problems, they just get largerCuz the more I look, the more I realizeI try so hard, I try so hard, I just try too hard

Oh, While awayIts just an ordinary day

And sometimes there’s just another hill to climb

Just when the day is done and the doubt begins to hollerAnd another chance to shine just slipped awayTo my surprise, the pain is my sisterGiving my loneliness a harbor to escape, to escape, I’ve got to let it go now, and get away

And in the morning I got nothin’ but a feelingA condition that just won’t go awayTo keep trying so hard, I gotta try so hard, I gotta keep trying so hard

Oh, While awayIts just another ordinary dayAnd sometimes there’s just another hill to climb

I’M LOOKIN’ FOR THAT NUMBERMusic and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

I got a bone to pick, I got an itch to scratchI’m feeling palpitations of a heart attackI gotta tie that bonnet hard across my backAnd shoulder my pride, and shoulder my pride

If all the questions asked were ever satisfiedAnd everyone could have a piece of cherry pieWould the combat warrant what we sacrificeOr could we shoulder our prideCould we shoulder our pride

Because I’m fit to be tied of singing the bluesThe cows in the meadow, and the man’s on the moonThe concept is simple, but concepts eludeIf anybody knows where I’m growing oldI’m lookin for that number

Well if you said to stay or if you said to jumpAnd everybody had a case of monkey doesWould the slapback feel just like a hand in gloveOr could you shoulder your prideSay could you shoulder it baby

Cuz there’s an omen in the point of no returnAnd there’s a beauty in the face of what’s absurdBut right now I stand before you bare and burnedAnd I can shoulder my pride, said I can shoulder my pride

TO LIVE OR DIEMusic and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

A Hobbit in a hole, an Alice up a treeAn imaginary hero fighting back the enemyWhere the lost boys play with their psychosomatic schemesSo they’ll never be lonely … except for now

An accomplice to a crime, a suitcase on the ledgeAn intoxicating stairway going nowhere in the endWhere the lost boys play with the melodramatic toysSo they’ll never be lonely…..except for now

So take these tears and hold me tightSo the pieces of my life can somehow explainTo live or die, I’m asking whyTo live or die is worth fighting for

A handshake in the dark, no after to the factSo you’re off to join the circus with those monkeys on your backWhere the lost boys play with their “I’m not afraid to die”So they’ll never be sorry … Except for now

So take these tears and hold me closeSo the fragments of my life can somehow explainTo live or die, I’m asking whyTo live or die is worth fighting for

POCKETFUL OF HARLEMMusic by Lauren Kinhan and Andy Ezrin Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

Spoken like a man of means, Pocketful of Harlem dreamsKinks inside the armor, cool effecting his disarmingOf a certain Satin Doll, as stubborn as the days were longHot, the humid weather, melts the science she’s pretending

Time and again, somebody is going to hit their headLosing the thread, It’s the same ole song

Dangerous and Debonair, call the Devil, he may careNo stranger to friction, an imposter for a livingFollowing a nightingale, enchanting the n’ere do wellNo one saw it coming, his undoing by her charming

Time and again, somebody is going to hit their headLosing the thread, It’s the same ole song

Dangerous and Debonair, call the Devil, he may careNo stranger to friction, an imposter for a livingFollowing a nightingale, enchanting the n’ere do wellNo one saw it coming, his undoing by her charming self composure, and the feeling that it’s over

WE’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE TODAYMusic and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

I used to think that anything could happenA dreamer’s disillusion realizedLike falling up an escalator’s staircaseWe’d measure every year in photographs

But now the book is harder to rememberWith every page I turn, I question howHow can anybody tell me what to write hereWhen words, like photographs, just can’t be found

We’re not going anywhere todayWe’re not having company at allThe laundry’s folded neatly near the alabaster wallIf anyone could find me,they’d see no one’s home at allThe mirror doesn’t change our soft reflectionAnd how the lines are playing tricks on meTo years spent in the quiet of the house we used to makeThe answer to my question can’t un-sayThat we’re not going anywhere today

CHAUSSURE’S COMPLEXMusic and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

Love Me, don’t let shoes stand in the way of all this awkward romanceUnless it’s clear You’d prefer another pair to wear, Pied a TerreJust say you may, Trip the night away

Lead Me, of our own volition, no misgivings, chaussurre’s complexWhen you’re hand in mine, sends a tempo to my heel and toeBefore you knowThe stockings hung from whence the shoe was flung

Stay, if you willRemain perfectly stillJust to contrast the beat of my heartLeave it at that, on the small of my backLet loose to roam where it will

Hold Me, like a slipper’s fit, we’ll contemplate the last temptation On the heals of love,We’ll incorporate the him, the her, the pas de deuxBefore too long, we’ll have a fav’rite songRehearsing all our tomorrows from now on

BEAR WALKMusic by Jiro Yoshida, Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

Who’s that sleepin’ in my bedWhat’s that stocking on the floorCertainly you can’t be thinkin’

no one hears your sneakers sneakin’ out that garden door

Who’s that sittin’ in my chairWhat’s that cookin’ on the stove You’ll regret your passing fancy if you think the grass is grassy on the other side

Dig this, you made a mess a me and you, so what cha waitin’ forSeems like, there’s only liquor when the plot gets thickerAsk Miss Ridinghood

Lock that honey in the potHawk that apple that cha coredDoncha be so high falutin’ when you’ve got no where to move in, eat that humble pie

Straighten up the game is over, you regained your self composure, nothin’ left to hideProblem with the dalliances, guilty feet have got no chances left to compromiseCertainly you can’t be thinkin’ no one hears your sneakers sneakin’Get that message through your head

VANITY’S PARAMORMusic and Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

Ten in one, you go out to a habitateveryone there is anonymousPreying on all the dark alley dancesto music you heard at the carnivalHaven’t you had enough of spinning that empty bottle?Baby you can’t afford your addictionis leading you only to posthumous

Don’t let the arms of Aphrodite push you aroundwith a pomegranate smile, she leads you under groundYou got to hang on to reason, while you walk the crooked mileSide steppin’ the wrath of the Concubine

Fantasy over facing the musicis daring the walls to come down on youAgony over taming the elephanttaking up space in your living roomWhen you go waking up, you’ll see you’re in mighty quick sandSaber and Cape in hand, you’re a Matador looking for Vanity’s Paramour

Don’t let the arms of Aphrodite push you aroundwith a pomegranate smile, she leads you under ground

You got to hang on to reason, while you walk the crooked mileSide steppin’ the wrath of the Concubine

Oh, down you goWhere it stops, ain’t nobody gonna knowYou’re all foot loose, in your fancy feather bedYou just a blind sighted, bold submissionheavy on the sacreligionB flat, bull fight, short stick, hell of a sacrifice

Oh, down you goWhere it stops, ain’t nobody gonna knowBut you’re all foot loose, in your fancy feather bedYou just a blind sighted, bold submissionheavy on the sacreligionevery little thing’s so convolutedan aphrodisiac infusionB flat, bull fight, short stick hell of a sacrifice

THE DEEP WITHINMusic by Lauren Kinhan and Peter Eldridge Lyric by Lauren Kinhan

Tulips edge the cornerstoneGrass is growing green againSweater on my shoulders sitUnfurling leaves on trees amidstThe spring showers will fallBirds sing random haikusOften heard across the lawnDandelions laugh at orderPromising a sea of goldI don’t mind at all

No, the heart revives, it always doesThe eyes will have their turtledoveIt’s written in our porous skinThe sleeve that holds the deep within

Sundays I don’t go to churchOne day trees will tell their taleApples fall to the seekerHand to mouth and fruit to cheekAs natural as the dayNone the wiser for the takingNature holds us in suspenseAges spent in solitaryYield the human melancholyIs this all there is?

No, the heart revives, it always doesThe eyes will have their turtledoveIt’s written in our porous skinThe sleeve that holds the deep within

pc2014 LAUREN KINHAN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. UNAUTHORIZED DUPLICATION IS A VIOLATION OF APPLICABLE LAWS. www.laurenkinhan.com

1 CIRCLE IN A SQUARE 4:59 (L. KINHAN, A. ROVATTI) Best of Kin, SESAC, Ada Rovatti SIAE

2 MY PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY 4:56 (LAUREN KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC

3 ANOTHER HILL TO CLIMB 6:46 (LAUREN KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC

4 CHASING THE SUN 5:18 (LAUREN KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC

5 I’M LOOKIN’ FOR THAT NUMBER 5:26 (LAUREN KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC

6 TO LIVE OR DIE 4:51 (LAUREN KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC

7 POCKETFUL OF HARLEM 4:44 (L. KINHAN, A. EZRIN) Best of Kin, SESAC, Ez It Iz Music, ASCAP

8 WE’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE TODAY 5:05 (LAUREN KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC

9 CHAUSSURE’S COMPLEX 5:52 (LAUREN KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC

10 BEAR WALK 6:18 (J. YOSHIDA, L. KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC, Columbia Japan, Platonic Ltd.

11 VANITY’S PARAMOUR 4:50 (LAUREN KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC

12 THE DEEP WITHIN 4:49 (P. ELDRIDGE, L. KINHAN) Best of Kin, SESAC, Rueben’s Tunes, ASCAP