track listing and credits
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project genesis
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artist bios
<table cols="3" width="475" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" valign="top" height="293"> <tr height="10"> <td width="3" valign="top" align="left"><img src="images/trans.gif" height="1" width="3"></td> <td width="425" valign="top" align="left"><img src="images/trans.gif" height="1" width="1"></td> <td width="47" valign="top" align="left"><img src="images/trans.gif" height="1" width="47"></td> </tr> <tr height="288"> <td width="3" valign="top" align="left"><img src="images/trans.gif" height="1" width="3"></td> <td valign="top" align="left"> <p class="title">PROJECT GENESIS</p> <p class="text">I had been a radio host at CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation—Canada's public broadcaster) for almost two years before I was able to try my hand at producing a show for the network. The idea for a Gospel Christmas show had been brewing in my mind for some time, since no one could remember if such a project had ever been produced by CBC Radio (Faith Chorale had participated in CBC Radio's annual Easter Sunrise concert, but that was the only thing in recent memory).</p> <p class="text">Serendipitously, a radio producer from CBC Ottawa by the name of Jill LaForty called me out of the blue one day in March 2006. Part of her job responsibility is to co-produce a series of concerts with a group called Almonte in Concert. Almonte is a pretty little town just outside of Ottawa (Canada's capital city) that boasts a beautiful old town hall—with great acoustics.</p> <p class="text">Jill said to me, "I've just been dying to produce a Gospel Christmas show with the folks in Almonte, but I don't know the first thing about Gospel. Can you help me out?" I replied, "Funny you should ask..."</p> <p class="text">Jill and I tossed some ideas around for awhile, and eventually we decided to produce a special concert for Christmas 2006. Initially, the programme for the concert came together the way most CBC Radio projects come together: musical material is culled together from a variety of sources, and arranged into a show order that feels good. Then we find the performers to play the music.</p> <p class="text">That's how this project started out: I pulled some music from the Broadway Inspirational Singers "Great Joy" suite, some transcriptions from the album "Hallelujah Chorus: A Soulful Celebration", some tunes from the soundtrack of "The Preacher's Wife", and a few other pieces from various sources.</p> <p class="text">The programme looked fine enough. But then in a phone meeting one day, I said to Jill, "Why do we always do this?". "Do what?", she asked. "Why do we always look to the Americans for inspiration? We have so many talented performers, composers, and arrangers up here. Why don't we use them? You know what I'm gonna do? I'm going to create an entirely new Christmas special from the ground up." Jill said, "who will do the arranging?" "I will", I replied. "You?" she said incredulously. "Yes, me".</p> <p class="text">Well it took some convincing. First I had to convince Jill, who knew me as a radio host, not a musician. I compiled a little demo CD of some of my past work and sent it off to her. Fortunately, I had just worked with Faith Chorale on a different project—I was given a bare-bones track, poorly demo'd, and I had to re-arrange it for Jackie Richardson, Faith Chorale and a band, and direct the recording in the studio. On my CD, I included both the initial demo, and the finished version so she could compare the two. Though I put those two track last on the CD, she admitted that she listened to those first. She seemed somewhat impressed.</p> <p class="text">I had a wide range of my work represented on that disc. She commented, "man, you're a mean synth player", which I took to mean that while she appreciated that I could play, she still wasn't sure I could arrange a whole show from scratch. But she put her faith in me, and believed I would and could deliver—and for that, I will be forever grateful to her.</p> <p class="text">Next we had to convince Radio Management. Again, there was some concern about whether or not I could, or even should, arrange an entire show. While I was open to potentially farming out some of the work, I had a vision about how the project would sound and feel, and I wasn't about to be forced into a compromise. I stood my ground throughout the complex negotiations, and eventually I was given the green light to proceed.</p> <p class="text">In many ways, I did things in the reverse order from the norm at CBC Radio. In particular, I chose the singers first, and custom-arranged the music to suit them. Jackie Richardson was an essential component: not only does she have tremendous profile with Canadian audiences, but she exerts considerable influence on the younger performers. She is full of life and vitality, but is also every bit the matriarch. Jackie anchors a show. Nobody pulls a performance up out of the ground, through her feet and into her body, and out from her voice like she does. It was such a blessing that she was available and willing to take part in this project.</p> <p class="text">Faith Chorale was also the obvious choice. Though they are a smaller group than the stereotypical Gospel choir, they sing with the hearts of a group three time their size. The budget could accommodate them, and I was building a good rapport with them. They came on-side quickly, and as the project developed, I came to love the group. They are a crazy bunch, and yet they have a serious work ethic. They are now my "go-to" Gospel group.</p> <p class="text">Kellylee Evans came to this project via a different route. By the summer of 2006, I was feeling pretty confident about the product I was about to generate (mind you, I had not yet arranged a single note). I was so confident that I strolled up to the office of Fred Nicolaidis, Creative Head of Variety Television at CBC, and said "how would you like to have a ready-made Gospel Christmas Special?" He replied, "let me think about it". He did, and eventually assigned an Ottawa TV producer by the name of Adele Cardamone-Martel to investigate further.</p> <p class="text">Adele called and e-mailed me many times with many questions. Around October of that year, I finally asked her bluntly, "so are we doing this or not?" "Oh, we're doing it", she answered. And so we were off to the races.</p> <p class="text">One of TV's stipulations was that we use some local Ottawa talent, since the TV special was to shot in Ottawa (CBC's big on regional representation). Adele suggested Kellylee to me. Now I'm pretty fussy about picking my own talent—I certainly don't like people foisted on me to suit a political agenda. But I was getting a TV special, so I figured I should play along at least for awhile.</p> <p class="text">I got a copy of Kellylee's album, "Fight or Flight". I couldn't really tell from the album whether or not she was right for this project, but she certainly sounded capable, and so I consented to adding her to the project.</p> <p class="text">Boy, am I happy I did. Kellylee's sound is amazing. She has such a unique, luscious tone, and makes such great musical choices in her phrasing and articulation. On top of that, she's ridiculously funny. It's been an absolute joy having her along, and arranging for that marvelous voice of hers.</p> <p class="text">Alana Bridgewater and I have been friends for many years now. In the past, I've hired her for several engagements, the most important of which was a tribute to Quincy Jones. She is a powerhouse vocalist in every sense of the word. She's got killer pipes, but more to the point, she's got the "it" factor. Once people hear her, they just can't stop listening. I'm so thrilled that she's a part of this project too.</p> <p class="text">And Chris Lowe was recommended to me by my dear friend Lisa Toussaint, who directs the University of Toronto Gospel Choir. That choir's where I got my first introduction to Gospel (I come out of the Catholic Church's musical tradition).</p> <p class="text">I called Lisa and said to her, "I'm putting together this show, and one of the things I want to do is put somebody on the map—introduce a newcomer who's ready for the world stage. Do you have any suggestions?" Lisa said, "I have one name."</p> <p class="text">That name was Chris Lowe. I hear him sing, and I understand what it is to be "anointed". Chris has an extraordinary instrument, and fortunately it is tempered by humility and gratitude for the opportunities presented to him. All of the soloists on this record in my experience are phenomenal, but I personally think that Chris takes the CD up a notch, since people inevitably say "who is that guy?!" The other soloists we expect to shine—they're more known entities. It's that much more thrilling to discover a new talent at the beginning of his career. </p> <p class="text">I hope to do much more with him, and all the singers on this CD. But I don't think it will be long before they all exceed me in stature. These, in my humble estimation, are world-class voices, and I've tried to represent them as best I could.</p> <p class="text">Now, back to the story.</p> <p class="text">Inspiration comes to me primarily when I'm under pressure. I don't know why, and maybe some talented therapist will help me to solve that mystery. But what I can tell you, is despite my efforts to get the arranging for the TV and radio specials underway from August 2006, the ideas just didn't start flowing until October—dangerously close to the beginning of rehearsals. I worked day and night, arranging, scheduling rehearsals and coordinating logistics, and trying to build the show, while still attending to my regular radio duties, and my family.</p> <p class="text">It's hard to know what elements to leave in the story, and which to leave out. Suffice it to say that the full ensemble assembled in a rehearsal studio on the weekend before the TV and radio tapings, and despite my efforts to have everyone prepared well in advance, I discovered at rehearsal that there was lots left to learn, and teach. Those two days were as intense as any I've ever had, trying to mount a brand-new two-hour show in two day-long rehearsals. </p> <p class="text">A couple of days later, we all made our way to Ottawa. First stop: Dominion-Chalmers United Church, for the TV taping.</p> <p class="text"> No matter how many weeks of preparation a team puts into a TV shoot, the production always seems to feel totally chaotic. There were certainly variables that made our jobs a little harder than usual, but in general, preparing to mount the TV special was a real challenge in organization, focus and stamina.</p> <p class="text">The audience response more than compensated. The few hundred invited guests in the church that night had, as they expressed to me, great difficulty staying in their seats (they had to, otherwise they would have blocked some of the camera shots). Folks were overflowing in their praise of our efforts, and many took the time to tell me they felt ministered-to.</p> <p class="text">We had much the same ebullient response in Almonte, a few days later. You've got to understand that the concert series in Almonte is almost always Classical chamber music, attended by a very straight-laced middle-aged-to-elderly White audience. This is not the Gospel belt, by any stretch of the imagination. I suppose if the show worked there, it would work just about anywhere. A number of people admitted to me that they had been skeptical about the show's potential for success, even its appropriateness for the Almonte In Concert series. Every one of them shared with me how inspired, uplifted, and just plain blown-away they were.</p> <p class="text">The national response to the TV and radio broadcasts was similar to what I've just told you. As wonderful as all that was and is, I want to share with you my favourite story about the TV and radio specials.</p> <p class="text">My wife has a family member by marriage, who herself has a sister who lives in the Canadian Maritimes. This woman works in a long-term care facility for the elderly, many of whom have different physical, mental and emotional ailments. In particular, there is one resident there who hails from Preston, Nova Scotia, which is a Black enclave, and home to a rich Gospel tradition. </p> <p class="text">This fellow is generally a sullen character, totally non-responsive and non-communicative. On Boxing Day, he was put in front of the TV, for the broadcast of this show. From what I'm told, he smiled, laughed, clapped, danced in his chair, and generally came to life in a way not seen by anyone in recent memory.</p> <p class="text">That we were able to reach and give joy to that one person is the greatest triumph of this project. I hope this music will do the same for you.</p> </td> <td width="47" valign="top" align="left"><img src="images/trans.gif" height="1" width="47"></td> </tr> </table>
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©2007 Andrew Craig Productions