The compact disc comes in a beautiful and eco-friendly 6 panel Digi-pak w/8 page booklet. The artwork and design is done by none other than Bob Ciano. Responsible for some of the most provocative, beautiful album covers ever designed for Blue Note, CTI and Kudu Records during the 1960s, 70s. and 80s.
Across the wide seas, distant mountains, and the vast complexity of the soul, The Crooked Jades new release “Empathy Moves The Water" emphasizes the lonesome in "High Lonesome" music. The band’s old-time roots reflect the cultural melange and longing implicit in the shadows of America - from haunting ballads punctuated by hypnotic fiddles that express digital isolation and humanity lost in a rapidly changing land, to the high energy revival songs inspired by early rural gospel blues. Reaffirming their reputation as an innovative old-time string band closer in spirit to Tom Waits and Nick Cave, The Crooked Jades create a unique and soulful modern sound by exploring the roots of Americana and interweaving the diverse musical influences of Europe and Africa.
With a bold vision and drive to innovate and inspire, the Crooked Jades release their brand new album “Empathy Moves The Water" on their own label, Jade Note Music. Largely recorded at Berkeley’s famous Fantasy Studios, this new album is produced by the highly celebrated Bruce Kaphan. The band once again features their signature mix of inspired re-arrangements of rare and obscure old-time gems and beautiful original compositions, all played on vintage and eclectic instruments, including Hawaiian slide, Vietnamese jaw harp, harmonium, ukulele, banjo, ukulele, arco bass, and minstrel banjo.
- Ryland and Spencer (Rise and Bloom Again) (Trad/Arr. Jeff Kazor, Jade Note Music, BMI)
- Featherbed (Trad/Arr. Emily Mann, Jade Note Music, BMI)
- Down to the River (Inspired by Mississippi Fred McDowell, Arr. Lisa Berman, Jade Note Music, BMI)
- Yellow Mercury 4 (Jeff Kazor, Jade Note Music, BMI)
- Going Across the Sea (Trad/Arr. Erik Pearson, Jade Note Music, BMI)
- The Water Spirit According to Mike (Erik Pearson, Jeff Kazor, Jade Note Music, BMI)
- Empathy Moves the Water (Jeff Kazor, Jade Note Music, BMI)
- Mike in the Wilderness (Trad/Arr. Emily Mann, Jade Note Music, BMI)
- Long Time Traveling (Trad/Arr. Bruce Kaphan, Jade Note Music, BMI)
- Wade in the Water (Trad/Arr. Jeff Kazor, Jade Note Music, BMI)
- Am I Born to Die / Long Time Traveling (Trad/Arr. Megan Adie, Emily Mann, Jeff Kazor, Jade Note Music, BMI)
- Pretty Little Shoes (Trad/Arr. Emily Mann, Jade Note Music, BMI)
- Yellow Mercury 3 (Jeff Kazor, Jade Note Music, BMI)
This San Francisco-based band boldly goes where no old-time string band has gone before. The Crooked Jades new release “Bright Land” is a soundtrack of 20 songs and tunes for a 50-minute work of contemporary dances set to old-time music composed and re-arranged by The Crooked Jades. The project all started when acclaimed New York-based modern dance maven Kate Weare came out to see the Jades on their “Shining Darkness” tour at Café du Nord in San Francisco. A stranger to the band at the time, they all noticed her right away because she was inspired to get up and dance, not to a fast-driving fiddle tune like most audiences, but to a mournful Roscoe Holcomb ballad called Moonshiner. Later she told the band that she was moved by the skill, edge and depth of their music and felt inspired as a choreographer. So that’s what sparked this unlikely collaboration. And it really came to feel like the perfect union as the band was in turn inspired to reframe compositions to join Crooked Jades’ hypnotic old-time music with Kate Weare’s boldly poetic modern dance.
Jeff Kazor has been producing a new record for Kenny Feinstein(of the Water Tower Bucket Boys) involving performances by several of The Crooked Jades including Lisa Berman singing harmonies and playing slide, Erik Pearson on dobro, guitars and flutes, and Charlie Rose on bass. This ambitious project is a totally acoustic reconstruction of My Bloody Valentine’s seminal “Loveless” album from 1991 with absolutely no digital processing. One of the big challenges in keeping true to the album’s essence has been inventing an acoustic process that creates the ethereal blanket of swirling distortion behind those beautiful vocals and poppy melodies.