The Jazzcat

Slide show

Carmen Lundy! As smooth as the name rolls off of your tongue, is just how the music and the song feel against your skin. An artist in the true sense of the word, Carmen expresses her love through her lyrics, on canvas and through her warm and wonderful persona.

Carmen has been playing and performing with her brother Curtis since the age of 14 years old. She is out on the scene promoting her new album on Afrasia records called “Come Home”. She sings of life, love and family and with all three musically surrounding her like the ring of Saturn, the images are as audibly visual as the strokes of her brush.

Fueled by her experience and existence on the planet, she has no need to rely heavily on the American Song Book for her story, the universe provides many possibility for her version of song.

I am up in the balcony, my normal place of peace and tranquility where the music ascends and permeates the consciousness. One of the cats who works here at the Bakery brought three girls with him tonight who, to my estimation are around seven or eight years old. I was happy to see youngsters take in the music but wondering at the same time if experience in my sanctuary of musical worship would be altered by the he he he’s and haw haw haw’s of young girls whose attention span is probably equivelent to one bar. I was somewhat correct however, something so wonderful happened and it was one of the cutest things I think I have ever seen happen musically.

Carmen has a tune that sings of when romance is over called “This is the End”, a piece from her album entitled, “This is Carmen Lundy”. When she came to the melodic bridge, the girls, who apparently know this tune, started this innocent, eight year old, very girly, right on time, in full voice three-part harmony as they sang out above the crowd from the rafters. Oh my goodness, the sound of these girls singing brought the happiness of playground humanity to the music that was so fresh and such a reward to the senses. Children interjected into the music are their own instruments with a feeling that can immediately touch and transport us all!

Wonsey has been working with Carmen in so many different configurations and puts the soul, the love, the blues and the swing all up in the melody. Mayra Casales adds the richness and velocity to the fullness of the sound. Curtis, the soulful heart beat of the band and to a life of continued inspiration of siblinity! Youth are always welcome to the party especially when they contribute so largely like Jason Evan Brown.

Carmen has a sound and personality all her own as she romances the groove and expresses the feeling of her compositions through energetic aspirations as she reaches for the poignant pinnacle in the meaning of each song. Her paintings, her music and her life is constantly surrounded and supported by family, friends, fans and love.

The new disc is called, “Come Home”, listen, love and enjoy the music!

LeRoy Downs