[Ashmaher5@aol.com: Ashley Maher - 4th album available at last! - Flying Over Bridges]
Jeff Wasilko
From: Ashm...@aol.com
Date: Wed, 2 Nov 2005 16:36:23 EST
Subject: Ashley Maher - 4th album available at last! - Flying Over Bridges
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Dear Friends,
My fourth CD, Flying Over Bridges, is finally available after 14 months of
intricate tinkering. Produced by brilliant Cameroonian producer/bassist, Andre
Manga, it features Los Angeles' finest world/jazz musicians from Cameroon,
Senegal, Venezuela, Brazil, Uruguay, and the USA.
Building from my first three CDs, Flying Over Bridges is a rich, rhythmic,
personal, heady brew. It has already been described as "a beautiful, masterful,
soaring achievement," "uplifting," "like listening to distilled sunlight,"
"new," "deeply moving," "an A+." Fans have emailed, "The minute it finishes, I
want to play it again," and that it's "a world class album from start to
finish." And that's all in one week!
My first 1000 copies came through the door last week and have been flying out
the door ever since. One Very Dear Friend and her mom bought 30 to give as
Christmas gifts. Another in New York bought 20. I am one very blessed artiste
indeed!
To buy a copy, go to www.ashleymaher.com
then click on "Buy CDs" for simple instructions.
To buy multiple copies (for Christmas, for your family, for your dog, for
everyone you know!)
email me at ashm...@aol.com and we can work out a discounted price.
I can't wait for you to hear this music!
Lots of love,
Ashley
P.S. (You can stop reading now, if you like... However, if you just sat
down with a cup of coffee and are in the mood for a story about how Flying Over
Bridges came to be, read on! Also, if you would like to help me "get the
record out there!" that is also below.)
The Story
This album means a lot to me. Three weeks after I completed my last record,
The Blessed Rain, in London, my mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I
moved with my husband and son back to Los Angeles to care for her until she
passed away and, afterwards, decided to stay. Then our daughter arrived and for
the last few years I've been merrily juggling music, motherhood, marriage, and
money. Building from Border's Bookstore acoustic shows to clubs to big
venues and festivals across the States, it's been a busy and rich time for
developing onstage relationships with the LA's best world musicians, singers,
drummers, and dancers ... and for writing new material.
This record is perhaps my most personal to date. The song "Lucky" is about
my husband returning to Africa and valuing it so much more after years in the
West. "Sundiata" is about our son moving into adolescence, emboldened by the
cultural mix within himself. "Gracefully" is an ode to my mum and her brave
journey to the other side. "Club Dibango and the Rising Son" is inspired by Andre
Manga's story of Manu Dibango taking him under his wing when he was a young
bassist in Cameroon.
Finally, last year, with a big backlog of songs, countless emails from fans
all over the world asking me "WHEN is your next album coming out?," and this
incredible band, I asked Andre if he'd be interested in producing a record on a
shoestring budget. When he said "I'm in!" I was thrilled.
>From that point on, I couldn't believe my good fortune. It felt like
magic. Every world class musician I invited to record agreed to perform for a
reduced fee. The brilliant Vinnie Colaiuta (Sting, Joni Mitchell, Every Great
Artist You Can Imagine) played drums. Youssou NDour's guitarist, Jimi MBaye,
was in town and played guitar on "Sundiata." Piano genius Otmaro Ruiz
(Venezuela) pushed the whole sound into a new dimension with his wondrous playing.
And Andre Manga's boundless talent and taste as a
producer/multi-instrumentalist/engineer blew me away every day we were in the studio. He is incredible!
The recording, the mixing, and the mastering studios were all supportive and
generous with their valuable time, too. It has truly been a labor of love
from every angle. The quality of the music is so extraordinary, it really should
have cost ten times what it did. I am SO grateful to everyone who
contributed!
Ways You Can Help
The next chapter, for me, will be an all-out push to get this music
recognized alongside artists like Sade, Nora Jones, India Arie, Paul Simon, Peter
Gabriel, and, yes, even Queen Joni. It feels like The Circle has turned and my
time has come.
If any of you have ideas to help ... people you know who are at quality
record labels, managers, agents, radio and marketing, publicity people, etc.,
please contact me about them and visa versa. Every recommendation, every meeting,
phone call, email counts, and I really appreciate your input.
Also, feel free to email me your feedback on the record. Good quotes are
always useful for the website/publicity and feedback can only make me a wiser and
smarter artist.
With Big Love, Big Blessings, and Copious Gratitude,
Ashley
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