ALL PROCEEDS FROM BANDCAMP SALES OF "Who Am I" IN FEBRUARY 2024 GO TO THE NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE FUND
I first encountered "Who Am I," originally written by Leonard Bernstein for the 1950 Peter Pan stage musical, via Susanna & the Magical Orchestra's spellbinding 2004 version, itself derived from Nina Simone's iconoclastic interpretation from Nina Simone and Piano! (1969). I have Will Oldham to thank for hipping me to the song and its provenance, via his interview on the Essential Tremors podcast. Listening on headphones while waiting for a sandwich at a Las Vegas breakfast stand, I was transfixed by Nina's declamatory ad lib on reincarnation and the mysteries of existence, no doubt made stranger and more potent by the contrast between my inner experience and outer environs in that moment.
Back home and digging deeper, I stumbled upon the O'Jays' homonymous rumination from their 1972 Philly soul classic, Backstabbers. Initially disappointed to find that it was another song entirely, I soon intuited that the collision of these two very different compositions with the same title - evocative, perennially relevant and insoluble - might hold something worth exploring, and I sketched out what that marriage might look like, sharing it with my collaborators - Daniel Walker (keys), Johnny Sangster (guitar), and John Convertino (drums) - in advance of our March 2023 tour of the midwest.
We performed this unlikely mashup every night of the tour, and audiences seemed to respond, its combination of groove, ether, and existential wonder fortuitously complementing the songs from Forfeit the Prize. Convertino urged me to find a way to capture it on tape.
Fast forward a few months, and we did just that, joined by our very own pueri aeterni Keith Lowe and Jefferson Curtis Brown on upright bass and backing vocals, respectively, with Andrew Joslyn's formidable Passenger String Quartet bringing the Dionysian splendor. Sated, but nevertheless reluctant to leave the zone we'd dreamt up together, Johnny Sangster and I (and I) crafted an extended, inverted dub mix to keep the magic going, at least for 8 minutes longer.
This is one of my favorite things I've ever recorded, and I believe it brilliantly captures the joyful-yet-solemn communion in music I've found with these gifted, generous individuals. May it light our paths ever forward, and yours also.
xo
LB
credits
released January 5, 2024
"Who Am I" contains elements derived from the following compositions:
"Who Am I" by Leonard Bernstein (The Leonard Bernstein Music Publishing Co/ASCAP), as performed by Nina Simone
"Who Am I" by Walter B. Sigler/Phillip L. Hurtt (Warner Tamerlane Publishing Corp/BMI), as performed by the O'Jays
Licensed for digital distribution by Harry Fox Agency/SongfileProduced by Johnny Sangster and Lincoln Barr
Lincoln Barr: vocals, electric guitar
Jefferson Curtis Brown: backing vocals
John Convertino: drums & percussion
Keith Lowe: acoustic bass
Johnny Sangster: baritone electric guitar, backing vocals, Dub Selector
Andrew Smith: granular & modular synthesis
Daniel Walker: acoustic piano & Wurlitzer electric piano
with very special guests the Passenger String Quartet:
Andrew Joslyn: first violin, arrangement
Alina To: second violin
Christopher Foerstel: viola
Cory Grossman: cello
Recorded and mixed by Johnny Sangster at Crackle & Pop!, Seattle, WA
Assistant engineer: Carmella Monterose-Ortiz
Mastered by Rachel Field at Resonant Mastering, Seattle, WA
Lovely, intimate live recording of saxophonist and frequent collaborator Levon Henry, with the jaw-dropping rhythm section of Jay Bellerose and David Piltch Lincoln Barr
Consummate pop songwriting both smart and smooth, with the ability to resonate universally without compromising uniqueness. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 20, 2017