RENÉ MA RIE S OUND OF RED

 SOUND OF RED 6:02

 IF YOU WERE MINE 6:33
 GO HOME 5:46
 LOST 10:36
 STRONGER THAN YOU THINK 4:36
 CERTALDO 7:04
 COLORADO RIVER SONG 3:21
 THIS IS NOT A PROTEST SONG 5:41
 MANY YEARS AGO 4:50
 JOY OF JAZZ 4:11
 BLESSINGS 5:54
: 64:36

PRODUCED BY RENÉ MARIE & QUENTIN BAXTER

ALL SONGS COMPOSED  ARRANGED BY RENÉ MARIE


RENÉ MARIE  JOHN CHIN 

ELIAS BAILEY  QUENTIN E. BAXTER 

ROMERO LUBAMBO  
SHERMAN IRBY  
ETIENNE CHARLES  
SHAYNA STEELE  

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– RENÉ MARIE
SOUND OF RED
John Chin piano Elias Bailey bass
Quentin E. Baxter drums Sherman Irby alto saxophone
Bengisu Peker Quentin E. Baxter Elias BaileyJohn Chin background vocals
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IF YOU WERE MINE
John Chin piano Elias Bailey Quentin E. Baxter drums
Etienne Charles trumpet, horn arr. Michael Dease trombone
Diego Rivera tenor saxophone
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 
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 
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 
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 
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 
 
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03 GO HOME
John Chin piano
I see where this is headed – and I’d love to go along
But you’ve got some ties that bind you to a place I don’t belong
I know, your heart is aching and you think I’ve got the cure
But once the dawn is breaking, you might not be so sure
It just takes time, just a little more time to get it right
You say that you don’t love her; you say you hardly ever touch
But if that’s how you really feel, why do you talk about her so much
I think you’ve got some issues that need to be resolved
And you’ll never get them answered if we get involved
It just takes time, time to get it right
You need to go home tonight
So go on home to the woman who loves you
Take back all those mean things you said
Then lie down beside her and drive her out of her head
Go on home to the woman you love; tell her you didn’t mean to be unkind
Go home…go home…before I change my mind
Those pictures in your wallet of your kids that you adore
They’re waiting at home for you right now to walk thru that front door
So go on and do the right thing; I know you can ace this test
If you’re the man I know you are, you won’t do any less.
It just takes time, time to get it right; you better go home tonight
So go on home to the woman you love and try to make amends
And if this night ends the way that it should, you and I will still be just friends
Go on home to the woman who loves you
Once you get there, you’re gonna be fine
Go home, please go home - -
And when you get home to the woman who loves you
She’d better get down on her knees
And give thanks to the Lord above for another chance to please a man like you
‘Cause that’s what I’ll do if you don’t go home tonight
04 LOST
John Chin piano Elias Bailey bass Quentin E. Baxter drums
She was always reaching out but no one could ever reach her
She never knew what life was all about ‘cuz she wouldn’t let nobody teach her
Never in her wildest imagination could she dream of life without agitation
All of her winters melted into spring with misgiving
She wondered why her summers never seemed to bring easy living
It autumn it was just as well that she fell and got lost
She was just lost
She spent so many hours on her back opening up to every Tom, Dick and Harry
But the faster she went around the track the harder it became to carry
All of the baggage she tried to leave at the station
Came back to her without identification
Lord, when she lied to herself, that’s when things got rough
Then there was Truth gathering dust on the shelf
While from her eyes fell all this wet stuff (what’s that?)
She dried them so no one could tell, but what the hell?
She was lost She was just lost…
Why in the world did she have to unfurl all of her psychosis on me??
I couldn’t understand it and so I demanded
To know the source of all this remorse and this agony and angst
She said
‘Thanks, but I keep my cards close to my chest
And the rest of me is a mystery.’
Then she winked and blew a kiss to me
She was just lost…lost…lost..lost…
05 STRONGER THAN YOU THINK
Elias Bailey bass Quentin E. Baxter drums
Broken wings let me hold you close and calm your furious beating
Timid heart please speak to me and tell the secrets that you hide
Empty hands open up and hold on to what’s worth keeping
Soul that’s lost I’ve got some hope to take the place of all that pride
In your eyes I can see a strength that’s deep and growing
On your face is a story just waiting to be told
In your mind is the source of everything worth knowing
And a spirit that will never grow old
And the waves you’re on are gonna rise and fall
You got a lot to learn but you’re never gonna know it all
Don’t hide them - be proud of your battle scars
You’re stronger than you think you are
Shame is an admission to ourselves of our potential
Loneliness ain’t nothin’ but the stranger that’s inside
Emptiness just means we’re not aware of our own credentials
Battle scars mean that you’ve survived
Once you learn that happiness is not a competition
Once you see that what you need has been with you all along
Once you know that courage is another word for intuition
Then your fears will disappear and your heart will burst out in song
And the waves you’re on are gonna rise and fall
You got a lot to learn but you’re never gonna know it all
Don’t hide them, be proud of your battle scars
You’re stronger than you think you are
06 CERTALDO
John Chin piano Elias Bailey bass
Quentin E. Baxter drums Romero Lubambo guitar
The earth shook beneath me, the full moon blazed above
The cobblestones, the narrow streets; of course I fell in love
Every cliché that you could imagine happened while we were there
A starlit sky...
Some Tuscan guy
Strumming his guitar somewhere
I followed the moon to Certaldo, laughing in the night
Seeing some things that I never dreamed I would see
The moon followed me to Certaldo, whispered in my ear
Begging me to stay
“Don’t you want to see another sunrise?
Don’t you want to have one more glass of wine?”
Oh, Certaldo is calling to me...
I danced a dance in Certaldo that I’ve never danced before
Being someone that I never knew I could be
Why don’t you come back to Certaldo?
I spend every day wishing you were here
To dance with me until tomorrow’s sunrise
Pour me another glass of wine
Certaldo is calling me, it’s where I want to be
I want to lose it all and fall that wonderful fall
I’ll keep the memory of you near
And wait for you right here
In Certaldo
Certaldo
We’ll dance a dance... we’ll follow the moon... in Certaldo
07 COLORADO RIVER SONG
John Chin piano Elias Bailey bass Quentin E. Baxter drums
Oh we are paddling down the Colorado River
And we are singing a Colorado River song
Yes, we are paddling down the Colorado River
And we are singing a Colorado River song
We’re in our little canoe
Just me and you
Under a sky so blue
What a wonderful view!
Oh yes we are paddling down the Colorado River
And we are singing a Colorado River song
And then later on tonight with the full moon shining bright
I’m gonna hold you in my arms real tight, IF you play your cards right
‘Til then we’ll keep on paddling down the Colorado River
And we’ll be singin’ and singin’; Swingin’ and swingin’
Under a sky so blue, Just me and you
Think of all the cute things we could do, In that little teeny tiny canoe
So grab an oar, baby; Push away from the shore, baby
I’m gonna give you what for, baby; And just a little bit more, baby
And we’ll be singing
A Colorado River song
Doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah,
Doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah, ooh!
08 THIS IS (NOT) A PROTEST SONG
John Chin piano Elias Bailey bass Quentin E. Baxter drums
Thad DeBrock guitar Shayna Steele background vocals
My brother is homeless, he sleeps under a bush on the ground
By day he’s a painter, his brilliant works are all over town
In spite of his drinking and his demons, I believe he does the best he can
So if you see my brother on the street somewhere, put a little something in his hand
My aunt is stone crazy; she fell right through the healthcare cracks
Alienated all her friends and family with physical and verbal attacks
Well, she won’t go to a shelter, so gets her meals straight from the garbage can
So if you see my crazy aunt on the street somewhere, put a little something in her
hand
But this is not a protest song; it ain’t about right or wrong
To each other we all belong; and when we give, it makes us strong;
But, hey, this ain’t no protest song
Down at your local shelter, you’ll find a woman there with her two kids
Her husband beat her; so many times she tried to leave and, finally, she did
Through her counselor she’s learning not to get involved with another abusive man
So get on down to the shelter and please put a little something in her hand.
Now I’m not pointing any fingers, I’m not placing any blame or trying to justify
But I swear that there, but for a coupla twists of fate, go I
And this is not a protest song; it ain’t about right or wrong
But to each other we all belong and when we give it makes us strong
But hey! This can’t be a protest song
No-o-o-o!
This is not a protest song – it ain’t about right or wrong
So just leave your politics at home, ‘cause when we give it makes us strong
But it ain’t a protest song…
09 MANY YEARS AGO
John Chin piano Elias Bailey bass Quentin E. Baxter drums
We laughed with ease and skinned our knees
Picking sour apples from an old apple tree
We waved away bees and did as we pleased
Many years ago
Few cars were there to pollute the air
In a small town like ours, you could walk anywhere
No burdens to bear, we hadn’t a care
Many years ago....many years ago
Do you remember the glass candy case at Miss Cassie’s store?
Do you remember the loud hard bang of that old screen door?
Do you remember the cool dark feel of the old oak floor?
The playground in back? The railroad track? And the family that lived next door?
On Falmouth Street, life was so sweet
We ran ‘round outside in our little brown feet
Playing hide-and-go-seek every day of the week
Many years ago
The berries were good, deep in the wood
We tried not to eat them as hard as we could
When mama sent us to pick them, she knew we would
Many years ago.....many years ago
Do you remember catching lightning bugs in the front yard?
Do you remember the grownups in the living room drinking and playing cards?
I know you remember trying to be good, ‘cause that was hard
That peach tree outside? And the summer hay rides? And being afraid of the dark?
And then, one day, we moved away
The sadness I felt is hard to convey
But something inside me died that day
Many, many, many years ago...
10 JOY OF JAZZ
John Chin piano Elias Bailey bass Quentin E. Baxter drums Etienne Charles
trumpet, horn arrangement Michael Dease trombone Diego Rivera tenor saxophone
In South Africa everybody has appreciation for the Joy of Jazz
They feel that groove, their bodies move; and then it ain’t nothin’ but a party
I tell you the story, the way I heard, the Joy of Jazz began in Johannesburg
The joy was strong, we wrote this song; come on and sing along
The music’s playing, South Africa displaying the essence of the word Ubuntu
We know you feel it, don’t you try to conceal it
I can see there’s gonna be some singing and drumming, dancing and humming
Come on, everybody, get on the floor and dance like you’ve never danced before
It’s in the air, it’s everywhere, come share in the Joy of Jazz
The sun is shining, South Africa defining the essence of the word Ubuntu
Hot-hot-hotcha, I think the music’s gotcha
I can see there’s gonna be some singing and drumming, dancing and humming
Come on everybody get up on the floor and dance like you’ve never danced before
It’s in the air, it’s everywhere, come share in the Joy of Jazz
It’s fun, you know! So come on, let go!
And show your Joy for Jazz
I see you smile, come stay a while, it’s in the air,
it’s everywhere
It’s the Joy…the Joy of Jazz!
Come on, come on, come on everybody
Shake your body, shake-shake your body now
Shake your body, shake-shake your body now
Move! Get up and Move
It’s in the air, it’s everywhere,
Come share in the Joy of Jazz
BLESSINGS
John Chin piano Elias Bailey bass Quentin E. Baxter drums
Shayna Steele background vocals
 
 
   
     
 
  
  
  
 
  
 
 






  
All songs © René Marie, Stoan Publishing (SESAC)
RENÉ MARIE AND EXPERIMENT IN TRUTH
René Marie vocals and whistling
John Chin piano
Elias Bailey bass
Quentin E. Baxter drums
SPECIAL GUESTS
Romero Lubambo Courtesy of Sunnyside Records
Sherman Irby Courtesy of Black Warrior Records
Etienne Charles Courtesy of Culture Shock Music, Inc.
Shayna Steele
Recorded September 14-16, 2015 in Varis Leichtman Studios
at Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, NY
Producers: René Marie, Quentin E. Baxter
Executive Producer: Jana Herzen
Associate Executive Producer: Dave Love
Recorded and Mixed by Rob Macomber
Mastering: Bebo Belinski at Studio R
Assistant Engineer: Jelli Dorman
Additional recording by Glenn J. Brown at GBP Studios:
“If You Were Mine” and “Joy of Jazz”
Refection Assistant: Eugenijus Kaminskis
Piano Technicians: Li Li Dong; Joel Bernache and Ismael Cunha
Photography: John Abbott
Photography Assistant: Alex Li
Makeup/Hair: Stephanie Perez
Stylist: Karen Perez
Videographer: Yasunari Rowan
Project Manager: Robin Tomchin
Production Assistant: Alex Gueron
Management: Dave Love Montuno Productions America LLC
montuno.com +1(330) 519-0523
North America Booking: Mike Epstein & Co. epsteinco.com
+1 (781) 708-5128
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Deepest thanks and affection to Mom & Dad; life partner, Jesse; sons,
Desmond & Michael; siblings, Claude, Lynn, Lester, Eric, Sam, John;
other family and friends whose love has supported and influenced me
over the years. Love always and in all ways.
Sincere appreciation to those encountered along my path who inspired
so many of these songs. Hopefully, upon hearing this music, each will
understand his/her contribution to SOUND OF RED.
Profound gratitude and respect and love to my fellow Experimenters in
Truth, Quentin E. Baxter, Elias Bailey and John Chin, and honorary
Experimenter in Truth, Etienne Charles, for baring themselves so
completely to get to “this SOUND we keep hearing.”
And extra-special thanks to Kevin Bales for his inspiration, musicality and
friendship. His fingerprints are all over this CD as evidenced by the role he
played in helping to transfer musical ideas into bonafide music! He opened
his home and heart, helping to develop more fully SOUND OF RED, moving
it from the rehearsal room onto the stage and into the minds and hearts of
the audience. Love you, brother.
This project wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and support
from Jana Herzen, Robin Tomchin, Jana La Sorte, Fanny Delsol and the
entire Motema Family; the far-sighted direction of Dave Love and Daniel
Florestano; the open-hearted hospitality of Linda and Rob Macomber during
our mixing sessions; the unflagging support and continuous friendship of
Keith Ghion and the joyful and helpful spirit of Alex Gueron during the
photo shoot.
Heartfelt gratitude to all of you who add your own special color to SOUND
OF RED.