I really believe the blues can save us, but we all have to take part.

This CD is the culmination of a journey that began when I was in high school basking in the glow of artistic fire, resilience and beauty that was in the Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey, near where I grew up.  A journey that took me Amiri and Amina Baraka’s Blues People in Newark to perform and receive their guidance and later to 29 cities as musical director for Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies. After this, I landed as composer in residence at Louis Armstrong Middle School in Queens and with Clifford Carlson, created this work, Message From Saturn, just months before the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

I have performed A Healing Song from this show on State Department Tours in multiple languages around the world with my blues band and quartet as well as over 100 schools in New York. This CD presents the song to you in 2 new versions and makes available for the first time, the entire score performed by an amazing cast of jazz quintet, strings and Zah! Jazz Youth singers.

I know it’s old fashioned but, please BUY THIS CD and tell your friends about it.

With The Jazz Drama Program, who has produced this CD, we are making more intergenerational jazz communities filled with creativity, compassion and joy.

Please join us and let’s step it up and spread the word…

“It’s not just a song for me, take a breath…and you will see, why the blues has the power to be A HEALING SONG, A HEALING SONG.”

Thank-you.

Eli