Unspoken

2022 – Independent Release

2022 – Independent Release

MUSICIANS:

Deb Rasmussen (vocals)
Jon Day (piano, trumpet)
Jeremy Coates (bass)
Robin Tufts (drums)

“I love Deb’s new album, Unspoken. She has a warm, enveloping voice, a smart sense of swing, and she’s a solid songwriter … And her trio—Jon Day on piano, Jeremy Coates on bass and Robin Tufts on drums—is terrific.” ~ Marc Myers, JazzWax

UNSPOKEN began in 2019 as a fuzzy idea with a vague end date. Then COVID emerged in 2020 and Deb’s world became her house and music room. Given time and space, her song writing was reawakened. She reached out to Jon Day, who had arranged My Best to You for her in 2019, to arrange the new songs and some standards. Their remote collaboration involved Deb’s piano, a zoom mic, dropbox and email. This continued for a year and a half before they played them together for the first time and decided to record. Jeremy Coates and Robin Tufts joined them for the recording, bringing their exception skill and sensitivity to the project. The arrangement of “Darn That Dream” was a remote collaboration between Deb and Josh Nelson and “In Your Own Sweet Way” was arranged by the band in rehearsal. The recording was made by Steve Dierkens at Studio D in Calgary in January 2022. It was produced by Jon, Steve and Deb and mastered by Becker Mastering in Los Angeles.

UNSPOKEN is a musical and emotional journey through the parts and types of love we often leave unspoken. In the category of sweet romance, “Just My Little Love Song” and “You Smile” and were written by Deb and her life partner for each other. But between infatuation (Darn That Dream), passion (I Hear a Rhapsody) and heartbreak (It Never Entered My Mind), the stuff of many love songs, there’s longing and loneliness (Swept Away), temptation (Unspoken), the constant balancing of love versus fear (Front Porch) and the need to need to draw a line in the sand (In Your Own Sweet Way). The songs go beyond romantic love. “Fly Away” was written for all the women that have struggled to hold their families, their work and themselves together through the pandemic, digging deeper and deeper inside to find the strength to carry on. “Peace, Like a River” is a quest for inner peace, especially when the world seems to be crumbling all around. The CD resolves on “My Best to You”, a simple wish that the listener finds the love that’s good for them, whatever it may be.

The quartet is based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Jazz vocalist and songwriter Deb Rasmussen has been enchanting audiences for 20 years. Deb often takes a soft, understated approach to a song, but make no mistake, she can swing! She’s known for her spacious, playful interpretations of standards, performing her own tunes, and for the way she makes time stand still as she connects heart-to-heart with listeners. Jon Day is a multi-instrumentalist, educator, arranger, and composer. As an accomplished trumpet player, pianist, and educator for two decades, Jon has been a featured artist in a variety of music festivals around the globe and has had the privilege of sharing the stage with a variety of world-class musicians. Jeremy Coates is one of Western Canada’s busiest working bass players. Comfortable in the studio, classroom, and concert hall, Jeremy has developed a variety of approaches to jazz improvisation with respect to his instruments, which include acoustic bass, electric 4, 5, 6-string basses, as well as tuba, guitar, and drum set. He has traveled throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and has performed at the Montreux jazz festival. Robin Tufts is a drummer, percussionist and dance accompanist.  Robin is very active in the Calgary jazz community, playing and recording with his own Trio Velocity and many other groups. Robin’s life-long passion for spontaneous improvisation has led to “Music for Soup”, a series of house concerts featuring performances of spontaneous duets with musical guests and has resulted in the release of seven self-produced limited-edition CDs.

Purchase on Band Camp: https://debrasmussen.bandcamp.com/album/unspoken-2

Read the Reviews for this album!

Other CDs by Deb Rasmussen