“Powerhouse: New Orleans in Stride Volume III (Trios, Quartets & Quintets)” and “The Book of Psalms Volume I” celebrate culture, history, and faith.
A music professor of academia, New Orleans jazz pianist and vocalist Matt Lemmler has normalized overachieving. Creating and releasing recording projects at a prodigious pace, his latest two collections, “Powerhouse: New Orleans in Stride Volume III (Trios, Quartets & Quintets)” and “The Book of Psalms Volume I” are out now on vinyl, CD, and digitally via his New Orleans Jazz Revival label with another album slated to release in January.
Lemmler is every bit a proud New Orleans jazz artist, tapping into the rich heritage of The Big Easy in the effort to preserve and promulgate the distinct spirit, multicultural makeup, and storied history through his masterful recordings, captivating live productions, and serving the community via educational efforts and outreach. As a unique vocal and instrumental voice, he embodies the birthplace of jazz and the city’s seminal figures - from Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Allen Toussaint, and Dr. John to Harry Connick, Jr., Fats Domino, James Booker, and his late mentor, Ellis Marsalis, Jr.
Lemmler conceived the “New Orleans in Stride” series before the pandemic, issuing two volumes of solo piano and voice recordings in 2019. He describes the series as “based on everything I do as an artist: from solo pianist and vocalist to carrying on the tradition of being a New Orleans piano professor, and from sharing the history of New Orleans culture, music, and stories, to sharing the piano skills of the New Orleans piano masters.”
On “Powerhouse: New Orleans in Stride Volume III (Trios, Quartets & Quintets),” Lemmler and his co-producer Misha Kachkachishvili add instrumental layers and multiple dimensions by tapping into the might and muscle of his collaborators: drummer Brian Blade, tenor and soprano saxophonist Joel Frahm, acoustic bassist Nathan Lambertson, and trumpeter Ashlin Parker. Together in trio, quartet, and quintet pairings, they bring to life five songs arranged by Lemmler.
The set opens with “Powerhouse (Theme from Looney Tunes),” a swinging and sprawling straight-ahead joint.
“I used to hear this kind of music from the great Bugs Bunny cartoons when I was a kid. The song is dedicated to the comedian/actor Robin Williams and also to a dear friend, Colette Buis, who passed away earlier this year. Colette hosted me for many years when I would travel annually to Hawaii to music direct/compose St. Michael and All Saints Episcopal Church Annual Jazz Festival/Mass on Kauai. She was an angel, a powerhouse, and not a Looney Tune. She would definitely find the humor and laugh in her song dedication,” said Lemmler with a smile.
Lemmler takes the mic to croon an impassioned version of “The City of New Orleans,” a classic made famous by Arlo Guthrie. Guitarist Shane Theriot sits in to contribute subtle melodic shading to the track.
“This song was written by Steve Goodson and as the lyrics go, is about ‘the train they call the City of New Orleans.’ I consider myself the train they call the City of New Orleans, sharing the music and history of New Orleans in my piano playing, my singing voice, and by sharing stories of New Orleans history and the music greats of New Orleans,” said Lemmler.
Powerful and poignant, Lemmler’s dramatic reading of “I Am A Poor Wayfaring Stranger” incorporates Igor Stravinsky’s “Serenata” into the African American Spiritual. The result is an arresting amalgam spanning hundreds of years that cleverly intertwines diverse cultural references.
“It’s dedicated to Stravinsky and Dr. Jordan and Tammy Peterson who have been helping millions of people find their path. Jordan and his wife have helped me tremendously as an artist, person, father, husband, and on my spiritual and creative journey. There’s even a lyric in this song, ‘I’m justa going over Jordan, I’m justa going home.’ My hope for this track is that it’s able to reach Dr. Jordan and Tammy Peterson’s ears and hearts to hopefully bring them comfort and healing, and in some way close to how they have healed me, my family, and the world,” shared a grateful Lemmler.
Dedicating “Nature Boy” to Nat King Cole, Lemmler said, “Nat King Cole and the story behind this song is incredible. He was an incredible jazz pianist and also an incredible vocalist.”
There’s a bit of funk plied to the deliberate traditional jazz tempo on “Bye Bye Blackbird,” which is backboned by a shuffling drum cadence. Lemmler’s version of the song referencing Miles Davis and John Coltrane sprang from a Miles Davis tribute that he put together with the musicians featured on the album.
“This arrangement was premiered at our local showing of ‘Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool’ documentary. Before the screening, I produced a Miles Davis music tribute concert featuring the band on this album. We all went into the recording studio the next morning to record this track and the ‘Powerhouse’ album. I also dedicated my version of this song to a great New Orleans musician/artist/bassist/vocalist, George French, who passed away this year. George was one of the featured vocalists on my first album, ‘Portraits of Wonder: A Tribute to the music of Stevie Wonder’ (2001). He always sang ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’ beautifully,” remembered Lemmler.
A digital bonus track, Lemmler’s own composition, “Come Sing Your Song To Me,” closes the album with an amorous bouquet of beauty and grace on this gentle lullaby. Next month, Lemmler plans to drop “Homecoming: New Orleans in Stride Volume Four,” which he recorded with his New Orleans Jazz Revival Band.
For two years, Lemmler has been composing music to the sacred Book of Psalms, performing them live every Sunday morning on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram on a program he calls “Psalm Sundays: Live From New Orleans.” It’s a ritual that began in the wake of his 18-year-old stepdaughter’s leukemia diagnosis. Now that she is in remission, Lemmler bundled 21 Psalms and three canticles to form “The Book of Psalms Volume I,” a solo piano and vocal album that was recorded live. Lemmler composed the soulful music, and his inspired lyrics came directly from sacred scripture. He is in the process of recording 52 Psalms to comprise second and third volumes.
Lemmler is a jazz piano professor at the Loyola University College of Music and Media in New Orleans, his undergraduate alma mater. He continued his education, earning a master’s degree from Manhattan School of Music in New York City before touring with Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” for four years. After, he returned home to play alongside some of New Orleans’ finest bandleaders, including Bob French’s Original Tuxedo Jazz Band, Herb Tassin and the Blue Room Orchestra, and clarinet legend Pete Fountain. Lemmler has toured extensively nationally and globally, performing at jazz festivals and masses, and sharing his passion for New Orleans jazz and piano at clinics and workshops. He’s also adept at film scoring and crafting large-scale arrangements.
For more information, visit https://www.mattlemmler.com.
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