Our voices, unique as fingerprints, are shaped by breath, space and emotion. You cannot feel your vocal cords as they have no nerve endings. Yet singing is something we experience all over. In our heart, our brain and in our very bones.

 

Songs have bones, too.  Structure, we call it. I grew curious about those old bones. As I added the Great American Songbook to my repertoire, I began a kind of archaeological dig into vintage sheet music.  I soon realized there were introductions to familiar songs that I’d never heard performed.  These introductions or verses were 

eliminated from early 20th century recordings because the first 10-inch 78-rpm records were only 3 minutes long. I fell in love with these lost verses.  I collected them. I sang them. Then one day, I thought: “It’s time”...

 

On this collection, I reunite these verses with their original songs. They’re recorded over a vintage microphone with many of the musicians in one room, evoking the spirit of another era. I’m truly grateful to the musicians, sound studio and many others whose generosity and talent have helped me give these gems another chance to shine.