We begin the album with “Red”, the title track. I chose to put this track right up front for a couple of reasons. Some people know the Quartet, a bit, but not really. “Red” is an introduction to us. The studio process behind this track fits our vibe to a “T”! This actually started out as a dark/bluesy sounding swing tune with written changes and evolved into what we actually ended up releasing: an improvised, colorful, rendition of my poem with layers of subtle harmony, ebass pedals, poignant percussion, and post production fun. The last section of this track was saved for something that I partially conceptualized prior to entering the studio: a montage of speaking/moments while in the studio. I wanted to attempt to capture “us” as best as I could and therefore asked Mike (the amazing engineer at Systems Two) to stay rolling for the majority of the time between takes. I feel like after listening to this first track, new and continuing listeners will begin to know and recognize us.

Moving on to “How Insensitive” for the next track was a no brainer. Out of all the tunes on the album, this is the cover arrangement that we’ve been performing together for the longest and it has tried on many hats. The intensity behind this take reflected all of our energy of the day. Jobim’s lyrics so eloquently outline the story of a man (from my perspective, no pun intended) returning to a woman to get her back only to find that it is too late. I believe that the “too little too late” experiences is something that most people can relate to either having been on one side or the other. I’ve lived this both in my romantic relationships and in my friendships/familial relationships. It’s never fun and the aggressive nature that ended up exuding from this track was definitely reflectve of where I was at personally when we recorded, reflecting on past relationships and wondering what it felt like to be put in both positions at different points.

“How Insensitive” paired with the next track, “Perspective”, makes for an interesting window into my personal life. Staying home in terms of tonal center, but veering out of the darkness of the minor harmony brings a certain triumphant shift in color. This is our James Brown track! I cannot ever sound or emulate such a person/artist, but the rhythm section definitely pushed “Perspective” and me into a frightening and wonderful place. This is perhaps one of my favorite tracks simply because vocally it brings out an alternate personality that cannot be heard on any of the other cuts. The celebratory tone comes from the experience of a woman taking control and ownership of her life after a “not so great” relationship.

“Wongolo Wale” is one of two Haitian Folk tunes that I’ve arranged for this EP. My identification with the story behind the song’s meaning made me eager to cover it. The translation conveys the perspective of slaves leaving their countries of origin and being brought to Haiti in the 18th century. “Wongolo Wale” means “He is going away” and the overall statement of the tune is that these people are leaving, the country is changing, and these same people wonder if the country will ever be the same again. My father and his brothers and sisters left Haiti in the 60’s during a very different time in the country’s history. This time, rather than it being the African nations who were the subject of change, it was Haiti itself. This connection of meaning to my own family history made me latch on to and want to develop this song as an arrangement of my own. The harmony and feel that I put to the piece retains a strong tonality, one that I hope would communicate the Haitian Diaspora taking ownership of a time in their ancestor’s history that was painful and horrendous.

“Easy” opens with an Introduction that was therapeutic for me to record. Chanting over a pedal can often times yield this result. Entering the tune in this way was meant to put the entire band into a fluid and nostalgic space. This track is about moving through the end of a relationship and the struggles that one goes through on a daily basis. For me, moving through this particular ending was interesting because sometimes I would wake up and be perfectly fine and others I would wake up and not be so fine. The overall message is simple and cliché in many ways: Nothing worth while is ever going to always be easy and those acts in life that are “easy” will inevitably be met with amazing and/or not so amazing complications. This may seem like a somewhat cynical viewpoint, but the reality is that through this particular experience, I’ve learned to float through those moments that are easy and enjoy them while they last.

Closing the EP with “Mesi Bondye” seemed like the only way to go. I became the most emotional that I think I ever have become in the studio while recording this track. By the end of this take, I felt happy, energized, and exhausted all at the same time. As our second Haitian folk tune on the EP, it really encompasses a place that I know our music will continue to visit in the future: one that is socially aware and responsible for addressing the injustices that exist in the world and that works to raise attention where it may have been diverted. When beginning to learn this repertoire, Melanie Charles, a wonderful musician, told me that she sings this song and delivers the message as her hope for Haiti. I haven’t found a better way to think about this so when people ask me what it means for and to me, I say that I agree with her angle and approach. The hope is only that one day we can sing this song and actually be saying “thank you”.