NORA GERMAIN | LITTLE DIPPER“Little Dipper” or “Dip” for short was a nickname that my longtime mentor and friend Jonathan Batiste gave to me sometime after we met in New York City in 2008. I grew to appreciate it more as I learned later on that “Big Dipper” was a nickname for Louis Armstrong and that “Little Dipper” had also been a nickname for Ray Nance, Duke Ellington’s violinist. This album was initially inspired by the recordings that Stephane Grappelli and Oscar Peterson created together. Using that sound as the main context for the album, I explored writing and arranging the rest of the material. Unique and enthusiastic, I also feel that this album fills a need with respect to music today, which is something that all art should aim to do. We recorded all of the music live in one day, and we certainly had a lot of fun in the process. Hopefully, you can hear a smile in it and it will bring a smile upon your face as well.

1. Swing is Fun (Germain) is something that I wrote that makes a statement about what it means to swing. For me, swing is many things, but the underlying sentiment of it is fun!

2. How About You (B. Lane and R. Freed) is one of the most wonderful jazz standards I have ever heard. I love the lyrics but I also love playing the melody in an instrumental setting, so we recorded two versions of it.

3. Someone to Watch Over Me (George and Ira Gershwin) is one of my favorite ballads. It also responds to the mention of liking a Gershwin tune in the previous track, “How About You.” I wanted to include some music in the beginning and the end that was reminiscent of stars or a night sky, to tie in the title of the album, but also to tie in the feeling of the song, which is one of wishing and dreaming.

4. How About You (Instrumental) (B. Lane and R. Freed) is an alternate take to the Track 2 version of “How About You.” Played as an instrumental piece, this melody has a very warm and light quality that I felt the vocal version could not fully capture. I love this tune so much that we recorded it twice!

5. Little Girl Blue (Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart) features only Ed Kornhauser (piano) and myself. To contrast the melancholy feeling of the song, I wanted to write something to include in the arrangement that had a hopeful, soothing feeling to contrast the blue emotions of the little girl. The new part then became the introduction, interlude and ending. It’s like a response to feeling blue.

6. Salty Dogs (Alvin Batiste) is an anthem of strength, freedom and of unshakable spiritedness. A salty dog is something that ruins your day, brings you down, or makes you feel bad. This song is a statement of personal independence from these things having a negative effect on life. It is also a reminder that no matter what happens to you, you can always be and feel your best. I remember something that my friends and I used to say to one another in New York. “Don’t ever let anybody bust your bass!”

7. Violin is Now (Germain) was not finished when we sat down to record it, so Ed Kornhauser (piano) helped me write an ending that we liked that fit the mood of the piece. “Violin is Now” was first called “JRM” for Jelly Roll Morton, because I liked the sweet, soft, stride piano sound that he created. After adding a partially impro-vised violin melody to the chords, I felt that this interlude track was something special, something unique to the present moment. So, I changed the title to “Violin is Now.”

8. A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing (Billy Strayhorn) is, in my opinion, one of Billy Strayhorn’s greatest composi-tions. I wanted to make this one sound something like a dream and envisioned a flower blossoming under a starry night sky.

9. Thou Swell (Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart) is one of my favorite recordings that Oscar Peterson and Stephane Grappelli made together. They always had such a light, uplifting sound and I wanted to try to capture it once again.

10. Tommy (Bonus Track) (Germain) is the only solo piece on this recording, and it was named for one of my inspirations, guitarist Tommy Emmanuel, CGP. I wanted to really play the violin like a fiddle and at the same time include some improvisation throughout. Cheers, Tommy!

-Nora Francesca Germain

NORA GERMAIN, VIOLIN AND VOICEED KORNHAUSER, PIANOWILL PIERCE, BASSRYAN SHAW, DRUMS

1. SWING IS FUN (GERMAIN)2. HOW ABOUT YOU 3. SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME 4. HOW ABOUT YOU (INSTRUMENTAL) 5. LITTLE GIRL BLUE 6. SALTY DOGS7. VIOLIN IS NOW (GERMAIN)8. A FLOWER IS A LOVESOME THING9. THOU SWELL10. TOMMY (BONUS TRACK) (GERMAIN)

ALL MUSIC RECORDED LIVE ON MAY 27TH AT ENTOURAGE STUDIOS IN LOS ANGELES | COPYRIGHT NORA GERMAIN 2014 | ENGINEERED, MIXED AND MASTERED BY WOODY WOODRUFF | ARRANGEMENTS BY NORA GERMAIN | ARRANGEMENT FOR “VIOLIN IS NOW” BY NORA GERMAIN AND ED KORNHAUSER | ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS BY NORA GERMAIN | PHOTO AND ALBUM ART: MEGHAN SADLER PHOTOGRAPHY

SPECIAL THANKS: CARL GERMAIN, NATHAN FURST, GUY PAONESSA, TOMMY EMMANUEL CGP, MARTIN TAYLOR MBE, MARSHALL HAWKINS, DIMA DIMITROVA, JON BATISTE AND STAY HUMAN, IDYLLWILD ARTS, USC, MEGHAN SADLER, ALL MENTORS, FRIENDS, FAMILY, FANS, AND INSPIRATIONS, 2014 AT ENTOURAGE STUDIOS IN LOS ANGELES