Tracks
- Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea 2. Child of the Times 3. Wade in the Water 4. How Deep Is the Ocean 5. Learning How to Fly 6. Afro Blue 7. Alfonsina y el Mar 8. Norwegian Wood 9. Willow Weep for Me 10. The Water Is Wide
Performers:
Synia Carroll – vocals
John Di Martino – piano
Kenny Davis – double bass
Jerome Jennings – drums
Cafe – percussion (5, 6)
Will Galison – harmonica (10)
Aaron Heick – horns (2, 3, 6, 8)
Beatriz Hernandez – backing vocals (6)
Westey Lima De Amorim – guitar (2, 5, 6, 8)
David Oquendo – vocals (3, 6)
Houston Person – tenor saxophone (1.9)
Record Label: Clarion Jazz
Recorded July 18 and August 22, 2023 at Teaneck Sound
Release Date: May 17, 2024
Synia Carroll was born and raised in North Philadelphia. At her parents’ urging, she graduated from Wesleyan University in Connecticut with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Education. She then moved to New York City, where she joined the world beat group Mikata, which provided her with further singing opportunities. After several years in New York, she returned to Connecticut to attend the University of New Haven, where she earned a Master of Arts in Education. She worked as a teacher at an arts-oriented high school for several years. In 2014, she moved to Sarasota, Florida, and began attending jam sessions. Carroll soon became a jazz vocalist, performing in small clubs and cafes, becoming a regular on the South Florida jazz scene and a rising star.
Following his debut album, “Here’s To You” (2016), with Billy Marcus, formerly recognized as Miami’s best resident jazz pianist, “Water Is My Song” is his second CD release, a collection of songs connected to or inspired by water. The album title comes from a poem called “Holy Water” by Mona Hagmagid, a young Sudanese-American woman from Northern Virginia. Carroll is accompanied by a trio consisting of John Di Martino (piano), Kenny Davis (double bass), and Jerome Jennings (drums), joined on various tracks by other musicians, including Will Galison (harmonica), Cafe (percussion), Beatriz Hernandez (backing vocals), David Oquendo (vocals), Aaron Heick (winds), Westey Lima De Amorim (guitar), and Houston Person (tenor saxophone).
Carroll opens the album with a charming version of Harold Arlen and Eric Koehler’s “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” where Houston Person delivers a masterclass on the tenor saxophone.
“Child of the Times” is a track co-written by Carroll and pianist Jane Getz. A pleasant song with folk-pop undertones.
In the traditional song “Wade in the Water,” Carroll connects with her African American heritage. It begins with a spoken-word piece she wrote herself. The song is dedicated to her son and daughter, as well as her late, beloved sister. A beautiful and moving track.
She performs Irving Berlin’s wonderful song “How Deep Is the Ocean” as a duet, accompanied only by Davis on double bass. An excellent version.
“Learning How to Fly” is a song with Brazilian influences, written by vocalist Patty Cathcart Andress of the duo Tuck and Patty. Carroll played the song for a dying friend who found great comfort in its message of letting go of fears.
Mongo Santamaria’s “Afro Blue” is reinterpreted by Carroll with backing vocals and singing by Hernández and Oquendo. Once again, the Afro-Cuban spirit is palpable. Heick and Cafe’s percussion is particularly noteworthy.
The beautiful and always moving “Alfonsina y El Mar” was composed by pianist Ariel Ramírez and Félix Luna. It was first released as part of Mercedes Sosa’s 1969 album “Mujeres Argentinas.” The song is a tribute to the Argentine poet Alfonsina Storni, who committed suicide in 1938 by throwing herself into the sea rather than die slowly from the breast cancer that ravaged her body. Carroll sings in perfect Spanish. An extraordinary version.
Carroll has always been a huge Beatles fan and learned to play their music on the guitar when she was very young. This album includes Lennon and McCartney’s “Norwegian Wood.” An excellent and personal version.
Carroll sings a version of another beautiful song, Ann Ronell’s “Willow Weep for Me,” in a trio with Houston Person on tenor saxophone. A haunting version.
She closes the album with “The Water Is Wide,” a traditional Scottish song that Carroll transforms into a moving jazz ballad, featuring Galison’s harmonica playing, the only contribution on the album.
Carroll describes jazz as “an approach to life, a force that opens my heart and expands my sense of identity and connection. Within the improvisation inherent in jazz and the complex chord structure, I find the freedom to respond creatively and create in the moment. How exciting that is!”
Carroll possesses a beautiful voice, with clear, smooth, and moving diction—a storyteller with an innate sense of timing.
“Water Is My Song” is one of the best albums released so far in 2024.
La Habitación del Jazz