Fade to Black

Fade To Black is Carmen Lundy’s 16th album and one of her most personal to date. Grammy® Nominated for her previous album Modern Ancestors, these 11 original songs, written and arranged by Carmen Lundy, were conceived during the challenging months of the pandemic and reflect this time of great loss, sorrow, healing, and hope for a brighter, more inclusive future for us all. Tackling the difficult social issues of our time while also musing on the joys of love and relationships, this stunning set of songs takes us on an emotional journey that culminates in the extraordinary hymn-like ballad titled “Rest In Peace”.

Carmen Lundy explains, “I approached the writing of this work from being in this moment in time – not necessarily looking back, but observant of the times we live in NOW. Traditional Jazz composition involves understanding its evolution and the spirit of improvisation. In this complete oeuvre, I wanted to explore different approaches to harmonic progressions, extended forms, and subtle rhythmic concepts while providing plenty of space for the lyrics and melodies to sing and tell stories without necessarily feeling the need to represent preconceived ideas about vocal jazz, harmonies and rhythms.”

This project was funded in part by a New Jazz Works grant from Chamber Music America (CMA).

All songs written and arranged by Carmen Lundy (Carmen Lundy Publishing/BMI). Carmen Lundy: vocals, keyboards, guitar, percussion, horn arrangements, backing vocals. Julius Rodriguez: piano. Matthew Whitaker: organ, keyboards, string arrangements, programming. Kenny Davis: acoustic bass, electric bass. Curtis Lundy: acoustic bass. Terreon Gully: drums. Andrew Renfroe: guitar. Wallace Roney Jr.: trumpet. Giveton Gelin: trumpet. Camille Thurman: tenor saxophone. Morgan Guerin: tenor saxophone.

Recorded and Mixed by Don Murray at Stagg Street Studios and Afrasia Studios, LA, CA May 13-14, 2022. Mastered by Eric Boulanger at The Bakery Mastering Lab, LA, CA.