August Love Song
“This is music that makes you wish you could live forever just to hear more of it.”
— All About Jazz
Video
August Love Song is the remarkable collaboration between impeccable vocal stylist Heather Masse and octogenarian trombone maverick Roswell Rudd. Masse, the New England Conservatory of Music-trained vocalist, is member of the Billboard-charting folk trio The Wailin’ Jennys and a regular on public radio’s A Prairie Home Companion show. Rudd burst on the free jazz scene in the 1960s; his ensemble work with Archie Shepp and forays into African and world music inform his explorations in sound and rhythm to the present.
Rudd and Masse met when they both appeared on the Prairie Home show, were surprised to discover they were neighbors in the Catskills in rural New York, and quickly found they had a strong musical connection that bridged their ages. Weekly jam sessions in Rudd’s living room became the impetus for August Love Song, recorded at Rudd’s home to capture the free-and-easy feel of the music. Joined by Rolf Sturm (guitar) and Mark Helias (contra bass), the group alternates betweens originals by Rudd, his partner, composer Verna Gillis, and Masse, including “Love Song For August” (August is Masse’s son) as well as improvised arrangements of mutual favorites by Gigi Gryce (“Social Call”), the Gershwins (“Love Is Here To Stay”), Duke Ellington (“Mood Indigo”) and Dizzy Gillespie (“Con Alma”). While separated by two generations, Masse and Rudd find common ground in the interplay and joy of jazz creation.
“The cross-generational chemistry and sublime musicianship of this duo is a constant delight whether you are thrilling to a new interpretation of a standard, exploring one of their originals or just smiling at the unlikely, lovely sound they make together.”
— Michael Devlin
Lyrics
Love Song for August
I live to see you smile
And I’d follow you for miles and miles
For the love I feel keeps getting wild and wilder
Like the melting snow of a river moves slow
Then it grows and grows and grows
I can’t sleep at night cause your stars burn bright
in my head, in my heart my little fire
Cause I love you yes I do yes I do
And if you don’t mind I’ll shout it out loud
You make me laugh you make me cry
You make my world feel more alive
And without you days and nights mean nothing at all
For if ever you were gone the brightest star would fall and run
Cause if couldn’t bear the light without your smile
Eyes would open under sleep the birds would bark the dogs would cheep
And the man in the moon would be wearing a frown
So shine your light and grow and grow
Know we love you oh so so much
And we’ll sing it like the wind and always carry you home
You’re the sweetness in our eyes
you make us laugh you make us cry
You’re the lovely flower that blooms not in June or July
You’re the sweet soul of the tune that goes on and on
Black-Strapped Molasses
The night was black-strapped Molasses
That night above Lake Placid
We were lying in the grasses searching for love
The night poured down it’s magic
The moon was like a rabbit
Pulled out of some black hat from the hollow of the sky
We danced in the moonlight till it danced away
Then your eyes turned from silver to gray
I lost you in black-strapped molasses
You were gone and I longed for that rapture
We captured with no shadows
Under the black dark hollow of the night