I am blessed to be in a community of amazing musicians/collaborators. HER HOLY WATER: A BLACK GIRL'S ROCK OPERA album credits include:
Imani Uzuri-Vocals, Arrangements,Co-Producer
Vijay Iyer - Piano, Keyboard, Arrangements,Co-Producer
Swiss Chris - Drums
Maximina Juson - Electric Bass, Arrangements
Kirk Douglas - Electric Guitar, Arrangements
Marvin Sewell - Acoustic Guitar, Arrangements
Tarrah Reynolds - Violin, String Arrangements
Jeannie Oliver - Viola, String Arrangements
James D. Coleman-Viola
Julia Kent-Cello
Nioka Workman-Cello
Brad Jones-Upright Bass
Graham Haynes-Cornet
Daniel Moreno-Percussion
Thom Loubet - Electric Guitar
Jeremiah Hosea - Electric Bass
Scotty Hard-Engineer/Co-Producer
Peter Karl-Engineer
Michael Fossenkemper-Turtletone Studio-Mastering
ALBUM COVER PHOTOGRAPHY-Larry Link
ALBUM COVER DESIGN-Charlotte Taylor
Influences
INSPIRATIONS AND INFLUENCES:
Bjork, Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, 4Hero, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Dianne Reeves, Carleen Anderson, 80's Music, Betty Davis, Om Kalthoum, fragrant incense, Maxayn, Bessie Smith, North Carolina, John Coltrane, Octavia Butler, God, World Music, Nina Simone, healing energy and light, Supertramp, Queen, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Minnie Ripperton, The Clark Sisters, Barbra, Julie Andrews,Carol Burnett, Millie Jackson, Laurie Anderson, Louise Bourgeois, Bette Midler, rainy windy days, Marian Makeba, Aung San Su Kyi, beautiful flowers (tulips, lillies, birds of paradise, baby's breath),Virgen De Guadelupe, Latch Drom (The Film), Frida Kahlo, Rigoberta Menchu, Paul Robeson, Sojourner Truth, Mary Pickford, Harriet Tubman, Freedom Fighters, Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Karen Carpenter, Northern California, Alice Coltrane, Grace Jones, tempetuous oceans, Jessye Norman, Julie Taymor, Ntozake Shange, Shirley Horn, Zora Neale Hurston, traveling this beautiful earth, The Green Tara, Malcolm X, Freedom Songs, Roberta Flack, Mary Crow Dog, Mary J. Blige, Sade, delicious food, Mercedes Sosa, Virginia Rodriguez, wind,Mary McCloud Bethune,blood oranges,Black Girls, Sandra Cisneros, Toni Morrison, silence,Betty Carter, 70's classic soft rock, Chavela Vargas, Ray Charles,Tina Turner, Fela Kuti, collard greens, cayenne pepper, okra, pecans, blackeyed peas, lima beans, sweet potatoes and yams, granny, Bayard Rustin, MLK jr, Sarah Vaughan, Assata Shakur, Kathleen Battle, Beverly Sills, Judith Jamison, Dusty Springfield, Wangari Matthai, sun,moon, stars,clouds, love, loss, joy,pain, faith, victory, eternal life, Jesus, sufism, buddhism, islam, mysticism, ancestors, orishas, Donny Hathaway, Judy Blume, Winnie Mandela, the universe, Oumou Sangare, Anne Frank, Hair (The Musical), Simon and Garfunkel, Trance and Sacred Music, family, friends, my world community, the Holy Spirit, my fellow artists, the children in my life/world, meditation and prayer truth,justice,integrity,sweetness,grace,healing,compassion,love,freedom, forever, illuminating light and The Sound of Music (The Musical)-the hills are indeed alive!!!
[Alicia]Keys and her sisters [...from Lil' Kim to Lauryn Hill, Beyoncé to MeShell Ndegeocello... Jill Scott to Cassandra Wilson, Keyshia Cole to Marsha Ambrosius, IMANI UZURI to Tamar-Kali, Erykah Badu to Alice Smith, Ciara...] remind us that while yes, there will always be blood...our world must must must be aswim in black-and-blue praisesongs, worksongs, torchsongs, naked and gospel truths, romance, reflection, redemption, sunshine, rain, and maybe, Family, a bit more nguzo saba umoja ujima, kuumba kujichagulia.-THE VILLAGE VOICE
"THE SONGS IN [IMANI UZURI's] DEBUT ALBUM 'HER HOLY WATER: A BLACK GIRL'S ROCK OPERA' ARE SOULFUL, PROVOCATIVE AND EMOTIONALLY CHARGED"
- THE NEW YORK POST
"BLACK. GIRL. ROCK. OPERA. THIS DEBUT IS A COMMANDING REPRESENTATION AND REFUTATION OF ALL THOSE CATEGORIES. CHANNELING ELLA FITZGERALD AND EVERYONE'S FAVORITE FILICIDAL MAMA, MEDEA (in the same song, no less), UZURI CREATES A DRAMATIC MUSICAL NARRATIVE WORTHY OF ITS LOFTY TITLE...MR. [FREDDIE]MERCURY WOULD BE PROUD."-OKAYPLAYER-received 4 AFRO HEADS OUT OF 5!!!
"...STATUESQUE IMANI UZURI...MESMERIZED WITH AN ETHERAL SOULFUL ROCK."
-THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
"BEAUTIFUL" JOHN LEGEND
"BURSTING WITH ENERGY...DEEP VOCALS AND WIDE RANGING SOUNDS..."
- TRACE MAGAZINE
"THE UNINHIBITED SOUL OF IMANI UZURI IS AN ENDLESS FOUNTAIN OF CREATIVITY."
-FLAVOR PILL NYC
"SOUNDS MAGICAL" MARC MAC (4Hero)
"There is a SOUND between WEEPING and WAILING, SINGING and screaming, SOUL CRYING and caterwauling, RHASODIZING and RETUNING FIRE. PUT YOUR HAND WHERE IT HURTS and THIS SOUND MAY HEAL YOU...THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN HEAR SUCH MUSIC AND NOT BE TRANSFORMED." GREG TATE (excerpt from his liner notes for the album HER HOLY WATER: A BLACK GIRL'S ROCK OPERA)
“[UZURI]… never fails to mesmerize audiences with her narcotic blend of ethereal sounds…” (TIME OUT NEW YORK).
Recently featured as TRACE Magazine's 'Beautiful', ecletic, bohemian IMANI UZURI is one who defies category. She has performed at numerous international venues/festivals including LINCOLN CENTER, CENTRAL PARK SUMMER STAGE, PERFORMA07, London's BARBICAN CENTER, THE BLUE NOTE, JOE'S PUB, Japan's WORLD FESTIVAL OF SACRED MUSIC, SOBs, THE UNITED NATIONS, BLACK LILY FILM AND MUSIC FESTIVAL, LE LIEU UNIQUE, BAM, NYC CULTUREFEST, THE APOLLO THEATER, THE WHITNEY MUSEUM, Atlanta's NATIONAL BLACK ART'S FESTIVAL, BOWERY BALLROOM, and Morocco's FESTIVAL D'ESSAOUIRA.
UZURI's recordings/collaborations include HERBIE HANCOCK, JOHN LEGEND, 4-HERO, TALIB KWELI, SLY and ROBBIE, BILL LASWELL and KING BRITT. Television appeareances include DAVID LETTERMAN performing with PETER GABRIEL and the AFRO-CELT SOUND SYSTEM.
UZURI’s stunning debut album ‘HER HOLY WATER: A BLACK GIRL’S ROCK OPERA’ (available on ITUNES) features 18 sweeping and captivating songs. She is currently developing a provocative musical theater piece of the same title based on its music, while incorporating coming-of-age memories from her youth in rural North Carolina, multi-media video montage and anecdotes from her nomadic travels around the world of which she has just completed 2 SOLD OUT performances at the LEGENDARY APOLLO THEATRE! It has also been successfully showcased at Joe's Pub, THE HIP HOP THEATER FESTIVIAL, THE KITCHEN, NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (NJPAC) and Philadelphia's PAINTED BRIDE.
THANK YOU to EVERYONE for inquiring about my debut album HER HOLY WATER: A BLACK GIRL'S ROCK OPERA! You are so WONDERFUL!!! The album includes 18 sweeping songs featuring some of the "cream of contemporary musicianship" such as VIJAY IYER, MARVIN SEWELL, SWISS CHRIS, MAXIMINA JUSON, KIRK DOUGLAS, TARRAH REYNOLDS, JEANNIE OLIVER, JEREMIAH HOSEA, DANIEL MORENO, THOM LOUBET, BRAD JONES, NIOKA WORKMAN, JULIA KENT, JAMES D. COLEMAN and GRAHAM HAYNES.
The album is NOW AVAILABLE on CDBABY/RHAPSODY/ITUNES and more!!!
A dear friend said to me "pray up! the path broadens ahead..."
I thank you all for your continued support, love and prayers!!!
Love, gratitude, and continuous blessings!!!***xoxo!!! imani uzuri
www.imaniuzuri.com
www.myspace./herholywater
I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4>
Hi sista, I think that you must be back home by now. The session was very nice and the temperature was very hot. See you when you come back in Paris. Connection
I cant wait to see you live again!! The video is so creative, its one of the best short video pieces I have ever seen!! You surely have a dedicated fan my dear!!
hey girl u have a beautiful n powerful voice, i love it...peace cant wait to go to see u in live, i'v seen u once at a block party on 19th st n b/t 10 n 11 av, and at that theather on the same address...!! everybody has to come out of their stores, houses...cause too powerful!!cheer
hey, I just wanted to say happy new year and all that good stuff.. I was browsing youtube the other day and came across your's and john legends performance of "if this world were mine" OMG!!!!! Imani, you betta sang, sis LOL!!!... I'm floored!!!!!! I keep listen to it and smil'in hard at on how amazing you are. you go!!!!! much respect, phillip
Online Now!
