My Songs Grete Skarpeid

• 1 Valley of Sjo 06:22
• 2 Moving On 04:48
• 3 So Long 06:03
• 4 The Sun 04:23
• 5 Maybe 04:04
• 6 Julie 05:29
• 7 Jag Vet en Dejlig Rosa 04:50
• 8 I Want to Dance 05:46
• 9 Embrace 05:43
• 10 Folk Song 05:35
• Total Runtime 53:03

Info for My Songs

'This album is the result of a chance meeting between jazz pianist Aruan Ortiz an myself. He was playing in my home town of Voss, Norway, together with the Don Byron quartet. During a conversation he asked me if I sang? I replied: 'A little bit', and asked if he would like to hear one of my own songs written that same day. He was kind enough to listen, and with inspiring words he encouraged me to follow my ideas and continue to write.

He invited me to join him in New York for a recording session, and I had the wonderful experience of working alongside great musicians who played my music so beautifully. Although this has been my first studio recording, under Aruans professional guidance, together with his arrangements and production, the music has become alive, playful and energetic and at the same time it has broadened the complexity of its harmony and rhythms.

Although these songs and lyrics has a personal background and express own experiences, moods and emotions, my hope is that the listener can relate to the universal expressions of love, loss and life. Enjoy!»

Grete Skarpeid, vocals
Aruán Ortiz, piano, arrangement
Victor Prieto, accordeon
Arturo Stable, percussion
Marika Hughes, cello
Tom Guarna, guitar
Carlo De Rosa, bass

Produced by Aruán Ortiz Recorded at Samurai Hotel Recording Studios by David Stoller on 13. to 16. November 2014
Mastered April 2015, at Blackler Mastering by Kevin Blackler
Produced by Aruán Ortiz

Grete Skarpeid
has always had a close association with music. She spent her childhood days in Stavanger, Norway constantly singing, playing the piano or listening to records. Joining a choir led her further on to singing solo. Musically she has been inspired by Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Maria Joan and many others, as well as the great classical composers whose music she has enjoyed extensively over the years.

The improvisational nature of jazz and its unexpected rhythmic flows and harmonic explorations has been of special interest to Grete particularly after her two years with the Freiburg jazz choir in Germany.

After obtaining her Masters degree in Music Therapy, Grete has concentrated most of her professional work as a speech therapist in her hometown Voss. Her busy day also contains family, running an active woman’s choir and working with both her own solo singing and playing with other musicians, among them Frode Fjellheim’s project Biejjien vuelie.

Life is strange! Something new and refreshing is often just around the next corner. Her meeting and subsequent friendship with jazz pianist Aruàn Ortiz encouraged and inspired her to further her efforts, and this, her first album, is the result.

This album contains no booklet.