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Sacred Songs , music and words by Jules Rowell.

Jules Rowell, trombonist, composer, arranger, wrote two works for quintet plus singer: Sacred Songs, and music set to the poetry of e.e.cummings. Sheila and I were on both projects.

The Sacred Songs collection was recorded in Ian Willson's studio on my digital 8 track Tascam. Initially it was never well mixed. As a result Jules had lost interest in the recording. Since I own the master, I decided to let Jeff Cressman have a go at remixing it . The results were so good that Jules now has been shopping the two projects to labels.

None of us had any idea of Jules' Biblical interest. None of us were born again Christians, but the quality of the compositions engaged us all.

personell on this recording includes:

Jules Rowell, trombone & composer
Ian Willson, saxophone
Michael Bluestein, piano
Rob Gibson, drums
Paul Smith, bass
Sheila Smith, voice & percussion

No overdubbing was done. Some songs are first takes. some two or three takes.

Jules has given me permission to post one song in it's entirety. I've included the rest as sample tracks, pending Jules possibly releasing the two quintet+1 recordings.

Paul Smith Sept. 10, 2012

Originals from Sheila's Writer's Tapes:

Accompanying herself on guitar, vocalizing the melodies and improvising on the chord structure. These are before the addition of lyrics. I wrote a lyric for The Wonder of Life, which we recorded on the “Brasil, There & Back Again” album, and also released on the “Our Own Way” album. Sheila wrote this with Stevie Wonder in mind, with whom she recorded.

 "Angie,"  Sheila wrote for a newly born
neighbor of ours while living in the
mountains of Costa Rica. The little girl had
a very Asian aspect, which I think Sheila
captured in the song.

Sheila wrote "Esperança" while we were living up in the mountains of Costa Rica running a bee-keeping business.

In the final recording, found in the Our Own Way Vol.II, and also released on this website in Discography as" Brasil, There & Back Again", Sheila is playing the wood blocks. She said it was the sound of the horses cilp-clopping past our house. I wrote the lyric referring to a time when I had gone back to the U.S. to buy supplies for honey extraction. That bittersweet longing & hoping to make it back.

É Com Esse Que Eo Vou:

This song was dedicated to Elis Regina, from whom we learned it. It was released on our first album," Our Own Sweet Way", in cassette, but never re-released in our c.d.albums that followed. A singer with whom I play bass,  asked me, to my surprise, if I knew the song,. When I listened to this recording I realized that it deserves re-releasing. I sent her the song & a copy of our chart.

This was recorded direct to 2 track tape by Ron Davis at MasterTrack Studios in Hayward CA. in 1989.

 Carlos Oliveira is on guitar.

Paul Smith, Nov. 2012

Good Bye LA:

This was recorded for the 'Brasil,There and Back Again' album, originally released on cassette in 1990. Most of that album was re-released in the 'Our Own Way' trilogy on CD, excepting this and one other song. The guitarist, Ary Piazzarollo was our guitarist in Rio in 1973. The entire album is offered Here.

This is a highly personal song, saying goodbye to all our friends in L.A. as we prepared to go to Rio for a 6 month engagement. We rented an apartment near us in  Alameda for Ary, who stayed a month and a half, rehearsing with us and doing a few gigs with 'Viva Brazil'. When he had to leave we still hadn't recorded this song in the studio (MasterTrack, Ron Davis- engineer), so we recorded it at home with Ary, sending only the guitar to the mastering tape. Then we played that track in the studio and recorded with it. Ron Davis said he had never done that before. We weren't overdubbing, but playing with the guitar track. Ary was present, though disembodied. This goes out to Ricky, Sheila's brother, who wore the cassette out, and who loves this song.

Hello:

by Sheila from the '73 concert in Rio, with Ary Piazzarollo guitar. Ary was the guitarist in the Fossa Band, and later recorded an album with Paul & Sheila "Brasil,There and Back Again" cuts from which can be found on their 'Our Own Way ' trilogy

I Love You:

This song is on the Trio album with Adam Levy guitar. Here is the first recording of Sheila's song with our soul/disco band 'Sheila & Loveflame' Poor Richard's Pub, Oguncuit Maine, 1975

Life's What You Make It:

the first version of this song, recorded on the gig. This was our Soul/Disco quintet in Boston, '75

The Willie Bobo Experience:

from Paul& Sheila Smith "Our Own Way", the trio with Brad Buethe guitar. This song is also on our newest release "Life's What You Make It" the trio with Adam Levy guitar.

There Was You:

This is from our concert in Rio,1973,with our Brazilian quintet, Ary Piazzarollo guitar, Carlos Girio(Dom Charles) Wurlitzer piano, and Waltinho drums.We later recorded this song with Michael Bluestein piano. It is on 'Our Own Way, vol.II'

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