LISA LINDSLEY - EVERYTIME WE SAY GOODBYE

On her new recording, Everytime We Say Goodbye, jazz vocalist Lisa Lindsley makes a commanding debut as a storyteller and balladeer of the first order. With impeccable support from George Mesterhazy, the pianist and arranger, and bassist Fred Randolph, Lindsley is fearless in exploring the inner workings of her songs and what she calls “the moments of stillness between the lines.”

“As a singer, you are always trying to find your voice,” says Lindsley. “I believe I found it on this album, with the help of George Mesterhazy. Between the three of us, magic happened that weekend in the studio.”

Mesterhazy, best known as Shirley Horn’s pianist during the last several years of her life, and more recently as the musical director for the extraordinary San Francisco singer Paula West, was the catalyst for the session, which was scheduled spontaneously and without rehearsal. Yet Lisa and her musicians recorded most of the songs in first or second takes. “‘The Very Thought of You’ and ‘Everytime We Say Goodbye’ are masterpieces,” Mesterhazy says, “but the whole album is a snapshot of love, talent, and sincerity working in perfect synchronicity.”

Other highlights of the CD include Lisa’s readings of Blossom Dearie’s “Inside a Silent Tear”; “The Nearness of You,” which opens the album; and “Alice in Wonderland” (“I’m in love with Bill Evans and his version really made me want to sing it”).

“Every great song has a complete story in it, with a beginning, middle, and end,” Lindsley says. “When you’re singing you have to be connected to the words, or there’s nothing there, you have to have an emotional connection to the song. I want to tell the audience the story of the song, and my experience with acting helps that immensely.”

Lisa Lindsley was born and raised in Ogden, Utah, the daughter of a jazz-loving father and a former film actress mother who’d left Hollywood because of the McCarthy-era blacklist. By high school Lisa had discovered musical theater, a passion that carried through to college. She attended the prestigious California Institute for the Arts (CalArts) theater program, then spent a decade touring and performing with The Imagination Company.

Recorded during the breakup of her marriage, Everytime We Say Goodbye reflects the currents of longing, melancholy, and fortitude running through her life at that time. In concert, Lisa brings vivacious energy to the stage, with a repertoire reflecting her resilience and rekindled exuberance.