Splendor in the Grass (album)
Encyclopedia
Splendor in the Grass is the fourth full-length album
from the band Pink Martini
. It was released in October 2009 on their own label Heinz Records
.
The album is named after its third track, and features songs in five languages (English
, Spanish
, Italian
, French
, and Neapolitan
). Collaborators included National Public Radio correspondent Ari Shapiro
singing on the track "But Now I'm Back" and Sesame Street
performer Emilio Delgado
on a cover of Joe Raposo
's "Sing". Other covers included on the album are "Piensa en mí", written by Agustín Lara
and his sister Maria Teresa Lara for the 1948 film Revancha; "Tuca Tuca", originally performed by Raffaella Carrà
; and the Moondog
song "New Amsterdam".
The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200
and No. 100 on Top Independent Albums with 12,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album was certified platinum in Greece.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
from the band Pink Martini
Pink Martini
Pink Martini is a 13-member "little orchestra" from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1994 by pianist Thomas M. Lauderdale. They draw inspiration from music from all over the world – crossing genres of classical, jazz and old-fashioned pop.-History:...
. It was released in October 2009 on their own label Heinz Records
Heinz Records
Heinz Records is an independent record label based in Portland, Oregon. The label was founded in 1997 by Thomas M. Lauderdale and the band Pink Martini....
.
The album is named after its third track, and features songs in five languages (English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and Neapolitan
Neapolitan language
Neapolitan is the language of the city and region of Naples , and Campania. On October 14, 2008 a law by the Region of Campania stated that the Neapolitan language had to be protected....
). Collaborators included National Public Radio correspondent Ari Shapiro
Ari Shapiro
Ari Shapiro is an American radio journalist who grew up in Portland, Oregon. He currently is White House correspondent for National Public Radio . He is also a frequent guest host of Morning Edition and other NPR programs.- Family and education :Ari Shapiro is the son of database researcher Dr....
singing on the track "But Now I'm Back" and Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
performer Emilio Delgado
Emilio Delgado
Emilio Delgado is an American actor. He is best known for his long-running role as Luis, the friendly Fix-it Shop owner, on the children's television series Sesame Street. Delgado joined the cast of Sesame Street in 1971 and recently completed Season 41 with the show. He began his professional...
on a cover of Joe Raposo
Joe Raposo
Joseph Guilherme Raposo, OIH was a Portuguese-American composer, songwriter, pianist, television writer and lyricist, best known for his work on the children's television series Sesame Street, for which he wrote the theme song, as well as classic songs such as "Bein' Green" and "C is for Cookie"...
's "Sing". Other covers included on the album are "Piensa en mí", written by Agustín Lara
Agustín Lara
Agustín Lara was a Mexican singer and songwriter.-Biography:Lara was born in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz. Later, the Lara family had to move again to Mexico City, establishing their house in the borough of Coyoacán. After Lara's mother died, Agustín and his siblings lived in a hospice run by their...
and his sister Maria Teresa Lara for the 1948 film Revancha; "Tuca Tuca", originally performed by Raffaella Carrà
Raffaella Carrà
Raffaella Carrà , in Italy often simply known as la Carrà and in some Latin American countries sometimes simply as Raffaella, is an Italian singer, dancer, television presenter, and actress...
; and the Moondog
Moondog
Moondog, born Louis Thomas Hardin , was a blind American composer, musician, poet and inventor of several musical instruments. Moving to New York as a young man, Moondog made a deliberate decision to make his home on the streets there, where he spent approximately twenty of the thirty years he...
song "New Amsterdam".
The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and No. 100 on Top Independent Albums with 12,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album was certified platinum in Greece.
Track listing
Personnel
- Hugo Alfvén
- Neil Anderson - Choir, Chorus
- Jennifer Arnold - Viola
- Phil Baker - Guitar, Sitar, Bass
- John Bartley - Choir, Chorus
- Joel Belgique - Viola
- Christopher Benjamin - Choir, Chorus
- Heather Blackburn - Cello
- Gavin Bondy - Trumpet, Cornet, Horn (Alto), Vocals, Piccolo Trumpet, Brass Arrangement, Saxophone Arrangement
- Joe Bozzi - Mastering
- Karen Brooks - Toy Piano
- João Canziani - Cover Photo
- Pansy Chang - Cello
- Julie Coleman - Violin
- Nicholas Crosa - Violin
- Brian Davis - Percussion
- Emilio Delgado - Vocals
- Daniel Dempsey - Choir, Chorus
- Gregory Ewer - Violin
- Joy Fabos - Violin
- Dan Faehnle - Guitar
- China ForbesChina ForbesChina Forbes is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer of Pink Martini.Forbes was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her father is American of French/Scottish descent, and her mother is African American...
- Vocals - Dave Friedlander - Engineer, Mixing
- Paloma Griffin - Violin
- Bernie Grundman - Mastering
- Doree Jarboe - Direction
- Timothy Jensen - Saxophone, Brass Arrangement, Saxophone Arrangement
- Ben Landsverk - Group
- Thomas M. LauderdaleThomas M. LauderdaleThomas Mack Lauderdale is a musician, largely known for his work with the Portland-based band Pink Martini.-Early life:...
- Piano, Producer, Photography - Maureen Love - Harp
- Peter Murray - Photography
- Timothy Nishimoto - Percussion, Vocals
- Charles Noble - Viola
- Derek Rieth - Percussion
- Courtney Taylor-Taylor
- Salvador Tercero - Vocal Engineer
- Chavela Vargas - Vocals
- Martin Zarzar - Percussion, Vocals, Brass Arrangement
External links
- Pink Martini - official band page, with audio samples