Joyce Griffen
Jazz Vocalist
Joyce performing at Harlem's beautiful Cheri.
Talk about a “labor of love”! That's the perfect description of the process of making my new CD, LOVE’S LANGUAGES a reality. I really had to WORK!
Love’s Languages
Love’s Languages
Starting with the very first cut, the song Comecar de Novo, which I first heard in English, under the title The Island, there was a challenge. Not Ivan Lins' beguiling Brazilian melody, nor the sensual Alan and Marilyn Bergman English lyrics, which reminded me of the heights of several past love affairs. Finding the original Portuguese lyrics by Victor Martins was the big hurdle.
You would think I was doing well once the lyrics were obtained, but nooooo. I felt that if I was going to sing the song with the appropriate timing and feeling, I needed to know what the Portuguese words meant. Thus began the seemingly-impossible task of finding a good translation. I tried professional translators, Brazilian Consulate personnel (when they learned that the office staff upstairs hadn't been able to help me, the three security staff persons at the building's entrance made an unsuccessful stab at translating the song). I left the premises knowing only 3 words out of the whole song. Although they all knew of, and loved, the song that was the best they could do. I finally resorted to canvassing the numerous restaurants in Little Brazil (several blocks along West 46th Street in Manhattan).
It wasn't until restaurant number five, where I paused for a fortifying cocktail, that two lovely and sympathetic young Brazilian employees, one the hostess, the other the bartender, dedicated a good hour to parsing the meaning of the poetic words and phrases.
Finally, days later, my dear friend Cybele sent me a full translation from France. And guess what? The Portuguese and English lyrics read like two totally different songs. The former talks about starting over, after leaving an emotional abusive affair. The latter revels in the joys of a man and woman alone together on a desert island, surrendering to their passion under the stars.
We went into the studio to record it in March 2018, and so the making of LOVE’S LANGUAGES began.
Me and the musicians on the CD's first cut THE ISLAND.
Gerry Gibbs, drummer percussionist on THE ISLAND.
The band at the studio after recording my CD.
Ruben Isola and me at the recording session.
Me and musical director/pianist D.D. Jackson with sound engineer Joe Webster during mixing session at PonderRosa Studios.
Me and studio engineer at PonderRosa Studios, Joe Webster.
Performing outdoors on the plaza of the Harlem State Office Building.