The Absence

by Melody Gardot

Overview

If Melody Gardot's 2009 sophomore effort, My One and Only Thrill, sustained the sultry, atmospheric vibe of her critically acclaimed 2006 debut, her 2012 follow-up, The Absence, is a bit of a creative departure for the vocalist. Apparently inspired by her world travels, and specifically by a trip that brought her to the desert around the city of Marrakech, the album moves her away from smoky, small-group jazz and into a bright, if still bedroom-eyed, rhythmically exotic sound. Produced by guitarist/composer Heitor Pereira, the album is a lush, somewhat orchestral album that finds Gardot delving into various Brazilian, Spanish, and African-influenced sounds -- including bits of samba, tango, bossa nova, and calypso -- that evince her global journey. However, rather than simply making a standards album, Gardot continues her all-original approach, offering up new literate and passionately delivered compositions that bring to mind the work of such similarly inclined artists as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Paul Simon, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and others. Although there are a few name musicians who help add spice to Gardot's musical caravan here, including percussionist Paulinho Da Costa, drummer Peter Erskine, and bassist John Leftwich, primarily it is still Gardot's burnished and yearning vocal style that takes the helm on these tracks. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	02/21/2025
Label:	Universal Import
UPC:	0602465236392

Tracks

1. Mira
2. Amalia
3. So Long
4. So We Meet Again My Heartache
5. Lisboa
6. Impossible Love
7. If I Tell You I Love You
8. Goodbye
9. Se Voce Me Ama
10. My Heart Won't Have It Any Other Way
11. Iemanja

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Melody Gardot   Primary Artist,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Clapping
Charles Staab   Drums
Joann Turkovsky   Harp
Brian Dembrow   Viola
Jessica Pearlman   Oboe
Ali Witherspoon   Vocals (Background)
Armen Ksajikan   Cello
Heitor Pereira   Banjo,Drums,Guiro,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Cavaquinho,Percussion,Glockenspiel,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (Nylon String)
Dan Higgins   Flute (Alto),Clarinet (Bass),Oboe,Flute,Piccolo,Clarinet
Alyssa Park   Violin
Roger Wilkie   Violin
Paula Hochhalter   Cello
Christian Kollgaard   Bass,Double Bass
Julie Gigante   Violin
Harry Kim   Trumpet
Dave Walther   Viola
Hamilton de Holanda   Mandolin,Vocals (Background)
Christina Soule   Cello
Shawn Mann   Viola
Yolanda Arroyo   Clapping,Castanets,Percussion
Martin Tillman   Cello
Nick Glennie-Smith   Conductor
Alfie Silas-Durio   Vocals (Background)
Katia Popov   Violin
Helen Nightengale   Violin
Andrew Shulman   Cello
Matthew Funes   Viola
Jo Ann Turovsky   Harp
Tamara Hatwan   Violin
Paco Arroyo   Clapping,Castanets,Percussion
Andrew Lippman   Trombone
Marlow Fisher   Viola
Coco Trivisonno   Bandoneon
Lisa Sutton   Violin
Phillip Levy   Violin
Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick   Cello
Stuart Clark   Clarinet
Michael C. Watts   Accordion
Armen Ksajikian   Cello
Bill Cantos   Vocals (Background)
Bruce Dukov   Violin
Larry Goldings   Piano,Melodica
Ramon Flores   Trumpet
John Leftwich   Bass,Double Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Nico Abondolo   Bass,Bass Viol,Double Bass
Ron Kerber   Clarinet
Timothy Davies   Conductor
Bill Maxwell   Vocals (Background)
Dennis Karmazyn   Cello
Peter Erskine   Drums
Jim Keltner   Drums
Tata Vega   Vocals (Background)
Roland Kato   Viola
Paulinho Da Costa   Percussion
Keith Greene   Viola
Jaques Morelenbaum   Vocals (Background)
Cecilia Tsan   Cello
Lisa M. Sutton   Violin
Louis Price   Vocals (Background)
Michael Valerio   Bass,Double Bass
Darrin McCann   Viola
Phil Roy   Vocals (Background)
Doug Webb   Saxophone,Slide Saxophone
Sarah Thornblade   Violin
Tereza Stanislav   Violin
Andrew Duckles   Viola
Yamandu Costa   Vocals (Background)
Serena McKinney   Violin
Stephen Erdody   Cello

Technical Credits

Mary Levitan   Management
Christopher Appleton   Hair Stylist
Sebastian Zuleta   Engineer
Scott Smith   Assistant Engineer
Vanessa Par   Assistant Engineer
Jeremy Miller   Assistant Engineer
Heitor Pereira   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Recording Arranger
Antonio "Moogie" Canazio   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Glenn Barratt   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Steve Genewick   Assistant,Mixing Assistant
Jovite De Leymarie   Artwork,Design
Roque Cozzette   Make-Up
Vanessa Parr   Assistant Engineer
Al Schmitt   Mixing
Ladd McIntosh   Orchestration
Ivy Skoff   Contractor
Lynn Peterson   Engineer
Marcel Louiguy   Composer
Jesse Harris   Composer,Composer
Sam Feldman   Management
Fabrizio Ferri   Photography
Marco Ruiz   Assistant,Mixing Assistant
Steve Macklam   Management
Booker White   Copyist
Bernie Grundman   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Edith Piaf   Composer
Jay Newland   Engineer
Phil Roy   Composer
Melody Gardot   Composer,Producer,Piano Effects