Music Notes – Sunday, September 8th:
This Sunday’s musicians are Moises Borges, Gary Aprile, Garrett Folger, Dylan Moffitt, Anya Ustin, The Chancel Choir, and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney
Be sure to arrive early this Sunday for special Ingathering music on the portico (or in the sanctuary in case of rain) with our guest musicians The Moises Borges Quartet!
About this Sunday’s guest musicians:
Based in Cleveland, Moises Borges is a gifted guitarist and vocalist originally from Bahia, Brazil. He grew up experimenting with rhythms, especially Samba and Bossa Nova which are essential to his performances. Moises has become a prolific performer during the last decade: he has performed in numerous countries, venues and events, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Severance Hall & Cleveland Playhouse Square. He often performs at area outdoor festivals and Jazz Clubs on a regular basis. Moises is dedicated to broadening the audience for Brazilian music by performing solo and with his band, and he holds three nominations for the Brazilian International Press Awards USA as best Brazilian Instrumentalist living in the United States. (from moisesborges.com)
Gary Aprile is an accomplished guitarist and bassist who frequently collaborates with Moises Borges. After returning from New York City in the early 1990s, Gary has had the opportunity to work with many of the great musicians and musical organizations in the Cleveland area, including Joe Hunter, Jack Schantz, Kip Reed, Dominick Farrinacci, Jackie Warren, Paul Ferguson, Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and Grupo Brasil. In addition to working as a freelance musician, Gary also is a Clinical Social Worker and co-owner of the private practice Clinical Counseling Associates in Rocky River.
Freelance composer, educator, and performer Garrett Folger has been searching for musical truth for his whole life. A graduate of the conservatory of music at Baldwin-Wallace University, Garrett has been performing in many varied styles throughout Northeast Ohio. Notable musical collaborations include performances with Sammy DeLeon y su Orquesta, the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, and his own group co-led by Carmen Castaldi, Anthony Fuoco, and Aidan Plank where many of his own compositions are interpreted. His other project Community Shoe showcases a more pop/rock orientation to his playing and writing. Performances of Garrett’s large ensemble compositions have been heard from groups such as the Third Law Collective and the Skatch Andersson Orchestra.” (from clevelandjazzworks.com)
Multi-talented percussionist Dylan Moffitt has distinguished himself both in classical music and the world music genres. Moffitt has recently played in the percussion sections of The Cleveland Orchestra, The Blossom Festival Orchestra and Band, The Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra, The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and The Firelands Symphony Orchestra among others. In addition to orchestral playing, Dylan also is a frequent performer and teacher of world music. As an educator, he has helped to lead classes in introductory frame drumming and world rhythms at both the Cleveland Institute of Music and at Oberlin College.
Song: There’s a River Flowin’ in my Soul – Sanders
“There’s a River Flowin’ in My Soul” is #1007 in our Singing the Journey hymnal. It was composed by Rose Sanders (b. 1945), who is a civil rights attorney, activist and creative artist living in Selma, Alabama. Ms. Sanders was Alabama’s first African American female judge, and she has co-founded and works to support many organizations which protect children.
Special Music: Ripples on the Pond – Borges & Moffitt
“Ripples on the Pond” is a semi-improvised composition by guitarist Moises Borges and percussionist Dylan Moffitt. The calm and contemplative nature of the music is reflected in its title.
Offertory Music: Wave – Jobim
Antônio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994) was a Brazilian composer, pianist, guitarist, and singer. He is often referred to as the “father of bossa nova” for his distinctive blending of Samba with Cool Jazz. Jobim’s compositions have been widely performed and recorded by artists around the world, and many of his songs are now considered standards, including “Desafinado”, “Chega de Saudade”, and “The Girl from Ipanema”. He was the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. “Wave” (also known as “Vou Te Contar”) was the title track of Jobim’s 1967 album of the same name. The song was originally conceived as an instrumental, but Jobim wrote English and Portuguese lyrics to accompany his melody after the song gained popularity. “Wave” is now considered a jazz standard, and has been recorded by dozens of artists, including Frank Sinatra, Joao Gilberto, Ahmad Jamal, and Sarah Vaughan. On Sunday, you’ll hear a vocal-instrumental arrangement of “Wave” by American composer and arranger Paris Rutherford, which will feature UUCC’s own Anya Ustin as vocal soloist, along with our Chancel Choir and the Moises Borges Quartet.
Centering Music: Beira do Mar (Seaside) – Donato
“Beria do Mar” (Seaside) is a song by Brazilian jazz and bossa nova pianist and composer João Donato (1934-2023). The song describes the experience of walking along the shore and feeling as though you are at the boundary of two worlds – that of the land and that of the ocean.
Closing Song: Blue Boat Home – Mayer
A native of Minnesota, folk musician Peter Mayer (b. 1963) is a guitarist and songwriter who specializes in earth-centered music. UU congregations know and love Peter as the lyricist behind “Blue Boat Home”, which first appeared on Mayer’s album The Great Story and is #1064 in our Singing the Journey hymnbook. The melody Mayer set his inspiring words to is called “Hyfrodol”, a popular Welsh hymn tune credited to Rowland Prichard (1811-1887).
Postlude: Estrela – Borges
“Estrela” (Star) is an original song by Moises Borges, written in the Brazilian jazz style for which he is known. Our music director Mike Carney wrote the choral arrangement of “Estrela” that you’ll be hearing on Sunday. The original Portuguese lyrics and English translation are as follows:
Estrela, a musica do ar Star, the music of the air
Voa alem do infinito e va busca no sorriso, It flies beyond infinity and seeks the smile,
Do brillo do olhar The brightness of a look
Declamando uma poesia de uma musica estacio Proclaiming the poetry of a music station
Um sonhar lindo como a flor de nobre coracao A dream as beautiful as the flower of a noble heart
Cante comigo, vamos amar, somar e dividi Sing with me, let’s love, add and divide
Uma estrela linda que me fay sorrir A beautiful star that makes me smile.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director