A dozen years ago on a late December night, high on a mesa above Rockville, Utah, blue haiku was born. Emerging from the sparks of a crackling bonfire, the quartet combined their folk, classical, jazz and pop backgrounds into an invigorating new style: chamber folk. They merrily roamed the musical highways and byways for many moons.
After several years they were joined on the path by two good friends and became the sextet, Red Rock Rondo, singing oral history-based song cycles in concert and on TV. Sometimes a new Red Rock Rondo fan wanted to hear the group's blue beginnings, but along the way blue haiku's CD, heat beneath the sand, had sold out.
heat beneath the sand includes 10 original songs written by guitarist/vocalist Phillip Bimstein (two co-written with Michael Smith, famous for “The Dutchman" and "Crazy Mary," and whom Rolling Stone Magazine once called, "the greatest songwriter in the English language"). blue haiku's intricate arrangements feature well-crafted solos by Charlotte Bell (oboe, English horn), Flavia Cervino-Wood (violin) and Harold Carr (upright bass).
Now heat rises again and is available for download. You can hear excerpts and download individual songs or the entire album for a very reasonable price at iTunes, Amazon, or at CD Baby (who blue haiku likes the best!):
Sandstone canyons and southwestern landscapes are evoked in “Desert Rain” and “Westwind,” which also laments the intrusion of city-bred air pollution into the Grand Canyon. “Heartbeat of the World” and “Take Me In (To Your Wilderness)” express a passion for nature. “Venezuela” liltingly paints the picture of a love-forsaken woman working in a chocolate factory. “Rainy Season” and “Old Story” were co-authored with Michael Smith. The romantic "Light of a Thousand Suns," the plaintive "Did You Cry Too?" and the jump-starting "R/Evolution" round out the album. You can hear a few of the songs here.
At the onset of this red and green holiday season, we hope you will warm up a little blue haiku, buy a gift for yourself or a friend, and feel heat rise again!
Happy holidays,
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