With Signs Of Life, singer Rondi Charleston breathes new life into jazz classics and shares highly personal yet universal reflections on life. During Women’s History Month we are focusing on women of jazz and blues past and present. Rondi Charleston’s Signs Of Life is one of the most powerful and personal discs to be premiered this March.
In her notes, Rondi Charleston credits two important mentors: Abbey Lincoln and Betty Carter. Following in their footsteps, Charleston writes songs that inspire us to consider the beauty and fragile nature of our world and songs that question our very genesis and future. Rondi also displays significant musical courage by covering Thelonious Monk’s “Reflections” with the John Hendricks lyrics first interpreted by Abbey Lincoln and Carmen McRae as well as a touching new lyric to Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints”. Abbey Lincoln was often quoted saying “unrequited love is a bore”.
There is nothing boring about Rondi Charleston’s Signs Of Life. It’s nothing new for us to premiere a singer-songwriter session on 89.1 Jazz, but Signs Of Life brings new energy, passion and deep thought to questions and concerns of life couched in flowing melodies. It was a very memorable premiere today.
