LAWSON ROLLINS

R E C O R D S

I N F I N I T A

L AW S O N R O L L I N S

1. Rumba del Sol (4:34) 2. Moonlight Samba (5:40) 3. Havana Heat (4:18) 4. Café La Martinique (6:11) 5. Return to Rio (4:50) 6. Blue Mountain Bolero (4:38) 7. Santa Lucia Waltz (4:32) 8. Espirito (5:47) 9. Cape Town Sky (6:07) 10. Footprints (2:28)

!e Caravan Trilogy: 11. Migration (6:47) 12. Shadowland (6:37) 13. Into the Light (4:18)

Total time: 66:40

On ESPIRITO, guitarist Lawson Rollins reunites with co-producers Shahin Shahida and Dominic Camardella to craft an epic World Music odyssey that reaches across cultures and musical traditions. !e 13 original compositions from Rollins feature performances by the core percussionist Dave Bryant and bassist Randy Tico combined with contributions from a global cast of musical legends. Guest artists include the iconic Brazilian singer Flora Purim, renowned percussionist Airto Moreira, Iranian ‘kamancheh’ master Kayhan Kalhor, and Grammy award winners Charlie Bisharat on violin and Cuban-born drummer Horacio”El Negro” Hernandez.

www.lawsonrollins.com [email protected]

All compositions written by Lawson Rollins

Produced by Shahin Shahida, Dominic Camardella and Lawson Rollins

Published by Infinita Songworks [ASCAP]

Recorded, mixed and edited by Dominic Camardellaat Santa Barbara Sound Design - www.sound-design.comAdditional recording at Skywalker Sound (Marin County, CA),Hyde Street Studios (San Francisco, CA), and S.O.S. Studios (Flint Hill, VA).

Guitars were recorded without compression into ProTools 192-HD at 88.2kHz sample rate / 24 bit resolution by Dominic Camardella using a Klaus Heyne modified Neumann U87 microphone and an older AKG 414EB run through vintage Neve 1064 preamps. A hybrid digital / analog mixing process was achieved using a Rupert Neve Designs 5088 high resolution analog mixing console. !e output of the Neve console was recorded to a vintage ATR-102 half inch stereo tape machine running at 30ips with Dolby SR Noise Reduction. Michael Spitz’s ATR Master Tape was used for maximum fidelity with minimum noise and distortion. Bernie Grundman personally mastered the album from the analog tape.

Lawson Rollins is endorsed by La Bella Strings and uses custom guitars made by Pedro Maldonado.

Designed by: Eric Jones | Ohmbox.comPhotography by: Rick Chapman | Rickchapman.com

Also available from Lawson Rollins - “INFINITA” (catalog: INF-200)

2010 Infinita Records, a div. of Infinita, LLC. - All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of this recording is prohibited by federal law and is subject to criminl prosecution.

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At the outset of Infinita’s creation, Rollins invited friend and fellow musician Shahin Shahida of the renowned group Shahin & Sepehr to co-produce the album and bring to the project his experience fusing Persian and Indian instruments with contemporary ‘world beat’ sounds. In his previous work, Rollins drew heavily from salsa, Latin jazz, bossa

nova, and rumba rhythms and styles. With Shahida on board, Rollins brings

into the mix more prominent references to Persian, Arabic, and Indian music

styles.“There is a profound cross-cultural connection in the ancestry of the

modern Spanish guitar to earlier instruments like the Arabic oud, the Persian

tar and even the Indian sitar,” says Rollins. “Bringing these styles together is like returning to the roots of the guitar,” Shahida adds, “These instruments

share a natural and beautiful bond.”

Rollins and Shahida partnered with Dominic Camardella, a producer and pianist associated with several multi-platinum selling albums. Camardella personally engineered the recording in his Santa Barbara Sound Design recording studio and contributed sophisticated, soulful piano and keyboard performances throughout the album.

Rollins has allowed Infinita to evolve organically, with each musician contributing heartfelt performances to the collective undertaking. “He has

been very empowering and gracious to all the musicians involved”, says Camardella. “I had a vision of what I wanted from the beginning,” Rollins

adds, “but over time, and through the contributions from my guest artists, the project took on a life of its own”.

Infinita features a diverse cast of accomplished musicians, including the Azerbaijani kamanche virtuoso Imamyar Hassanov and the Afghan vocalist Humayun Khan. Violinist Charlie Bisharat, bassist Randy Tico, and one of the world’s leading Persian percussionists and masters of the tombak drum, Pejman Hadadi, are all members of Grammy winning projects. Trumpeter Jeff Elliot, who has recorded and toured with such legends as Aretha Franklin, Charlie Haden, and the Doc Severinson Band,

adds his touches to “Café Jobim” and contributes a joyous horn section arrangement to “Through the Night”. Drums and percussion on all tracks are masterfully performed by Dave Bryant, who has also performed on several Grammy-nominated and platinum albums.

Guest vocals are provided by the iconic Brazilian singer Flora Purim along with her husband, the legendary percussionist Airto Moreira. They have recorded and performed for over four decades with the likes of Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Return to Forever, Carlos Santana, and Chick Corea. Joined by their daughter, Diana Booker, they craft an infectious series of vocal improvisations and chorus effects on the composition “Café Jobim” and the title track, “Infinita”, which also features sinuous improvisations from tenor saxophonist Justin Claveria and a stirring Rhodes piano performance from Dominic Camardella.

Rumba del Sol Lawson Rollins – guitarCharlie Bisharat - violinDominic Camardella – piano, keyboardJe" Elliot – trumpet, horn arrangementJustin Claveria - saxophoneRandy Tico – bassDave Bryant – percussion

Moonlight Samba Lawson Rollins – guitarFlora Purim – vocalsDiana Booker – vocalsAirto Moreira – percussion, vocalsJe" Elliot – trumpetDominic Camardella – Wurlitzer electric pianoShahin Shahida – vocals, electric guitar, vibes, Moog synthesizer Randy Tico – bassDave Bryant – percussion, drums

Havana Heat Lawson Rollins – guitarShahin Shahida – electric guitar, slide guitarDominic Camardella – Hammond C3 Organ, pianoRandy Tico – bassJe" Elliot – trumpet, horn arrangementHicham El Anmari - horn arrangementJustin Claveria - saxophoneHoracio “El Negro” Hernandez - drumsDave Bryant – percussion

Café La Martinique Lawson Rollins – guitarShahin Shahida – accordion, electric guitar, kalimba, drum programmingCharlie Bisharat – violinRichard Hardy – clarinet, fluteHumayun Khan – harmonium, vocalsDominic Camardella - keyboard, bandoneónRandy Tico – bassDave Bryant – percussion, drums

Return to RioLawson Rollins – guitarFlora Purim – vocalsDiana Booker – vocalsAirto Moreira – percussion, vocalsShahin Shahida – keyboard, vibesDominic Camardella – Wurlitzer electric pianoJe" Elliot – trumpet, horn arrangementJustin Claveria - saxophoneRandy Tico – bassDave Bryant – percussion

Blue Mountain BoleroLawson Rollins – guitarCharlie Bisharat – violinCameron Stone - celloShahin Shahida – electric guitarDominic Camardella – Hammond C3 OrganJoseph Ehtesham-zadeh – slide guitarRandy Tico – bassDave Bryant – percussion, drums

At the outset of Infinita’s creation, Rollins invited friend and fellow musician Shahin Shahida of the renowned group Shahin & Sepehr to co-produce the album and bring to the project his experience fusing Persian and Indian instruments with contemporary ‘world beat’ sounds. In his previous work, Rollins drew heavily from salsa, Latin jazz, bossa

nova, and rumba rhythms and styles. With Shahida on board, Rollins brings

into the mix more prominent references to Persian, Arabic, and Indian music

styles.“There is a profound cross-cultural connection in the ancestry of the

modern Spanish guitar to earlier instruments like the Arabic oud, the Persian

tar and even the Indian sitar,” says Rollins. “Bringing these styles together is like returning to the roots of the guitar,” Shahida adds, “These instruments

share a natural and beautiful bond.”

Rollins and Shahida partnered with Dominic Camardella, a producer and pianist associated with several multi-platinum selling albums. Camardella personally engineered the recording in his Santa Barbara Sound Design recording studio and contributed sophisticated, soulful piano and keyboard performances throughout the album.

Rollins has allowed Infinita to evolve organically, with each musician contributing heartfelt performances to the collective undertaking. “He has

been very empowering and gracious to all the musicians involved”, says Camardella. “I had a vision of what I wanted from the beginning,” Rollins

adds, “but over time, and through the contributions from my guest artists, the project took on a life of its own”.

Infinita features a diverse cast of accomplished musicians, including the Azerbaijani kamanche virtuoso Imamyar Hassanov and the Afghan vocalist Humayun Khan. Violinist Charlie Bisharat, bassist Randy Tico, and one of the world’s leading Persian percussionists and masters of the tombak drum, Pejman Hadadi, are all members of Grammy winning projects. Trumpeter Jeff Elliot, who has recorded and toured with such legends as Aretha Franklin, Charlie Haden, and the Doc Severinson Band,

adds his touches to “Café Jobim” and contributes a joyous horn section arrangement to “Through the Night”. Drums and percussion on all tracks are masterfully performed by Dave Bryant, who has also performed on several Grammy-nominated and platinum albums.

Guest vocals are provided by the iconic Brazilian singer Flora Purim along with her husband, the legendary percussionist Airto Moreira. They have recorded and performed for over four decades with the likes of Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Return to Forever, Carlos Santana, and Chick Corea. Joined by their daughter, Diana Booker, they craft an infectious series of vocal improvisations and chorus effects on the composition “Café Jobim” and the title track, “Infinita”, which also features sinuous improvisations from tenor saxophonist Justin Claveria and a stirring Rhodes piano performance from Dominic Camardella.

Santa Lucia Waltz Lawson Rollins – guitarCharlie Bisharat – violinCameron Stone - celloRandy Tico – bassDave Bryant – percussion, drums

Espirito Chorus: “Cantar, Dançar, Viver, Feliz” Lawson Rollins – guitarFlora Purim – vocalsDiana Booker – vocalsAirto Moreira – percussion, vocalsShahin Shahida – electric guitar, keyboardRichard Hardy – saxophone, flute, clarinetJustin Claveria - saxophoneDominic Camardella – Wurlitzer electric piano, ma-rimba, pianoRandy Tico – bassDave Bryant – percussion

Cape Town SkyLawson Rollins – guitarShahin Shahida – electric guitar, vocals, melotrone, electric pianoRandy Tico – bassDave Bryant – percussion, drums

FootprintsLawson Rollins – guitarDave Bryant – percussion, ocean wave recording

!e Caravan Trilogy:

MigrationLawson Rollins – guitarCharlie Bisharat – violinCameron Stone - celloShahin Shahida – electric guitar, classical guitar, string orchestrationHumayun Khan – harmonium, vocalsHicham El Anmari – ghanoonRandy Tico – bassDave Bryant – percussion

Shadowland Lawson Rollins – guitarHumayun Khan – tamburaCharlie Bisharat – violinCameron Stone - celloKayhan Kalhor - kamanchehDominic Camardella – piano, keyboardRichard Hardy – flute, saxophoneRandy Tico – bassDave Bryant – percussion, drums

Into the Light Lawson Rollins – guitarCharlie Bisharat – violinShahin Shahida – electric guitarDominic Camardella – keyboardRandy Tico – bassDave Bryant – percussion, drums

“Dedicated to JoAnn, Nathaniel, and Alexander”

All music written by Lawson Rollins

Published by Infinita Songworks [ASCAP]Produced by Shahin Shahida,Dominic Camardella and Lawson Rollins

Infinita Records and Infinita Songworks [ASCAP]are both divisions of Infinita, LLC.Infinita Records - www.infinitarecords.comContact - [email protected]

© 2010 Infinita Records, a div. of Infinita, LLC. - All rights resevered.

L AW S O N R O L L I N S