Releases Repertoire © 2008 Imani Winds		Josephine Baker: A Life of Le Jazz Hot! Buy Josephine Baker: A Life of Le Jazz Hot! today at Amazon.com It's all about "JOSEPHINE, JOSEPHINE!!"...as Ms. Rene Marie would say at some point during each live performance of A Life of Le Jazz Hot! Imani Winds has collaborated, once again, with Rene Marie and for the first time, percussionist, Joe Tompkins, to bring to life the essence and soul of "La Baker" as told through a musical tribute from the pen of IW members Valerie Coleman and Jeff Scott. The two in house composers have contributed to virtually the entire discography of Imani Winds, with various styles and musical hues, however, with this most recent release, telling this story - Josephine's story - was the most important aspect of this project. Jeff's arrangements of several of Baker's iconic cabaret tunes, performed with Rene, bring a delightful, lighthearted and very much jazz influenced feel to the fore and allow for the listener to relive her heyday as the sensual figure she was. Also, Jeff's seven movement original suite, La Belle Sirène Comme le Comedienne, was written to accompany scenes from two of Baker's films, La Sirène des Tropiques and Princesse Tam Tam, which are shown during the live show. Contrastingly, Valerie's score, Portraits of Josephine Baker, more abstractly depicts the sights and sounds from Ms. Baker's life - from her upbringing in St. Louis, to her voyage to Paris, to her fall from grace in her mismanaged chateau, to a simple yet gorgeous arrangement of her signature song, J'ai Deux Amours. During the show, the stunningly beautiful dancer, Rachael Ashley, dances to Valerie's music to tell the story that much more. This album is in honor of Josephine Baker: a woman who has changed many lives. Thank you, Josephine, for changing ours. Many heartfelt thanks to Jean-Claude Baker, Josephine's son and author of Josephine Baker: The Hungry Heart, for sharing his wisdom and insight. With the help of Neil Barclay, director of Pittsburgh's August Wilson Center for African-American Culture, Mona Smith and composer Fred Ho, the idea of A Life of Le Jazz Hot! was born and fully realized. The stage production was made possible by director Bobbi Williams and stage manager, Michelle Giancola, costume designer Lumiere, choreographer Christopher Huggins, and film editor Melissa Ulto. We cannot offer enough thanks to the following folks who brought the music to another level - percussionist Joe Tompkins, dancer Rachel Ashley, and last but certainly not least, the incomparable vocalist René Marie. top of page