Description
Tracks
1) Hakone' (Tribute To A Beautiful Park In Japan)
2) Vina Del Mar (Vineyard By The Sea)
3) Sakura (Prelude)
4) Sakura (Cherry Blossom)
5) Wolf Haven
6) Coming Home
7) Kalani Honua (Harmony Of Heaven & Earth)
8) When Spirits Fly (Prelude)
9) When Spirits Fly
10) A Lullaby For Anthony
11) The Shady Grove
12) Tranquility
13) Silver Water Wheel
14) Soaring
Artist Profile
Pianist Scott Cossu (kah-SOO) achieved prominence as one of the premiere artists in the new acoustic movement of the 1980s. Part of the Windham Hill vanguard, Cossu released seven albums in that decade, selling nearly a half-million units and routinely selling out his concerts. Then as now, his eclectic, heartfelt compositions draw on various influences: folk, classical, jazz and his extensive world-music studies (with emphasis on China, Rumania, India, Ecuador and Sudan). He hosted "Wind Dance," a syndicated, three-hour Sunday morning radio aired in more than 50 markets. His music was sought out for use in films, television programming and advertising. He established himself as a core artist of the emerging NAC/adult alternative/smooth jazz radio format.
In 1989, after the release of his acclaimed "Switchback" album, Cossu was booked for a 40-city international concert tour. While crossing Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles to pick up an itinerary from his travel agent, a speeding Mercedes struck Cossu, inflicting numerous injuries: multiple facial and skull fractures (including a broken jaw), blindness in his right eye, paralysis in his right hand, severe brain trauma and amnesia. Following a brief coma, Cossu required six months of hospitalization and therapy.
With the help of friends, fellow musicians, resourceful therapists and his new wife, Debi, Cossu has battled back to reclaim his dexterity, personal charm and, crucially, his musical instincts and creative flair. "Only a very small percentage of people who suffer a head trauma of this severity ever return to near-normal functions in motor skills and personality, let alone creativity," says Joanne Levy, senior case manager of the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood, Calif., where she treated Cossu in 1989. "I saw him play some blues in 1997, and you could see that he's back. Knowing what he went through, it's incredible to see."
"When Spirits Fly" is Cossu's ninth career album. Its title and its music reflect the sense of joy Scott feels regarding his personal recovery and his full-scale return to form as a musician.
"It's taken me a while to get my chops back," he said, noting that his 1992 Windham Hill comeback release, 'Stained Glass Memories,' might have been a premature attempt at a comeback. "After that album came out, I was on the road playing some concerts, and one night I sat on the end of the bed and just cried. I felt angry that my career had been taken from me when I was doing so well, and I wondered if I'd ever get back the touch that I had before. Amazingly, not long after that I started playing much better. Three years after the accident, I finally started feeling like I was playing up to my old standards."
Scott's sense of joy, liberation and gratitude are audibly apparent on "When Spirits Fly." Featuring long-time friend and guitarist Van Manakas and several other guests (saxophonist Justo Almario, violinist Willie Royal), Cossu delivers a classic mix of reflective odes, spirited instrumental interplay and top-down, make-me-smile cruisers. "It's dedicated to the feeling of letting your spirit go, of enjoying each moment as deeply as you can," Scott says. "I've driven through Montana lots of times, and no one cares much about what speed you're driving in Montana, and that's sort of the feeling I have toward life at this point. My spirits are flying high just about every day."
Credits
�1998 Miramar Images, Inc.
Performers
Justo Almario: Sax (Soprano)
Tom Canning: Keyboard Bass, Keyboards
Scott Cossu: Keyboards, Piano
Geoffrey Gordon: Drums, Percussion
Van Manakas: Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric)
Willie Royal: Violin
Production Credits
Tom Canning: Producer, Programming
Scott Cossu: Producer
David Donnelly: Mastering
Dave Dysart: Engineer, Mixing
Willy LeMaster: Engineer, Mixing
Mark Yeend: Engineer