Available Now! Songs For Tracy - Frank Macchia, vocalist Tracy London and drummer Brock Avery have created a new album of jazz, latin, pop and a classical/jazz orchestral hybrid originals with words and music by Frank. These pieces were created during the pandemic of 2020 as Frank walked his dog and jotted down ideas about the emotions and thoughts that he felt during that time. Two of the pieces, Dreaminiscence and Simply Exist, a poem and an essay were transformed into music by the use of tone rows for the melodic content with stream of consciousness lush harmony to follow the melodies.

Jazziz Magazine states "Frank Macchia is an inventive composer and arranger who deserves comparisons to Gil Evans and Pat Metheny." Three time Grammy nominated and National Endowment of the Arts recipient Macchia produced the project and is featured on saxes and woodwinds, with guest artist Tracy London on vocals, and Brock Avery on drums.

Dreaminiscence:

ALBUM CREDITS

Frank Macchia: Compositions, orchestrations, lyrics, mixing, woodwinds, and synthesizers

Tracy London: Vocals

Brock Avery: Drum set and percussion

Song Order, Times and Lyrics:

Songs For Tracy Lyrics

1- Flying (5:25)

Way up in the sky, we’re so very high, we’re flying,
Supersonic speed, floating like I’m freed, we’re flying,
Race around the earth, joyful fun and mirth we’re flying,
Wind beneath my wings, makes me want to sing, I’m flying.
Twist and turn and flip around and try to stay above the ground,
Watch as life goes whizzing by, see the clouds just multiply,
Spin and dart and duck and weave, I don’t ever want to leave,
This could be my life long dream to glide until we really seem
free, we’re flying.
Dream, we’re flying.
Twist and turn and flip around and try to stay above the ground,
Watch as life goes whizzing by, see the clouds just multiply,
Spin and dart and duck and weave, I don’t ever want to leave,
This could be my life long dream to glide until we really seem
free, we’re flying.
Dream, we’re flying.

2- The Universal Sigh (4:49)

Everyday you wake up, and roll right out of bed,
Then one day it happens, it all goes dark, you’re dead.
No more time to worry, ‘bout things you’ve got to do, the
journey’s just beginning, to be the eternal you.
Scholars and deep thinkers, they all have points of view,
no one’s sure what happens, when you stop being you.
But there’s no need to worry, it’s a waste of time, hey,
time is just an abstract, that we create with our mind.
The universe is calling, and we must answer back. And
then we’ll have the moment, to seize infinity’s black.
Black is the only color, it calms us as we sleep. It
helps us when we’re thinking and shows us what is deep. So
don’t you fear that black void, it’s all, it’s everything.
It carries us and takes us, to the universal sing.
Where all the quarks and magic, co-exist in peace,
the end’s a new beginning where pain will suddenly cease.
Don’t be afraid There is no end
Energy flows, it curves and bends.
Take a deep breath Open your eyes
Feel the love, as the universe sighs.

3- Dreaminiscence (6:40)

I remember it so well
A dream within a dream
Layer upon layer of sweet emotion
A soft blanket of warmth cradling me
We stood on the beach as dusk turned to night
My mother, father and me
Staring out to the ocean
Listening to it breathe as the waves pulled to and fro
Content in our silence we held hands then strolled
Moonlight gently glistened on the shimmering waves
A few lone seagulls wailed to a swiftly deepening sky
From a distance we saw it slowly come into view
We stopped, incredulous,
A hulking object breached the sea, causing a surge and roar
We held our breath as the massive thing emerged, leaving an immense displacing wake
Some kind of whale, I thought, but not like any I’d ever seen
It gave off a luminescence that was mystical in nature
We stared in awe as it emerged
But it didn’t fall back to the water
Instead it floated upward like a gigantic bird without wings
Rising higher and higher and higher
We gasped in disbelief as it soared
It’s light glowed and filled the sky with wonder, awe, beauty and grace
“It’s flying, it’s really flying. I didn’t know whales could fly”, I said
A pause that seemed infinite was suddenly broken by my father’s response:
“Oh yes, whales can fly. But only on rare occasions when the world needs healing”
As we gazed at the ever diminishing whale, reaching up to the stars I found myself smiling.
This is what hope looks like, I thought.
If only we could see this together…

4- The Human Race (4:00)

Ready…set…Go!
We burst out from the cave,
a dark and lonely cave,
yet safe and warm it felt,
to feel the rush of cold brisk air.
Squinting through the sudden,
bright and painful light.
We breathe and gasp.
It’s overwhelming.
Quickly now, we start the race,
to fit in to the plan,
made by others, who did what they were told,
by others who came before them.
All the while understanding,
that there’s no way to truly take
a path outside the designed one.
A stroll around the perimeter,
just to see another way.
No, if you do that you might get into trouble.
And don’t forget:
Trouble starts with a “T”
and that rhymes with “G”
Which stands for… growing.
Growing is alright if you keep within the boundaries,
that are designed by the
“Proclaimed Leaders”, who
tell us what to think and do.
They keep us in the race,
they keep us on the path.
Like perfect little lemmings,
following the path of least resistance.
Why do we fall in line?
Is it just the easy way out?
Our brains are built for so much more,
but instead we just give into,
The Human Race…
And run until we drop,
why should we ever stop?
Maybe if we did,
we’d see the things that we never see.
The universe and infinity.
A different take on humanity.
But instead we just keep running,
The Human Race.

5- Be Sublime (3:38)

What do I wish on this world where we dwell?
For peace, love and harmony instead of this hell
Day in,day out the pain carries on
With glimpses on occasion of love not near gone.
Why must we hurt be petty, unkind?
Should we reflect on what makes our mind
go towards the dark with zeal and lust
when all it would take is empathy and trust?
If a bird soars in the sky and a fish swims in the sea
Can’t we coexist and let each other be?
Just be kind and free your mind,
Just be good you know you should,
Be sublime. Let it shine
Be sublime. It’s your time, Be sublime.
If the stars shine in the night, and the clouds float gracefully,
Can’t we help ourselves, and set each other free?
Take my hand, and make a stand,
Don’t hold back, stay on the track
Be sublime. Let it shine
Be sublime. It’s your time, Be sublime.

6- Round and Round (3:33)

Round and around, where it stops,
who really knows, but my heart
keeps on beating on.
So now I go, through the day,
with the hope that I may,
feel the love that I carry in my heart, and
give it to you,
when you are blue and feeling lonely,
hold me and I’ll give you my heart,
and when you are down, just know I
can be found, by your side, let me
try as life goes spinning by,
Round and round
I know that you,
will always love me through the hard times,
trust me and I’ll give you my heart, so now
take my hand, take my heart,
we can try, we can start, to let
love give us a second chance,
Round and round

7- The Knowing (4:35)

Keep calm, keep cool, keep moving,
For all you’re really proving, is
Life is made for grooving,
Relax, enjoy the soothing
The thoughts that fill your mind,
Let them come, unwind,
Then you’ll truly find,
You see at last, unblind.
See the thing through, the old and the new
You are the glue that binds it all true.
Burst of heavenly light
In the still of the night
Glorious, wondrous sight
Hold on with all your might
Now it all becomes clear
No more worries, no fear
Trust yourself, you’re here
And love is always near
The growing, the flowing
The glowing, the knowing
The feeling, the healing
The peeling, revealing
The truth that all there is,
Is Love.
It’s been inside of you,
just release it be true,
Now you’ve got the clue,
that love can make you new,
Breathe oh feel your heart,
Now’s the time that you start,
No more living apart,
be whole, go live your art.

8- The Visit (4:33)

You came and saw me last night, in my dreams,
I saw how much I’ve missed you,
And needed your comfort,
Your love, your feelings,
It meant so much to me.
I woke up and cried.
We never talked much,
In those last few years,
And I’d wanted to tell you
How much you meant to me
You held me and told me you understood,
You’d been patiently waiting,
Until I was ready, to let me know,
That it’s gonna be all right,
And we’ll be together again,
Sometime soon,
But until then, to be kind,
To myself, to my family,
Let them know, everyday,
That I love them,
It’s not so hard to do.
You came and saw me last night,
Really saw me,
And for once, I really saw you.
Thank you, thank you so much,
For hearing me, holding me, seeing me.
I’ll see you again soon, I promise,
I’ll see you real soon.

9- Take Me Away (3:46)

Take me away, from this terrible dream,
this endless dread, that we silently scream,
I want to go, where peace gently dwells,
where my mind will calm and rest away from this hell.
Take me back home, where quiet resides,
my family rests in my heart, deep inside,
I have all I want, warm memories I host,
sweet tender care, from those that I love the most.
I have been traveling this long weary road,
it hasn’t been easy, but I had been told,
that if I gave it, my heart and my all,
that I would someday break through the wall,
But I am tired and I want to go home,
my friends have gone on and left me alone,
My heart is aching my body in shreds, oh
Take me away, to be with my dead.
I wanted the future to be full of hope,
that ship has sailed I’m dropping the rope
Take me away, set my heart free,
bring me back home where I should be,
cradled in warmth nestled in love,
this is my wish, bring me to the heavens above

10- Waiting (3:58)

I’m waiting for the time that things will be just right,
I’m waiting for the time, there’ll be no chance of fight,
I’m waiting for the hope that I’ll be ready to cope,
I’m waiting for my life to really start.
I’m waiting for the thought, that others always thought,
I’m waiting for the dream, that makes my life supreme,
I’m waiting to be heard, to let my soul be cured,
I’m waiting for my life to finally start.
Start doing, no hesitating,
then maybe I’ll be creating,
a life of fulfilled dreams and witty thoughtful memes.
I’m waiting for the game, to countdown to the start,
I’m waiting for the joy, to open up my heart,
I’m waiting for the word, it’s time to speak and be heard,
I’m waiting for my life to truly start.
Waiting, oh I’m waiting
Hating that I’m waiting,
Waiting, yes I’m waiting,
Waiting hesitating all my life.

11- Simply Exist (12:04)

There’s something I’m desperate to say but I’m not sure how to start. Words have a way of defining something that is not the intention of my thoughts yet this is the tool we’ve created to communicate our ideas. I suppose there’s other ways to communicate our innermost intentions but they seem more abstract, like music without words or visual art. An image or sound contains feeling and thought yet its direction is more amorphous and can be construed with multiple meanings.
So, what is this desperate message I’m trying to convey? How do I express the dimensions of my feelings into words that seem so limited and flat compared to what I feel in my heart,in my soul? Why does emotion well up within me in just thinking about the expression of these thoughts? What exactly are these emotions I feel? A lifetime of enduring pain, love, loss, joy and the ultimate realization that all of these feelings, whether good or bad will eventually end and leave me with the unknowable future of what was this thing called consciousness all about? Maybe the energy that is me will transform into some other deeper form of consciousness and I’ll look back at this strange existential experience I had with a much more profound sense of meaning. Or, maybe there will be nothing; no sense of consciousness whatsoever, just a sweet black quiet void of nothingness, which in some strange way seems quite calming and lovely. No more ego and self consciousness to fight and distract me. No more sense of self and self-importance. Just a nice, quiet, peaceful drifting through the universe and it’s wonders with no sense of awareness at all.
But then I come back to my life, this moment in time and wonder why we exist at all? Do we really exist or is this some strange conceptual dream or false reality where we are merely simulations; a game for some other entities to amuse themselves with. In the same sense that we write fictional stories maybe this whole “group reality” we convince ourselves we are in is merely a created manipulation by some other life form or entity in the universe. Or possibly our universe as we conceptualize it is just one elaborate dream and we dream within this dream? Kind of like when we look into a mirror with a mirror behind us and we see an infinite amount of pasts and futures all at once.
We spend our lives in this strange reality that we have construed and manipulated in various ways with our finite minds pretending that we are in control of our destiny and reality when in fact we are simply on a ridiculous treadmill trying to figure out what reality truly means. But we don’t have the wherewithal to expand our finite thinking to comprehend the reality that we “see” and truly understand the universe which we think we reside in.
I don’t know what I’m trying to get at here but maybe that’s the point in and of itself. Life is pointless, so do what you want with it and free yourself of any importance that your ego attempts to foist upon you.
None of it matters. Simply exist.

REVIEWS

Frank Macchia: Songs for Tracy

By Dan McClenaghan
May 14, 2021

AllAboutJazz.com

Grammy-nominated, multi-woodwind instrumentalist-composer Frank Macchia was in an isolationist, COVID-19 state of mind when he came up with the blueprint for Songs For Tracy. Dog-walking during the quarantine time did the trick. He would, in these sojourns, write down ideas about his emotions and thoughts. The next step was writing the music for these lyrics.

Recording involved (almost) an orchestra of one—Frank Macchia overdubbing a swirling sea of woodwinds and keyboard textures, with Brock Avery on drums and Tracy London on vocals. It is the same process he used on his three terrific Cacophony Records EPs in 2020: Rhythm Abstraction: Ruby, Rhythm Abstraction: Gold and Rhythm Abstraction: Azure. The difference with Songs For Tracy is Tracy London, sitting in, center stage, on vocals from start to finish.

Macchia is a genius at arranging. He pushes forward in that effort here, creating a majestic, reed-packed, synthesizer-enhanced orchestral translucence.

Lyrically, Macchia is an original, exploring a perspective from a lofty point of view of a levitation on "Flying," ruminating on an everyday versus surreal existence on "Dreaminiscence," puzzling over the human condition on "The Human Race." London's vocals come from an everywoman, the woman you might know, the neighbor or friend, without flashiness, filled with honesty, laying out the cool truth in the embrace of Macchia's classical/jazz/Latin/pop orchestrations.

"Simply Exist," the closer, and at twelve-plus-minutes the longest tune of the set, features London exploring the concept of consciousness, strange realities, the ubiquitous treadmills, the "Is the universe a dream?" question, in a kind of stream of consciousness state of mind, taking her vocals into a new dimension, concluding in the end that "None of it matters. Simply exist."

4 STARS out of 5

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