Here We Are Lori Williams

• 1 El Guindaste 05:25
• 2 My Romance 05:29
• 3 Tobago 06:28
• 4 Here We Are 04:39
• 5 Elisabeth 05:18
• 6 Brazilian Nature 04:50
• 7 Hopeless Romantic 02:54
• 8 Ronco 05:11
• 9 Fire and Rain 05:52
• Total Runtime 46:06

Info for Here We Are

An American singer, a European band: this constellation suggests a familiar principle. It has been common practice in jazz for ages for artists from the States to look for an accompanying group for performances or recordings in Europe. However, the case is different here; the story behind "Here We Are" does not fit into this scheme at all. The sextet around vocalist and songwriter Lori Williams from the States has been a proven collective for years. "A community that I have learned to appreciate and love as a family!" Williams praised her co-musicians with a radiant smile.. When she talks about saxophonist Bernhard Wiesinger, guitarist Christian Havel and the others, she also talks about them as her brothers. "And I'm a sister to all the guys in the band!" she added, laughing. "This group has become my home away from home."

The fact that something special has to be behind the first joint album can already be concluded by a look at the songs. Sure: "My Romance" is a standard. And: "Here We Are" ends with a touching version of James Taylor's classic song "Fire and Rain". Otherwise, there are own pieces on the program, composed by the musicians and most with lyrics by Lori Williams. The multi-talented American hails from Washington DC . She has also released a number of her own albums over the course of her career of three decades. She wrote the lyrics for many songs.

Williams grew up with music. She already sang in the church when she was in preschool. Music was omnipresent in her home, especially gospel, which her parents encouraged. Lori Williams discovered jazz in college, where she soon designed the radio station's jazz program. She met one of her great heroines there, the vocal luminary Dianne Reeves, for the first time. She also took her passion for jazz to Hampton University in Virginia. After that, she went to Japan for five years. Williams conducted a gospel choir there, among other things. And she met another brilliant role model, singer and songwriter Abbey Lincoln. Back in Washington D.C., Lori Williams accepted a job as a teacher since she had to work as the breadwinner for her family. In addition, she pursued her musical career to the extent that was possible. She performed, made contacts, and soon became a busy singer who knew how to move confidently between jazz, soul and gospel. She eventually left her job in the school system. Today, she focuses largely on her artistic side, giving concerts and teaching singing, including in workshops.

The connection to her colleagues from Austria goes back to an offer she received out of the blue in 2012. Saxophonist and flutist Bernhard Wiesinger had come across Lori Williams on the internet. Wiesinger, born in 1981, had long since gained an excellent reputation in the wider field of jazz in Vienna, his birthplace. He has long been regarded as one of Austria's outstanding jazz personalities. He has recorded his excellent albums "Enlightened" and "Notice That Moment" (both on Double Moon) in New York with awesome musicians such as Bill Stewart, Scott Colley, Peter Bernstein and Kevin Hays. In 2010, Wiesinger took over management of the "Jazzwerkstatt Poysdorf" association, which had made the small town north of Vienna a recognized jazz venue in Austria. The summer workshop and concert series "Poysdorf Jazz & Wine" took place this year for the 25th time. Once again in the instructor team: Lori Williams, Bernhard Wiesinger and guitarist Christian Havel. When Wiesinger first invited the American singer, whose vocals inspired him, to "Jazz & Wine" in 2012, she didn’t hesitate to accept. "That sounded just cool, and I spontaneously embarked on the adventure." The trip to Lower Austria became a revelation, and helped her to become part of a new musical family. “It just turned out to be a fantastic encounter. It clicked! It just had a great vibe“. It doesn't sound much different from Wiesinger's point of view. "It was a kind of love at first sight. It is very much a matter of common chemistry. And we felt it immediately." While Lori Williams was initially only intended as a workshop lecturer, many similarities soon became apparent during sessions and in more intensive exchanges.

Since 2012, Lori Williams has returned to Poysdorf every summer, except for two years. One song that is firmly part of the repertoire of the lecturer band is "My Romance". The standard became a core piece of musical team building activities. In 2016 Williams, Wiesinger and Havel were together in the studio for the first time on the occasion of the production of an album by Christian Havel. Later, recordings of the entire workshop band were made, but they were never released due to problems on the part of the company involved. This fueled the desire to finally release an official album. After all, the well-rehearsed team had also become a tour band, completely independent of the Poysdorf event.

"Here We Are" underlines what a good instinct Wiesinger had when he first contacted Lori Williams. The American with a warm voice is a technically brilliant vocalist and a wonderfully expressive song interpreter. A discovery for many, without a doubt! You can hear that the pieces were developed together, and they have also proven their quality in live performances. The Brazilian touch, which repeatedly appears as style and color, is thanks to Christian Havel and pianist Renato Chicco. Wiesinger emphasized: “We are a collective. Everyone contributes something. There are no overinflated egos; it's not about 'see what I can do!', it's about music. You can hear this spirit. Of course, Lori is the main character, but we act on an equal footing.” And Williams added: "You can really feel genuine emotions," which are also triggered by her lyrics. The songs on "Here We Are" have a positive, uplifting charisma, starting with the title track, the spiritual center of this magnificent album.

"... Williams wrote the lyrics to the songs, which she modulates with playful, elegant ease, oscillating between jazz, soul, and gospel." (Jazzthing)

Lori Williams, vocals
Bernhard Wiesinger, saxophone
Christian Havel, guitar
Renato Chicco, piano
Doug Weiss, bass
Joris Dudli, drums

Lori Williams
Acclaimed international Jazz vocalist Lori Williams has a most impressive resume as a performing artist, veteran music educator, songwriter, producer, musical theater actress, radio host, business owner/founder (PositiveMusicPM.org), and artist-in-residence with over 30 years of experience. Her annual vocal jazz tour and performance at music festivals have taken her to Europe (Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Russia, Switzerland, Italy, Czech Republic, and Ukraine), Japan, The Caribbean (including Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Curaçao, St. Lucia, Turks and Caicos, et. al), Mexico, and across the United States (performing at venues and festivals like The Atlanta Jazz Festivals, Berks Jazz Festival, The Birchmere, Birdland - Hamburg, Blues Alley, Blue Note Hawaii, Capital Jazz Fest/Cruise, City Winery, Disney’s Pleasure Island, Gulf Coast Summer Jazz Festival, JazzFestBRNO, JazzHRAM, Jazzkeller - Esslingen, Jazzland - Vienna, The Kennedy Center, Keystone Korner, Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, Myrtle Beach Jazz Festival, Rams Head Live, Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival, Riviera Maya Jazz Festival, Scullers Jazz, Spivey Hall, Trieste Loves Jazz, and more). Her vocal jazz artist residencies have allowed her to work with and mentor students on college campuses in the USA and abroad.

As a veteran vocal music educator and private vocal coach, Lori's received many honors for her contributions to the arts, including The Atlanta Chapter of the National Hampton Alumni Association’s 2023 Excellence in Arts and Entertainment Award, Outstanding Music Teacher in the October 2000 issue of Teaching Music, the 2007 Superintendent's Arts Teacher of the Year, and the 2010 Vincent E. Reed Teacher of the Year. Lori was nominated for a 2014 Helen Hayes Award as an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Resident Musical for her role as Ella Fitzgerald. Lori has received letters of recognition for her performances by President Joseph Biden (wherein he wrote that Lori Williams has "the voice of an angel…absolutely amazing"), Speaker of the House John Boehner, and Senator C. Anthony Muse. Immersed in traditional jazz from an early age (earning a B.A. in Mass Media Arts from Hampton University, attending the Jazz Studies Program at The University of the District of Columbia, and currently working on her Master’s degree in Music - Jazz Studies at Georgia State University), Lori Williams hosts a weekly radio program on JazzRadioWETF.org - "Collector's Choice With Lori Williams". Her weekly broadcast highlights women in jazz, the international scene and young performers dedicated to the roots and traditions of the music. Lori is also the producer and host of Sunday Jazz Lounge at St. James Live! jazz club in Atlanta, Georgia (stjamesliveatl.com).

For over three decades, Lori Williams has had the honor of working with many notable artists as lead / background / studio session / guest vocalist including Oleta Adams, Marcus Adams, Yolanda Adams, Nikita Agafonov, David Archuleta, Marcos Ariel, Rob Bargad, Regina Belle, Eric Benet, The Blackbyrds, Michael Bowie, Willie Bradley, Karen Briggs, Norman Brown, Tom Browne, Peabo Bryson, Chuck Brown, Wayne Bruce, Jerry Butler, Jonathan Butler, Paul Carr, Terri Lyne Carrington, TC Carson, Gene Chandler, Renato Chicco, Stanley Clarke, Nick Colionne, Collaboration, Michael Colyar, Adrian Crutchfield, John Davis, John Di Martino, Will Downing, Joris Dudli, George Duke, Nathan East, Rodney M. Edge, Troy Sol Edler, Kevon Edmonds (After 7), Herb Fame, Jorel "JFLY" Flynn (HBIYD), Derrick Gardner, James Genus, Jazmin Ghent, Tres Gilbert, Savion Glover, Chelsey Green, Slide Hampton, Winard Harper, Christian Havel, Walter Hawkins, Norbert Heger, Howard Hewett, Dr. W. Weldon Hill, Tony Hightower, Corcoran Holt, William Hubbard, Daryl Hunt, Yoron Israel, Jessy J, Al Johnson and The A-Team, Allyn Johnson (Divine Order), Marcus Johnson, Stanley Jordan, Jackiem Joyner, Michael Keul, Kindred the Family Soul, Ben E. King, James King, Anatoliy Kirnichnyy, Antoine Knight, Yishai Knoll, Saltman Knowles Group, Ignat Kravtsov, Rayshun LaMarr, Lavahi, Evgeny Lebedev, Alex Malheiros (Azymuth), Jimmy Masters, Maysa, Daniel McClain (After 7), Frank McComb, Marion Meadows, Najee, Jimmy Masters, Nathan Mitchell, Ed Neumeister, Marat Nikolaev, Milan Nikolic, Julia Nixon, Daniel Nösig, Antonio Parker, Phil Perry, Robert E. Person, Anne Phillips, Benjie Porecki, Lloyd Price, Chuck Redd, Robert Redd, Althea Rene, Anton Revnyuk, Lenny Robinson, Gino Rosaria, Ellie Saitoh and The Love Tambourines, Erwin Schmidt, Sylver Logan Sharp, Avery Sharpe, Art Sherrod, Oli Silk, Brian Simpson, Dick Smith, John Toomey, Tony Terry, Unit 3 Deep, Gerald Veasley, Chris Walker, Kevin Walker, Kim Waters, Doug Weiss, Anthony Wellington, Matthew Whitaker, Roz White, Bernhard Wiesinger (Poysdorf All-Stars), Vesta Williams, Larry M. Wilson, Angela Winbush, Sherry Winston, David Ylvisaker, Frederic Yonnet, et.al.

Lori has six independent CDs and has recorded with numerous artists internationally. She released a single - "Too Late (It's My Time)" - in June 2022. The official music video (directed/co-produced by Elise Perry) was released in July 2022. Too Late (It's My Time) - Official Music Video Her latest inspirational contemporary Jazz single - “Take My Wings” - released in October 2023. Take My Wings

Lori recently recorded a traditional jazz album, Here We Are, on DoubleMoon Records at WaveGarden TonStudio in Mitterretzbach, Austria, with Bernhard Wiesinger, Christian Havel, Renato Chicco, Joris Dudli, and Doug Weiss. The album is scheduled for release on September 26, 2026.

This album contains no booklet.