Sono Luminus to Release Limited Edition CD Of Alex Sopp's THE HEM & THE HAW

On September 27, 2024, Sono Luminus will release a limited edition CD featuring flutist, composer, vocalist, and visual artist Alex Sopp's album The Hem & The Haw, released digitally by New Amsterdam Records in April. Sopp has been praised by The New York Times as “exquisite” and “beautifully nuanced,” and is a founding member of yMusic, The Knights, NOW Ensemble, and the Berlin-based Between Worlds Ensemble.

The Hem & The Haw is a collection of 10 songs written by Sopp in 2020 during the pandemic. She explains, “This album came to me in a fit of stillness. I had been moving so much and for so long that I forgot that my favorite thing to do is to just sit. Sitting in stillness involves watching, waiting, listening, and observing. . . I have been writing many secret songs for a long time now, always teasing at my inner world without fully letting it see the light of day. Over the years the desire to make my own music has grown alongside the desire to make my own artwork. Like most of the world, the events of 2020 left me with a fresh batch of Time and that is when I wrote this particular group of songs.”

Sopp's songs on The Hem & The Haw find depth in their playfulness. The vocal work and lyrical expression are beautifully decorated by a wide palette of acoustic and electronic timbres. Ah Said Rosita greets the listener with an evolving vocal wall of sound that grows in intensity with each repetition. The strong sense of grounding in North Pole in Summer melts into an open sonic landscape, where instruments bloom from the central chord progression like a Glassian labyrinth playing out in double time. Like a Vine grows out of a central pulse while myriad synthesizers follow the lyrics down winding and unpredictable paths.

Featuring Sopp's original music and her performances, and accompanied by her original videos and cover art, the album showcases Sopp's holistic view of artistic expression. She says, “I think human beings are infinitely full of unrealized worlds of creativity. It's my biggest motivation to live by this belief and to constantly tap into the always flowing river of creativity that courses from me – be it through flute playing, songwriting, or visual art.” 

Sono Luminus CEO Colin Rae says, “In January 2024 I was sent Alex's album by a friend who was asking for label recommendations for it. Upon listening, I recognized that this was a very, very special genre-bending album. I sent along my recommendations whilst thinking to myself, ‘I would love to release this on Sono Luminus.' But I didn't speak up. Months passed and I saw that New Amsterdam had released the album digitally and with no physical product. I saw this as a sign and I contacted Alex. Now here we are!”

This is Sopp's first non-classical album featuring her own songs. Of the musical path that led her to this point, she says:

“I've been so fortunate to have such a rich musical life. I started singing as a child in the Virgin Islands, and then for a while I transferred my singing voice solely to the flute – the kind of fierce focus one has to have while studying in a conservatory environment at Juilliard. My flute playing took me to play for several years as a guest with the New York Philharmonic, and much to my great luck I grew into my beautiful chamber music family The Knights. Living in New York in the mid-2000s, the music scene was full of curiosity and dialogue between classical musicians and rock bands and singer songwriters. It was during this time the yMusic formed. I started using my voice again with yMusic, when I found myself collaborating with artists such as Sufjan Stevens, Ben Folds, and Paul Simon. I provided backup vocals on several albums and found myself singing more and more in live contexts, performing major roles in theatrical productions requiring musical chameleonhood by composers like Gabriel Kahane and Chris Thile. My confidence grew!

I have learned that I thrive off of being a creative shapeshifter. I've been writing songs and making my own music for a while now, but it's relatively new for me to be putting it out there into the world. The time I had to sit still during 2020 really empowered me to take some of my demos to the next level and I was able to realize my vision and see it through.

It's the most incredibly fulfilling thing to paint with sounds. I am hooked on song-writing and storytelling. I can't wait to share more.”

Alex Sopp has played principal flute in the New York Philharmonic and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at venues such as Suntory Hall, the Ojai Festival, and the Lucerne Festival. As a soloist, she has played works written for her by Judd Greenstein, Gabriel Kahane, Nico Muhly, Chris Thile, and Allison Loggins-Hull. She has toured the world with yMusic, including in support of their album with Paul Simon. Her unique visual artwork, ranging from meticulously detailed pen drawings to evocative paintings has been used by musicians such as Joshua Bell and cutting edge organizations like Castle of Our Skins to bring their projects to life. www.alexsopp.com

 

Track List

Alex Sopp: The Hem & The Haw

Special Edition CD Release Date: September 27, 2024

Sono Luminus

 

1. The Hem & The Haw

2. North Pole in Summer

3. Like A Vine

4. Ah Said Rosita

5. Rodin's Hands

6. Bougainvillea

7. Door

8. Roses

9. Mourning Dove

10. Loon

 

Voice, flute, whistles, synths, piano, drum programming: Alex Sopp

Piano, op-1, mellotron, prophet x, percussion, rhodes, floor tom, drum programming: Thomas Bartlett

Vocals: Sam Amidon

Violin: Austin Wulliman

Viola: Nadia Sirota

Flugelhorns: CJ Camerieri

Trombones: Dave Nelson (*additional trombone arrangement for “Door” by Dave Nelson and Thomas Bartlett)

Clarinets: Hideaki Aomori

Horns: Michael P. Atkinson

Bass: Shawn Conley

Electric bass: Shawn Conley

Drums: Michael Caterisano

Percussion: Jason Trueting

 

All songs written by Alex Sopp

Produced by Thomas Bartlett and Alex Sopp

Mixing by James Yost

Mastered by Fritz Myers at Platitude Music, NYC

Released digitally by New Amsterdam Records on April 19, 2024

 

Photo credit: Shervin Lainez

 

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