3/14: NEW*EST* UPDATE!
We're down to the last 60 hours of the campaign! The base-line goal is reached, and now anything raised over the original goal will go directly towards funding
the next task of this album: making a music video of my
(yet-to-be-disclosed) favorite track! That cost is about $1,000, and we're already about half way there. Can we make it all the way??
For extra inspiration, check out the brand new Part 2 of the CD preview:
Preview "FLIGHT"! (Part 2) -- **NEW!**
Preview "FLIGHT"! (Part 1)
If you like what you hear, please donate to the campaign! Thanks SO MUCH for all the support!
About the project...
I'm taking "Flight"
....with my debut solo album! I have been fiddling around the world (both physically and stylistically) for almost my entire life. I love this music more than anything, and it has been my dream to finally capture it on CD. I’m very excited to give back some of the incredible joy and inspiration this music has brought me over the years!
Why did I name my album "Flight?" Because it's compilation of my favorite and most treasured “flying tunes” -- songs that make me feel like my feet have left the ground and my head will never come out of the clouds. In my experience, this feeling is contagious, and I’m definitely looking forward to sharing it with you! The music on this album comes from all over the world and all over time -- from old traditional tunes to beautiful contemporary melodies...and even a handful of my own originals! They are from Scotland, Ireland, Canada, the Americas, and beyond; some appear in their most traditional-sounding form, others are influenced by Jazz and world music. All told, it's an incredibly diverse array of joyous, dance-driven tracks that reflect my musical journey up to this point.
My CD features an amazing cast of musicians, including Jake Charron, Mike Block, Sabin Jacques, Tyler Duncan, Jesse Williams, Michael Shimmin, Marty Richards, Paul Glenn, and Bonnie Black. I have had a glorious time collaborating with them as we brought this album to life .... and now it’s time to wrap this project up by getting it out to where it belongs: into the hands, ears, and hearts of people like YOU.
To do this, I need some help.
Please help me finish this CD!
I have been in the studio with this project since May, tracking and mixing 16 special tracks that will become my official solo recording debut. So far, I have invested 6 months of studio time and $10,000 into creating an album that will proudly represent the music that I love so much.
Now I need YOUR help to finish it! To finally transfer "Flight" off of my personal computer and into the hands of the people I care most about (i.e. YOU!), I need to complete $7,000 worth of final tasks. Here's what they are:
- Final mixing/mastering (i.e. making the already-awesome tunes sound EVEN AWESOMER): $2,400.
- Licensing (i.e. giving tangible credit to the composers whose beautiful tunes I have borrowed): $2,000.
- CD Design (i.e. making it look as stunning as it sounds): $600.
- Duplication (i.e. ordering the actual physical copies that will soon belong to YOU!): $2,000.
Check out the right-hand side of your screen for the fun flight-related thank-you gifts you can get for being a part of this project. I'm most excited about the $25 gift level -- not just because I can't wait for you to hear this whole CD, but also because if 280 of you pick this level, I will make my goal! Of course, it's much more fun to have choices, so there are all sorts of other perks as well, ranging from 1-song downloads to fiddle lessons and workshops to show tickets and house concerts .... basically, all my favorite things in the world that I'm so excited to share with you!
THANK YOU ALL for your enthusiastic and loyal support!! You are the greatest!
Other Ways You Can Help
There’s more to it than just funding this campaign -- you can help in yet another crucial way:
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Please help spread the word about this project! Send this campaign to everyone you know! Use the Indiegogo share tools, forward an email, write a pithy Facebook post, send out .... carrier pigeons? (Hey, at least they fly!) The success of this campaign depends on many people knowing about it, so please help me make some noise and spread the excitement!
Again, I can’t thank you enough for your support! I hope this CD brings as much inspiration and enjoyment to you listening as it has to me making it!
See you out there, fellow fliers!
A Little Bit About Mari Black
“Superb, inspiring, and unforgettable! Her magic is such that she sweeps audiences along with the sounds she and her instrument make.”
-- Willie Ruff, Director of the Ellington
Fellowship Series, Yale University
“Particularly impressive”
-- The Boston Globe
Multistyle fiddler MARI BLACK is the reigning National U.S. Scottish Fiddle Champion, the 2012 Maritime Fiddle Champion, the 2011 Canadian Open Novelty Fiddle Champion, and first prize winner at the 2011 International American Protégé Competition. Equally at home in a wide variety of musical traditions, she creates
shows that draw on elements from many different styles including jazz,
tango, folk, Klezmer, Western classical, as well as Celtic, American,
and Canadian fiddling. Accordingly, Mari can be seen performing in all corners of the music world -- one week headlining at a Celtic Highland Games or an Argentine tango festival, and the next taking the stage for a jazz concert series or a world-famous classical concert venue like Carnegie Hall. She has appeared with artists such as Mark O’Connor and Willie Ruff in live performance and national media broadcast, including Fox and CBS news and NPR’s “Here and Now.” In addition to her concert appearances, Mari is dedicated to education, teaching at various fiddle camps and giving guest lectures at the Yale School of Music, Boston University School of Fine Arts, New York City’s School for Strings, and more. She earned her Master’s Degree from the Yale School of Music, and her Doctorate from Columbia University. An enthusiastic collector of passport stamps, Mari's life as a performer/teacher/scholar has taken her all over the world, including to Canada, China, Korea, Zimbabwe, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy, and France....and she can’t wait for the next stop! This coming spring will see her on tour to California, the East Coast, and Brazil.
To learn more about Mari, check out her website at www.mariblack.com
