Holes in the Sky—Lara Downes, piano (Portrait 592079)
For the week of Women's Equality Day, we feature again Lara Downes's extraordinary release we first highlighted in April. From the Sony/Portrait press release: “ Holes in the Sky is a genre-fluid collection of music written and performed by today's leading female artists, celebrating the contributions of phenomenal women to the past, present, and future of American music. The music of Holes in the Sky tells the story of what women and girls can contribute to the world when they are given a chance - their dreams can make holes in the sky. Lara Downes collaborates with an extraordinary multi-generational group of female guest artists on this album, including the iconic singer / songwriter Judy Collins, boundary-breaking violinist Rachel Barton Pine, pianist Simone Dinnerstein, fast-rising cellist Ifetayo Ali-Landing, and the urban youth vocal ensemble Musicality.” The album’s title comes from a quote by Georgia O’Keeffe. The Washington Post called Holes in the Sky, “a charming selection of pieces by some powerful composers - a celebration of otherness, as well as an act of repatriation.”