In a time of
countless sound-alike bands and musicians, Lili Haydn an
independent classical music artist is truly
unique – and a true original. That’s made clear in the
opening seconds of Light Blue Sun, her debut album for Private
Music, in the mix of soaring violin, electronica-influenced
beats and vocals alternately passionate and breathy.
A child prodigy on the violin, Lili Haydn, now in
her late 20s, first found her voice on the strings of that
instrument before tackling singing and songwriting. She reaches
new heights on both instruments on Light Blue Sun, the follow-up
to her critically acclaimed debut, Lili.
Light Blue Sun is an independent classical
music album of love, loss and
transcendence, spanning disparate musical styles, tied together
by the plaintive, nakedly emotional sound of Lili Haydn’s violin.
She combines elements of Asian underground, hypnotic ambient
groove and the singer-songwriter tradition, and laces it with
electronica. Inspired in large part by the passing of her
mother, Light Blue Sun is both emotional and refined in its
lyrics. “I was always a huge fan of Leonard Cohen,” she says
of the Poet Laureate of rock. “He gets incredibly complicated
points across with only a few words.”
Seamless juxtapositions run through Light Blue
Sun in songs like the catchy, dance-friendly “Anything,”
which counter-balances classic pop song structure and driving
beats with symphonic passages, a sort of Brahms meets Everything
But The Girl. And “The Chinese Song” sets its traditional
lilting violin/vocal melody (sung in Mandarin) against an
intense drum ‘n’ bass beat from celebrated electronic
artists Bill Laswell and Karsh Kale, with virtuoso tabla
accompaniment from Satnam Singh Ramgotra. But Light Blue Sun
also has a quieter, deeply spiritual side. “I want to open
people’s hearts,” Lili explains. “It’s a time that calls
for it. And so many other people express rage – but beauty
needs an advocate, too.”
Beauty has a strong presence on Light Blue
Sun, from the exotic tones found on “Home” to the delicacy
of Lili’s vocals on “Wounded Dove,” a song about learning
to let go of a loved one. The strings of Lili’s violin pull
strongly, yet without calculation, at our own heart strings.
“It’s like I have an extra chamber in my heart,” she says
of the growth that came from the intense closeness to her mother
prior to her passing.
A native of Toronto, Lili Haydn led an unorthodox
childhood. Her mother, comedienne and singer/songwriter Lotus
Weinstock, may have infused her with a sense of theatricality,
but Lili chose to study Political Science at Brown University.
She paid her college tuition with money earned from acting gigs,
another field in which she continues to work to this day. (Yes,
that’s Lili playing violin and sipping coffee in the current
commercial for Folgers.) Lili performed often with her mother,
but her first rock appearances were jams in the clubs of L.A.
while on summer break from college. That soon led to Lili’s
becoming the violinist of choice in the rock world.
Light Blue Sun features a couple of
instrumental tracks, including “The Promised Land,”
showcasing Lili Haydn's virtuosity on the violin. A musician’s
musician, Lili has played with – well, just about everybody.
It would be easier to compile a list of the people with whom she
hasn’t shared a stage or recording studio than those she has.
But notables include Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, who first saw
her perform during a lengthy residency at L.A.’s notorious
Viper Room. They were so impressed that they brought her to
their show the next night at the Forum and brought her onstage
to solo on Kashmir. That quickly led to Lili and her band
joining the Led Zepplin alums as an opening act on their U.S.
tour. Sting, Josh Groban, Christina Aguilera, Nusrat Fateh Ali
Khan, Parliament Funkadelic, The Rolling Stones, Porno for Pyros
and the LA Philharmonic are just a few of her other studio and
concert credits.
While Lili Haydn is the primary architect of Light
Blue Sun, she was assisted by several key musicians, including
the legendary producer and bassist Bill Laswell, who co-produced
the album. Indian electronic music artist Karsh Kale added beats
and live drumming, Alice Coltrane contributed piano on
“Denied,” a track by Lili’s mother, while George Clinton
and Pharoah Sanders perform on “The Promised Land.”
The end result? The recording Lili dreamed of.
“I hope to bridge the art world with the mainstream, pop
world. This record,” she says, “has more artistic integrity,
yet more commercial potential than anything else I’ve done. I
want my music to be inclusive of my own artistic soul as well as
my love of the pop world. I think that I have accomplished
that.”