So, I reluctantly returned to New York and can remember very vividly, standing in the middle of the recording studio attempting to cut Track #5, "Silent Night".  It's a very Bluesy-Gospel version and I was definitely feeling the BLUES!...just not channeling them very well.  It was only two days after my uncle's funeral. I was numb with grief.

     The session was interrupted with a phone call, and as Dean took the call, I felt this amazing feeling, the presence of someone standing right next to me.  I don't know if it was my Uncle or maybe someone else from my family's past, but what I DO know is, I felt a wave of comfort pass through my body.  I felt calmed and relieved in a way I hadn't felt in weeks.  Now keep in mind, all of this happened in a matter of seconds.  Dean hung up the phone and saw me standing there looking like someone had just clubbed me over the head.  He said, "Stef,...you ok?....Stef?"

     I was pretty rattled by the whole thing and didn't share with Dean what had happened until later that day.  Long story short, we had a terrific session that day and I felt re-energized and re-inspired to finish the rest of the tracks.  I'd like to believe, in his own special way, my Uncle Tony helped guide me through the rest of my sessions. 

     The production was so far behind, cases of the first CDs came straight from the record company to my initial performance of the season.  I got to see them for the first time with everyone else that night. 

     Two themes went into recording this song.  1. I wanted to illustrate, in a fun and easy way to my nieces and nephews, the story of the Baby Jesus born in Bethlehem.   And 2. Pay homage to one of my favourite Christmas albums from childhood, "Herb Albert & The Tijuana Brass: A Tijuana Christmas". Albert's horn arrangements are simple and catchy and have stuck in my head for years.  I still have the original vinyl record (though it is barely playable due to years of scratches!). It's the one with a man in a sombrero on the cover with his eyes wide open from blowing into a trumpet and at the end of the horn are three colorful Christmas ornaments.  I highly recommend it still!!!

     I wrote "Itty Bitty" one morning while "standing" in my SUV in front of my building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  In the city, we have what is known as, "alternate side of the street" parking rules, which on my block, are from 9:30am-11:00am on Monday-Thursday or Tuesday-Friday.  Basically, you double park the opposite side of the street by 9:30, until the street cleaner sweeps by, then you have about a millisecond to get back to your space or you will lose it.  Then, you must stay or "stand" in your vehicle until 11am or get a hefty ticket.  Sounds fun, right? 

     So, in between sucking down copious amounts of Lavazza Expresso coffee, which is my favourite, I cranked-out this little ditty, which has become a crowd pleaser from the get-go. 

     "Itty Bitty" also features the vocal talents of Broadway's Darrel Blackburn as the deep voice of the Messiah.  Hear Darrel's voice get "stretched" to the hilt at the very end of the song,  in what is probably THE longest pronounciation of the word "Bethlehem" ever recorded!

        

     I am so proud of this song, because I got to sing it with my wonderful friend and celebrated singer/actress, Lorinda Lisitza.  Also, because I got to celebrate my parent's 45th wedding anniversary with it's release.  My parents got engaged on Christmas Eve -- a fact I didn't remember  until after most of the song was written: "...so in love, this Christmas Eve so in love" became the perfect background chant for the choruses.

     Here I was, in Roma, Italia and about to board a train for one of THE most romantic cities in all of Italy...Venezia.  This was my first time taking the train and seeing the gorgeous Italian countyside.  On a good day, this trip takes about 4 hours, but there was a rail strike, so there were many delays which extended the trip to more than 6 hours.  A fortuitous delay however, as I met a wonderful woman named Laura DiDonna.  A funny, smart, engaging lady who had a real interest in music. 

     Step back just a second to boarding the train.  All of the sudden the chorus to this song comes streaming into my head.  It's always like a little gift from the heavens -- mysterious and wonderful and rapid-fire --  somehow these words and music come flying into my brain and it is so strong sometimes, I have no choice but to acknowledge it and take note.  So, I call myself on my cell phone, which goes directly to voicemail, and begin singing the song into the phone.   Now, I am trying to do this discreetly while people are all around me and easily within earshot.  Keep in mind, when I am singing into the phone, sometimes the words are fully formed because I don't exactly know what they all are yet, so it's like someone singing a song they are barely familiar with and know about every other word.   I got lots of funny looks and am still singing it as I am getting on the train and sitting down into my seat.  Laura was sitting next to me and finally asked, "What IS it that you are doing?"  She could see me hurriedly scribbling notes on a napkin and then dialing my phone and singing into it. 

     By the end of the 6 hours, I had made a new friend AND had the entire song written AND had an Italian translation written too, thanks to the help of Laura DiDonna.  I later sent her the mastered version of the song once we completed the recording and together, we were able to fine-tune the translation.  Additional help on the translations came from my great friend, Emanuele Mastrodidonato, who was also riding the train that day.

     Wedding thoughts were on my mind -- not just my parent's engagement -- but my  brother Mike's wedding to his lovely wife Corey was only about 2 weeks away.  I was able to harness all of the thoughts, emotions and feelings I was experiencing that afternoon, coupled with the beauty of Venice, into one song. 

    

     Years of Catholic schooling and a solid foundation of church singing comes full-circle in this song.  You'd think from reading the lyrics, this is an homage to the Virgin Mary.  In a way it is, but mostly, it's a celebration of my amazing Grandmother Mary.  I'm certainly not lying, when I sing, "She bore a son and he's the reason I'm here on this earth..."  but you can see how the song might be loaded with dual messages or hidden meanings.  I worked in many elements of the Hail Mary prayer, along with my own memories of my grandmother and everything I remember about her as a child.  Her endless capacity for giving -- a font of love to be sure.  Her beautiful yard -- meticulously kept -- that was wall-to-wall with roses and flowers and fruit trees of every kind.  There was always something good to eat at Grandma's house!

     Like "Itty Bitty", "Mary's Song" has tons of horns...and also shows how my early exposure to Gospel and blues had translated later into my own music.  Like "So In Love", this song shows off the amazing vocal range of Lorinda Lisitza.  This was Lorinda's first studio experience and she was able to knock out high note after high note effortlessly.  Mary's Song was actually recorded back in 2002, but thanks to some groovy new mastering tools, we re-mastered the original and gave it an entirely new sound in 2005. 

     This song will never be radio ready. It is more than 7 minutes long!  Dean and I tried to make a radio edit but as we began cutting it up, I felt like I was murdering my own child.  So, "Mary's Song" stands as is, tall and beautiful and lovely as she ever was.

     You never know when inspiration is going to hit.  Most times, new music comes to me when I am driving.  I always carry a legal pad and pen with me in my SUV, because inevitably, about one hour outside of Manhattan, something new comes to me. 

     However, "Saviour" you might say, was hatched one morning.  I was making breakfast -- scrambling eggs actually...and as I'm  moving the soupy mixture around in the frying pan (half-asleep mind you) with the spatula, I just started singing this song.   So, in between scrambling the eggs, I scrambled to get a piece of paper and write down what I was singing...then of course, grabbed my phone and sang the entire song into it.  Fast forward to about 20 minutes later, the song was complete, but my eggs were cold!  I abandoned them to finish the song.  "Saviour" sounds like a old-school church song, which borrows from the "Gloria" chorus in "Angels We Have Heard On High".  That particular song I credit as THE first I sang solo at the podium in front of the entire church congregation at Mass.  It was 6th grade, Christmas Eve and I sang this song as a duet with classmate Tim Kuntz.  We sang the verses together, but on the chorus, I sang the harmony descant to Tim's straight chorus singing.  That descant, taught to me way back when, by my longtime mentor and friend, Sister Alicia Marie Weiskircher, is the same one I used in the recording of my own song today. 

     Speaking of Sister Alicia, this particular song I loved the moment she introduced me to it back in grade school.  I have never missed singing Christmas Day Mass with Sister since I was 6 years old.  It's a tradition I treasure and look forward to continuing every year. 

     "Lo' How A Rose" is the story of Juan Diego and what the Virgin Mary is said to have told him on that mountain top...that he would get a sign from her...roses blooming through the snow despite it being the dead of winter.  It's a soft, peaceful, celebratory yet reflective song -- perfect way to close out the "Miracle" of Christmas.

     This is actually a spoken/chanted version of The Lord's Prayer, with a heavy emphasis on the last line, "...deliver us from all evil...deliver us!"...and as the chime strikes a solo note, the song springs to life.  Read further about "Miracle" and you will discover why this prayer was so important to the set up of the song.

     Imagine what might happen if Johnny Mathis, Karen Carpenter, Andy Williams, plus Blood Sweat & Tears/Three Dog Night -- all collided, then morphed into one singer. Well, that's what came out in this rendition of both Christmas classics.  I'd spent years listening to all of the above artists and if you listen closely, you can pick out the nuances right away.  It's funny, because I didn't consciously try to sound like any ONE of them, but their influences are clearly here.

     This is the second time I've recorded "Have Yourself".  Back in the 90's, I recorded another version with my father, while on the Board of Directors for the Tri-State Coalition For The Homeless.  Proceeds from the sale of that record, simply put,  helped us help the homeless.