I am very excited to present for you the full album heralded by the single, “Like A Friend“ and  “Aime-Moi”. Thousands of you have visited my website and downloaded the free screensaver produced by Dajarabi and his team over in France. I appreciate your encouragement. You’ve been great!

The album has 13 tracks with songs in English and French. They are all original songs (except for “Aime-Moi”, which I co-wrote with the wonderful composer from the Dominican Republic who I enjoy listening to so much: Charlie Mosquea ). I have also recorded “Aime-Moi” and “Un Amour Impossible” in Spanish and Italian. These versions will become available soon. Stay tuned.

I was blessed with the collaboration of very talented musicians. They all put their hearts and souls into the project. That is forever engraved in my heart. The great musician and producer Randy Emata and virtuoso James Robinson (courtesy of Favored Nations LLC) who participated in the single also worked on the completion of this full album.

A variety of talented and established musicians collaborated with me throughout the project: the great drummer and producer Jojo Kuo, known for his work with the likes of Harry Belafonte, Peter Gabriel, Mory Kante, Fela Anikulapo, and Manu Dibango; Yomi Omidiran, who has worked and toured with Majek Fashek; Maah Simon (Soul), who had been Sonny Okozuns’ band leader for several years; Dennis Ayandira; Clark Gayton, trombonist in Duke Ellington’s Orchestra for several years; Gazu Nelson Jaimie, trumpet player, who has worked with just about everybody in the Latin field, from Tito Puentes to Jennifer Lopez; and, Robert Aaron, an amazing multi-talented musician and extremely humble genius who wrote and directed the arrangements for the horns (Robert has been around, playing with so many musicians that a tentative list would be unfair).

Perhaps this select sample of the people who participated in the making of this full album will hint at the fun I had recording it. I intend to share with you some of the anecdotes and pictures of these fantastic intense months of my life in the essay, “The Making of my Full Album”.

In the process of all this, I put together a dance step for a new dance called ESSEWÂNGO. Open the “Video of the Dance” link on my website for an idea of what it’s all about.

I stated previously that Life is a mysterious polyphony - a symphony in which The Great Conductor, known as The Great Architect Of The Universe, helps each of us execute our part, our chart. Well, now it’s your turn to execute your chart with your feet as a dancer. I wish you as much fun as I had with my friends working on this album.

Amicalement,

Jean-Pierre Simons.

To buy the CD or individual tracks, please click on the links below:

My page at iTunes