Eternal Dance Monika Herzig

• 1 We Are the Champions 05:54
• 2 Eternal Dance 07:00
• 3 Dear Geri 07:05
• 4 Rabbit 05:02
• 5 Fly High 06:41
• 6 We Can Be (S)Heroes 05:01
• 7 Fall in Reading 08:04
• 8 Seas of Change 06:23
• 9 Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child 05:33
• 10 Up in the Sky 06:59
• 11 Memories of Petra 03:14
• 12 Hymn for Justice and Understanding (Bonus Track) 04:05
• Total Runtime 01:11:01

Info for Eternal Dance

Sisterhoods have been steadily moving toward the forefront of the jazz scene. Elevated by purpose and promise, and upholding the virtues of equality and community, these sororities have become a substantial force in the music today. Monika Herzig, a thoughtful composer and inventive pianist, has become a key figure in the movement toward enlightenment. To take the message into the studio and out on the road, Herzig has assembled an all-star band of greats – “Sheroes” as she likes to call them – who selflessly work together in presenting a judicious blend of covers and originals. Leni Stern's guitar helps to frame each song in the proper light; cellist Akua Dixon adds varicolored hues in her appearances; bassist Jennifer Vincent and drummer Rosa Avila (along with guest percussionist Mayra Casales) form a flexible unit capable of buttressing with strength and sensitivity; Lakecia Benjamin's alto shines in its flights; while the flute-trombone partnership of Jamie Baum and Reut Regev proves to be a match made in heaven. With Herzig's pen and piano serving as the ties that bind, this declaration of unity truly delivers. All hail the conquering Sheroes.

Monika Herzig, piano
Jamie Baum, flute
Reut Regev, trombone
Jennifer Vincent, bass
Rosa Avila, drums
Lakecia Benjamin, alto saxophone
Leni Stern, guitar
Akua Dixon, cello
Mayra Casales, percussion

Monika Herzig
In 1987, the pedagogical institute in Weingarten, Germany awarded a scholarship for a one-year exchange program at the University of Alabama to one of their students, jazz pianist Monika Herzig. Together with her partner and guitarist Peter Kienle, she arrived in the States on a one-way ticket, with one suitcase of belongings and one guitar in August 1988.

Since then she has completed her Doctorate in Music Education and Jazz Studies at Indiana University, where she is now a faculty member. Her book “David Baker – A Legacy in Music” was released November 2011 on IU Press. As a touring jazz artist, she has performed at many prestigious jazz clubs and festivals, such as the Indy Jazz Fest, Cleveland’s Nighttown, Louisville’s Jazz Factory, the W.C.Handy Festival, Jazz in July in Bloomington and Cincinnati, Columbus’ Jazz & Rib Fest, to name just a few. Groups under her leadership have toured Germany, Italy, Japan, opened for acts such as Tower of Power, Sting, the Dixie Dregs, Yes, and more.

Recently, Herzig has been signed to the Owl Studios label and released the holiday CD “Peace on Earth”, followed by a CD/ DVD combo entitled “Come With Me” on March 8, 2011. Her previous releases have received rave reviews. Thomas Garner from Garageradio.com writes, “I was totally awed by the fine musicianship throughout”. As a recipient of the 1994 Down Beat Magazine Award for her composition “Let’s Fool One” and with several Big Band Arrangements published with the University of Northern Colorado Press, Herzig has also gathered international recognition for her writing skills.

The current repertoire of the Monika Herzig Acoustic Project includes originals and arrangements of standard repertoire, such as John Lennon’s Imagine, Cole Porter’s Night and Day, or Hoagy Carmichael’s Georgia. The Monika Herzig Trio can be heard every Saturday at Rick’s Cafe Boatyard at Eagle Creek Reservoir in Indianapolis.

Booklet for Eternal Dance