Scott Kinsey & Mer Sal – Adjustments (Blue Canoe Records, 2021)
Keyboard maestro, composer and arranger Scott Kinsey collaborates with a fantastic new vocalist called Mer Sal on his latest project, Adjustments. Scott Kinsey is a well known American keyboardist who performed and recorded with progressive jazz band Tribal Tech, Human Element, The Zawinul Legacy band and The Arc Trio, and has collaborated with numerous jazz and fusion artists. This collaboration with Mer Sal is truly exquisite. Kinsey’s masterfully-crafted keyboard arrangements and futuristic solos intertwine perfectly with the delightful and nuanced vocals of Mer Sal.
Mer Sal (Meridith Salembini) is an American vocalist, songwriter and bass player from Colorado. Her vocal style is captivating, with influences that range from Esperanza Spalding to Joni Mitchell and Erykah Badu. On the album, Mer also includes a charming song titled “Fifty Circles Around the Sun” that steps away from jazz, venturing into feel good folk rock with a psychedelic edge.
Mer Sal participated in various musical projects, including The Native Dancer Series: A Tribute to Wayne Shorter and Karl Sterling’s Dream: Parkinson’s Global Project. At one of these sessions, Mer Sal and Scott Kinsey first met and there was an instant connection between the two. After their initial meeting, they kept in touch, exchanging lyrical and musical ideas. Mer Sal provides details about the collaboration: “I had sent Scott the beginnings of a song and he went and arranged and reharmonized it. When I returned to LA [Los Angeles], we met and he played it for me. It blew my mind; it was so incredible – and incredibly thoughtful.”
Kinsey adds,”“It’s interesting, because she writes all this poetry and it’s pages upon pages of text. I look at it and say, ‘There’s no song there.’ But when I ask her what she has in mind, she starts singing and I can’t believe it, it’s totally there. There’s a melody, a direction, a concept… everything.”
Mer Sal agrees: “I’m a poet – but I’m equally a singer so the melody comes out hand in hand with the lyrics. I do usually hear some sort of harmonic background to the melodies while I’m writing but now that I’ve heard the things that Scott does with them, I try to hear melodies that lend themselves to Scott’s process. I love hearing him ‘Scott Kinsey’ it.”
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