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It's Been A Long, Long Time
June Bisantz & Gordon Morrell
2023 - Americana
It’s Been A Long, Long Time is a true labor of love -
created for the sheer joy of it. Seven iconic American songs recorded to celebrate the enduring musical partnership and friendship of vocalist/visual artist June Bisantz and guitarist/vocalist Gordon Morrell.
Inspired by June and Gordon’s original playlist from the ‘70s, and featuring their signature close vocal harmonies, It’s Been A Long, Long Time is an upbeat reimagining of the eclectic Jazz/Americana that has always characterized their sound - a unique blend of bistro, New Orleans jazz, folk, and traditional country.
June and Gordon met in 1971 and immediately connected through the smooth, easy combination of their singing voices. Over the decades, they made music from Maine to California and back again, in clubs, concerts and studios - sometimes with years between reunions. But however long the separation, their voices always recombine as easily and naturally as breathing and laughing.
On the 50th anniversary of their meeting, they searched for the best way to celebrate this personal and musical milestone, while living on opposite sides of the country.
Enter brilliant guitarist/arranger/producer David West. Together with his talented crew of internationally renowned musicians and the magic of remote recording technology, It’s Been A Long, Long Time became a happy musical reality - one that June and Gordon want to share with everyone.
June Bisantz - voice | Gordon Morrell, voice | Gilles Apap, violin | Nick Coventry, violin | Jim Mooy, trumpet | Tom Ball, harmonica | George Friedenthal, piano | Tom Lackner, drums |
Lorenzo Martinez, percussion
David West, all guitars, banjo, string bass, piano
Produced by David West for Play Ball! Musical Services
Mixed & Mastered by Emmet Sargeant
at Beagle Studios
Radio: Powderfinger Promo 800-356-1155
Happy Trails To You
from "It's Been A Long, Long, Time" June Bisantz & Gordon Morrell
Any Old Time
from "It's Been A Long, Long, Time" June Bisantz & Gordon Morrell
JUNE BISANTZ
Vocalist and visual artist JUNE BISANTZ has co-written and produced several collections of original vocal jazz, all of which have received national recognition.
She has toured internationally, and performed and recorded with distinguished jazz musicians including Steve Swallow, Bob Moses, Paul Brown, Lew Soloff, Jerry Neiwood, Mike Stern, Jon Burr, Steve Davis & Will Lee. Reviews and articles about her work have appeared in publications including People Magazine, USA Today, Downbeat, Jazziz Magazine, Jazz Podium Magazine, Jazz USA, New York Newsday, the Boston Globe and the New York Times. Her work has been released on the Pausa and Nova labels, Los Angeles, Alpha Records, Japan and Arabesque Records, NY.
Following a two-volume tribute to the vocal work of the legendary Chet Baker (Let's Fall in Love & It's Always You), Bisantz released Love’s Tango, co-written with pianist & composer Alex Nakhimovsky which received a Global Music Award for lyrics and songwriting in 2019. Her most recent release, 7 Shades of Snow, featuring the Jon Burr Sextet received a Global Music Award in 2022 for best Female Vocalist.
Bisantz' current project, soon to be released It's Been A Long, Long Time, is a collection of crossover Jazz/Americana, recorded in collaboration with long time friend and musical partner Gordon Morrell.
Ms. Bisantz is Professor Emeritus of Art & Design at Eastern Connecticut State University. She has exhibited her visual art work in galleries, museums and public spaces throughout the United States and designs publicity and album artwork for her own projects and those of many other musicians. junebisantz.com/visualart
GORDON MORRELL
GORDON MORRELL has been juggling roles for decades, going back to his days as an Education Ph.D. student at the University of California, Santa Barbara in the 1970s. His career path has taken many twists and turns, but music has been a constant, connecting thread. His musical career began at age five with piano and Hammond organ lessons. He quickly moved on to the ukulele, and then the guitar. As a teenager he formed a band inspired by the then new and ground-breaking Beatles. This led to the formation of several bands in high school and college in which Morrell played guitar and keyboards. During the evolutionary 70’s, he switched from electric to acoustic guitar, buying a Martin and finally an Ovation guitar, which he still plays to this day. Through many changes of style, and instrumentation, Morrell’s vocal talent and genius for harmony distinguished him as a valuable leader and band mate. His relaxed, genuine style, innate musicality and effortless connection with audiences combined with a ready sense of humor make him a delightful and engaging entertainer.
Since college and graduate school, Morrell has been a university professor, a county director of childcare services in Santa Barbara, and founder of the educational software development company, Santa Barbara Softworks. In 1990, he joined asset and property management software solutions provider Yardi Systems in Goleta, CA where he worked for 32 years, becoming Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the company.
Throughout his academic, entrepreneurial and corporate careers, music continued to be a strong presence in Morrell’s life. He formed and led several musical duos, the longest of these with jazz singer June Bisantz. The two met in 1971, performed together on and off through the 1990s and became life-long friends. Gordon and June recently reunited to record a collection of tunes - aptly named It's Been a Long, Long Time - from their original playlist that beautifully represents the close harmony and eclectic style that has always characterized their sound.