Annie Booth releases "Flowers of Evil"

Photo Credit: Seth Beamer

FLOWERS OF EVIL is the new album from composer and pianist Annie Booth. A versatile and award-winning musician, Booth has earned international recognition for her work as a composer and arranger. On this latest release, arguably her most prolific work yet, she displays her creativity and musical nuance in full force

Flowers Of Evil is an otherworldly song cycle of original music set to the beautifully dark poetry of 19th century French poet, Charles Baudelaire, and the 1864 collection of the same name. Flowers Of Evil features an 11-piece ensemble and lives between the boundaries of jazz, chamber music, and art song, blending poetry with improvisation, emotion with sound. Masterfully sung both in French and English by renowned soprano Kathryn Radakovich, Annie Booth brings the complex world of Charles Baudelaire's 19th century Paris to modern times through her fresh and compelling music.

Recorded over two days at Mighty Fine Productions (Denver, CO) in 2021, Flowers Of Evil was produced by composer and Pulitzer Prize finalist Carter Pann. The album features the artistry of Kathryn Radakovich (soprano), Anisha Rush (alto saxophone and flute), John Gunther (tenor saxophone and clarinets), Brad Goode (trumpet), Brian Woodbury (trombone), Tim Wendel (guitar), Matt Smiley (bass), Dru Heller (drums), Rosalee Walsh (violin), and Kari Clifton (cello).

Booth's dreamy compositions bring life to the poetry in an intuitive and fresh way. The dark, magical words of Charles Baudelaire take flight through Booth's orchestration and wide imagination of grooves from lilting french waltz and grunge rock ("Le voyage") to Brazilian baião ("Beauty") to a fast-paced, quirky swing ("The Rebel"). Inspired improvisations take place throughout the album and the texture of spoken word on "Harmonie du soir", "Paysage", and "The Rebel" provide a varied and creative sonic landscape.

For more information, visit www.annieboothmusic.com.