Noras latest offering, Circle Completing is a collection of some treasured jazz standards; a gutsy blues, Little Red Rooster, performed by the legendary Sam Cooke and later by the Rolling Stones; a beautiful rendition of, To Be With You, made famous by singer Jimmy Sabater, formerly with the Joe Cuba Sextet (Gilberto Miguel Calderon), in 1957; three originals penned by McCarthy: In The Early Morning Light, a free improvised poetry piece; Faith In Time, a tribute to the great jazz vocal legend Jimmy Scott; and, Life Is A Song To Sing, McCarthy's inspiring and uplifting anthem. A special treat is the unexpected, Ke Kali Nei Au...The Hawaiian Wedding Song, sung with a prayer-like reverence it is an homage to Noras three Hawaiian sons and her love of the music of Hawaii. Nora is accompanied on this CD most intuitively by one of New Yorks finest musicians, pianist, John diMartino, who also played on McCarthys first CD, red&blue. Circle Completing is sung in the rich tradition reminiscent of the great balladeers from the early Jazz and Rhythm& Blues era that McCarthy grew up listening to fused with a modern approach and an eye to the future reflecting Noras current involvement and intrigue with the creative and free music art forms giving Circle Completing a contemporary feel. It is the progeny of that union, Noras original compositions, that gives Circle Completing its distinct voice and what makes her a unique and dynamic vocal artist in the world of jazz and creative music today.
