John Raymond Pollard
John Raymond Pollard’s sound is intimate. His songs are personal and political. John’s expressive voice enlivens sparkling lyrics that move to an array of compelling rhythms.
John bounces between New York City and Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. In New York he has appeared in venues as varied as the Bandshell in Central Park, Rockwood Music Hall, and the Tea Bag Open Mic in Chinatown.
In response to proposed legislation that would affirm that expressions of national unity should be recited or sung in English, John recently produced a mulit-lingual version of the Star-Spangled Banner. Performed by Voices United for America, the recording honors people of all heritages who founded, built, and have defended the USA. It is an exercise in free speech intended to draw attention to the proposed legislation.
His current release, Map of the AmericAs Linhas da Mão, offers listeners a one hour non-stop musical journey through the western hemisphere.
Through the course of the adventure, melodies and lyrical English, Portuguese, and Spanish verse are spiced with folk, rock, bossa nova, tango, samba, and reggae rhythms. Brilliant musicians add their special graces to this accomplished work. The tour package includes an album of photos, lyrics, and chords.
John Raymond Pollard’s 2004 release, Body Politic, is composed of 11 political songs plus karaoke versions of King George and The Government’s Got You.
Body Politic begins with a humorous but serious retelling of the 2000 USA presidential election. It ends with the anthem, Equality. Musical styles vary from one song to the next; they include pop, reggae, jazzy, folk, and rock.
A host of musicians and vocalists bring their special talents to this timely body of political songs.
Passion, Poison, and Politik, his second album, is comprised of a dozen songs that look at the dynamics of human interactions on many levels: relationships between individuals, societies, and cultures and at various phases – early, middle, and final. Poetic lyrics weave new stories and reinterpret ancient myths.
Listeners traverse various historical settings that span ancient Greece through middle ages to contemporary times, carried along by an ever changing array of rhythms – Indian, bossa nova, and those more familiar with American listeners: folk, rock and even a country waltz. Some sounds mesmerize; others move listeners to dance.
Songs show human interactions laced with passion, poison, and politics. Some song titles show the darker side: Quicksand, Lies, Poison, and The Government’s Got You. Others sparkle with light: Enchantment, Static, and Angels Watch Over, which is John’s response to the events of September 11, 2001.
World class musicians compliment guitar, bass, and drums with an array of percussive sounds, wind synthesizer, piano, cello, violin, bass harmonica, harmonica, and horns.
The lyrics, melodies, and rhythms of Passion, Poison, and Politik offer something to delight everyone.
Released in 2000, John Raymond Pollard’s initial album, SandSurfSea&Sky paints emotional and melodic beach, sky, and seascapes. Songs genres include bossa nova, pop, inventive rock, folk, reggae, and tango. Poetic lyrics depict 14 scenes worthy of attention.
Ghosts, a haunting tribute, and the light-hearted Beginner’s Luck, which rides a reggae groove to guitar, trumpet, and organ sounds, hint at the breadth of the album’s compositions. In richly textured arrangements, an array of instruments, from a-gó-gó and birembau to vibraphone and wind tube, weave seamlessly with lyrics and voice. Bandoneon, piano, acoustic guitar, and castanets give Tango de los Desaparecidos a vibrant, soulful sound. Patrícia Angelica, the lone song with Portuguese lyrics, flows to gentle Brazilian rhythms. Snow and (ellipse) feature non-standard guitar tunings and resound with a vivid, dreamy quality. Lyrics of Count on You, a pop tune, feature wordplay on ordinal and cardinal numbers.