PRESS RELEASES
Tessa Souter | “Song For You: Gnossienne 1” Single Release
Jazz Vocalist Tessa Souter Unveils “A Song For You (Gnossienne No. 1),” the First Single From Shadows & Silence: The Erik Satie Project
Available Today On
Featuring Luis Perdomo (piano, percussion and arrangement), Yasushi Nakamura (bass), Billy Drummond (drums)
Shadows & Silence: The Erik Satie Project
is Available on June 27 via NOANARA MUSIC
Album Release Show at Joe’s Pub
July 1, 2025 at 7PM
“An artist of such astonishing depth, she seems to breathe underwater … Souter’s lyrics are in league with Joni Mitchell and Norma Winstone … a work of true brilliance.” — UK Jazz News
“Few vocalists measure up to this high standard.” — All About Jazz
Listen to “A Song For You (Gnossienne No. 1)”
Tessa Souter first fell under the spell of Satie when she heard a wordless vocal version of “Gnossienne No. 1” by French singer Anne Ducros two decades ago. The haunting melody sent her straight to Satie’s original score, and intrigued, she began to write lyrics to it.
“I had just come out of relationship with someone who always wanted to know who my songs were about. Hence the irony of the title, “A Song for You.” My lyrics always evolve out of life experience.”
Shadows and Silence: The Erik Satie Project, is Souter’s sixth album as a leader, featuring GRAMMY-awarded pianist Luis Perdomo (who also provided several arrangements), GRAMMY-nominated bassist Yasushi Nakamura, and legendary drummer Billy Drummond — Souter’s partner in life and music. They are joined at carefully chosen moments by trumpeter Nadje Noordhuis and soprano saxophonist Steve Wilson.
Celebrated for her “poetic but ungushing lyrics,” (Clive Davis, The Sunday Times ), Souter’s lyrics to Wayne Shorter’s “Ana Maria” so impressed the late composer that he gave her shared writing credit. Subsequently Kurt Elling recorded them on his 2024 Grammy-nominated Wildflowers Volume1 album. Now, with Shadows and Silence, she turns her attention to Satie, appending intimate, deeply personal lyrics to some of his most iconic melodies — bringing his timeless work to a new generation of jazz listeners. The album arrives just in time for global celebrations marking the 2025 centenary of Satie’s death, and ahead of the160th anniversary of his birth in 2026.
Note: In the original digital booklet and physical CD, there is a misprint in the track listing: “Holding On To Beauty” is “Gnossienne No.3,” and not “Gnossienne No.2” as printed. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
Tessa Souter · Shadows & Silence: The Erik Satie Project
NOANARA MUSIC · Release Date: June 27, 2025
For more information on Tessa Souter, please visit:
www.tessasouter.com | Facebook | Instagram
For media inquiries, please contact:
DL Media · (917) 929-4910
Roberta Lawrence · roberta@dlmediamusic.com
Don Lucoff · don@dlmediamusic.com
For the Preferred Artist
Information and press materials (including album covers, promotional photos and bios)
on all DL Media artists can be found at our website: dlmediamusic.com
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