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LOVE IS A RIVER


Willy Schwarz released his last album of original songs in 2001. His latestcollection, "Love is a River" is well worth the long wait. Willy's oldest friend Bob Lucas, himself a master singer, instrumentalist andsongwriter, said of it:

"Just played your cd. It is, as has all your work  been all yourlife, full of courage and beauty. I love the feel of it all. Unafraid to put the grit to the wheel and still sublimely lyrical and full ofmusical substance.   Thanks so much for sending it here."

another old friend wrote;
"It almost might almost be worth it, not being in touch with you for such a long time, to receive this amazing, beautiful, heart wrenchingCD.   You might have called it “river of tears”,because I could not stop crying almost at every song.  And how youstarted many of them, sometimes from a place of sadness, sometimes from despair and then broke through with joyful music and lyrics. I loved every single song and especially, 
”Time on your Hands” – seems to me, you should have a bigcommercial hit with that one, with all the grown up baby boomers. We’re all in that zone now "
More Info..

Sample MP3 Clips

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DOWNLOAD LYRICS - (PDF - 70 Kb)

DOWNLOAD ALBUM CREDITS - (PDF - 29 Kb)

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HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Willy has brought together 10 musicians from all over the world – each of whom live in Bremen, Germany– to form an absolutely unique ensemble. The musical traditionsare represented in their pure form, and yet as immigrants, each has a statement to make, delving deep into their roots and offering up pieceswhich reflect their experience living in a new homeland. Masterfully arranged and recorded, this CD is a living testament to the ability ofhumans to literally "harmonize" together. More Info... Sample MP3 Clips

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JEWISH MUSIC AROUND
THE WORLD

The Jewish People, scattered across continents for 2000 years, developed as many different musical styles as the lands in which they settled, yet remain united through the texts of the Bible and the yearly festival cycle . Willy takes the listener on a journey through time and space, singing in 9 different languages, playing 24 authentic instruments, and retracing the musical sources of the Jewish Diaspora. From the archaic strains of an Ethiopian fiddle to a merry Irish ditty, from the mystics of Yemen to the shepherd’s pipe of the Asian steppes, from the yearnings of the Jews of the Malabar coast of South India to those of the Hassidim of Eastern Europe; Rarely has one artist painted so deep a portrait with so broad a palette. More Info..
Sample MP3 Clips

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4. Rang
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METAMORPHOSES and other plays directed by Mary Zimmerman

Willy Schwarz’s long involvement with theatre music is encapsulated in this soundtrack to the long-running Broadway hit Metamorphoses, for which he received the prestigious Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music in a Play. Employing a flotilla of exotic as well as familiar instruments, Schwarz’s exquisite soundscapes have contributed much to the success of Ms. Zimmerman’s productions, including The Odyssey and The Baltimore Waltz (co-composed with Miriam Sturm and Michael Bodeen) which are also represented here. More Info...

Sample MP3 Clip
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HOME; Songs of Immigrants,
Refugees and Exiles

After the critical success of ‘Live for the Moment’, Schwarz teamed up again with Senders to produce an even stronger expression of his brilliant polycultural sensibility. ‘HOME’ is a powerful cycle of songs reflecting the hopes and dreams of particular individuals; an old man’s nostalgia for the village culture of his youth, a dishwashing Mexican migrant’s lament, the reflections of an émigré taxi driver, or Schwarz’s own retelling of his parents’ immigration from Italy to the United States. Whether the material is personal or political, it’s superbly played by an all-star group of musicians, including Howard Levy, Matt Darriau, Bob Lucas And Kalyan Pathak. More Info... Sample MP3 Clips
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2. Taxi
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LIVE FOR THE MOMENT

For his groundbreaking first solo CD, Willy assembled 40 players, from India’s master musicians toAmerican virtuosi Howard Levy and Paul Wertico, to produce (with Warren Senders) what Rolling Stone called “...a many-layered fusion of folksong-writing, social criticism, as well aseastern wisdom, of Irish, Indian, and Caribbean blasts – all with disarming innocence”. More Info... Sample MP3 Clips 
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