““Poetry and Jazz have been influencing each other for a long time. Lisa Marie Simmons, a poet, singer and composer, draws on that rich history for NoteSpeak 12... As with her previous efforts with the NoteSpeak ensemble, Simmons flows freely between singing and speaking/reciting, blurring the lines between poetry and music." 5 Stars ” - J. Poet

— Downbeat Magazine April 2023

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 Poetry gives us the ability to see what can not be seen, to describe what cannot be observed, and to infuse feeling into language. Poetry begins with the blank page - 'the only one listening to the soul's suffering....the only one receiving all softly and without condemnation.' Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Music is a common language, like a river that flows through distant lands without losing its form. No matter the style, we all recognize that form. The beat, the flow, the breath and touch of the instrumentalist: music reaches the core of our being.

Every poem has a rhythm, and every song has a message.

Lisa Marie Simmons is a dynamic and passionate being; her persistent desire to discover (and hold) joy in the face of suffering is a bright light in an often dark world. Her 2020 debut, NoteSpeak (Amori e Tragedie In Musica), introduced us to her unique style. Accomplished in writing circles, Simmons brings her verse to life through music and careful articulation of her story. The topics are personal and the style casual, but do not mistake this for ordinary; each verse is a carefully narrated story that holds attention and feels very familiar.

NoteSpeak 12 finds Lisa Marie Simmons settling into a very relaxed groove with her partner, Marco Cremaschini. The interplay of the two, between poetry and music, feels like a dance with no need for choreography. Rather than poetry set to music or music that follows poetry, this is a conversation - about life, about love, about EVERYTHING - between the artists and the band. The words and the individual instruments all blur into a landscape of human experience, like sauntering through a cafe as conversations come and go.

'Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance.' (Carl Sandburg) 

Louis H Marks 
Ropeadope Autumn 2022