All the composers and all the vocalists are women, and Downes provides an elegant reflection on her place in this tradition in the booklet, which also contains a conversation between Downes and folk vocalist Judy Collins about Collins' contribution, her early song Albatross. Holes in the Sky, whose title comes from a quotation from Georgia O'Keeffe ("I want real things.music that makes holes in the sky - I want to love as hard as I can"), is unique among Downes' releases in that among the solo piano works, from composers ranging from Florence Price to Elena Ruehr, there are songs from vocalists of various kinds. Recently signed to the major Sony label (of which Portrait is an imprint), Downes continues to expand her reach. She has experience as a jazz pianist and is especially adept at finding pieces from the African-American classical tradition that fit multi-genre programs. The American pianist Lara Downes is known for unique programming ideas in which classical and vernacular materials mix, not so much in what is called crossover as simply representing parts of a common tradition.
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