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Plaintive, soothing, soulful, heartfelt, evocative and calming, all adjectives that deftly describe the exquisite music on “Short Stories: Piano Music for Healing, Meditation and Relaxation,” the 2006 CD by gifted composer, producer, arranger and pianist Giovanna Joyce Imbesi.  Given her extensive history as a premier musician, it’s indeed remarkable that this is the debut solo album by this multi-talented artist, whose long list of credits include such stellar names as Anita Baker, Dave Koz, Patti Labelle, Jeffrey Osborne, Narada Michael Walden, Sheila E., Yanni, Toni Childs, and ex-Police guitar great Andy Summers as well as performances with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, and the Minneapolis Symphony.

As the New York-born, Los Angeles-based artist explains in the liner notes for the album, “The idea for “Short Stories” had been in gestation for many years.  In September 2005, I was diagnosed with a rare, yet manageable cancer called Carcinoid…and I found myself post -surgery, iPod in hand for comfort, realizing some of the soothing music I was listening to was my own.  These meditative pieces were mostly improvisations caught on tape.  Over the years, some of these had been recorded as gifts – for an ailing child, or a terminally ill patient.  Because of my own experience, it occurred to me that others might find healing in these pieces as well.”  So began the journey of “Short Stories,” my first CD.”

The ‘journey’ continued with recording sessions at Giovanna’s full-service TuttoMedia studios in Venice, California conducted in a period of just weeks in the late summer of 2006.  The goal -  having the CD available for the annual Carcinoid Cancer Conference at the end of September. I found that I had some musical sketches that would fit in the mode of music that was very healing and very calming.  Writing the stories that went along with the music (in the accompanying CD booklet) was so motivating.  Once it was finished, I felt absolutely wonderful.  Making my own record was something I wanted to do for twenty years: we assume we have all the time in the world.  I can say that that if I hadn’t undergone this health challenge, recording my first album might never have happened.”

Those seeking comfort, healing, meditation and relaxation will indeed be truly grateful that Giovanna used such seemingly adverse circumstances to create music that touches the soul.  Using her years of classical and jazz training, Giovanna has crafted a record that calls on a myriad of influences from French composer Ravel to contemporary musical greats Chick Corea and McCoy Tyner.  The titles on the CD – from “Waltz For Peace” to “Bridge To Isfahan,” from “Lullaby for Anouk” to “Ascension” - are evocative of distinct moods from contemplation and reflection to hope, empowerment and joy.

As with other cuts on the CD, the final track on the album, “Hush” featuring the vocals of Toni Peete, flows with simplicity and ease.  The piece (engineered by Grammy winner Bob Power, known for his work with D’Angelo, The Roots and Me’shell NdgeOcello among others) was written, as Giovanna notes, “for all of us who wish to find our own inner peace…”  Fitting indeed that Giovanna will be using the entire album in tandem with the non-profit organization she has created, “GeneratePossibility.Org” whose mission “is to assist people in healing through the healing arts.”

Giovanna’s life-long mission has always been to contribute her gifts through music: she started out playing piano at the age of seven, developing a love and passion for it by her early teens: “I saw music as a way to connect with others, whether it was those listening or other musicians with whom I was playing,” she notes.  While classical music was an obvious field of study, Giovanna recalls, “My very first teacher used stride piano (in the style of musicians like Erroll Garner and Scott Joplin) and the first record I was given was “Song For A New World” by McCoy Tyner.

Such dexterity and aptitude prepared Giovanna for studying in San Francisco, where she graduated summa cum laude after which she began playing at a venue in the city that would become the now-famous Kimball’s.  In fact, Giovanna was responsible for the club’s creation: “The venue was opposite the San Francisco Opera House so people would come in before going to the opera and then afterwards.  We had a few hours when nothing was happening so I went to the owner and suggested we present some jazz,” Giovanna recalls, “and that’s how Kimball’s got started!”

In between booking such prestigious acts as Joe Henderson, Stan Getz, McCoy Tyner, Earl Fatha Hines, Charlie Haden and Pete Escovedo, Giovanna acted as the publicist and promoter for the venue which became a haven for local jazz musicians.  Performing at the club once a month, Giovanna had the opportunity to showcase her own musical talents and inevitably, word of mouth led to her mid-‘80s association with Grammy-winning producer Narada Michael Walden, who was working at the time with such luminaries as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Sheena Easton and others.  She notes, “Over the four years, we worked together, Narada was a big influence on me as a songwriter and producer.  While I was originally recruited for an all-female band who were playing pop and funk, that project never transpired but Narada became a real mentor for me during that time thanks to having my studio within his.”

Giovanna embarked on her first national tour in 1989 with Yanni, playing alongside such notable musicians as John Tesh and with various symphony orchestras.  During the ensuing years, she worked with a variety of name performers including Patti Labelle, Jeffrey Osborne, Sheila E., Yanni, Toni Childs, the group Starship and ex-Police guitar great Andy Summers with whom she toured internationally.  Following another national road tour with saxophonist Dave Koz, Giovanna relocated to Los Angeles working with TuttoMedia, the company specializing in music and sound production for film, television, and new media that she started in 1985. Initially working out of a music production company in Studio City, Giovanna found herself working consistently with major companies such as NBC and Apple as a composer, writing music for ad campaigns, television and commercials. “Because of the location, people literally knocked on my door!”  she smiles. “I got a lot of work as a composer during that time.”

Moving to Venice where she opened her own studio, Giovanna’s increased workload included  “The Cutting Edge” motion picture soundtrack, work on blockbuster cues for True Lies, Johnny Mnemonic and Striking Distance as well as appearances The Tonight Show, Arsenio Hall, Joan Rivers, and the Rick Dees Show.  In 1996, she traveled to India for a series of feature performances that spotlighted her original jazz compositions. The response, both from the public and press, was overwhelmingly positive. Giovanna also traveled to Cuba for a series of performances with the well-known group Sintesis - Cuba's answer to Weather Report.  Her extensive producing credits run the range from blues artist Chic Streetman to world music diva Vida Vierra and song stylist David Nathan and she was a featured artist on two Windham Hill holiday albums released in 2004 and 2005.

In 2002, Giovanna began hosting musical Salons at her Venice studio, bringing together musicians, singers and sometimes performing herself, presenting music in an intimate setting.  Her new Salon series “Up Close & Musical” will make its debut in late 2006.  With all this activity, Giovanna says making a CD was “a life-long ambition but with so much work and so many projects to do for and with others, I never got around to it.  I’ve always thought of music as my way of giving and contributing.

As she states in the liner notes for “Short Stories,” her auspicious solo debut, “Life can change in a moment,” referring to her diagnosis with carcinoid cancer.  “Forced to reckon with the healing of my body, I became intimately aware of the smallest details and gestures, found gratitude in little miracles and explored this awakening.  I discovered that the physical healing, while extensive, pales in comparison to the blossoming of the heart.  Previously unchallenged assumptions about life came tumbling down and I gave myself permission to trust in myself again…”

Using music as a soundtrack while she underwent surgery herself, Giovanna says, “I learned so much about how music could be used in a healing way, how one’s well being is affected by the mind and that a peaceful mind creates a peaceful body.  I developed a whole new awareness of the impact music could have as I went through my own health challenges.  It opened my eyes, being in the hospital and around other patients – I saw the need for the kind of material that is on “Short Stories” which led to the creation of “GeneratePossibility.Org”  my non-profit foundation.”

An album that touches the heart, calms the mind and soothes the soul, “Short Stories: Piano Music for Healing, Meditation & Relaxation” is a testament not only to the artistry of Giovanna Joyce Imbesi but to her courage, fortitude and inner strength.