ANN MOSS soprano

Acclaimed Recording Artist & Chamber Musician. Collaborator, Muse, Champion of Living Composers.

LOVE LIFE ALBUM COMING 9/9/16

ann moss
NOW I AM

RELEASE DATE: 1/1/2025
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With Ann Moss’ new album, we are reminded that the only time is now — a short walk in the woods, remembering a snowflake, a handful of wildflowers. Take the journey through this album of self-discovery via the music of Griffin Candey, Kev Choice, Ricky Ian Gordon, Jake Heggie, David Howell, Ann Kearns, Cyndi Lauper, Joni Mitchell, Tom Petty and Stephen Sondheim and you’ll find yourself in the middle of the present moment saying, too, “NOW I AM.”
— John Grimmett, composer/author/lyricist
 
  • Ricky Ian Gordon - composer/lyricist
    Jennifer Reason - piano
    Ann Moss - vocals

    Alberto Hernandez - recording/edit/mixing engineer
    Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
    Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
    Ms. Reason performed on a Steingraeber und Söhne D-232 Semi-Concert Grand piano.
    Recorded at Opus Studios in Berkeley, CA on March 26th, 2022

    LYRICS BY RICKY IAN GORDON

    Once I was, I was, I was, there were ribbons in my hair
    There were leaves of streaming gold everywhere
    If a boy said hello, I would hide, trembling so, trembling so
    Now I barely know what the meaning of no is

    Now I am, I am, I am past an audience I stare
    What is gold is how the lights touch my hair
    All the boys turn to men, all the leaves change again
    Change again, change again
    Still I answer yes, though I know what will happen

    As these phases come and go
    Music tells me what I need to know

  • Joni Mitchell - songwriter
    Carrie Smith - guitar
    Ann Moss - vocals

    Jeff Kolhede - recording engineer
    Alberto Hernandez - mixing engineer
    Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
    Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
    Ms. Smith performed on a 19th century Viennese guitar.
    Recorded at 25th Street Recording in Oakland, CA on May 3rd, 2021

    LYRICS BY JONI MITCHELL

    I had a king in a tenement castle
    Lately he's taken to painting the pastel walls brown
    He's taken the curtains down
    He's swept with the broom of contempt
    And the rooms have an empty ring
    He's cleaned with the tears
    Of an actor who fears for the laughter's sting

    I can't go back there anymore
    You know my keys won't fit the door
    You know my thoughts don't fit the man
    They never can, they never can

    I had a king dressed in drip-dry and paisley
    Latеly he's taken to saying "I'm crazy and blind"
    He livеs in another time
    Ladies in gingham still blush
    While he sings them of wars and wine
    But I in my leather and lace
    I can never become that kind

    I can't go back there anymore
    You know my keys won't fit the door
    You know my thoughts don't fit the man
    They never can, they never can

    I had a king in a salt-rusted carriage
    Who carried me off to his country for marriage too soon
    Beware of the power of moons
    There's no one to blame
    No, there's no one to name as a traitor here
    The king's on the road
    And the queen's in the grove 'til the end of the year

    I can't go back there anymore
    You know my keys won't fit the door
    You know my thoughts don't fit the man
    They never can, they never can
    They never can, they never can

  • Tom Petty - songwriter
    Peter Dutilly - arranger
    Ryan Shannon - violin 1
    Jennifer Hsiao - violin 2
    Peter Dutilly - viola 1
    Justin Ouellet - viola 2
    Stephanie Wingfield - cello
    Ann Moss - vocals

    Alberto Hernandez - recording/edit/mixing engineer
    John Weston - recording engineer (strings)
    Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
    Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
    Strings recorded at Futura Productions in Boston, MA on June 29th, 2024
    Vocals recorded at Alberto Hernandez Audio in Berkeley, CA on July 2nd, 2024

    LYRICS BY TOM PETTY

    You belong among the wildflowers
    You belong in a boat out at sea
    Sail away, kill off the hours
    You belong somewhere you feel free

    Run away, find you a lover
    Go away somewhere all bright and new
    I have seen no other
    Who compares with you

    You belong among the wildflowers
    You belong in a boat out at sea
    You belong with your love on your arm
    You belong somewhere you feel free

    Run away, go find a lover
    Run away, let your heart be your guide
    You deserve deepest of cover
    You belong in that home by and by

    You belong among the wildflowers
    You belong somewhere close to me
    Far away from your trouble and worry
    You belong somewhere you feel free

    You belong somewhere you feel free

  • Cyndi Lauper & Rob Hyman - songwriters
    Ann Moss - vocals, arranging

    Alberto Hernandez - recording/edit/mixing engineer
    Ann Moss & Alberto Hernandez - producers
    Recorded at Alberto Hernandez Audio in Berkeley, CA on Feb 6th, 2023

    LYRICS BY CYNDI LAUPER

    Lying in my bed, I hear the clock tick and think of you
    Caught up in circles
    Confusion is nothing new
    Flashback, warm nights
    Almost left behind
    Suitcase of memories
    Time after

    Sometimes you picture me
    I'm walking too far ahead
    You're calling to me, I can't hear
    What you've said
    Then you say, "go slow"
    And I fall behind
    The second hand unwinds

    If you're lost you can look and you will find me
    Time after time
    If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting
    Time after time
    If you're lost, you can look and you will find me
    Time after time
    If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting
    Time after time

    After my picture fades and darkness has
    Turned to gray
    Watching through windows
    You're wondering if I'm okay
    Secrets stolen from deep inside
    And the drum beats out of time

    If you're lost you can look and you will find me
    Time after time
    If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting
    Time after time
    If you're lost, you can look and you will find me
    Time after time
    If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting
    Time after time

  • Stephen Sondheim - composer/lyricist
    Jennifer Reason - piano

    Alberto Hernandez - recording/edit/mixing engineer
    Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
    Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
    Ms. Reason performed on a Steingraeber und Söhne D-232 Semi-Concert Grand piano.
    Recorded at Opus Studios in Berkeley, CA on March 26th, 2022

    LYRICS BY STEPHEN SONDHEIM

    I remember sky
    It was blue as ink
    Or at least I think
    I remember sky.

    I remember snow
    Soft as feathers
    Sharp as thumb tacks
    Coming down like lint
    And it made you squint
    When the wind would blow.

    And ice like vinyl
    On the streets
    Cold as silver
    White as sheets
    Rain like strings
    And changing things
    Like leaves.

    I remember leaves
    Green as spearmint
    Crisp as paper.
    I remember trees
    Bare as coat racks
    Spread like broken umbrellas.

    And parks and bridges,
    Ponds and zoos,
    Ruddy faces,
    Muddy shoes,
    Light and noise and
    Bees and boys
    And days.

    I remember days,
    Or at least I try.
    But as years go by
    They're sort of haze,
    And the bluest ink
    Isn't really sky
    And at times I think
    I would gladly die
    For a day of sky.

  • Joni Mitchell - songwriter
    Patrick Anseth - guitar

    Jeff Kolhede - recording engineer
    Alberto Hernandez - edit/mix engineer
    Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
    Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
    Recorded at 25th Street Recording in Oakland, CA on May 4th, 2021

    LYRICS BY JONI MITCHELL

    It was a rainy night
    We took a taxi to your mother's home
    She went to Florida and left you
    With your father's gun, alone
    Upon her small white bed
    I fell into a dream
    You sat up all the night and watched me
    To see, who in the world I might be

    I am from the Sunday school
    I sing soprano in the upstairs choir
    You are a holy man
    On the F.M. radio
    I sat up all the night and listened to thee
    To see, who in the world you might be

    You called me beautiful
    You called your mother, she was very tanned
    So you packed your tent and you went
    To live out in the Arizona sand
    You are a refugee
    From a wealthy family
    You gave up all the golden factories
    Just to see, who in the world you might be
    Who in the world

  • Kev Choice & Ann Moss - songwriters
    Kev Choice - piano & vocals
    Jeff Kolhede - background vocals
    Ann Moss - vocals

    Jeff Kolhede - recording engineer, co-mix engineer
    BZ Lewis - primary edit/mix engineer
    Alberto Hernandez - re-mix engineer
    Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
    Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
    Recorded at 25th Street Recording in Oakland, CA on Oct 11th, 2020
    Additional vocals recorded at 25th Street on March 10th, 2021


    THE DISTANCE celebrates long-distance runners and the inspiration we all gain from witnessing their trials and triumphs.

    Composed and performed by Oakland-based pianist/emcee Kev Choice, with vocals co-created and performed by soprano Ann Moss, THE DISTANCE received its live premiere in April of 2018 in commemoration of the 5-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing.

    An extended-length commercial single was released on April 15, 2023 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of that tragic event.

    LYRICS BY KEV CHOICE

    I believe that we can go the distance
    Cherish every step along the way
    Journeys take you on a road
    Places that you never thought you’d go
    Running toward your dreams
    Chasing down your goals
    Now I know what’s possible

    I been running
    Running my whole life
    Not literal or physical
    Don’t make that assumption
    Running from expectations
    Running away from judgment
    Running from confrontations
    Running for my life, yeah
    Running for my rights
    Rights just to exist
    Standing up for what’s right in this world
    Can be a risk
    System give us the runaround
    I try to hit the ground running
    Shed a couple pounds
    Been running for my life
    Running for my mind
    Running just to escape
    Breathing the fresh air
    Running hills to the lake
    Taking a few moments
    Not to stress on the pressure
    Mental health efforts
    I’m running for my life
    Sights on the finish line
    Mile after mile increase time
    Feeling confidence
    I can take on the world!
    Accomplishments
    The feeling, the healing,
    Not running from anything
    Running towards something

    I believe that we can go the distance
    Cherish every step along the way
    Journeys take you on a road
    Places that you never thought you’d go
    Running toward your dreams
    Chasing down your goals
    Now I know what’s possible

    Pushing past all limitations, yeah
    True feeling of liberation, yeah
    Only competition that I’m racing, yeah
    The person in the mirror that I’m facing, yeah
    Mental fitness
    Physical conditioning
    Exercise thoughts
    Mind states strengthening
    New challenges
    Life balancing
    Unwind from the madness unraveling
    Running to my goals
    Running down this road
    Feel like I’m in the zone
    Running to release
    Running for my peace
    A fresh perspective on these streets
    My belief, I’m not here to compete
    Running to inspire
    Really we all winners
    Soon as you take the first step
    Remember that the best is yet to come
    No matter outcome
    Whatever path your live is on
    They say it’s not a sprint
    That it’s a marathon
    Carry on

    I believe that we can go the distance
    Cherish every step along the way
    Journeys take you on a road
    Places that you never thought you’d go
    Running toward your dreams
    Chasing down your goals
    Now I know what’s possible

    For every life that was lost too soon I go
    Further and further (we take it further, yeah)
    For those who suffer any pain or wounds I go
    Further and further (we take it further, yeah)
    For those afraid to take a chance I go
    Further and further (we take it further, yeah)
    For healthy body, mind and soul I go
    Further and further (we take it further, yeah)
    Further than I’ve been before!

    I believe that we can go the distance
    Cherish every step along the way
    Journeys take you on a road
    Places that you never thought you’d go
    Running toward your dreams
    Chasing down your goals
    Now I know what’s possible

  • From "Six Poems of Mary Oliver" composed in 1997

    Ann Kearns - composer
    Mary Oliver - poet
    Ann Moss - vocals

    Alberto Hernandez - recording/edit/mixing engineer
    Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
    Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
    Recorded at Opus Studios in Berkeley, CA on March 24th, 2022

    POEM BY MARY OLIVER

    Look, the trees
    are turning
    their own bodies
    into pillars

    of light,
    are giving off the rich
    fragrance of cinnamon
    and fulfillment,

    the long tapers
    of cattails
    are bursting and floating away over
    the blue shoulders

    of the ponds,
    and every pond,
    no matter what its
    name is, is

    nameless now.
    Every year
    everything
    I have ever learned

    in my lifetime
    leads back to this: the fires
    and the black river of loss
    whose other side

    is salvation,
    whose meaning
    none of us will ever know.
    To live in this world

    you must be able
    to do three things:
    to love what is mortal;
    to hold it

    against your bones knowing
    your own life depends on it;
    and, when the time comes to let it
    go,
    to let it go.

Track List

[1] Once I Was (2025 Remaster) — Ricky Ian Gordon
Jennifer Reason - piano

[2] I Had a King (Live in Studio) — Joni Mitchell
Carrie Smith – guitar

[3] Wildflowers — Tom Petty
Ryan Shannon & Jennifer Hsiao – violin
Peter Dutilly & Justin Ouellet – viola
Stephanie Wingfield – cello
arranged by Peter Dutilly

[4] Time After Time — Cyndi Lauper/Rob Hyman
Arranged by Ann Moss

[5] I Remember — Stephen Sondheim
Jennifer Reason - piano

[6] Rainy Night House — Joni Mitchell
Patrick Anseth – guitar

[7] The Distance (AHA Remix) — Kev Choice
Kev Choice – vocals, piano
Jeff Kolhede – background vocals

[8] In Blackwater Woods — Ann Kearns/Mary Oliver

[9] Three Foxes by the Edge of the Field at Twilight (2025 Remaster) — Griffin Candey/Jane Hirshfield
Jennifer Reason - piano

[10] Both Sides Now — Joni Mitchell
Matt Berkeley – piano
Ryan Shannon & Jennifer Hsiao – violin
Justin Ouellet – viola
Stephanie Wingfield – cello
strings arranged by Peter Dutilly

[11] … what’s happening? — David Howell

[12] The Shaman — Jake Heggie/Gene Scheer
Steven Bailey – piano

As soon as I had a tape recorder of my own I was making mixes. 

I took it super seriously. I splurged on high quality blank cassettes with extra time for more songs; I’d hover by the radio, wait for my song to come on & hit record as soon as the DJ stopped talking. Once I had a job, I’d take part of my weekly paycheck to the music store for cassette singles. I carefully planned the sequence of songs, thinking about key changes, mood and tempo flow, and of course — the deeper message.

 Eventually I graduated to CD mixes, minidiscs, iTunes playlists ... now that I think about it, my recital and concert programs have all been carefully curated mixes.

 When I started recording, I thought more about making albums than mixes; that is, until this project. This album is 100% a mix — songs I love, that I want you to experience in a carefully selected order — with a deeper message.

 I made this mix from scratch, with my friends, with so much love and care. And I really want you to hear it. 

I made it for YOU.
— Ann Moss

technical credits


Producers Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet
Session Producers Alberto Hernandez (3,4), Leslie Ann Jones (12)
Chief Engineer Alberto Hernandez, Alberto Hernandez Audio, Berkeley, CA
Mastering Engineer Michael Romanowski, Coast Mastering, Berkeley, CA
Additional Engineers
Jeff Kolhede, 25th Street Recordings, Oakland, CA
BZ Lewis, Studio 132, Oakland, CA
John Weston, Futura Productions, Boston, MA
Photography Biz McConchie
Graphic Design Chad Loving, Loving Studios, New Orleans, LA

All rights of the producers and owners of the work produced reserved. Unauthorized copying, hiring, public performance and broadcasting of this record is prohibited. ℗&©Angels Share Records, 2025. All rights reserved.


Copyright © 2024 Ann Moss All Rights Reserved