DUST TO DUST BLUES 

14 songs 

(2017)

Music, Lyrics and Arrangements by Louis Rosen

(3 songs in collaboration with Thom Bishop)

Produced by Louis Rosen and Scott Lehrer

CD available for purchase and downloading at Louis' Store (top of this page) 

Downloading available at iTunes, Amazon.com,  and most digital outlets.

 (Click on the store's name to be taken to its site.) 

"These two recordings, Dust to Dust Blues and Act One: Piano Music from the Theater, further solidify his outstanding reputation. Each is a considerable musical achievement and enters the literature of musical art with the fanfare and heraldry that accompanies important musical documents." (JazzdaGama)

"[In] the literate, sincere "Dust to Dust Blues", Rosen soulfully mines his past… “I seek out the holiness here in the wilderness..." which echoes like a classic, folk refrain...” (Cabaret Scenes/Broadwayworld.com).  

 "Thoughtful reflections...intimate, deep and penetrating. Vintage singer/songwriter." (Jazz Weekly Magazine) 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REVIEWS FOR DUST TO DUST BLUES.

In DUST TO DUST BLUES, Louis’ second solo album, a father/son Brooklyn to Chicago road trip sets off a 14-song meditation on the nature of memory, loss, home, commitment, family and the indefinite nature of time and faith. Backed by a stellar band of New York City musicians, the songs reflect the unique blend of American roots, jazz, blues, pop and classical influences that are the essence of Louis’s musical style. 

Recording and Mixing Engineer, Scott Lehrer

Additional Recording Engineer, Alex Vengeur

Recorded and Mixed at 2nd Story Sound, NYC

Mastering Engineer, Oscar Zambrano

Art Direction & Design by Derek Bishop

Thanks to all of the terrific musicians  - listed below after each lyric - for bringing their brilliant and soulful musicianship to these songs; to Scott Lehrer for his splendid ear, judgement and patience on this and countless other recordings over the past twenty-eight years and counting; and to Stephen Sondheim, Thom Bishop, Jason Brett, Art Perlman, Charlotte Maier and Teddy Rosen for their generous and thoughtful listening as this recording followed its winding path to completion. An extra special thanks to the remarkable angel, Joan McKay, who's support made this recording possible; and to Jason Brett, Lauren Streicher, Marilyn Katz, George Petty, Susan Friedlander, Margaret Moore and Mary Ellen Geisser, generous patrons all. 

All songs, Music and Lyrics © 2016 by Louis Rosen; Publisher: Lullwater Music, ASCAP; except “Peace With You” and “Every Soul” (The Circling Race), Music and Lyrics by Louis Rosen and Thom Bishop, © 1975, revised © 2016; and “Where Are the Traces?”, Lyric by Thom Bishop, Music by Louis Rosen, © 2016; Publishers: Lullwater Music, ASCAP and Wireless Music, BMI.

DT-230. © & P 2017 by Louis Rosen. Distribution by Di-tone Records. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized Duplication is a violation of applicable law.

SIDE ONE

1. DUST TO DUST BLUES (Music & Lyric by Louis Rosen)
The road to Chicago
Eight Hundred miles and more
From the Brooklyn Bridge
To the Indiana Skyway
This road takes me backwards
To a life I lived before
And the distance can’t be
Measured by some highway

Dust to dust
I’ve been in the wilderness
Deep in the wilderness with
Mud on my shoes
Try as I must, I
Seek out the holiness
Here in the wilderness
Amidst the echo of these
Homegrown
Dust to dust blues

A young man rides beside me
His dreams are brave and bold
Like the road his future
Stretches out before him
His laughter is contagious
A beauty to behold
And I pray that great good fortune
Won’t ignore him

Dust to dust
I’ve been in the wilderness
Deep in the wilderness with
Mud on my shoes

Try as I must, I
Seek out the holiness
Here in the wilderness
Amidst the echo of these
Homegrown
Dust to dust blues

By afternoon we’re cruising
Through those Pennsylvania Hills
Further back my memories fly
Nightfall brings the smokestacks
From the South Chicago mills
My need for distance disappears
When did all these years go by?

The road to Chicago
My hands upon the wheel
Soon time will claim the
People I still know there
An orphan in a strange land
I believe that’s how I’ll feel
Come the day when there’s no
Reason left to go there

Dust to dust
I’ve been in the wilderness
Deep in the wilderness with
Mud on my shoes
Try as I must, I
Seek out the holiness
Here in the wilderness
Resist my faithlessness
Amidst the echo of these
Homegrown Dust to dust blues

Vocals & Guitars: Louis; Violin: Rob Moose; Trumpet & French Horn: CJ Camerieri; Bass Clarinet: Hideaki Aomori; Bass: Dave Phillips; Drums & Percussion: Gary Seligson. Arrangement: Louis 
 

2. I FOUND YOU (Music & Lyric by Louis Rosen)
I still replay that evening
Replay it in my head
This time I say I’m sorry
Say all I left unsaid
This time I hold my arms around you
Whisper, “How lucky that I found you”

Sometimes I’m blind and foolish
Too slow to say you’re right
Too proud to say I need you
Too quick to fuel the fight
This time I hold my arms around you
Whisper, “How lucky that I found you”

This time I hold my arms around you
Whisper, How lucky that I found you
I found you

I found you on the stage
I found you in my bed
I found you in the waking dreams that whistled in my head
I found that you were kind
I found that you were true
Looking for salvation for my soul and for myself
I found you
I found you
I found a brilliant work of art
I found you in the rhythm of the beating of my heart
I found you
I found you
You
I found you
I
Found
You 

Vocals &  Guitars: Louis; Violin: Max Moston; Viola: Alissa Smith; Cello: Clarice Jensen. Arrangement: Louis

3. FAITH IN DOUBT (Music & Lyric by Louis Rosen)

The surer you are
The less you know
Faith in doubt
You gotta have
Faith in doubt
The surer you are
The slower you grow
Faith in doubt
You better have
Faith in doubt

Gotta wrap your arms around doubt
Like a lover
Use it, let it push you
Through your fear
Some days you will bleed and
Run for cover
Some days doors will open to a
New frontier

The surer you are
The smaller the sky
Faith in doubt
You gotta have
Faith in doubt
The surer you are
The blinder you fly
Faith in doubt
You better have
Faith in doubt

Faith can be your ticket to salvation
Faith can be delusion in disguise
Too much doubt will cripple you and
Haunt you
Too much faith convinces you to
Shut your eyes

The surer you are
The more you deny
The surer you are
The less you ask why
As David slew Goliath
As Samson killed the beast
Assumptions must be questioned
From president to priest
And those who fear the most
Are those who doubt the least

Faith in doubt
You gotta have
Faith in doubt
Faith in doubt
You better have
Faith in doubt
As David slew Goliath
As Samson killed the beast
Assumptions must be questioned
From president to priest
Faith in doubt
You gotta have
Faith in doubt
Faith in doubt
Everybody
Faith
Doubt

Vocals & Guitar: Louis; Lead Guitar: David Mansfield; Trumpet: C. J. Camerieri;Alto Saxophone: Hideaki Aomori; Baritone Saxophone: Alden Banta; Bass: Dave Phillips; Drums: Sean McDaniels. Arrangement: Louis

4. I’VE SEEN THIS MOVIE (Music & Lyric by Louis Rosen)
I’ve seen this movie
I know how the story ends
I’ve seen this movie
I know how the story ends
No one is saved and
No one makes amends

Pretty as an actress
She posed like a starlet on the stair
Her bridegroom there beside her
His mustache and hat so debonair
A smile in their eyes
A dream song in the air

Years become a decade
The things you once loved become a chore
You’re tumbling in a riptide
The harder you fight, the farther from shore
An ache in your soul
You pray for something more

Soon the dog won’t bark
And the cat won’t purr
And the silence howls
Between him and her
The dog won’t bark and that angry cat won’t purr
They loathe who they are
Can’t remember who they were

It throbs like a migraine
Cold as a tear in the snow
Resentments and confusion, for-
Getting what you reap is what you sow
When all is said and done,
They’ve got nowhere to go

The busboy cleared the table
The old man nursed his coffee cup
Cigarettes and small talk
“Waiter, please fill this coffee cup”
Then out of the blue he said,
“Son, I’m all used up.”

“Forty years of marriage
So sad, there’s nothing else to say
Only insults and indifference
Press against the dying of the day
We’re too old to change
Too young to waste away”

I’ve seen this movie
I know how the story ends
I’ve seen this movie
I know how the story ends
No one is saved and
No one makes amends
No one is saved and
No one makes amends

Vocal & Guitar: Louis;Lead Guitar: David Mansfield; Bass: Dave Phillips. Arrangement: Louis & David Mansfield

5. PEACE WITH YOU (Music & Lyric by Louis Rosen & Thom Bishop)
‘Till I make my peace with you
The need to controls me
‘Till I see what peace can do
‘Till I make my peace with you
Nothing could console me
‘Till I make my breakthrough

Don’t know a soul in a mansion or a bread-line
That lives with no dream to pursue
Don’t know a role that has realized its deadline
But I’ll see this through
‘Till I make my peace with you

‘Till I make my peace with you
The need to will haunt me
‘Till I see what peace can do
‘Till I make my peace with you
The needing to will taunt me
‘Till I make my breakthrough

Don’t have a friend whose bravado hasn’t crumbled
When fate’s played a sly trick or two
Seems in the end, we are bruised and we are humbled
So I stumble through
‘Till I make my peace with you

Don’t know a friend whose bravado hasn’t crumbled
When faced with some hard debt come due
Seems in the end, we are blessed as we are humbled
But, I stumble through
‘Till I make my peace…
I’ll see this through
‘Till I make my peace with you

Vocal & Guitar: Louis; Violin: Max Moston; Viola: Alissa Smith; Cello: Clarice Jensen. Arrangement: Louis

6. EVERYTHING’S FOR SALE (Music & Lyric by Louis Rosen)

Whatta you know –
Everything’s for sale
Whatta you need?
Everything’s for sale
You can pay to board early on an
Aeroplane
You can pay to drive alone in a
Car-pool lane
For a hundred a day
You can upgrade your cell in jail
No doubt about it
Everything’s for sale

Whatta you got?
Everything’s for sale
Like it or not
Everything’s for sale
Now we privatize schools –
Think we’re doin’ good
We privatize police in the
Neighborhood
Soon we’ll privatize space
Privatize the U.S. Mail
Roll over Ben Franklin
Everything’s for sale

We hire mercenary armies to help us
Fight our war
At least they know exactly what they’re
Fighting for
Election laws are set up like ca-
Sino games
All high-rollers welcome
No one’s naming names

Oh, I almost forgot –
This song’s for sale
You had to see that comin’ –
This song’s for sale
You can buy it on itunes
For a buck a pop
Stop by my website
If you like to shop
Send my video viral
That’s the virtual Holy Grail
Google knows best
And the markets never fail
Follow the money
Everything’s for sale
Hide the children
Everything’s for sale

ENCORE
Yes, hide your children
Hide your spouse
Disney better plan on hiding Mickey Mouse
Them that’s got shall get
Them that’s not shall work for scale
Gibraltar may crumble
But PayPal will prevail
Hard sell or soft sell
Everything’s for sale
Ready or not
Everything’s for sale

Vocal & Guitar: Louis; Violin: David Mansfield; Bass: Dave Phillips; Drums: Sean McDaniels. Arrangement: Louis & David Mansfield

7. EVERY SOUL (The Circling Race) (Music & Lyric by Thom Bishop & Louis Rosen)
Some are called, but few are chosen
Some depart but most remain
I feel altogether broken
Alive only in name

It’s the strangest contradiction
It’s the queerest way to feel
To be facing this condition
Like a dream, but all too real

I’ll be gone for the summer
I won’t be back ‘till fall
If I find my salvation
I won’t be back at all

I will wait along the canyon
In the evening’s deepest blue
If you feel you’ve been abandoned
I’ll be standing next to you

Every soul’s a circus
Every mind’s a tent
And every heart’s a sawdust ring
Where the circling race is spent*

I’ll be gone for the summer
I won’t be back ‘till fall
If I find my salvation
I won’t be back at all

I’ll be gone for the summer
I won’t be back ‘till fall
If I find my salvation
I won’t be back at all
I won’t be back at all
I won’t
Be back
At all

*This quatrain quotes the Vachel Lindsey poem, “Every Soul is a Circus.”

Vocals & Guitar: Louis; Lead Guitar: David Mansfield; Cello: Clarice Jensen; Bass: Dave Phillips; Drums: Sean McDaniels. Arrangement: Louis & David Mansfield 

SIDE TWO

8. GARDEN DAYS (Music & Lyric by Louis Rosen)

Summer nights at the
King’s Café
Sing for drinks, swing the
Night away
An upright dive in an
Uptight town
Comes alive when the
Sun goes down

Junior Burke and his
One-man crew
Wait backstage for their
Entrance cue
A kiss for luck and they’re
On their way
The show is on at the
King’s Café

Oh… those were
Garden Days
Slow, smoky
Garden Days
Plant seeds and
Pray for sun
Garden Days
Never done

Mapo taps out our
Favorite beer
A shot or two, when the
Coast is clear
Feeds us well when we
Look too lean
A tattooed saint on this
Late-night scene

Junior Burke and his
One-man crew
Play for keeps, play the
Whole night through
The midnight show at the
King’s Café
Music flows, blows that
Crowd away

Oh… those were
Garden Days
Sweet, salty
Hothouse days
Big dreams to
Build upon
Garden Days
Never done
On and on

Oh,
Garden Days
Slow
Hothouse Days
Plant seeds and
Pray for sun
Garden Days
Never done
On and on

Summer nights at the
King’s Cafe

Vocals & Guitar: Louis; Lead Guitar: David Mansfield; Trumpet: C. J. Camerieri;  Flute & Alto Saxophone: Hideaki Aomori; Bass: Dave Phillips; Drums & Percussion: Sean McDaniels. Arrangement: Louis & David Mansfield

9. WHERE ARE THE TRACES? (Lyric by Thom Bishop, Music by Louis Rosen)
I know a guy
He’s fought his whole life
Still feels most at home in the ring
A jab to the ribs
A cross to the heart
Can he take what those younger guys bring?

The hands of a clock
The eye of a needle
The legs of a table
The arms of a chair
You leave your impression
On all that you touch
But where are the traces?
Were you even there?
Were you even there?

I know a guy
Enjoyed a charmed life
But that life didn’t end up so well
Alone in a room,
A gun in his hand
Dead in some five-star hotel

The teeth of a comb
The mouth of a river
The spine of a book at
The foot of the stair
You scatter your dust
On all that you touch
But where are the traces?
Were you even there?
Were you even there?

I know a guy
He woke up today
His bones felt the weight of his past
He savored the tea
That passed through his lips
Hoped he could make this one last….

The hands of a clock
The eye of a needle
The legs of a table
The arms of a chair
You leave your impression
On all that you touch
But where are the traces?
Were you even there?

The teeth of a comb
The mouth of a river
The spine of a book at
The foot of the stair
You scatter your dust
On all that you touch
But where are the traces?
Were you even there?
Were you even there?

Vocal & Guitar: Louis; Violin: Max Moston; Viola: Alissa Smith; Cello: Clarice Jensen; Bass: Dave Phillips. Arrangement: Louis

10. THERE FOR YOU (Music & Lyric by Louis Rosen)

Whatever you need
I’ll be there for you
When you laugh or you bleed
I’ll be there for you

Dear boy
Don’t let life scare you, no
Dear boy
Don’t lose that light in your eyes
The best things in life
Always come by surprise

Any hour, every day
I’ll be there for you
It’s the oldest cliché
But I’m there for you

Take care
Work like the Devil, yes
But take care
Side with the angels each day
Your path will be sure
And you’ll be on your way

Someday
Time will out run me, but
Someday
You’ll have a child of your own
The sweet things in life
Always come homegrown

I’ll say it again
There for you
Don’t even have to say when
I’ll be there for you
There for
There for you

Vocal, Piano & Guitar: Louis; Trumpet & French Horn: C. J. Camerieri; Flute: Hideaki Aomori; Bass: Dave Phillips; Drums: Gary Seligson. Arrangement: Louis

11. IN HER QUIET WAY (Music & Lyric by Louis Rosen)

No sign
On the road ahead
A shrouded night
Black as dead
No crumbs
On the trail behind
Here and now
Undefined

But oh,
She’s moving in a quiet flow
She don’t know
Where she is or
Where she’ll go
On her own
Moving toward a breaking day
All alone
Moving in her quiet way

Fly to Spain
Sail to France
Another land
Another chance
An open door
An empty space
A breath of air
A moment’s grace

And oh,
She’s moving in a quiet flow
She don’t know
Where she is or
Where she’ll go
On her own
Moving with no debt to pay
All alone
Moving in her quiet way

You have no plan
You have no clue
Just your own voice
Guiding you
An empty stage
You play your role
Plant a seed and
Cede control

How long?
To what end?
Who can say?
Why pretend?
The snow will melt
The bell will chime
The battered heart
Will heal in time

And oh,
She’s moving in a quiet flow
She don’t know
Where she is or
Where she’ll go
On her own
Moving toward a breaking day
All alone
Moving in her quiet way
On her own
Moving with no debt to pay
All alone
Moving in her quiet way
Moving in her quiet way
Moving in her quiet way

Vocals & Guitar: Louis; Violin & Lead Guitar: David Mansfield; Bass: Dave Phillips; Drums: Sean McDaniels. Arrangement: Louis & David Mansfield

12. A SOFT PLACE TO FALL (Music & Lyric by Louis Rosen)

Hold my breath
‘Till I’m blue
Still can’t stop
Loving you
Right on time
You’d knew I’d call
Lookin’ for a soft place to fall
Lookin’ for a soft place to fall

Life is chance
Dust to dust
Love and lose
But love we must
Hopes don’t die
They just get small
Lookin’ for a soft place to fall
Lookin’ for a soft place to fall

Like a game of dots
I’ve been connecting us
Rearranging and dissecting us
We’ve been over the moon and back
And yet somehow
Our story’s gonna have
Some new twists and turns
Once again
Right about now

Lovesick fool
Heart in hand
Here with you
My future’s planned
Time is cruel
And love is all
Lookin’ for a soft place to fall
Lookin’ for a soft place to fall
Lookin’ for a soft place to fall

Vocal & Guitar: Louis; Nylon String Guitar: David Mansfield; Trumpet: C. J. Camerieri; Clarinet & Alto Saxophone: Hideaki Aomori; Bass: Dave Phillips; Drums: Sean McDaniel. Arrangement: Louis

13. THE LEFT SIDE, NOT THE RIGHT (Music & Lyric by Louis Rosen)

If you ask me friend what’s the
Key to my success
There’s lots of things I’d like to say
But the simple truth
Nothing more and nothing less is a
Choice I made by
Chance one day

I started to part my hair on the
Left side, not the right
And holy smoke, my luck did change
Started to part my hair on the
Left side, not the right
From that day on the
Left was right

Maybe life’s a dream
Some say all you need is love
Could be life is pre-ordained
Maybe be a God of Whimsy’s
Playing tricks there up above
And if you let him catch your eye
You’ll be entertained

I started to part my hair, not the
Right side, but the left
And poof! The gods did smile on me
Started to part my hair, not the
Right side, but the left
That’s how capricious
Life can be

Sometimes a crossroad lies before you
No in-between, no middle road in sight
Then if the right ain’t right
The left’s what’s left
And left alone you know what’s right

Maybe a deeper truth’s lurking
Out there in the mist
Maybe all roads lead you home
Maybe in every lifetime
That moment will exist
When you shake your head
And pick up that comb …

I started to part my hair on the
Left side, not the right
And holy smoke, my luck did change
Started to part my hair on the
Left side, not the right
From that day on a
Spark did light
From that day on the
Left was right

Vocal & Guitar: Louis; Mandolin: David Mansfield; Bass: Dave Phillips; Drums: Sean McDaniels. Arrangement: Louis & David Mansfield

14. SONG FOR CHARLOTTE (for Charlotte on our 10th - Music & Lyric by Louis Rosen)

I have less hair than I used to have
But now I’m much more vain
And I’m less wild than I used to be
But life seems more insane
As to future plans, I have
Less and less, it’s true
But I have more love for you

Oh, I show less temper than I used to show
But I still howl with rage
And I’m less fearless than I used to be
I guess that comes with age
In the search for truth
I have less and less a clue
But I have more love for you

I see wise compassion
In your eyes I see goodness on your face
So we’ll mend what’s broken
We’ll improvise And renew with hope
The vows that grace us

We have less time than we used to have
And many miles to go
We have lost friends that we used to have
And we both miss them so
And from time to time
We will have to struggle through
But we’ll keep some dream in view
Oh, I know
Nothing less than a
Happy ending is due
And I have more love for you

Vocal & Piano: Louis; Trumpet: C. J. Camerieri; Electric Guitar: Rob Moose; Basses: Dave Phillips. Arrangement: Louis