Wait by the fire – songs of Chip Taylor

PAAL FLAATA: Wait by the fire – Songs of Chip Taylor On the 23rd of July of 2011 Flaata stood in the street outside Brygga Culture House in Halden, Norway, an hour´s drive south of Oslo, running through a newly written song by one of the most profiled American songwriters from the 60s-70s, Chip Taylor. Taylor had been up all night in his hotell room, following on CNN the awful events that unfolded in Oslo and on Utøya. In the early morning hours of the 23rd Taylor put pen to paper and wrote the song ”This darkest Day”. Then he got in touch with his fellow artists, due to play the local Americana festival Down on the Farm. Concerts all over Norway were cancelled as the nation took in the shock of the tragedy. Taylor convinced the artists to arrange for a vigil in the Brygga concert house. The following weekend Taylor brought back the musicians to record a version of ”This darkest Day” in the renowned Halden studio, Athletic Sound.The studio version was promptly distributed for free. These very dramatic and sad circumstances also led to the creation of the new Paal Flaata album, Wait by the Fire-The Songs of Chip Taylor, which includes a sophisticated selection of vintage and new Taylor songs, including Flaata solo piano version of ”This darkest Day”. The album is produced by long time Flaata piano player Gøran Grini, who now also plays in Taylor´s band. The arrangements includes a string quartet, horns and musicians from the Flaata orbit. Together they shine new and very original light on Taylor classics like ”Angel of the Morning” and ”I can make it with you”, as well as some deeper catalouge tracks and the custom written ”Graceland Souvenirs".