World Music
Crane (2017)
Dawn Avery and Larry Mitchell
Dawn Avery’s upcoming music release Crane on earth, in sky a journey is co-written with Larry Mitchell and is the soundtrack of the off-Broadway play called Ajijaack, a Crane's Journey. The play was created by Heather Henson of the Jim Henson family legacy, and Grammy award winning multidisciplinary artist Ty Defoe (Ojibwe/Oneida). It is the story of Ajijjack the majestic Crane, who restores language, culture, and balance to the earth with the help of the Native ancestors she meets along her migratory journey. The play is slated for a National Tour in 2018.
This Native downtempo soundtrack written for theatre features storytelling through sonic landscapes, lyrics in Mohawk and English, and sounds of the animals, strings, electronics, female vocals, children’s choir, electric guitar.
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50 Shades of Red (2015)
Dawn Avery
It’s all about love - from the sensual to the spiritual. 50 kinds of love envelop the listener in this downtempo recording (and show).
Calling on her Mohawk heritage, Dawn’s soaring cello lines, sultry voice, and powerful lyrics tell stories about love with messages that include Mohawk erotica, sexy political messages, and songs to all of Creation. The hypnotic and ambient electronics provide underlying chill grooves. Moments of harmony and heartbreak sung in both Mohawk and English capture the strength of spirit within the musicians and in all of us. 50 Shades of Red allows one to reclaim their own love and sense of the sacred, opening oneself to what shades we wish to receive and those we wish to share. This recording is produced and performed by her longtime collaborator, Grammy award winning artist, Larry Mitchell whose expansive guitar textures and electrifying solos elevate the music to another dimension.
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Our Fire (2011)
Dawn Avery
Nominated for the Native American Music Awards in 2011 for Best Songwriting of the Year. Native Singer/Songwriter, Dawn Avery, sings in Mohawk and In English with lyrical contributions by Mohawk poet laureate, Janet (aka January) Rogers, with additional poetry contribution by Joy Harjo! Songs for the environment based on tradition, sung in a contemporary setting in her first collaboration with Grammy winning producer, Larry Mitchell.
Dawn Avery - singer/songwriter, cello, piano, percussion
Janet Marie Rogers & Dawn Avery - lyrics, additional poem Joy Harjo
Larry Mitchell - producer, guitars, percussion, synthesizers
Joy Harjo, Shelley Morningsong, Susan Braine, Shayni Fontenelle, Valerie Taliman - voices
with Amadou Kouyate - kora, John Rangel - piano and
Christian Buckholz - jazz drums
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Red Moon (2010)
Dawn Avery, Ron Warren, Ash Dargan
This recording is a joint collaboration by three Indigenous World Musicians.
The recording reflects the merging of Indigenous cultures from the Iroquois, Cherokee and Australian Aboriginal cultures with world music grooves underneath inspiring and spiritual solos. It was recorded during the red moon in 2010.
Dawn Avery - cello/ voice
Ron Warren - Native Flutes
Ash Dargan - Aboriginal Didjeridu/ vocals/ percussion.
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True
Dawn Avery
World Music from Zimbabwe, Native America, South America, Greece, Norway and Persia in a contemporary setting, featuring renowned world musicians Glen Velez, Reza Derakshani, and Philip Hamilton, with Dawn Avery, arranger/ composer on vocals, strings and piano. Her debut solo album, engineered by Tom McGrath at TomTom Studios in NYC.
To Purchase
Water From the Well
Reza Derakshani & Dawn Avery
Water From the Well was chosen on WNYC’s best album picks of the summer by John Schaeffer, NEW SOUNDS! Independent album award by cdbaby.com!
Duo album with Master Persian Musician, Reza Derakshani and World Cellist/Vocalist, Dawn Avery is an exploration of ancient sacred Persian song, fused with modern improvisation.
To Purchase
Ka Non Ra Ka Ion: Singers Of The Old Songs
Akwesasne Big Bear Singers, re-release
This important traditional Mohawk Songs & Thanksgiving Address??
Dedicated to our mother Kari'niahno:ron as we pass it forward.
The Jock Boys of Akwesasne - vocals, rattles, drums
Tahatikonsonhtontie Raotirenna'shone:a:
Songs for the Coming of Faces
Native Composer's Project
Original Music in Native traditional, popular and classical styles. Students wrote an original theme in their original Indigenous language. These words were arranged in three stylistic versions - traditional, popular and classical. The Native Composer’s Project is dedicated to educating Native Onkwehón:we students to compose and sing traditional songs in their languages, thus adding to the traditional repertoire and providing original material for arrangements of new works in other contemporary genres.
Dawn Avery, director/ composer
Larry Mitchell, recording engineer/ producer
Words by students from the Mohawk Language School at the Tyendinega Reserve, Canada
CD and lyrics available upon request
Songs from Dotah's House
Original traditional songs and chant performed and created by Indigenous singers. Dotah’s House Yàkonúhsa is a program created and facilitated by Jan Kahehti:io Longboat as an extension of Idawadadi, a culture-based healing project for Indigenous women who have survived residential school and intergenerational trauma. All of the projects focus on the Kanienkéha (Mohawk) language including The Native Composer's Project developed by Dawn Ieriho:kwats Avery under the mentorship of Jan Kahehti:io Longboat at the Earth Healing Herb Gardens and Retreat Centre on Six Nations Territory.
Mohawk Words by students of Dotah’s House
Music by Dawn Avery
Original vocals recorded by Dam and Commodore Studios, Pop and textural arrangements and remixes by Larry Mitchell, Mixed and mastered by Larry Mitchell
CD and lyrics available upon request