The Summarily Dismissed

Unbeknownst to the world, Todd Rundgren and Laura Nyro had a secret daughter. She grew up to be as wacky, comedic, and as immune to musical categorization as her father, while her pianistic style, vocal range, and physical appearance clearly indicated who her mother was. And, like both her parents, she became a composer, a lyricist, and a public eccentric! Okay, so maybe Ari Shagal's parents aren't literally Todd and Laura . . . but, musically speaking, they might as well be! And, to extend the familial metaphor, you might say that Donald Fagen was Ari's uncle, and Stevie Wonder was her godfather. And there was Ari, in New York, ready to parade her bizarrely eclectic work before the ears of the listening public . . . but, in order to do so, she needed the right vocalists. Well, she lucked out, big time, when she happened upon the golden soprano voice of Ferima Faye, a native New Yorker whose incredible vocal talents are rivaled only by her incredibly creative and visionary fashion design; and Matthew Lomeo, a soulful baritone whose raw, magnetic voice continually made his native town of Utica sit bolt upright and shake its collective booty. Together, these three whippersnappers teamed up with producer and guitarist Joe Davi (known for his work with Ne-Yo, Mya, and Jay-Z), bassist Pat O'Leary (a member of Bob Dorough's trio), and drummer Eric Halvorson (a frequent member of Ute Lemper's touring ensemble). The resulting album, To Each!, also features an appearance by the illustrious jazz vocalist Kenny Washington, whose talents are incredible beyond description, in addition to conga and bongo work by percussionist Nydia Mata, who was, for many years, a constant member of Laura Nyro's band. After an intense year plus, throwing themselves into the recording process at full intensity, the members of the Summarily Dismissed are proud to introduce their album To Each! to the world . . . and look forward to making even more music! NYC band led by the hilariously eccentric composer/lyricist Ari Shagal. @TheSDismissed