A collection of songs birthed from virtual collaborations across international borders.  

The brainchild of vocalist, Mary Sarah: “I Just Can't Say is the first volume in a series of releases that will explore the use of music to bring people into deeper connection with each other and an "ear to the ground" experience of our "inspired diversity."  Her hopes is that it will spark awe, beauty and an appreciation of what we have to offer each other.

Artists:
 
Mary Sarah - USA
Noted as; "a voice of the world," by The Daily Record (NJ/NYC) and as," the voice which opens the heart and sows the seeds of generosity,"  Mary Sarah's work swirls around the musical globe. Spanning over ten years in collaboration with multi-instrumentalist, Danys Levasseur of Victoriaville, QC, Sarah has composed works for dance, theatre, soundtracks and has released five collections of work ranging from rock operas, to acoustic world music.  In writing, Sarah feels that whatever needs to flow through her, finds its way. "When we let it," she states, "the voice is an endless channel and vessel, with limitless worlds to discover."  A delegate for "Pathways to Peace," at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, Sarah is impassioned about the dance between culture, global artistic discourse and social justice. She is the founder of, One World Tree, a global artisitic collective.
 
Verian Thomas - UK
Verian Thomas creates melodic ambient-infused guitar pieces which delight and inspire daydreams. His latest release explores new and modern realms of that very old-fashioned concept--the search for beauty.The search for beauty involves an endless series of intuitive calculations. The musician seeks out the moments (or seconds) in which beauty appears, even if only its creator recognizes its sleek sheen. Some share the experience that beauty channels fully formed from a deeper place, "manifesting" as a song.
 
Nepo Soteri - Rwanda
Nepo Soteri is a survivor of the Rwandan civil war. His music is directly influenced by the raw rhythms and stylized sounds unique to such African countries as Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia where he spent his youth traveling as a refugee. Now living in New York, guitarist-bassist, singer, composer and virtuoso instrumentalist, draws inspiration from the music of his youth, to create his own trademark sounds filled with soulful, World Jazz, spiced with a twist of Funk and R&B and mellowed with an ageless African World Beat.
 
Seroe Michaud - American/Blackfoot
Seroe (Little Deer) Michaud was born in 1962 in Massachusetts, USA, of Blackfoot Indian and French Canadian descent.  Seroe began playing piano at the age of 4 and by 14 was proficient on several instruments and was composing music and performing in public.  In the 1980’s and 90’s Little Deer was made an honorary member of the Bear Tribe Medicine Society and the Mohawk Trail Intertribal Powwows and began participating in the music and dance at powwows throughout New England. She continues to compose and perform original music now using piano, guitar, keyboards, and Native Flute, drums, and percussion. Seroe’s music takes you on a spiritual journey, at times meditative, but always rich in harmonic structure and it’s improvisational style.
 
Kantala - Burkina Faso
Abdoulaye TRAORE, musician, singer and composer was born to Booboo Dioulasso. Player of kora in a unique style, Abdoulaye produces himself in concert, under the name of KANTALA (which is good, in Sénoufo). He plays Burkina Faso and abroad, notably in the New Morning. KANTALA is the creator of the Tafdjani: an inspired music of the heritage Sénoufo, colored accents blues and jazz and base on the intermarriage of the kora, traditional percussions and modern instruments. This "ethno-pop prince" (Vincent Scrublands, RFI) sings the joys, the penalties of Africa and the disillusion of those that dream Europe, the other shore, Bakô.

Gianluca Quartulli - Italy
Gianluca Quartulli (GLQ) was born in southern Italy where he firstly approached music as a keyboard player. After a while he became conscious of his real attitude toward guitar and electronical synthesizers. 
Gianluca collaborated in many musical projects as a musician and/or producer, with an extremely wide range of sounds, from progressive rock to electronic and pop. Now, he is focusing on a musical research, looking for a perfect mix of classical and software instruments.

Danys Lavasseur - Canada
Danys Levasseur is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and instrument maker.  His ears are tuned to the natural world with infinite discovery.  Danys has worked extensively as a producer and musician with The Family-Zon from Senegal, Mary Sarah and Elements of Return (USA) and is the founder/creator of  Le Vent Dominant, a musical installation “played” by the forces of nature (wind and river), and the band, “Walakte.”  Danys shares a rare place among the great roots musicians as he reaches into the heart of  sound and releases its voice.

Luis Manuel - Portugal 
An avid percussionist, Luis Manuel has been playing percussion instruments over 14 years. His percussion studies started with his pursuit of his Portuguese roots as he began performing with the acclaimed Portuguese traditional band "Companhia das Músicas," located in the heart of the Portuguese community in the Newark, New Jersey area, as a vocalist and a percussionist. As his interest in world music grew, it led him to join the world music group “Mary Sarah and the Elements of Return” in which he played ambient percussion, sound effects and accompanying vocals. The doumbek, also known as the arabic tabla, soon became his drum of choice and he immersed himself in its study and in the study of the rhythms of the Middle East. He has studied percussion with Attila Engin, Raquy Danziger, Carmine Guida, Glen Velez, Glen Fittin, Faisal Zedan and Amir Naoum Chehade. Currently, Luis is a member of the fusion group Anka Kusu and works with belly dancing troupes  including; Manhattan Tribal, and facilitates Middle Eastern based percussion events.
   
Christoph Grieder - Austria
Christoph Grieder is a working musician, workshop leader at the New School for Continuing Education in New York City and Music Therapy Supervisor at Shelter Our Sisters, a home for abused children.  Christoph has enjoyed an illustrious career as orchestral musician and freelance composer in Europe and the USA, and relishes the sounds of many of his instruments including the alphorn, schwyzerörgeli and accordian. Christoph's cello is known to still the most troubled waters and awaken the longing in all.  
 
 

01 AiR (Awakening in Rome) - Mary Sarah ft. Gianluca Quartulli (Italy)

I Just Can't Say