NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Jan 19, 2012) - "Dance of Time" is a beautifully written tune about the ability to make love last over time and serves as the lyrical DNA of what makes Charleston such a gifted artist... Embracing love and the ability to freely give of one's self is further exemplified in Charleston's work with Paul Newman's Hole In The Wall Gang Camp for seriously ill children. - Critical Jazz

Acclaimed singer-songwriter/storyteller Rondi Charleston closed 2011 with a triumphant tour, including rave reviews of her Motèma Music debut CD, Who Knows Where the Time Goes, and multiple television appearances nationally. She opens her heart again to share the joys of love and giving for Valentine's Day with her original song, Dance of Time, available as a single download from the album on iTunes and other internet stores. She penned the tune in honor of her friends and neighbors -- a couple married for over 60 years, whom she saw dance each evening by candlelight from her window. Dance of Time is a gorgeous lyrical tribute to the simple joys of everyday living, caring, devotion, sustained unconditional love, and the selfless act of giving back.

"A personal release of sincerity... Charleston celebrates the passion of the moment in time when all the stars fall into perfect alignment. This is art. She is not shy about bearing her musical soul and does so without an ounce of self indulgence… an original vocalist of sincerity and tremendous artistic depth... virtually flawless by every standard... Rondi Charleston is a fresh face and a fresh voice... A vocal master class that transcends genres, space and time… the epitome of not just the reinvented artist but the reinvented person," continues Brent Black of Critical Jazz.

Charleston's impressive US tour kicked off in New York City's Metropolitan Room with a stunning performance benefiting The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, and continued on to Boston, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Los Angeles, her hometown of Chicago, and Performing Arts Centers in Georgia and Louisiana.

"These are some of the most memorable new songs to come from a jazz singer since Abbey Lincoln. Charleston delivers vocal artistry at the highest level on this collection," Hot House Jazz recently claimed. And noted Hollywood syndicated celebrity columnist, Stacy Smith, considers the album "… Exquisite…" adding, "Charleston is remarkable! She has won rhapsodic praise from The New York Times, Downbeat and an array of other publications and is being extolled as a songwriter with great storytelling gifts as well as for her plush voice. Small wonder her original work is en route to being used in a film -- details later."

The iTunes download -- part of an awareness campaign to encourage others to open their hearts and give back -- is available beginning Valentine's Day, February 14^th, 2012. A percentage of download proceeds will benefit Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, an organization to which Rondi has exclusively devoted her passionate charitable efforts. Her camp appearances, tour proceeds, and personal donations are ongoing.

Founded in 1988 by Paul Newman, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is a nonprofit, year-round center serving children and their families coping with cancer, sickle cell anemia, and other serious illnesses. All services are free of charge. Rondi extends public awareness of HWGC this Valentine's Day by spreading the message of love and giving with the iTunes download of Dance of Time.

Charleston recently performed at The Jazz Education Network's third annual conference in Louisville, KY, which featured over 90 concerts and 60 clinics promoting jazz education internationally.

This Emmy and Peabody Award winning former investigative journalist attended Juilliard and NYU Graduate School of Journalism on scholarship and fellowship respectively. Though it was not until she neared 40 that she began applying her innate journalistic storytelling skills to songwriting. In fact, she credits her long time mentor at ABC News, Diane Sawyer, with teaching her the art of storytelling. "Diane really taught me how to tell a story, taught me how to write. She would say 'write like you talk, stick to the story and don't get sidetracked,' so really I learned from her, the skills that I'm putting to use now in my original songs."

Rondi's commitment and passion for the arts were instilled by her hard-working parents in Chicago, who made material sacrifices to provide cultural enrichment and music education for both their children early on. "My Mom taught voice, Dad taught literature, and money was scarce. I remember a house filled with furniture from the Salvation Army, dresses sewn by my mother and a marimba in the dining room so my brother, Erik (who now plays with the New York Philharmonic), could practice! Clearly their priorities paid big dividends for us and we couldn't be more grateful to them."

Hard work and dedication helped establish this artist as a favorite among respected critics. The New York Times called Rondi, "utterly delightful… her emotional range is wide… a joy to hear." And Grammy-winning journalist/music historian, Bob Blumenthal, considers her, "… that rare combination of native talent and keen perception… a commanding vocal stylist and a spellbinding storyteller…"

2012 finds Rondi at work on a new album, which promises to showcase more of the Chicago native's luminous rhythmic flexibility, immediate timbral richness and grand instinct for storytelling that can be heard throughout Who Knows Where the Time Goes.

Motéma Music owner, Jana Herzen, says of Rondi, "I treasure her passion, vision and talent for perceiving and telling compelling, universal stories. The arts, for me, are all about the journey and Rondi has much to share on that front."

http://www.rondicharleston.com/
http://www.motema.com/