When Grammy Award winning musician Billy Childs was 11 years old, his older sisters introduced him to the work of Songwriters and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame singer/songwriter Laura Nyro. Her blend of Broadway-inspired melodies, jazz improvisation and socially conscious lyrics have stayed with him. Now Billy has returned to his early source of inspiration, conceiving and orchestrating his new album, MAP TO THE TREASURE: REIMAGINING LAURA NYRO. Childs is not alone in his enthusiasm for Nyro's music, an incredible range of musicians join him in interpreting her narratives. Classical soprano Renee Fleming and cellist Yo-Yo Ma add new meaning to her hometown ode, 'New York Tendaberry.' Jazz stars Esparanza Spalding and Wayne Shorter collaborate on Nyro's pictorial 'Upstairs by a Chinese Lamp,' and R&B chanteuse Ledisi updates one of Nyro's biggest hits, 'Stoned Soul Picnic.' Other prominent voices include Alison Krauss, Rickie Lee Jones, Shawn Colvin, Dianne Reeves, Susan Tedeschi, Lisa Fischer and Becca Stevens, with featured instrumental soloists Chris Botti, Jerry Douglas, Chris Potter and Steve Wilson.
