Loire (musician)

Last updated
Loire
Lori Cotler, konnakol singer.jpg
Loire in 2007
Background information
Born (1972-02-14) February 14, 1972 (age 52)
New York City, New York
Genres Jazz
Occupation Vocalist
Years active2003–present
Partner Glen Velez
Website loirecotler.com

Loire Cotler (born 14 February 1972), known as Loire, is an American rhythm vocalist, film score soloist, composer, vocal sound designer, recording artist, educator, and music therapist known for her innovative use of Konnakol, scat singing, overtone singing, world music traditions, inter-dimensional chants, ethno jazz interpretations and melismatic improvisations.

Contents

Early life

Lori "Loire" Cotler was born in New York Presbyterian Hospital and spent the first few years of her life in Brooklyn, New York before her family moved to Roslyn Estates, New York. [1] The nickname "Loire" was given to her by her best friend and she has been using that name ever since. She began studying piano at age six in the Suzuki Method. At age eleven, she was inspired to become a vocalist after a chance encounter with Cuban percussionist Cándido Camero at her brother's bar mitzvah. In 2003, Loire began to adopt the "rhythm vocalist" to describe her style. This phrase was given to her by her mentor and partner, Glen Velez.

Film score vocal work

Loire's passion for cinema and film music as a child propelled her to sneak into the open doors of a local indie theater after being lured inside by the sound of Vangelis’ Chariots of Fire main theme. When it came time to declare a major at Berklee College of Music, Loire had already filled out an application to become a film scoring major, but she kept delaying to turn it in. While she was frequently hanging out in the Berklee listening library, as well as the famed Tower Records on Massachusetts’s Ave., listening to her Jazz heroes, exploring world music traditions, Alan Lomax field recordings, along with eastern meditation and astral projection studies, she also began immersing herself into scores by Max Steiner, Ennio Morricone, James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer.

Wrestling with which road to take, she happened to come across a cassette of classical Indian percussion music with a drum language solo. It was in that moment that she chose to stay on her own path to becoming a rhythm vocalist.

In December 2017, she was discovered on YouTube by Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer by renowned vocalist and vocal contractor Edie Lehmann Boddicker and legendary synthesist Michael Lehmann Boddicker.

Loire's collaboration with Zimmer and his Remote Control Productions team, including composers, Steve Mazzaro, David Fleming and Andy Page, led to her vocal work on X-Men Dark Phoenix (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Xperiments from Dark Phoenix (soundtrack album), and Denis Villeneuve's Dune (2021) and Dune: Part II . [2] In 2020 Zimmer introduced Loire's work to his longtime collaborator and friend Grammy winning and multiple Oscar nominated film composer James Newton Howard. Soon after Loire began working remotely with Howard as the vocal soloist on his score for the Disney film Raya and The Last Dragon .

Collaborations and performances

Loire has been touring with Glen Velez since 2003, and has also been a featured soloist in numerous performances ranging from full orchestras to small ensembles, including the Taipei Chinese Orchestra, National Chinese Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, Parco della Musica Contemporanea Ensemble, Nederlandse Reisopera, La Notte della Taranta Popular Orchestra, Fulcrum Point New Music Project, Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, Long Beach Opera, Ensemble Fisfüz. She has performed in venues including Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall, The Tonhalle,  The Music Academy (Chennai), [3] Auditorium Parco della Musica, Muziekgebouw, Slovak Radio Theater, The Met Museum, and Paradiso (Amsterdam). She has performed at numerous live music festivals, most notably: Ravenna Festival and Tamburi Mundi (Freiburg). In 2014 Loire performed for a live audience of 150,000 at La Notte Della Taranta, her largest audience to date. [4]

In May 2019 Loire was invited by the US Embassy to perform music from her album 18 Wings (Daftof) following the idea by then incumbent US Ambassador to Slovakia Adam Sterling. Loire was joined by Glen Velez and cellist Jozef Luptak in a private concert event that took place at the Residence of the Ambassador in Bratislava and featured Loire and Glen's exhilarating rhythmic reimagining of The Great American Songbook. [5] Since 2012, Loire has been the featured soloist in The News: a reality opera by the Dutch avant-pop composer JacobTV and she is credited for composing vocal parts for the arias Bounce or Decline [6] and Lamento. [7]

Loire maintains an active touring schedule in her duo with Glen Velez and Hans Zimmer Live. She has shared the stage with world class musicians Lew Soloff, Howard Levy, Avi Avital, Chitravina Ravikiran, Eugene Friesen, Sonny Fortune, Jozef Luptak, Milica Paranosic, Kepa Junkera, Javier Paxariño, Murat Coşkun and Enzo Rao. She has performed and recorded works by award-winning composers Edward Bilous and Robert Miller and her signature sound can be heard on music recordings, TV commercials, dance scores and feature length documentaries and blockbuster film scores.

Loire's live performances have included radio and television broadcasts on Spanish National Radio 4, German Public Radio, Italian National Radio 3, Radio Freistadt (Austria), DRS (Swiss-German national radio), WNYC, National Public Radio, KPFK Los Angeles, KITV Hawaii, PBS, Rai Italia TV, Taipei National Television, and CBS 2.

Loire's debut album 18 Wings (Daftof) was released digitally during the COVID-19 pandemic as a tribute to the 30th anniversary of her father's death. 18 Wings features multiple Grammy artists of TRIO GLOBO - Howard Levy, Eugene Friesen and Glen Velez and highlights original music co-composed and arranged with Glen Velez, as well as their global rhythmic twist on The Great American Songbook.

Education

Loire attended Long Island High School for the Arts, a gifted magnet school for the performing arts. She was chosen as honorary speaker and performer at the graduation ceremony. She went on to earn a Bachelor's degree of Music from Berklee College of Music in Boston, followed by a Master's Degree in Music Therapy from New York University. During her teens, Loire's jazz mentor Dave Burns introduced her to scat singing. He recognized that Loire had an unusual aptitude for the vocal reproduction of complex and up-tempo instrumental material. Loire cites her mentor and husband Glen Velez and his Handance Method as having the greatest influence on her approach to music. She also studied with Konnakol master ''Ghatam Subash Chandran'' and briefly with ''Vinod (VR) Venkataram.'' Other influential teachers include piano and harpsichord virtuoso Barbara Kupferberg and jazz vocalists Bob Stoloff, the late Mili Bermajo, and Dominique Eade. Loire has been invited to present masterclasses and workshops at The Juilliard School and other prestigious conservatories and universities around the World.[3

Personal life

Loire has been openly bisexual since high school. Prior to her relationship with Velez, she was in a long term relationship with a woman who greatly influenced her decision to leave her day job as a therapist. Weeks after the 9/11 attacks while living in NYC and working full-time as a music therapist at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, and focusing on her music on the side, her girlfriend told her it was time to bring her music and voice to the world. Loire put in her two weeks notice on the spot.

Loire's awareness of the healing power of music began early in her life. She frequently turned to songwriting and improvisation as a way of coping with the tragic death of her close friend who was killed while riding his bicycle at age 15.  A few days after Loire's 18th birthday, tragedy struck again when her father died on February 18, 1990, at age 45. Loire's debut solo recording 18 Wings (Daftof Records) was released in 2020 as a homage to her beloved father. The album features multiple Grammy artists, including Howard Levy, Eugene Friesen and Glen Velez. It highlights original music co-composed and arranged with Glen Velez, along with her rhythm jazz reimagining of The Great American Songbook. In the liner notes, she says “Rhythm and voice are my own wings - they are how I travel to language beyond thought.”

Music therapy

Loire was a Professor of Music Therapy at The New School (2001–2007) and worked extensively in clinics, hospitals, including locked psychiatric units around New York City. She has worked with such populations as adult psychiatry, foster children/at-risk teens, autism and brain injuries. Loire continues to lend her talents to supporting Music Therapy charities and has been actively collaborating with Sounding Joy Music Therapy in Hawaii and Japan.  Loire's work in the mental health field greatly impacted her approach to music. Her clinical work inspired her to see rhythm and music in more descriptive ways, such as “what is the rhythm of anxiety,” or “what are the colors of depression”.

Discography

Film work

Studio recordings

Dance scores

Commercials

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans Zimmer</span> German film composer (born 1957)

Hans Florian Zimmer is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Oscars, four Grammys, and has been nominated for three Emmys and a Tony. Zimmer was also named on the list of Top 100 Living Geniuses, published by The Daily Telegraph in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Gerrard</span> Australian musician, singer and composer (born 1961)

Lisa Germaine Gerrard is an Australian musician, singer and composer and member of the group Dead Can Dance with music partner Brendan Perry. She is known for her unique singing style technique (glossolalia). She has a dramatic contralto voice and has a vocal range of three octaves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Holkenborg</span> Dutch musician and composer

Tom Holkenborg, also known as Junkie XL, is a Dutch composer, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, producer, and engineer. Originally known for his trance productions, he has moved to producing electronica and big beat music and film scores. His remix of Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation" became a worldwide hit in 2002.

Mark Mancina is an American film composer. A veteran of Hans Zimmer's Media Ventures, Mancina has scored over sixty films and television series including Speed, Bad Boys, Twister, Tarzan, Training Day, Brother Bear, Criminal Minds, Blood+, Planes, and Moana.

Lebohang Morake, known as Lebo M, is a South African producer and composer, known for his songwriting and vocal work on the soundtracks to films such as The Lion King, The Power of One and Outbreak and numerous stage productions. He was recommended to Disney by Hans Zimmer, the composer of both adaptations of The Lion King, and formed and conducted the African choir that sang for the films.

<i>Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End</i> (soundtrack) 2007 soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is the soundtrack for the Disney movie of the same title, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. It is composed by Hans Zimmer, and features additional music by Lorne Balfe, Tom Gire, Nick Glennie-Smith, Henry Jackman, Atli Örvarsson, John Sponsler, Damon M. Marvin and Geoff Zanelli.

<i>Black Hawk Down</i> (soundtrack) 2002 film score by Hans Zimmer

Black Hawk Down is the soundtrack accompanying the 2001 film of the same name. The original score was composed by Hans Zimmer. The music was written in collaboration with several other musicians in what was referred to as "The War Room" at the Media Ventures studios. Based on jam sessions that were later edited to match the pictures, the score was produced within a few weeks. Because the end result was very experimental, Zimmer was afraid there would not be much music suitable for a listening experience on compact disc. The soundtrack disc was released on January 15, 2002.

<i>The Dark Knight</i> (soundtrack) 2008 soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard

The Dark Knight: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 2008 film of the same name, which is a sequel to Christopher Nolan's 2005 film Batman Begins. The soundtrack was released on July 15, 2008, in three editions: CD, limited edition CD digipak, and digital download. The 2-CD Special Edition was released on December 9, along with the DVD. A limited edition 180-gram vinyl LP was released on August 12. The soundtrack was composed by Batman Begins collaborators Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard and recorded in April.

Lisbeth Scott is an American composer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter of Armenian origin, born in Boston, Massachusetts. She is featured on the soundtracks for the films Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, Concussion, Shrek, The Passion Of The Christ, Transformers, The Big Wedding, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Munich, in which she sings a 3 minute solo specifically written for her by John Williams. In addition she is featured in Iron Man 2, Disney's Wings of Life, Spider-Man and many more. She co-wrote and performed the songs "Where", and "One Breath" for Narnia. She also co-wrote and performed "Good To Me" in the movie Shutter, "Edge of Heaven" with Joel Douek for the film The Wildest Dream, "Real Love" for the film Domino and countless others. Her songs and vocals have been featured in hundreds of Hollywood blockbusters, many of them Oscar and Grammy winners and nominees. As a composer she has scored both television and film.

Award-winning German composer and music producer Hans Zimmer has composed and produced over one hundred soundtracks and film scores. Of them, about 50 soundtracks and songs were nominated for awards. He has won two Academy Awards, four Satellite Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, four Grammy Awards, three Saturn Awards, two Annie Awards, and two WAFCA Awards.

Penka Kouneva is a Bulgarian-American composer, orchestrator and soundtrack producer. In 1999, she began working in film and television and in 2009 began to score for videogames. Her music is a blend of Bulgarian influences, classical training, rock sensibility, and modern film and game soundtracks.

Pieter Schlosser is a Guatemalan-American film and television composer best known for Destiny 2, You, Me and the Apocalypse, The Lying Game, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. He has also composed scores for multiple studio films and network television shows.

<i>The Lion King</i> (2019 soundtrack) 2019 soundtrack by Hans Zimmer

The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack for the 2019 photorealistic CGI remake of Disney's 1994 animated feature film of the same name. It features songs from the original film written by Elton John and Tim Rice and performed by the film's cast. It also features the score composed by Hans Zimmer, the original film's composer, and two new songs: "Spirit," written by Beyoncé, Labrinth, and Ilya Salmanzadeh and performed by Beyoncé, and the end-credit song "Never Too Late", written by John and Rice and performed by John. Beyoncé also produced a curated soundtrack titled The Lion King: The Gift, which features new songs performed by multiple artists. The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was digitally released on July 11, 2019, and both the soundtrack's CD and Beyoncé's album were released on July 19, 2019.

<i>No Time to Die</i> (soundtrack) 2021 soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer

No Time to Die: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 25th James Bond film of the same name. Released by Decca Records on 1 October 2021, the music was composed by Hans Zimmer, making him the sixth non-British composer after Marvin Hamlisch, Bill Conti, Michael Kamen, Éric Serra and Thomas Newman to score a film in the series. The film's theme song of the same name performed by Billie Eilish, was composed with her brother Finneas O'Connell. The 12" vinyl album version features an additional four short music cues listed only as Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4.

Amie Doherty is an Irish composer, conductor, and orchestrator for film and television. She is the first woman to score an animated feature for DreamWorks.

Music of <i>Dune</i> (2021 film) 2021 soundtrack albums

The music for the 2021 American film Dune was composed, conducted, and produced by Hans Zimmer. Zimmer wrote several soundtracks of music for the film, including for its sequel, and heavily utilized choir—specifically female voices—percussion, and strings in the score's instrumentation, as well as acoustic and wind instruments. New, hybrid instruments were fabricated to conceive the "otherworldly" tonal desert sounds heard in the film. The music has been described as the composer's most "unorthodox" and experimental yet. In addition, the score for the film earned Zimmer his second Academy Award for Best Original Score. When Dune: Part Two was announced for a 2023 theatrical release, it was revealed that Zimmer had begun work on the film's music and had over an hour of music to assist the filmmakers in planning the film.

<i>Dark Phoenix</i> (soundtrack) 2019 film score by Hans Zimmer

Dark Phoenix (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2019 film of the same name, based on the Marvel Comics X-Men characters. It is a sequel to X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) the seventh and final mainline installment in the X-Men film series, and the twelfth installment overall. Directed by Simon Kinberg, the film's musical score is composed by Hans Zimmer; his first superhero film he scored after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). The soundtrack album was released alongside the film on June 7, 2019, by Fox Music. The score received mixed critical response. A second album titled Xperiments From Dark Phoenix released in that August, containing unreleased music from the film, which garnered generally favorable response.

<i>Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa</i> (soundtrack) 2008 soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer and will.i.am

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is the soundtrack album to the 2008 film Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, the second instalment in the Madagascar franchise. Released on November 4, 2008 by Interscope Records, the album featured original score composed by Hans Zimmer, who teamed up with American rapper will.i.am to produce the songs and score. will.i.am also wrote five new songs specifically for the film, while other incorporated songs were included in the film's soundtrack. The music received generally favorable critical response.

<i>Madagascar 3: Europes Most Wanted</i> (soundtrack) 2012 soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted is the soundtrack album to the 2012 film Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, the third instalment in the Madagascar franchise. The album was released on June 5, 2012 by Interscope Records, and featured original songs and score, produced by Hans Zimmer, who worked on the franchise's previous instalments. The album featured popular dance singles, accompanying few original songs written specially for the film.

<i>Dune: Part Two</i> (soundtrack) 2024 soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer

Dune: Part Two is the soundtrack album composed by Hans Zimmer for the 2024 film Dune: Part Two by Denis Villeneuve. It was released by WaterTower Music on February 23, 2024, one week before the film's theatrical release in the United States.

References

  1. "Drummerszone - Lori "Loire" Cotler". Drummerszone.com. Archived from the original on 2023-08-19. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
  2. Ashton, Kimberly. "Channeling the Sound of Dune's Sisterhood". Berklee Today. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  3. Krishnamachari, Suganthy (2018-01-04). "Bonding over beats". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X. Archived from the original on 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  4. "150.000 de spectatori la un festival de muzică populară-Salento - În lume - Radio România Actualităţi Online". www.romania-actualitati.ro. Archived from the original on 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  5. "Rhythm of US Embassy in Bratislava". rtvs.sk. Archived from the original on 2021-05-21. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
  6. Loire Cotler: The Voice of Rhythm | The Power of Rhythm Podcast, archived from the original on 2021-05-20, retrieved 2021-05-20
  7. Lamento from JacobTV's The News, featuring Loire Cotler, archived from the original on 2021-05-20, retrieved 2021-05-20
  8. "Loire Cotler". IMDb. Archived from the original on 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2018-06-30.
  9. "Vimeo.com: "Renewing Creativity: Renewing American Culture – The Pursuit of Happiness"". Archived from the original on 2013-11-06. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  10. "Xperiments from Dark Phoenix". Archived from the original on 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2019-10-11.
  11. "Vimeo page on Tatihou". Archived from the original on 2013-11-06. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  12. Markesaran Alaba Archived 2013-11-05 at the Wayback Machine
  13. "CVS Extra Care commercial, 2004". Archived from the original on 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  14. "Frangelico – "Rope"". Archived from the original on 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  15. "Tiffany & Company, Vocals, Lori Cotler". Archived from the original on 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  16. "Raw Spirit, Vocals, Loire Cotler". Archived from the original on 2016-03-16. Retrieved 2015-06-24.
  17. Ford Future Present (Mad World Cover), archived from the original on 2024-03-10, retrieved 2024-03-10