A joint collaboration between Premik Russell Tubbs and Margee Minier-Tubbs, Oneness-World literally breaks down borders between musical genres. The 7-track, 48-minute album features a range of participants including Margee Minier-Tubbs (executive producer, artistic director, composer, writer, lyricist, backing & spoken word vocals, album cover designer/ artist and percussion), Premik Russell Tubbs (saxophone, flutes, EWI, composer, producer), Zach Brock (multi-Grammy winning violinist), Steve Sandberg (Emmy-nominated pianist), Michael O’Brien (bass), Neil Alexander (keyboards), Todd Isler (drums, percussion), Lola Kristine (vocals on “Catwalk (A Stitch in Time)”, Arta Jekabsone (vocals, “Catwalk (A Stitch in Time)” and Patrick Carmichael (spoken word poetry, “The Bells”).

Compositionally, Oneness-World is very varied. Margee’s spoken word vocals are quite effective, adding a fascinating contrast to the New Age Jazz instrumental arrangements dominant on other tracks. The album prides itself on being a kind of Global album, complete with influences from jazz-fusion, progressive, Celtic and Indian music as well as elements of blues and even smooth jazz. As portrayed in the album liner notes and lyrics, Margee’s spoken word poetry is quite intriguing as are the eclectic sounds of Premik where he balances his sax / flute sounds with EWI touches. The Electronic Wind Instrument serves as a kind of synth sound that imparts the album with a neo-prog edge.

Margee’s spoken word opening track “Oneness” opens a door for instrumental fusion flow apparent on much of “Oneness” and the two following tracks “The Weave” and “Joie de Vivre” (Joy Of Living). Having played with Santana, Herbie Hancock, Sting and others, Premik is no newcomer to the world of jazz-fusion.

Interestingly, some of Margee’s vocal tracks focus on the world of fashion, giving the album a kind of cosmopolitan appeal. That edge is quite apparent on the three-part, 13-minute “Catwalk”. Who would have thought that jazz-fusion and the glitter of fashion would find a symbiotic relationship but Margee’s lyrics and vocals are quite earthy and dare I say, even carnal in this setting. Good to see music and fashion finding a similar path on Oneness-World, but it works, so there you go.

Exposing the darker side of the fashion industry, “Catwalk” Part 3 exposes the dark side of the fashion world, specifically that the fashion industry sometimes exploits workers. In the lyrics, Margee speaks of several past tragic events where factory workers died in factory fires, sometimes involving exploiting workers that worked in deplorable conditions. Disconcerting at times, but either way, the nearly 13-minute, 3 part “Catwalk” is like no other track you’ve ever experienced.

For jazz-rock fusion fans, the instrumental track “Norwegian Dance” is a fascinating romp with Premik's EWI adding in much atmosphere with keyboards effectively filtering through and, true to form there are influences of Scandinavian folklore on this track too.

The 8-minute “La Ronde de Saisons” offers a spoken word intro with Premik’s fusion flutes and shimmering piano. The drums and percussion of Todd Isler adds much to the evocative sound. The album closes out with a Christmas track, called “The Bells”. Filled with beguiling spoken word delivered by Margee with help from Patrick Carmichael, the track is further enhanced by gypsy violin and piano. Unlike anything you’ve ever heard, Oneness-World delivers an eclectic sonic punch surely making it one of the most unique albums of the year.

 

RMR speaks to Margee Minier-Tubbs & Premik Russell Tubbs of ONENESS-WORLD

RMR: When did Oneness-World form, how many albums have you released so far and what was your overall mission in forming this musical union and in making the Oneness-World album? It sounds like Oneness-World is breaking musical borders and merging genres.

Margee Minier-Tubbs: Our collaboration on the album began in December, 2024. Premik has performed on well over 300 albums in his decades long music career, performing with a who’s who of greats. For me, my lifelong career has been in fashion on an international stage, having lived and worked in 21 countries, however, while studying music and dance throughout, and working internationally as a translator in the music industry.

I started writing songs, melodies, lyrics and composing two years ago and last year Premik and I released a gorgeous multi-genre children’s album called Pathways. We have now moved into jazz fusion, global and new age together and with Oneness-World, yes, we are merging genres!

‘Our mission’ was to create music that would touch the heart of humanity, inspire an awareness of our Interconnectedness and Oneness, and bring Joy!  

 

RMR: “Catwalk” is an interesting juxtaposition. On one hand you sound jazzed by the glamour and glitz of the fashion world yet you also decry some of the racier pitfalls of the industry, child labor, unsafe factory dangers. So which is it? Do you have a background in fashion? Music and fashion seemed to go hand in hand for the longest time.

Margee Minier-Tubbs: I could write a book here, but I promise to only write a chapter! This song is my baby! I have a degree in Couture Fashion Design from The Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. I also created International Fashion Trend reports for a decade and promoted Paris fashion around the world during my 20s, from age 19 – 30 to be exact. I studied the history of fashion and textile technology as well, created fashion shows in Paris and Tahiti, and attended hundreds of fashion shows in Paris and London. I know the ‘Catwalk’ firsthand!

To begin, my inspiration for writing “Catwalk (A Stitch in Time)” came like a Tsunami from my soul, with its goal being to captivate the listener. For the first part of the trilogy, I was inspired to write a sexy/slinky blues song enticing the listener with the glitter and glamour, the ‘lascivious satin and lace’ of the fashion queen prancing down the runway, therefore I asked Lola Kristine to sing Part 1 because of her fabulous blues voice. I wrote the lyrics, created the melody, sang the demo and coached Lola every step of the way to get exactly what I was seeking. Yet if the listener pays attention, I mention “Sisyphean dreams of the beauty cameras capture” the first hint that this fantasy is unattainable for most.

Next, there is an element of spontaneous joy and surprise in my pure jazz Part 2 sung by award-winning jazz vocalist, Arta Jekabsone which traces the 150 year evolution of fashion from the birth of Paris couture collections in 1858, to the development of the Ready-To-Wear Industry of today, but as this section advances, there are more and more subtleties that begin to give the listener hints that the song is about something more than just glamour! “but by the way, whose hand turned the wheel on that sewing machine?” yet “we’re all just seeking happiness” depicts our ‘oneness’ again and begins to hint even more that something else is coming. “So what’s the true cost?”

There are many ways in which “Catwalk” expresses the overall narrative of our album, our shared humanity, our oneness, the continuum of life, and joy, in spite of it being quite different from the other songs. In Part 3, my Spoken Word which traces the last 100,000 years of the evolution of fashion to the tragic heart-wrenching events of the last 100+ years, certainly the continuum of life unfolding through centuries is felt by the listener. “Catwalk” is the culmination of my life’s work in fashion. And now I have been mentoring in the Sustainable Fashion Movement internationally for some 20 years. I began learning of atrocities that have taken place in this industry when I was a teenager. The ultimate goal of writing this song was to create an urgent awareness of the harm this industry has been causing not only by polluting our earth but by its lack of humanity and decency in regard to human life and in particular women and young girls. We recorded my spoken word Part 3 in one take. I got choked up and started crying while reciting the words, which you can hear in my voice. I said to Premik, “lets’ leave it, it’s authentic!”. I end the song with the words “A Stitch in Time Saves Nine” which is a fashion reference first recorded in England in 1723, initially meaning that it is better to fix a small hole in clothing before it gets bigger and is more difficult to mend later, and the expression has evolved over time, becoming a proverb meaning ‘if you sort out a problem immediately it may save a lot of extra work later, or things may get worse and the problems will take longer to deal with’, hence it is a plea to the listener to act, to know the source, to be the change. The powerful aspect of using this expression in my song, is that not only is it a historical sewing reference, but it conveys the ultimate message of why I wrote the song, that we must fix the problems created by this industry now before it is simply too late!

 

RMR: The instrumental tracks on the Oneness-World album are quite inspiring too. For example, “Norwegian Dance” does have a kind of Scandinavian sound. How did you collaborate on that track and how did it come about?

Premik Russell Tubbs: I truly love those magical moments when the essence, and even the title, of a composition comes to you virtually unannounced. Such was the case with “Norwegian Dance”. The creation of our Oneness-World album was already unfolding and I knew that more pieces were needed but had no preconceived ideas of what form and in which style those pieces would emerge? So basically, I picked up my EWI and started noodling and the ideas simply started to flow and continued flowing as I switched to keyboard in order to complete the chordal arrangement. After being satisfied with how the song was sounding, I said "wouldn't it be lovely if all tunes came this easily!" (lol) 

Margee Minier-Tubbs: The Global drumming in this piece brings the listener on an ancestral journey back in time, to a time when humans lived in harmony with nature, had respect for nature, lived in oneness with nature, and humans resided on an equal plane. In “Norwegian Dance” we travel through millennium and guided by Premik’s EWI, our hearts soar in unity. There is a penetrating message that we can feel in our shared DNA. The medieval, Scandinavian folklore and Celtic influences create a powerful intensity in which souls join in this exhilarating journey called life, hearts rejoice and we all come together and dance in unity!

 

RMR: Tell us about the EWI sound on Oneness-World. It almost sound like a synth. How do you combine the acoustic elements of the flute and sax with the EWI and other instruments. Do you have any instrument endorsements?

Premik Russell Tubbs: Ever since the Lyricon, one of the first wind synths, hit the scene in the early 1980's, I became fascinated with the whole concept of being a chameleon on a single wind instrument. Then in 1989 I purchased the Yamaha WX7 which I still use to this day and can be heard on numerous recordings by such New Age artists as Masako, Neil Tatar, Will Ackerman and many others. On the Oneness-World album there are several compositions such as “Joie de Vivre” and “Norwegian Dance” where I wanted to enhance my sound beyond that of an acoustic flute or saxophone, so the EWI became my instrument of choice for those pieces. Of course, I would never want an electronic instrument to permanently replace the beautiful tone of a hand-crafted acoustic instrument, but I do feel it plays a significant role in my palate of sounds. And although I've never actually sought out endorsements from any of the companies whose instruments I perform on, it's certainly something I would be open to!  

 

RMR: I was thinking that Margee’s poetry with its New Age connotations reminded me of the late, great Mike Pinder, founder of the Moody Blues. Are you familiar with Mike’s poetry and spoken word story telling? How did that side of your music develop? It’s an underrated musical genre for sure. Who are your other favorite story tellers and what albums (if you can cite) with those elements that inspired you?

Margee Minier-Tubbs: Believe it or not, my High School boyfriend had hand painted the words from the Moody Blues song “The Balance” Just open your eyes and realize the way it's always been, Just open your mind and you will find the way it's always been, just open your heart and that's a start on the ceiling of his bedroom! I kid you not!

So, as a very young girl I discovered the Moody Blues album A Question of Balance. I remember Mike Pinder’s mellifluous voice in his spoken word and was tremendously moved by it. I only knew that one album because in 1979, living in Paris, I didn’t listen to very much English music.

7 years ago, Premik invited me to recite Spoken Word Poetry at one of his shows, which I did, totally in French, and then translated it for the listener. Premik then invited me to create and recite a prayer for World Peace at the Unity Earth Event at The United Palace of Spiritual Arts Theatre in NYC in front of a packed house/sold out audience with 25 million people watching the live streamed event! So that is how I began my journey as a Spoken Word Artist. I tell many beautiful Spoken Word stories on my children’s album Pathways which Premik and I created in 2024.

 

RMR: How did you arrange so many great musicians for the Oneness-World album and did you record live in the studio or was there lots of overdubbing? What were some the recording sessions like?

Margee Minier-Tubbs: All tracks were 100% recorded live! Let’s begin with Steve Sandberg and Todd Isler. Premik met both Steve and Todd in 2007 when he and Uli Geissendoerfer created their sensational, out of the box global fusion album, which both Steve and Todd perform on Bangalore Breakdown, the name they gave themselves as an artist duo, album called Diary. Both Steve and Todd have been members of Premik’s Oneness-World jazz fusion quartet ever since. They perform about bi-monthly in the New York/tri-state area.

Next, Zach Brock. As you know, Premik is an original member of John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra. A number of years later, Premik was part of The Mahavishnu Project, a fabulous Mahavishnu tribute band. About 20 years ago in 2005-2006, Zach Brock came on as the violinist in this band and their two decades long friendship, respect for each other, performing and collaborating began.

Keyboardist extraordinaire, Neil Alexander and Premik go back even further. They began performing together in 2000, so it’s been a good 25 years now, hence the magic they create!

Michael O’Brien is a newer collaborator. Premik and I met him about 6 – 7 years ago through Steve Sandberg and Michael has been part of our Oneness-World jazz fusion quartet, sometimes quintet, ever since.

Lola Kristine, my treasured Lola! Premik & Lola have both recorded and performed together for more than a decade! They have recorded on at least three albums, Open Waters, 2019, one of virtuoso guitarist Todd Mosby’s albums, Aerial Views, 2020, another of Todd Mosby’s, and she sings vocals on our album Pathways, the title track “Pathways”, and my song “#3 Water”. Premik has toured and performed dozens of times with Lola. I was the artistic coordinator during the recording sessions at Dreamland Recording Studio in Woodstock, NY in 2020 during the recording of the album Aerial Views and that is where and when Lola and I became such close friends!

Lastly, Arta Jekabsone. Premik and I met this multi-award-winning jazz vocalist at The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, NY, 5 years ago and were blown away! Premik has been performing with Arta several times a year ever since and Arta sings vocals with me on two songs on our album Pathways, “The Color Imagination Song” and “I Am Special”, and of course, “Catwalk” in our album Oneness.  

 

RMR: Tell us about the other album or albums you’ve made and session work / other collaborations that stands out in your minds? For example I saw a video with Premik with the brilliant Kristin Hoffmann that was great. What are some of your favorite videos?

Premik Russell Tubbs: I wrote wind music for Whitney Houston’s first two albums and I play the sax solo in her most famous video “How Will I Know?” which The New York Times wrote up as one of the greatest sax solos of all time, so that really stands out for me. I perform on Carlos Santana’s album The Swing Of Delight where I had the privilege of getting to know and performing with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Harvey Mason, Tony Williams, Ron Carter, and members of the Santana Band.

I toured all of Europe with Carlos and he and I performed a solo, sold out concert at Carnegie Hall together in 1980. I also perform on John McLaughlin and The Mahavishnu Orchestra’s album Visions Of The Emerald Beyond with Jean-Luc Ponty, Narada Michael Walden, Ralf Armstrong, toured all of continental Europe and the USA with them and Jeff Beck as the opening band. I had the incredible honor of performing with Sting at Carnegie Hall 6 times at his Concerts for the Rainforest, and performed a private concert in his home as well.

 

RMR: Who are some of your favorite artists that you grew up listening to and get inspired by? Did you grow up in the first progressive rock era of the late 1960s and early ‘70s? And other early jazz / fusion influences?

Premik Russell Tubbs: As a little one, my father, who was a brilliant big band arranger and trumpet player, gave me my start mainly in the world of classical music along with more traditional jazz. But by around age 7, I discovered rock & roll and would listen avidly to those raunchy-sounding sax solos on some of the early records and that's when I knew that was the instrument I wanted to take up! Then as I entered my teens right as the hippie revolution and Woodstock era was entering the picture, my attention became riveted to the psychedelic sounds of Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Cream and Frank Zappa along with the more avant-garde explorations of John Coltrane. Coupled with that, my interest in Indian classical music & spirituality began to take birth in my life.

All these elements wove together to form in me a new approach to the saxophone where I felt it had a special role to play in the exploration of these new sounds & styles. So for me, the fusion of East & West, Jazz & Progressive Rock has for many years now been the foundation of my musical explorations. Also, the practice of meditation over the years has provided me with insights into the power of music to heal & give a sense of inner peace to the listener. This has resulted in opportunities to perform and record with numerous artists in the New Age genre, such as Masako, Will Ackerman and many others. 

Margee Minier-Tubbs: As a little girl, my favorite songs were “Mon Amie La Rose”, and “Tous Les Garçons et Les Filles de Mon Âge” by Françoise Hardy, my dad introduced her music to me. In the 1970s & 1980s I was schooled in both France and the United States. I am half European/half American so I also loved France Gall and Jane Birkin, and in the 1980s & 90s, Sally Oldfield from England, Mike Oldfield’s sister was my #1 favorite songwriter, she totally influenced my life, my poetry and my spiritual path. I also discovered and loved Joni Mitchell.

I grew up studying classical piano and classical dance however, and my mother played classical piano and was an opera singer. My father loved Edith Piaf and took me to see a play about her life when I was a young girl. In the 1980s I also discovered Georgia Kelly’s harp music and New Age Music. In the 1990s I was a translator in the music industry at MIDEM in Cannes, France in the genres of Celtic and World Music.

As far as Jazz goes, I studied jazz piano and composing for 3 – 4 years in my early 40’s, discovered Django Reinhardt and gypsy jazz and Stéphane Wrembel literally became ‘my cosmic brother’, and has been one of my closest lifetime friends ever since. Premik performs with him as well. So Premik and I have some differences in our musical background and influences which may contribute to the “breaking down of genres” and diverse musical influences on our album Oneness-World.  

 

RMR: What other plans do you have for 2025 and beyond?

Margee Minier-Tubbs: Our album, Oneness-World is being submitted for a Grammy Nomination in the Alternative Jazz category, so we are planning several album release events in the upcoming months. We are also releasing our joyful, jazzy, swinging Christmas song, “The Bells” as a single in mid-October just in time for this holiday season! Also, I have written an exquisite New Age album In The Stillness of The Stars filled with dreamy celestial flute and EWI melodies, magical sparkly percussion, but with Celtic, Medieval, Indian influences, guided imagery, gorgeous vocals and lyrics, which is about half recorded and we plan on releasing it in either the fall or early 2026.