Listening to Herbie Hancock's harmonies over Wayne Shorter’s compositions helped her bridge the gap from her classical training to jazz."The way my jazz chops developed was twofold. I developed acoustic straight ahead and electronic fusion playing equally over time," she says. After launching a quintet called Nardis, she studied with Joanne Brackeen and Richie Beirach.
Rachel Z graduated from the New England Conservatory with a 'Distinction in Performance' award while working professionally in the Boston area with performers like Bob Moses, Miroslav Vitous and George Garzone. Returning to New York in 1988, she toured with New England Conservatory schoolmate turned rhythm & jazz superstar saxman Najee and later co-wrote album Tokyo Blue. While performing and recording steadily with the classic fusion band Steps Ahead from 1988 through 1996, she also worked with Al Di Meola, Larry Coryell, Special EFX, and Angela Bofill, and began a fruitful association with producer/vibraphonist Mike Mainieri. Mainieri produced her Columbia Records debut Trust the Universe in 1993. Reflecting the influence of Corea, Hancock, and even Pat Metheny, the CD featured the jazz radio hit 'Nardis.'
Her connection to saxophone great Wayne Shorter grew from major influence to full-blown collaborator over the two years she worked on his hit comeback album High Life, for which she built a synthesized orchestral framework to crystallize his musical vision. Rachel Z also played acoustic piano on the album and was musical director for the tour that followed. The CD won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. 1996 also saw the release of her NYC Records debut A Room of One’s Own, which she dedicated to the many women artists who have played an influential role in her life. Two years later Rachel released an album on GRP, Love is the Power, an album that featured hip-hop grooves with melodic piano flourishes and poems about the search for eternal love and wisdom through music.
Rachel returned to acoustic music, in an all-female trio setting, with On the Milky Way Express, her well-received tribute to Wayne Shorter, in 2000.
Grace
Rachel Z Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
MY BODY IGNORANT OF THIS
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME
HOW DID I LOSE MY GRACE AND
I TASTE IT
Wont swallow
The heroin of emptiness
How did this come upon me again again
This ocean so violent as i seem calm from afar
This siren compliant
With deadly waters of thought
I only know that in the morning as i touch your skin
I touch your grace
That holy place that i miss
I thought i knew all that was you
All that lie in your faith in me
How did you strip this from me
How did i lose my face and
A psalm of hope a psalm of skin
I crucify the numb within
How did this come upon me again again
This ocean so violent
As i seem calm from afar
This siren compliant
With deadly waters of though
I dont know
How i came
To be like you my friend now
I only know that in the morning as i touched your skin
I touched my grace that holy place that i miss
You
For those who loved for those who died
For those whose love has not survived
Dont ever lose your faith
Dont ever lose your grace
The lyrics of Rachel Z's "Grace" delve into the feeling of losing one's grace, a concept that could refer to losing one's faith or losing a belief in oneself. The opening lines, "Softly I tread on hollowness / My body ignorant of this," reflect a sense of disconnection with oneself, as if the person is walking on empty ground and not attuned to their own body. The lines go on to ask a haunting question: "How did this happen to me?" The person seems to be at a loss, unable to understand how they lost their grace.
The theme of emptiness continues in the second verse, with the person rejecting the "heroin of emptiness," perhaps indicating that they are aware of certain unhealthy habits or coping mechanisms that only worsen their disconnection from themselves. The person becomes even more confused as the song goes on, asking again how they lost their grace and, in the next verse, questioning their relationship with someone who took away their faith. However, the song ends on a note of hope, as the last lines advise listeners not to lose their faith or grace and to hold onto what they believe in.
Overall, "Grace" is a song that touches on deeply personal, existential themes of faith, self-worth, and connection. The haunting lyrics and melody create a contemplative atmosphere, and the hints of hope and resilience keep the song from devolving into despair.
Line by Line Meaning
SOFTLY I TREAD ON HOLLOWNESS
I'm cautiously walking on something empty, a place that is devoid of anything that I can feel or sense
MY BODY IGNORANT OF THIS
My physical self knows nothing about this empty place I'm treading on
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME
I'm questioning how I ended up in this void
HOW DID I LOSE MY GRACE AND
I'm wondering how I lost my sense of grace or character
I TASTE IT
I can sense something is amiss or wrong
Wont swallow
I refuse to accept this sense of emptiness or loss and won't let it take me over
The heroin of emptiness
I won't let myself be taken over by the emptiness that could be like a drug
How did this come upon me again again
I'm surprised that I ended up in this empty place once again
This ocean so violent as i seem calm from afar
I'm in a violent and tumultuous place but might appear calm from a distance
This siren compliant With deadly waters of thought
The place I'm in might seem alluring, but it has dangerous thoughts and ideas that can be destructive
I only know that in the morning as i touch your skin I touch your grace That holy place that i miss
When I touch my loved one, I feel their grace and the sense of safety that I lost
I thought i knew all that was you All that lie in your faith in me
I believed that I knew what your faith was in me
How did you strip this from me
I'm questioning how someone took away my sense of grace and goodness
How did i lose my face and
I'm wondering how I lost my self-respect
A psalm of hope a psalm of skin
I'm trying to find inspiration that will renew my hope in my physical self
I crucify the numb within
I'm making an effort to change how I feel and not let the numbness take over
This ocean so violent As i seem calm from afar
I'm still in this tumultuous and dangerous place that might appear calm to others
I dont know How i came To be like you my friend now
I'm unsure how I've become similar to my friend, who might have lost their sense of grace and character
I only know that in the morning as i touched your skin I touched my grace that holy place that i miss You
When I touch my partner, I feel my own sense of grace and goodness that I've been missing
For those who loved for those who died For those whose love has not survived Dont ever lose your faith Dont ever lose your grace
I'm advising others to never lose their faith or sense of goodness, even if they've lost loved ones or relationships
Contributed by Isabella P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.