LMS/NoteSpeak EPK

We are delighted to announce that NoteSpeak (In a Word)  is out now on Ropeadope. Available Wherever You Listen. 


Short Bio

Lisa Marie Simmons is a multi-disciplinary storyteller: a singer/songwriter (Ropeadope), essayist (Huffington Post, The Boston Globe, Kweli Journal, Jazzfuel), and published poet currently based in Italy. She fronts NoteSpeak, a poetic/musical ensemble blending jazz, spoken word, and improvisation. NoteSpeak debuted at the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival in 2017, and since then, Lisa has presented the project in the U.S., Europe, and India.

In March 2020, NoteSpeak (Amori e Tragedie in Musica) was released by Ropeadope Records, receiving a four-star review from Downbeat magazine. Lisa’s journey also includes an emotional search for her birth father, documented in the 2022 film Lisa & Isell: A Story About Adoption and the Ghost Kingdom. Lisa co-wrote an essay with filmmaker Angela Tucker for the Harvard Law Bill of Health symposium, advocating for the rights of Black fathers.

Lisa also co-hosted the first season of DAWTA The Podcast, exploring transracial adoptee experiences. Her 2022 jazz standards album Lisa Meets Gianni with Italian drummer Gianni Cazzola was released by Ropeadope. Lisa’s poem "Last Supper" was shortlisted for a Creators of Justice Literary Award in 2022, and in October of the same year, she performed at the Venice Biennale for artist Simone Leigh’s Loophole of Retreat.

Her latest album, NoteSpeak 12, released in 2023, earned five stars from Downbeat and was featured on their Best Albums list. The album went on to win multiple awards, including Best Spoken Word Album from the World Entertainment Awards and recognition at the One Earth Awards. In 2024, the track "Transcend" was nominated at the Hollywood Independent Music Awards. Her song "Can We Agree" is currently a semi-finalist in The American Songwriters Song Contest.

In 2024, Simmons collaborated with artist Phoebe Boswell on "Sentient I - VI", a selection of drawings from Boswell’s ongoing Sentients series, recently exhibited in Wentrup Gallery’s 20-year anniversary show. Simmons provided a sonic response in the form of an ekphrastic poem, "Portraits in Paradox", accompanied by pianist Marco Cremaschini.

In 2025, Lisa made her Carnegie Hall debut, performing alongside Charu Suri bringing NoteSpeak’s signature fusion of poetry and music to the iconic stage. The third album in the NoteSpeak series, NoteSpeak (In a Word), was released on September 26, 2025, on Ropeadope.

Lisa’s work continues to push artistic boundaries while blending music, storytelling, and cultural exploration.


NoteSpeak on national radio:

Commuovere le stelle - Battiti Rai Radio 3

For the Millions - Battiti Rai Radio 3

You Can't Rule Me - Battiti Rai Radio 3

Sordo - Battiti Rai Radio 3

A serendipitous event connected Hippie Tendencies to Amnesty's #herestoyou campaign. The content of our Hippie Tendencies version of the song is what gave birth to "NoteSpeak". You can see our performance for Amnesty here. We ask you to please listen to Roberto Saviano's appeal as well as the final version of this tribute to Sacco and Vanzetti in the name of every victim of human rights violations. We invite you to, as Amnesty says, “take injustice personally”. 


Louis Marks CEO Ropeadope

"NoteSpeak 12 finds Lisa Marie Simmons settling into a very relaxed groove with her partner, Marco Cremaschini. The interplay of the two, between poetry and music, feels like a dance with no need for choreography. Rather than poetry set to music or music that follows poetry, this is a conversation - about life, about love, about EVERYTHING - between the artists and the band. The words and the individual instruments all blur into a landscape of human experience, like sauntering through a cafe as conversations come and go." Louis Marks CEO Ropeadope, Director at The Ropeadope Cultural Center

Louis Marks CEO Ropeadope

"NoteSpeak 12 finds Lisa Marie Simmons settling into a very relaxed groove with her partner, Marco Cremaschini. The interplay of the two, between poetry and music, feels like a dance with no need for choreography. Rather than poetry set to music or music that follows poetry, this is a conversation - about life, about love, about EVERYTHING - between the artists and the band. The words and the individual instruments all blur into a landscape of human experience, like sauntering through a cafe as conversations come and go." Louis Marks CEO Ropeadope, Director at The Ropeadope Cultural Center

All About Jazz

“Notespeak 12 is top-end poetry and top-end jazz, so poet Lisa Marie Simmons and composer Marco Cremaschini set themselves a high bar. But they have succeeded, just like they did on the earlier album Notespeak: Amori e Tragedie In Musica (Ropeadope), a succès d'estime and something of a cult hit following its release in 2020.” 4 Stars Chris May- All About Jazz

All About Jazz

“Notespeak 12 is top-end poetry and top-end jazz, so poet Lisa Marie Simmons and composer Marco Cremaschini set themselves a high bar. But they have succeeded, just like they did on the earlier album Notespeak: Amori e Tragedie In Musica (Ropeadope), a succès d'estime and something of a cult hit following its release in 2020.” 4 Stars Chris May- All About Jazz

All About Jazz Chris M. Slawecki

"If you could take a musical ruler and start from a jazz poet like Ishmael Reed and then draw a straight line through Queen Latifah, you'd find NoteSpeak somewhere on the other end."  Chris Slawecki - All About Jazz

All About Jazz Chris M. Slawecki

"If you could take a musical ruler and start from a jazz poet like Ishmael Reed and then draw a straight line through Queen Latifah, you'd find NoteSpeak somewhere on the other end."  Chris Slawecki - All About Jazz

Best Spoken Word Album WINNER

Best Spoken Word Album WINNER

DJ Lynnée Denise

“Notespeak 12 is a lyrical album and an ensemble of centuries of the sonic lifeworlds of Black people. I walked away, hearing new articulations of jazz that sounded like Zora Neal Hurston's words on the page. It's an ode to the sounds we make in community and punctuated by theatrical curiosity and professional knowledge expressed through well-attended craft. It travels to many places and takes the listeners with it. Notespeak 12 is a well-choreographed journey."  DJ Lynnée Denise Artist, Scholar, Writer

DJ Lynnée Denise

“Notespeak 12 is a lyrical album and an ensemble of centuries of the sonic lifeworlds of Black people. I walked away, hearing new articulations of jazz that sounded like Zora Neal Hurston's words on the page. It's an ode to the sounds we make in community and punctuated by theatrical curiosity and professional knowledge expressed through well-attended craft. It travels to many places and takes the listeners with it. Notespeak 12 is a well-choreographed journey."  DJ Lynnée Denise Artist, Scholar, Writer

Downbeat Magazine 4 Stars - NoteSpeak (Amore e Tragedie in Musica)

“A serene r&b groove opens ‘Chillax,’ introducing an album that blends poetry and jazz while speaking out against war, ignorance and racism….Across NoteSpeak, the band’s playing remains understated, granting Simmons’ poetry the spotlight. Her words are full of internal rhymes, verbal inflections that move the rhythm in unexpected directions and juxtapositions of imagery that veer from predictable to wildly creative. 4 stars.” –j.Poet Downbeat Magazine May 2020

Downbeat Magazine 4 Stars - NoteSpeak (Amore e Tragedie in Musica)

“A serene r&b groove opens ‘Chillax,’ introducing an album that blends poetry and jazz while speaking out against war, ignorance and racism….Across NoteSpeak, the band’s playing remains understated, granting Simmons’ poetry the spotlight. Her words are full of internal rhymes, verbal inflections that move the rhythm in unexpected directions and juxtapositions of imagery that veer from predictable to wildly creative. 4 stars.” –j.Poet Downbeat Magazine May 2020

Downbeat Magazine 5 Stars - (NoteSpeak 12)

“Poetry and Jazz have been influencing each other for a long time. Lisa Marie Simmons, a poet, singer and composer, draws on that rich history for NoteSpeak 12... As with her previous efforts with the NoteSpeak ensemble, Simmons flows freely between singing and speaking/reciting, blurring the lines between poetry and music." 5 Stars J. Poet  Downbeat Magazine April 2023

Downbeat Magazine 5 Stars - (NoteSpeak 12)

“Poetry and Jazz have been influencing each other for a long time. Lisa Marie Simmons, a poet, singer and composer, draws on that rich history for NoteSpeak 12... As with her previous efforts with the NoteSpeak ensemble, Simmons flows freely between singing and speaking/reciting, blurring the lines between poetry and music." 5 Stars J. Poet  Downbeat Magazine April 2023

Downbeat Magazine's Best Of List

Downbeat Magazine's Best Of List

Finalists ISSA Awards

Finalists ISSA Awards

Giuseppe Saulo Rai Radio 3 "Battiti

"Beautiful and Powerful" - Giuseppe Saulo Rai Radio 3 "Battiti"

"We are delighted to welcome back another duo composed of Lisa and Marco; Lisa Marie Simmons on spoken word and composition with Marco Cremaschini, piano, keyboards, and composition, and completing the quintet is an excellent trio formed by Marco Cocconi on electric bass, Manuel Caliumi on alto saxophone and bass clarinet, while Federico Negri sits at the drums, and they are joined from time to time by many important guest musicians, including JamaaladeenTacuma, Laura Masotto, Vernon Reed. The CD cover notes feature a quote from Flaubert that concludes, “What we desire is to move the stars.” It is a collective work by this extended musical family that starts from conversations that revolved around myth and domination, language, and power, then draws on very different influences and styles, from Yoruba stories to the works of Noam Chomsky or the late American writer, poet, and activist Nikki Giovanni." Ghighi Di Paola Rai Radio 3 "Battiti "

Giuseppe Saulo Rai Radio 3 "Battiti

"Beautiful and Powerful" - Giuseppe Saulo Rai Radio 3 "Battiti"

"We are delighted to welcome back another duo composed of Lisa and Marco; Lisa Marie Simmons on spoken word and composition with Marco Cremaschini, piano, keyboards, and composition, and completing the quintet is an excellent trio formed by Marco Cocconi on electric bass, Manuel Caliumi on alto saxophone and bass clarinet, while Federico Negri sits at the drums, and they are joined from time to time by many important guest musicians, including JamaaladeenTacuma, Laura Masotto, Vernon Reed. The CD cover notes feature a quote from Flaubert that concludes, “What we desire is to move the stars.” It is a collective work by this extended musical family that starts from conversations that revolved around myth and domination, language, and power, then draws on very different influences and styles, from Yoruba stories to the works of Noam Chomsky or the late American writer, poet, and activist Nikki Giovanni." Ghighi Di Paola Rai Radio 3 "Battiti "

InterContinental Music Awards Winner 2025

InterContinental Music Awards Winner 2025

ISC Semi Finalist


ISC Semi Finalist


J. Michael Harrison's Hot Five of 2023

"From time to time you come across a tune from an ensemble that you’ve never heard before that stops you in your tracks. Well, this song recently made its way into my orbit and has become an instant favorite! NoteSpeak 12 has a wonderful sound and this selection has emerged as my favorite track on their latest recording. Lisa Marie Simmons functions exquisitely out front on vocals and the band led by Marco Cremaschini is the excellent compliment to her efforts." J. Michael Harrison's Hot Five of 2023 - WRTI Your Classical and Jazz Source

J. Michael Harrison's Hot Five of 2023

"From time to time you come across a tune from an ensemble that you’ve never heard before that stops you in your tracks. Well, this song recently made its way into my orbit and has become an instant favorite! NoteSpeak 12 has a wonderful sound and this selection has emerged as my favorite track on their latest recording. Lisa Marie Simmons functions exquisitely out front on vocals and the band led by Marco Cremaschini is the excellent compliment to her efforts." J. Michael Harrison's Hot Five of 2023 - WRTI Your Classical and Jazz Source

JAZZTHETIK Magazin - 5 Stars

"Lisa Marie Simmons - Notespeak 12 A storyteller, an essayist and an impressive singer/songwriter, equipped with an expressive speaking and singing voice. The conclusion and the highlight of this Soul Voices!" 5 Stars Olaf Maikopf JAZZTHETIK Magazin, Münster DE

JAZZTHETIK Magazin - 5 Stars

"Lisa Marie Simmons - Notespeak 12 A storyteller, an essayist and an impressive singer/songwriter, equipped with an expressive speaking and singing voice. The conclusion and the highlight of this Soul Voices!" 5 Stars Olaf Maikopf JAZZTHETIK Magazin, Münster DE

One Earth Award Gold Spoken Word

One Earth Award Gold Spoken Word

One Earth Silver Spoken Word

One Earth Silver Spoken Word

Regina Harris Baiocchi

"Lisa Marie Simmons uses arresting lyrics and warm vocals to co-create the NoteSpeak 12 album with inventive artists and music director Marco Cremaschini. The music of this Italian-based band, billed as “global jazz hybrid,” defies category. Each eclectic song is its own galaxy within the Cremaschini-Simmons universe." Regina Harris Baiocchi - Composer, Author, Poet

Regina Harris Baiocchi

"Lisa Marie Simmons uses arresting lyrics and warm vocals to co-create the NoteSpeak 12 album with inventive artists and music director Marco Cremaschini. The music of this Italian-based band, billed as “global jazz hybrid,” defies category. Each eclectic song is its own galaxy within the Cremaschini-Simmons universe." Regina Harris Baiocchi - Composer, Author, Poet

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