55 years ago, Laura Nyro released her first album on Verve Folkways.  It lived up to its hyperbolic title, for the Bronx-born singer-songwriter was, indeed, More Than a New Discovery.  The Second Disc celebrated Laura's legacy with a vinyl reissue of that album's original mono mix as well as with A Little Magic, A Little Kindness: The Complete Mono Albums Collection on CD.  Earlier this year, the U.K.'s Madfish label announced American Dreamer, a vinyl box bringing together her 1966-1978 LPs plus a smattering of bonus tracks.  Now, Omnivore Recordings is adding two more significant releases to the Nyro catalogue.

On July 16, Omnivore will release Tree of Ages: Live in Japan, following that rare set on September 10 with Go Find the Moon: The Audition Tape presenting Nyro's earliest, never-before-released recordings.  Both of these titles will be issued on CD and digital, with the latter also arriving on vinyl; both were restored and mastered by Michael Graves and produced by Cheryl Pawelski and George Gilbert with the approval of the Laura Nyro Trust.

Trees of the Ages: Live in Japan was first issued in that country in 2003 as An Evening with Laura Nyro but has been out-of-print ever since, save for a truncated version from the U.S. EMI Special Markets label.  The album comprises 16 tracks recorded at Kintetsu Hall in 1994 as well as five additional tracks recorded at On Air West.  At the piano and accompanied by a trio consisting of Diane Wilson, Dian Sorrell, and Diane Garisto, Nyro ran through her classic songbook ("And When I Die," "Wedding Bell Blues," "Save the Country," "Emmie") as well as spellbinding covers of Bacharach and David ("Walk on By"), Smokey Robinson ("Ooo Baby Baby"), and The 5 Royales/The Shirelles (Lowman Pauling and Ralph Bass' "Dedicated to the One I Love").  Omnivore's reissue of this beautiful, intimate performance features all-new artwork and promises to restore the once-rare concert to its rightful place in the Nyro live canon.

On September 10, Go Find the Moon: The Audition Tape will follow.  It captures the summer 1966 performance of 18-year-old Laura Nyro auditioning for Milt Okun and Artie Mogull.  The audition went so well that Mogull signed the young artist and budding songwriter to a management contract and Okun promptly booked studio time with arranger Herb Bernstein to record her debut album, More Than a New Discovery.  At the audition session, Nyro performed a pair of the remarkable songs that would soon appear on that LP, "And When I Die" (subsequently a top five hit for Blood, Sweat, and Tears in a dramatically-rearranged, western-tinged version), and "Lazy Susan."  She also previewed an embryonic "Luckie," the final version of which would be included on her even more acclaimed sophomore album, Eli and the Thirteenth Confession.  "Enough of You," "Go Find the Moon," and "In and Out" were never released in studio form, making their appearances here all the more welcome.  The audition tape is rounded out with fragments of "When Sunny Gets Blue," "Kansas City," and "I Only Want to Be with You," hinting at the stylistic diversity that informed Nyro's passionate songwriting and performing.

Jon Kruth has written the liner notes for Trees of the Ages while Jim Farber has provided the notes for Go Find the Moon. Omnivore will offer a special bundle of the Go Find the Moon LP with a numbered lithograph print of the cover limited to 200 units.  You'll find pre-order links and track listings for both titles below.

Laura Nyro, Trees of the Ages: Laura Nyro Live in Japan (Universal Japan UICY-1139, 2003 - reissued Omnivore, 2021) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Omnivore)

1. Dedicated to the One I Love
2. Ooh Baby Baby
3. Woman of the World
4. Louise's Church
5. Lite a Flame (The Animal Rights Song)
6. Walk the Dog & Light the Light (Song of the Road)
7. The Japanese Restaurant Song
8. And When I Die
9. To a Child
10. The Descent of Luna Rose
11. Wild World
12. Save the Country
13. Wedding Bell Blues
14. Trees of the Ages/Emmie
15. Walk on By
16. Let It Be Me
17. Oh Yeah Maybe Baby (The Heebie Jeebies)
18. Wind
19. Broken Rainbow
20. My Innocence/Sophia
21. Art of Love

Laura Nyro, Go Find the Moon: The Audition Tape (Omnivore, 2021) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Omnivore)

1. And When I Die
2. Lazy Susan (False Start)
3. Enough of You
4. In and Out
5. Go Find the Moon
6. Luckie/Studio Talk
7. When Sunny Gets Blue (Fragment)/Kansas City (Fragment)/I Only Want to Be with You
8. Lazy Susan​