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Crisis chronicles the continuing development of trumpeter Amir ElSaffar's
critically acclaimed Two Rivers Ensemble, a band
purpose-built to explore the juncture between jazz and music of the
Middle East, in particular the Iraqi maqam. The new work is his
reflection on a region in turmoil and strife: revolution, civil war,
sectarian violence; a culture's struggle for survival. It sets aside
some of the more exploratory work that he has done in recent years to
focus on music that is passionate and visceral, a cry from the heart.
Crisis was commissioned by the Newport Jazz Festival,
where at its 2013 premiere, it made a clear emotional connection to the
audience, receiving a rousing standing ovation after just the first
piece. Driving and to the point, ElSaffar’s music is beyond
categorization – not jazz, world music or any facile fusion thereof –
but a world unto its own.
Crisis is ElSaffar’s fifth release on Pi Recordings and the third, following Two Rivers (2007) and Inana
(2011) to feature the Two Rivers Ensemble. The new album is comprised
largely of the “Crisis Suite,” which was composed in 2013, after he
spent a year living in Egypt, where he witnessed the Arab Spring
protests first-hand, and Lebanon, where he worked with Syrian musicians
who were living through that country’s harrowing civil war. The suite
follows a narrative arc: a commentary on the recent history of Iraq and
the Middle East. Often based on the melodic modes of the maqam and
folkloric rhythms, the music eschews some of the abstract quality of
some of ElSaffar’s prior work and focuses instead on the passionate and
ecstatic. His virtuoso trumpet playing is firmly rooted in the jazz
tradition, yet at the same time he’s capable of playing a taqsim
(melodic improvisation) in an authentic Arabic style, with a sound that
is reminiscent of the nay (reed flute)
and the melisma and ornamentation of maqam singing. He has a unique
approach to playing microtonally: Using a standard, three-valve trumpet,
ElSaffar has created new techniques that enable intonation that are
characteristic to Arabic music. His sound is rich with overtones and
burred texture: in one moment, bright and pushing to the sonic edge of
the instrument and at another, a hushed whisper. His idiomatic maqam
vocals sound at once prayer-like and an appeal for understanding and
compassion and his santour is full of tremolos and a long echo that is
evocative of an ancient past.
Helping ElSaffar bring his singular musical concept to life are Nasheet Waits on drums, who drives the ensemble with a flexible sense of time combined with deep swing; bassist Carlo DeRosa, who exhibits a mastery of quartertones and rock solid groove; the adroit playing of Tareq Abboushi
on buzuq (long-necked lute) and Zafer Tawil on oud and
percussion who, in addition to taking masterful solos, work together to
fill the role of a chordal instrument, providing a rich, chattering bed
of rhythmic counterpoint. Ole Mathisen, – a master of
microtonal playing on the saxophone – contributes beautifully controlled
and technically dazzling playing, and serves as the perfect foil to
ElSaffar on the front line. After eight years together, the ensemble has
developed a profound empathy and an intuitive ease with this highly
complex music, enabling the band to play with a creativity that
transcends its pure technical challenge.
A 2013 winner of the prestigious Doris Duke Performing Artist Award.
ElSaffar continues to grow as an artist. He has worked extensively in
Europe over the past two years, collaborating with diverse musicians
such as the Belgian group Aka Moon, Swedish composer C.C. Hennix, and a
Berlin-based microtonal brass quintet. Last year, La Fondation Royaumont
in France commissioned ElSaffar for a piece for string quartet plus
voice and santour, which premiered at the Festival d'Avignon, one of the
world's largest theater festivals, and Festival d'Aix, an opera
festival. They have since commissioned him for three more works that
will be performed at festivals throughout France over the next three
years. In April, 2015 ElSaffar assembled an unprecedented ensemble of 17
musicians to realize a new work, “Rivers of Sound,” that made its
premiere at Lincoln Center in New York City.
