Watch Now: "Contemplation" from The Music of Wayne Shorter
"If Wayne Shorter is something like jazz’s Pablo Picasso... then the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra works as a gilded frame to display his masterpieces." - The New York Times
Wayne Shorter plumbs the depths of his beautiful composition "Contemplation" in this performance with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. First recorded by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in 1961, "Contemplation" is one of many Shorter gems included on The Music of Wayne Shorter, his new record with the JLCO.
The album is out now on CD and digital formats. Listen to the The Music of Wayne Shorter today!
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Saturday, February 29, 2020
Friday, February 28, 2020
USA: Miles Davis - Music From And Inspired By Birth Of The Cool, A Film By Stanley Nelson (Legacy Recordings 2020)
The definitive audio companion to the critically-acclaimed new documentary directed and produced by Stanley Nelson, the soundtrack is an essential Miles Davis playlist for seasoned fans and new listeners alike, lovingly curated by the director and paired with short audio excerpts from the film for a unique listening experience.
It brings together recordings and performances spanning labels and the artist's musical evolution--from "Donna Lee" (a 1947 Savoy master take with legendary alto saxophonist Charlie Parker) to "Moon Dreams" from the groundbreaking 1949 Capitol sessions that were ultimately collected on the album Birth Of The Cool, through the seminal 1950s pieces for Columbia that revolutionized the worlds of jazz and popular music (including "Generique," Miles' improvised soundtrack to Louis Malle's "Elevator to the Gallows" as well as tracks from Miles Ahead and, of course the most popular jazz album of all time, Kind of Blue). The album also highlights Miles's evolution in the 1960s with tracks from Sketches of Spain and Someday My Prince Will Come to his iconoclastic invention of electric jazz/fusion (exemplified in a 45rpm single edit of "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" from Bitches Brew). Finally it documents his triumphant mid 1980s comeback (1986 s "Tutu"), while premiering a brand-new track, "Hail To The Real Chief." The new track features unreleased Miles Davis studio trumpet performances combined with music written by Lenny White, produced by White and Vince Wilburn, Jr and featuring an all-star collection of Miles band alumni and acolytes including White, Wilburn, Marcus Miller, Emilio Modeste, Jeremy Pelt, Antoine Roney, John Scofield, Bernard Wright, and Quinton Zoto.
SWEDEN/POLAND : Fire! Orchestra-Actions(2020)
This new, extended reading by Mats Gustafsson and Fire! Orchestra of the great Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki´s seminal "Actions For Free Jazz Orchestra" (1971) was commissioned by the Sacrum Profanum festival in Kraków in 2018.
The idea was to place this classic piece in a contemporary setting, with a new approach and a new body of sound. However, the original score was used as a platform for the new reading, connecting history with the present. The first performance of "Actions For Free Jazz Orchestra" took place in 1971 at Donaueschingen and featured the New Eternal Rhythm Orchestra, 14 international jazz heavyweights assembled by Don Cherry for the occasion and conducted by Penderecki.
The composer had heard the Globe Unity Orchestra a couple of years earlier and was fascinated by the possibilites of working with musicians from a different background and with other perspectives than he was used to from the classical world. The challenge for all involved was to find the right balance between composition and improvisation.
The idea was initially met with some scepticism from the musicians, but this soon gave way to acceptance and even great eagerness. Fire! Orchestra´s instrumentation is almost identical to that of 1971, the main difference being a tuba replacing one of the trombones.
Also worth noticing is that the new reading clocks in at 40 minutes, considerably longer than the 1971 version. Released 28.02.20
RUNE GRAMMOFON
Thursday, February 27, 2020
USA: All-female Middle Eastern Jewish powerhouse ensemble Divahn celebrates the strength of women and musical common ground on Shalhevet
All-female Middle Eastern Jewish powerhouse ensemble Divahn celebrates the strength of women and musical common ground on Shalhevet
As one of the very few groups performing Mizrahi and Judeo-Arab music in the US today, NYC-based ensemble Divahn—whose name is a word common to the Hebrew, Persian, and Arabic languages, denoting a collection of songs or poetry—has been internationally recognized for its mission to highlight the common ground between diverse Middle Eastern cultures and religions through music.
That is the spirit behind Divahn’s latest album Shalhevet (to be released March 7, 2020), a collection of passionately original interpretations of traditional Sephardi/Mizrahi Jewish songs that blend lush string arrangements, eclectic Indian, Middle Eastern, and Latin percussion, and vocals spanning Hebrew, Persian, and Arabic. The title of the album comes from the Hebrew word for ‘flame’ or ‘blaze’ with the intent that Divahn’s strong emphasis on the commonality between Middle Eastern cultures and religions should serve as a flaming bonfire for the sometimes darker world we find ourselves in today.
According to Divahn’s founder, Persian-American singer, composer, writer, and anthropology professor Galeet Dardashti, the all-female powerhouse is about welcoming audiences into the beautiful shared heritage of the intertwined Abrahamic peoples of the Middle East while also taking a vocal stance against the homogenizing forces of nativism that are increasingly prevalent in today’s political climate.
“We'd mostly been focused on doing a lot of live performances the last couple years, but then the Trump election of 2016 happened,” reflects Galeet. “Like so many, we were all so devastated and really wanted to respond as artists, so it became really clear that we were going to make another album. The world needs an all-female Middle Eastern Jewish album that celebrates what connects us, rather than what tears us apart.”
The album’s defiant spirit of hope is perhaps most exemplified by the track “Banu Choshech”. A familiar children’s Chanukah song sung throughout the Jewish world, the song’s simple and straightforward lyrics resonated powerfully with the band as they searched for an anthem of hope and strength in the dour aftermath of the 2016 US presidential election: “We’ve come to chase away the darkness. We bear light and fire. Each glimmer is small. But together, our blaze is fierce.” In this version, Divahn gave the song their own unique spin, adding quarter tones, rooted in the band’s Middle Eastern musical vocabulary. Galeet then added Biblical texts to highlight the Jewish approach to caring for the stranger.
This pairing of creative composition with deep cultural study has always been characteristic of Divahn’s music. Many of the songs on the album demonstrate the historic shared culture between Jews and non-Jews in the Middle East by highlighting the piyyut (sacred song) tradition. Beginning in the 16th century of this tradition, Jewish composers would write religious Hebrew texts to the secular songs that were popular across the Middle East and originally written in Arabic, Persian, Greek, and Turkish.
A prime example of this is the album’s first track, “Ya’alah Ya’alah,” which draws its lyrics from the language and themes of the Song of Songs, and sets them to the melody of a popular Arabic love song called “Ya Tira Tiri.” The piyyut’s author, the prolific bohemian 16th century Rabbi Yisrael Najara, is believed to have begun the practice of composing Hebrew lyrics to the popular secular songs of the day.
Galeet points out that this practice was widespread, and that Jews were often the perpetuators of music across the Middle East because, during some periods, Islamic law prohibited Muslims from doing such work. In fact, many of the melodies that Dardashti sings on the album in Hebrew, including “Ya'alah Ya'alah,” the 20th century Syrian piyyut “Ayni Tzofiah,” and the 20th century Moroccan “Am Ne’emanay” were all originally Arabic love songs. On the album, Galeet sings “Ya'alah Ya'alah,” in both its original Arabic and as a Hebrew piyyut as an homage to the track’s musical etymology.
For Galeet, leading Divahn is as much about highlighting Arab-Jewish and Persian-Jewish culture as it is about celebrating the strength of women—a point brought to bear by the fact that Divahn performs religious songs not traditionally sung by women in the Jewish Middle Eastern world.
As such, the all-female band’s album release is timed to coincide with Purim, a Jewish holiday with an origin story that not only takes place in ancient Persia but also celebrates two powerful women. Queen Esther is the traditional Jewish heroine of the story, who saves the Jewish people from annihilation with her wit and courage. But the other heroine for Divahn is Queen Vashti—the non-Jewish queen who stands up to the male chauvinist king when he demands that she show off her beauty to his guests. When she refuses him, he ousts her as queen for fear that she could start a women’s revolution. “Vashti is an exemplar of standing up for your principles and fighting against patriarchy, no matter the consequences—she was ahead of her time.” says Dardashti.
Divahn got its start, years ago, when Dardashti was an anthropology graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, studying Middle Eastern Jewish musical trends in Israel. Galeet’s musical and academic inspirations came from her own family history, as her father is an accomplished and widely renowned cantor, and her grandfather was one of the most famous singers of Persian classical music in Iran during the 1950s and 1960s. As an Iranian Jew, however, Galeet didn't grow up really connected to Middle Eastern Jewish Music. Instead, both her anthropological research and her career in music sprouted from a later desire to discover her own cultural heritage and musical traditions.
Divahn got its start, years ago, when Dardashti was an anthropology graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, studying Middle Eastern Jewish musical trends in Israel. Galeet’s musical and academic inspirations came from her own family history, as her father is an accomplished and widely renowned cantor, and her grandfather was one of the most famous singers of Persian classical music in Iran during the 1950s and 1960s. As an Iranian Jew, however, Galeet didn't grow up really connected to Middle Eastern Jewish Music. Instead, both her anthropological research and her career in music sprouted from a later desire to discover her own cultural heritage and musical traditions.
Divahn formed quite organically out of that mix as Galeet met fellow musicians in the Austin music scene. The band went through several emanations before solidifying with the current membership in New York City in 2015. The diverse musical backgrounds of the current band members contribute to a unique collaboration and sound: Eleanor Norton (cello, vocals), Elizabeth Pupo-Walker (cajon, congas, diverse percussion, vocals), Sejal Kukadia (Indian tabla, vocals), and Megan Gould (violin, kamanche, vocals). Between them, the impressively accomplished crew has performed with the likes of Natalie Merchant, Adele, Alan Cuming, John Legend, David Byrne, and the late Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, to name only a few, and also perform in many Broadway shows.
Divahn’s Shalhevet release show will take place at Joe’s Pub in NYC on March 7, 2020.
- Divahn Website
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USA/MALI: BÉLA FLECK AND TOUMANI DIABATÉ RELEASE NEW SONG "KAUONDING SISSOKO” OFF UPCOMING DUO ALBUM, THE RIPPLE EFFECT
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Wednesday, February 26, 2020
SPAIN: Sara Zamora Do it(2020)
Sara Zamora (Spain)
Album: Do it
Album: Do it
With a distinctive clear voice Sara Zamora sings with heartfelt emotion on ten delightful original songs combining a wide range of rhythms and elegant arrangements written by pianist and composer, Ángel Valdegrama, The songs are well chosen, her voice soars with grace rising from sensitive and dreamy to passionate and powerful tones. A beautiful album to discover!
USA: Wolfgang Muthspiel Trio Feat. Scott Colley, Brian Blade - ECM Release and US Tour Upcoming!
Muthspiel, Colley and Blade recorded Angular Blues in Tokyo's Studio Dede after a three-night run at the city's Cotton Club. The album was mixed with Manfred Eicher in the South of France at Studios La Buissonne, where Muthspiel had recorded his two previous ECM albums, Rising Grace and Where the River Goes (both of which featured pianist Brad Mehldau and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire). Each of the groups that Muthspiel has put together for his ECM recordings has had a special rapport. About his new trio, the guitarist says: "Scott and Brian share my love of song, while at the same time there is constant musical conversation about these songs."
The Louisiana-born Blade has been a member of the Wayne Shorter Quartet since 2000, along with recording with artists from Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Daniel Lanois and Norah Jones to Charlie Haden, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Joshua Redman. Since the mid-'90s, Blade has also co-led the gospel-infused Fellowship Band. Regarding the subtly virtuoso drummer, Muthspiel says: "Brian is famous for his sound and touch, that floating way of playing, how he creates intensity with relatively low volume. It's also a great pleasure for me to witness how sensitively Brian reacts in his playing to whether I play acoustic or electric guitar. I've done a lot of concerts and productions with him over the years, including in our guitar-drums duo, Friendly Travelers, as well as on Driftwood and Rising Grace. He always offers complete interaction and initiative, as well as his individual sound. To play uptempo swing on something like ‘Ride' with Brian was really luxurious, a gift."
After being mentored by Charlie Haden, Colley was the bassist of choice for such jazz legends as Jim Hall, Andrew Hill, Michael Brecker, Carmen McRae and Bobby Hutcherson, along with appearing on albums by Herbie Hancock, Gary Burton, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Chris Potter and Julian Lage. Colley, a native of Los Angeles, has released eight albums as a leader. "Scott and Brian have also played a lot together over the past few years, so they know each other well," Muthspiel notes. "I performed with Scott in New York in the '90s, and I've always felt that he was an extremely giving musician, who - with his warm tone and his flexible, dancing rhythm - simultaneously animated and supported the music. I wrote the bass melody of the new album's first tune, ‘Wondering,' especially for him. His sound develops a flow and harmonic movement that is inviting to play on."
After "Wondering" - which includes extended soloing by Colley that embroiders on Muthspiel's melody beautifully - comes the album's title song, the highly trio-interactive "Angular Blues," so titled for its "rhythmic modulations and strange breaks," the guitarist explains. "Somehow Chick Corea's album Three Quartets was an association, but so was Thelonious Monk." Those first two tracks, as well as the album's third, "Hüttengriffe," feature Muthspiel on acoustic guitar, his sound on the instrument both warm and extraordinarily fluent. After that - on "Camino," "Ride," "Everything I Love," "Kanon in 6/8," "Solo Kanon in 5/4" and "I'll Remember April" - he plays electric. Muthspiel's ever-liquid electric phrasing buoys both an emotionally rich original such as "Camino" and the two different turns on his kaleidoscopic "Kanon," the trio version in 6/8 and the solo, mostly improvised rendition in 5/4.
About his first-time inclusion of jazz standards on one of his ECM albums, Muthspiel says: "I was inspired to record standards with this trio because everything about the way the group plays feels so free, open and far from preconceived ideas, but at the crucial moment a jazz language is spoken, what we do does justice to these tunes. I learned ‘Everything I Love,' the Cole Porter song, from an early Keith Jarrett album, and I first came to know ‘I'll Remember April' from a Frank Sinatra recording. In that latter song, I hardly play solo. It's more about the head and the vamp-like atmosphere that prevails from the start and is savored again in the end. As in many moments with this trio, it's about playing with space: leaving it, creating it, filling it."
TRACKS
1. Wondering 7:20
2. Angular Blues 5:55
3. Hüttengriffe 5:15
4. Camino 7:42
5. Ride 3:50
6. Everything I Love 6:52
7. Kanon in 6/8 7:41
8. Solo Kanon in 5/4 3:34
9. I'll Remember April 5:40
PERSONNEL
Wolfgang Muthspiel - guitar
Scott Colley - double bass
Brian Blade - drums
Wolfgang Muthspiel, Scott Colley and Brian Blade on tour:
April 14-15 New York, NY Jazz Standard
April 16 Cambridge, MA Regattabar
April 17-18 Los Angeles, CA Blue Whale
April 19 Berkeley, CA Freight and Salvage
April 20 Santa Cruz, CA Kuumbwa Jazz
RELEASE DATE ANGULAR BLUES: MARCH 20, 2020
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