My journey with this album started in December 2017, when A friend of mine invited me to go see a Yayoi kusama exhibit. After reading her artist statement while waiting in line to get in to the gallery, I was deeply moved by the message even before seeing the art - all this art was created to provide an alternate universe for people (and the artist herself) to mentally and spiritually exist in, with nothing but love and compassion for each other and for nature.
The art itself resonated with me as well - I have synesthesia, a neurologic condition in which two senses overlap and trigger one another. In my case it relates to colors, and kusama's color palette used on her paintings were almost identical to some of the colors I see when I hear pitches.
After that day, the idea to write a piece of music inspired by Kusama's art was born. Fast forward a few years later, after getting a little push from my grad school professor Dave Leibman, I started to put down notes on paper.
I chose to use the word journey because a lot has happened from the time I started thinking about and writing this music to the time I finished it and released it to you. We have since entered a global pandemic, which has effected every single one of us in one way or another. We were forced to not only stay home, but also face many issues we were always running from and too busy to face, both as individuals and as a society.
The music on this album and the message behind it took a new shape and form, and became a personal exploration of mental health, womanhood and identity in our currant society. Inspired by kusama's story and my own personal experience with depression and anxiety, I really wanted to create a work that will let the listener fall into that utopian world for its entire duration, and take them on their own personal journey.
I know that as an artist, if I wanted to create that for my listeners, I would have to take a deep and honest look inside myself in order to understand what that means to me - what are some things that need to change in order to actually create that kind of world?
- Adi
About the Music -
Album opener “Prelude” establishes the mood with spoken word artist Eden Girma leading the charge. Treating the celestial melodic theme as if it were a drone, the emotional charge builds swiftly as new colors and vibrant textures envelop the listener, setting the stage for what’s to come. Track two is “Kabocha”, which features a counterpontal melody presented over Meyerson’s groovy ostinato bass line. The pitch material for this track, which takes inspiration from Kusama’s fantastical installation of the same name and means “pumpkin” in Japanese, was derived from the colors Meyerson sees in the work, and the rhythmic pattern comes from a well-known recording of Kusama reciting her poem “On Pumpkins”. Both Lucas Pino, on bass clarinet, and flutist Anne Drummond take particularly affecting solos on this dynamic musical odyssey, which opens with Kush Abadey’s masterful drumwork.
Marquis Hill features prominently on “Follow the Red Dot”, which like its predecessor, utilizes the pitches that coincide with the bandleader’s synesthesia. The driving energy of the piece mimics the “simultaneous feeling of chaos and perfect organization I felt when standing in Kusama’s Red and White Polka Dot Room,” shares Meyerson. This tune is also an ode to the artist’s provocative 1965 work “Phalli’s Field”, which is a favorite of Meyerson. Lined with mirrors and carpeted with a plethora of polka-dotted fabric protrusions that Kusama called ‘a sublime, miraculous field of phalluses’, the installation was an important moment for the artist. Next up is “Caged Bird”, a brilliant feature for Camille Thurman who sings and scats a compelling ode to the “perfect world” and what we’d have to change as a people to get there. In composition and lyric, Meyerson paid tribute to two of her favorite literary pillars: Angela Davis and Maya Angelou.
Part V, “Infinity”, is once again directly inspired by Kusma – in this case, her famous Infinity Mirror Rooms. Opening with an exceptional solo by Meyerson and prominently featuring Sabeth Perez’s ethereal wordless vocals, this contemplative tune is written from the perspective of one looking in the mirror, and examining oneself. It is also an homage to Meyerson’s native Israel, and a nod to its infinite complexities – both as a place, and in relation to her own identity. The poignant and moving title track closes the album, and is a thoughtful parting gift from the bandleader. ““I Want to Sing My Heart Out in Praise of Life” is meant to be a prayer for those who feel they cannot live their life to the fullest,” says Meyerson. “It’s also a reminder for all humans that being alive is a gift and worth celebrating.” This emotional closer is made even more powerful by it’s pared down instrumentation – Thurman’s soulful voice is accompanied only by Sam Towse’s gorgeous accompaniment.
I Want To Sing My Heart Out in Praise of Life is an important new addition to Adi Meyerson’s impressive musical canon. Her debut album, Where We Stand, was released in 2018 to widespread acclaim. Bob Doerschuk of Downbeat Magazine awarded the album a coveted four and a half stars and called it “intuitive and perspicacious…displays a musical maturity that belies her newcomer status.” Since arriving in New York in 2012, Meyerson has established herself as a first-call bassist – she performs regularly throughout the city’s top jazz venues, and has played with a who’s who of jazz greats including Joel Frahm, Joe Magnarelli, Steve Nelson and Charli Persip, among many others. With her own group and as a side musician, Meyerson has performed all throughout the United States, Latin America and Canada.
Track listing:
Part I – Prelude
Part II – Kabocha
Part III – Follow The Red Dot
Part IV – Caged Bird
Part V – Infinity
Part VI – I Want To Sing My Heart Out In Praise of Life
Personnel:
1. Marquis Hill - trumpet
2. Anne Drummond - Flute
3. Lucas Pino - Bass Clarinet & Saxophone
4. Sam Towse - Piano, Fender Rhodes, Synthesizers
5. Kush Abadey - Drums
6. Sabeth Perez - Vocals (Track 1 & 5)
7. Camille Thurman - Vocals (Track 4 & 6 )
8. Spoken Word - Eden Girma (Track 1)
9. Adi Meyerson - Bass, Composition, Lyrics (except for track 1)
Additional personnel:
Miki Yamanaka - Japanese spoken word & original poem (Track 2)
Produced by Adi Meyerson
Additional co-production - Willerm Delisfort
Recorded & Mixed by Dave Stoller at Samurai Hotel studio in Queens, NY
Additional vocal & spoken word on "Prelude" recorded by Eden Girma in London, UK
Additional spoken word on "Kabocha" recorded by Adi Meyerson in NYC
Mastered by Michael Perez-Cisneros at Big Orange Sheep studio in Brooklyn, NY
Cover Photo by Ronald Steward
Cover art and design by Adi Meyerson
