“Free Radicals verify their standing as one of the premiere bands in the world…defined by splendid rhythms, amazing melodies and glitzy, evocative horns. “ - Huffington Post
Free Radicals, a musical, political, and cultural force in Houston for over two decades, is releasing No State Solution, an album highlighting new remixes, new videos, and newly re-mastered tracks from their past six albums: The Rising Tide Sinks All (1998), Our Lady of Eternal Sunny Delights (2000), Aerial Bombardment (2004), The Freedom Fence (2012), Freedom of Movement (2015) and Outside the Comfort Zone (2017). No State Solution is a rejection of corrupt governments that can only make things worse, and a celebration of the communities that already have so many answers, if they can only throw off their mental and physical chains. Free Radicals is a horn driven dance band and collective, with musicians ranging from their early 20s to 90-year-old vibraphonist Harry Sheppard. The band plays funk, hip-hop, ska, African music, jazz, Indian music, punk, klezmer, salsa, and cumbia in the studio, clubs, breakdance competitions, parties, weddings, funerals, and at street protests. The band performs at marches and fund-raisers for causes they are passionate about, including immigration rights, anti-war, #NeverAgain, #blacklivesmatter, anti-Islamophobia, healthcare-for-all, anti-colonialism, and women’s rights. The new remixes are by DJ Sun, a Dutch-born American record producer, DJ and one of the most prolific musicians in Houston, and Free Radicals drummer Nick Cooper. The two travel in the same circles, so working together was just a matter of time. “We have crossed paths an infinite amount of times, have performed together on the same bill and had become a part of the fabric of the Houston music community,” said DJ Sun. “We have both been super-consistent in what we have done in the scene, winning music awards in our respective categories from The Houston Press, so it seemed like it was just a matter of time that we put our forces together on a release. I’m real proud to have been able to make a small contribution to The Free Radicals catalogue.” Recording took place in their hometown of Houston, at Sound Arts Recording, in their homes, and in clubs. The band also put together several new videos in support of this project. A limited-edition vinyl 7” single for the three new remixes comes out on April 24th.
No State Solution (Lacandon Remix Feat. Marcos) features a mystical solo on tenor sax by Marcos Melchor, who has played on all of the Free Radicals’ albums. Vocalist Folasayo Dele-Ogunrinde did the spoken word on the recording in Nigerian Pidgin (the language Fela Kuti sang in). Her contribution was one of her last before her untimely death to cancer. “Screaming (DJ Sun Radio Remix)” is a hard rock sax track (how many of those do you hear each year?) from the band’s 2017 release Outside the Comfort Zone. Said Cooper, ”When DJ Sun approached the band about doing a remix, we had no idea what he might come up with and were pleasantly surprised to hear three different remixes of ‘Screaming’ that capture the energy of the original, and throw it in new directions.” DJ Sun added, “I had a lot of really amazing tracks to choose from. In choosing “Screaming,” I looked for elements that I as producer could really influence.” The new video for “Screaming” features Zesh HK break dancing in front of Free Radicals live at Houston’s Avant Garden. “Space Witch (Dub Remix)” has a new video to match the psychedelic song, featuring black-light capoeira with the capoeiristas painted in glow-in-the-dark paint. A passionate act of talented musicians who have managed to stay together for over 20 years is a feat within itself, but the band is only hitting its stride, always finding new audiences to connect with. “No State Solution is a celebration,” Coming Friday, May 25th.
Tracklisting:
1) No State Solution (Lacandon Remix Feat. Marcos)
2) Screaming (DJ Sun Remix)
3) Spacewitch (Dub Remix)*
4) Checkpoint °
5) Ilalihamani °
6) The Legals Have a Lunch
7) Imperial Sugar °*
8) The Minister °
9) Carry Me to My Grave *
10) Policia Pacificadora °*
11) Allen Parkway Village +
12) PedXing *
13) Screaming *
14) Ambush ICE *
15) Manfiest Dust Bunny *
16) La Frontera °*
17) Dub For Besouro °*
18) Afterlife °
19) Dadaab *
20) Larium Dreams °
21) Survival of the Oblivious *
22) No State Solution °
23) Screaming (DJ Sun’s Soular Burst remix)
24) Cheeto News Coma
25) Last Show With Joe °
"They know how to play and aren’t afraid to take you places you’ve never been. A winner throughout---just be sure to strap in before lift off." -- Midwest Record
"I’ve fallen in love with their raucous style in only 4 bars... their music isn’t just on the edge, it’s fallen off the cliff!" -- Contemporary Fusion Reviews
"Everything seems to energize by drawing on an inexhaustible source." -- Music Zoom (Italy)
"Redefines serious jazz." -- Lemon Wire
"The beautifully constructed music here just goes straight to your feet." -- Jazz Views
"Quite a special band, with a very special album." -- Gonzo Weekly
"With each song a concise tidbit, even if the solos are stratospheric, they return to earth quickly. Fun and frantic!" -- Jazz Weekly
"Free Radicals create unique songs that plant themselves firmly on their own unique planets." -- The Vinyl Anachronist
"The [band]... consistently opposes war, and supports environmentalists, civil rights fighters, immigrants to the US. It equally consistently criticizes the establishment, the presidents - from Bush to, of course, Trump, as well as 'well-fed America,' which indifferently watches what is happening in the 'third world' countries." -- Jazz Quad (Russia)
"On the new recording, Free Radicals welcomes many guests including Harry Sheppard & Damon Choice, two elder vibraphonists who played with Benny Goodman and Sun Ra Arkestra respectively..." -- Grateful Web
"Equally comfortable performing in clubs, street protests, punk rock house-parties, art openings, weddings, funerals, and breakdance competitions, Free Radicals prides itself in adaption and supporting members of targeted communities for whom "apartheid" is not merely a metaphor." -- Jazz News
Les compositions jouées à ces 2 dates sont tirées du spectacle "Le piano oriental" créé à partir du roman graphique de Zeina Abirached. Une musique à la croisée des chemins entre le jazz et les musiques traditionnelles du bassin méditerranéen sur un piano "bilingue". Mais qu'est ce qu'un piano bilingue ?... Un piano unique au monde permettant de jouer les quarts de ton de la musique orientale sur un clavier de piano ! Le premier à avoir inventé ce piano est Abdallah Chahine l’arrière grand père de Zeina. Le re-créateur de ce piano est le Belge Luc-André Deplasse, basé à Tournai. A la Philarmonie, Stéphane Tsapis donnera ces deux concerts en solo avec en décor une illustration extraite de la BD de Zeina Abirached.
Ce sera un avant-goût de son prochain album qui sortira chez Cristal Records en 2019.
Souvenez vous de son dernier album "Border Lines" que vous aviez accueilli avec enthousiasme, notamment en revisionnant ce superbe clip :
Demeter No Access est un polyptyque où se télescopent de façon non formelle diverses allusions littéraires. Un manuscrit du Moyen Age (Le Bestiaire), le célèbre poème latin épique latin d’Ovide (Les Métamorphoses ), l’épopée grecque antique d’Homère (L’Odyssée), et le second livre de la bible de l’Ancien Testament (L’Exode).
Marjolaine Reymond chanteuse polymorphe aux multiples registres y évoque le thème de la transformation de l’homme en animal et la possibilité pour l’individu de retrouver ses pulsions archaïques, sauvages et ludiques tout en s’intégrant au monde social et civilisé. En filigrane se trame le thème de l’amour espéré ou perdu et du deuil humain impossible mais sublimé dans la mythologie à travers le mythe d’Orphée et de Perséphone. L’album est la métaphore d’un voyage initiatique vers une terre promise, un équilibre parfait. L’écriture vocale toujours enchanteresse se mêle savamment aux rythmiques d’un quintet très contemporain. Un vocabulaire complexe et raffiné s’y déploie à l’infini ainsi qu’un mixage électronique faisant partie intégrante de la matière organique de la musique. Les musiciens tels des alchimistes tissent des ornements d’orfèvres, fabriquent des sons hétéroclites dans une Olympe philharmonique.
Créatures aux corps sonores ils vibrent, sonnent et pulvérisent littéralement la pulsation de cet opus. Un quatuor à cordes s’entremêle lui aussi de sons étranges et singuliers. Les neuf musiciens se retrouvent pour une sublime conclusion symphonique. “Telle une Odyssée, s’en suivra un Exode puis La Lettre. C’est un Graal Amoureux qui jamais ne renonce. Voici ma métamorphose Mythologique, mon Carnaval Allégorique entrecroisé d’un voile d’Orphée Évanescent et Organique. Il est musicale chimère de l’esprit. Saga de mon bestiaire Thérianthropique!”
Renowned Colombian Composer/Bandleader Juan Andrés Ospina joins WDR Big Band on May 30 in Cologne and June 2 in Dusseldorf
“Saso and the Sea” concerts also feature Magda Giannikou
Ospina’s new big band recording Tramontana, featuring guest performances by Cuban sax legend Paquito D’Rivera and Colombian vocalist Lucia Pulido, is earning critical acclaim
“It’s very hard to get a personal, identifiable sound when orchestrating for a Big Band, but - almost miraculously - Juan Andrés Ospina makes it happen. Bingo!” – Paquito D’Rivera
“…what’s striking on this disc is the songfulness of Ospina’s writing and the musician’s performances, as well as the unexpected, and in some cases unidentifiable, textures of the arrangements. This isn’t slam-bang big band writing. There’s a refreshing delicacy to much of the offering here, a graceful lyricism that floats over the subtle rhythms we would expect from a South American composer-pianist…Ospina is not just an original big band writer, but a deeply satisfying one as well.” – Michael Ullman, Arts Fuse
Colombian composer and bandleader Juan Andrés Ospina will be featured in two special concerts with the legendary WDR Big Band.
Music by Ospina and Magda Giannikou serves as the soundtrack for “Saso and the Sea,” depicting the surreal voyages of the character Saso. The concerts take place:
• Wednesday, May 30, 8 p.m. at Gloria Theatre in Cologne, Germany. For information HERE
• Saturday, June 2, 8 p.m. at Hildener Jazztage, Dusseldorf, Germany. For information HERE
Colombian Composer/Bandleader Juan Andrés Ospina Captures the Soul-Stirring Grace and Inspiring Power of the Mediterranean Wind Known as Tramontana
Tramontana realizes a decade-long dream with a multi-national ensemble and guest appearances by Cuban sax legend Paquito D’Rivera and Colombian vocalist Lucia Pulido
“It’s very hard to get a personal, identifiable sound when orchestrating for a Big Band, but - almost miraculously - Juan Andrés Ospina makes it happen. Bingo!” – Paquito D’Rivera
Ospina celebrates release on Thursday, October 18 at Dizzy's in NYC
Powerful yet invisible, momentarily ferocious yet leaving behind idyllic, crystal clear skies; the Tramontana is a true force of nature, a gale force wind that lashes Spain's Catalan coastline. It serves as an apt inspiration for composer and bandleader Juan Andrés Ospina, who has experienced its strength and beauty firsthand and has translated the wind's stirring and awe-invoking qualities into music for Tramontana, the debut release by his phenomenal big band. Soul-stirring and vigorous, a family affair as well as a multinational congregation, the Juan Andrés Ospina Big Band embodies the contradictory essence of this formidable natural phenomenon. Due out April 20, 2018 Tramontana is the extraordinary fulfillment of nearly a decade of dreaming and a lifetime's immersion in music. Born into a musical and artistic family in Bogotá, Colombia, Ospina chanced into his gift for big band composing and arranging while a student at Boston's Berklee College of Music. The album's realization follows a successful, inventive Kickstarter campaign and the enthusiastic encouragement of renowned bandleaders Paquito D'Rivera and Maria Schneider. It brings together a gifted ensemble of artists of ten different nationalities, performing Ospina's striking originals, one radically transformed standard, and a passionate song by Colombian singer Lucia Pulido.
"This is something that I've felt for a long time that I had to do," Ospinasays. "I just needed to find the courage to finally do it."
One listen to the majestic and richly textured pieces that make up Tramontana and it's obvious why Ospina felt so compelled to pursue the daunting task of assembling a big band to record his music. He never set out to become a bandleader on this scale, however; his first piece for big band, in fact, was nothing more than a classroom assignment. It was under the tutelage of Greg Hopkins at Berklee that Ospina crafted the dramatic rendition of "Like Someone In Love" that appears on the album, reharmonized and with the well-known melody stretched to unrecognizable lengths, creating something that feels both familiar and fresh.
That description also applies to the ensemble itself, which combines longtime collaborators and new acquaintances. Several of them were on stage alongside him when Ospina premiered his original big band pieces at his Berklee graduation in 2007; others met for the first time in the studio when these tracks were recorded. The members of the band hail from such far-flung locales as the U.K., Cuba, Canada, Israel, Switzerland, Greece, Portugal and Argentina, as well as Ospina's native Colombia and his adopted home of New York (he splits his time between the two when not on tour).
"I thought it would be interesting to have so many different nationalities playing in this band, all bringing their influences to the music in some way," Ospina says. "It's something that might be very common in New York, but from a Colombian perspective it's pretty crazy."
Ospina's homeland is well represented on the album; aside from one turn by Ospina himself, the piano chair is filled either by Colombia native Carolina Calvache or by the composer's brother Nicolás Ospina, with whom he collaborates in a comedy-music duo that's found viral success online. Their sister Silvia designed the artwork for the album. Acclaimed Colombian singer Lucia Pulido's heart-wrenching vocals bring the album to a stirring close on her own "Ver Llover," one of three pieces in Ospina's repertoire commissioned by Bogotá's Jazz al Parque festival. The composition is based on the currulao rhythm from the Pacific coast of Colombia, for which Ospina invited Argentinean drummer Franco Pinna, a master of that tradition, to join the band.
The soaring wordless vocals on the opening title track are by the remarkable Portuguese singer Sofia Ribeiro. Ospina has been a key member of Ribeiro's band for seven years, serving as musical director and producer as well as pianist for her last two albums. Two other members of that ensemble also join Ospina for Tramontana: Greek bassist Petros Klampanis, who appears on "Recuerdos de un Reloj de Pared," and percussionist Marcelo Woloski. "She's an incredible singer and her music is amazing," Ospina says of Ribeiro. "Working with her has been one of my most important musical experiences." "Todavía No," an Ospina composition based on the Pasillo rhythm found in Colombia's Andes Mountains, originally appeared in a small band arrangement on Ospina's 2009 debut, BBB: Barcelona, Bogotá, Boston. Christopher Lyndon of Radio Open Source called the album, "a landmark. It stands with authority as a milestone pointing back and forward [and marks] the 'arrival' of Juan Ospina as a young master already having a uniquely valuable impact on listeners, professional musicians and ambitious artists of all kinds." David Sumner of All About Jazz hailed BBB as "an absolutely welcome addition to the jazz landscape." It was there - after discovering the pianist through one of the comic videos he made with his brother - that Cuban jazz great Paquito D'Rivera first heard the song and decided to add it to his own repertoire. Ospina expanded the tune with D'Rivera in mind, and the legendary saxophonist contributes a graceful yet fervent soprano solo for the occasion. "It's so inspiring for someone that has so much experience and has been on the music scene for more than 50 years is still so thirsty for new sounds," says Ospina, who seized the opportunity to put down his conductor's baton and take over the keyboard for one tune. "Paquito has a very strong personal identity that comes out in every single nuance that he adds to the melody, the small details or grace notes that add so much to the music." The simmering tension of "102 Fahrenheit" was born from the arduous experience of its own composition. Ospina wrote the piece in an un-air conditioned apartment during a summer heatwave in New York City, with deadlines looming and technology refusing to cooperate. "It was a very stressful month," he recalls. "My computer was crashing all the time it was crazy hot. I couldn't open the windows because so much noise was coming from the street that I couldn't concentrate, but if I closed them it was like a sauna. The intensity of the tune came from the stress of having to meet a deadline and not being able to work in comfort." That personal experience of extreme weather led him to create a piece that comments on the more global issue of climate change and the urgently needed (but too widely neglected) response. "Recuerdos de un Reloj de Pared," which translates as "Memories of a Grandfather Clock," was inspired by a timepiece that has stood watch in the house of the composer's grandmother for decades, a silent witness to generations of stories. The recording features the expressive accordion of Magda Giannikou, who also co-produced the album. The two have worked together since 2005, with Ospina playing in her ensemble Banda Magda. She, along with guitarist Nadav Remez and drummer Dan Pulgach (both from Israel), all played the same piece ten years ago at its Berklee premiere. The recording of the album at New York City's iconic Sear Sound Studio was filmed by Grammy-winning director Andy LaViolette, who has produced a series of videos to accompany the release. Far from simple "music videos," these pieces combine candid interviews with the composer set against the backdrop of the city, interspersed with key moments from the studio. The videos reveal a picture of an emerging composer as he crafts his modern take on big band music, as well as what it takes to pull off an independent project on such a massive scale." Juan Andrés Ospina
Currently living in between New York and Bogotá, Colombia, pianist, composer, arranger and producer Juan Andrés Ospina is one of the most active and prominent exponents of an outstanding generation of Colombian musicians. His debut album as a leader, BBB: Barcelona, Bogotá, Boston (Armored Records, 2009) was named one of the "best jazz albums of the year" by the prestigious All About Jazz website. In the past several years, Ospina has produced, arranged and played the piano for Colombian singer Marta Gómez' Este Instante (2015), which won a Latin Grammy; Portuguese singer Sofia Ribeiro's Mar Sonoro (2016) and Ar (2012) - which won the "Revelation" prize from the prestigious French magazine Jazzman; and Portuguese singer Luisa Sobral's debut CD, The Cherry on my Cake (2011), which went Platinum and garnered two Golden Globe nominations. He also co-leads the comedy/musical duo "Inténtalo Carito" with his brother Nicolás Ospina. Together they composed the famous song "Qué difícil es hablar el español," and their YouTube Channel has garnered more than 22 million views to date. Ospina started his musical studies at the Universidad Javeriana (Bogotá), then moved to Barcelona, Spain, where he continued his classical and jazz studies at the Escola D'Angel Soler and the Taller de Musics. In 2005 he received a scholarship to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music, where he studied with = musicians such as Danilo Pérez, Maria Schneider, Greg Hopkins and Dave Samuels among many others.
The exceptional bassist is an expressive vocalist in both his own compositions and interpretations of Jeff Buckley, Peter Gabriel, Abbey Lincoln and Chris Cornell At first glance, bassist Jeff Denson seems to be reinventing himself with each of his albums, and his twelfth album Outside My Window also represents a departure in a new direction. With his powerful tone and lyrical-compositional vision, this versatile musician has come to life Over the past 15 years, he has earned recognition as one of the key bassists of his generation. This album recalibrates the range of its creative expressive possibilities by attaching equal importance to his singing voice. Working with an outstanding international quartet, Denson provides an emotional and exciting program, interweaving surprising interpretations of iconic songs and deeply felt original compositions. That Denson turns out in the middle of his career as a sensitive and enthusiastic singer is not so surprising. The 2012 released "Secret World", the first under his own name, featured two original compositions featuring Denson's vocals, establishing a pattern that continues on most of his solo albums. Last year, Sgt. Pepper's memory album "May I Introduce to You," in collaboration with the San Francisco String Trio, featured his vocal interpretation of "Fixing a Hole" as one of the highlights. Denson's music covers a wide stylistic range, "but my voice is the thread running through everything, whether I sing or not," he says. "I was a singer before I became a bassist. With my entry into the jazz world, I had to put my voice down for a long time. But that I use the voice more from year to year is a logical step for me. This is the first time I sing on an entire album and the songs are a direct continuation of the music I compose and arrange. "
Denson's arrangements of the four pieces by other artists are not so much a reinvention of the works but a new view through the filter of his rich sonic palette. The first is a version of "Grace," a piece inspired by the Negative Press Project album "Eternal Life: Jeff Buckley Songs and Sounds," which Denson produced for Ridgeway Records last year. This is followed by a simple yet touching version of Abbey Lincoln's "Bird Alone", a reharmonized version of Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" in 6/8 time scale and an arrangement of "Fell On Black Days" by Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell; a tribute to one of the bands that provided the soundtrack to Denson's schooldays. "In my opinion he is the best singer of the rock / grunge generation," says Denson. "I wanted to pay tribute to him and his art. And Abbey is one of my favorite singers. I've always liked how she sings, how she pulls the beat; like Billie Holiday. She has such a full, intense sound and in particular this title has always touched me. I wanted to see what I can do with it. " Denson's four original compositions need not hide from the cover pieces, neither "For a Brand New Day" with Beatle-like optimism nor the "We Have Really Gone This Far" clanking with a prepared piano to "Through the Mist", a melancholy piece The Denson has been fundamentally reworked with Minsarah since its original version in 2006, and sounds as if it had just been beamed across from Miles Davis' Next Universe in "In a Silent Way." The vocalist contributes a wordless vocal solo. The final piece, titled Outside My Window, is a wistful invitation to the rich musical world of Jeff Denson.
The album is based on deep musical friendships. Dayna Stephens and Denson met at Boston's Berkelee School of Music and have since played together in different constellations. Israeli-born drummer Ronen Itzig is also a Berkelee pupil, and they have built a close connection through their interplay in the rhythm section of Joe Lovano's 21st Century Ensemble. Both have their degrees at the Florida State University, where they worked together daily, recording three albums with pianist Bill Peterson and one with singer Inga Swearingen over the course of two years. The highly esteemed Finnish pianist Kari Ikonen is a relative newcomer to Denson's musical world and quickly became indispensable. Denson hired icons for a tour with legendary alto saxophonist Lee Konitz and "noted with pleasure that this was my trio with Itzig. Everything fit together and was inspiring. The next few tours with Lee Konitz were always with them. " Konitz played a key role in rediscovering Denson's vocal voice through his encouragement after hearing Denson sing on "Secret World." During a joint performance at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam, the saxophonist made the surprising announcement "Jeff is going to sing," recalls Denson. "They did not even have a microphone on stage, but I sang the tune. Then I booked a West Coast tour with him and we sang spontaneously together every night. It felt great to play the jazz standard repertoire and then sing with him on stage. On the other hand, I also knew that I wanted to make my own music and sing like I was singing; without restrictions." Denson, born December 20, 1976 in Arlington, Virginia, grew up around Washington DC. He played alto saxophone from the third grade, but he gave up in the middle school, but the music had him back soon after as school friends committed him as a singer for rock bands. When one of these groups also needed a bassist, he also took over this role and it was not long before he discovered the divine world of electric bass players in jazz and funk. "Bassists like Jaco, Bootsy Collins, and Stanley Clarke were my entry," recalls Denson. "The virtuoso electric bass in the fusion opened the door to jazz for me." The music of Miles Davis then led him to the double bass, but it was Mingus who inspired him to hang up the Fender. "On 'Haitian Fight Song', he plays this incredible introduction. That was the key moment, "says Denson. "It was clear to me that I could never produce such sounds on the electric bass." During his studies at Northern Virginia Community College, he earned his living as a freelance musician by playing jazz, orchestral music, rock covers, and being head of his own funk combo as bassist and singer in Greater DC. Shortly after receiving a scholarship to Berklee College of Music he made acquaintance with the German pianist Florian Weber and the Israeli drummer Ziv Ravitz, two fellow students with whom founded the Minsarah. The collective trio released their debut album on Hubermusic in 2003, and in 2006 they released an eponymous, critically acclaimed album on Enja Records. In addition to international concert tours with this group, Denson managed to pursue a rigorous academic career. Hired by Florida State University, he earned a Master of Music title in Jazz and discovered his penchant for teaching. After graduating from Magna Cum Laude in 2005 and preparing to move to New York City, he happened to meet bass guru Mark Dresser. He had just accepted a professorship at the University of California in San Diego and convinced Denson to relocate to Southern California. There he got, again with full scholarship, the doctorate in Contemporary Music Performance with a focus on composition. During his stay in San Diego Denson also toured extensively with Minsarah. Lee Konitz heard the band in 2006 on a concert series in Germany. "The beginning of a great adventure," says Denson.
With Minsarah in the role of his band, the critically acclaimed 2007 Lee Konitz New Quartet released his first album, Deep Lee. This was followed in 2009 by the album Live at the Village Vanguard, which won the 2010 Album of the Year award from French Jazzman Magazine, and 2014 standards Live: At the Village Vanguard (all on Enja). In 2012, Denson debuted as a bandleader with his album Secret World and demonstrated his versatility with the simultaneous release of two duo albums: I'll Fly Away, inventing American hymns and spirituals from scratch with San Diego-based pianist Joshua White The Swiss clarinet virtuoso Claudio Puntin freely improvised dialogues on the album Two. In 2011, Denson moved to San Francisco and accepted the appointment to full professorship at the California Jazz Conservatory. In the following years, he worked closely with some of the best musicians in San Francisco Bay, including bassoon virtuoso Paul Hanson, clarinetist Ben Goldberg, guitarist Mimi Fox, and violinist Mads Tolling (his fellow San Francisco String Quartet) , Denson is also a prolific composer and arranger whose work includes a whole range of different jazz formats, as well as string ensembles, solo bass, and a chamber opera. With the unveiling of Ridgeway Arts, a nonprofit organization, he has united his diverse fields of activity under one roof. Ridgway Arts aims to expand and strengthen the San Francisco metropolitan area and make a significant contribution to the American jazz landscape and art in general through a focus on four approaches: expression, education, presentation and documentation. He introduced the initiative with The Jeff Denson Trio + Lee Konitz and subsequently Arctic from Alan Hall's critically acclaimed Ensemble Ratatet. Meanwhile, the label has developed into an important channel of connection to a roster of international musicians and serves as a portal to Denson's multifaceted musical imagination. "Artists are always fantasizing about new projects," he says. "My clear goal has always been to create my own musical world."
Music Talks: Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba Carve Unexpected New Routes From West Africa to the American South
North Carolina-based Senegalese kora master Diali Cissokho took his American bandmates from Kaira Ba back to his hometown of M’bour on a long wished-for trip to record an album together, what became Routes (Twelve | Eight Records; release: June 29, 2018). Nearly fresh off the plane, Cissokho and bassist/ producer Jonathan Henderson dashed around the port city, looking at concrete-block room after concrete-block room. “We were wondering if we’d ever find the right space,” recalls Henderson. “Then Diali ran into an old friend at the mosque. He owned a hotel and showed us this really beautiful eight-sided, rattan-paneled room on the third story. You could see the ocean. For a week, we set the studio up there, using our engineer Jason Richmond’s mobile rig. And in the courtyard outfront, we recorded the big percussion parts.” Cissokho’s musical friends and family dropped by the seaside recording studio, laying down inspired cameos. After their Senegal sessions, the band took the tracks back to North Carolina and wove in talented local musicians, from gospel vocals (“Salsa Xalel”) to gorgeous strings (“Naamuusoo”). “We wanted to tell the story of these two places Diali has called home,” explains Henderson. “We wanted to bring North Carolina and M’bour together on the record.” They enlisted the talent of world-class violinist Jennifer Curtis, North Carolina Heritage Award-winning mandolin player Tony Williamson, jazz and gospel vocalists Shana Tucker and Tamisha Waden, the great pedal steel guitar player Eric Heywood, and a handful of local jazz instrumentalists. The results range from high-energy dancefloor-friendly to intimate and contemplative. Cissokho’s storytelling and musical prowess give direction to Kaira Ba’s American players, whose explorations and instincts carve new paths across the Atlantic, a mutual exchange and musical conversation that easily span oceans.
Cissokho comes from a long line of Mande musicians tracing back to the 16th-century Mali Empire, trained to foster exchange and spark conversation, soothing hearts and rousing spirits. Born into a family of griots, Cissokho learned from an early age how to play kora, sing, and craft songs to praise patrons, recall past events, and heal intense conflicts and emotions. “Badima” pays tribute to his family and its beautiful legacy, recalling a moment when family discord resolved into harmony. Cissokho landed in North Carolina thanks to love, falling for and marrying an American student of Senegalese music. He felt lost at first, as he tried to find his musical bearings in his new home. He went to a lot of shows, met a lot of local musicians, and finally, through trial, error, and jam sessions, connected with a quartet of local artists who got him, and whom he got. After connecting with Cissokho, drummer Austin McCall brought the group together. It included Will Ridenour, who had studied djembe and kora extensively in Senegal and Mali, on percussion. Berklee-trained jazz guitarist John Westmoreland worked closely with Diali to incorporate the interwoven kora lines into his own playing. Jonathan Henderson, an ethnomusicologist with a background in jazz and afro-diasporic styles joined on bass. The process took time. “Our instruments had to talk to each other,” explains Cissokho. “They had to follow my key, tune into me. I didn’t know how to explain. But then they heard the melody, and they tuned to me. I started to believe, okay, it’s coming. I didn’t lose my music from back home -- it’s always here with me. We spoke a different language. But music, as my dad would say, music talks.” The gradual process of mastering each other’s musical speech, of building real friendships, unfolded over several years. Henderson and fellow Kaira Ba bandmates mastered the rhythms and melodic arcs that formed the heart of Cissokho’s music, while Cissokho picked up on their penchant for strong arrangements and funky hooks. They learned from each other, sometimes in complex, multi-layered ways that went far deeper than jamming or teaching each other licks. One example of the in-depth conversation between Cissokho and Kaira Ba can be heard in the string quartet of “Alla L’a Ke.” “First we recorded Diali playing the song solo on kora. Then I went on a week-long retreat up in the mountains,” Henderson says. “I transcribed the kora playing and used it as the starting point for the string quartet arrangements. When I got back, I played him the midi output from the notation software. ‘That’s my hand,’ Diali said.” Though his musical fingerprints were all over the arrangement, it took a while for Cissokho and the rest of the band to warm up to the novel sound. Yet the strings bring another, warm layer to the more conventional Afropop palette.
Kaira Ba loves to buck expectations by tapping into less appreciated sides of Senegalese music--then adding an American twist. Salsa has long had a place in Senegalese listeners’ and musicians’ hearts, and “Salsa Xalel” shines a light on the style’s widespread popularity. “Salsa is a big deal in West Africa. My dad listened to salsa and played it and danced to it,” Cissokho notes. “I knew it from my dad. When my dad didn’t get along with his wives, he would play salsa and sing to them. I’d listen to the groove and the melody, how he put his finger to the string. That’s how I got into salsa,” a style Cissokho experimented with. In Senegal, they expanded Cissokho’s song by adding balafon and talking drum (tama) to the mix. Then, back in North Carolina, the band invited singers Tucker and Waden to contribute, blending in another layer of African-heritage sound. Though the uptempo songs on Routes lock into funky, deep pockets, making for irresistible dance tracks, other pieces stretch into more tender territory. “Saya” came to Cissokho after his beloved mother passed away: “Right when we buried her, everyone started to walk back home. I couldn’t. I stayed in the cemetery. I started to turn home and this song came to my heart. I went to my uncle’s room. He used to play kora until he grew older. I asked him if I could borrow it, because I needed to play this song. My uncle and everyone told me no, we had just buried her, but then they listened to what I played and started crying.” Though Kaira Ba kept a light touch, they invited Eric Heywood to add arcs of pedal steel. “We wanted to get out of the way and let the song shine, in its honesty,” Henderson recounts. “That was the first take, with just kora and vocal live. While some of instrumentation on other tracks took warming up to, the pedal steel was something that Diali connected with right away. There’s an expressive quality to it, somehow reminiscent of the human voice.” The people and places of M’bour and the North Carolina piedmont express themselves on Routes as well, not only via Cissokho’s lyrics and stories or musical performances, but in atmospheric recordings that weave in and out of tracks. Recordings of markets, nighttime courtyard jams, and beach life sneak into the mix. As do the voices and the sounds--Carolina cicadas sing at the start the first track--of Cissokho’s new home, his new roots. “We wanted to give people a window into how we put this together. The album opens with cicadas in North Carolina, but then at the end, by ‘Night in M’bour,’ we share the rich sonic experience of being in Senegal, listening to this other world of sound, hearing sabar drumming reverberating in the distance, the children chanting the Quran at night,” reflects Henderson. “We wanted to weave these sounds in. The record ends with a live performance by Diali’s nephew Mamadou. That final track really captured our time outside the studio, hanging out and playing music and singing songs, learning from each other.”
