Book Of Mae'bul (Another Kind of Sunrise)

Modern Jazz / Indie Jazz
premiera polska: 2021-10-18
kontynent: Ameryka Północna
kraj: USA
opakowanie: digipackowe etui
opis:
multikulti.com, 2014-05:
""Book of Ma'bul" ukazuje zupełnie nowe oblicze Dariusa Jones. Już nie jawi się nam tylko, jako "kolejne gorące nazwisko muzyki jazzowej" czy też altowy saksofonista potrafiący dźwiękiem instrumentu (niczym kopniakiem) wysadzić drzwi klubu. Nagranie to ukazuje go, jako pełnokrwistego lidera własnego składu, znakomitego instrumentalistę i utalentowanego kompozytora, posiadającego spójną wizję własnej muzyki i potrafiącego poprowadzić swych partnerów w swoją muzykę tak, by słuchacze nie mieli najmniejszych wątpliwości, że w pełni się z nią identyfikują.

Zebrane tu kompozycje powstawały specjalnie na potrzeby kwartetu, który składa się z bardzo utalentowanych muzyków należących niemal do jednego pokolenia. Matt Mitchell, Trevor Dunn i Ches Smith, pochodząc z jednego właściwie miasta do tej pory poruszali się w nieco odmiennych muzycznych środowiskach - Trevor Dunn związany jest bardzo blisko z Tzadikiem i muzycznymi światami Johna Zorna, podczas gdy Smith i Mitchell, ale i Jones nigdy jeszcze tam nie nagrywali. Wszyscy jednak potrafią podporządkować się czystej wizji lidera i wnieść od siebie całkiem sporo kreatywności.

Sam Jones opisuje swą zebraną na nowej płycie kwartetu muzykę całkiem poetycko: wzniosłe melodie i "naturalne piękno i miłość wplatają się w ruch płynącej muzyki. Piękno to jest istotnym elementem w koncepcyjnym orędzia Ma'bul," Darius kontynuuje. „Moja siostra i matka to dwie najbardziej naturalnie pięknie kobiety - wewnątrz i z zewnątrz, jakie kiedykolwiek widziałem. Patrząc na afrykańskich cechy mojej siostry, jej ciemno-brązowa skórę podziwiam, jak przeszłość i teraźniejszość mogą stworzyć takie piękno. Więc w tworzeniu Ma'bul, chciałem wykorzystać formy i struktury, które były bardziej widoczne w przeszłości, grając bezkompromisowo nowoczesnym językiem. Ma'bul jest ucieleśnieniem każdej kobiety, jaką naprawdę kochałem i z którą miałem związek z w moim życiu" dodaje Jones.

Piękna, ciepła i twórcza muzyka, zaprawiona nieco kobiecą i miękkością."
autor: Marek Zając
Editor's info:
[ A preface: in 2011, alto saxophonist/composer Darius Jones met the great promise of his acclaimed 2009 debut with a pair of utterly distinct albums, each of which gave and received a great measure of love: Cosmic Lieder introduced a standing duet project with established jazz master Matthew Shipp, and Big Gurl (Smell My Dream) brought to life the bodacious titular character via Jones' bad-ass trio with Adam Lane and Jason Nazary. ]

2012 reveals the magical third character and verse in his Man'ish Boy epic:

“Ma’bul is the embodiment of every woman I have truly loved and had a relationship with in my life,” Jones explains. “They say Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that Love is God. I believe we as human beings are constantly searching for the answer to the mystery of these two elements of life. Beauty is not universal and Love is manifest differently from person to person. Ma’bul is my attempt at creating a totem to represent my spiritual pursuit of these two elements in sound.”

Book of Ma'bul (Another Kind of Sunrise) elevates Darius' estimable work as composer and bandleader to a new level of creative magnitude. It is his first Quartet release, and once again features a stunning new book of compositions written specifically for the project. The band consists of highly talented generational peers, each of whom give forth their finest in this group. Sublime melodies, purposefully juxtaposed meters, love, and beauty map the exquisitely detailed yet fluid movement of the music. Music that has been purposefully designed to embrace the listener.

"Natural Beauty is a vital component in the conceptual message of Ma’bul,” Darius continues. “My sister and mother are two of the most naturally beautiful women inside and out I have ever seen. When looking at my sister’s African features and dark brown skin I can’t help but marvel at how the past and present are colliding to create such Beauty. So in creating Ma’bul, I wanted to utilize forms and structures that were more prominent in the past while playing uncompromisingly in a modern day language. The idea in the simplest of terms is creating eternity now. I Love the idea of eternity.” "Saxophonist Darius Jones has rung the changes on each of his widely acclaimed leadership dates. Book Of Mae'bul subverts expectations again with an all new quartet drawn from NYC's finest, who shift between intricate script and flowing invention in the blink of an eye." - John Sharpe, All About Jazz

"With fluid melodies, unhurried pacing and a heightened sense of emotion, Mae'bul elevates Jones's stature as both a player and composer." - Bryon Hayes, Exclaim!

DOWNBEAT / EDITOR'S PICK
Book of Ma’bul (Another Kind Of Sunrise) is the incredibly thoughtful, powerful conclusion to a trilogy of recordings by Darius Jones. That’s the easy way to describe it, but I’m sure not exactly accurate in the composer/alto saxophonist’s grand vision. So let’s elaborate. Ma’bul is the third “verse” in Jones’ ongoing Man’ish Boy epic, which he considers to be the tone poem of his life. And this “verse” concludes the epic’s back story, the early years of his life—a story that began with Man’ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing) from 2009 and continued with Big Gurl (Smell My Dream) in 2011. And that’s what I love about Darius Jones. He’s not just another young saxophonist out to blow the doors off the back of the club. He has a big, adventurous plan. He’s telling a story that’s long and involved, but gripping. Ma’bul is a new character added to the epic. She is the embodiment of every woman he has ever loved. In creating her, Jones decided to use this recording to explore the sonics of beauty and love. It’s often messy business, but ultimately blissful, as can be experienced on the tune “You Have Me Seeing Red.” The song begins with a driving, repetitive vamp, almost like an argument where both sides keep repeating themselves. From there, you can almost envision the various stages of the argument, the attack, the inner anger, the weariness and, ultimately, some sort of grudging resolution. It’s intricately well-written and performed with Matt Mitchell on piano, Trevor Dunn on bass and Ches Smith on drums. Jones has just the right wailing tone on his alto—one part soothing, one part stabbing—and he knows just when to employ each. That’s the case on the entirety of this disc. It’s one of the best, most thought-out recordings I’ve heard this year, from the theme and the music to the packaging, which includes paintings created by graphic artist Randal Wilcox. It all adds up to one thing. I’ll enjoy Ma’bul for a long time, and now I can’t wait to hear the next “verse” from Darius Jones.
- Frank Alkyer (publisher)

"Each head provides a springboard for improvisations that balance abstraction and complexity with stunning rhythmic cohesion. .. this invigorating quartet date walks the line between exploration and accessibility that most musicians are afraid — or unable — to touch." –Marc Medwin, Dusted
"Although there's always a 21st century consciousness galvanizing his odes on love, truth and beauty, his sonic verses have, in their most alluring, lyrical passages, the afterglow of a 19th century romantic poet like John Keats, a verbal soloist who thought deeply and wrote enigmatically about beauty and truth."
–Owen McNally, Hartford Courant
[On the Quartet's performance at Vision Festival, 2012] : "The performance centered on a series of heart-rending ballads. Jones sounded as precise and openhearted as I've ever heard him. Every time I go see him, I'm struck by the care and gravity he puts into each phrase, even if the passage is a delicate one, he gears up, bears down, applies enormous psychic pressure. The notes have a vocal cry—smooth, yet with rasp always threatening to creep in around the edges, like peppered honey—but they're sculpted and purposeful. He's entered a new phase of maturity with this project. Its emotional spectrum is total."
- Hank Shteamer, Dark Forces Swing Blind Punches

"4-Stars: Not only is Book of Ma'bul another powerful addition to a body of work, but it shows his smarts as a bandleader .. with each new recording we're seeing another facet of a magnificently gifted musician."
- Peter Margasek, DownBeat

"The album, even at its most challenging, is suffused with an inviting warmth. [The compositions] add dimensions to Jones' composite portrait of a woman who, as depicted in Randal Wilcox's album art, needs four eyes and two mouths to fully process the world around her. Jones more than does her justice."
- Michael Roberts, Jazziz

"4-Stars: Jones' playing and composing may have some of the mercurial energy associated with the avant-garde but the communicative immediacy of African-American folk traditions stands like a bedrock in his work. Like all players that matter, Jones brings a lived-in, wizened quality to his performances, as if he knows something not just of black diasporan musical traditions but of the lives behind them."
- Kevin LeGendre, Jazzwise

“Jones’ playing is both searing and drenched in the gospel church, achingly delicate and bubbling with joy. He gets into areas that are almost impossible to describe, though the feeling is of a gentle roundness and liquid caress both incredibly pure and powerful."
- Clifford Allen, The New York City Jazz Record

muzycy:
Darius Jones: alto saxophone
Matt Mitchell: piano
Trevor Dunn: bass
Ches Smith: drums

utwory:
1. The Enjoli Moon 6.50
2. The Fagley Blues 5.43
3. Winkie 4.22
4. Be Patient With Me 7.38
5. My Baby 8.45
6. You Have Me Seeing Red 7.39
7. So Sad 8.00
8. Roosevelt 6.48

total time - 55:51
wydano: 2012
more info: www.aumfidelity.com