Blue Lotus: Seven Continents

Ethno Jazz/World Jazz/Modern Jazz
premiera polska: 2014-11-20,
Wydawnicto Audiofilskie
opakowanie: digipackowe etui
opis:
multikulti.com:
Blue Lotus po raz drugi!

Jazz i muzyka indyjska to od połowy lat 60. stale rozwijający się język muzyki. Zapewne z racji kolonialnej przeszłości pierwszymi muzykami, sięgającymi do indyjskiej tradycji muzycznej byli muzycy brytyjscy. Tu na szczególną uwagę zasługuje saksofonista Joe Harriott, który wraz z urodzonym w Indiach Johnem Mayerem nagrał płyty „Indo Jazz Suite” i „Indo Jazz Fusion”. Na te lata przypadają też indyjskie zainteresowania członków zespołu The Beatles. Inspiracje muzyką indyjską w późnej muzyce Coltrane’a to kolejny ważny moment, nie do przecenienia są dokonania gitarzysty Johna McLauglina, który już w 1971 roku, na płycie „My Goal’s Beyond”, zamieścił utwory, w których klasyczną muzykę indyjską łączył z jazzową improwizacją, nie wspominając już o jego późniejszych formacjach – Mahavishnu Orchestra i przede wszystkim Shakti.

Niebieski Lotos Indyjski w języku angielskim zwany Blue Lotus to wodny kwiat o niebieskich lub czerwonych kwiatach występujący w południowo wschodniej Azji. Trio złożone z harfistki Tine Rehling, tablisty Olego Theilla i gitarzysty Mikkela Nordso prezentuje ethno-jazzowy projekt o bardzo medytacyjnym charakterze.
Najbardziej znany w zespole to gitarzysta Mikkel Nordso, na przestrzeni lat nagrywał i koncertował z wieloma interesującymi muzykami: Marilyn Mazur, L. Subramaniam, Kavita Krishnamurthi, Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Tomas Clausen, Gary Burton, Lan Doky's group z Davidem Sanbornem, Randy Brecker, Terri Lyne Carrington, Gino Vanelli.
Tine Rehling to z kolei jedna z czołowych wirtuozek harfy z Skandynawii, studiowała w Royal Danish Conservatory i University of Indiana's School of Music u legendarnej harfistki - Susann McDonald.
Perkusista Ole Teill przez wiele lat studiował klasyczną muzyke indyjską w Benares w Indiach. Uczestniczył w nagraniu ponad 100 albumów, był liderem znanej grupy Bombay Hotel, z którym na przełomie 80./90. nagrał dwie doskonałe płyty "Bombay Hotel" and "Flower". Nagrywał i koncertował z Lars Moller Group, Vanem Morrisonem, Palle Mikkelborg Entrance i Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen Quartet.
Mamy zatem do czynienia z trójką nieprzypadkowych muzyków, raczej nie uczestniczących w popkulturowej gonitwie. Znajduje to potwierdzenie w muzyce, to jakby długa podróż łodzią po leniwie płynącej rzece, spoglądasz na liście, szeleszczące na wietrze, słyszysz śpiew ptaków ... bierzesz głęboki oddech i powoli wyhamowujesz.
Zawartość muzyczna oscyluje pomiędzy delikatnością brzmieniową płyt Al Di Meola & World Sinfonia a kulturową charakterystyką Shakti Johna McLaughlina.

Nowa odsłona tego multikulturowego projektu przynosi twórcze rozwinięcie koncepcji połączenia dwóch fascynujących stylów muzycznych, muzyki indyjskiej oraz jazzu. Tym razem poza trójką muzyków, występujących na debiutanckiej płycie usłyszymy flecistę Shashanka Subramanyama, Patri Satish Kumar i Sai Giridhar grających na mridangam i perkusjonistę Jacoba Andersena.

Połączenie klasycznej muzyki hinduskiej z jazzowymi wpływami, wyjątkową wirtuozerią i oryginalną koncepcją muzyczną dały niebywały efekt, który może zafascynować słuchaczy o otwartej głowie. Poszczególne kompozycje zaczynają się spokojnie i niepozornie, aby później nabrać dynamizmu. Oryginalna charakterystyka brzmieniowa harfy w kontekście fuzji jazzu i muzyki indyjskiej pozwala formacji Blue Lotus stworzyć dzieło oryginale i ze wszech miar godne polecenia.

Niejako na deser otrzymujemy porywającą interpretację rockowego evergreena „House of the Rising Sun” The Animals.
autor: Piotr Szukała

Editor's info:
SEVEN CONTINENTS - A FLYING CARPET TO SEVEN CONTINENTS

The trio BLUE LOTUS has created a unique tapestry of sounds from all over the world. Their genuinely borderless music can be heard on the formidable new release SEVEN CONTINENTS (Stunt Records) with the South Indian flute virtuoso Shashank Subramanyam as featured guest.

When BLUE LOTUS appeared on the music scene in 2010, it was a gigantic leap. Their debut album received enormous praise. Three Danish musicians with origins in their own Scandinavian reality connecting particularly to Indian music. The connection was carried off with the virtuosity necceasry when attempting to add new dimensions to space previously opened by musicians like John McLaughlin and groups like Shakti. Their debut four years ago was utterly successful.

The voyage continues with SEVEN CONTINENTS. The line-up is the same: Mikke Nordso on acoustic guitar inspired greatly by flamenco, his cousin, Tine Rehling, whose harp examines the classical music, which she has mastered as few over the past 20 years. But she also treads new paths with floods of notes reminiscent of the northern Indian stringed instrument, the santuur. The trio’s third member is the Danish tabla master Ole Theill. A disciple of the Indian master Pandit Ishwar Lal Mishra, he has reached an amazing level of proficiency.
Together they examine a diversity of musical traditions with their usual skill. Echoes of Seville and flamenco combined with Nordso’s life-long love of Brazilian music – as in Buki Yamaz, the launching ramp of his career. With their sights on the holy city Varanasi by the river Ganges or southern destinations as Chennai, it is a scoop for BLUE LOTUS to join forces with the Indian bansuri-flute master, Shashank Subramanyam.

Shashank Subramanyam has visited our part of the world previously, but the interplay with BLUE LOTUS brings out new facets in his playing, and he virtually sparks in interaction with his musical relations from Denmark. Take a listen to the opening track, Mikkel Nordso’s composition, Sunflower – a flying start!

Shashank Subramanyam sprints away with Ole Theil’s tablas following right behind like a congenial shadow and prances along with Mikkel Nordso’s guitar. The latter is famous for his dancing speed across the frets of his guitar, and the music runs freely in precise compositions that incorporate the collaborators’ playfulness within the tight-fitting framework.

This is a voyage across seven continents, and after several virtuosic Indian excursions a fresh breeze lands us in a Brazilian bossa, Hello October, with a friendly nod to Nordso’s and Rehling’s work with Thomas Clausen’s Brazilian Quartet. The trip ends with a humorous but also beautiful version of The House of the Rising Sun, with the tablas tapping joyously along with several lightning fast flamenco guitar licks – perhaps sent off as a tribute to the recently deceased Spanish guitar hero Paco de Lucia. SEVEN CONTINENTS is a thunderous roar of an album: Explosive, poetic, gentle and melodious - and above all full of surprises. Listen and enjoy!



About BLUE LOTUS:
Mikkel Nordso (b.1955) made his reputation in Buki Yamaz. He was a rock star in Sneakers, and as a leader of Mikkel Nordso Band he has released a string of fine solo albums. He travels constantly, and when he is home, he works in the studio below his apartment – where SEVEN CONTINENTS was created – often collaborating with his sons Frederik and Fridolin, well-known musicians and producers, and lately also with his third son, photographer Benjamin Nordso.

Ole Theill (b.1956), a long-term student of the Indian tabla master Pandit Ishwar Lal Mishra, has been a drummer with many artists in Denmark and abroad. He began his career in Instant Breakfast, but is best known for his work with Mikkel Nordso Band and Bombay Hotel (in which he and Nordso joined forces with keyboard wizard Kenneth Knudsen), and with the Dutch guitar virtuoso Jan Akkerman (previously of Focus).

Tine Rehling (b.1964) is one of Denmark’s most renowned harpists. She worked with her cousin, Mikkel Nordso, in the band Timewave, which also included her father, cembalist Jesper Boye Christensen, and Mikkel’s elder brother Klavs Nordso. Tine Rehling has had a long and distinguished career. She is a recipient of the Jacob Gade Award, and she is particularly appreciated for her intense collaboration with composer Per Norgaard, who composed his harp concert, Gennem torne, for her in 2003. On June 1., Rehling celebrated her 50th birthday with a concert in Copenhagen featuring - among other acts – her own ensemble and BLUE LOTUS.

Guest soloist Shashank Subramanyam (b.1978) is one of India’s most distinguished flutists. He is rooted in the South Indian Karnataka tradition, which is quite different from the North Indian tradition that is better known in our part of the world. He lives in Chennai (previously Madras) in South India. Shashank is famous for revolutionizing the flute playing of his country, and since his debut as a six year-old he has performed with leading musicians all over the world including John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucia, New Jungle Orchestra and many of India’s foremost masters.
A FLYING CARPET TO SEVEN CONTINENTS
The trio BLUE LOTUS has created a unique tapestry of sounds from all over the world. Their genuinely borderless music can be heard on the formidable new release SEVEN CONTINENTS (Stunt Records) with the South Indian flute virtuoso Shashank Subramanyam as featured guest.

When BLUE LOTUS appeared on the music scene in 2010, it was a gigantic leap. Their debut album received enormous praise. Three Danish musicians with origins in their own Scandinavian reality connecting particularly to Indian music. The connection was carried off with the virtuosity necceasry when attempting to add new dimensions to space previously opened by musicians like John McLaughlin and groups like Shakti. Their debut four years ago was utterly successful.

The voyage continues with SEVEN CONTINENTS. The line-up is the same: Mikke Nordso on acoustic guitar inspired greatly by flamenco, his cousin, Tine Rehling, whose harp examines the classical music, which she has mastered as few over the past 20 years. But she also treads new paths with floods of notes reminiscent of the northern Indian stringed instrument, the santuur. The trio’s third member is the Danish tabla master Ole Theill. A disciple of the Indian master Pandit Ishwar Lal Mishra, he has reached an amazing level of proficiency.
Together they examine a diversity of musical traditions with their usual skill. Echoes of Seville and flamenco combined with Nordso’s life-long love of Brazilian music – as in Buki Yamaz, the launching ramp of his career. With their sights on the holy city Varanasi by the river Ganges or southern destinations as Chennai, it is a scoop for BLUE LOTUS to join forces with the Indian bansuri-flute master, Shashank Subramanyam.

Shashank Subramanyam has visited our part of the world previously, but the interplay with BLUE LOTUS brings out new facets in his playing, and he virtually sparks in interaction with his musical relations from Denmark. Take a listen to the opening track, Mikkel Nordso’s composition, Sunflower – a flying start!

Shashank Subramanyam sprints away with Ole Theil’s tablas following right behind like a congenial shadow and prances along with Mikkel Nordso’s guitar. The latter is famous for his dancing speed across the frets of his guitar, and the music runs freely in precise compositions that incorporate the collaborators’ playfulness within the tight-fitting framework.

This is a voyage across seven continents, and after several virtuosic Indian excursions a fresh breeze lands us in a Brazilian bossa, Hello October, with a friendly nod to Nordso’s and Rehling’s work with Thomas Clausen’s Brazilian Quartet. The trip ends with a humorous but also beautiful version of The House of the Rising Sun, with the tablas tapping joyously along with several lightning fast flamenco guitar licks – perhaps sent off as a tribute to the recently deceased Spanish guitar hero Paco de Lucia. SEVEN CONTINENTS is a thunderous roar of an album: Explosive, poetic, gentle and melodious - and above all full of surprises. Listen and enjoy!


About BLUE LOTUS:
Mikkel Nordso (b.1955) made his reputation in Buki Yamaz. He was a rock star in Sneakers, and as a leader of Mikkel Nordso Band he has released a string of fine solo albums. He travels constantly, and when he is home, he works in the studio below his apartment – where SEVEN CONTINENTS was created – often collaborating with his sons Frederik and Fridolin, well-known musicians and producers, and lately also with his third son, photographer Benjamin Nordso.

Ole Theill (b.1956), a long-term student of the Indian tabla master Pandit Ishwar Lal Mishra, has been a drummer with many artists in Denmark and abroad. He began his career in Instant Breakfast, but is best known for his work with Mikkel Nordso Band and Bombay Hotel (in which he and Nordso joined forces with keyboard wizard Kenneth Knudsen), and with the Dutch guitar virtuoso Jan Akkerman (previously of Focus).

Tine Rehling (b.1964) is one of Denmark’s most renowned harpists. She worked with her cousin, Mikkel Nordso, in the band Timewave, which also included her father, cembalist Jesper Boye Christensen, and Mikkel’s elder brother Klavs Nordso. Tine Rehling has had a long and distinguished career. She is a recipient of the Jacob Gade Award, and she is particularly appreciated for her intense collaboration with composer Per Norgaard, who composed his harp concert, Gennem torne, for her in 2003. On June 1., Rehling celebrated her 50th birthday with a concert in Copenhagen featuring - among other acts – her own ensemble and BLUE LOTUS.

Guest soloist Shashank Subramanyam (b.1978) is one of India’s most distinguished flutists. He is rooted in the South Indian Karnataka tradition, which is quite different from the North Indian tradition that is better known in our part of the world. He lives in Chennai (previously Madras) in South India. Shashank is famous for revolutionizing the flute playing of his country, and since his debut as a six year-old he has performed with leading musicians all over the world including John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucia, New Jungle Orchestra and many of India’s foremost masters.

muzycy:
Mikkel Nordso (g)
Tine Rehling (harp)
Ole Theill (tabla)
Shashank Subramanyam (fl)
Patri Satish Kumar, Sai Giridhar (mridangam)
Jacob Andersen (perc)

utwory:
1. Sunflower
2. Ekaas Ballad
3. Eiffel
4. Cadencia de Tarantos
5. Seven Continents
6. Life Flow
7. Sunset Cruise
8. Cloud Nine
9. I Rosens Tegn
10. Hello October
11. House of the Rising Sun

wydano: August 04, 2014
more info: www.sundance.dk