Wadada Leo Smith - Amina Claudine Myers: Central Park [Translucent Vinyl 1LP 180g]

AACM / Modal Jazz
premiera polska: 2024-09-12
opakowanie: Singlefoldowe etui
opis:
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Ta para wyjątkowych jazzowych gigantów stworzyła elegijne misterium, zdolne poruszyć najwrażliwsze struny słuchaczy.
Trębacz i kompozytor Wadada Leo Smith to artysta głębokiej duchowości, odcisnął niezwykle silne piętno na muzyce improwizowanej. Pianistka, organistka i śpiewaczka Amina Claudine Myers to jedna z opok AACM i New Black Music. Współpracowała z Kalaparusha Mauricem McIntyrem, Muhalem Richardem Abramsem, Henrym Threadgillem, Lesterem Bowie, Jamesem Bloodem Ulmerem oraz Liberation Music Orchestra Charliego Hadena.
Ta niezwykła sesja jest ich pierwszą zarejestrowaną i opublikowaną w formie CD i LP. To świadectwo wielkiej artystycznej mocy wynikającej z głębokiego zrozumienia aktu kreacji. Wadada i Amina niczym charyzmatyczni kapłan i kapłanka prowadzą nas elegijną, mroczną, budowaną z wielką pieczołowitością narracją. Napięcie i dynamika rośnie do kulminacji w "Albert Ayler, a meditation in light", najbardziej otwartej kompozycji, która zadziwia ładunkiem interakcyjnym.
Płytę kończy "Imagine, a mosaic for John Lennon", ascetyczna, eksponująca raczej kształty delikatne, tajemnicze kompozycja. Pianistka waży każdy akord, pozwala mu wybrzmieć. Wadada dopowiada z oddali, muzycy dają nam czas na refleksję. Obydwoje konsekwentnie dbają o wielką spójność wyrazową całości. Pomaga w tym wzajemny szacunek, jaki żywią do siebie muzycy oraz zaraźliwa radość grania.
"Central Park’s Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens" to piąty album w katalogu oficyny Red Hook, założonej przez byłego producenta amerykańskich sesji artystów ECM Records - Sun Chunga, piąty znakomity!
autor: Mariusz Zawiślak
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"An elegy to the verdant rectangle hemmed in by the high-rise mayhem of Manhattan, this is full of playing so poignant that it’ll make your chest ache."
The Guardian - Ben Beaumont-Thomas

"The trumpeter and pianist conjure an intimate vibe in a recording of slowly unfolding pleasures."
Financial Times - Mike Hobart

"A sumptuous offering from two masters."
Jazzwise (Editor's Choice) - Kevin Le Gendre

"Smith, on the cusp of 80 at the time of this recording, brings poignancy as well as ironclad technique to a stately exploration of his theme. Myers, patient and probing, conveys both radiant beauty and a deepening shade of crepuscular darkness."
The Gig - Nate Chinen

“'Central Park' a une qualité contemplative, une lenteur, qui lui donne de la profondeur et témoigne de la gravité de ses auteurs."
France Musique - Alex Dutilh

"Ce merveilleux duo d'artisans-denteliers brodent une élégante musique élégiaque pour évoquer le parc."
Jazz Magazine - Paul Jaillet

"This, from two of the elders, is a very special one."
The Blue Moment - Richard Williams

"A haunting masterclass in measured melodic invention and emphatic dialogue."
Downbeat - John Murph

Editor's info
'Central Park’s Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens', a remarkable convergence of two kindred musical spirits - trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith and newly minted NEA Jazz Master pianist and organist Amina Claudine Myers. This extraordinary collaboration marks the master musicians’ first recorded collaboration, and their first involvement since their early years as key members of the iconic Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). Central Park serves as a testament to the enduring power of artistic connection and the evolution of musical mastery.
On 'Central Park', the duo paint scenes and conjure landscapes with the musical sound fields created by Smith’s supple horn and Myers’ fervent piano and organ. With pieces deriving inspiration from Central Park’s many natural splendors, the album strikes tones of wistfulness, longing, awe, discord and peace. 'Central Park' has a considered quality, a slowness that both gives it depth and is evidence of the gravity of its makers. The album is marked by the convergence of two iconic sounds and an intentionality of texture created between their two instruments and the sonority fully encompassed by their individual musical refrains, and the space between.
Left to their own devices, Smith and Myers, both hailing from the South before finding their artistic homes in Chicago, discovered a profound gravitational pull drawing them back together. Their shared history as key first-wave members of the AACM laid the groundwork for a friendship and creative partnership that spans over half a century. The AACM is a pioneering collective of musicians dedicated to the promotion and advancement of creative improvisation and experimental music. Founded in Chicago in the 1960s, the organization has served as a catalyst for innovation and collaboration within the jazz and avant-garde music communities.
Myers, who famously appeared in the second AACM concert, with Philip Cohran’s Artistic Heritage Ensemble at the South Shore Ballroom in 1966, preceded Smith by a year or so. While he was studying at the Sherwood Music School at the Fine Arts Building in the Loop, Smith became active in the AACM, where he grew into one of its most important philosophers and composers; like many AACMers, he spent a period in Europe before moving to Connecticut and California, sharing his own version of concepts germinated in the AACM.
In 2015, nearly fifty years after their initial encounter, Smith penned the poignant composition "Amina Claudine Myers" as a tribute to his esteemed colleague, and recorded the composition with his Great Lakes Quartet and as a solo trumpet piece. Smith’s homage to his fellow AACM member and musical counterpart, Myers, sets the stage for the mesmerizing journey that unfolds in Central Park.
The album emanates a deliberate, contemplative quality, inviting listeners to immerse themselves in its rich sonic tapestry. Myers' masterful piano work, showcased prominently throughout the album, guides the listener through a series of elegant, introspective episodes, each imbued with a sense of profound depth and emotional resonance. Smith's trumpet, with its radiant tones and illuminating presence, serves as a beacon of hope and upliftment.
As 'Central Park' unfolds, it becomes evident that Smith and Myers possess an unparalleled capacity for connection and expression. Their collaborative effort serves as a master class in inventive exchange, offering listeners a glimpse into the boundless potential of artistic partnership. From Myers’ opening notes on “Conservatory Gardens,” in which she gradually spells out harmonic terrain, the program unfolds as a series of elegant, sometimes elegiac, episodes. A tributary of trust. A delta of decisiveness. A slow-moving stream of sensitivity.
The album continues with 'Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir', with a regal quality, Myers on the B3 organ, and Smith with a muted trumpet - the duo pays their homage to the central defining landmark of Central Park, it’s main body of water. A perfect complement, on the solo piano piece 'When Was', penned by Myers, Myers shows her nimble-fingered jubilance, also in her cool organ sound, as buoyant as a life raft, keeping listeners safely above turbulent water.
'The Harlem Meer' strikes a relaxed chord with wistful undertones - reflecting the body of water in the northeast corner of Central Park - a place for relaxation and reflection where park-dwellers can often be found observing wildlife, picnicking and fishing. The album's closing tributes to Albert Ayler and John Lennon further underscore the artists' commitment to peace and social justice, infusing the music with a transcendent sense of purpose.
In a world where connections often fray and fade, 'Central Park’s Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens' stands as a testament to the enduring power of musical kinship. Through their shared journey, Wadada Leo Smith and Amina Claudine Myers invite listeners to rediscover the beauty of human connection and the transformative power of creative expression.
This is the latest release from the adventurous Red Hook Records, which was founded in 2020 by Sun Chung after a decade-long tenure at ECM. "It was a rare privilege to be able to work with these two masters. Even more so as the results are stunning. The music on this album reaches depths only attainable through a lifetime of dedication to the arts,” he reflects. This album follows the critically-acclaimed trio record Refract, by BlankFor.ms, Jason Moran and Marcus Gilmore, and Two Centuries, the first Red Hook collaboration with Wadada Leo Smith, which featured Qasim Naqvi and Andrew Cyrille.

muzycy:
Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet
Amina Claudine Myers: piano / Hammond B3

utwory:
A1. Conservatory Gardens 09:02
A2. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir 01:52
A3. Central Park at Sunset 05:17
B1. When Was 05:33
B2. The Harlem Meer 03:07
B3. Albert Ayler, a Meditation in Light 06:30
B4. Imagine, a mosaic for John Lennon 05:06

wydano: May 10, 2024
nagrano: Recorded: November 8 & 9, 2021