Friday 24 March 2023

Karlos Rodriquez, The Catalyst Quartet 'Uncovered Volume 3'

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Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World, featuring a conversation with cellist Karlos Rodriguez from The Catalyst Quartet.

This is my second conversation with members of the quartet - the first was with viola player Paul Laraia for episode 39, back in the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the quartet is onto the third volume of Uncovered, where they highlight the works of rarely-played black composers.

During our conversation, Karlos hints at the content for a proposed volume 4!

Thanks to Karlos and The Catalyst Quartet for allowing me to play extracts from Uncovered alongside our conversation.


Friday 17 March 2023

Muneer Nasser 'A Soldier's Story' and 'Upright Bass'

Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World, featuring a conversation with trumpeter and writer Muneer Nasser.

    Chatting with Muneer was fascinating and we could have gone on for hours, but for more, you'll just need to read his book - Upright Bass: The Musical Life and Legacy of Jamil Nasser. You can also listen to Muneer's album - A Soldier's Story - and hear more of this great music.

    Thanks to Muneer for allowing me to play extracts from A Soldier's Story alongside our conversation.


Friday 10 March 2023

Seven Hills Chamber Music Festival

Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World, featuring a conversation with Dudley Raine IV and Nicole Brancato, co-directors of Seven Hills Chamber Music Festival.

    Thanks to our mutual friend, composer William Susman, this is the first episode to feature a conversation with a music festival - and this one sounds amazing. I do hope you enjoy listening to us talking about the beautiful setting, as well as the music and musicians involved.

    Thanks to Dudley, Nicole and Bill for allowing me to play extracts from recordings from the festival alongside our conversation.


Wednesday 8 March 2023

Vivienne Aerts 'Typuhthang'

Among the delights released to celebrate International Women’s Day 2023 comes from vocalist, performer and composer Vivienne Aerts. Typuhthâng (‘type of thing’) that embraces women and chocolate: a musical exchange with 100 female musicians to empower female cacao farmers of Virunga State Park, Congo.

In collaboration with Original Beans Chocolate, Typuhthâng includes songs and performances around the growing, manufacture and enjoyment of chocolate. What’s not to like? The fact that the album supports a project to replant the rainforest in Congo and empower women is a major bonus.

Women were involved in every role of the project: performing, recording, arranging, mixing, and mastering. Vivienne’s songs translate feelings into music and at no point does the message that we can all make a difference become overpowering.

Alongside the six songs are three sampled soundscapes made from field recordings from Virunga State Park, Congo. In total, there are 100 female musicians from over 40 countries.

Vivienne says: “My work with Vervool, a bespoke multi-sensory experience launched with my pastry chef husband, Ted Steinebach, connected me with Original Beans Chocolate. Talking with Philipp Kauffmann, the founder, I was inspired by their passion for sustainability. The Femmes de Virunga are a cacao farm collective of 1500 women in Virunga State Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The collective, initiated and supported in 2008 by Original Beans, gave women the tools and opportunities to overcome extreme hardship and political unrest. These women, often victimised and routinely left to undertake hard agricultural labour, were empowered through literacy campaigns and leadership training, invited to cultivate cacao and set up a tree nursery. In cultivating this crop, they cultivate their communities. Continued learning, regenerative farming and stable ‘living wage’ from Original Beans enables them to elevate their standard of living.

 

“I wanted to use my music to raise awareness of this project. I wanted to use my music, not to inspire charity but to match their entrepreneurial spirit and generate business, ‘Let’s make an album that sells their chocolate.’ And of course, chocolate and music are a bit of a magical combination, right?”

 

Alongside performing jazz, Vivienne uses haute cuisine, and modern art and this album is a great album of stunning songs. She also works with Kenny Werner and the Effortless Mastery Institute at Berklee.


Tracklist:

  1. Just go - Arr. Linnea Lundgren (Vocal group w 26 singers) 

  2. The journey begins - Soundscape #1

  3. You’re my morning - Arr. Camila Meza (Sextet with Voice, Guitar, Harp, Cajon, Bass, Duduk, Harmonica) 

  4. The way you touched my hand - Arr. Mariel Roberts (String quintet) 

  5. Meeting the Femmes - Soundscape #2

  6. Silence - Arr. Ines Velasco Montiel (Small string orchestra ballad) 

  7. Concept of falling - Arr. Ga Young Bae (Jazz quintet with clarinet and piano)

  8. Tasting the chocolate - Soundscape #3

  9. What will we be - Arr. Zahili Gonzalez Zamora (Cuban Bolero for larger jazz ensemble) 

  10. Pygmy in Mundubiena - Soundscape #4

 

Listen to my conversation with Vivienne on Harmonious World here.

You can watch the video for ‘Silence’ here.




Friday 3 March 2023

Courtney Pine 'Spirituality'

 I reviewed Courtney Pine's fine bass clarinet album 'Spirituality' for KindofJazz.com



Vivienne Aerts 'Typuhthang'

Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World, featuring a conversation with vocalist and composer Vivienne Aerts.

There's a real delight in Vivienne's latest album, which is released today and recognises International Women's Day and coincides with the UK's Women's History Month.  Typuhthang is an extraordinary album and I hope you enjoy hearing about it.

Thanks to Vivienne for allowing me to play extracts from Typuhthang alongside our conversation.