Mboko by David Virelles [Audio CD]

Description: Tracks:Wind Rose (Antrogofoko Mokoiren)The Scribe (Tratado De Mpego)BiankomekoAntillais (A Quintin Bandera)Aberinan Y AberisunSeven, Through the Divination HornStories Waiting to Be ToldTransmissionThe Highest OneEfé (A María Teresa Vera) Performer Notes: Personnel: David Virelles (piano); Rom n D¡az (vocals, unknown instrument); Robert Hurst , Thomas Morgan (double bass); Marcus Gilmore (drums).Recording information: Avatar Studios, NY (12/2013).Photographers: Juan Hitters; John Rogers .The musical precedent for David Virelles' Mb¢k•, the Cuban-born, New York-based pianist leader's debut for ECM, can be found on his stellar 2012 Pi Recordings date, Continuum. That set featured the wellspring of folkloric Afro-Cuban ritual music expressed through modern vanguard jazz. The subtitle of this offering is Sacred Music for Piano, Two Basses, Drum Set and Biankom‚ko Abaku . The word "Mb¢k•" translates as "fundament," "sugar cane," and "the voice," not the human one, but sound itself. The Abaku  is a secret religious male initiation society in Cuba whose roots lie in southeastern Nigeria and southwestern Cameroon, who worshiped sound, or "the Voice," as divine. Finally, the biankom‚ko is a four-drum ensemble, with a metal bell, shakers, and wooden sticks, that acts as the accompaniment for the ritual magic of the Abaku  in its masked performances. It is played here by Cuban folk musician/multi-instrumentalist Rom n D¡az. He is as important to this music as Virelles; he is the spoke on which the pianist's music turns. Understanding this cultural context is helpful, but not necessary, for enjoyment of what this album offers: rich imagination, discipline, multiple colors and timbres, and striking originality. The two bassists are veterans Thomas Morgan and Robert Hurst, and drummer Marcus Gilmore has established a fine reputation as a session man and as part of Vijay Iyer's trio. The bassists' roles are different here. There is little to no counterpoint or driving guidepost rhythmic statements; instead, they provide complementary rhythmic pulses and drones. Gilmore's drumming makes the beat elastic, like a dancer does. He syncopates but just as often illustrates and underscores the role of D¡az's biankom‚ko. Virelles plays piano as percussively as he does melodically. On opener "Wind Rose," he and D¡az play in duet, his flat-handed chord voicings balanced by short, middle-register single notes that build toward differently shaded chords. The percussionist creates, builds on, and exhausts rhythms with a singer's control. On "The Scribe," the pianist and percussionist begin processionally before the other players fall in, slowly and purposefully, using only the force necessary to allow D¡az to utter and guide the flow. Elsewhere, such as on "Antillais," montunos hold the melodic center; basses punch and fill while both drummers converse through the piano's assertions. "Seven, Through the Divination Horn" balances montunos and circular ritual pulses with post-bop improvisation. "Transmission" commences with the trap set's and biankom‚ko's dialogue. Virelles doesn't enter with his complex melodic statement until a third of the way in. The bass solos -- pizzicato and arco -- add depth, texture. "The Highest One" finds all the players creating a simple yet profound melody from subtly shaded drones and tones. On Mb¢k•, Virelles and his musicians place themselves at the mercy of sound as a life source. Ultimately, it reveals to them -- and us -- why it has the power not only to transfer initiation, but lead through mystery to revelation. ~ Thom Jurek Producer: Manfred Eicher Format: CD (1 Disc) Country: USA Studio/Live: Studio Release Date: 7 October, 2014 Label: CD Dimensions: 13.5 x 1.2 x 14.4 centimeters (0.08 kg)

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End Time: 2025-01-16T09:53:52.000Z

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EAN: 0602537829668

UPC: 0602537829668

ISBN: N/A

MPN: N/A

Language: Eng

Track #1: Wind Rose (Antrogofoko Mokoiren)

Track #2: The Scribe (Tratado De Mpego)

Track #3: Biankomeko

Track #4: Antillais (A Quintin Bandera)

Track #5: Aberinan Y Aberisun

Track #6: Seven, Through the Divination Horn

Track #7: Stories Waiting to Be Told

Track #8: Transmission

Track #9: The Highest One

Track #10: Efé (A María Teresa Vera)

Era: 2010s

Run Time: 3541 Sec

Release Year: 2014

Format: CD

Features: Studio Recording

Genre: Jazz

Type: Album

Style: Afro-Cuban, Spiritual, Cuban Traditions

Record Label: ECM

Artist: David Virelles

Release Title: Mbókò