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The most important Pianists of today on a Record. A must have Album for all !
Favorite track: Kris Davis - Sing Me Softy Of The Blues (Carla Bley).
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Purchasable with gift card
$9USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
This limited edition vinyl extends the series aesthetic with a new work of cover art made especially for the series by Lasse Marhaug. Liner notes by SA Editor Nate Wooley, Download card included.
Includes unlimited streaming of Kris Davis/Matt Mitchell/Aruán Ortiz/Matthew Shipp: New American Songbooks, Volume 2
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
After the stunning success of last year’s New American Songbooks, Volume 1, Sound American is proud to present another chapter in our attempt to find new points of view on the concept of the American Songbook. The Volume 2 LP will be released on December 11th, 2019; a perfect gift for others or, if you’re a collector like we are, for yourself.
Last year’s release found three distinctive voices—Mary Halvorson, Ron Miles, and Greg Saunier—working together to arrange works from mass media. Their collaboration, only a few days in total, culminated in a recording that felt equal parts wild and warm; intimate and revolutionary.
Volume 2 goes in another direction. While the warmth and intimacy is still very present, thanks in large part to the expert sound at Ryan Streber’s Oktaven Studios, the experience is one-on-one, as the listener is the recipient of four mini-recitals from four of the most profound interpreters on the piano today: Kris Davis, Matt Mitchell, Aruán Ortiz, and Matthew Shipp.
Each player took on the challenge of suggesting a new direction of expansion for the time-worn concept of the American Songbook. And, while Volume 1 dealt with pop culture, Volume 2 looks more toward the ways in which we build smaller communities. Beginning with Shipp’s ecstatic takes on the hymnal and moving directly into the beautiful music from the corners of self-produced singer-songwriters as envisioned by Mitchell, a quick and timbrally rich stop at the music of Carla Bley by Davis, and ending with the forgotten music of Ed Bland as performed by Ortiz.
This LP contains music made by some of the modern masters of the piano. In these performances you can hear what has made each of them a major voice in modern jazz, but there are surprises here, as well, as each player took the opportunity to make a statement that is much more than just another solo performance. The album is about four distinct voices using the conceptual constraints of the project to push themselves to new heights. If you are a fan of solo piano or modern jazz in general, this is a must-have.
New American Songbooks, Volume 2
Kris Davis-Piano
Matt Mitchell-Piano
Aruán Ortiz-Piano
Matthew Shipp-Piano
credits
released December 10, 2018
Produced by Nate Wooley
Recorded June 22 and July 22, 2018 by Ryan Streber, engineer at Oktaven Studio, Mount Vernon, NY.
Graphic design and cover illustration by Lasse Marhaug.
supported by 35 fans who also own “Kris Davis/Matt Mitchell/Aruán Ortiz/Matthew Shipp: New American Songbooks, Volume 2”
This music has everything I need: acoustic instruments, a slow build, layers of atypical harmonies and rhythms being added each pass through, subtle melodies and combinations. Excellent work! Little James
The latest beat tape from this Danish producer keeps things spry and lively, favoring bright keys and nimble, skipping rhythms. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 27, 2023
Julian Klaas serves up a dozen devastatingly tender and fragile piano compositions that have the stunning stillness of ambient music. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 27, 2023
The songs on “Canvas Doubles” are soothing and slow moving, letting bands of sound spool out slowly until they envelop you. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 27, 2023
supported by 35 fans who also own “Kris Davis/Matt Mitchell/Aruán Ortiz/Matthew Shipp: New American Songbooks, Volume 2”
So happy to see a new album from this band. I've long been a fan of Mazurek and Parker's work in Tortoise, on top of the CUQ... Anyhow, if you're curious about contemporary jazz, this is a terrific place to start.
Hobie Anthony