Stefon Harris: African Tarantella
CML call number: CD JAZZ Harris
Siddhartha Mitter wrote in the Boston Globe: "'African Tarantella' is Harris’s attempt to express the dual European and African paternity of jazz — and with it, in some ways, of American culture itself. If that sounds abstract, have no fear. 'African Tarantella' … is wholly accessible, a beautiful program of movements from suites by Duke Ellington and Harris himself, interpreted on the album by a thoughtfully constructed ensemble that includes, among other instruments, viola, cello, trombone, and flute. For Harris, 33 … the top vibraphonist and one of the most original bandleaders of his generation, 'Tarantella' is a triumph of lyricism that marks … an arrival at a certain maturity. … [H]e calls his recent efforts a 'musical rebirth.' … 'A lot of people when we start, including myself, we want to start in the middle. … After Bird, you check out Trane, then Miles. … You memorize sounds and play them back as licks. But you don’t really understand how to make a melody. It wasn’t until I went back and started studying Louis Armstrong that I got a much greater understanding about how a line is put together. …" (11/24/06).
Siddhartha Mitter wrote in the Boston Globe: "'African Tarantella' is Harris’s attempt to express the dual European and African paternity of jazz — and with it, in some ways, of American culture itself. If that sounds abstract, have no fear. 'African Tarantella' … is wholly accessible, a beautiful program of movements from suites by Duke Ellington and Harris himself, interpreted on the album by a thoughtfully constructed ensemble that includes, among other instruments, viola, cello, trombone, and flute. For Harris, 33 … the top vibraphonist and one of the most original bandleaders of his generation, 'Tarantella' is a triumph of lyricism that marks … an arrival at a certain maturity. … [H]e calls his recent efforts a 'musical rebirth.' … 'A lot of people when we start, including myself, we want to start in the middle. … After Bird, you check out Trane, then Miles. … You memorize sounds and play them back as licks. But you don’t really understand how to make a melody. It wasn’t until I went back and started studying Louis Armstrong that I got a much greater understanding about how a line is put together. …" (11/24/06).
posted by casemusic at 4:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home