Imagine That (Anzic Records)

Daniel Freedman

Released April 2016

DownBeat Five-Star Review

YouTube:

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=mHQHNHod7hM&list=OLAK5uy_nOJldP68NaGUcamL99-s3xQkX_g9jqjFo

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/3IhNqSvsEYcOLPvTQtqOsk?si=pqHme_jkTHu5DfoA0hla0A

About:

One of the most in-demand drummers in New York – tapped by Angélique Kidjo, Sting and Anat Cohen – Daniel Freedman presents his third album as a leader, the rhythmically infectious Imagine That. The release draws on a world of music: tune-rich originals that channel African, Middle Eastern, Latin and Indian grooves, as well as an astoundingly fresh version of a rarely covered Radiohead song (“Codex”). 
Freedman, born and bred in New York City, leads an international quintet that features guitarist-vocalist Lionel Loueke (from Benin), keyboardist Jason Lindner (Brooklyn), bassist Omer Avital (Israel) and percussionist Gilmar Gomes (Brazil). Benin-born vocal star Angélique Kidjo, with whom Freedman has toured the world as drummer in her band, sings “Baby Aya,” a dancing lullaby he wrote for his infant daughter. Imagine That is the follow-up to Freedman’s 2012 Anzic album, Bamako by Bus, which garnered his band a showcase live on NPR.

Track Listing:

1. Determined Soul (Jason Lindner) 5:28

2. Baby Aya (Daniel Freedman) 6:02

3. Big in Yemen (Daniel Freedman) 4:46

4. Codex (Colin Greenwood / Ed O’Brien / Radiohead / Phil Selway / Thom Yorke) 5:07

5. Mindaho (Lionel Loueke) 7:08

6. Love Takes Time (Jason Lindner) 5:26

7. Eastern Elegy (Daniel Freedman) 6:31

8. The Sisters Dance (Daniel Freedman) 8:49

Personnel:

Lionel Loueke: guitar and vocals 
Jason Lindner: piano and keyboards 
Omer Avital: bass and oud (3) 
Gilmar Gomes: percussion 
Daniel Freedman: drums 
Angélique Kidjo: vocals (2)

Recorded June 6, 2013, at Studio G, Brooklyn, NY

Produced by Daniel Freedman

Recorded by Joel Hamilton

Mixed by John Davis

Photography by Justin Lane

Review:

In recent years, drummer Daniel Freedman has quietly, almost surreptitiously, become a primal force, creating a kind of people’s music built on rustling folk rhythms, ethnic melodies and joyous performances. Imagine That is an offering of Freedman’s creativity and intellect, expressed by musicians that share his mission. From first note to last, the album emanates from the heart and captivates the mind, body and soul. Players with a collective history on the New York City scene, Freedman and his group—guitarist Lionel Loueke, keyboardist Jason Lindner, bassist Omer Avital and percussionist Gilmar Gomes—play as one, the music coalescing as if from a single mind. The spirit alights on different musicians as the album progresses, but possession is total. The power of Imagine That comes from a place of silence. Even when the band is wailing, delicacy permeates. “Determined Soul” bubbles forth from Lindner’s electric piano and Loueke’s shimmering guitar, the band gleaming over an infectious Fela-worthy groove. The jewel-like melody of “Baby Aya” recalls a lost standard, Loueke’s guitar elevating the song’s trance, while guest vocalist Angelique Kidjo’s vocal adds the icing. Lindner’s “Love Takes Time” releases the music to the light, followed by the prayerful “Eastern Elegy” and triumphal closer “The Sister’s Dance.” Throughout Imagine That, Freedman’s chattering hands and stomping feet exhilarate the senses. First, Matt Wilson’s Beginning Of A Memory (which received a 5-star review in DownBeat’s June 2016 issue), now Daniel Freedman’s masterpiece, Imagine That.

Ken Micallef (DownBeat)