The Offense of the Drum (Motéma Music)
Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Released May 6, 2014
Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album 2015
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=T5foopBVS1g&list=OLAK5uy_kVZLlkY_ov50IYvxirjvflszQPYbDBolg
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6txljv1tJM2fnyQGipRjEY?si=udK1NmifQamoKy0b7k2bmA
About:
“The new
album serves as a medium for changing the perception of big band music and Afro
Latin Jazz by incorporating hip-hop, DJ techniques, and spoken word”, says
Arturo O’Farrill. The 75-minute recording ”is a collection of the great new
commissions we’ve been working on from our annual Symphony Space season,” he
explains. Special guests on the recording include Vijay Iyer, DJ Logic, Edmar
Castañeda, Donald Harrison, Pablo Mayor, Miguel Blanco, Antonio Lizana, Jason
Lindner, Christopher “Chilo” Cajigas and others, all of whom infuse the
recording with the music of New York City, Spain, Colombia, Cuba and New
Orleans, all regions that gave birth to the jazz aesthetic.
The Offense of the Drum examines the role of the drum as a vehicle for
resistance and liberation, with references to the oppressive policies set forth
by New York City police in the ’90s. Regarding the title of the album, Arturo
notes, “The drum is an amazing communication tool. It’s a way to connect
diverse communities, and is really the heartbeat of our cultures. So, the drum
can be seen as offensive to those in power, who try and control our freedom of
expression.” A two-part title suite, “The Offense of the Drum: The Oppressor
& The Liberator,” is the flagship composition on the album inspired by drum
circles in NYC being outlawed, and reflecting the idea that the drum is so
politically charged as a means for change.
O’Farrill’s latest recording spotlights percussion from almost every corner of
the world, featuring 35 different types of drums: the taiko drum from Japan,
djembe from Africa, barriles and bombas from Puerto Rico, tumbadoras from Cuba,
bombos from Colombia, cajons, maracas, bongos, shekeres, claves, cowbells,
cuicas, tambourines, timbales and turntables. The Offense of the
Drum is part of an ongoing commitment by the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, an
eighteen-piece big band, to expand the very definition of Latin Jazz, with the
drum taking center stage. O’Farrill notes, “Jazz is practiced best in the
presence of drums, and enhanced by the presence of drum work. Jazz has really
moved away from this, but the drum sets the spirit soaring. In fact, with this
album we’ve overcome many constraints of jazz. We are embracing multiple
cultures with the use of the drum, while introducing a contemporary exchange of
innovative new music.”
”Trying to put into words the multitude of sounds on this album is a difficult
task,” says executive producer Kabir Sehgal. “Arturo is many things: maestro,
composer, pianist, bandleader, father, son, husband and friend. Most of all, he
displays a mighty spirit, enshrined with generosity and love. This album is as
much a sacrament of his soul — as it is a meditation on the drumbeats of life.
Track Listing:
1. Cuarto de Colores (Edmar Castañeda) 9:13
2. They Came (Christopher “Chilo” Cajigas / Jason Lindner) 7:26
3. On the Corner of Malecón and Bourbon (Arturo O’Farrill) 9:45
4. Mercado en Domingo (Pablo Mayor) 6:56
5. Gnossienne 3 (Tientos) (Erik Satie) 6:28
6. The Mad Hatter (Vijay Iyer) 8:26
7. The Offense of the Drum (Arturo O’Farrill) 11:40
8. Alma Vacía (Miguel Blanco) 6:22
9. Iko Iko (James “Sugarboy” Crawford) 7:02
Personnel:
Arturo O’Farrill: piano
Ivan Renta: tenor saxophone
Peter Brainin: tenor saxophone
Bobby Porcelli: alto saxophone
David DeJesus: alto saxophone
Jason Marshall: baritone saxophone
Seneca Black: trumpet
Jim Seeley: trumpet
John Bailey: trumpet
Jonathan Powell: trumpet
Tokunori Kajiwara: trombone
Rafi Malkiel: trombone, euphonium
Frank Cohen: trombone
Earl McIntyre: bass trombone, tuba
Gregg August: bass
Vince Cherico: drums
Roland Guerrero: congas
Joe Gonzalez: bongos, bell
Pablo O Bilbraut: percussion (8)
Miguel Blanco: conductor (5, 8)
Christopher “Chilo” Cajigas: spoken word (2)
Edmar Castaneda: harp (1)
Ayanda Clarke: djembe (7)
DJ Logic: turntables (2)
Jonathan Gomez: percussion (4)
Nestor Gomez: percussion (4)
Donald Harrison: vocals (9), alto saxophone (9)
Vijay Iyer: piano (6)
Hiro Kurashima: taiko drum (7)
Chad Lefkowitz-Brown: tenor saxophone (7)
Jason Lindner: conductor (2)
Antonio Lizana: vocals (5), alto saxophone (5)
Pablo Mayor: conductor (4), maracas: (4)
Uri Sharlin: accordion (5)
Samuel Torres: conductor (1), cajon (1)
Recorded January 7 – 8, 2013 at Avatar Studio C, NYC
Executive-Producer: Kabir Sehgal
Producers: Arturo O’Farrill, Eric Oberstein, Kabir Sehgal, Todd Barkan
Recorded and Mixed by Katherine Miller
Assistant Engineers: Timothy Marchiafava, Tyler Hartman
Mastered by Alan Silverman
Photography: Rebecca Meek
Review:
It has been authoritatively stated that Chico O’Farrill was one of the most important composers and big band arrangers and conductors in the idioms of jazz or Latin Jazz. His son, the inimitable Arturo O’Farrill is not very far behind. In fact he may be closer to his father (although he might deny this) than he or anyone would care to imagine. With a number of recordings, including solo piano ones, to his credit in recent years—recordings such as Song for Chico, Risa Negra, and Live in Brooklyn and perhaps, most memorable of all The Noguchi Sessions — Mr. O’Farrill is actually every bit the equal of his father, Chico. And now, with his Motema debut, The Offense of the Drum the young Mr. O’Farrill has reinforced his position in the world of music as a composer, pianist and all-round musical director. His ensemble, The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra is a powerful vehicle for his voice, an authoritative one indeed.
Arturo O’Farrill’s music is informed by a studied sense of history, which is eminently displayed on this album. He is part of a tradition that includes his father and a host of other luminaries who established the tradition and includes, as big band directors go, also Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Frank Foster and Thad Jones. Mr. O’Farrill’s writing is as stylish and sophisticated as his eminent predecessors in his ability to use and fuse the myriad tones of brass, woodwinds and percussion in a marvellously orchestrated manner. His use of rich colours as well as subtle shadings is obvious from this recording as well as the others mentioned. His charts are polished and written it would seem, for individuals who read them to perfection. Most of all, Arturo O’Farrill has complete mastery of varied musical idioms and employs music motifs (the 2nd line strut, blended into Puerto Rican and other Latin folkloric motifs on “On the Corner of Malecón and Bourbon”) with gestures that are graceful and masterly.
The music on this recording seems to be a suite written around its centerpiece, “The Offense of the Drum,” a monumental piece that delves into the musical roots of the African origin of this music. In fact, it goes even further by suggesting the primordial nature of the music itself. As it touches upon these origins the sophistication of musical influences in the music begin to unfold, but not before an earth-shaking collision of cultures occurs. The premonitions for this are actually established oddly enough in Mr. O’Farrill’s take on Erik Satie’s “Gnossienne 3,” from its thunderous opening bars to the ponderous development of the song through a long cadenza, played largely on the saxophone. The rhythm suggests more than a march here; its rhythmic ululations go as far to suggest the rowing of slave-ships from the old countries on their intercontinental voyage and the Spanish vocal paints the picture of this odyssey in a majestic and melancholic manner.
Mr. O’Farrill’s deep commitment to art and the socio-political aspects of the nature of the artist’s obligation to depressed and marginalized sections of society is as bold and audacious as ever. The brilliant piece “They Came,” referring to the native peoples of Puerto Rico is serious in its power and substance. It is also a master-stroke to present this in the rap idiom—an almost umbilical link to struggle. Here Christopher “Chilo” Cajigas is outstanding in the delivery of the words, mixing strident imagery with lyricism. Not only Mr. Cajigas, but also the tenor saxophonist, Iván Renta, alto saxophonist Bobby Porcelli and trumpeter Seneca Black are all superb. Each of these musicians leads their sections into what is the finest tonal panoply of sound. Even a cursory listen of “The Offense of the Drum” will bear out the importance of this observation. However, ultimately this is maestro Arturo ’Farrill’s record and what a masterpiece it is.
Raul da Gama (Latin Jazz Network)
