The New Immigrant Experience (Tapestry)
Felipe Salles Interconnections Ensemble
Released March 20, 2020
DownBeat Four-and-a-Half-Star Review
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k5aGz9DbVC4HaZysAMq5vGBFLc4qdVe_U
Spotify:
About:
The New Immigrant Experience, the remarkable eighth release by renowned composer Felipe Salles, is a powerful new multimedia work inspired by the lives of “Dreamers,” the almost seven hundred thousand individuals currently protected by DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The two CD/DVD set, featuring the 18-piece Felipe Salles Interconnections Ensemble, was released on March 20, 2020 via Tapestry Records.
Written by Salles –who emigrated from Brazil to the United States in 1995 – and developed with the aid of a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship, the work uses speech cadences and melodic motifs based on key words as its main source of musical material. The compelling and personal stories it tells were collected through interviews Salles conducted with a group of nine Dreamers during the summer of 2018. Videos of the interviews were created by Fernanda Faya. Individual stories and experiences of growing up bilingual and undocumented also informed musical choices.
It’s an emotional musical journey through beautiful orchestral textures, carefully developed motifs, and intense solo features, that combine the power of a big band recording and the dramatic landscape of a soundtrack.
Premiered in April 2018 at performances in New York City and Massachusetts, The New Immigrant Experience was subsequently recorded in the studio. The recording was then recombined with live video excerpts, creating an experience that gives full-throated voice to immigrant groups in the United States today.
Salles gained firsthand knowledge of the issues surrounding DACA and the Dreamers after befriending classical pianist Tereza Lee, the original inspiration behind the DREAM Act. After writing The Lullaby Project (2018), a large-scale work inspired by the cross-generational importance of Brazilian lullabies as part of a cultural identity for immigrant families like Salles’, The New Immigrant Experience was a natural continuation of his artistic vision and the perfect vehicle to contribute to the discussion regarding the place and value of immigrants in America during these turbulent political times.
The New Immigrant Experience is a complete work of art, whether one experiences the music alone or in combination with the DVD, or in live performance with videos projected behind the band.
Track Listing:
1. Introduction 3:20
2. Did You Eat? 7:33
3. Their Stories Have Never Been Told 8:55
4. An Education to Begin With 9:20
5. A Part and Not the Other 8:27
6. Survivor’s Guilt 8:51
7. It’s Just Lines on the Ground 7:51
8. Built on Thin Air 10:27
9. Crossing Barriers 8:21
10. These Things That Are Taken for Granted 9:28
11. Coda 4:06
Personnel:
Jonathan Ball: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, piccolo
Aaron Dutton: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute
Mike Caudill: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, clarinet
Rick DiMuzio: tenor saxophone, clarinet
Tyler Burchfield: baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, clarinet
Jeff Holmes, Don Clough, Yuta Yamaguchi, Eric Smith, Doug Olsen: trumpet, flugelhorn
Clayton DeWalt, Randy Pingrey, Bulut Gülen, Angel Subero: trombone
Nando Michelin: piano
Kevin Grudecki: guitar
Ryan Fedak: vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel
Keala Kaumeheiwa: bass
Bertram Lehmann: drums, percussion
Recorded in 2019, at the Bass Hit Recording, New York, by Matt Hayes
Assistant Engineer: Tatiana Stolpovskaya
Studio Producer: Thomas Heflin
Assistant Producer: Kyle Saulnier
Mixing and Mastering: Dave Darlington
Cover Photo: Maria Salles
Design: Jamie Breiwick (B612 Design).
Executive Producer: Felipe Salles
Review:
Why not award five stars to this two-CD set, which comes along with a DVD? The temptation was strong. But very few albums merit this distinction: Kind Of Blue, Jazz At Massey Hall. Now, The New Immigrant Experience might be recognized as a masterpiece in years to come, but today, its relevance adds to its impact. Salles based the album on stories shared by young “Dreamers.” The composer conducted interviews and found his titles for each section of the album from what they told him. More than that, he drew melodic inspiration from the rhythm, pitch and timbre of their words. As a result, his meters and structures are complex, yet never inaccessible, as if the music itself is speaking to us. “It’s Just Lines On The Ground” opens with a one-note repetition, chattering out of tempo like voices in urgent conversation. This motif echoes through several rhythmic and textural settings, reminding listeners of the message behind Salles’ beautifully crafted chart. Fiery moments occur, though more reflective ones complement them and serve a greater narrative. But this isn’t about groove. It’s about hearing what often-neglected people have been trying to get others to hear—a goal that Salles achieves brilliantly.
Bob Doerschuk (DownBeat)
