In the Key of the Universe
| In the Key of the Universe | ||||
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| Studio album by Joey DeFrancesco | ||||
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Publication |
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| Label (s) | Mack Avenue Records | |||
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Format (s) |
2 LP / CD |
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Title (number) |
10 |
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running time |
58:24 |
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| occupation |
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Joey DeFrancesco, Gloria DeFrancesco |
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Studio (s) |
Tempest Recording, Tempe, Arizona |
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In the Key of the Universe is a jazz album by Joey DeFrancesco . The recordings were made in Tempe, Arizona in 2018 and were released on March 1, 2019 on the Mack Avenue Records label .
background
DeFranceso dedicates the present album to the hypnotic, deeply soulful metaphysical jazz, which artists such as Pharoah Sanders , Don Cherry and Rahsaan Roland Kirk explored further after the death of the pioneer of spiritual jazz John Coltrane in 1967, wrote Matt Collar. DeFrancesco presents Sanders here on three titles; There are also several long-time musicians, including drummer Billy Hart , saxophonist Troy Roberts and percussionist Sammy Figueroa . The heart of the album is an interpretation of Sanders' "The Creator Has a Master Plan" from his classic 1969 album Karma , which also featured drummer Hart. Sanders also plays on the title track and in "And So It Is".
The collaboration between DeFrancesco and Sanders is based on a meeting of the musicians when Sanders and the organist played " Body and Soul " together in 2004 in Vienna . “He was amazing. I was just finishing a record with Jimmy Smith called Legacy at the time . I thought it would be great to have Pharoah, but the planning didn't allow it. "
Track list
- Joey DeFrancesco: In the Key of the Universe (Mack Avenue MAC1147)
- Inner Being (Joey DeFrancesco) 5:18
- Vibrations in Blue (Joey DeFrancesco) 6:42
- Awake and Blissed (Joey DeFrancesco) 3:01
- It Swung Wide Open (Joey DeFrancesco) 3:54
- In the Key of the Universe (Joey DeFrancesco) 5:05
- The Creator Has a Master Plan (Pharoah Sanders, Leon Thomas ) 11:00
- And So It Is (Joey DeFrancesco) 7:52
- Soul Perspective (Joey DeFrancesco) 5:30
- A Path Through the Noise (Joey DeFrancesco) 4:47
- Easier to Be (Joey DeFrancesco) 5:15
reception
The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Album in 2019 .
Matt Collar gave the album 4½ (out of five) stars in Allmusic ; in his view, Sanders adds his flowing, emotional saxophone to the expansive, minor-sounding title track and dark grooves of "And So It Is". In the latter, DeFrancesco also plays the trumpet, which he does several times on the album and which is reminiscent of the warm and lyrical playing of Miles Davis from the mid-1960s. The tracks without Sanders are equally convincing in the author's opinion, in which DeFrancesco and his band deal with oriental-looking blues in “Vibrations in Blue” , immerse themselves deeply in the flowing bop modality of “Awake and Blissed” and in the sparkling soul -Ballad "A Path Through the Noise" indulge.
In the opinion of Ralf Dombrowski , who reviewed the album in Jazz thing , the experienced community of musicians inspires the whole team to a relaxed musical expression that underlines the playful qualities of everyone involved. Sanders sounds conciliatory and yet profound, Roberts second eloquently or let a tasteful Neo- Brecker shine through, Hart drums casually exuberant “and the band leader lets himself go in a soul-swinging way. A harmony of strong characters. "
Chris Mosey gave the album four (out of five) stars in All About Jazz, saying it was “an important, even historical, album. It marks - unannounced - the return of a great figure of the free jazz era, Pharoah Sanders. ”Joey DeFrancesco orchestrated the return of Sanders from oblivion. Without them, the album would be just another round of Hammond organ tunes that match DeFrancesco's dictum "I just love to swing". DeFrancesco's own numbers would be carried out with his usual panache; "Inner Being" and "Vibrations in Blue" test the limits of the instrumentation, according to the author, "Soul Perspective" is gentle and melodic. Troy Roberts did a good job on tenor and soprano saxophones.
In Pop Matters , Will Layman wrote that while the Creator version here is shorter than the original by Sanders, it is still size. DeFrancesco is not trying to imitate exactly that, “but he has the great Billy Hart on drums while Figueroa adds texture and his own piano fills the room more completely. The pace is a bit faster as Sanders steps in earlier and the band gets into a pulsating groove that frankly beats the original. DeFrancesco's organ becomes a beautiful voice that fits Sanders both when playing and singing the famous lyrics ( The creator has a master plan / Peace and happiness for every man ). ”In Layman's view, Sanders played with DeFrancesco's muted trumpet "And So It Is", a casual theme that hovers with a gentle Latin feeling over a rhythm section that also overlays the organ and Fender Rhodes. Sanders takes on the first solo and brushes over the changes in an excellent tone, whereby his sharp-edged sound is quite rounded. DeFrancesco plays a busier solo on the Fender Rhodes, with the strokes of the electric piano tonally matching Figueroa's bell-like handshake. However, the best part of the melody comes after reproducing the melody. Again Sander's solos, this time in an impressionistic conversation with Joeys Hammond B3. The two voices really belong together.
Layman points out the other element of spirituality that DeFrancesco addresses in this project; it is the community where the musicians come together who can take his music to a higher level. Layman cites a quote from the organist: “ Miles Davis is a perfect example of how you can advance your art by having different musicians, the right musicians. As great as Miles was as a trumpeter, his great gift was putting musicians together. The musicians who surrounded him influenced him. So you are true to yourself - by hearing these different things you like and bringing people in. ”DeFrancesco played briefly in Davis' band in 1988 when he was only 17 years old.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Review of the album at Allmusic (English). Retrieved December 27, 2019.
- ↑ a b c Will Laymen: Jazz Organ Master Joey DeFrancesco Collaborates with Pharoah Sanders with 'In the Key of the Universe'. Pop Matter, April 3, 2019, accessed December 25, 2019 .
- ↑ Joey DeFrancesco: In the Key of the Universe at Discogs
- ↑ 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards (2019) - Nominations: Best Jazz Instrumental Album (In the Key of the Universe)
- ^ Ralf Dombrowski: Joey DeFrancesco: In The Key Of The Universe. Jazz thing, May 13, 2019, accessed December 25, 2019 .
- ↑ Chris Mosey: Joey DeFrancesco: In The Key Of The Universe. All About Jazz, February 10, 2019, accessed December 25, 2019 .