[AUM047]
William Parker: double reeds, donso n'goni, compositions, conductor
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay: voice
Bill Cole: double reeds
Lewis Barnes: trumpet
Rob Brown: alto sax
Sabir Mateen: tenor sax, clarinet
Dave Sewelson: baritone sax
Jason Kao Hwang: violin
Mazz Swift: violin
Jessica Pavone: viola
Shiau-Shu Yu: cello
Joe Morris: guitar, banjo
Brahim Frigbane: oud
Shayna Dulberger: bass
Gerald Cleaver: drums
Hamid Drake: drums
"We Are All Facing The Wind"
A major William Parker orchestral work featuring immensely gifted individual & collective voices from around the world meshing as one to manifest a pair of deep double-drummer-&-bass-driven mantras. This is powerful to-other-worlds-within teleportation music.
The specially commissioned world premiere of Double Sunrise Over Neptune took place on June 19, 2007, opening night of Vision Festival XII. It was a great performance, though there were technical difficulties in the live sound mix that affected the recording. The call was made (and fortuitously fulfilled) that the musicians all reconvene the following afternoon to perform and record the work a second time. It was beyond blissful. The entirety of that afternoon performance is presented here, followed by the second half (PA glitches ironed out by then) of the premiere performance. Go deep into this album on long drives my friends, whether it involves the road or not.
On the movements "Morning Mantra" & "Neptune's Mirror", Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay sings lyrics written by William Parker. On "Lights of Lake George", she sings the mantra Surya Pranam, and then a Tarana – an improvised composition of Persian devotional syllables.
From William Parker’s liner notes:
“Double Sunrise was borne of a concept I call universal tonality, which is based off of the idea that all sounds like human beings come from the same place. All sound has a heartbeat and breathes the same as each human being. We don't invent sounds, we are allowed to encounter them; we don't own them, they existed before we were born and will be here after we are gone."
Musically, Double Sunrise Over Neptune has to do with the blending of sound with intent and message. The poetic intent going through the music is “do not kill another human being for we cannot bring them back to life. One day a double sunrise will appear in the sky. We have until that time to become One with music.” All the musicians involved in this project are great leaders, composers, improvisers in their own right. I thank them with all my heart for their unique contributions on this recording.”
"One of the year’s few truly profound recordings."
–Bill Shoemaker, Point of Departure
"William Parker's omnivorous global language is the only kind of jazz freedom that truly matters; it feels truly, tenderly, prophetic." –David Keenan, The Wire
5 Stars: "Cosmic and Magnificent! Magnificent and Earthly! The biggest achievement of the album is that it all works to perfection: tight interplay, wild improvisations, wonderful rhythms and themes, the power of a big band with the sensitivity of a small ensemble, it is dark and refreshing, familiar and new, tribal and universal, expansive and intimate, control and chaos, emotional and soulful, bringing the most unbelievable cocktail of genres and styles, and it works ... it works! ... this is music which should never stop ... this is music that the whole world should hear." –Stef, Free Jazz Collective
"A kaleidoscopic tour-de-force. A seamless merger of Eastern and Western traditions conveyed with passionate conviction." –Troy Collins, All About Jazz
This project was supported by the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors; released in cooperation with Arts for Art, Inc.
1. Morning Mantra - 15:08
2. Lights of Lake George - 27:24
3. O'Neal's Bridge - 00:37
4. Neptune's Mirror - 22:39
All compositions by William Parker, © Centering Music (BMI)
Recorded by Stefan Heger
at Vision Festival XII, NYC
on June 19 & 20, 2007
Mixed and mastered by Stefan Heger
at Fisheye Music, Cologne
Produced by William Parker
Assistant Producer: Steven Joerg
Festival producer: Patricia Nicholson
Cover art and Design by Bill Mazza