A poem about the transience of modern life is the muse for the second episode in this two-part series from 577 Records. Shine Hear Volume 1 (review here)was characterized by urgency and raised tempers. But things are much calmer on Volume 2. It’s a more contented release with a soothing spirit, where warm-whispered kindnesses prevail over primal screaming.
Daniel Carter wrote the poetry that inspires both three-track Shine Hear albums. Alongside his saxophone, he also offers flute and trumpet this time around. Leo Genovese sticks to the piano, while William Parker contributes double bass and shakuhachi (an end-blown bamboo flute from Japan). Francisco Mela plays drums and adds traditional Cuban vocalizations.
Those vocals shape the early stages of “Sentimental Moments”. The coarse quality of Mela’s voice conveys anguish even when singing during gentle sections of the track. Rippling trills from piano lend a sense of nervousness to most of the eleven-minute improvisation, but the saxophone’s cream-and-aloe-vera tone keeps the lid on the pot before a gorgeously restorative two-minute ending.
Mela also kicks things off for “Vida Mia”. This time his percussive skills are out in front, while a second vocalist is somewhere in the mix too. Again, Carter’s saxophone is fulsome and friendly. Parker hoots through his shakuhachi. The mood is serene, with noodly passages that lovingly quote fragments of old-time ballads.
A cymbal-driven swing rhythm launches the final track. “Oh Yeah T’ Be Blessed” features the record’s most peaceful, playful material. It has a deeply satisfied feeling. This is well-fed music in an armchair by the hearth. Some agitation arrives later in the piece before the band sinks to an exhausted finish.
Shine Hear Volume 2lets listeners see the softer side of these four high-profile improvisers. It’s an album played with patience and packed with compassion. While modern life may be transient, as Carter’s poem suggests, it’s clearly still possible to investigate depths of meaning beneath the fleeting day-to-day mayhem.
The album is available on CD and as a digital download here .
About the Author
Matty Bannond is a 39-year-old fiction writer and music writer. He was born and raised near Manchester, UK. He now lives in Germany. Twitter: @MattyBannond
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