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Artist......: Cat Toren's Human Kind
Album.......: Scintillating Beauty
Label.......: Panoramic Recordings
Genre.......: Jazz
Catnr.......: PAN18
Source......: CD
Rip.date....: 2020-11-27
Str.date....: 2020-09-11
Quality.....: 715 kbps avg / 44.1kHz / 2 channels
Url.........: http://www.cattoren.com
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\ / # title time \ /
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1. Radiance in Veils 16:06
2. Garment of Destiny 7:00
3. Ignis Fatuus 6:31
4. Rising Phoenix 10:24
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\ / ________ Runtime 40:01
,\ /... . . .... .... \ / ' Size 217.44______
:\/ ', \ / , \ /
' '... ..\ /.. .. .....:. .. .... .. . ..\ /.
: Release Notes: \/ , \/ ,
' '
,: At its core, the creative act of making art is grounded in :,
: generosity and hope; the gift of sharing oneÆs inspiration with :
:' others and the hope that in doing so, it will be transformative ':
,: in some form for those who experience it. Inspired by two iconic :,
: quotes from the Reverend Martin Luther King, pianist/composer :
:' Cat Toren confronts the fraught contemporary moment in our ':
,: collective history by searching for music that resonates with :,
: the ideals of redemption, metamorphosis, and spiritual evolution :
:' that are at the core of the civil rights movement. Enlisting ':
,: the talents of her quintet HUMAN KIND on their sophomore :,
: release, Toren draws on her work as a sound healer and the :
:' influences of spiritual jazz practitioners such as Alice ':
,: Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders to produce an album whose message :,
: is powerfully communicative. :
:' ':
,: ôRadiance in Veils,ö the albumÆs opening track, begins with :,
: delicate chimes drawn directly from TorenÆs sound healing :
:' practice. The quartet gradually explores a rhythmically free ':
,: space over harmonic drones, quietly at first before gaining in :,
: intensity as the pedal point swings back and forth between the :
:' initial pitch and surrounding notes. Despite the diverse music ':
,: cultures suggested by the instrument of oud, saxophone, mixed :,
: percussion, and piano, this opening is grounded in an :
:' immediately recognizable expressive template, an introductory ':
,: call to prayer of sorts that one can identify in musics from :,
: around the world. A rhapsodic piano solo follows as Toren :
:' meditates on mournful Phrygian harmonies, leading into a vamp ':
,: over which saxophonist Xavier Del Castillo and oudist Yoshie :,
: Fruchter play a haunting melody in unison. Del Castillo leads :
:' the way with a blistering solo as the group gradually joins him ':
,: and the rhythm becomes free once again. Another contemplative :,
: piano solo acts as a harmonic bridge to a frenetic transitional :
:' passage, before the pieceÆs mysterious main second theme ':
,: arrives, a disjunct, obstinate figure played in rhythmic unison :,
: that ushers in oud and piano solos. An ensemble melody follows, :
:' an intensified quasi-hybrid of the previous two themes, before ':
,: the track ends with the oud embellishing a smooth vamp. :,
: :
:' ôGarment of Destinyö is inspired by a King quote that speaks of ':
,: an ôinescapable network of mutuality,ö a network that Toren sees :,
: in the dynamics of improvising as much as social communication. :
:' Beginning with a searching Toren solo, Fruchter and bassist ':
,: Jake Leckie join for an improvised dialogue that is notable for :,
: the restraint and space each musician creates. The entire :
:' quintet comes together for an unfolding improvisation that is ':
,: led by Del CastilloÆs plaintive sax, evolving as one long :,
: gesture opens into a broad climax. :
:' ':
,: ôIgnis Fatuusö is the most overtly swung music on the album, :,
: presented with a touch of irony, a response to the ministrations :
:' of politicians, spin doctors, and those who pollute the social ':
,: discourse with misinformation. The sax melody has hints of the :,
: dry humor of Monk and Mingus. TorenÆs solo toys around with :
:' melodic fragments from various angles, twisting and turning ':
,: them to see how they can be heard from multiple angles. Del :,
: Castillo's entrance is brash and sardonic and as his solo :
:' intensifies, his lines become more angular and disjointed. ':
,: :,
: The final work on the album, ôRising Phoenix,ö opens with an :
:' organ, a new texture that briefly references the gospel ':
,: tradition and brings us back to the reverent space of the :,
: opening track. Energy accumulates through the improvisation on :
:' this track, as if to capture a reawakening and energetic ':
,: renewal. Midway through the piece, Toren begins to play :,
: towering, polytonal triads over a pedal before Del Castillo :
:' intones three note clarion calls. This leads into a slow, ':
,: gospel blues groove organized into seven bar phrases that roll :,
: over themselves like crests of a heavy wave, a message of :
:' renewal to close the recording. ':
,: :,
: On top of crafting an expressive and energetic arc over the :
:' course of the album, Toren deftly blends the stylistic ':
,: references inherent in the HUMAN KIND instrumentation. The :,
: shared musical environment she facilitates is one in which the :
:' various voices present, whether it be the Arabic oud, jazz ':
,: saxophone, or percussion grounded in the healing tradition, are :,
: meeting in a space that has a quality of universality; she :
:' skillfully avoids the trap of featuring any instrument for the ':
,: exoticism of its association. Perhaps this is yet one more way :,
: that TorenÆs practice strives to send a message about community :
:' and harmony, that we can find a mutual forum for discourse. Or ':
,: as King put it as no one else could, ôLet us all hope that the :,
: dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep :
:' fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched ':
,: communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant :,
: stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation :
:' with all their scintillating beauty.ö ':
: '
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\ / Shout out to all our homies from: \ /
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\ / iPC BOSS HiT2000 1way UKi i8 RNS \ /
\ / RAGEMP3 MANDY DV8 pLAN9 BUTT \ /
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\ / H O U N D \ /
\/ 2 0 2 0 \/