a r t i s t : The Embassadors feat. Michel Ongaru
t i t l e : Healing The Music
d a t e : 2008
l a b e l : Nonplace
g e n r e : Jazz
r l s. d a t e : Apr/2008
t r a c k s : 10
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 46,7 MB
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THE EMBASSADORs is a music collective formed by HAYDEN
CHISHOLM- reed player/producer and long time colloborator with
BURNT FRIEDMAN. The Collective is the result of over 12 years
of Chisholm┤s globetrotting, co-productions, collecting
musical information and forging musical bonds. After years of
world-wide music research, touring with groups like ROOT70,
PLURAMON and BURNT FRIEDMAN/JAKI LIEBEZEIT, and creating the
music for REBECCA HORN installations, Chisholm felt ready to
begin tying it all together. After the success of the ROOT70
album HEAPS DUB on nonplace which he co-produced with
Friedman, Chisholm felt the urge to push ahead with his own
songs and his own group : "Music like this comes about
through long friendships and in our case we have been playing
together for over a decade in different formations. The
musicians are from New Zealand, South Africa, Peru, Kenya, and
Germany - more than enough reason to go forth as THE
EMBASSADORS."(H.Chisholm)
The collective is made up of the trombonist NILS WOGRAM, the
leading trombone soloist of the European scene; bassist MATT
PENMAN, first-call bassist in the NYC and collaborator with
JOHN SCOFIELD; drummer JOCHEN RUECKERT, often imitated and
sought after by figures like PAT METHANY and MADELEINE
PEYROUX; violist and vocalist GARETH LUBBE, known as one of
the prominent overtone singers in the world and principal
violist in the LIEPZIGER GEWANDHAUS; cellist CLAUDIO
BOHORQUEZ, one of the world┤s top classical soloists with a
unique faculty for improvising, and HAYDEN CHISHOLM on reeds
and keys. With these figures, Chisholm has brought together
leading figures from across the genres, setting the
foundations for what is a truly GLOBAL music collective of the
highest order.
For the Collective┤s debut on nonplace, Chisholm discovered
the Kenyan singer MICHEL ONGARU: "This year while I was
performing in Kenya I came across the multi-instrumentalist
and vocalist MICHEL ONGARU who for me was the missing piece
for the collective┤s debut album on Nonplace. After jamming
for a week solid we made plans to merge our musical minds and
record "HEALING THE MUSIC". Two months later we sat in Room
120 of the WAB hotel of Nairobi for days and nights on end,
encircled by mosquitos and American evangelists. I wrote the
words in English, Michel would put them into Swahili and churn
them out at light speed on his Braille machine and Rob would
fire up the tapes. The dots on the page were then brought to
life by Michel`s voice, echoing through the burnt-out empty
rooms of the third floor." (H.Chisholm)
The debut gig of the EMBASSADORS at the COLOGNE PHILHARMONIC
HALL in January 2007 was met with standing ovations and will
be released in 2007 on the English online label PLUSHMUSIC .
Since then they took the 2007 MOERS Festival by storm
prompting Die Zeit to write " the inspired group THE
EMBASSADORS was the one shining light of the festival"
The Songs on the Album move effortlessly through Reggae,
Bossa, and Jazz styles echoing the myriad of musical
influences the New Zealand globetrotter and bandleader has
assimilated into his language. His lyrics speak of
encouragement and brotherhood but are spiced with the bitter-
sweet taste of paradox, a natural ingredient when one has
seen so much of this world . The multi-leveled references in
his music and his taste for hidden meaning and the surreal are
already evident in the Album title: "Why ┤HEALING THE MUSIC┤?
- maybe that┤s just what she needs. Maybe she┤s crying out for
it. It was always my first association whenever I saw the
words healing and music thrown together in any context."
(H.Chisholm)
(www.nonplace.de)
bandsite:
(www.thembassadors.com)
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01-Chema Chajiuza [03:10]
02-Nia Njia [04:04]
03-Jipe Moyo [03:55]
04-Embassador [04:48]
05-Wimbo Wa Wana [04:53]
06-Tenda Wema Dub [03:40]
07-Maisha Haya Kufa Kupona [04:35]
08-Mwanangu (for Maxim) [03:39]
09-Nia Njia Version [04:38]
10-Tenda Wema [02:41]
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40:03 min