Viniluri ECM Records, Greutate: Normal

2017

He uses ‘Gnosis’ to refer to ancient collective knowledge, and this music is about the intersection of cultures—contemporary improvisational language and Cuban sources, especially the sacred Abakuá percussion ensemble. There are over a dozen instrumentalists and vocalists employed, but they are mostly broken up into various small ensembles: the concert premiere was billed as ‘futuristic Afro-Cuban chamber music.’ […] Sections with the full ensemble (often with Allison Loggins-Hull's flute in the lead) such as ‘Tierra’ and ‘Visiones Sonoras’ alternate with more vocal selections, another feature for Morgan's bass with percussion (‘Nuná’), and solo piano. In fact Virelles closes out the set on piano with two unaccompanied tracks (‘De Cuando Era Chiquita’ and ‘De Coral’). Yet the entire program maintains a consistent tone, simultaneously ancient and contemporary: a ritual for the modern world.
Mark Sullivan, All About Jazz

In this vivid and exciting project, the Santiago-raised and New York-based pianist-composer David Virelles looks towards one melting pot from the vantage point of another. A far-reaching work with deep cultural roots, Gnosis speaks of transculturation and traditions, and of the complex tapestry of Cuba’s music – the sacred, the secular, and the ritualistic – but the work’s shapes and forms could only have been created by a gifted contemporary player thoroughly versed in the art of the improvisers. Strings, woodwinds and percussion all have their roles to play in Gnosis, viewed by Virelles as “several families functioning within one unit: this dynamic symbolizes multicultural interaction.” Virelles’ responsive piano and the vocals and percussion of Román Díaz, a profound figure in the transmission of Afro-Cuban musical history, are at the centre of the action. Gnosis was recorded at New York’s Avatar Studios in May 2016 and produced by Manfred Eicher.

• Numar discuri: 2
• Greutate Vinil: Normal

• Gen muzica: Jazz
• Tip Album: VINIL