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Samantha Boshnack: B'shnorkestra: Global Concertos
Samantha Boshnack
trumpetb.1981
Since her arrival here from her native New York state, Boshnack has established wide acclaim for her work in quintet settings, as stated so strongly in her last album, Exploding Syndrome, or in a narrative setting, expressed in her brilliant, The Nellie Bly Project. With her chamber orchestra, B'shnorkestra, a fourteen piece collective formed in 2011, she has charted new territory moving forward on her musical journey, in the case of the ensemble's new album, Global Concertos, a journey spanning five continents.
As in the first B'shnorkestra recording, Go to Orange (Present Sounds, 2013), the ensemble brings together musicians from different musical communities in Seattle: jazz, avante-garde, rock, latin and classical. With Global Concertos, Boshnack pushes the envelope even further, by composing five distinct concertos, for five distinct soloists, from five musical continents, resulting in a work that can only be described as brilliant. Recorded live at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute in Seattle, the integrity of the performance demanded it's release as an album, and a path leading to further explorations through the bold and uncompromising compositions of
Samantha Boshnack
trumpetb.1981
Under the direction of Joshua Kohl, B'shnorkestra provides both compositional brilliance, and improvisational latitude, as is amply demonstrated in the first piece, "Prarthona," performed by Indian classical vocalist, Srivani Jade. Lyrically based on the poem by Rabindranath Tagore, Jade weaves modal expressions around Boshnack's hypnotic string arrangements, featuring deep, blue textures splashed across a canvas of music boldly striking forward without fear of baseless boundary. "Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where knowledge is free, where the world has not been broken up into fragments, by narrow domestic walls."
Tagore expresses a vision of a world not fragmented by prejudices based on caste, creed, color, religion, or baseless superstition. These notions of freedom and spiritual unity are beautifully expressed by Boshnack's modal transitions providing a musical landscape not "fragmented" by cultural bias. Between verses, and gradually throughout the piece, the mood spirals upwards, colors change, the musical fabric loosens and frees the remarkable instrument that is the voice of Ms. Jade. "Where words come out from the depth of truth, where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection. Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit. Where the mind is led forward by thee, into ever-widening thought and action, into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake."
Tagore's cry for freedom is a notion present in all of human culture. In concert with the music of Boshnack, and the genius of Srivani Jade, Prarthona leaves the listener feeling a deep sense of spiritual and cultural clarity, as one might experience after a literal journey around the globe, yet experienced in nine transcendent minutes of music.
The album's second piece, "Concerto for Julio," was written for pianist " data-original-title="" title="">Julio Jauregui, a master of latin jazz forms, born in Louisiana, and raised in Mexico City. He is acclaimed both as a pianist and musical director, and is well known for his work with Carlos Cascante y Tumbao. The piece explores Jauregui's percussive piano style, as it interplays throughout the piece with a more ethereal framework, and Latin, percussive base. Jauregui's improvised solo is a thing of beauty, clearly linking this piece to a theme expressed in all five concertos-that unique musical and cultural qualities have no boundaries of separation. An unyielding sense of hope and unity wanders seamlessly throughout this album, concerto to concerto, as is superbly expressed through this particular piece.
"Concerto for Christos" features Balkan musician Christos Govetas, born in Greek Macedonia, and remarkably, as is the case with all five soloists, now a resident of Seattle. Known for his work in the rebetiko form, Govetas is a master of Greek, Turkish and Arabic music, on a variety of instruments, including bouzouki, baglama, and oud. He garnered acclaim for his work on the album The Intercontinentals, with
Bill Frisell
guitar, electricb.1951
"Concerto for Talking Drum" features African percussion master, Thione Diop, from Senegal, West Africa. Known for his powerfully expressive djembe performances, Diop descends from an ancestral line of Griot drummers from Senegal. From the outset, the piece reflects both western and African concepts, with a strong presence by Boshnack, and the saxophones of Kevin Nortness and Chris Credit. Boshnack's trumpet approach is powerfully representative of the blues/jazz tradition, leading into Diop's mesmerizing solo on talking drum. Again, the cultural lines are present, but not encumbering, not fragmented by cultural bias. Orchestral stretches fade into West African rhythms, and Diop's masterful solos, reemerging orchestrally into a modernist space, reminiscent of the works of such composers as John Adams, and Gabriel Prokofiev.
"Concerto for Jazz Trumpet," features Seattle native
Thomas Marriott
trumpetb.1975
Freddie Hubbard
trumpet1938 - 2008
Eddie Henderson
trumpetb.1940
Thomas Marriott
trumpetb.1975
Samantha Boshnack
trumpetb.1981
Track Listing
Prarthona; Concerto for Julio; Concerto for Christos; Concerto for Talking Drum; Concerto for Jazz Trumpet
Personnel
Samantha Boshnack
trumpetJoshua Kohl: conductor; Samantha Boshnack: trumpet, flugelhorn; Chris Credit: alto saxophone, flute; Kevin Nortness: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Alex Guy: violin; Paris Hurley: violin; Brianna Atwell: viola; Maria Scherer Wilson: cello; Daniel Mullikan: cello; Tim Carey: upright bass; Carmen Rothwell: upright bass; Adam Kozie: drums, percussion; Greg Campbell: drums, percussion; Ivan Galvez: congas,percussion; Srivani Jade: voice; Julio Jauregui: piano; Christos Govetas: clarinet; Thione Diop: talking drum; Thomas Marriott: trumpet
Album information
Title: B'shnorkestra: Global Concertos | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Self Produced
Tags
Samantha Boshnack
CD/LP/Track Review
Paul Rauch
Self Produced
United States
Washington
Seattle
Julio Jauregui
Bill Frisell
Thomas Marriott
Freddie Hubbard
Eddie Henderson
B'shnorkestra: Global Concertos
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