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Pauline Jean: Nwayo
Pauline Jean
vocalsBy beginning with "Rev Pauline/Pauline's Dream" Jean cleverly lays out the concept which the record will adhere to. She sings this, as some of the others, in Kreyol, and the accompanying music, penned by alto saxophonist
Godwin Louis
saxophone
Axel Tosca Laugart
pianob.1984
The cadence is tempered on "Anmwey" a creole sketch on the French chanson style, where Jean displays her ability to cover the vocal range from a hushed plea to sheer desperation. Her jazz inclinations return amidst "Whirlwind Romance," an upbeat number featuring superb sax soloing by Louis. Traditional Haitian drumming highlights "Ti Kwazo Kote Ou Prale" a Haitian children song, trumpeter
Jean Caze
trumpetb.1982
Markus Schwartz
percussionThe records highlight is "Igbo Landing," a poignant suite in honor of the mass suicide off the coast of Georgia in 1803, by enslaved Igbo Africans who chose drowning over a life of slavery. Jean does a remarkable job of portraying the agitation and anguish that such a scenario would invoke. Louis likewise takes his sax phrasing into the raging sea, as if in a scream; leading Obed Calvaire into a drum induced frenzy. The homage to the ancestors is extended on "Their Blood, Bondye" a collaboration with Haitian writer Edwidge Danticat, in praise of those who sacrificed everything in Haiti's long and troubled history. Remaining with her native sensitivity, "Kouto De Bo," is a rhythmic venture performed with a clever twist on words and meaning.
Pauline Jean is one of those rare musicians who possesses an ancient spirit. Her Haitian roots extend her heritage back to Africa, to the griots of tribal societies. She could of course be happy and successful as a jazz singer, but mystical influences engaged her with a deeper realm, chosen by ancestors to tell their story, in their language. It is a serious undertaking which she manifests with music... "the Sea brought me and the Sea will bring me home." ">
Track Listing
Rév Pauline; I’m In The Mood For Love; Anmwey; Whirlwind Romance; Ti Kwazo Kote Ou Prale ?; Igbo Landing; Their Blood, Bondye; Kouto De Bo; (Reprise) Ti Kwazo Kote Ou Prale.
Personnel
Pauline Jean
vocalsPauline Jean: vocals, bandleader, composer; Alex Tosca Laugart: piano; Jonathan Michel: acoustic & electric bass; Obed Calvaire: drums; Godwin Louis: alto saxophone; Jean Caze: trumpet, flugelhorn, shell horn; Jean Mary Brignol: Haitian traditional drum; Markus Schwartz: Haitian traditional drum, percussion.
Album information
Title: Nwayo | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Self Produced
Tags
Pauline Jean
CD/LP/Track Review
James Nadal
Self Produced
United States
New York
New York City
Godwin Louis
Axel Tosca Laugart
Jean Caze
Markus Schwartz
Nwayo
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