Home » Jazz Articles » Cover Stories » Phil Raskin: Songs Of The Fathers
Phil Raskin: Songs Of The Fathers
For generations young musicians have apprenticed with older masters, learning to carry on important traditions while honing their skills to push the boundaries to achieve new levels of innovation, infusing new life into the music for generations to come.
—Phil Raskin
Introduction
The eye-catching artwork on Songs of The Fathers by Satya (Resonant Artists 2024) is the work of photographer Peter Koppenaal. The image features layer upon layer of people figures outlined against a fiery backdrop of African colors. The picture is, in fact, more representative of the label that might at first be apparent because Resonant Artists was founded on principles of uniting cultures and sharing peace and unity through music. The cover combines two images from two of the world's great continents, Africa, and America.
How the artwork was created
Phil Raskin
drumsb.1957
Koppenaal and Raskin collaborated on the image, and it took many attempts before the vision Raskin had in mind emerged. Raskin wanted to express the familial supportiveness of African communities and relate this to the current times and the music of
Abdullah Ibrahim
pianob.1934
"The Makonde Ujamaa (ujamaa means fraternity or family in Swahili) wood carving is symbolic of generations of family supporting one another across time. I have always been struck by the vertical orientation of the piece, with everyone supporting one another in the present time, as a representation of lineage, and with a look toward the future. Typically, lineage is graphically shown by a horizontal line, left to right from past to present. But here, the generations are all represented together. Past, present, and future are seen as one. For me, this speaks poignantly to the tradition of mentorship in the music community.
Given the medium of carved Mpingo used for the sculpture, this symbol seemed even more appropriate and made perfect sense as the central image for emphasis on the album cover. By including a background with colors representative of the African continent, the combined image additionally represents Africa as the common birthplace of our music and species and how connecting deeply to our interconnected nature is key to our growth and survival.
For generations young musicians have apprenticed with older masters, learning to carry on important traditions while honing their skills to push the boundaries to achieve new levels of innovation, infusing new life into the music for generations to come. Within the jazz community, and in my personal experience, once their students had honed their skills, those masters then included them in their ensembles, drawing from the strength and energy of their youth to further inspire their performances and engage a new generation of listeners preserving the vibrancy and relevance of the music.
Honoring that tradition was the primary motivation for developing this album project. Throughout his career of more than six decades, Abdullah Ibrahim has inspired musicians young and old, and listeners the world over with compositions and performances that impart messages of peace, hope, and global unity. These messages celebrate the fraternity of us all, and as is the stated mission of the Resonant Artists label brings his exceptional gifts of music so they may "continue to Resonate with the World; lifting and opening the spirits, hearts, and minds of all who listen."
Artist Phil Raskin of Satya and Resonant Artists
Phil Raskin is a world-renowned drummer, percussionist, and producer with over four decades of professional experience. His impressive career has taken him to more than thirty countries worldwide. Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Phil began working in the music industry as a teenager, mentored by legendary guitarist
Bill DeArango
guitar1921 - 2005
Joe Lovano
drumsb.1952
Billy Drewes
saxophone
Jamey Haddad
percussionb.1952
Abe Laboriel
bass, electricb.1947
Kenny Werner
pianob.1951
George Benson
guitarb.1943
Kenny Burrell
guitar, electricb.1931
Roy Ayers
vibraphone1940 - 2025
Pharoah Sanders
saxophone, tenor1940 - 2022
Stan Getz
saxophone, tenor1927 - 1991
Gary Burton
vibraphoneb.1943
Weather Report
band / ensemble / orchestraRelated Photos
Courtesy Phil Raskin
Courtesy Frank Doblekar
Courtesy Phil Raskin
Courtesy Phil Raskin
Courtesy Phil Raskin
Courtesy Phil Raskin
Courtesy Phil Raskin
Tags
Scumbles
Sammy Stein
Satya
Resonant Artists
Phil Raskin
Bill DeArango
joe lovano
Billy Drewes
Skip Hadden
Jamey Haddad
Abe Laboriel
Kenny Werner
george benson
Kenny Burrell
Roy Ayers
Pharaoh Sanders
Stan Getz
Gary Burton
Weather Report
Comments
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Support All About Jazz
All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.
Buy Now
