Helpling,David / Taylor,Eric - The Precious Dark - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Michelangelo Russo - 100 Years [VINYL LP] date 02/21/2025

Nadia Anjuman (1980-2005) was an Afghan poet writing during a period of turmoil. In 1995, when the Taliban captured Herat, her birthplace, women's liberties were drastically reduced. A gifted student, Nadia faced a future with no hope of education. With other women she attended an underground educational circle called the Golden Needle Sewing School. Meeting under the guise of learning how to sew, the meetings were in fact discussions on literature with Herat professors. The project was dangerous If caught, the punishment could be imprisonment, torture or hanging. Nadia was 21 when the Taliban was ousted. While earning her degree in literature she published her first book of poetry. She married into a family who believed that, since she was a woman, writing brought disgrace on their reputation. Yet she continued to write. At the age of 25 she was beaten to death by her husband. The five poems I chose are wide-ranging and cover extremes of emotion from love; to delight in being a poet; to despair at her lack of freedom; and even contemplation of suicide. The opening poem Turmoil, is an astonishing volte face, starting with a song of love for the solitude and beauty of the night, then a yearning to be free of earth's constraints and to be united with God. It concludes with a passionate plea for the power of her own poetry to save her. The music starts hesitantly, unsure - the motif seems afraid to go any further, although it will become the unifying motif of the whole song. The angular outbursts give way to softer, more lyrical vocal and string lines as spring is evoked, with a solo viola emerging from the group and connecting the singer with the songs she once sang. The music surges at her hope to Inchleave this solitude and sing with joyInch. At full intensity, surrounded by shimmering strings, the soprano affirms the poet's determination to cry out her truth. © Ric

There is much to gain in collaborations between musicians from different generations. The younger receives an education, lessons in history, technique and taste that only experience can provide, while the older can utilize the youthful energy and drive, challenging themselves further.The legendary pianist Ran Blake has long been known as a unique and eloquent stylist, his style ranging from the evocative to romantic to avant-garde. He is also known as a tremendous and supportive accompanist to vocalists. Sara Serpa is a vocalist of a much younger generation, who approaches the songs of the American songbook, music from her native Portugal, and her own original material with equal expertise. Taken from live recordings from Jazz at the Kitano made during two residencies in 2013 and 2014, their new recording Kitano Noir displays the duo's development since their first recording in 2010. They present a wide-ranging program of pieces, from original Blake compositions to standards to more eclectic song forms from Europe.