Theo Bleckmann - Love Song - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

On the occasion of it's 35th anniversary [10 years of JMT from 1985 to 1995 and (since 1996) 25 years of WINTER & WINTER] WINTER & WINTER releases a series called InchMy ChoiceInch. Producers Mariko Takahashi and Stefan Winter ask the core musicians to create a Inchdirector's cutInch of their work. Each album »My Choice« hold surprises, make you sit up and take notice, and offer a most interesting look at contemporary interpretations of key works from the world of composed and improvised music. Theo Bleckmann When I listen to my own recordings, I sometimes cringe and other times I brace for impact and it's »not that bad!«. The entire experience of listening to myself depends on my mood and mind-set at that moment, and I have yet to figure out when and where is best moment to do so [or if at all]. This is a selection of music from a decade of collaborating with producer Stefan Winter on a myriad of projects. I most always feel good about these tracks, no matter what mood or day it is and so this is InchMy Choice.Inch

Leyla McCalla's Vari-Colored Songs is a celebration of the complexity of Black culture and identity, and a tribute to the legacy of poet and thinker Langston Hughes. A songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, McCalla sets Hughes' poems to her own spare yet profound compositions. She juxtaposes these with arrangements of folk songs from Haiti, the first independent Black nation and the homeland of her parents, tapping into the nuances of Black experience. McCalla's music elegantly weaves Haitian influences together with American folk music, just as Hughes incorporated Black vernacular into his remarkable poetry, and the way the Haitian Kreyòl is a beacon for the survival of African identity through the brutal legacy of colonialism. This is music of reclamation, imbued with a quiet power that grapples with the immense weight of history.

The exquisite vocal gifts of Theo Bleckmann have enlivened the works of many composers and improvisers over the years. This has unfortunately often led to his own projects becoming a rarity. Bleckmann's new recording, Love and Anger, presents the full scope of the vocalist's wide ranging musical talents with collaborators new and old on material imbued with heart.One of Bleckmann's more recent collaborators, Ulysses Owens, Jr., had loved Bleckmann's Hello Earth, a recording highlighting the music of Kate Bush. Bleckmann and Owens' time on the road allowed for a friendship to blossom, leading Owens to express his intention to produce a recording for Bleckmann in 2024.The duo's efforts were fluid and fast, as they chose material that they felt would highlight Bleckmann's unique abilities and, also, was connected to his unique aesthetic. They really wanted to highlight Bleckmann's innate ability to take another composer's work and excavate something out of it that wasn't already there. His pure and daring voice has inspired compositions by Ben Monder, John Hollenbeck, Phil Kline, Ikue Mori, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composers Julia Wolfe and David Lang, whose chamber opera InchNote to a FriendInch (commissioned by Japan Society and directed by Yoshi Oida) was composed specifically for Bleckmann's unique sound and sensibility.The musicians recruited to accompany Bleckmann on this deeply personal recording are fellow journeymen on many of Bleckmann's projects, truly making this a band of friends. Drummer Owens is accompanied by stalwart bassist Matt Penman and pianist Mike King, a brilliant performer to whom Bleckmann was introduced during the Songs of Freedom tour. Longtime collaborators Ben Monder and woodwind specialist Timo Vollbrecht are also featured prominently on a number of pieces. These partnerships extend a lineage of trusted creative bonds-Bleckmann has mainta