Connections

Detalles del producto

Disponibilidad:
En stock

Peso con empaque:
0.33 kg

Devolución:
Sí

Condición
Nuevo

Producto de:
Amazon

Viaja desde
USA

Sobre este producto

Connections features music composed both before and during (and in reaction to) the pandemic, and recorded mostly between March 2 and 4, 2021. It includes a generous mix of original compositions with message-driven titles of uplift and instruction (“A New Day,” “Acceptance,” “It Will be Okay,” “Stop Fighting”), balanced with familiar melodies by Whitaker’s musical heroes, from Duke Ellington (“Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”), Stevie Wonder (“Lately”), and gospel singer Richard Smallwood (“Trust Me”), to Duke Pearson (“Jeannine”), Chick Corea (“Spain”), and Thelonious Monk (“Bye-Ya”)—this last one a sparkling, standout duet with pianist Jon Batiste.The performances on Connections reveal Whitaker’s burgeoning musical identity: one filled with deepening confidence, rhythmic vigor, and a marked melodic clarity. Dramatic entrances have become an aspect of his musical approach. Whether on piano, Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes or synthesizer, he doesn’t kick off a tune or improvisation as much as plunge into the music, twisting time and navigating structural shifts with fluidity. Relative to past recordings, he now pulls from a noticeably wider palette of modern jazz, Latin, and R&B sounds, still with a heady top-note of gospel—staying true to his roots. Fittingly, Whitaker offers a version of the venerable spiritual “His Eye Is On The Sparrow” as the album’s closing track.On Connections, Whitaker’s prowess on a wide variety of keyboards is in full effect; “usually we’d go into the studio with whatever backline they have there,” says Whitaker. “But this time I said, ‘we’re gonna bring everything,’ and I was really able to do my thing.” It is clearly a studio effort—evidence of Whitaker’s growing maturity as a recording artist; some tunes were developed during sessions with improvised moments, some were constructed with layered textures and other flavors overdubbed later. Derrick Hodge, noted bassist and bandleader, produced Connections, and added his distinctive, textural bass sound to a number of tracks. “Derrick was very active during the recording—that’s what I love about him,” adds Whitaker. “He had some wonderful ideas which really pushed me to experiment more as a composer and arranger. I was hoping he would play bass and after all the tracking was done, he did record on a few tracks.”MATTHEW WHITAKER / CONNECTIONS