Myele Manzanza - Crisis & Opportunity, Vol.4 – Meditations

DeepMatter Records

£21.60

Format: LP
Catalogue No.: DM015
Barcode: 3663729260109
Release Date: 24 Nov 2023
Genre: Jazz / Jazz-Trio / Acoustic Jazz

Having gathered up praise from Mary Anne Hobbs, Cerys Matthews, Jamie Cullum, Gilles Peterson, Huey Morgan, The Guardian, Jazzwise and more, for his lauded ‘Crisis & Opportunity’, drummer and composer Myele Manzanza returns with the fourth instalment of his series, titled ‘Meditations’.

On ‘Meditations’, we see Myele revert to a purely acoustic line-up, channeling a focused and razor-sharp return to his Jazz roots. Showcasing an incredible level of musicianship between three musicians at the top of their game - including Matthew Sheens (Ross McHenry, John Patitucci) on piano and Matt Penman (Joshua Redman, SFJAZZ Collective) on double bass - the trio exchange motifs over the length of 7 tracks.

Opening proceedings with frenetic rhythmic improvisation, complimented by melancholic and cinematic layers of sound, ‘Crayford’s Room’ is a tribute to Myele’s musical mentor back in New Zealand. Remembering his time as a student in Wellington, Myele shows his deep connection to his origins, manifesting itself as lament on ‘Winter’ and ‘Homesick’. Introducing hypnotic, contemplative melodies take centre stage on ‘Something Old Something New’ (the first single to be released from the project)’ It maintains a sense of tension and intrigue throughout, and intensity rises to a crescendo sending sonic particles sprawling into space.

Intuitive, darker and deeply contemplative, Myele shares his innermost thoughts on ‘Crisis and Opportunities Vol.4 - Meditations’. He divulges:

‘The personal angst and existential frustration I was going through across 2020 - 2022 I believe is well reflected here. The album is deeply informed by the musicianship and sound of my trio, Matthew Sheens on piano and Matt Penman on double bass. Knowing that musicians of their calibre were going to be involved gave me licence to go further in my writing, deploying odd time signatures, sharing the melody roles across the piano and the bass, and delving deeper into the nuances of what the acoustic piano / bass / drums trio can do. The compositions present a challenge even to the best musicians, and I knew that it was essential to have a team on this level to really move the music beyond an academic exercise and draw out the emotion and colour from the material.’

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Robohands / Surprise Chef / Offthewally / Orions Belte / The Rugged Nuggets / Arc de Soleil / The Ironsides / Okonski
+ labels like Big Crown Records, Colemine Records

SUPPORT:
Gilles Peterson – 6 Music + WWFM
Mary Anne Hobbs – 6 Music
Huey Morgan – 6 Music
Deb Grant – 6 Music
Tom Ravenscroft – 6 Music
Cerys Matthews – 6 Music
J to Z Show – 6 Music
Jamie Cullum – BBR2
Jamz Supernova – BBC1XTRA
Jyoty – RINSE FM
Jazz FM (Various)
FIP (Various)
Soho Radio (Various)
NTS (Various)
Reprezent Radio (Various)

PRESS:
The Guardian
Jazzwise Magazine
Bonafide
Cool Hunting
Complex Mag
Wordplay Mag
Apple News (Black Music Month Feature)
Jazz Revelations
PAM (Pan African Music)

Track list:
A Side:
A1- Crayford’s Room
A2 - Winter
A3 - Something Old Something New

B Side:
B1 - Interlude
B2 - Meditations
B3 – Homesick