180g Vinyl Double LP!
In this vivid and exciting project, the Santiago-raised and New York-based pianist-composer David Virelles looks towards one melting pot from the vantage point of another. A far-reaching work with deep cultural roots, Gnosis speaks of transculturation and traditions, and of the complex tapestry of Cubas music the sacred, the secular, and the ritualistic but the works shapes and forms could only have been created by a gifted contemporary player thoroughly versed in the art of the improvisers. Strings, woodwinds and percussion all have their roles to play in Gnosis, viewed by Virelles as "several families functioning within one unit: this dynamic symbolizes multicultural interaction." Virelles' responsive piano and the vocals and percussion of Román Díaz, a profound figure in the transmission of Afro-Cuban musical history, are at the centre of the action. Gnosis was recorded at New Yorks Avatar Studios in May 2016 and produced by Manfred Eicher.
"The pianist David Virelles came to New York via Santiago de Cuba and Toronto. Along the way his vocation as a musician has unfolded in dramatic fashion so dramatic, in fact, some might say use the word miraculous; although supernatural-existentialist might be more appropriate, given the results of Gnosis, his 2017 recording on ECM. It is not so curious a phenomenon, considering, firstly: the fact that Mr Virelles is of Afro-Cuban descent and secondly: that he is under the spell so to speak of one of the high-priests (literally) of the Lucumi practice, Román Díaz. Anyone who leaps out of this backdrop is guaranteed to have a heady brew coursing through his veins. Gnosis proves this quite beyond doubt." - Raul da Gama, jazzdagama.com, September 4, 2017
Features:
180g Vinyl
Double LP
Gatefold jacket
Limited time download code
Musicians:
David Virelles, piano, marimbula, background vocals
Roman Diaz, lead vocals, percussion (bonko enchemiya, ekon, nkomos, erikundi, itones, nkanika, marimbula, claves, mayohuacan, pilon, carapacho de jicotea, coconut shells)
Allison Loggins-Hull, flute, piccolo
Rane Moore, clarinet, bass clarinet
Adam Cruz, steel pan, claves
Alex Lipowski, orchestral bass drum, temple blocks, bongos, gong
Matthew Gold, marimba, glockenspiel
Mauricio Herrera, ekon, nkomos, erikundi, claves, background vocals
Thomas Morgan, double bass
Yunior Lopez, viola
Christine Chen, violoncello
Samuel DeCaprio, violoncello
Melvis Santa, background vocals
Selections:
Side A:
1. Del Tabaco y El Azucar
2. Fititi Nongo
3. Lengua I
4. Erume Kondo
5. Benkomo
Side B:
1. Tierra
2. De Ida y Vuelta I
3. Lengua II
4. De Ida y Vuelta II
5. Nuna
6. Epilogo
Side C:
1. Dos
2. Caracola
3. Visiones Sonoras
4. De Portal
5. De Tres
6. De Cuando Era Chiquita
7. De Coral
In this vivid and exciting project, the Santiago-raised and New York-based pianist-composer David Virelles looks towards one melting pot from the vantage point of another. A far-reaching work with deep cultural roots, Gnosis speaks of transculturation and traditions, and of the complex tapestry of Cubas music the sacred, the secular, and the ritualistic but the works shapes and forms could only have been created by a gifted contemporary player thoroughly versed in the art of the improvisers. Strings, woodwinds and percussion all have their roles to play in Gnosis, viewed by Virelles as "several families functioning within one unit: this dynamic symbolizes multicultural interaction." Virelles' responsive piano and the vocals and percussion of Román Díaz, a profound figure in the transmission of Afro-Cuban musical history, are at the centre of the action. Gnosis was recorded at New Yorks Avatar Studios in May 2016 and produced by Manfred Eicher.
"The pianist David Virelles came to New York via Santiago de Cuba and Toronto. Along the way his vocation as a musician has unfolded in dramatic fashion so dramatic, in fact, some might say use the word miraculous; although supernatural-existentialist might be more appropriate, given the results of Gnosis, his 2017 recording on ECM. It is not so curious a phenomenon, considering, firstly: the fact that Mr Virelles is of Afro-Cuban descent and secondly: that he is under the spell so to speak of one of the high-priests (literally) of the Lucumi practice, Román Díaz. Anyone who leaps out of this backdrop is guaranteed to have a heady brew coursing through his veins. Gnosis proves this quite beyond doubt." - Raul da Gama, jazzdagama.com, September 4, 2017
Features:
180g Vinyl
Double LP
Gatefold jacket
Limited time download code
Musicians:
David Virelles, piano, marimbula, background vocals
Roman Diaz, lead vocals, percussion (bonko enchemiya, ekon, nkomos, erikundi, itones, nkanika, marimbula, claves, mayohuacan, pilon, carapacho de jicotea, coconut shells)
Allison Loggins-Hull, flute, piccolo
Rane Moore, clarinet, bass clarinet
Adam Cruz, steel pan, claves
Alex Lipowski, orchestral bass drum, temple blocks, bongos, gong
Matthew Gold, marimba, glockenspiel
Mauricio Herrera, ekon, nkomos, erikundi, claves, background vocals
Thomas Morgan, double bass
Yunior Lopez, viola
Christine Chen, violoncello
Samuel DeCaprio, violoncello
Melvis Santa, background vocals
Selections:
Side A:
1. Del Tabaco y El Azucar
2. Fititi Nongo
3. Lengua I
4. Erume Kondo
5. Benkomo
Side B:
1. Tierra
2. De Ida y Vuelta I
3. Lengua II
4. De Ida y Vuelta II
5. Nuna
6. Epilogo
Side C:
1. Dos
2. Caracola
3. Visiones Sonoras
4. De Portal
5. De Tres
6. De Cuando Era Chiquita
7. De Coral
