CD/DVD Releases: MoonJune's New Releases:
Firstly (though more recently), MoonJune Records announced the release of two new titles, simakDialog's Live At Orion and Tesla Manaf's self-titled album; prior to that, there was the release of Yagull's Kai and a Free Download 10-track compilation of works by Mark Wingfield.
simakDialog - Live At Orion - Recorded during the simakDialog's first USA tour in 2013 at Orion Studios in Baltimore. On this double album of almost 2hrs of music, the Indonesian band offers up their own brand of inspired and spirited music of extreme integrity which listens as much as it speaks.
Leader, composer and (Fender) Rhodes scholar, Riza Arshad, possesses one of the most capable sets of hands ever to grace a Fender Rhodes. His manipulation of this classic keyboard, whose warm and slightly rounded metallic voice has helped define modern jazz, brings out the very best it has to offer as he charts out new territories of sound. Arshad's wonderfully sophisticated compositions form the perfect armature for the musicians to flesh out the sound in a very organic way that compels the listener to deeply take it all in. Tohpati's guitar work is the perfect dancing partner to Arshad's keys as he can lead or follow depending on the needs of each composition. His subtle atmospherics bring to mind David Torn, Terje Rypdal and Nels Cline, while his leadwork can possess both the fluidity of Holdsworth and the aggressiveness of Jeff Beck. Though there is no shortage of acrobatic axe-wielding on Live At Orion, Tohpati's democratic interplay with Riza’s gorgeous Rhodes is the real star here – creating a powerful synergy that gives voice to the whole of the music over its parts. The rhythm section of Endang Ramdan and Erlan Suwardana, each on Sudanese kendang percussion, along with Cucu Kurnia on assorted metal percussion and the understated and convincing "Bitches Brew" funk groove of bassist Rudy Zulkarnaen, creates a formidable foundation of one of the most original and innovative progressive electric jazz artists today. NYC based Uruguayan guitarist Beledo is guesting on the closing tune of the album.
Tesla Manaf - Tesla Manaf - International debut of Tesla Manaf's, the young and gifted Indonesian guitarist from the city of Bandung, who delivers his main goal as a musician – "to convert spoken words into notes." Two albums on one cd: A Man's Relationship With His Fragile Area (2014) and It's All Yours (2011).
Tesla Manaf’s guitar work pairs the string texture and physicality of Andres Segovia and Django Reinhardt, with the phrasing and pacing of Ralph Towner and Pat Metheny, through to the present compositional ebbs and flows of Mary Halvorson and Gilad Hekselman. Mind you, these are merely scrap-book points of reference — the end result is extremely original, fresh and inspiring. There is at work here a youthful and enthusiastic sense of risk-taking which is most revealing and rewarding listen after listen. His unique approach to modern composition assures that you won’t necessarily find the traditional song elements of verse, chorus, solo, bridge or refrain and, if you do, they very likely will not occupy the accepted position or possess the interrelationship you have come to expect. This "turning on its head" approach to composition, along with each player's technique and choice of instrument tone color, gives great impact to the experience of listening deeply to each track. A Man's Relationship With His Fragile Area (his last album recorded in 2014 - first 8 compositions on the CD) is all about movement – you find yourself taking the journey with Tesla Manaf (guitar), Hadis "Hulhul" Hendarisman (clarinet, tarompet pencak, Indonesian flute), Rudy Zulkarnaen (upright bass) and Desal Sembada (drums). Your route is paved with gorgeous arpeggiated guitar lines intertwined with sinuous dancing clarinet and fueled by subtle yet insistent basslines with the most delicate use of drumkit. Midstream reflection of this musical experience is granted through the equally composed use of silence and pause. The effortless performance of these idiosyncratic songs belies their complexity. The second half of this CD includes Tesla's earlier album It’s All Yours (recorded in 2011) featuring the Balinese ensemble Mahagotra Ganesha. Tesla's guitar work on this recording possesses the playful melodicism of King Sunny Ade and is perfectly complemented by the resonant metallic voices of the Mahagotra Ganesha ensemble's Gamelan, Gangsa, Ceng Ceng, Kantil, Gong and Kemplug.
Yagull - Kai - Serbian-Japanese combo from New York City Yagull releases its official debut for MoonJune Records and finds the band expanding its post-rock chamber soundtrack concept to great effect on this highly-polished sophomore effort.
Yagull's official debut for MoonJune Records, Kai, finds the band expanding its post-rock chamber soundtrack concept to great effect. The result is a simmering sonic bouillabaisse, chocked full of choice ingredients which delectably merge to blur the lines drawn by traditional genres -- delightfully teasing the palette, while appealing to an expansive range of music aficionados! The group delivers twelve songs on this joyous outing: eight brand new compositions; two tunes from their previous album Films, reworked and revisited; plus, two tastefully-revised classic rock covers (Deep Purple and Free). The tracks showcase Yagull's considerably potent stylistic capacity, making for a savory, finely-polished sophomore release. This new effort finds Yagull now launching itself from a duo framework -- with Sasha Markovic being joined by the extraordinary pianist, Kana Kamitsubo -- this most special of occasions is perfectly accentuated by a host of guest contributors; featuring fellow MoonJune international recording maestros, Beledo (guitar, lute) and Dewa Budjana (guitar), in addition to Marko Djordjevic (drums), and many other great musicians. With Kai, Sasha, Kana & company have embarked on a majestic journey that will appeal to a broad range of listeners ... and carry them along for the ride!
Mark Wingfield - Ten Shades Of Light (10 Tunes From 10 Albums) - Please let me introduce You to the wonderful music of an unsung guitar genius, whose new album Proof Of Light will be released on MoonJune Records in February 2015.
Promotional compiliation - free download (Contributions accepted => Pay-What-You-Can)
direct link -- includes high-quality download in FLAC, ALAC, MP3-320, and more.
BONUS: 2 PDFs of two different pieces on Mark Wingfield in Guitar Player Magazine, by Barry Cleveland.
ALL THOSE WHO CONTRIBUTE $12+ FOR THIS COMPILATION WILL RECEIVE HD DIGITAL DOWNLOAD OF MARK WINGFIELD'S UPCOMING ALBUM PROOF OF LIGHT (featuring YARON STAVI and ASAF SIRKIS) BY JANUARY 1st 2015. AND ALL THOSE WHO CONTRIBUTE $18+ WILL RECEIVE PHYSICAL CD (6 panels DigiPack) + HD DIGITAL DOWNLOAD BY JANUARY 15, 2015.
American born Englishman, perhaps totally unknown and a pretty obscure name to many, is arguably one the greatest electric guitarist that has emerged in the XXI century. Mark Wingfield is releasing his transcendental groundbreaking new album of immense beauty Proof Of Light in February 2015 on MoonJune Records, which features two among my favorite musicians today, Yaron Stavi on upright bass, and Asaf Sirkis on drums. It's not often an album is released that is so daring in its approach and revolutionary in its delivery that it actually changes one's perspective of how music can be expressed and expands their vision of a genre. It is the great privilege and honor for me to present just such an album of the otherworldly guitar stylings of critically-acclaimed guitarist, and in meantime, as an "appetizer," I am inviting You to download Mark's fabulous music from his ten previous albums. Stay tuned for more news on Proof Of Light.
[Source: MoonJune Records]
