Chris Massey Group
Atmosphere

The Diva Faïrouz. Her real name Nouhad Haddad, she was born in the Zokak el Blat district of Beirut. The eldest of a modest Maronite family, she developed a passion for singing very early on. Her parents are too poor to afford the luxury of a radio, so she spends most of her time listening, her ear glued to the wall, to the neighbors. Nouhad quickly memorizes the songs she hears and gives a few samples at parties organized by her school. It was there that she seduced her comrades with her vocal abilities and that she was noticed in 1947 by the composer Mohammed Fleyfel. The echo of his velvety voice reaches Halim el Roumi, talent scout, renowned singer-songwriter and director of Lebanese Radio, who asks to audition him immediately. Literally fascinated, el Roumi introduced him to the choir of Radio Beirut, baptized it with the name of Faïrouz and became its appointed composer. Then, he introduces her to Assi el Rahbani, a young avant-garde composer who, in the company of his brother Mansour, wishes to renew a Lebanese song under profound Egyptian influence. The teenager Faïrouz succumbed to the personal charm of Assi, whom she married in 1954, and to that of his compositions (the model couple of Arab song would be separated by the death of their husband in 1986). The heavenly trio causes, from the publication of its first titles, a real musical revolution. Traditionalists howl at sacrilege and distortion while sympathizers of the rejuvenation and modernization of Lebanese folklore, weary of insipid refrains and pale copies, show their enthusiasm. In 1957, Faïrouz opened the International Festival of Baalbek (a locality mentioned in one of his flagship titles) and sang in the middle of the six columns of the Roman temple. This initial encounter with his audience, who warmly welcomed him, earned him the nickname "seventh column". Faced with this fabulous galloping success, the Rahbanis are stepping up their offensive and courageously playing the card of constant innovation. They wrote for Faïrouz musical sketches, operettas and, from 1962 to 1976, about fifteen sung plays in which she plays the role of a woman in love with Love, the true, the pure, the innocent. , and that of hope. She also appears in a few films but she quickly interrupts her cinematic odyssey. It is still and always one of the major references of Arabic song and many of its titles, such as "Bint el Chalabia", are hummed as much by the new generation as by the old.

Bassist and composer Milo Fitzpatrick (Portico Quartet) launches new collaborative project with saxophonist Jordan Smart (Mammal Hands)Vega Trails is a new project from double-bassist and composer Milo Fitzpatrick, a founder member of Portico Quartet, who has also performed with the likes of Nick Mulvey and Jono McCleary and features saxophonist Jordan Smart (Mammal Hands, Sunda Arc) in a richly powerful duo bringing together two powerfully charismatic musicians. The project which takes its name from Carl Sagan's science fiction novel 'Contact' (a book about signals of new life detected from the Vega system) and was born out of a desire to bring the elements of bass and melody to the foreground in their rawest form and Fitzpatrick explains that he deliberately chose the stripped back approach.“There is so much in just one musician’s sound; the emotional, the intellectual, the vulnerability and power of their character. But often these delicate nuances can be submerged in the quest for a group sound. In Vega Trails I wanted to grant the musicians space to breathe and be heard and for the listener to witness the intimacy and depth of a conversation between two voices, bass and melody. I was also interested in how the limitations would guide both the composition and performance and to push us both to places close to the limits of what we could play, and it is in this place where I believe the character of a musician blossoms and comes forward”.Tremors in the Static was composed during Lockdown as Fitzpatrick immersed himself in music that had space and sparseness such as Swedish fiddle music and Indian Classical music. Jan Johansson’s legendary ‘Jazz på Svenska’ (jazz versions of Swedish folk songs) was another influence, as was a collection of ancient lullabies by Spanish soprano singer Montserrat Figueras. Through exploring the harmonic and textural possibilities on the bass, Fitzpatrick would cycle riffs and motifs whilst singing melodies, and he began to create the music debuted here. However, it was only after listening to Charlie Haden’s album of duets, ‘Closeness’, that the project would come into focus as a duo, and Fitzpatrick immediately knew that the second musician had to be Jordan Smart.“I saw Jordan play at two Gondwana Records events – in Berlin and Tokyo. Both times I was mesmerised by the intensity and conviction of his playing. His commitment to the cause of transcending himself and the listener made a lasting impression on me. When I began writing this record, I knew I needed a strong player who had equal conviction in their playing as me, but also someone who understood the importance of melody”It was an inspired idea as Smart brought an openness and positivity which allowed the music to be both experimental and bold. Smart’s ability to play tenor and soprano saxophone with equal command, as well as bass clarinet and Ney flute, allowed them to open up the pallet of sound and pull the melodies into varying emotional landscapes. The final piece of the puzzle was the performance space. Fitzpatrick knew that he wanted the two players to react off of a third element. The music was written for an ambient space which interacted with the notes: decaying and disintegrating them into silence. They found the perfect space in a church in Fitzpatrick’s local neighbourhood of Stamford Hill.“The recording space is the canvas on which the sound interacts and flows, it is the frame in which notes can live, breathe and die and is as important as the other elements. A resonant recording space, like a church, allows this stripped back sound to resonate, echo and linger, enough to create images and landscapes in which stories can play out”.This then is Vega Trails, a project that brings together two open-mined and communicative musicians for the first time, to tell beautiful winding stories together and to create something soulful and new. Something bigger than both of them and something that leaves us all richer for hearing it. Enjoy!

In the 60s and 70s Arthur Verocai arranged for the likes of Jorge Ben, Gal Costa, Marcos Valle and other such legends of Brazilian pop music. However, it was his self-titled debut album in 1972 which now largely defines Vaerocai's reputation, although it was a resounding failure in Brazil upon its release. His sound looked to US jazz, pop and soul as much as bossa nova, and it was only in the 2000s that it started to be picked up on in the US and elsewhere. The passage of time helps place certain records, and that's especially true of this incredible curio from a bygone era, which strikes a mysterious out-of-time-and-place quality as Rodriguez's classic Cold Fact. Here's to the overlooked greats - may they all find their moment in the sun eventually.

Dinner Party is the super-group of Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, & Kamasi Washington, a collection of some of Hip-Hop’s finest current producers and contributors. With 14 GRAMMY Nominations between the group, Dinner Party utilizes the strengths of each musician seamlessly, blending their styles to create something soulful for these trying times. Following the highly acclaimed release of the self-titled album, Dinner Party releases the followup, Dinner Party: Dessert. The album builds on the mostly instrumental tracks released in the previous version, with heavyweight vocal features from Snoop Dogg, Cordae, Buddy, Reuben vincent, Herbie Hancock, Rapsody, Bilal, & Tarriona Tank Ball.

Un des premiers enregistrement de Sclavis, pièces en solo avec quelques fulgurances de percussion... Klezmer Fusion !