It was released on International Anthem, a Chicago label known for its focus on progressive, atmospheric sounds. thanks Recorded from the group’s live Philharmonic concert at the Southbank Center last year. The staff includes award-winning turntablist Nick Knack, guitarist Shirley Tette, and pianist Maria Chiara Argillo, who I worked with during last year’s Montreux Jazz Festival Mentorship Program. They met together with Kinoshi’s former Kokoroco bandmate, Sheila Maurice Gray. Cross-pollination among similarly skilled artists is fundamental to Kinoshi’s work with seeds. “The concept that has always been binding has been to work with musicians that I deeply respect, admire and enjoy spending time with, to create creative outlets that allow me to express and highlight the subject matter that is important to me. It’s about having,” she says. “Being able to experiment with real sounds is the only environment in which I feel very comfortable.”
Kathy Kinosi has established herself as a composer and bandleader, forming Seed Ensemble the year after graduating from the Trinity Laban Conservatory of Music and Dance in 2015, writing for theater and orchestra. Along with the Mercury Prize, he won the Ivor Novello Award and the Jazz FM Award. It has been nominated in the years since.
Sonically it’s a seed. Best known for blending traditional jazz with African and Caribbean music, thanks It leans much more towards theatre, storytelling and soundscapes. Each track unfolds like a musical tableau, with orchestral warmth and birdsong and other organic sounds. It’s worth noting that the record’s greatest drama comes not from classical instrumentation, but from a clever layering of knick-knack turntablism.
“[I] and other members of Seed. “I met Niknak at the Marsden Jazz Festival in 2019,” says Kinoshi. “Before the performance, Nick Knack opened for us… We all spent a little time in the shared dressing room sharing jokes and stories and chatting about politics. , everyone hit it off right away.
“I find that working with great artists that I get along with on a personal level always leads to the best work, and as soon as I met NikNak, I knew I wanted to work with them.” During the entire ensemble. And it’s easy to see the conversational connections, especially in track IV (most of the songs are untitled). There, drums give way to brass, and brass give way to strings, as if each were holding court in turn around the dinner table.
The album was inspired by Kathy Kinoshi’s mother’s practice of writing gratitude records, and the music aims to encourage gratitude for the people and experiences that bring small joys to everyday life. It’s unapologetically warm and honest, offering her personal perspective on the intersection of music and mindfulness, and reflecting Kinoshi’s own desire to live content.
“At this point in my artistic career, I am beginning to explore what it means to create healthy, positive practices, both in relation to the often overlooked topic of mental health and in understanding and regulating one’s own mental health. “The most important thing is to emphasize that,” she says. It’s important to me. ”
thanks Written by Kathy Kinoshi, Her Seed will be released by International Anthem on March 22nd.
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