: ' .. .:.... . ' ' ______________ : ________ : ' \ / .. .:. .. \ / : : \ /_________ \ / . .. ... .. . : .\ / /___ /\ \ / ______________ ___ _. : \ / / \ / \ \/ / \ \ \ \ \ . ...:..\ / _______/ \/ \ ___/__ / / / / / : /\ / / \ \/ \ / / / . sH! ' / \/ / / / \ / / . ... .:.... .. . :/ _______/ / / / _______/__ ___ __ .\ / / / / / / / / / / / \ / / / / / / / / / / / . . \ /\______/ / / / / \___ / / : \/ ____ \ / / / / / : \ / \ /\____/\ / / : : ________\/ \ / \ / / : ' \ / \/ \ /\ / : . ..:.. . \ / \/ \ / \ / \ / . ' : \/ F A N G \ / : ' ____ \ / . . .. .. .:.. . \ / presents \ / . . \/ \/ : : . ..:.. , : Artist......: Cat Toren's Human Kind : Album.......: Scintillating Beauty : : Label.......: Panoramic Recordings .. .:.. . Genre.......: Jazz : Catnr.......: PAN18 . ' Source......: CD , ; Rip.date....: 2020-11-27 Str.date....: 2020-09-11 Quality.....: 253kbps/44.1kHz/Joint Stereo . :.. .:. Url.........: http://www.cattoren.com ' ' , ________ ________ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / # title time \ / \/ \/ 1. Radiance in Veils 16:06 2. Garment of Destiny 7:00 3. Ignis Fatuus 6:31 4. Rising Phoenix 10:24 ______ \ / ________ Runtime 40:01 ,\ /... . . .... .... \ / ' Size 76.86 ______ :\/ ', \ / , \ / ' '... ..\ /.. .. .....:. .. .... .. . ..\ /. : Release Notes: \/ , \/ , ' ' ,: At its core, the creative act of making art is grounded in :, : generosity and hope; the gift of sharing oneÆs inspiration with : :' others and the hope that in doing so, it will be transformative ': ,: in some form for those who experience it. Inspired by two iconic :, : quotes from the Reverend Martin Luther King, pianist/composer : :' Cat Toren confronts the fraught contemporary moment in our ': ,: collective history by searching for music that resonates with :, : the ideals of redemption, metamorphosis, and spiritual evolution : :' that are at the core of the civil rights movement. Enlisting ': ,: the talents of her quintet HUMAN KIND on their sophomore :, : release, Toren draws on her work as a sound healer and the : :' influences of spiritual jazz practitioners such as Alice ': ,: Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders to produce an album whose message :, : is powerfully communicative. : :' ': ,: ôRadiance in Veils,ö the albumÆs opening track, begins with :, : delicate chimes drawn directly from TorenÆs sound healing : :' practice. The quartet gradually explores a rhythmically free ': ,: space over harmonic drones, quietly at first before gaining in :, : intensity as the pedal point swings back and forth between the : :' initial pitch and surrounding notes. Despite the diverse music ': ,: cultures suggested by the instrument of oud, saxophone, mixed :, : percussion, and piano, this opening is grounded in an : :' immediately recognizable expressive template, an introductory ': ,: call to prayer of sorts that one can identify in musics from :, : around the world. A rhapsodic piano solo follows as Toren : :' meditates on mournful Phrygian harmonies, leading into a vamp ': ,: over which saxophonist Xavier Del Castillo and oudist Yoshie :, : Fruchter play a haunting melody in unison. Del Castillo leads : :' the way with a blistering solo as the group gradually joins him ': ,: and the rhythm becomes free once again. Another contemplative :, : piano solo acts as a harmonic bridge to a frenetic transitional : :' passage, before the pieceÆs mysterious main second theme ': ,: arrives, a disjunct, obstinate figure played in rhythmic unison :, : that ushers in oud and piano solos. An ensemble melody follows, : :' an intensified quasi-hybrid of the previous two themes, before ': ,: the track ends with the oud embellishing a smooth vamp. :, : : :' ôGarment of Destinyö is inspired by a King quote that speaks of ': ,: an ôinescapable network of mutuality,ö a network that Toren sees :, : in the dynamics of improvising as much as social communication. : :' Beginning with a searching Toren solo, Fruchter and bassist ': ,: Jake Leckie join for an improvised dialogue that is notable for :, : the restraint and space each musician creates. The entire : :' quintet comes together for an unfolding improvisation that is ': ,: led by Del CastilloÆs plaintive sax, evolving as one long :, : gesture opens into a broad climax. : :' ': ,: ôIgnis Fatuusö is the most overtly swung music on the album, :, : presented with a touch of irony, a response to the ministrations : :' of politicians, spin doctors, and those who pollute the social ': ,: discourse with misinformation. The sax melody has hints of the :, : dry humor of Monk and Mingus. TorenÆs solo toys around with : :' melodic fragments from various angles, twisting and turning ': ,: them to see how they can be heard from multiple angles. Del :, : Castillo's entrance is brash and sardonic and as his solo : :' intensifies, his lines become more angular and disjointed. ': ,: :, : The final work on the album, ôRising Phoenix,ö opens with an : :' organ, a new texture that briefly references the gospel ': ,: tradition and brings us back to the reverent space of the :, : opening track. Energy accumulates through the improvisation on : :' this track, as if to capture a reawakening and energetic ': ,: renewal. Midway through the piece, Toren begins to play :, : towering, polytonal triads over a pedal before Del Castillo : :' intones three note clarion calls. This leads into a slow, ': ,: gospel blues groove organized into seven bar phrases that roll :, : over themselves like crests of a heavy wave, a message of : :' renewal to close the recording. ': ,: :, : On top of crafting an expressive and energetic arc over the : :' course of the album, Toren deftly blends the stylistic ': ,: references inherent in the HUMAN KIND instrumentation. The :, : shared musical environment she facilitates is one in which the : :' various voices present, whether it be the Arabic oud, jazz ': ,: saxophone, or percussion grounded in the healing tradition, are :, : meeting in a space that has a quality of universality; she : :' skillfully avoids the trap of featuring any instrument for the ': ,: exoticism of its association. Perhaps this is yet one more way :, : that TorenÆs practice strives to send a message about community : :' and harmony, that we can find a mutual forum for discourse. Or ': ,: as King put it as no one else could, ôLet us all hope that the :, : dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep : :' fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched ': ,: communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant :, : stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation : :' with all their scintillating beauty.ö ': : ' '.. ..' .. . :........... . . . . ............: . . ______________ ______________ \ / \ / \ / Shout out to all our homies from: \ / \ / \ / \ / iPC BOSS HiT2000 1way UKi i8 RNS \ / \ / RAGEMP3 MANDY DV8 pLAN9 BUTT \ / \ / \ / \/ ____ ____ \/ \ / F A N G \ / \/ 2 0 2 0 \/