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| Guitarist/ Composer Gene Ess Announces New Album "Apotheosis" - Out November 6th, 2018  Esteemed Japanese-American guitarist and composer Gene Ess is proud to announce the November 6th release of Apotheosis, the fourth album from his quintet Fractal Attraction. Featuring Thana Alexa on vocals, Sebastien Ammann on piano, Yasushi Nakamura on bass, and Clarence Penn on drums, Apotheosis speaks to the astonishing quality of the spirit and of the ability of human beings to crush adverse circumstances in life, and rise above through inner transformations. Fractal Attraction - regarded as one of the most unique, and fresh ensembles on the jazz scene today - presents the timbral and textural exploration of the guitar and female voice that Ess has so carefully envisioned. The accomplished guitarists' arrangements blend perfectly with detailed compositional structures that contain plenty of room for improvisation.In his seminal work, The Hero With A Thousand Faces (1949), American philospher, writer and lecturer Joseph Campbell defined apotheosis as "the expansion of consciousness a hero experiences when defeating his foe". With Fractal Attraction, Ess has charted his own journey of navigating through life and approaching the state Campbell described, beginning in 2013 with their eponymously titled debut, and arriving at their latest project Apotheosis. While the group's previous album Absurdist Theater imagines the hero grappling with internal roadblocks and emotions at the absolute horrors of the world, the music of Apotheosis represents the hero breaking through those obstacles - a feeling of joy permeates the album. The quintet is a marvel of breathing as one and leaving all egos at the door in order to bring life to the leader's vision. Each of the group's albums have strived to deal with contemporary society in an engaging manner - a trait particularly displayed through "Same Sky". Featuring Thana Alexa's thought provoking lyrics, the vocalist laments on the current social climate. Her lyrics are a moving, quiet call for unity, and attempt to make sense of the ridiculous borders people erect regardless of the much common ground there is to be attained between humans. Amongst other stand out tracks from the album is "Tokyo Red" - a tune that aurally depicts the vibrant night scene that one could find moving through Shinjuku or Shibuya. The piece grooves with a ripping back beat, while manually layered distorted guitar and voice create a fascinating textural component. "Fireflies of Hiroshima" is inspired by the horrendous atomic bomb dropped during World War II and brings to mind the important and heart wrenching 1988 Japanese animated classic Grave Of The Fireflies. Firefly watching is also a popular pastime in Japanese summers. Alexa's multi tracked harmony, Ess' acoustic guitar, and Ammann's flittering figures seem to summon not only the spirits of those lost, but the wondrous golden glow of fireflies on a slightly humid evening. The closing track "Two Worlds" features a galvanizing melody as if to say "this is the time" and makes clear that the hero's consciousness has changed, has found triumph and has found a spot of joy in the world. Through the moods and passion of the music, the guitarist, composer and bandleader hopes that the listener can find his or her own apotheosis. Gene Ess has created one of his finest statements to date with this release. MORE ABOUT GENE ESS Gene Ess Shimosato is a jazz guitarist, composer and music producer, active in the United States and primarily in New York. He has recorded and performed with the likes of Rashied Ali, Carlos Santana, Clark Terry, Slide Hampton, Donny McCaslin, Tigran Hamasyan and Nicki Parrott. After graduating from high school, Gene studied classical music at George Mason University with concert guitarist Larry Snitzler. In 1984, Gene was awarded the "Outstanding Solo Performance Award" by Downbeat Magazine performing British composer Lennox Berkeley's "Theme and Variations". With the scholarship he earned, he proceeded to the Berklee College of Music. After graduating in 1990, he moved to New York City in 1991. In 2001, Gene released No One In Particular - a collaborative project with Rashied Ali. His 2009 album Modes of Limited Transcendence garnered overwhelming ratings all over the world. The album led him to receive the "Outstanding Jazz Performance Award" from American Performing Rights organization SESAC. Fractal Attraction is comprised of Gene as a leader, alongside participating members including Thana Alexa, Gene Jackson, Clarence Penn, Thomson Kneeland, Yasushi Nakamura, David Berkman, John Escreet, Sebastien Ammann, Manuel Valera and other top runners in the jazz world. Their debut, Fractal Attraction was released in 2013, followed by Eternal Monomyth in 2015 and Absurdist Theater in 2016. write your comments about the article :: © 2018 Jazz News :: home page |