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| Jamile's 'Pursuit of a Pulse' (w/ Miki Yamanka & her trio) is out September 12, 2025 via Cellar Music Group Cellar Music Group is proud to announce the September 12, 2025 release of Pursuit of a Pulse, the third album by New York-based, Brazilian-born vocalist and composer Jamile. Featuring acclaimed pianist Miki Yamanaka and her trio, plus Jamile's long-time mentor and regular collaborator Steve Wilson, Pursuit of a Pulse is a deeply personal and rhythmically charged journey through jazz, Brazilian heritage, and modern improvisational storytelling. Pursuit of a Pulse encapsulates the endless quest for music that makes one's heart race—the ceaseless life-affirming pulse that emerges when music seeps deep into one's pores. Reverencing composers that are still alive and/or have been pivotal innovators of their times, Jamile invokes both the heartbeat of those still with us, and the ancestral pulse that provides guidance, making a clear statement that the jazz art form lives on through the footsteps of those who choose to walk along its path and carve new trails. Born and raised in Brazil, but thriving in New York, Jamile's artistry includes a love of language, a closeness with genre, a deep feeling for style—and a demand to throw all of these aside for the pleasures of transcendence. A vocalist with a clear identity who thrives on the plurality of her upbringing and abilities, Jamile's voice is one of a kind. Her versatility and virtuosity often lead her on obsessive quests—particularly for songs that resonate with her on a spiritual level, resulting in an extensive collection of pieces rarely performed. The selections on this album reflect that lifelong chase, and the band, consisting of brilliant figures from the New York City jazz scene, executes each song with an ear for its inner meaning. Over the years, Jamile and pianist Miki Yamanaka have developed a steady musical partnership that resulted in telepathic chemistry and the development of an idiosyncratic sound. Yamanaka's powerful trio enhances this synergy and adds important textural layers to an already dynamic soundscape. Saxophonist Steve Wilson, Jamile's long-time mentor—also featured on her two previous LPs—anoints this album with forward-thinking imagery. The group came together for two live performances followed by a studio recording in Vancouver, Canada. The album begins with a boldly reimagined version of Messiaen's "O sacrum convivium!", originally a four-voice offertory set to Latin prose of the same name. Jamile wrote her own lyrics and title, conjuring the sacredness of the natural world and the breathing forces it harbors. Subtly inviting the listener to immerse themselves in this forest and commune with nature, the kenari seeds and bird-like flute add a sensory component to the soundscape. Through collective breath and movement, "Prayer to the Invisible Forces of the Forest (O sacrum convivium!)" invokes the spirits of the living creatures and elements that compose our world. "Come Running To Me" (Herbie Hancock, Alee Willis) and "Moon" (DOMi, JD BECK, Herbie Hancock, Anderson.Paak) reflect Jamile's deep adoration for Herbie Hancock's music and his generous, innovative spirit. These two heavily electric-sounding songs were stripped down and adapted for acoustic instruments, a decision that redefines their auras. One can clearly hear the anchoring bass lines and drum subdivisions supporting the vocals and the blazing piano solos. The band's pristine sound and cohesion make those intricate rhythmic passages sound uncomplicated. "Jogral" (Filó Machado, José Neto, Djavan) and "Vale o Escrito" (Filó Machado, Aldir Blanc) are odes to Filó Machado, a veteran of the São Paulo music scene who has influenced generations with his synergistic singing and guitar playing styles and his singular writing. The feverish tempo of this version of "Jogral" may sound extreme for a song that already has its own built-in rhythmic complexities, but Jamile's heightened sense of time makes it sound effortless. Both songs are centered on conversations between her and Wilson, a symbiotic duo that walks together in dialogue and harmonious phrasing. The saxophonist's climactic propulsion during the final vamp of "Vale o Escrito" is one of the highlights of this recording. Jamile's tenderness and far-reaching emotional range come forth on the stripped-down versions of "Céu de Brasília" (Toninho Horta, Fernando Brant), "Timeless Portraits and Dreams" (Geri Allen), "Come With Me to the River" (Jamile Staevie Ayres), "Passarinhadeira" (Guinga, Paulo César Pinheiro), and "Bodas de Prata / Quatro Cantos" (Egberto Gismonti, Geraldo Carneiro). Her choice to play guitar on most of them adds a captivating and engaging unforeseen fifth texture to the overall landscape. As a result, this album has an intrinsic ebb and flow that guides the listener through the density and depth of each song—these intimate interludes offer a moment of breath and contemplation between the powerful full-band statements. Extending beyond her creative and innovative approach to song interpretation, Jamile's distinct compositional voice comes to full disclosure in her original works. "Another Day in the Mind", a stream of consciousness of everyday thoughts that inhabit a brain full of peculiarities, opens a window into Jamile's eccentricity. This idiosyncrasy broadens past the content of the lyrics, reflecting also on how the uneven metric and complex chord progressions envelop this formation of mental objects and obstacles. "Hoping things will rhyme", the song's final line, suggests some perspective amidst the mental chaos. This rhyme goes beyond paper; it also represents a true hope to find alignment in life—and perhaps the powerful saxophone statement that follows represents this very quest. Jamile's writing also finds its impact in the strength of vulnerability. The ethereal and metaphorical "Come With Me to the River", a lullaby-like incantation, presents an invitation to its addressee to dive deep into a love story. But in casting this spell, she exposes her own readiness, her willingness, to surrender to whatever narrative may unfold. It is an invitation that extends to the listener. Pursuit of a Pulse, a persuasive and alluring collection of songs, is masterfully delivered by this collective of world-class musicians, and it takes anyone who hears it on a thrilling excursion full of poetic surprise and raw emotion. write your comments about the article :: © 2025 Jazz News :: home page |