Voices - A Musical Heritage | Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra

Voices - A Musical Heritage

by Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra

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1.	Keeyn (The Parallel Steppes, Mvmt 1) 07:29	info	buy track
2.	Ochka (The Parallel Steppes, Mvmt 2) 02:59	info	buy track
3.	Yaseni (The Parallel Steppes, Mvmt 3) 07:30	info	buy track
4.	Homenaje 07:45	info	buy track
5.	The Living Mind 07:04	info	buy track
6.	Oriri 05:41	info	buy track
7.	Shadows 07:33	info	buy track
8.	Choro Para Amazônia 06:07	info	buy track
9.	Ishpiming 05:04	info	buy track
10.	The Bison Hunt 06:31	info	buy track

about

Voices – A Musical Heritage is the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra’s sixth release since their inception in 1997. This album is a collection of commissions from eight jazz composers meant to reflect some of Manitoba’s musical heritage: First Nations, Metis, Ukrainian, Jewish, Chilean, Brazilian, Nigerian and Icelandic.
Beginning with The Parallel Steppes, John Stetch’s creative three movement suite reimagines Ukrainian folk songs using chorale textures, fugue-like sections and exciting up-tempo swings. Throughout the album, the WJO weaves its way through the imaginations of each composer: an homage to Victor Jara in Rodrigo Muñoz’s Homenaje, an exploration of the ancient pentatonic scale in Jeff Presslaff’s The Living Mind, a celebration of community with Henry Onwuchekwa’s Oriri, sweeping, icy landscapes and folk music in Richard Gillis’s Shadows, Marco Castillo’s plea for protecting our Earth in Choro para Amazônia, the magical northern skies in Andrew Belfour’s Ishpiming, and the driving, relentless pursuit of Michelle Gregoire’s The Bison Hunt.

1. The Parallel Steppes John Stetch
I. Keeyn
Solos: Will Bonness (piano); Larry Roy (guitar); Richard Gillis (flugelhorn)
II. Ochka
III. Yaseni
Solos: Will Bonness (piano); Niall Cade (tenor sax)

2. Homenaje Rodrigo Muñoz
Solos: Larry Roy (guitar)

3. The Living Mind Jeff Presslaff
Solos: Will Bonness (piano); Jeff Presslaff (trombone)

4. Oriri Henry Onwuchekwa; arranged by Richard Gillis
Solos: Neil Watson (soprano sax); Niall Cade (tenor sax); Will Bonness (piano)

5. Shadows Richard Gillis
Solos: Paul Balcain (tenor sax); Joel Green (trombone); Neil Watson (soprano sax); Richard Gillis (flugelhorn)

6. Choro para Amazônia Marco Castillo
Solos: Will Bonness (piano); Andrew Littleford (trumpet); Joel Green (trombone)

7. Ishpiming Andrew Balfour; arranged by Richard Gillis
Solos: Karl Kohut (bass); Andrew Littleford (trumpet); Niall Cade (tenor sax); Joel Green (trombone)

8. The Bison Hunt Michelle Gregoire
Solos: Neil Watson (alto sax)

credits

released December 9, 2022

Recorded at: Musirex Studio, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Dates: due to COVID, various dates between August 20/21 to July 13/22*

Recording Engineer: Larry Roy
Editing + Mixing: Larry Roy
Mastering: Guy Hébert
Produced by: Larry Roy & Richard Gillis
Artwork: Jon Snidal

This project was made possible with the assistance of The Canada Council for the Arts, the Taras Shevchenko Foundation, The SOCAN Foundation, Manitoba Arts Council and Winnipeg Arts Council.

ALBUM
PERSONNEL (*SOLOISTS)

Neil Watson / alto saxophone (The Bison Hunt*), soprano saxophone (Oriri*, Shadows*)
Sean Irvine / alto saxophone (The Parallel Steppes, Shadows, Homenaje, The Living Mind)
Connor Derraugh / alto saxophone (The Bison Hunt, Ishpiming, Oriri, Choro)
Paul Balcain / tenor saxophone (The Parallel Steppes, Shadows,† Homenaje, The Living Mind)
Niall Cade / tenor saxophone (Yaseni*, Oriri*, Ishpiming*)
Monica Jones / tenor saxophone (The Bison Hunt, Ishpiming, Oriri, Choro)
Lauren Teterenko / baritone saxophone (The Parallel Steppes, Shadows,
Homenaje, The Living Mind)
Kyle Wedlake / baritone saxophone (The Parallel Steppes, The Bison Hunt,
Ishpiming, Oriri, Choro)
Shane Hicks / lead trumpet, flugelhorn
Andrew Littleford / trumpet (Choro*, Ishpiming*), flugelhorn
Matthew Walden / trumpet, flugelhorn
Richard Gillis / trumpet, flugelhorn (Keeyn*,Shadows*)
Joel Green / trombone (Shadows*, Choro*, Ishpiming*)
Francois Godere / trombone
Jeff Presslaff / trombone (The Living Mind*)
Jeffrey Acosta / trombone (The Bison Hunt, Ishpiming, Oriri, Choro)
Isabelle Lavoie / bass trombone
Will Bonness / piano (Keeyn*, Yaseni*, The Living Mind*
Oriri*, Choro*)
Larry Roy / guitar (Keeyn*, Oriri, Homenaje*, Shadows)
Gilles Fournier / bass (The Parallel Steppes, Shadows, Homenaje, The Living Mind)
Karl Kohut / bass (The Bison Hunt, Ishpiming*, Oriri, Choro)
Fabio Ragnelli / drums
Victoria Sparks / percussion (Shadows)
Marco Castillo / guitar and percussion (Choro), percussion (Oriri)
Henry Onwuchekwa / percussion, guitar (Oriri)
Rodrigo Muñoz / congas and cajón (Homenaje)
Richard Gillis / conductor

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about

Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra Winnipeg, Manitoba

Formed in 1997, the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra (WJO) is Canada’s first community-based, non-profit professional jazz orchestra. The vision of the WJO is to be a leading performer, promoter and developer of big band music in Canada. The WJO performs an annual series at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and is active in recording, composition, and outreach. ... more