
Oriole – Migration
“The soundtrack to a story of joy and longing born from an irresistible impulse to travel but never to arrive?”
Migration is Oriole’s
“The magical realist does not try to copy the surrounding reality or to wound it but to seize the mystery that breathes behind things.”
Luis Leal, Magical Realism in Spanish American Literature
Oriole’s composer and guitarist Jonny Phillips was described by The Guardian as A big new composing presence and Time Out as the brilliant F-IRE collective guitarist on the release of the first Oriole album Song for the Sleeping in 2005.
Oriole received enthusiastic reviews last year for live performances at venues such as The Purcell Room
The album features an award-winning international line-up including drummer Sebastian Rochford, saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, cellist Ben Davis, bassist Anders Christiansen, vocalist Julia Biel, percussionist Adriano Adawali Itauna and clarinettist Idris Rahman. All top instrumentalists in their respective fields.
Jonny was born in 1971 at the end of deserted moorland in the north of England. His first instrument was the violin; when he was 15 he took up guitar. Critics have hailed his beguiling, cinematic songs as “gentle beautiful music that is surprisingly affecting”. Jonny is also a guitarist and composer for Julia Biel and plays guitarist for The Soothsayers.
He is a member of the F-IRE Collective.
The Musicians
Ingrid Laubrock – Tenor saxophone
Ingrid has her own quintet and co-founded Monica Vasconcellos? Nois. In 2005 she was nominated for the rising star category of the B.B.C. Jazz Awards. She received the Fellowship in Jazz Composition from The Arts Foundation in 2006.
Ben Davis – Cello
Ben is Britain’s top improvising cellist. He played on the recent C.M.N. funded F-IRE tour. He also plays for Julia Biel, Django Bates and Norma Winston.
Jonny Phillips – Acoustic Guitar
Bandleader for Oriole, composer for Julia Biel and guitarist for Soothsayers. (See biog)
Ruth Goller – Electric Bass
Plays for Giorgio Serci, Sherpa Boy and Beat Tree.
Sebastian Rochford – Drums
Winner of the best band at the BBC Jazz Awards, Nominated for the 2005 Mercury Award and plays drums for Acoustic Ladyland, Yoko Ono and has his own band Polar Bear.
Adriano Adawali Itauna – Percussion/vibraphone/vocals.
From Sao Paolo Brazil plays for Antonio Forcioni, Monica Vasconcelos and Modest.
Fernando De Marco – Electric bass, cavaquinho.
Born in Brazil, Fernando has been touring Brazil and Denmark with
Anders Christensen – Electric bass.
Born in Denmark, Anders played in Paul Motions electric bebop band for the last ten years and is now touring the world with The Ravonettes.
Julia Biel – Vocals
Julia won the Perrier Jazz Award; she is a member of the F-IRE collective and releases her own albums on Rokit Records.
‘Watch out for this stunning vocalist…’ JAZZWISE
Okou – Vocals
From the Ivory Coast, sings backing vocals for Mick Jagger, Kassiah Jones and is featured vocalist with the Four Corners Quintet alongside Mark Murphy.
Guilliermo Rozenthuler– Vocals
Track notes.
1) FORMS IN DUST 7:54
This is a minor tonality theme with a major coda. The rhythm is a waltz style derived from Venezuelan music often having an emphasis on the 3rd and 1st beats of the bar. The waltz migrated from Europe in colonial times and was integrated with African rhythms.
It features very moving and dark soloing from Ingrid; spot the laughing.
2) FIRST FLIGHT 7:09
A 6:8 meter theme that develops slowly featuring the massive sound of Adriano’s Calabash (bought from Brixton market),
Sebastian and Adriano had an immediate and intuitive connection that brought the music to life. Sebastian took risks hitting the wall with his sticks to get some sharp sounds.
3) BATE CALADO intro 1:45
This was entirely improvised in the studio; a cello pedal tone and Adriano’s atmospheric percussion underpin the gentle acoustic guitar playing.
4) BATE CALADO 4:13
Meaning “slowly beating drum”, or “heartbeat” in Brazilian Portuguese. The style of this tune is Baiao, an African-influenced style from Bahia in the north of Brazil. The vocals of Julia, Okou, Guilliermo and Adriano were the idea of Brazilian bass player Fernando De Marco.
5) MIGRATION TO THE ORANGE TREES 5:39
The title derives from the composer’s periodic desire to migrate to Andalusia in southern Spain; A desire for new experiences, warm evenings, good food and the areas, folkloric traditions. Local traditions brought by the Gypsies and the North African Moors (themselves searching for better lands) are still very much alive. Adriano’s castanet pattern derives from the Flamenco-style
Anders can be heard singing along with his bass solo.
6) WE’RE ALL ANGELS 4:50
The title is a statement of the belief that everyone has the potential to be a saint, an angel or a revolutionary. The style is Samba-Choro. It features the “bliss lovely clarinet of Idris Rahman” (B.B.C. Music)and Fernando De Marco on Cavaquinho. Orchestra Mahatma are now also performing this tune.
7) SUNSHINE CONTINUOUS 5:41
This is a catchy tune in a Mozambique (Cuban dance) style.
8) TWO SMILES 2:36
This is simple, happy gospel music about immediate connection. Influences are pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and South African songs.
9) HYMN 5:26
The African-gospel style melody is stated over an Afoxe (north Brazilian style derived from West African music) and then over a 12:8 meter African groove. The two saxophonists Ingrid and Idris interact with power.
10) LAST FLIGHT 4:23
This is perhaps the saddest song on the CD written on the theme of death and loss. There is always a last journey, a last day, a last word and a last flight.
11) AMEN 2:03
Amen literally means, ?so be it? and has connotations of truth and acceptance. The American Indians were so good at accepting their reality that even when captured and tortured by the Americans they frequently never uttered a sound.
This was written as a duet for Ben and Ingrid. It’s close in style to a Bach prelude. The harmony is more contemporary, however.
How to attract an Oriole
Orioles love citrus fruit. Cut an orange or grapefruit in half and hang it from a tree branch with a piece of string.