Melodic and rhythmically compelling world-avant-jazz

8 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Weird Jazz, JAZZ: World Fusion



Details:
CHRIS CHALFANT - EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, COMPOSER, ALTO (VOICE), PIANO
Composer, director, pianist, vocalist, artist, author, and poet; Noted for her unique style as a creative artist, Chris Chalfant is a lyrical, rhythmically compelling, and powerful, innovative driving force in the world of jazz, new and improvised music. Her prolific output of composition and improvisation (over 400 works) draws largely from traditional music of Africa, Hungary and India, as well as from American folk music, jazz and classical music. Critics have compared her music and playing to a wide range of artists: Andrew Hill, Charles Ives, McCoy Tyner, Mal Waldron, Cecil Taylor, Bud Powell, Stravinsky, Don Pullen, Keith Jarrett, Webern, Meredith Monk, Thelonious Monk and a Buddhist monk. She draws from nature, poetry and dance with a strong sense of counterpoint and polyrhythm, resulting in non-ordinary phrasings, tonal structures and rhythmic layerings. Her work is both simple and complex at the same time, where she will take a simple childrenâs tune and create an expressionistic multi-tonal, multi-rhythmic contrapuntal composition or improvisation. Chalfant has a strong melodic sense as well as a feeling of tranquility in much of her work. Her keen sense of moment-to-moment movement in her composition and improvisation is supported by her training in Buddhism and Aikido, where âliving under the bladeâ results in an unshakable fearlessness, confidence and a path of truth.

Love and Light is a combination of jazz, world music and folk music from different areas of the world. While each tune has its ebbs and flows, with some being dramatic, and some being more lyrical, all of the music comes from a tranquil place. âAfrican Harpâ was created in a session with an actual African harp. It is a simple melody with flowing African rhythms which opens like a flower. Peach moon is an entirely improvised sprechstimme (spoken song) with mysterious bass clarinet, conch shells and tenor mouthpiece creating an atmospheric mood. âYouâre My Angelâ is a song written for my dog âAngelâ. This version is done on piano and flute without voice. It is a lyrical and flowing tonal piece. âLove and Lightâ is joyful and lyrical, starting in a contemplative place and gradually moves toward an open a full place with rhythmic drive. It uses bamboo flute, sho, bells, anklang (bamboo shakers), voice, bowed bass, saxophones, drums, various percussion.