Catholic
Gregorian chant melodies — radically re-arranged for a world fusion jazz quintet
The most revolutionary act of resistance is to create art. In this time of building walls and closing borders, art has the capacity to communicate beyond our divisions. Chant Triptych II is the second in a series of albums that reimagine Gregorian chant melodies in new contexts.
Chris Trinidad composes refreshing and daring arrangements using instruments from radically different musical traditions: tambura from Bulgaria, tabla and bansuri from India, bongo and congas from the Caribbean, bass guitar from North America, and accordion influenced by Argentinian tango, Brazilian forro, and other folk traditions.
“… the music is commandingly performed.” – Nigel Jarrett, Jazz Journal
“A successful tale of melodic ecumenism.” – George Harris, Jazz Weekly
“Descriptive play-by-play rarely (and barely) does justice to the pure imagination in Trinidad’s arrangements which open up music deeply connected to a specific place and time for contemporary global jazz audiences.” – Chris Slawecki, All About Jazz
“These arrangements go far beyond the unadorned basic melodies, placing them in a rich harmonic and rhythmic context.” – Mark Sullivan, All About Jazz
“Trinidad’s respect for the source material is injected with a freedom to allow the soloists to express themselves without restriction. One of the most unique releases of the year.” – CJ Shearn, Jazz Views
“Trinidad creo este disco partiendo de la base que el potencial creativo y la fuerza del ingenio debían ser apoyadas y fomentadas para alcanzar un desarrollo personal y crecimiento espiritual. Trinidad explora los vasos comunicantes entre melodías del oriente y el occidente, creando un vasto universo sonoro y crisol rítmico que traspasa fronteras.” – DJ El Chino, Solar Latin Club
PERSONNEL: Chris Trinidad: bass guitar; Alex Hand: guitar, tambura; Colin Hogan: accordion, melodica; Mario Salomon: bongo, congas, maracas, campana; Neelamjit Dhillon: tabla, bansuri, kanjira, alto saxophone
GENRES: World fusion, ethno-jazz
INFLUENCES: John McLaughlin’s Shakti, John Zorn’s Masada, Chris Speed’s Pachora, Rabih Abou Khalil
RELEASE YEAR: 2018
ALBUM CODE: IRK 2018 01
Ambient instrumental music based on ancient Gregorian chant melodies. Featuring rich analog synths and acoustic percussion.
This new release of original music is a perfect background for study, contemplation, meditation, or relaxation. Like Brian Eno’s ambient music, this album is designed “to induce calm and to provide the listener a space to think.”Each track’s melody is drawn from ancient Gregorian chants that were sung on the feast day of Saint John Baptist De La Salle, the patron saint of teachers.
Composer Chris Trinidad recorded the melodies with analog synthesizers, then stretched and tweaked the recordings digitally, and added indigenous acoustic percussion to give the music an “earthy, woody, watery” feeling. The result is a vibrant and warm soundscape that serves as “audio incense” to accompany deep thought.
PERSONNEL: Chris Trinidad: music; George Van Grieken, FSC: reflections; Patrick Martin, FSC: illustrations
GENRES: Ambient, meditation, Christian, electronic, space music, percussion soundscapes
INFLUENCES: Brian Eno; Robert Fripp; Richard Wright; Airto Moreira; Trilok Gurtu; Lisbeth Diers; Nana Vasconcelos
RELEASE YEAR: 2017
ALBUM CODE: IRK 2017 01
Gregorian chant melodies — radically re-arranged for a world fusion jazz quintet
The most revolutionary act of resistance is to create art. In this time of building walls and closing borders, art has the capacity to communicate beyond our divisions. Chant Triptych II is the second in a series of albums that reimagine Gregorian chant melodies in new contexts.
Chris Trinidad composes refreshing and daring arrangements using instruments from radically different musical traditions: tambura from Bulgaria, tabla and bansuri from India, bongo and congas from the Caribbean, bass guitar from North America, and accordion influenced by Argentinian tango, Brazilian forro, and other folk traditions.
“… the music is commandingly performed.” – Nigel Jarrett, Jazz Journal
“A successful tale of melodic ecumenism.” – George Harris, Jazz Weekly
“Descriptive play-by-play rarely (and barely) does justice to the pure imagination in Trinidad’s arrangements which open up music deeply connected to a specific place and time for contemporary global jazz audiences.” – Chris Slawecki, All About Jazz
“These arrangements go far beyond the unadorned basic melodies, placing them in a rich harmonic and rhythmic context.” – Mark Sullivan, All About Jazz
“Trinidad’s respect for the source material is injected with a freedom to allow the soloists to express themselves without restriction. One of the most unique releases of the year.” – CJ Shearn, Jazz Views
“Trinidad creo este disco partiendo de la base que el potencial creativo y la fuerza del ingenio debían ser apoyadas y fomentadas para alcanzar un desarrollo personal y crecimiento espiritual. Trinidad explora los vasos comunicantes entre melodías del oriente y el occidente, creando un vasto universo sonoro y crisol rítmico que traspasa fronteras.” – DJ El Chino, Solar Latin Club
PERSONNEL: Chris Trinidad: bass guitar; Alex Hand: guitar, tambura; Colin Hogan: accordion, melodica; Mario Salomon: bongo, congas, maracas, campana; Neelamjit Dhillon: tabla, bansuri, kanjira, alto saxophone
GENRES: World fusion, ethno-jazz
INFLUENCES: John McLaughlin’s Shakti, John Zorn’s Masada, Chris Speed’s Pachora, Rabih Abou Khalil
RELEASE YEAR: 2018
ALBUM CODE: IRK 2018 01