ZohoMusic.com - Latin Jazz With A New York Vibe

From murmuring brooks to the eruption of scalding magma, sound is ubiquitous on our planet. What is more, according to satellite data -- scientists theorize that sound waves may have been present at the beginning of the universe. Since antiquity, philosophers and poets have explored the fundamental link and life here on planet earth. Mother Nature indeed has a rich spectrum of timbres, rhythms, and beats, that you can hear if you pause and listen. There is music all around us. There is music in our midst.

But sometimes we need a jolt, a reminder that we are not above nature but part of it. Not just spectators but musicians in the symphony of earth. Marco Pignataro’s Chant for Our Planet is a stirring, magnificent music opus. It’s also a clarion call for better stewardship of our shared home, our planet. Indeed, this was Pignataro’s mission upon creating this work that was commissioned by the Tällberg Foundation, which seeks to inspire positive climate action and nurture innovation by exploring societal challenges through the prism of music.
“Jazz music has historically been a powerful artistic medium to inspire, educate, empower and advocate for social change in our community. Using jazz to advocate for reforming climate policies is now a mandate for conscientious artists to inspire more care for our world,” said Pignataro.

Creating such a lofty project requires an artist with a global outlook. After all, humans drew the borders between countries, but music helps us see past these lines and to recognize our shared existence. An acclaimed saxophonist and composer, Pignataro hails from Bologna, Italy and served previously as professor & founding Director of the Jazz & Caribbean Department at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico. Together with Danilo Perez, he presently co-leads the Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI) at Berklee College of Music in Boston. His passport has been stamped the world over, as he has traveled extensively as a touring artist and performed with the likes of Eddie Gomez, Billy Hart and Rufus Reid, among many others.

Pignataro assembled a veritable cast of jazz all-stars for this special project: John Patitucci (bass), Joe Lovano (saxophone), Terri Lyne Carrington (drums) and Chico Pinheiro (guitar), as well as the emerging talents of Anastassiya Petrova (piano) and Nadia Washington (vocals), both alumni and faculty at the BGJI. And wow, does the band ever come together for this inspired work!

Suite: Terra – Mare – Cielo (Earth – Sea – Sky) composed for this project by John Patitucci, is an elegant, evocative tour-de-force which immediately sets the asserting tone of the album. Throughout you hear musical representation of the various elements found across our planet. Patitucci’s bass solo may be a simulacrum of earth itself, grooving and even bellowing from underneath. Washington’s vocals float above, an aerial loop that lifts the piece. The evolving number shines the light on every band member, showing that it will take a unified effort to play and ultimately live together.

Agua de Beber (water to drink) is a well-known piece by Antônio Carlos Jobim, which was arranged by BGJI alumnus & faculty Edmar Colon. The piece begins with an unfolding bass line with well-placed cymbals, which create space for Washington’s vocals and featuring powerfully propulsive solos by Marco on tenor sax and Chico Pinheiro on guitar. The choice of this famous composition is a nod to the importance of water and its management, as fresh water becomes increasingly under threat from contamination. The United Nations projects that the risk of floods will increase dramatically over the coming decades, which could threaten 3.2 billion people.

Moon Threads composed by Pignataro is a thoughtful musical meditation. He pondered the way in which the moon affects the tides, and how the sea bulges due to centrifugal forces. Rising water levels, due to climate change, will surely have many consequences including more high-tide floods. “I realized that words and memories can also be overwhelming, like tidal forces,” reflected Pignataro. Throughout this piece, there are soulful performances by Marco (here on alto sax) and Pinheiro (guitar), which may evoke musical remembrances of jazz legends long past.

As It Should Be composed for this project by Joe Lovano, begins as a pedaling, pensive number that builds with intensity throughout, especially as the groove gets established. Lovano wrote five words under the song title on the sheet music: Freedom, Justice, Hope, Love, Compassion. That this song is unmoored to traditional blues changes or jazz harmony shows how defending the planet is a paradigm shift. It takes radical new thinking, innovation, and the freedom to speak truth to power.

Nature Boy was the first song recorded by Nat King Cole. It was composed by Eden Ahbez in 1947 as an ode to Lebensreform, which was a reform movement that propagated an organic way of life such as being a vegetarian and sensible farming. The tune became a number one hit for Cole for eight weeks. The popularity of the piece inspired audiences to learn more about the song and