Video of the Day: Ambrose Akinmusire debuts on Nonesuch with Owl Song
Mike Flynn
Thursday, October 26, 2023
The revered trumpeter moves to a new label with the first of three contrasting new albums with Owl Song featuring Bill Frisell and Herlin Riley released in December
Composer and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire returns with Owl Song, his debut for Nonesuch Records, released on 15 December. The album features a trio with two musicians Akinmusire has long admired: guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Herlin Riley. Having signed to Blue Note in 2010, his debut for the imprint, When The Heart Emerges Glistening (2011), received widespread acclaim with a further four albums for the label helping to establish him as a consistently exciting and creative force.
Ushering a new phase of his highly-acclaimed career, Owl Song presents starkly beautiful music that's stripped back to an almost folk-like simplicity and spaciousness, which Akinmusire confirms is “my reaction to being assaulted by information. This record is me wanting to create a safe space. Part of the challenge was: can I create something that’s oriented around open space, the way some of the records I love the most do?”
Explaining his choice of collaborators, he said: “I had a feeling of wanting to record with Bill from the first time we played – it was a duo performance, [with] very little rehearsal. We just played through some of my songs, and it worked. One of Bill’s special gifts is the ability to shape a piece he’s just heard for the first time. He seems to know what the music wants before the first note. With Herlin, his commitment to beauty you can find in the groove. I never like to tell musicians too much about what I’m going for, because it should be about what these particular people bring … I said, ‘I know you’re the right person for this because of the way you approach the groove.’ And, of course, what he did is just beautiful.”
Owl Song is the first of three records Akinmusire is releasing on Nonesuch over the next year. Each will spotlight a distinct element of his musical world and involve different instrumentation and production approaches.
See the February 2024 issue of Jazzwise for an exclusive interview with Ambrose Akinmusire about the album. For more info visit www.nonesuch.com and www.ambroseakinmusire.com
