Shahin Novrasli Makes His Label Debut on Jazz Village [PIAS] with Emanation Discover the piano prodigy championed by Ahmad Jamal. Shahin Novrasli bridges East and West, pushing jazz towards new frontiers.
Emanation Jazz Village JV570141
Digital: Available April 7 CD & LP: Available June 9
VIDEO Emanation
Shahin Novrasli Concert Dates May 13 – Pittsburgh, PA - Manchester Craftsman Guild May 15 – Washington DC - Blues Alley
There’s nothing more exciting than finding new talent in the vast pool of jazz pianists, especially when it comes from faraway lands where the local musical culture is about as far from the Afro-American swing shuffle as you can get. On his new album Emanation on Jazz Village, Shahin Novrasli draws on his culture, classical European training and jazz influences to create a unique voice in Azerbajan jazz.
Born in Baku, in 1977, Shahin followed the typical path of a young classical piano virtuoso, leading to his performance with the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic at the age of 11. Not satisfied with mastering the scores of Bach, Mozart, and Rachmaninov, he dug into jazz under the influence of Vagif Mustafa Zadeh, the first to fuse jazz and mugham the modal Azeri folk music in which improvisation is key.
After graduating from the Azerbaijan State Conservatoire in 2000, Novrasli seriously pursued jazz by internalizing the works of Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett. He began composing Azerbaïdjan folk songs with jazz influences and released two live albums, recorded in Moscow and Prague, and performed widely abroad and in many international festivals, including a highly touted appearance at Montreux in 2007.
Emanation, an ambitious project, successfully marries the Azeri and jazz traditions. Novrasli explains the album’s title: “’Emanation’ refers to the process involved in creating a piece of music, including its transformation and evolution through its performance and final recording by musicians." The sessions took place in Paris in April 2016, and the album was produced by Shahin with the involvement of one of piano’s greatest masters, Ahmad Jamal, who prefers the term to “American classical music” to “jazz.”
“Meeting Ahmad Jamal was the most important thing that ever happened to me, he’s one of my heroes and I’d never imagined he could take interest in my work and my music, and that we could one day get together and chat, discussing music as well as philosophy, spirituality, and so many other things. Ahmad is a man of great wisdom with so much experience, and I must say I followed all of his ideas and suggestions to the letter!”
Shahin’s trio includes James Cammack, long-time bassist for Ahmad Jamal, and French drummer André Ceccarelli. Most tracks are enhanced by the addition of Georgian percussionist Erekle Kolava, one of Shahin’s frequent collaborators, and French violinist Didier Lockwood, who appears on tracks 3 and 5 “Saga” and “Ancient Parallel”.
From the title track, “Emanation,” to the closing track, “Land,” Shahin delivers original compositions dominated by refined playing, rhythmic elegance and freedom of expression. In “Song of Ashug,” the music becomes tuneful and danceable and the piano’s lyricism unmistakably recalls Keith Jarrett. In “Saga,” Didier Lockwood is in his element hovering halfway between classical and Eastern music. All this lively and inventive playing evolves as it moves from “Jungle” to “Misri Blues”. Lockwood brings a Gypsy flair to “Ancient Parallel,” while the magical aura of Ahmad Jamal’s music floats over “Tittle Tattle”. The album closes with two particularly entrancing pieces, “Yellow Nightingale” and “Land,” in which improvisation takes center stage.
Melodies flavored with spices, powerful erudite harmonies, Eastern rhythms rippling with pleasure, all fanned out around a reinvented, elegant and blistering jazz sound: this is the recipe Shahin Novrasli cooks up to invite us to gather around an incredible musical moment. Adapted from essay by Lionel Eskenazi
“Like Brad Mehldau’s contrapuntal-improv approach delivered at blazing tempos, or Herbie Hancock's left-hand chording reworked with jarring harmonies and wilful rhythmic diversions.” -The Guardian
SHAHIN NOVRASLI - IN CONCERT
May 13 / Manchester Craftsman Guild / Pittsburgh, PA May 15 / Blues Alley / Washington DC
For more information on Shahin Novrasli : ShahinNovrasli.com
Emanation Digital: Available April 7 : Amazon MP3 | iTunes | CD & LP: Available June 9 : Amazon
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