We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

What She Said

by Jeryl Johnston

/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $3 USD  or more

     

1.
What She Said 05:48
info
buy track
2.
Yemaya - Okuo and Other Songs 09:36
buy track
3.
Sixtune 05:31
buy track

about

A few years ago, I embarked upon a several-week-long solitary summer trip to the Western side of Cuba. The point of the trip was to learn what it is like to be there so that I wouldn’t have to take my musical friends’ and colleagues’ word for it any longer. One of the results of that trip was the idea for the second track on this EP. Having never spent any time on a tropical island before, I was struck by the beautiful, constant, powerful presence of the water. I had been practicing “Une Barque Sur L’océan” by Ravel so water music was in my hands as well. Because of the environment, it was natural for me to put together Ravel’s style of water music writing, jazz harmonic vocabulary, and the traditional drumming and singing of the Lucumí. The intent is to present the multifaceted and powerful nature of Yemaya without being limited to a single perception of her, or to a single musical style.

The title track was an experiment. After having been in NYC for several years I wished to know whether or not I could compose, and this was the result. It was written for the Latin big band that used to rehearse in East Harlem every Monday night under the direction of Louis Bauzo, who is the lead percussionist on this recording. Having by that time experienced quite a few of the ups and downs of being a freelance musician in the Latin music scenes in NYC and LA, this was my first compositional response, and the first composition that I ever presented to my colleagues.

Sixtune is the result of the combination of these excellent musicians who I have been working with over the course of the past several years. Once I had the idea to combine a jazz head with a guiro ensemble, the musicians on bass and percussion are the ones who took the tune, which could easily have sounded like a typical jazz head, and made it sound different than anything that I had experienced before.

credits

released August 12, 2022

Al Acosta - Saxophones
Carmen Laboy - Baritone Saxophone
John Walsh - Trumpets
Demetrios Kehagias - Trombones
Richard Byrd - Lead Vocals/Percussion
Louis Bauzo - Percussion
Ray Alcantara - Percussion/Vocals
Greg Askew - Percussion
Jerome Goldschmidt - Percussion
Bernie Miñoso - Bass
Jeryl Johnston - Composer, Arranger, Musical Director, Keyboards, Vocals
Francis Rodriguez - Mixing
Circle 9 Productions - Mastering

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Jeryl Johnston image

Jeryl Johnston New York, New York

Starting as a classical pianist, Jeryl has focused on Salsa and Latin jazz, performing in LA, NYC and the Pacific North West. Working in Euro-classic, jazz and Afro-Cuban music resulted in a style melding African-diasporic and Euro-classic sounds for groups ranging from big band to Afro-Cuban güiro and bata ensembles to salsa to jazz combos to piano quintet to full orchestra. jeryljohnston.com ... more

contact / help

Contact Jeryl Johnston

Streaming and
Download help

Report this album or account

If you like Jeryl Johnston, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring interviews with LA music scene pillar Kamasi Washington, and new London-based duo Mrcy.

listen now