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Zephyr

by Steph Richards

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stylusofheld
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stylusofheld I love the varied timbres, of the trumpet and prepared piano. While I do remember that the piano is usually classified as a percussion instrument, the preparation done on the piano here emphasizes just that while surprising the listener with one timbre after another. The use of water in the trumpet (and the trumpet in water) is something I'd not heard, and I love the unpredictability of the interactions between the instrument and the liquid. Favorite track: Sacred Sea: Zephyr.
Daniel
Daniel thumbnail
Daniel Every album continues to amaze me. I didn't think Steph could top Take the Neon Lights or Supersensense, but she has. Brava Steph!
Jazzfuel
Jazzfuel thumbnail
Jazzfuel Brilliant - congrats Steph! Favorite track: Sacred Sea: Nixie.
oli
oli thumbnail
oli Hola!
Recientemente compré, a través de Bandcamp, "Zephyr" (Stephen Richard). Por algún motivo que no logro comprender he hecho dos compras del mismo registro, una en digital y otra en formato CD. Sólo estoy interesado en una de las dos, preferentemente en formato digital.
Me gustaría poder solucionar el error. Si ya habéis enviado el CD por correo, aceptaría el formato "fisico". Pero, si aún no lo habéis enviado, prefiero el digital.
¿alguna solución?
Gracias!
/
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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Includes unlimited streaming of Zephyr via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    (NB. radical worldwide vinyl printing complexities will cause shipping delays for LPs, estimated ship date is March, 2022. Sorry!).

    Includes unlimited streaming of Zephyr via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    cardboard gatefold sleeve

    Includes digital pre-order of Zephyr. You get 12 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Zephyr via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days

      $15 USD or more 

     

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Sacred Sea 05:33
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Sequoia 03:13
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about

"A virtuoso of otherworldly trumpet sound" (Jazz Times), Steph Richards takes takes a literally transformative experience (Richards was six and a half months pregnant during the session) and shapes a concise, visceral album both in concept and in practice, exploring a more immediate connection between her body and her work. "This record expresses the idea of breathing one breath for two bodies -- moving through the world with two distinct pulses happening at the same time". Alongside pianist Joshua White, Richards found inspiration in her embodied self instead of attempting to sideline it on Zephyr’s three suites, which amount to an intense 38 minutes of forcefully original sound.

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For most of her career as one of the most acclaimed improvisers working in jazz’s avant-garde, trumpeter, composer and bandleader Steph Richards worked hard to make sure that her music was considered on its own terms, rather than — as is so often the case in jazz and music as a whole — in the context of her gender.

But when she went into the studio to record her upcoming album Zephyr in 2019, Richards was six-and-a-half months pregnant. That literally transformative experience shaped the concise, visceral album both in concept and in practice, forcing the thoughtful, cerebral artist to explore a more immediate connection between her body and her work.

“I was experiencing my own metamorphosis, and thinking about the idea of breathing one breath for two bodies — moving through the world with two distinct pulses happening at the same time,” Richards explains. “It brought this a whole other color to my sound precisely because I had a different physical ability. Our bodies are full of potential, and that's something that I had never fully investigated. ”

The first suite, “Sacred Sea,” features Richards playing her trumpet in water throughout. She’s been refining that technique since 2008, but here it takes on new meaning as Richards plays on the idea that her in utero child was, in a sense, breathing underwater. One of its movements, “Anza,” is named for her daughter, whose breath can be heard on that track; other movements are named for gods/goddesses of water and wind.

“What I love about water is that it's vulnerable and unstable — you can never know exactly what sound you're going to make,” Richards explains.
As a whole, the resulting record is one of the trumpeter’s most intimate to date, both in its duo orchestration and in its tactile, focused expression.

By expressing the rootedness and inspiration she felt during her pregnancy in abstraction, Richards hopes that her listeners will hear the universality of that experience — the beauty and richness of creation — instead of its ties to any particular gender. “Your humanity is visibly evident when you're pregnant,” she says. “I hope this record reveals a sonic element to this new experience of humanity."

credits

released October 15, 2021

Credits:

Steph Richards (trumpet, flugelhorn, resonating water vessels)
Joshua White (piano, preparations, percussion)

Recording, Mixing and Mastering Engineer: Andrew Munsey
Artwork and Design: Michael Ramey
Executive Producer: Kevin Reilly
Produced by Andrew Munsey & Steph Richards

Recorded at Studio A, Warren Music Center, UCSD, 2019.

© & Ⓟ Welcome To My Kitchen ASCAP. All rights reserved.

For Anza Frances

www.stephrichards.com

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Steph Richards New York

Richards has built a compelling presence in the NYC improvised and experimental scenes, working with masters of the 20th century, from pioneers Anthony Braxton and Henry Threadgill to cutting edge improvisors Jason Moran and Deerhoof artist Greg Saunier and from Yoko Ono to Kanye West. Her works have premiered at Carnegie Hall, the Blue-note and Lincoln Center. She is a Yamaha Performing Artist. ... more

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