Ethan Philion - Meditations On Mingus - Import CD

Credits:

Ethan Philion

Description:

This 10-piece ensemble led by bassist Ethan Fillion shines a light on the "message songs" of Charles Mingus, the immortal bass player and composer who will celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth in 2022. Not only are many of the great performances of yesteryear being reissued, but unreleased recordings are appearing one after another, spurring a reappraisal of the music. Harry Scoller's "Living In Sound: The Music of Charles Mingus" and many more. This year's Mingus tribute was performed by up-and-coming bassist Ethan Fillion, who has been playing with Mingus for several years. Ethan Fillion leads Meditations on Mingus, a 10-piece project he has been working on for several years, and this is a powerful work. Ethan was based in Washington, DC until 2017, and has been rooted in Chicago ever since.He has studied with senior bassists Rufus Reid and Gerald Cannon, and has played with many talented musicians, including Cyrus Chesnutt, Jason Moran, and Carmen Lundy. He played on Max Besessen's album "Trouble. The album was also a hit in that it was released on the "Ropadope" label, which also includes works by Snarky Puppy and Christian Scott." The members of "Meditations on Mingus" are all essential members of the contemporary Chicago jazz scene. The players include Dana Hall on drums, who has formed an ironclad rhythm team with Ethan on numerous projects, and Jeff Bradfield, who switches from saxophone to flute to bass clarinet like Eric Dolphy in the Mingus Band of yore. Two trumpets and two trombones each are used to create an orchestra-like expansive sound that is captivating.Although Mingus left behind many different types of songs, this album features many that are filled with social statements, such as M6 "Meditations ~" and M7 "Remember Rockefeller at Attica." Racism, prejudice, self-identity, economic inequality, the subjects of Mingus' songs on this album are all relevant to today's world. And this is also, as Mingus psychiatrist Edmund Pollock once said, "an appeal for acceptance, respect, love, understanding, companionship, freedom...in other words, an appeal to end evil and hatred in humanity," Ethan said. The album reflects his respect for Mingus and his feelings about modern society.

Tracklisting:

1.Once Upon a Time There Was a Holding Corporation Called Old America
2.Haitian Fight Song
3.Self-Portrait in Three Colors
4.Pithecanthropus Erectus
5.Prayer for Passive Resistance
6.Meditations on a Pair of Wirecutters
7.Remember Rockefeller at Attica
8.Better Git It In Your Soul