Mark De Clive Lowe - Freedom: Celebrating the Music of Pharoah Sanders (2022)

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Mark De Clive Lowe - Freedom: Celebrating the Music of Pharoah Sanders (2022)

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Electronic jazz pioneer, pianist, producer, remixer Mark de Clive-Lowe has an envious reputation as a cross genre creative artist who blends acoustic, electronic and world music exploring themes of belonging and identity. Equal parts jazz, house, hip hop and broken beat artist, Jazziz summed him up perfectly - "way before jazz hybridity became a worldwide phenomenon, de Clive-Lowe was busy designing its blueprint.”

Freedom is a live concert recording made at the Blue Whale, Los Angeles - where Mark put together a Los Angeles based collective consisting of some of the best talents around: Teodross Avery – saxophone, Corbin Jones - bass, souzaphone drummer Tommaso Cappellato, Carlos Nino – percussion and the highly renowned spiritual jazz vocalist Dwight Trible.

Reinterpreting a set of Pharoah Sanders highly respected music is not for the creatively timid, and Mark himself sets out the approach and philosophy this collective took when approaching this project: “This album is a celebration of the music, joy and spirit that the great master-teacher Pharoah Sanders brings to the world through his lifelong creative journey. We gathered at Los Angeles’ Blue Whale jazz club to perform some of our favorite Pharoah compositions from a place of love, respect and gratitude for all the inspiration he’s brought to each of us. No one can play this music how Pharoah plays it - his expression is unique and imprinted on every one of his compositions in the deepest of ways. We can’t possibly improve on his mastery and share this music simply as a heartfelt thank you to Pharoah - we celebrate you, and are so grateful for all the timeless - and timely - music you have gifted to the world”.

Across this 12 track album the unique approach of improvised jazz is embellished with MdCL’s tasteful and subtle touches of electronica played & triggered – from behind his array of equipment he reinvigorates and energises the music with a deft and tasteful approach. The interplay between the musicians including vocalist Dwight Trible is flawless and more akin to a extensively rehearsed studio recording than a live concert, such are the skills of all the players.

The highlights are many and varied, from the delicate, sensitive 'Mansions World' and 'Astral Travelling' to the intense and rhythmically driven tracks 'Ore-Se-Rere' and Teodross Avery’s spine tingling saxophone clarion call that opens the ever green 'You’ve Got To Have Freedom' is a beautiful tribute from one generation of master musicians to Pharoah – one of the greatest ever.