Geri Allen Flying Toward The Sound Numbered Limited Edition 180g 2LP (Vinyl)

Numbered, Limited Edition!
180g Double Vinyl Half-Speed Mastered by Duke Markos & Cut by Soundsmith's Peter Ledermann!
Pressed at Pallas! Limited to 500 Copies!

The much anticipated solo piano recording debut of one of America's premier pianists. A solo piano excursion inspired by the genius of Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner & Herbie Hancock.

It is a sign not only of greatness but vitality when artists repeatedly challenge themselves and their listeners through works that both affirm and expand the legacies of their art form. Geri Allen meets this standard. For all that she has achieved as a composer, performer, and scholar, her two debut releases for Motéma Music--Flying Toward The Sound and Geri Allen & Timeline - Live--vividly document her boundless curiosity, innovation, and commitment to growth and diversity in every aspect of her artistry.

Flying Toward The Sound, is a monumental addition to the solo piano canon. Conceptually ambitious, virtuosic in its execution and spiritual in its essence, this deeply moving recording reveals Allen in visionary communion with two fine Fazioli pianofortes. As distinguished jazz scholar and author, Farah Jasmine Griffith explains in her liner notes: "Geri Allen conceived of this project in relation to three modern jazz pianists in whom she finds inspiration: Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock. Allen does not play their music; instead she plays toward it, around it, through it to her own unique voicing... resulting in a flight of light and sound." Ms. Allen comments that, "These three pianists are foundational in terms of the modern piano. They informed my choices in abstract ways for this suite. It's not like playing transcriptions; it's more about refracting the admiration and love I have for them through my own muse, and letting the music reflect the ways they've influenced me through the years."

"As a musician coming from the Detroit bebop and Motown traditions, the groove, or the swing is always one of the most important aspects," Allen stresses.

Allen has had numerous prestigious awards and honors, including a 2008 John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for Music Composition, which allowed her to take the time needed to fully develop and record this ambitious, solo piano excursion. The suite, "Refractions: Flying Toward The Sound," comprises eight of the nine tracks on this release. A very personal compositional embrace of her son Wallace serves as the closing opus, aptly titled "Your Pure Self... Mother to Son."

"Stunning...a remarkable solo recording." - NPR

"Geri Allen’s new album, Flying Toward the Sound (Motema Music), is a stunner. She calls it “a solo piano excursion inspired by Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock.” In jazz pianists’ lingo, this is like Babe Ruth pointing to a spot in right-center field. And she slugs the ball out of the park. ...The sound quality is also superb: liquid and percussive. Get this, listen closely, and hang on tight. " - Fred Kaplan, blog.stereophile.com, posted June 3, 2010

Features:
• Numbered, Limited Edition
• Gold Foil, Numbered Stamp on Back of Gatefold
• 180 Gram Audiophile Quality Double Vinyl
• Half-Speed Mastered
• Case-Wrapped Gatefold Art Print Jacket
• Pressed at Pallas in Germany
• Mastered by Duke Markos at Duke Markos Audio, New York
• Cutting engineer: Peter Ledermann, Soundsmith
• Includes Full mp3 Digital Download of the entire album

Musicians:
Geri Allen, Fazioli pianoforte

Selections:
LP1 - Side A:
1. Flying Toward The Sound
2. Red Velvet In Winter
3. Dancing Mystic Poets At Midnight
LP1 - Side B:
1. God's Ancient Sky
LP2 - Side C:
1. Dancing Mystic Poets At Twylight
2. Faith Carriers Of Life
3. Dancing Mystic Poets at Dawn
LP2 - Side D:
1. Flying Toward the Sound (reprise)
2. Your Pure Self (Mother To Son)