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Millennium Jazz Orchestra: Bleeding Amazonia
ByMello's poems are the basis for the opening "Prologue," "Flora and Fauna," "Deforestation" and the reassuring finale, "Hope." Vieira, whose clear, mellifluous contralto is an essential ingredient, wrote the lyric to "Climate Change." As a Brazilian, she knows well the dire consequences of deforestation and global warming and sings about them with passion and commitment. The Millennium Orchestra, for its part, is no less ardent, lending Reinders' tone poems all the vitality and earnestness they deserve. As a unit, the ensemble is resourceful and razor-sharp, while the various soloists are no less so.
Above all, Reinders' charts are colorful and engaging, deftly applying the elements of traditional jazzharmony, rhythm, improvisation to deliver a timely and important message about the hazardous repercussions of the loss of precious forest lands, in the Amazon and everywhere else on the planet. Even though Vieira sings in Portuguese, one can sense the raw emotion in her voice as she (and de Mello) grieve for the loss of the earth's valuable resources and bemoan humanity's probable fate should a course reversal prove unlikely. If music alone were the answer, then all would be well. But heartfelt as Reinders' intentionsand those of de Mello, Vieira and the Millennium Jazz Orchestraare that they can do no more than sound an alarm. That they have done, and in marvelous fashion. As for the aftermath, only time can tell.
Track Listing
Prologue (Prólogo); Flora and Fauna (Flora e Fauna; Interlude 1; Indigenious Peoples (Povos indígenas); Deforestation (Desmatamento); Interlude 2; Forest Fires (Incêndos florestais); Climate Change (Mudanca climatica); Interlude 3; Pollution (Poluição); Hope (Esperança).
Personnel
Millennium Jazz Orchestra
band / ensemble / orchestraJoan Reinders
composer / conductorLilian Vieira
vocalsAdditional Instrumentation
Reed players: Gerlo Hesselink: alto (lead) and soprano sax, flute; Rob Sijben: alto and soprano sax, clarinet, flute; Joao Driessen: tenor and soprano sax, clarinet, flute; Luuk de Vries: tenor and soprano sax, clarinet, flute; Job Helmers: baritone saxophone, bass clarinet. Trumpet and flugelhorn: Bas Konings; Susan Veneman; Florian Sperzel; Herman Nijkamp; Anne- Marie ten Heggeler. Trombone: Gregor Sperzel; Simon Pugsley; Jan Peter van der Hoeve; Lars de Bie: bass trombone, bass tuba Rhythm section: Dirk Balthaus: piano; Bart Tarenskeen: double bass; Felix Schlarmann: drums; Vincent Spitters: percussion.
Album information
Title: Bleeding Amazonia | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: ZenneZ Records
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About Millennium Jazz Orchestra
Instrument: Band / ensemble / orchestra
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