Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Maria Schneider: Data Lords

13

Maria Schneider: Data Lords

By

View read count
Maria Schneider: Data Lords
Maria Schneider, jazz pianist, orchestral composer and 2019 NEA Jazz Master, has just released a new double-album, Data Lords (artistShare, 2020), which creates poignant musical imagery about our data-driven world. Schneider, who has been an active advocate for musicians' rights and copyright, has followed-on this impact, citing "big data" companies as manipulators of music, culture and privacy. This collection of uniquely and emotionally rendered original compositions addresses the conflicting relationships between the digital and natural worlds, featuring Schneider's orchestra of 18 world-class musicians.

Not shy to point her finger at the mega-corporations that have control of our lives, Schneider relates her own personal suffocation, "As big data companies clamor for our attention, I know I'm not alone in struggling to find space—to keep connected with my inner world, the natural world, and just the simpler things in life." As is Schneider's trademark, the beauty and range of tones, complexity of compositions and exceptional featured musicianship, offer an extraordinary soundscape to support the potent lyricism.

Data Lords is divided into 2 CD's, with the music on the first CD, The Digital World, focusing specifically on themes of an over data-driven world. Each of these compositions captures a distinct impact of our informational overload-driven society. "A World Lost" creates a mournful sound with guitarist Ben Monder and tenor saxophonist Rich Perry taking turns with musical angst. "Don't Be Evil" pokes at Google's original code of conduct motto with powerful and jarring solos delivered by Jay Anderson (bass), Ben Monder (guitar), Ryan Keberle (trombone) and Frank Kimbrough (piano). The close of the first CD is the title cut "Data Lords" which builds to a crescendo of sound with driving rhythms over-layered by tremendous solo outbursts by Mike Rodriguez (electrified trumpet) and Dave Pietro (alto saxophone).

The second CD, Our Natural World, finds Schneider creating an introspective, intense and physical landscape of nature, woven into an orchestral soundscape. Opening with "Sanzenin," a huge breath of serenity is taken with floating notes from Gary Versace on accordion, riding over a slow meandering melody of soft horns. Peace. "Look Up" is slow and measured in tempo, with brilliant accompaniment by Marshall Gilkes on trombone and Frank Kimbrough on piano, soaring with a harmonizing ensemble of other horns. "The Sun Waited for Me," the closing composition of the Our Natural World CD, delivers a positive celebration to the ears which grows out of solo lyrical melodies from Donny McCaslin on tenor and Marshall Gilkes on trombone.

Schneider's Data Lords harnesses complex musical orchestration with originality of concept, running contrast between musical imagery of a data-hungry world versus a struggle to find human space. The inspiration found its way into the artist's life directly, "just as I feel myself ping-ponging between a digital world and the real world, the same dichotomy is showing up in my music." Ultimately Schneider succeeds in telling this story through the mood, tempo and arrangement of these compositions, with a cast of stellar musicians and a conviction to stay true to her advocacy.

Track Listing

CD 1: A World Lost; Don’t Be Evil; CQ CQ, Is Anybody There?; Sputnik; Data Lords. CD 2: Sanzenin; Stone Song; Look Up; Braided Together; Bluebird; The Sun Waited for Me.

Personnel

Maria Schneider
composer / conductor
Steve Wilson
saxophone
Dave Pietro
saxophone, alto
Rich Perry
saxophone, tenor
Donny McCaslin
saxophone, tenor
Scott Robinson
saxophone, tenor
Tony Kadleck
trumpet
Keith O'Quinn
trombone
Ryan Keberle
trombone
George Flynn
trombone
Ben Monder
guitar
Greg Gisbert
trumpet
Additional Instrumentation

Maria Schneider: composer, conductor; Steve Wilson: soprano saxophone; Dave Pietro: clarinet, alto flute, piccolo; Donny McCaslin: flute; Scott Robinson: Bb clarinet, bass clarinet; contrabass clarinet; Tony Kadleck: fluegelhorn; Greg Gisbert: fluegelhorn; Nadje Noordhuis: fluegelhorn; Mike Rodriguez: fluegelhorn; George Flynn: bass trombone.

Album information

Title: Data Lords | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: ArtistShare

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.