Phil Raskin: Songs Of The Fathers

Introduction

The eye-catching artwork on Songs of The Fathers by Satya (Resonant Artists 2024) is the work of photographer Peter Koppenaal. The image features layer upon layer of people figures outlined against a fiery backdrop of African colors. The picture is, in fact, more representative of the label that might at first be apparent because Resonant Artists was founded on principles of uniting cultures and sharing peace and unity through music. The cover combines two images from two of the world's great continents, Africa, and America.

How the artwork was created

Phil Raskin of Satya spent a lot of time in Africa and a few years ago, he brought back a wood sculpture purchased from a Makonde carver in a Tanzanian market. It is a family tree, or life sculpture, carved from a single piece of mpingo. Mpingo is also called "music wood" and has been prized for the manufacture of woodwind instruments. It is dense, water resistant, and ideal for African instruments and Western ones including clarinets and oboes but is now rare due to over-exploitation and the fact it takes over 60 years for a tree (Dalbergia melanoxylon) to develop mature wood. This particular carving represents the connection of tribal family members supporting one another over generations. Raskin felt it was the perfect image for this album and Koppenaal photographed it and overlayed it on an image that represented the African landscape color pallet. Interestingly enough, the background is not from Africa but was shot close to a cabin Koppenaal and his wife share on a small island off the coast of Vancouver Island, BC.

Koppenaal and Raskin collaborated on the image, and it took many attempts before the vision Raskin had in mind emerged. Raskin wanted to express the familial supportiveness of African communities and relate this to the current times and the music of Abdullah Ibrahim to whom the album is a tribute. He says:

"The Makonde Ujamaa (ujamaa means fraternity or family in Swahili) wood carving is symbolic of generations of family supporting one another across time. I have always been struck by the vertical orientation of the piece, with everyone supporting one another in the present time, as a representation of lineage, and with a look toward the future. Typically, lineage is graphically shown by a horizontal line, left to right from past to present. But here, the generations are all represented together. Past, present, and future are seen as one. For me, this speaks poignantly to the tradition of mentorship in the music community.

Given the medium of carved Mpingo used for the sculpture, this symbol seemed even more appropriate and made perfect sense as the central image for emphasis on the album cover. By including a background with colors representative of the African continent, the combined image additionally represents Africa as the common birthplace of our music and species and how connecting deeply to our interconnected nature is key to our growth and survival.

For generations young musicians have apprenticed with older masters, learning to carry on important traditions while honing their skills to push the boundaries to achieve new levels of innovation, infusing new life into the music for generations to come. Within the jazz community, and in my personal experience, once their students had honed their skills, those masters then included them in their ensembles, drawing from the strength and energy of their youth to further inspire their performances and engage a new generation of listeners preserving the vibrancy and relevance of the music.

Honoring that tradition was the primary motivation for developing this album project. Throughout his career of more than six decades, Abdullah Ibrahim has inspired musicians young and old, and listeners the world over with compositions and performances that impart messages of peace, hope, and global unity. These messages celebrate the fraternity of us all, and as is the stated mission of the Resonant Artists label brings his exceptional gifts of music so they may "continue to Resonate with the World; lifting and opening the spirits, hearts, and minds of all who listen."

Artist Phil Raskin of Satya and Resonant Artists

Phil Raskin is a world-renowned drummer, percussionist, and producer with over four decades of professional experience. His impressive career has taken him to more than thirty countries worldwide. Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Phil began working in the music industry as a teenager, mentored by legendary guitarist Bill DeArango. He has performed with internationally acclaimed musicians, including Joe Lovano, Billy Drewes, Skip Hadden, Jamey Haddad, Abe Laboriel, and Kenny Werner and shared the stage with some of the greatest performers in jazz history, such as George Benson, Kenny Burrell, Roy Ayers, Pharoah Sanders, Stan Getz, Gary Burton, and Weather Report.

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