About

— The Analog Vault // Essential Listening —

From leading ensembles such as KADEF, to playing with the likes of Patti Smith, Thurston Moore and Godspeed! You Black Emperor - Devin Brahja Waldman is vaunted as a musical visionary in high demand. But of the many projects that the New York multi-instrumentalist and composer is involved in, none have been as awe-inspiring as his collective Brahja.

The group’s self-titled album, originally released in 2019 via Estonian label RR GEMS, is a spiritual jazz record evocative of mysticism amidst multiple layers of esotericism. Led by Waldman and his core unit comprising of pianist Damon Shadrach Hankoff, keyboardist Isis Giraldo, bassist Martin Heslop and drummer Daniel Gelinas (alongside several other contributors on saxophone, surdo, guitar, vocals and more) – the compositions crafted seem to create a hypnotic ritualistic atmosphere. Amidst its chanting voices and haunting soundscapes, one might just find enlightenment. — The Analog Vault
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This is the Edition #3 of a highly sought-after LP from 2019
This edition is limited to 1000 copies in stickered sleeve
12" standard-weight black vinyl in black poly lined inner sleeve

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Jazz is not dead. Traditional and classic jazz disciplines have been alive and progressing perpetually throughout the ethers of the musical universe, for upwards of the past 70 years within the dispensation of recorded music history. Moreover, jazz contains a multitude of sub-styles that outreach and influence enthusiasts of the genre via various sonic characteristics, shapes and forms. It is a genre which never negates the multitude of intricate musical preferences and gravitations and exists as a deeply complex yet magical form of music. It is also a form of music in which its absolute complexities, ideologies and genius are seemingly only truly understood by those who consciously give themselves, in spirit, to resonate with whatever style(s) of jazz music in which one chooses to partake. In the scope of modern jazz music—that which exists and has been birthed within the confines of the new millennium—not much has changed. This is not a testament to complacency within the modern world of Jazz, but NO, in actuality, what this represents is an homage and reverence to the roots of Jazz as a genre, a nod and a bowing-down to the legacy players who have paved the way, and a level of deep cherish for the art-form with which some have been blessed to create and perform. Brahja (the band) is an exemplary collective of musicians, all who fall in-line with this modern jazz philosophy and have reflected it with absolute modern jazz perfection.

Since 2008, through all its previous configurations, Brahja has been creating its very special brand of avant-garde, spiritual jazz for slightly over a decade and a half. Though its ‘roots’ were cultivated out of the NYC & Montreal jazz scenes, its geographical ‘branches’ reach out further and wider. Founder and personnel leader, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist, Devin Brahja Waldman, a staple of the iconic and signature downtown New York jazz scene, incorporated musicians from outside the geography of New York City, to weave together the line-up that would bring this Brahja album to fruition. “From 2015 through 2017, the band toured and recorded a lot together. The songs on this album comprise most of the songs that we performed in those years. We performed and recorded many versions of those songs before finally recording the album in 2017,” says Waldman. The slightly less than a dozen performers (now billed as ‘Brahja’) that made up the personnel for this 2019 album, originate from various locations within historical jazz geographies.

Musicians from the jazz iconography of New York City, the distinguished jazz playground of Montreal, Canada, the historical jazz heritage of Chicago, and the underacknowledged jazz hotbed of Washington D.C., all contributed players to the musical collective that Waldman would entrust to bring this unique and exquisite album to life.

As they toured America in the mid-2010’s, consideration was given to players who presented themselves as worthy candidates when they were invited to sit-in with Brahja’s core players during this time of domestic touring. “We would travel in Daniel’s GMC van, which could fit all five of us plus our equipment. When we played in New York, Daniel Carter, Anais Mavïel, Heru Shabak-ra and Alexis Marcelo would sit in with us. When we played in Montreal, Adam Kinner and Sam Shalabi would sit in with us. When we played in Washington, DC, Luke Stewart would sit in with us. When we played in Chicago, Margaret Morris and Adam Zanollini would sit in with us. And so on and so forth. This is how the sound started to expand,” recalls Waldman. Waldman was never opposed to inviting regional players to sit-in with the band, some who would eventually become part of the ensemble which would manifest this debut album. Brahja’s core line-up—Damon Shadrach Hankoff (piano), Martin Heslop (bass), Isis Giraldo (synthesizer, vocals), Daniel Gelinas (drums), and Devin Brahja Waldman (alto saxophone), paved the way for a concise handful of these additional and worthy players, to participate in the making of what now may be construed as an international, modern day, jazz classic—the eponymous, Brahja.

Waldman reminisces, “Back in New York, I spent quite a long time mixing the album. It was the first album I had ever mixed, and I was familiarizing myself with the process and having to learn as I went along. Anyone who mixes a set of songs knows the loop excitement and doubt that is a part of it. Once I finally settled on a set of mixes, I contacted RR GEMS, and the rest is history.” …

“The music felt both familiar and innovative, something I hadn't heard before — raw yet nuanced, meditative yet ruthless, a consciousness-expanding exhilarating experimental trip,” exclaims Dmitri Kalinin, Co-Founder of the RR Gems label, who goes on to say, “The Brahja album has not only been one of the most successful releases on RR Gems, but the sands and waters of time continue to unveil this music to a broader audience of music aficionados across the globe.”

The sonic faces that this album plays host to are ones that true aficionados of Jazz will recognize as the pure and unadulterated sounds, which retrospectively reminisce back to early ‘70s spiritual jazz. Brahja is a deep ethereal dive into the true soul of the jazz fabric woven out of the classic era of spiritual jazz and the avant-garde. It is introspectively expressive and communicative of an extremely existential and transitional period within the lexicon of jazz.

In many ways the music found on this album can be construed as cinematic and even theatrical. The experience is sometimes mysterious and sleuthing, as with the compositions, “Qwikness” and “Just Passing Through,” and sometimes haunting, conveyed best with pieces, “In the Mess” and “Medicine Woman.” Also, there are atmospheric elements which exemplify the ethereal and melancholy as with, “Keepers” and “Welcom to Wohlom.” Moreover, there is an absolutely distinguishable character embedded in each of the album’s tracks, and none of them rob each other of individuality. One may get a sense that each of the musicians at any and every given time are in the exact same spiritual mindset, sharing the exact same spiritual experience—this portrays itself throughout the entirety of the song sequence, and it allows the listener an easier inlet to access and indulge in the experiences of the players themselves.

I sum it up by this: to the listener, each of the performances will simply and effortlessly feel unadulteratedly real—an experiential reality to boot— and do not convey being forced or coerced upon the hearer whatsoever, as if the band could have cared less if anyone was listening, but them. Still, there is a spirit of ‘invitation’ that dwells throughout the music and lends its hand to you, leading you over the threshold, petitioning you for a listen. With that, it is evident and recognizable that their foremost and only concern was not, “how many units might we sell”, or “how many partakers will truly get it?” … but no, their motivation and stimulus was simply the verity of the music that they would ultimately birth, and its living, breathing existence they would then be responsible to nurture.

And Brahja, has offered this to all who will listen. I say, indulge. 

— TONE Scott, American songwriter, music producer and award-winning music journalist. 

— (via Label)

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The more I listen to Brahja, the harder I find it to describe. 

Its musical atmosphere is dark, mystical, and intricate, like a visionary ritual crossed with film noir. The band’s forces combine to form a tempered maximalism, recalling other masterpieces of jazz composition, ensemble playing, and production, such as Charles Mingus’ Black Saint and The Sinner Lady and Ornette Coleman’s Science Fiction. Its compositions seem straightforward at first, anchored by a consistent rhythm and chant-like repetitions by melodic figures. But Brahja’s easy-to-grasp core is surrounded by a disorienting soundscape composed of synthesizers, voices, processed guitars, percussion, and more, engulfing the listener without losing track of its concept. 

This division between the musical core and periphery is reflected in the organization of the band, also called Brahja, whose core unit features saxophonist, composer, and producer Devin Brahja Waldman. The band includes Damon Shadrach Hankoff on piano, Isis Giraldo on synthesizer and voice, Martin Heslop on bass, and Daniel Gelinas on drums. There are also over a dozen “extended family” members, of whom Anais Maviel (voice and surdo), Daniel Carter (woodwinds and brass), Luke Stewart (bass guitar and effects), Sam Shalabi (guitar), and Margaret Morris (voice) feature on the record. BRAHJA has existed since 2008, displaying clear musical chemistry and a cohesive ensemble.

Waldman’s approach to the saxophone is also highly compelling. His sound is distinctive, channeling the open-throated, iridescent cascades of late Coltrane with the delicate, transparent tone of Jimmy Giuffre or Lee Konitz. This idiosyncratic blend affords Waldman a wide range of tones and textures, deployed deftly in his improvisation — intoning a ritualistic melody — and his contributions to the intricate sonic texture that ebbs and flows around the band.

Although Waldman has a central role as the architect of the project (his name and face is displayed on the album cover), Brahja is not merely a feature for Devin Brahja Waldman. Nor is it a typical “democratic” jazz record, where each band member gets a roughly equal share of the spotlight. In this music, there is no spotlight, only a deep cave (seemingly pitch black, but perhaps lit by some bioluminescent fungus once your eyes adjust) where everything blends together in the service of a singular concept. In Waldman’s words, “These songs mostly deal with the purging of uninvited darkness. Some kind of cure for some kind of poison. Some kind of death for some kind of renewal.” Everything about the record — the compositional approach, extended family ensemble concept, and unique production aesthetic — works to reinforce a clear and tangible feeling. 

Whether you relate this feeling to a healing ritual, or simply a well-crafted auteur jazz expression, Brahja is a fascinating and unique record. It is well worth checking out repeatedly. — (via Jazz Right Now )

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Label: RR GEMS 
Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Repress, Woodblock Print Edition
Reissued: 2024 / Original Release: 2019
Genre: Jazz
Style: Free Improvisation, Modern/Future Jazz

File under: TAV Essential Listening
File under:  Modern / Future Jazz
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