Shimmering drones, a variety of shakers, bowls and gongs, Laraaji-like zither, combine and create a path to a spiritual space. A green verdant clearing in your mind`s eye. A forest of the imagination. An oasis of connectivity and communion with the Earth, the Universe. Every blade of grass. Every ray from our sun. Fusing in a musical form that crosses any line drawn between classical and jazz. Improvisations inspired by Chicago Waves, the landscape of Lake Michigan, where operating in harmony – together – is the vibe. Listening to one another. Making room for your neighbour to breath. As the press release prudently points out this recording of an impromptu performance by Carlos Niño and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, provides two things we all are currently lacking – peace, and live music. 

Voices move between percussive cries, shush, and wow as solos take flight – soar and then glide on solar swells. Cymbals, tongued woodwinds and strings synergise in a suite that segues between calm and intensity. Serenity and sensory overload. Joined in a dawning, a joyful awakening, an organic hymn to natural wonder. The duo’s ecstatic shouts, whoops, all rolled in with the rapture. Instruments and vessels intertwined in a celebration of nature. A sonic spring summoning summer. Blossom, bloom, and cloudless blue skies. Accompanied by gentle unhurried piano the set builds to something close to a storm. Then akin to psychedelic re-entry, it slows, and stops to deserved applause – before an encore of Carlos leading those assembled in a cathartic group sigh. 

Carlos Niño Miguel Atwood-Ferguson`s Chicago Waves captures a spontaneous creative combustion which took place in the winter of November 2018 – at the International Anthem HQ, The Co-Prosperity Sphere. You can order your copy here.