Search - Canadian Brass, David Braid :: Spirit Dance

Award-winning Canadian pianist David Braid is joined by the legendary Canadian Brass for Spirit Dance, an original set of jazz-inspired compositions for piano and brass quintet written by Braid. Freshly inventive and full of singable melodies and rhythmic movement, Braid has created an array of new sounds that are intimate, spontaneous and warm. Inspired by everything from whirling dervishes to Chopin's Nocturnes to a walk in Beijing, Spirit Dance is an exceptional fusion of jazz and classical aesthetics. The title track ties together Middle Eastern influences and rhythms from European folk dances - a metaphorical representation of the various musical ethnicities and the relatively peaceful reality of multicultural urban Canada. Interior Castles is inspired by the mystical book "El Castillo Interior" written by Teresa of Avila in 1577, with its simple triad-based composition. Wash Away brings together the seemingly bizarre dual inspirations of Chopin's Nocturnes and the music of Ray Charles. Temple Heaven Walk interweaves melodies Braid heard while taking a walk through the Temple of Heaven Park in central Beijing, and Andalusia came to be after a day of playing through Enrique Granados' piano suite "Goyescas." Also included on this evocative musical journey is an extensive Theme and Variations on Jerome Kern's Yesterdays, the introspective Resolute Bay, and Prelude for Two Voices, spotlighting Canadian Brass' brilliant trumpeters. The compelling artwork, also titled "Spirit Dance," is by Canadian Ojibway artist Doris Cyrette.