Hi!
Just reading your blog. Great music on there. I thought you and your readers would also like the new record by guitarist Lawson Rollins entitled
Infinita. Some more info:
Rollins wrote the album and produced with
Shahin Shahida (of the Persian-American group Shahin & Sepehr) and
Dominic Camardella (Ottmar Liebert, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira). Authenticity was important, thus Rollins surrounded himself with a masterful ensemble capable of bringing his vision to fruition. Honored as the
#1 most-added single in its debut week at radio, the title track is blessed with divine vocals from Brazilian chanteuse
Flora Purim. With Shahida and Camardella contributing an array of instrumentation to the album, percussion legend Moreira lends vocals as does Afghan vocalist Humayun Khan. Adding Middle Eastern instrumentation are Azerbaijani kamanche master Imamyar Hassanov and Pejman Hadidi on tombak. Completing the core ensemble are Grammy-winning violinist Charlie Bisharat, bassist Randy Tico, trumpeter Jeff Elliot and drummer-percussionist Dave Bryant in addition to a string orchestra in Prague.
Early reviews are praising
Infinita. In the
All Music Guide, veteran critic Jonathan Widran called the album a “…masterful genre-busting collection of Latin, Indian, Persian, Arabic, South American and European sounds…” and described it as a “…provocative and seductive project…”
Midwest Record stated, “Totally tasty adult world beat stuff that’ll really get your ears tingling.”
Music Graffiti wrote, “There’s an unmistakable Mediterranean aesthetic in Lawson Rollins’ music. But the collection exhibits reservoirs of Latin and African rhythm and texture. The roster of artists is stellar, almost like the Yankees of old – not a single light spot in the batting order…This is an album that satisfies the casual listener’s moods and the thirsty quest of more discerning musicphiles.”
The San Francisco-based Rollins discovered his passion for classical Spanish guitar as a teenager, which he then studied comprehensively. He developed an expressive guitar voice along with an inventive classical fingerstyle technique that he utilizes exclusively. A decade ago, he partnered with Daniel Young to form the Latin guitar fusion duo
Young & Rollins. They established themselves on the international music scene through four critically-acclaimed albums, widely televised concerts, and extensive live performances showcasing their experimental amalgam of improvisational guitar interplay incorporating salsa, samba, Latin jazz, Bossa Nova, blues, classical and flamenco, which hit the Billboard and radio charts.
Please consider him for a feature, review or other highlight spot. You can download free MP3s and photos etc from:
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=9B0C81A63796B186Thanks, and I'll be in touch soon.
Nick..
