To celebrate their 40th anniversary, Grand Union Orchestra release a Greatest Hits album featuring 16 remastered dance-inspiring tracks from their extensive back catalogue. "Made By Human Hands" showcases Grand Union Orchestra at their joyful and exhilarating best: bold brass riffs, powerful singers, big band jazz, and top-tier improvisation.
From the driving drums, congas, and walking bass that kick off opening track "Love That Day", it's clear that this album is built for dancing. Then the exuberant horn section and uplifting vocals of Alison Limerick and Gail Ann Dorsey burst onto the scene:
> Have to have love, peace, justice Is what I say
> Take it easy but make it
> Love that day!
"Made By Human Hands" is a truly global endeavour, blending apparently incompatible musical styles. "Nagin Been" is a traditional Hindi song which opens with a didjeridu drone; "Bhangra Brass" sees the marriage of tabla and dholak with slap bass and call-and-response trumpets.
Ghanaian percussion and vocals by Sarah Laryea are at the forefront of "Kelele" and "Nanouman", while Trinidadian Ken Johnson's steel pans feature heavily throughout, notably on Caribbean standards "Ol' Lady" and "Feelin' Nice". Portuguese and Turkish folk styles are melded effortlessly with jazz on "Mexe Mexe" and "Halay" respectively, both featuring electric female/male duos in the form of Maria João Silveira & Mingo Rangel and Sabahat & Cemal Akkiraz.
Classic reggae rhythms underpin "Thank God I'm Free" and "Can't Chain Up Me Mind", which both feature powerful lyrics about freedom and resistance by Jamaican poet Valerie Bloom. It's some feat to write a song about slavery that is as positive, uplifting, and catchy as "Can't Chain Up Me Mind".
The consistent thread throughout is the musical creativity of Grand Union Orchestra's composer and founder, Tony Haynes. Raised in England on New Orleans jazz, his love of dynamic horn sections and intricate brass riffs is apparent whatever the other elements of each song. Whether it's the samba of "Love That Day", Guinean kora-led "Cano", the Ghanaian chants and congas of "Nanouman", or the salsa of "New Day", Grand Union Orchestra's extremely capable horn players are always at the heart of the music.
Grand Union were one of the earliest bands to feature British jazz legend Courtney Pine when he joined in the mid-1980s, and his mesmeric tenor sax solo on "I Live In The City" closes the album. Improvisation is a central part of Grand Union's live shows, and also on record, as Chris Biscoe's sublime alto sax demonstrates on "Halay". On "Eleggua Kó, Eleggua Rá", Yousuf Ali Khan and Claude Deppa conduct a wild, improvised back-and-forth percussive duel, playing tablas and congas respectively.
The band's horn section on "Made By Human Hands" is a roll call of UK jazz greats, including Claude Deppa (trumpet, "Nanouman"), Tony Kofi (baritone sax, "Can't Chain Up Me Mind"), Louise Elliott (tenor sax, "Cano"), Ros Davies (trombone, "New Day"), Shanti Jayasinha (trumpet, "Mexe Mexe"), Kevin Robinson (trumpet, "Eleggua Kó, Eleggua Rá"), and Rick Taylor (trombone, "Nanouman").
lançado em 17 de junho de 2022
Alison Limerick (England) voice
Gail Ann Dorsey (USA) voice, bass guitar
Maria João Silveira (Angola/Cape Verde) voice
Sabahat Akkiraz (Turkey) voice
Sarah Laryea (Ghana) voice, congas
Baluji Shrivastav (India) voice, harmonium
Jonathan André (England/Jamaica/Côte d'Ivoire) voice
Sadjo Djolô Koiate (Guinea-Bissau) voice, kora
Valanga Khoza (South Africa) voice, kalimba
Vladimir Vega (Chile) voice, charango, tiple
Chris Biscoe (England) alto saxophone
Claude Deppa (South Africa) trumpet, congas
Courtney Pine (England/Jamaica) tenor saxophone
Fiona Burnett (Australia) soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
Kevin Robinson (Jamaica/USA) trumpet
Louise Elliott (Australia) tenor saxophone, flute
Shanti Jayasinha (Sri Lanka/Scotland) trumpet
Tony Kofi (Ghana) baritone saxophone
Rick Taylor (England) trombone
Ros Davies (Wales) trombone
Andy Grappy (England/Caribbean) tuba
Carlos Fuentes (Chile) percussion
Cemal Akkiraz (Turkey) saz
Ken Johnson (Trinidad) steel pans
Ketan Kerai (India/England) dhol
Rosamel Burgos (Chile) quena, charango
Yousuf Ali Khan (Bangladesh) tabla, dholak
Gerry Hunt (England) guitar
Mingo Rangel (Mozambique) guitar, voice
Andres Lafone (Uruguay) bass guitar
Butch Potter (England) bass guitar
Keith Morris (Wales) bass guitar
Brian Abrahams (South Africa) drums, percussion
Dave Adams (England) drums
Dave Barry (Wales) drums
Josefina Cupido (Spain) drums
Tony Haynes (England) piano, trombone, didjeridu
Music composed and/or arranged by Tony Haynes
Additional compositions by Len 'Boogsie' Sharpe, Mingo Rangel, Sadjo Djolô Koiate, Shankar–Jaikishan, Valanga Khoza, and Vladimir Vega
Lyrics bv David Bradford, Mingo Rangel, Sadjo Djolô Koiate, Shankar–Jaikishan, Valanga Khoza, Valerie Bloom, Vladimir Vega, and from traditional sources.
Mastered by Henry Bainbridge (DubStudio/HLM)
Compiled by Gabriel May
Design by Derek Edwards (Patwa)
Cat No RGR 340
Barcode 5059801062064
african bhangra big band blues folk ghanaian jazz turkish world world jazz caribbean indian reggae salsa samba London