Joe Chambers | News | Infotext - Joe Chambers: Dance Kobina

Drums, Percussion, Vibraphone: Joe Chambers / Bass: Mark Lewandowski (1, 3, 4, 7–9)
Piano: Rick Germanson (1, 3. 4, 7–9) / Piano, Bombo: Andrés Vial (2, 5)
Alto Saxophone: Caoilainn Power (2, 5, 6) / Drums: Elli Miller Maboungou (2, 5, 6)
Double Bass: Ira Coleman (2, 5, 6) / Vibraphone, Marimba: Michael Davidson (2, 5)
Percussion: Emilio Valdés (3, 4, 8) / Alto Saxophone: Marvin Carter (3)
Tenor Saxophone: Marvin Carter (8)

Schlagzeug-Legende Joe Chambers war auf vielen stilprägenden Blue-Note-Alben der 1960er Jahre vertreten, darunter Wayne Shorters „Adams Apple“, Bobby Hutchersons „Components“, Freddie Hubbards „Breaking Point“, Joe Hendersons „Mode for Joe“, McCoy Tyners „Tender Moments“ und viel mehr. Es dauerte jedoch bis 1998, bis der vielgefragte Sideman mit seinem Album „Mirrors“ sein eigenes Blue Note-Debüt als Leader gab. 2021 kehrte er als Schlagzeuger, Percussionist, Vibraphonist und Komponist mit dem Album „Samba De Maracatu“ das erste Mal im neuen Jahrtausend zum Label zurück.

Auf „Dance Kobina“, seinem dritten Blue-Note-Album als Leader, erforscht Chambers nun die tiefen musikalischen Verbindungen zwischen Jazz, lateinamerikanischer, brasilianischer, argentinischer und afrikanischer Musik. Das Album wurde von dem Pianisten Andrés Vial co-produziert und sowohl in New York als auch in Montreal aufgenommen, es präsentiert überzeugende Chambers-Originale, darunter „Gazelle Suite“, „Ruth“ und „Caravanserai“, sowie Interpretationen von Stücken von Vial, Kurt Weill, Joe Henderson und Karl Ratzer.

 Drummer, percussionist, vibraphonist, composer, and Blue Note legend Joe Chambers returns with “Dance Kobina”, his 3rd Blue Note album as a leader which explores the deep musical connection between Jazz, Latin, Brazilian, Argentinian, and African music. The follow-up to his 2021 album “Samba de Maracatu" was co-produced by pianist Andrés Vial and recorded in both New York and Montreal. The album presents compelling Chambers originals including “Gazelle Suite,” “Ruth,” and “Caravanserai,” as well as interpretations of pieces by Vial, Kurt Weill, Joe Henderson, and Karl Ratzer.

The album’s vibrant title track composed by Vial was originally lacking a title, Chambers suggested “Dance Kobina” as the name for the piece because of its uplifting, dancing quality, and as a nod to the presence of Congolese percussionist Elli Miller Maboungou at the session. In Lingala, a Bantu language spoken in the Congo, ‘kobina’ means ‘to dance.’ The performance features Chambers on drums, Maboungou on Ngoma drums, Vial on piano, Caoilainn Power on alto saxophone, Michael Davidson on vibraphone, and Ira Coleman on bass.

In the mid-to-late 1960s, Chambers played drums for numerous Blue Note luminaries appearing on some of the decade’s most progressive albums including Bobby Hutcherson’s “Components” and “Happenings”, Wayne Shorter’s “Adam’s Apple”, Freddie Hubbard’s “Breaking Point”, Joe Henderson’s “Mode for Joe”, Sam Rivers’ “Contours”, Andrew Hill’s “Andrew!!!”, Donald Byrd’s “Fancy Free”, and many more.

The label’s owners – Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff – offered Chambers a chance to record his own album for the imprint during that fertile period, but he was riding so high on recording and touring with so many jazz greats that he declined the opportunity. Chambers eventually did release his own Blue Note debut “Mirrors” in 1998 featuring trumpeter Eddie Henderson, saxophonist Vincent Herring, pianist Mulgrew Miller, and bassist Ira Coleman. He returned to the label in 2021 with the Brazilian Jazz inspired album “Samba de Maracatu”.

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