Vocalist-composer Sara Serpa reaches new
heights
with a singular multi-disciplinary work
featuring music and film
Recognition: Music For a Silent Film, due out June 5, 2020 on Biophilia Records, showcases Serpa’s gifts as a composer and vocalist in a program of
stark, cinematic pieces
featuring Mark
Turner, David Virelles and Zeena Parkins
“...her subtlety and sureness command serious
attention.” – The New Yorker
“…a fresh and riveting presence on the vocal-jazz
landscape.” – JazzTimes
“...unique beyond words.” – Boston Globe
Widely
acclaimed as one of the premier vocalists of her generation and recently
crowned Rising Star Female Vocalist in the 2019 DownBeat Critics Poll, Sara
Serpa pushes headfirst into innovative musical territory with her tenth
album, Recognition: Music For a Silent Film. A collection of
Serpa’s original pieces set to moving images, the album features her singing
and performing spoken word alongside some of the most recognizable and
distinctive artists in jazz and improvised music: saxophonist Mark Turner
(Billy Hart, Tom Harrell), pianist David Virelles (Chris Potter, Henry
Threadgill) and harpist Zeena Parkins (Björk, John Zorn). Due out June 5, 2020 on Biophilia Records, Recognition will be available in
BiopholioTM or digital download with code for film screening.
Recognition is a singular multi-disciplinary work that
traces the historical legacy of Portuguese colonialism in Africa through moving
image and sound. From her family’s archives, Serpa adapted Super 8 footage of
various scenes under Portuguese colonial rule in 1960s Angola into an
experimental documentary in the format of a silent film, and she alone composed
its musical counterpart as well, a rare and massive undertaking.
Far
more than accompaniment, Serpa’s mesmerizing feature-length score to the film
is as immersive and compelling as the extraordinary images it reflects. This is
a testament to both her captivating musical vision and compositional acumen,
showing precisely why JazzTimes called her “a master of wordless
landscapes.”
Serpa
uses her voice as both an ensemble instrument and a focal point for narrative
during passages of spoken word, which came out of Serpa’s intensive,
self-directed research into the period. More than solely an achievement in
music, Recognition addresses thematic concerns that are relevant and
significant in the present day. As Serpa eloquently summarizes: “Talking about Angola and Portugal is like talking about Brazil,
United States and Europe. The Western world shares a collective shameful past
of occupation, exploitation, slave trade, oppression, racism, segregation,
violence and abuse.”
Several
motivations animated her work on this project, including the desire “to
highlight the power of music as a tool for social evolution, reflection and
education,” and “to break the silence about Portuguese colonialism and
institutional racism.”
With
the assistance of film director Bruno Soares, Serpa organized the
material into an hour-long silent film intercut with text by Amílcar Cabral,
a key figure of African anti-colonial resistance. During the course of the
project, Serpa explored the legacy of that difficult historical moment as well
as her family’s silence surrounding it, providing a visual and sonic narrative
encouraging individual reflection.
“There was a traumatic situation because when the colonies
became independent, suddenly Portuguese had to flee, leaving everything behind.
They had to adapt to a country that most of them had never been to and that
rejected them, so there’s a kind of silence, and not many people in my family have
talked openly about this. Perhaps this is the work of the following
generations, to digest and process the past,” Serpa says.
“There
is also institutional silence. In schools you’re
not taught about it, and because of that I felt the need to educate myself. So
there was this personal need, but also a need to expose something that has not
been talked about, discussed enough and recognized enough.”
Across
the dozen tracks on the album, Serpa employs the diverse talents of her
powerhouse ensemble, which boasts a unique configuration of instrumental
voices. Turner, arguably the most influential tenor saxophonist of his
generation, assumes multiple roles in the quartet, variously mirroring Serpa’s
ethereal voice, sustaining ongoing accompaniment and contributing immaculate
solo improvisations.
Pianist
Virelles, whose versatility and blending of the futuristic and folkloric has
made him a first-call musician for everyone from Chris Potter to Henry
Threadgill, is no less brilliant. As a foil to the other ensemble members,
Virelles improvises vital, startling counterpoint across every register of the
piano.
Parkins
is a pioneer of contemporary harp who resides in the highest echelon of
avant-garde musicians. She delivers characteristically powerful and supportive
playing as both a soloist and ensemble member. On tracks such as “Beautiful
Gardens,” she and Virelles conjure thrillingly abrupt waves of dissonance
cascading alongside shocking spoken-word depictions of violence.
The
astuteness of Serpa’s bold decision to assemble these collaborators, who hadn’t
previously performed together as a group, is proven by their fresh and inspired
chemistry. The free-improvised “Queen Nzinga” is a case in point, featuring a
spirited, grooving trio improvisation that effervesces alongside Serpa’s spoken
word.
On
tracks like “Lei do Indigenato, 1914” and “Free Labour,” Serpa directs the
ensemble toward meaningful restraint and space. She fearlessly embraces
dissonance and post-tonal complexity when it suits the musical and filmic
narrative, as in the flowing arpeggios of “Occupation” and the broodingly
abstract “Control and Oppression.”
Despite
its challenging subject matter, Recognition also contains in ample
measure the trademark lyricism and purity of melodic design that Serpa’s
collaborators, such as legendary pianist Ran Blake, have so prized in working
with her. On tracks such as “Mercy and Caprice,” Serpa’s gorgeous voice seems
to float in space without losing any measure of intimacy or directness.
As
music to silent film, atmosphere and mood are primary considerations that Serpa
handles with aplomb. Her mastery of counterpoint and orchestration is apparent
on tracks like “Absolute Confidence,” where she creates a chorale of moving
voices before unfurling a breathtakingly dramatic solo improvisation. On
“Propaganda,” the album’s penultimate track, unrelenting and virtuosic
counterlines raise the tension to a fever pitch as Virelles pushes and pulls
against voice and saxophone.
Recognition ends on an ambivalent but rallying note with
“Struggle and Unity,” a resistance song setting Cabral’s words to music. The
song’s otherworldly melody and attendant harmony has a lingering quality,
resonating in the ear and mind long after the album concludes.
About Sara Serpa
Lisbon,
Portugal native Sara Serpa is a vocalist-composer and improviser who implements
a unique instrumental approach to her vocal style. Recognized for her
distinctive wordless singing, Serpa has been immersed in the field of jazz,
improvised and experimental music since first arriving in New York in 2008.
Described by the New York Times as "a singer of silvery poise and
cosmopolitan outlook," Serpa started her career with jazz luminaries such
as Grammy-nominated pianist Danilo Perez, and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow
pianist Ran Blake. As a leader, she has produced and released nine albums; the
latest being Recognition, an interdisciplinary project that combines film with
live music, in collaboration with Zeena Parkins (harp), Mark Turner (
saxophone) and David Virelles (piano). Serpa is a member of the We Have
Voice Collective, comprised of 14 musicians, scholars and thinkers, determined
to promote gender equity in the performing arts. Sara has performed with John Zorn, Nicole
Mittchel, Ingrid Laubrock, André Matos, Guillermo Klein, Okkyung Lee, Guillermo
Klein, Linda May Han Oh, Kris Davis,
among many others. Serpa was voted Rising Star - Female Vocalist 2019 by
the Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll, and she currently teaches at The New
School and at New Jersey City University.
Advance Praise for Recognition
“…
a singular multimedia experience both spellbinding and haunting in nature …
truly beyond category.”
– Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
“Recognition
is an irreverent and poignant analysis of the place of memory ... a sincere
reflection on universal responsibility and social justice, Sara Serpa connects
the past with the present, exposing the propaganda used by the Portugal’s
fascist regime in its occupation of African nations.” – Bruno Duarte, art
director and film production designer
“With
Recognition, Sara Serpa looks deeply into the problems of colonialism,
occupation, racism, and exploitation that have left a scar on human history and
continue to impact our world today … Recognition is not only a brilliant
artistic work, but an important offering that I hope will be viewed by
audiences worldwide.” – trumpeter/vocalist/ composer Amir El-Saffar
“This
is a fearless, exciting new work by an already remarkable artist pushing
herself outside of her comfort zone from almost every angle.” –
guitarist/composer Rafiq Bhatia
About Biophilia Records
Biophilia means
"an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems."
Our home is Harlem, New York City. What sets Biophilia Records apart from
traditional music labels is that in addition to creating meaningful and
imaginative music, our artists are united by a common interest in having a
positive impact on the environment and our communities. Our artists collaborate
with organizations that specialize in conservation, sustainability and outreach
initiatives. We regularly volunteer hands-on in community events to however we
can.
The Biopholio™ is a
double-sided, 20-panel origami-inspired medium, bursting with vibrant artwork
and liner notes; each one made entirely out of FSC-certified, robust paper,
hand-folded and printed using plant-based inks.
Found
inside each Biopholio™ is a unique code for the listener to digitally download
the music in hers/his preferred format including CD-quality, uncompressed WAV
files. This
innovative design caters to the environmentally-conscious listener, who is
aware of the harmful effects of plastic in the environment, yet feels that a
digital download is just not enough. With your purchase, you are supporting the
future of this music and the artists who create it with the added bonus of
receiving a tangible piece of original album artwork that you can proudly
cherish for years to come.
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