Dr. Beaf
"Hey Dad? What does 'cool' mean?". "Well boy, it means Teotima". Swinging horns and swaying strings among Latin & Bossa rhythms. A worthy addition to any Bossa fans Bandcamp library
Favorite track: Counting The Ways.
Counting The Ways is the debut album from Teotima, a 14 piece spiritual jazz ensemble from London. Guitarist-composer Greg Sanders started Teotima; taking powerful, elegant but deceptively complex grooves of West Africa, Cuba and Brazil and adding the sensibility of classic American soul and funk he brought together a loose collective of musicians in 2011 to workshop ideas.
As an intrinsically live project, all the individual band members were key to the project and their improvisation is a central part of the album. Recorded as-live at London's Fishmarket Studios under the watchful eye of engineer Ben 'Nostalgia 77' Lamdin, the record achieves a synchronicity that only this kind of old-fashioned approach can produce.
One of the most striking things about the record is the huge scope that it encompasses - the arrangements of Gil Evans and David Axelrod, grooves reminiscent of Arthur Verocai and the Fania All Stars and the textures of more modern groups such as The Floating Points Ensemble and Snarky Puppy.
All of these truly organic facets combine to create a striking 43-minute long debut album from Greg Sanders and his Teotima Ensemble.
"Excellent release." Gilles Peterson, BBC6 Music
"On first listen, this could well be album of the year!" Mike Chadwick, Jazz FM
"Counting The Ways is a real gem of an album that is well worth checking out. Highly recommended." Tokyo Jazz Notes
credits
released November 25, 2013
Tracks 1 – 4 written & arranged by Greg Sanders
Track 5 written & arranged by Ellie Rose Rusbridge & Greg Sanders
Track 6 written & arranged by Nick Sigsworth & Greg Sanders
Tracks 1 & 4 recorded at the Fish Factory, London, 28th & 29th April 2012.
Tracks 2, 3, 5, 6 recorded at the Fish Factory, London, 7th – 10th March 2013.
Recorded & engineered by Benedic Lamdin.
All tracks mixed by Benedic Lamdin & Greg Sanders, except track 6 – mixed by Benedic Lamdin, Nick Sigsworth & Greg Sanders.
Mastered by Matt Colton.
Ellie Rose Rusbridge – vocals on tracks 1 & 5
Ben Assiter – drumkit on tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, gongue & agogo on track 3, calabash on track 6
Fabio De Oliveira – congas & additional perc on tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, drumkit & alfaia on track 3
Ernesto Marichales – timbales & additional perc on tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, caxixi on track 3
Kareem Dayes – bass on tracks 1 & 4, cello on tracks 2, 5, 6
Lester Salmins – bass on tracks 2, 3, 5, 6
Maria Chiara Argirò – Fender Rhodes on all tracks, Hammond organ on track 4
Harry Christelis – guitar on track 6
Greg Sanders – guitar on all tracks
Alaric Taylor – trumpet on tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Leo Richardson – tenor sax on tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, flute on tracks 4, 5, baritone sax on track 3
Kieran McLeod – trombone on tracks 2, 3, 5
George Wrench – trombone on tracks 1, 4
Wayne Francis – tenor sax on track 3
Sam Rapley – tenor sax on track 3
Nick Sigsworth – violin on tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Mariko McTier – violin on tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Natasha Zielazinski – cello on tracks 1 & 4
Nick Murray - viola on tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
John Crockatt – viola on track 1
Flora Curzon – violin on tracks 1 & 4
Sarah Hill – violin on track 2
Will Langstone – cello on track 1
Produced & arranged by Teotima musical director & guitarist Greg Sanders, the debut LP from Congolese-Argentinian singer Juanita Euka features many of the Teotima family flexing their studio chops! Teotima
Psychedelic spiritual jazz meets afrobeat & UK hip-hop in this all-live cinematic extravaganza, featuring various members of the Teotima family Teotima