Cubist: Shapes of Sound & Time
By Jerry Leake
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This new CD features numerous guest artists including Randy Roos, Noam Sender, Mister Rourke and others listed below. Excerpts of select compositions are included. Produced by Jerry Leake Recorded and mastered at Squam Sound by Randy Roos © 2009 Jerry Leake & Rhombus Publishing |
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Cubism was a brief but significant art movement lead by Pablo Picasso between 1907 and 1914. Cubists represent objects in a single plane, simultaneously opening the object in all its sides in relation to the observer. This multi-viewpoint treatment of a two-dimensional canvas revealed an intentionally ambiguous, fragmented image of reality.
Cubism in music also exists: sound and time can be perceived from various viewpoints and centers of gravity. Combinations of natural elements (wood, metal, skin); music tradition (African, Indian, Middle Eastern); metric structures and unusual subdivisions can open music in all its sides for the listener. New angles in composition and arrangement unfold.
Music can even be represented using geometric shapes: as vectors of sound in motion, as particles of musical thought. In South India the rhythm yatis are derived from the curl of a cow's tail, the barrel shaped mridangam drum, an hourglass of the damaru drum. North Indian rhythm cycles, math concepts of tihai and ginti, and African bell cycles can be realized as a compass, circles, flowing waves. "Cubist" represents the third of a trilogy of recordings I produced under the skillful work of Randy Roos at his Squam Sound studio in New Hampshire.
Track Listings
| 1 | Aldebaran |
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| 2 | Caldera |
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| 3 | Zulugu |
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| 4 | Plan 9 |
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| 5 | Freehand |
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| 6 | Cubist |
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| 7 | Na Yella Bo |
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| 8 | In From the Cold |
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| 9 | Smoke |
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| 10 | Geo |
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| 11 | Convex |
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| 12 | Nu Atsia |
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| 13 | Chrysalis |
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| 14 | Gahudo |
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| 15 | Middle Ground |
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| 16 | Eclipse |
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Total time: 78:24
Featuring Guest Artists
Randy Roos (guitars, controlled synth), Noam Sender (Turkish ney, zurna, vocals, duduk), Mister Rourke (turntables), Rohan Gregory (violin), Lisa Leake (vocals), Derek Beckvold (bass sax and bari sax), horn arrangements by Ken Schaphorst featuring: Stan Strickland (tenor sax), Dave Harris (trombone, tuba), Mike Peipman (trumpet), Mike Rivard (bass), Brad Hatfield (keyboard), Will Graefe (guitar).Jerry Leake Plays
Keyboards: balafon (African xylophone), vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, gender wayang (gamelan), chimes, pianoAfrican Percussion: atsimevu and boba (Ewe master drums), sogo, kidi, kagan, totoji, shakers, bells, gung-gong and lunga (Dagomba bass drum and talking drum), djembe, log drum, sticks
Indian Percussion: tabla, tabla tarang, udu clay drum, naqqara (stick drums), damaru, elephant bells, misc. bells.
Latin/Spanish: congas, bongos, tambora (merengue drum), clave, cowbells, cajon, palmas
Metallohones: Chinese hanging gongs, Gamelan gongs, Japanese bowl gongs, tam tam, Tibetan bells, tunes bells, hanging noah bells, Chinese cymbal, ice bell, nipple gong
Miscellaneous: davul (Turkish bass drum), karakab (Moroccan metal castanets), riq (Egyptian tambourine), tar (N. African frame drum) drum set, snare drum, crash cymbals, vocals, thunder maker, jingles, triangles, temple blocks, devil chasers, timpani, orchestral bass drum, glass wind chimes
Capsule Reviews
For complete reviews, check out our Press Kit.Cubist is an album of body-moving grooves with its orchestral scope, crystalline transparency, and melodic focus.
Jon Garelick, Boston Phoenix
Cubist is without doubt one of the finest records to arrive in early 2010!
KIOS 91.5, The Last Call
Fascinating compositions... Creative and energetic with a world music flavor.
WRUV Reviews, World International
Cubist breathes life into classic themes, and its rhythms call to the listener's entire body. A treasury for percussion fans.
Midwest Book & Music Review
When I first heard selected tracks, I wanted to continue listening to each one as soon as it had finished, which is a great start with any collection.
Derek Walker, Phantom Toollboth
Percussionist's Jerry Leake's CUBIST comes to life with mathematical precision and beauty where each composition resounds it's musical soul.
Accent on Tampa Bay
Leake and his collaborators push the concept of world percussion and they push the listener into challenging and rewarding new musical realms.
Soundroots World Music & Global Culture
A collageographic soundscape that was made to go with the shape shifting your Window Media Player does when you put it on 'now playing', this is a wild set for wild but ordered minds.
Midwest Record: Entertainment
Cubist presents dazzling percussion interplay, infectious rhythms and mesmerizing musical pieces by one of the United States most interesting percussionists. A Mesmerizing Percussion Voyage!
ARomero, Word Music Central
An excellent job combining elements of various traditions and styles to create something new and exciting! Not only have they found a way to ensure each style retains its own distinct qualities, but they have also found a way to ensure they work together in harmony.
Richard Marcus, Epic India Magazine
At some points, I could have thought I was into Mahavishnu Orchestra's Apocalypse. A strong record that came out of nowhere.
François Couture, music journalist
Perhaps most unique, however, is how easily listeners who aren't as hip to world music will be able to relate to this album. This is definitely an album worth checking out.
Free Vermont Radio
The music is really good, and really interesting.
Zookeeper, Online
Leake merges global music into a fusion where Latin rhythms twirl around jazz and rock, Indian scats and percussion dance with Caribbean and African grooves. Musically open ears and minds will soak in the experimentation and soundscapes.
Creative Loafing
Though it's ultimately a showcase for collective participation and response, "Cubist" proves an impressive showcase for Jerry Leake's percussive prowess.
Nashville Scene
An entire kaleidoscope of western and world percussion is laid out with amazing force, textural complexity, and lilting rhythms.
George Ruckert
The thing that strikes me most about it (what keeps me coming back again and again) is how organic it all sounds. Not any easy task to pull off when juggling all manners of different "world music" influences, but somehow Leake makes the music sound grooving and vital.
Mike "Micro" Rivard
There's no denying the skills of Berklee cat Leake and company—these catchy rhythms are certainly bound to find its share of fans.
Tony Mellor, The Noise
Cubist: what a beautiful, brilliant and substantial concept! 5 Stars and congratulations :-)
Kenwood Dennard
Cubist is well informed on so many fronts that it is rather staggering...mastery on many levels. Only devotion and constant evolution in life and music could produce "Cubist."
Jamey Haddad
Cubist is a revelation of sound and color...a wondrous and inspiring tapestry, full of depth, breadth, and most importantly, maturity.
John Funkhouser
...sometimes mournful, sometimes joyous, sometimes funny, sometimes dark, but always masterful kaleidoscope of colors, rhythms, creativity, vision and excellence.
"Rakalam" Bob Moses
Very hip! Loved the CD. Some of my Percussion friends are listening to it now. Great playing!!
Emil Richards
Beautiful soundscapes enfold Jerry's unique ability to merge African and Indian rhythms and instruments into a creative and original mix. Buy it!
Bruno Raberg
To say that Cubist is diverse would be the understatement of the year! Great musicians, great playing, and great ideas that all come together to make a host of worlds all revolving around the central body that is percussionist Jerry Leake!! I'll definitely be spinning it on my radio show.
Ken Field
Smokin!
Victor Mendoza
You really know your World traditions!
Mark Walker
Cubist is great! It's all over the globe in a good way. I can't help but envision a movie score. I get such strong visuals. You should be in Hollywood!
Jon Hazilla
Deep rooted grooves, concepts and ideas from a truly versatile and powerful Master of World Percussion!
Tupac Mantilla
Jerry Leake's new cd Cubist is an amazing journey in sound and groove. Landscapes unfold and galaxies are created. This cd is guarateed to move your body and mind!!!
Steve Langone
This is one of those collections where one could listen to each song several times, and hear something remarkable each time that you hadn't noticed before. Jerry Leake has created sonic landscapes that evoke emotions ranging from mankind's emergence from the ooze to his quest for the stars. A work of mastery by a master musician.
Rodney Mashia
I never feel like things are artificially superimposed, rather that they are naturally and easily flowing from a person who loves them all and feels them deeply as an integral part of his musical universe. Congrats on a great CD!
Tom Hall
Leake has crafted an amazing musical tapestry...great performances by equally talented musicians, all spearheaded by the brilliant vision of Mr. Leake. World music and percussion enthusiasts—don't miss this one!
David Maxwell
Very musical and more than a typical "percussion" album, Cubist stretches across boundaries and borders, and takes you on a journey that you won't want to end.
Matt Kilmer
The fabric he creates is at once lush and inviting then alternately fierce and angular. His music has depth in the composition, the production and the virtuosic performances.
Dean Johnston
Cubist is fabulous! Seamless fusion.
Barry Michael Williams
Cubist is one of those rare albums that will bear new fruit with each listen. This music is alive and breathing, and you can't help but get caught up in the spirit of it all. A great listen that won't disappoint, there is direction and freedom at the same time, a great combination!
Brad Hatfield
Cubist is very ambitious, considering all of the combined ancient and modern influences. At times the music is dense and intricate and others bare bones and atmospheric but it always grooves in a way that demonstrates the value of repetition but without the tedium I've heard on many other drum heavy records.
Mister Rourke
Wonderful CD!!! Excellent production, very inspiring.
Fernando Michelin
"Cubist" is a sonic, tonal and rhythmic musical feast, with soundscapes and deep grooves distilled by a master who is inspired by music from around the world. He presents compositions ranging from introspective, simple beauty to multilayered, harmonically dense, complex arrangements.
Paul Schultheis
Cubist composition descriptions and origins