MEETING of the Spirits

Called “one of the most original and compelling jazz albums in recent memory” (Montreal Gazette), Matt Haimovitz and Uccello’s Meeting of the Spirits gets a surround-sound makeover for the PENTATONE Oxingale series. Featuring jazz milestones re-imagined for a big band of cellos, arranged by composer David Sanford, the 2010 Grammy-nominated album was hailed by All About Jazz as “a captivating recording from start to finish … Haimovitz and Sanford have created a work of great beauty.” The cellos wail, slide, and swing in an all-new big band sound – joined by dazzling musical contributions from guitar legend John McLaughlin, percussionist Matt Wilson and Jan Jarczyk on keyboards – in works by Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, John McLaughlin (Mahavishnu), Miles Davis, Billy Strayhorn and other jazz greats. NPR says, “This agile band of players, led by such a free spirit, makes almost everything sound fresh.”

From Apple Music – Editors’ Notes

Neat, contemporary arrangements of jazz classics take the spotlight in Meeting of the Spirits, which features Matt Haimovitz’s remarkable all-cello ensemble. New timbres are exposed, the instrument’s percussive sides are explored, and loved tunes are turned inside-out by the ensemble, who swing and dip together.

TRACK LISTING

MEETING of the Spirits |Matt Haimovitz & Uccello

John McLaughlin (1942 –) (Mahavishnu Orchestra)
1 Open Country Joy
featuring John McLaughlin (electric guitar)

Miles Davis (1926 – 1991)
2 Half Nelson

Ornette Coleman (1930 – 2015)
3 W. R. U.
featuring Matt Wilson (drums)

John Lewis (1920 – 2001) (Modern Jazz Quartet)
4 Blues in A Minor

John McLaughlin (Mahavishnu Orchestra)
5 Meeting of the Spirits
featuring Matt Wilson (drums), Jan Jarczyk (keyboard)

Billy Strayhorn (1915 – 1967)
6 Blood Count

David Sanford (1963 –)
7 Triptych

George Gershwin (1898 – 1937)
8 Liza

Charles Mingus (1922 – 1979)
9 Haitian Fight Song