I’ve always been interested in what is considered “world” music, although that term always seems a bit strange to me…as opposed to “out of this world” music? The constraints of labels and genres can be frustrating and at times, seem silly. As some of you may know from my previous recordings, influences from varied cultures and regions appear in much of what I write. I never seem to, nor would I want to attempt to, recreate exact replicas of this music but rather, to use it as a point of departure for something new.

For this project, “Mosaic”, I was heavily influenced by the music of North Africa, the Middle East and Spain. There is something so profoundly captivating about percussion from that part of the world: tar, riq, tabla, dumbek, sagat, as well as the intoxicating sound of spanish guitar. Together they are magic to me and I felt compelled to write some music for saxophone against that landscape. A marriage of both styles and centuries, this music could perhaps be labeled “Moorish Jazz”, look for me in that section of your online record store.

When I found out that my good friend, Jack Morer, was playing a lot of spanish guitar, the choice to collaborate was an easy one. Jack has played on many of my recordings and he always brings a fresh approach to everything he works on.

I suppose the other unusual thing in this project is the fact that I recorded the same 5 pieces twice. Once in this acoustic, organic style and then I remixed each of them in an electronic vibe. What can I say, it was fun!

Thanks for listening!

Bryan