{"product_id":"sgl15732-boxing-dreams","title":"Boxing Dreams","description":"\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eA dazzling display of instrumental and vocal virtuosity. Composer-percussionist Sean Noonan blends Irish and West African melodies with prog-jazz guitar and dense bass and drum rhythms. Vocalists Susan \u003cspan lang=\"EN-CA\"\u003eMcKeown\u003c\/span\u003e, Abdoulaye Diabaté and Thierno Camara bob and weave around guitarists extraordinaire Marc Ribot and Aram Bajakian and Ornette Coleman alumnus, bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma, with textures and counter-lines from violist Mat Maneri. The original 24\/88.2 recording captures the wide dynamics of the ensemble.\u003c\/em\u003e\r\n- Mark Werlin, All About Jazz\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\r\nFollowing up on \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStories to Tell\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e, his 2007 Songlines release, \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSean Noonan\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e once again stirred up the ingredients of his unique “wandering folk music” project, and here’s the new brew. Grandiose, intoxicating, and sui generis, \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBoxing Dreams\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eis a wildly ambitious and idiosyncratic concept album that blends passionate vocals and time-honored lyrics from Ireland, Mali and Senegal, raw power-jamming jazz\/rock guitars, shape-shifting improv viola, dense soundscapes, funked or punked up drum and bass grooves and complex, dancing polyrhythms. The musical stories Noonan tells are as diverse as ever, but the overriding metaphor of the record’s title suggests how he wrestled its elements and his own restless subconscious into a personal artistic vision.\r\n\r\n“The main effect I wanted in Boxing Dreams was to give the impression that the entire album is a single boxed dream, where each song captures a different dreamed or imagined story. ‘Morpheus’ in some ways sets the dreamy mood of the album. Morpheus is the god of dreams, who assumes any shape and form, and on this song Susan McKeown sings from an Irish Gaelic aisling or dream poem called ‘Magic Mist.’ ‘Courage’ is a tribute to my hometown (Brockton, Massachusetts) boxing legend \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRocky Marciano\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e, who remains the only heavyweight champion in boxing history to retire having won every fight in his professional career. Lately I’ve been intrigued by the physical intensity and body movements of boxing. I’m beginning to visualize these movements and apply boxing concepts in my drumming.\"\r\n\r\nAlong with the dream concept there’s a lot more singing on Boxing Dreams than on Stories to Tell, and generally the songs are multi-lingual (Gaelic, Wolof, Bambara, English). Says Sean: “I think of my songs as old wine in new bottles, where my mission is to truly further understand and preserve folklore and present it in a modern context. A major aspect of Boxing Dreams is how the music adapts storytelling, folklore and post-modern jazz, merging material from the Bardic and Griot traditions.” The singers were given freedom to interpret the compositions: “I would first have them listen to the music and then told them what the basic theme was and have them sing about what they visualized. Both Susan and Abdoulaye surprised me in how they complemented the instrumental arrangements, and Susan discovered and presented some amazing Irish literature.” An example of the unique synergy between voices and instruments: Susan’s sound is entranced and bewitching, and Mat Maneri is like her instrumental shadow or familiar. As Aram Bajakian, Sean’s closest musical collaborator here, comments: “There’s something really eerie about the way Susan’s voice goes with Mat’s playing. And then Abdoulaye will come in, and it brings a smile to your face. He has such an amazing presence.” And this is just one example of the surprising juxtapositions Noonan pulls off throughout the record. With Marc Ribot and Jamaaladeen Tacuma adding their own brilliant improvising to the brew, Boxing Dreams takes Sean’s Afro-Celtic-American project to another level. (Note: English texts included in booklet.)\r\n\r\n\u003chr\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cstrong\u003eSean Noonan- electro-acoustic drum set, percussion, compositions\u003c\/strong\u003e\r\n\u003cstrong\u003eMarc Ribot- electric guitar\u003c\/strong\u003e\r\n\u003cstrong\u003eAram Bajakian- electric guitar, Max MSP\u003c\/strong\u003e\r\n\u003cstrong\u003eMat Maneri- viola\u003c\/strong\u003e\r\n\u003cstrong\u003eJamaaladeen Tacuma- electric bass\u003c\/strong\u003e\r\n\u003cstrong\u003eSusan McKeown- vocals\u003c\/strong\u003e\r\n\u003cstrong\u003eAbdoulaye Diabate- vocals, conga\u003c\/strong\u003e\r\n\u003cstrong\u003eThierno Camara- electric bass, vocals\u003c\/strong\u003e\r\n\u003cstrong\u003eThiokho Diagne- percussion\u003c\/strong\u003e","brand":"Songlines Recordings","offers":[{"title":"DSD 64 \/ 2ch Stereo","offer_id":56741828002116,"sku":"SGL15732-14","price":23.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"DSD 128 \/ 2ch Stereo","offer_id":56741828034884,"sku":"SGL15732-15","price":25.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"DSD 256 \/ 2ch Stereo","offer_id":56741828067652,"sku":"SGL15732-16","price":29.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"DSD 512 \/ 2ch Stereo","offer_id":56741828100420,"sku":"SGL15732-21","price":35.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"DXD 24 Bit \/ 2ch Stereo","offer_id":56741828133188,"sku":"SGL15732-22","price":25.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"WAV  88.2 kHz \/ 2ch Stereo","offer_id":56741828165956,"sku":"SGL15732-72","price":25.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"FLAC 96 kHz \/ 2ch Stereo","offer_id":57343190466884,"sku":"SGL15732-7","price":19.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/7900\/2436\/files\/SGL15732.jpg?v=1778503240","url":"https:\/\/www.nativedsd.com\/products\/sgl15732-boxing-dreams","provider":"NativeDSD Music","version":"1.0","type":"link"}