Adi Meyerson - I Want to Sing My Heart Out in Praise of Life (2021) [Hi-Res]

Only a brave soul would promote their version of Utopia in times like these – and New York bassist and composer Adi Meyerson's cover artwork certainly shows a sincere awareness of the dark side.

Nonetheless, from the Sun Ra-evoking opener ‘Prelude’ onwards, there's an upbeat and affirmative tone to her music, both in style and content. Meyerson has chosen like-minded collaborators too, each showcased in turn across this six-part suite. The vivid polka-dot constructions of Yayoi Kusama was her inspiration and the Japanese artist's voice can be heard on ‘Kabocha’, throughout which Lucas Pino's bass clarinet and Anne Drummond's flute rise and fall as overlaid motifs return again and again. Chicago trumpeter Marquis Hill opens ‘Follow The Red Dots’ with aplomb, his sketchy exploration's flickerings of jazziness coalescing into a classic bop groove powered by flawless walking bass.

The tightly-orchestrated arrangement of ‘Caged Bird’ frames the striking vocals of Camille Thurman, first delivering Meyerson's poem ‘One Can Only Dream ’and then providing an equally effervescent scat riposte to Pino's bubbling alto sax solo. The bass player herself leads out ‘Infinity’, another Arkestra-evoking stately theme, this time embellished with wordless vocals from Sabeth Perez.

Meyerson's solo introduction has a lyrical flow matched by assured technical ability and the piece would have provided an anthemic finale were it not followed by the title track. This more wistful duet between Thurman's compelling voice and the gospel-blues piano of Sam Towse reprises the album's opening Prelude with the defiant weariness that Nina Simone perfected. It's a stark contrast that shows the clear-eyed realism which lies behind Adi Meyerson's laudable utopian aspirations.

Tracklist:
1.01 - Adi Meyerson feat. Eden Girma - Prelude (feat. Eden Girma) (3:16)
1.02 - Adi Meyerson - Kabocha (7:09)
1.03 - Adi Meyerson - Follow the Red Dot (5:57)
1.04 - Adi Meyerson feat. Camille Thurman - Caged Bird (feat. Camille Thurman) (6:44)
1.05 - Adi Meyerson feat. Sabeth Perez - Infinity (feat. Sabeth Perez) (11:07)
1.06 - Adi Meyerson feat. Camille Thurman - I Want to Sing My Heart Out in Praise of Life (feat. Camille Thurman) (3:35)