Modern Times Ensemble - Connections (2022)

Modern Times Ensemble is a truly unique collaboration with artists from around the world: New York, Vienna, London, Pescara, Los Angeles, Denver, Paris, Hamburg, Rome, Zurich.
During the Covid-19 crisis, as the virus sadly spread throughout the world knowing no geographical borders, so did the musicians’ passion to create and collaborate beyond physical boundaries, lock-downs and travel restrictions.The work on this first album began in the Summer of 2020 when the music, lyrics were written and the musicians began the recording process exclusively via sustainable and eco-friendly on-line collaboration. Old friendships solidified and new friendships were born. All compositions (music and lyrics) by Paolo Montrone except the cover arrangement of “Maxine”, a tribute to the genius of Donald Fagen. Modern Times Ensemble’s music, not so easily classifiable into a specific “genre”, features fine and sophisticated approach to melody, harmony and rhythmic textures.
Paolo Montrone: “… the compositions often take unexpected twists and turns surprising the listener, aimed to maintain an active engagement throughout the musical journey, motivating a vertical listening, or in other words a deeper immersion in the arrangements, nuances and sonic atmospheres the musicians crafted so well…”
The arrangements provide ample spaces for improvisation and solo performances which despite remote recording, always sound fresh, immediate and dynamic. Tonal and sound research is a constant point of reference for Modern Times Ensemble, inspired by the timeless productions of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s where the immense ability and stellar musicianship of the artists, composers, mixing and mastering engineers was always at the service of the music.
Paolo Montrone:” … collaborating with this stellar cast of players on this album has been a dream-come-true experience. They all provided priceless contributions to this project and we all look forward to the next one!”
The producer and engineer limited the use of digital editing, therefore striving to capture each musician’s performance in its freshness and spontaneity as part of the overall ensemble. The goal has been to always record real players/real instruments on each track: no sequencing or audio loops have been utilised in these recordings.
We are proud Modern Times Ensemble is a carbon neutral production.
Modern Times Ensemble is committed to developing and support new technologies and digital platforms to enhance and foster human-to-human musical collaborations within a safe, artistically rewarding and sustainable production process. We aim to accomplish all of this by keeping the musicians, the creativity and our planet at the central core of what we do.
Earnings from the music, including CD sales and streaming, will be devolved towards the Malizia Mangrove Park project.
"Boris Herrmann, the most famous German racing sailor in the world, successfully finished the toughest single-handed regatta in the world, the Vendèe Globe Race 2020. Together with the Mama Earth Foundation, he and his Team Malizia have created the Malizia Mangrove Park in the Philippines / Mati, Davao Oriental. There, through donations, one million mangroves are planned to be planted so far the team have reached half a million mangroves. The Park thus makes an enormously important contribution to the restoration of the ecosystem, provides a better income for the residents and the mangroves bind high amounts of the climate-damaging CO2."