Diego Gaeta - Fearlessly Accessing The Divine Spirit Of Freedom From Here On Out (2023) [Hi-Res]

The free folk/jazz sound of modern Los Angeles. Featuring a heavy bunch of musicians and vocalists including Moor Mother.

"Fearlessly Accessing the Divine Spirit From Here on Out is the vinyl debut from pianist, composer, and producer Diego Gaeta. He has previously released projects as Club Diego and with the trio Human Error Club (whose members Mekala Session and Jesse Justice helped produce this record). He has quickly become a fixture in a number of Los Angeles musical environments, working with Lionmilk, The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, Carlos Niño, Black Nile among others. This album is a synthesis of these many LA environments, and carries chamber, jazz, ambient, and folk influences, ultimately giving it an uncategorizable feel similar to works by Arthur Verocai or David Axelrod.

Gaeta recorded the initial ideas for the album by himself after experiencing a burst of creativity during the lockdown of 2020, in the aftermath of a season of protests in Los Angeles, on a piano at his home in El Sereno. Once he had created the tracks as Ableton sessions, he realized the gravity and context of how he was processing his ideas so he, as he puts it, "felt like taking them outside the hands of midi and into the hands of friends." Gaeta was able to assemble his dream band, which ended up being a 9-piece ensemble, or a nonet.

The title track and single, featuring vocals by Jimetta Rose, begins with a speech by Gaeta delivered when playing with Black Nile in 2019 at the Levitt Amphitheatre in MacArthur park. Gaeta provides the following account: "Even though it was in 2019, socio-political tensions and issues were at the forefront for me at that time. I wrote a speech that was intended to be critical of the US but it ended up becoming a collage inspired by different women that had messages of freedom that spoke to me the most. I quoted Nina Simone and Georgia Anne Muldrow, it wasn't something that I read but something that she said "kicking it with consciousness and style" that phrase stuck with me, so I used it in that speech. Although critical, the speech had a positive feeling to it, and it was hopeful. I gave that speech while fireworks were going off."

Moor Mother & Zeroh are found on their respective tracks, Memory Screen & Eccolo - both delivering a distinct, commanding vocal performance. Low Leaf colors the track Soft Spot with harp, a beautiful ballad nestled in the center of the album. Other players include Gregory Uhlmann on guitar, Jon Kaye on violin, Devin Daniels on alto saxophone, Caleb Buchanan on bass, Dante Luna on vibraphone, Patrick Behnke on viola, Bryan Baker on tenor saxophone/flute, and Mekala Session on drums."

Diego Gaeta - composer/arranger, piano, synths, percussion
Jimetta Rose - Vocals on "Fearlessly"
Low Leaf - harp on "Soft Spot"
Zeroh - vocals on "Eccolo"
Moor Mother - vocals on "Memorial"
Patrick Behnke - viola
Jon GK - violin
Greg Uhlmann - Guitar
Caleb Buchanan - bass
Devin Daniels - alto sax
Bryan Baker - flute, tenor sax
Dante Luna - vibes, precussion
Mekala Session - Drums

Tracklist:
1.01 - Diego Gaeta - Caracal (6:09)
1.02 - Diego Gaeta feat. Jimetta Rose - Fearlessly (6:19)
1.03 - Diego Gaeta - Gracefully (3:11)
1.04 - Diego Gaeta feat. Low Leaf - Soft Spot (3:47)
1.05 - Diego Gaeta - Uprising (4:25)
1.06 - Diego Gaeta feat. Zeroh - Eccolo (5:31)
1.07 - Diego Gaeta - The World and Within (6:09)
1.08 - Diego Gaeta feat. Moor Mother - Memorial (4:15)