Steve Kirby's Oceanic Jazz Orchestra - All Over The Map (2017)

All Over the Map introduces the fresh and adventurous sound of
Steve Kirby s Oceanic Jazz Orchestra (OJO). Led by composer and
jazz bassist Steve Kirby, OJO is a hybrid jazz-classical
ensemble, with instruments like bassoon, oboe, pedal steel, and
classical violin folded in alongside vibes, trumpet, saxophone,
flute, and vocals. The compositions are equally far-ranging in
their rhythmic and structural qualities, borrowing from jazz,
folk, rock, hip hop, baroque, French impressionist, electronic,
and tango.

All Over the Map is hard to capture in words. Think of it as a
suite of postcards, or a collection of cultural fingerprints,
from various locations along the line that stretches from the
southern tip of Argentina to the frozen reaches of Nunavut. This
vertical line across the map informs the working title of the
suite of compositions: The Longitude Project . Every
composition is distinct in style and structure, and they range
in tone from seduction to rage to stubborn hope. Paradoxically,
all the discrete parts cohere because ultimately the album is an
exploration of the challenge and richness of being alive, of the
deep humanity we all share, no matter where we live and how
different our customs and cultures.

All Over the Map is an important and timely album. In the face
of rising fear, violence, and destruction, we need this clarion
call to encounter one other with openness and appreciation, and
to dance together in celebration of our shared humanity on this
fragile and beautiful speck of dust out in space.