Manu
"Manu, for me, is a deeply personal record that threads the needle between the western classical music that I was schooled in and the music of my parent’s homelands, Colombia and Cuba, as well as greater Latin America. At the outset of my journey to connect these two worlds was a re-examining of performance practice on my primary instrument, the violin. So much of what is saliently characteristic of folk music is encapsulated in the way it’s played. The translucent-ness of the sound is something that lies in stark opposition to the full-bodied technique requisite of romantic violin playing. But after expanding my approach to the instrument, and all the extended techniques afforded to it, new color palettes emerged. When paired with neo classical gestures, the ephemeral quality of the playing and inherent minimalism of folk and indigenous musical idiom eventually opened the door to a kind of dream-like, modern impressionism that was finally sui generis. The music that followed is both naturalistic and yet transcendental, and for me traces a musical corridor from my world to that of my parents and ancestors."
Violin & Viola: Bryan Senti
Cello: Noah Hoffeld
Bass: Todd Dahloff and Eric Shetzen
String Orchestra on "Vía" performed by Czech National Symphony Orchestra
Recorded at Igloo Music by Justin Moshkevich
Mix: Francesco Donadello at Vox-Ton
Mastering: Bo Kondren at CalyX Mastering
Atmos Mix: Justin Moshkevich
Produced by Bryan Senti and Justin Moshkevich
Artwork by Ramon Coronado at Public Library.
Released on Naïve (a division of Believe) on July 24th, 2022.
"Manu - A Visual Album" :: A feature length film accompaniment to Manu, directed by the award-winning experimental filmmaker, Alexandra Cuesta is currently an official selection at The International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam. More info here
