Tag Archives: MFM

Arturo O'Farrill and Dr. Cornel West

CD Review “Four Questions” by Arturo O’Farrill feat. Dr. Cornel West

Arturo O'Farrill Artist: Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Title: Four Questions
Label: ZOHO Records
Genre: Latin jazz/Spoken word
CD Review by Dawoud Kringle

One of the most important hallmarks of jazz is its focus on social consciousness. Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit,” Sonny Rollins’ “Freedom Suite,” Charles Mingus’ “Fables of Faubus,” Max Roach’s “We Insist! Freedom Now Suite,” John Coltrane’s “Alabama,” and many others all used jazz to address social injustice, and a call to action.

After releasing Four Questions, Arturo O’Farrill now stands side by side with these giants.

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MFM PODCAST EPISODE 9: Mark Deutsch discusses the artistic and professional processes and aspects of his pursuit of a unique musical vision

In this episode of the MFM Speaks Out, Dawoud Kringle interviews California based musician, improviser, composer, and inventor of the Bazantar Mark Deutsch about his personal evolution from contrabass and sitar virtuoso to designing an unprecedented musical instrument, his artistic and spiritual philosophies on music, and the struggles of being an innovator and iconoclast. Mark started as a “go to guy” on both bass and sitar, before immersing himself in the Bazantar. He produced The Fool, his first recording of the Bazantar, and recently, The Picasso Tunings; a four CD release of music utilizing a set of tuning systems and templates for composition and improvisation that has no historical precedent. In 2019, after releasing The Picasso Tunings, he embarked upon a solo tour of the US, traveling cross country, and introducing his music to a wider audience. He is presently at work upon a new composition based on the I Ching (“The Book of Changes;” a Chinese book of divination dating back to the 10th century b.c.).

CD Review: Mark Deutsch (NY): Virtuoso Musician, Inventor, and Visionary

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