Christian Sands - Facing Dragons '2018

Tracks list

Not yet 30, Christian Sands is currently one of the most in-demand pianists
working in jazz. In the last few years he has toured around the world as a
bandleader and recently appeared as a sideman on records by Christian McBride
and Gregory Porter. After the one-two punch of Reach and Reach Further - EP,
Sands dynamic 2017 Mack Avenue debut and his live/unreleased studio tracks EP
follow-up released earlier this year, Facing Dragons is Sands return to the
recording studio with an indestructible band and an unwavering allegiance to the
groove.

I like the freedom of the trio format, says Sands. Its more dramatic to me. Its
a smaller entity but with a big personality. I can fit it into different
situations dynamically, compositionally. Opening track Rebel Music features
Sands wide-ranging scope at its most elegant, nimbly jetting through single
unison lines and bright block chords. Here and throughout the record he is
joined by bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Jerome Jennings, the band that
Sands has been relentlessly touring with. The two sensitive accompanists are
locked in sync, joined occasionally by a powerhouse pair of horns, a sinewy
guitarist and a fiery pair of percussionists.

Saxophonist Marcus Strickland strikes first on the hard swinging “Fight
for Freedom,” unleashing a throaty cry over the churning band.
“Marcus Strickland brings a certain fire to the band,” says Sands.
“Especially on this track. He’s got a rich and deep tone, so it was
perfect for the earthy theme of the song.” Trumpeter Keyon Harrold shares
the frontline with Strickland, playing in effortless harmony on the melody
before getting a little solo space near the tune’s close.

Harrold takes centerstage later on “Frankenstein,” a churning
meditation reminiscent of Herbie Hancock’s seafaring journeys of the
1960s. Sands is spacious in support and patient on his solo, the tune an
energetic workout for all involved.

Earlier this year Sands was named creative ambassador to The Erroll Garner Jazz
Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to the legacy of the late great
pianist Erroll Garner. After inheriting the position from the late Geri Allen
– one of Sands’ mentors – he is a natural fit for the role.
Sands has that same affable understanding of the audience as he recognizes their
innate desire to be entertained as well as enlightened. He tackles the
Beatles’ “Yesterday” with a soulful saunter. “Pop music
is essential in jazz. It’s new melodies, it’s new stories, or same
stories told in different ways. Jazz is about storytelling and pop music has a
unique story to tell.”

Sands has yet to bring his band to Venezuela but when he gets there,
he’ll be more than ready for the infectious polyrhythms found on the
shores of Choroni Beach. On “Sangueo Soul,” Sands bounces above the
churning South American rhythms, with Caio Afune doubling the piano lines on
guitar. It alternates between the two sounds, blending them at will, a sprightly
dash of octaves on the piano cross paths with intergalactic vibrations. The tune
is impossible to resist as a battery of rhythm pushes Sands’ piano into a
righteous jaunt; clear the dancefloor. Percussionist Cristian Rivera appeared on
Sands’ Mack Avenue Records debut, and the two formed a tight bond over a
decade ago in Bobby Sanabria’s Afro Cuban Big Band. Percussionist Roberto
Quintero, a native Venezuelan, brings the fire and authenticity to the party.

“Samba da Vela” appears later, continuing the South American
travelogue with a trip to Brazil. Guitarist Caio Afune first played with
Sands’ brother Ryan, a drummer who studied at the New England
Conservatory. Afune has been playing with the pianist for over a year now,
finding his voice in the tight-knit ensemble. His solo is an energetic but
controlled centerpiece of the performance but becomes even more effervescent
when he heads to church.

“Church music is key in not just my sound but most jazz musicians I look
up to. It’s a culture that most of us have gone through so it’s
embedded in what we do,” says Sands. “Jazz can be a religious
experience and for me my playing is my gift to God.” Sands began formal
lessons at the age of four but picked up his sense of swing and soul at church
well before that. “Sunday Mornings” is Sands tribute to the
beginning of the week. He employs soulful clusters of chords and a lackadaisical
slide off the beat, aided and embedded by an oscillating organ. The transition
to a backyard reggae groove is hip, propelled by Afune’s scratchy
accents.

The lilting “Her Song” features bassist Nakamura. “Yasushi has
a great bass sound, great facility and is always easy to work with, which is why
he’s still in so many other bands today besides mine,” says Sands.
Regardless of Nakamura’s schedule, he is fully committed to Sands’
vision of a rhythm section, a noble accent to the sound, unobtrusive but always
present. Jennings is equally sensitive. “What I love about Romey”
says Sands, “is the soulful intellect he brings to the instrument. There
are layers to what he does and that comes from study and practice and also just
being him – a true soul brother.”

The album closes with “Rhodes to Meditation” featuring an
electrified Sands drifting into the ether. “The Fender Rhodes adds a
different tone to my imagination. It makes me hear and play different.”
Sands evokes a spectral world without borders, drifting off like a satellite
towards the next adventure. “Like all of my albums, I want people to feel
connected through a story that I’m telling. On this record, I want to
remind people to always push forward and move in positivity.”

Christian Sands, piano
Yasushi Nakamura, bass
Jerome Jennings, drums

Tracklist:
01. Christian Sands - Rebel Music (6:11)
02. Christian Sands - Fight for Freedom (7:17)
03. Christian Sands - Yesterday (7:23)
04. Christian Sands - Sangueo Soul (8:26)
05. Christian Sands - Sunday Mornings (7:29)
06. Christian Sands - Frankenstein (8:44)
07. Christian Sands - Her Song (7:12)
08. Christian Sands - Samba de Vela (5:40)
09. Christian Sands - Rhodes to Meditation (4:07)

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