Today's DailyOM Offerings...
August 16, 2010
A Bend in the River
Roberto Occhipinti
2009
Try guessing the title to Toronto-based jazz bassist Roberto Occhipinti’s fourth album while listening to the album’s free-flowing melodies and luscious harmonies. The liquid tone of the brass section, the eddies of strings and woodwinds that curl within the core ensemble’s choppy rhythmic cross-currents-how could the title not involve water somehow? After many years playing in classical ensembles, Occhipinti made his name as the rhythmic pinion for such esteemed Latin jazz groups as Hilario Duran’s trio and Jane Bunnett’s Spirits of Havana. He also produced David Buchbinder’s multiculti watershed, Odessa/Havana, and impressed Blur/Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn enough to tour with Gorillaz and the Mali Music project. Occhipinti brings his diverse background to bear on A Bend in the River, a stimulating collection of standards and originals whose complexity are deepened by the inclusion of both jazz and classical instrumentation. Let the current whisk you away.
Is it an accident that an album called A Bend in the River should be so well-described as "Third Stream," a genre tag used to describe the fusion of jazz and classical music? Whether serendipitous or intentional, it’s appropriate since the album just flows. The overlapping fugal dance that opens "Umbria" represents A Bend in the River’s first few trickles; they’ll eventually coalesce into a rushing melodic statement, taken up by Luis Deniz’s alto sax. The Latin syncopations of pianist David Virelles dip in and out of the pooling long tones of the strings, while Occhipinti and drummer Dafnis Prieto keep the whole thing rushing forward, keeping a steady current while playfully splashing around.
Occhipinti’s cover of the immortal John Coltrane ballad "Naima" evokes a very different watery image. The arrangement strands Occhipinti’s bass in the middle of a slowly swaying sea of orchestral strings, like some lonely buoy floating in a dusky harbor. Strings also bathe the succession of inspired solos on "Marta," as ravishing a jazz composition as they come. Midway through, Occhipinti plays Moses and parts the ocean of strings to allow himself and Virelles room to shine. The real treat is the volcanic explosion from Pietro toward the track’s end, played over a slow cha-cha rhythm as if he’s paddling furiously to dry land. Occhipinti and company get there, and we’re left slack-jawed and amazed in his wake.
August 16, 2010
A Balanced Response
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
Today you may feel more composed than usual in the face of adversity and strife. This is likely due to your being in an extremely relaxed state that is the result of your having actively centered yourself using meditation or meditative techniques. Even if you are called upon to deal with circumstances that might otherwise frazzle your nerves today, your response will likely be cool, calm, and completely collected. Consequently, this can be the perfect day to see to those objectives that promise to challenge you in complex and harrying ways as you will likely cope with all manner of difficulties without giving in to stress.
We can interact with the world around us in a calmer and ultimately more effective fashion when we have centered ourselves so that our response to outside stimuli is comprised of a balanced mix of emotion and rationality. Equilibrium is the key that allows us to unlock the doors to our potential because it guides us away from choices that are representative of only one side of ourselves. We are less apt to fall prey to avenues of behavior that appeal only to our passions or are purely logical in nature. Instead, we are grounded in the need for a multifaceted approach to all aspects of existence and cognizant of the need to consider how our choices will impact our lives, both practically and emotionally. You will remain composed in the face of great challenges today when you approach them from a centered state of being.
August 16, 2010
A New Approach
Taking a Break from What You Are Doing
Sometimes we need to step back from what occupies our minds and take a break much like touching the reset button.
Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our thoughts that we wind up going round in round in circles, finding it difficult to concentrate on things and, because we are so distracted, not really accomplishing much. There may be signals-mental, emotional, and physical-that tell us we need to slow down and relax. Since we are so involved in things that are external to us, however, we may easily overlook what is really going on inside of us. It is during these times that we need to step back from the things that occupy our minds and take time out to connect with our inner self, giving our minds, bodies, and spirits the time they need to reenergize and heal.
At first it may seem that by taking a break we may not be as productive as we would initially like. In reality, a healthy period of rest is something that gives us a real sense of the unlimited nature of our true potential. Spending a couple of minutes walking outside, doing a few yoga poses, meditating, or simply becoming attuned to the rising and falling of our breath enables us to let go of our worries. This act brings our focus back to the things that are truly essential for us, such as our sense of oneness with the universe and our inner peace and well-being. As we begin to get in touch with this part of ourselves, we will find that our usual everyday troubles and worries become less critical and that we not only have much more room in our lives to really reflect on the issues that mean the most to us, but we are also able bring to all the situations we encounter a much more positive and healthy outlook.
Giving ourselves respite from our daily concerns is like giving a gift to ourselves. By stepping away from the problems that seem to saturate our thoughts, we lessen the weight of our troubles and instead become more receptive to the wisdom and answers the universe has to offer us.
A Bend in the River
Roberto Occhipinti
2009
Try guessing the title to Toronto-based jazz bassist Roberto Occhipinti’s fourth album while listening to the album’s free-flowing melodies and luscious harmonies. The liquid tone of the brass section, the eddies of strings and woodwinds that curl within the core ensemble’s choppy rhythmic cross-currents-how could the title not involve water somehow? After many years playing in classical ensembles, Occhipinti made his name as the rhythmic pinion for such esteemed Latin jazz groups as Hilario Duran’s trio and Jane Bunnett’s Spirits of Havana. He also produced David Buchbinder’s multiculti watershed, Odessa/Havana, and impressed Blur/Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn enough to tour with Gorillaz and the Mali Music project. Occhipinti brings his diverse background to bear on A Bend in the River, a stimulating collection of standards and originals whose complexity are deepened by the inclusion of both jazz and classical instrumentation. Let the current whisk you away.
Is it an accident that an album called A Bend in the River should be so well-described as "Third Stream," a genre tag used to describe the fusion of jazz and classical music? Whether serendipitous or intentional, it’s appropriate since the album just flows. The overlapping fugal dance that opens "Umbria" represents A Bend in the River’s first few trickles; they’ll eventually coalesce into a rushing melodic statement, taken up by Luis Deniz’s alto sax. The Latin syncopations of pianist David Virelles dip in and out of the pooling long tones of the strings, while Occhipinti and drummer Dafnis Prieto keep the whole thing rushing forward, keeping a steady current while playfully splashing around.
Occhipinti’s cover of the immortal John Coltrane ballad "Naima" evokes a very different watery image. The arrangement strands Occhipinti’s bass in the middle of a slowly swaying sea of orchestral strings, like some lonely buoy floating in a dusky harbor. Strings also bathe the succession of inspired solos on "Marta," as ravishing a jazz composition as they come. Midway through, Occhipinti plays Moses and parts the ocean of strings to allow himself and Virelles room to shine. The real treat is the volcanic explosion from Pietro toward the track’s end, played over a slow cha-cha rhythm as if he’s paddling furiously to dry land. Occhipinti and company get there, and we’re left slack-jawed and amazed in his wake.
August 16, 2010
A Balanced Response
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
Today you may feel more composed than usual in the face of adversity and strife. This is likely due to your being in an extremely relaxed state that is the result of your having actively centered yourself using meditation or meditative techniques. Even if you are called upon to deal with circumstances that might otherwise frazzle your nerves today, your response will likely be cool, calm, and completely collected. Consequently, this can be the perfect day to see to those objectives that promise to challenge you in complex and harrying ways as you will likely cope with all manner of difficulties without giving in to stress.
We can interact with the world around us in a calmer and ultimately more effective fashion when we have centered ourselves so that our response to outside stimuli is comprised of a balanced mix of emotion and rationality. Equilibrium is the key that allows us to unlock the doors to our potential because it guides us away from choices that are representative of only one side of ourselves. We are less apt to fall prey to avenues of behavior that appeal only to our passions or are purely logical in nature. Instead, we are grounded in the need for a multifaceted approach to all aspects of existence and cognizant of the need to consider how our choices will impact our lives, both practically and emotionally. You will remain composed in the face of great challenges today when you approach them from a centered state of being.
August 16, 2010
A New Approach
Taking a Break from What You Are Doing
Sometimes we need to step back from what occupies our minds and take a break much like touching the reset button.
Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our thoughts that we wind up going round in round in circles, finding it difficult to concentrate on things and, because we are so distracted, not really accomplishing much. There may be signals-mental, emotional, and physical-that tell us we need to slow down and relax. Since we are so involved in things that are external to us, however, we may easily overlook what is really going on inside of us. It is during these times that we need to step back from the things that occupy our minds and take time out to connect with our inner self, giving our minds, bodies, and spirits the time they need to reenergize and heal.
At first it may seem that by taking a break we may not be as productive as we would initially like. In reality, a healthy period of rest is something that gives us a real sense of the unlimited nature of our true potential. Spending a couple of minutes walking outside, doing a few yoga poses, meditating, or simply becoming attuned to the rising and falling of our breath enables us to let go of our worries. This act brings our focus back to the things that are truly essential for us, such as our sense of oneness with the universe and our inner peace and well-being. As we begin to get in touch with this part of ourselves, we will find that our usual everyday troubles and worries become less critical and that we not only have much more room in our lives to really reflect on the issues that mean the most to us, but we are also able bring to all the situations we encounter a much more positive and healthy outlook.
Giving ourselves respite from our daily concerns is like giving a gift to ourselves. By stepping away from the problems that seem to saturate our thoughts, we lessen the weight of our troubles and instead become more receptive to the wisdom and answers the universe has to offer us.