Echoes of a Northern Sky

Echoes of a Northern Sky

Editorial Reviews
L.A. Weekly, April 23-29, Greg Burk
"Roots quests can take you some pretty interesting places. Drummer Jeanette Wrate wasn't sure she was qualified to perfom the folk music of her Norwegian and Finnish ancestry; she didn't play Scandinavia's traditional instruments, and she's an American who grew up with her ears stuck on Hendrix. But the urge was strong, so she went ahead and followed the only appropriate path: taking the raw material and interpreting it her way. Since her way has led her to engagements with Maiden Voyage and Dizzy Gillespie, it has a lot to do with jazz- Wrate's surging, Tony Williams-influenced drums drive her Northern Lights Ensemble's new Echoes of a Northern Sky. Polished by Jeff Gauthier's classically soulful violin, Craig Ochikubo's multivalent keyboards and Anders Swanson's assertive, off-accented bass, the music scoots along like a sportscar on a mountain road or settles down into meditative plaints. The sound is an altogether modern vantage point from which ou nevertheless need no time-machine binoculars to glimpse the accordians, Finnish harps, whirling dancers and frost-heated myths that inspired it."

Product Description
Jeanette Wrate and the Northern Lights Ensemble blend the melodies and rhythms of Finnish folk music with the improvisation and swing of contemporary jazz, to create a unique and original music. This innovative group led by jazz drummer Jeanette Wrate, grew out of a personal exploration of her Finnish and Norwegian roots. Finnish folk music which has many influences from Celtic to Eastern European music, provides a fertile ground for musical expression and interpretation. A consummate jazz drummer, Jeanette has performed with artists like Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Witherspoon and Maiden Voyage. Ms. Wrate's ability to translate Finnish folk music into her native musical language, modern jazz, is the integration of two rich musical traditions. The Northern Lights Ensemble includes Jeff Gauthier on violin, Craig Ochikubo on keyboard, and Anders Swanson on bass.

Echoes of a Northern Sky,Jeanette Wrate,Northern Lights Ensemble,Cryptogramophone,Jazz,Pop

Jazz Music: Echoes of a Northern Sky

Jazz Music: