Ari Joshua is happy to report that he’s brought back another treasure from the vault,”Contactstarring Robert Glasper, KJ Swaka and Jason Fraticelly. For years Joshua has written and recorded with some of the greatest creators of our generation. Now he has decided to throw the door wide open and share the accumulated wealth with all of us. Expect more releases soon, with work with Glasper, Marco Benevento, Joe Russo, Delvon Lamarr, Skerik and members of the Trey Anastasio Band.
How did this “Contact” come about?
“This song ‘Contact’ is the third song to come out of ‘OUT OF THE VAULT’,” Joshua explains. “This is one of many songs recorded with Grammy-winning keyboardist Robert Glasper, Pendulum drummer Kevin Sawka and bassist Jason Fraticelli during a session a few years ago. This one being more of a track Hendrix style guitar.
What vault, what One of the vault are we talking about? Why open it now?
“It’s a vault that I’ve stored music in for years,” says Joshua. “Opening it up to the world is the result of taking reality into account. The new Covid world created the circumstances that led me to decide to say F-it, and unlock the vault, and start releasing this treasure trove of albums and projects to align myself with a greater purpose. raised; serve and be aligned with the music.
The process of committing to sharing music is truly healing. I think that’s probably the case with a lot of artists. With all this music still going on, you have to find some perfection in the imperfection of an honest story, and it’s time to let yourself go a little. These songs are my gifts. Robert Glasper, Jason Fraticelli and I were classmates at The New School in New York. Kevin and I started collaborating in the early 2000s and have been close collaborators ever since. There’s a lot of music coming out, I can’t wait to get it out, they don’t call it a release for nothing, it really is a release to know that this music is finally starting to see its day in the light. “
Regarding the track, Joshua says:
“I was in New York for a gig with my dear friend and Drum-n-Bass/EDM drummer Kevin Sawka, and I had been in touch with Rob about wanting to do a session and it fell into place. I had played Rob and his band some songs I had recorded with Sawka, and they absolutely loved it. Jason (the bassist) came over from Philadelphia and we spent two days recording in Brooklyn. There’s some really wonderful material out there. The chemistry was amazing and the material ranged from jazz and free jazz to rock and drum-n-bass. I think Sawka fans will be able to hear her play in a new and different way, completely new and without a laptop; same with Robert and his fans, there are ways he plays on some of the songs where I’m like – Shit! I’ve never even heard Rob play like that before. The material we recorded was based mostly on cards I brought along, but there was also a lot of improvisation, it was just fun.
The song sort of starts out in space, and the DNA of the four of us mixes together like a stew and results in a musical orgasm, it sounds like what I imagine it would sound like if a UFO teleported an astronaut in parallel dimension. Hence the name ‘Contact’.
Instrumentalists:
Ari Joshua – Guitar
Robert Glasper – Piano
KJ Sawka – Drums
Jason Fraticelli – Bass
Involved persons
Art by Nicole Mix, Olimpia Maria Flis and Ari Joshua
Recorded at Seaside Studios – Brooklyn, NY
Mixed by Johny Mendez at Avast Studios
Mixed by Ari Raskin at Deepwater Studios, NYC
Mastered by Joe Labert
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