Portraits
Artist: John McKenna Quartet
Release Date: October 2, 2020
Catalog Number: EUR0424
PRESS & RADIO PAGE
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TRACKLIST:
01) Erin Christine (9:25)
02) Labyrinth (6:40)
03) Song For Paul (8:05)
04) Hangar 45 (5:41)
05) Quest (7:42)
06) Night Runner (8:52)
07) Aluminum (5:32)
08) Rascal (5:49)
09) Ghost (2:37)
All compositions by John McKenna (John McKenna Music, BMI)
PERSONNEL:
John McKenna - tenor saxophone
Bruce Barth - piano
Anthony Santor - bass
Victor Lewis - drums
RECORDING INFO:
Produced by John McKenna
Recorded & Mixed by James Farber
Assistant engineer: Owen Mulholland
Recorded at Sear Sound, NYC - June 6th, 2017
Mastering by Jim DeMain at Yes Master Studios, Nashville, TN
ALBUM NOTES:
This album is called Portraits because each tune I wrote on it is for someone I love and care about, or for an object or experience I’ve had. I wish I had room on this recording to add more portraits...next time! Most of the tunes were recorded in one take, with no overdubs...natural. We rehearsed in NYC the day before and then made the recording in the studio the following day.
A huge thank you & love to Anthony, Bruce and Victor for their incredible playing and uncompromising musicianship on this recording. A big thank you also to engineer James Farber for the great sound capturing skills and care he always brings to recording a session.
Erin Christine is written for my wife who is beautiful inside and out and always inspires me.
Song For Paul is for my dear friend, pianist Paul Tillotson. Paul wrote a lot of original music, lead piano trios & had a great sense of humor also. When we were younger and lived in NYC we would get together and play each others compositions and have other adventures. He passed away too soon and I miss him a lot.
Rascal I wrote for my son Aidan when he was younger. Now in his teens, Aidan has many other great qualities, but still retains that rascalness that I love.
Hangar 45 is a portrait of my Dad and his love of ying. An aeronautical & mechanical engineer, he was working on building a plane at the time I wrote this and I found that really inspiring.
Quest is a song dedicated to my Mom, whose quest for knowledge in the form of a life long love of reading has been a great influence on me.
Labyrinth is inspired by that maze like form, whether real or imagined.
Aluminum is influenced by that silvery element. It was freely improvised after the melody, no written chord changes, form (or rehearsal!) needed.
Night Runner is inspired by the feeling, as the title says, of running at night.
Ghost ends the session, as it did in the studio that day. It’s a melody that we all play together, no solos. I can’t put into words the feeling in the studio, so I’ll let the music speak for itself, but it did feel like a perfect end to the session.
A big thank you to my longtime friend & great saxophonist Jeff Coffin for his support releasing this recording on his excellent Ear Up Records label...thank you Jeff! Also to Alex Mathews at Ear Up Records for his help with this project. Thanks to all at Sear Studios in NYC. To Jim DeMain at Yes Master Studio in Nashville for the great job mastering this recording. Thanks to my son Aidan for taking some video at the session, and to my wife Erin for her excellent album photography. To all my friends and family, there are no words except a heartfelt thanks & hugs.
Sincerely, John McKenna
This album is dedicated to my parents, Mary and Charles McKenna, for their amazing love & support through the years. Also to the memory of my friend, pianist Paul Tillotson.
