{"title":"Jon Balke and Siwan","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"hafla","title":"Hafla","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSiwan\u003c\/strong\u003e, the transcultural, trans-idiomatic musical collective led by Norwegian keyboardist\/composer \u003cstrong\u003eJon Balke\u003c\/strong\u003e, continues along its special path, with new music inspired by the creative spirit of Al-Andalus.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe ensemble weaves lines of communication between musicians from multiple traditions and locations. Among the texts set by Balke on \u003cem\u003eSiwan's\u003c\/em\u003e third album and persuasively sung by Algerian vocalist \u003cstrong\u003eMona Boutchebak\u003c\/strong\u003e are verses by Ummayad princess Wallada bint al-Mustak (1010-1091) and contemporaries including Ibn Zaydun (1003-1071) and Ibn Sara As-Santarini (1043-1123).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHafla\u003c\/em\u003e was recorded in May and June 2021 at Village Recording Studios, in Copenhagen.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ECM","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50454130590027,"sku":"1149430","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/e05ff6ad-4442-4fba-a23d-ee5a8ef5fdd5_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727181336"},{"product_id":"nahnou-houm","title":"Nahnou Houm","description":"\u003cp\u003eTheir ECM debut, released in 2009, won awards including the Jahrespreis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the album of the year prize of the German record critics. Now \u003cstrong\u003eSiwan\u003c\/strong\u003e, the international collective led by Norwegian keyboardist-composer-arranger \u003cstrong\u003eJon Balke\u003c\/strong\u003e, is back with \u003cem\u003eNahnou Houm\u003c\/em\u003e, rallying its powerful instrumental forces behind a new lead singer, \u003cstrong\u003eMona Boutchebak\u003c\/strong\u003e from Algeria.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePerceived correspondences between Arabic music, Andalusian classical music, and European baroque music fired Jon Balke's imagination when he started this project a decade ago. To bring these sound worlds closer together, he set poetry of Al Andalus, reflecting upon a period of coexistence between adherents of the three great religions. But Siwan does not set out to be an \"historical\" project: it's a contemporary creation, delivered by an alliance of strongly individual players, fronted by a vocalist deeply rooted in Arab music traditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePersonnel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Mona Boutchebak (vocals, oud), Jon Balke (piano, keyboards, percussion), Derya Turkan (kamanche), Pedram Khavar Zamini (tombak), Helga Norbakken (percussion), Bjarte Eike (baroque violin), Alison Luthmers (violin), Øivind Nussle (violin), Milos Valent (viola), Per Buhre (viola), Torbjørn Köhl (viola), Judith Maria Blomsterberg (cello), Mime Brinkmann (cello), Johannes Lundberg (bass)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ECM","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50464543736139,"sku":"1021979","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/25c9a63a-0bf1-4a1a-9e68-ef1b2e30db72_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727276216"},{"product_id":"discourses","title":"Discourses","description":"\u003cp\u003eJon Balke's solo recordings comprise a special subset of his work, informed by the improvisational daring and compositional imagination that has made him one of creative music's most original voices. Discourses is his third solo album, preceded by Book of Velocities (recorded 2006) and Warp (2015). The new album, recorded in sessions in 2019, takes further the integration and juxtaposition of acoustic piano and processed soundscapes introduced on Warp. Jon Balke's unique solo work blurs distinctions between composition, improvisation and sound design as Discourses further develops the methodology introduced with the Norwegian pianist's Warp album. Integrated in the resonant sound of his piano music are \"layered soundscapes\" of processed material which Balke describes as \"distorted reflections and reverberations from the world.\" Underpinning the project are some thoughts about language, and the notion of discourse and dialogue as fading concepts in an era of confrontational rhetoric. Balke: \"In this work I had the framework of language with me from the beginning. As the political climate hardened in 2019 with more and more polarized speech, the lack of dialogue pointed me towards the terms that constitute the titles for the tracks.\" Discourses was recorded at Lugano's Auditorio Stelio Molo in December 2019, and produced by Manfred Eicher.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ECM","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50526505238859,"sku":"1093485","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/bd844cf8-c9d7-4155-a3d7-319c770e2cda_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728044370"},{"product_id":"magnetic-works-1993-2001","title":"Magnetic Works 1993-2001","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis 2-CD anthology, assembled by Jon Balke, contains music from a trilogy of albums made in the period 1993 to 2001 by the Magnetic North Orchestra, drawing upon the same core of musicians, with Audun Kleive and Anders Jormin as the ensemble’s pulsating engine and Morten Halle, Per Jørgensen and, later, Arve Henriksen as the leading melodic improvising players. The integration of string players was a key element of the music, and the MNO worked with a high profiled line of musicians. Balke: “My agenda after leaving Oslo 13 was to work my way around the overwhelming big band sound as the defining characteristic of a large improvising ensemble. Inspired by Gil Evans, Claus Ogerman and Oum Khalsoum, I saw the possibility of blending my favourite musicians into a sound that could wrap itself around my compositional ideas.” The compilation includes music from Magnetic North’s ECM albums “Further” (1517) and “Kyanos” (1822) albums as well as nine tracks from the album “Solarized”, previously issued by Emarcy and long out-of-print.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ECM","offers":[{"title":"CD | x2","offer_id":50526548754763,"sku":"1091745","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/bba627ed-e9b3-406a-94fe-237637b98519_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728045014"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/jon-balke-and-siwan.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}