Magnolia - Vinyle Gris Marbre

Description

The studio at 122 West Loveland Avenue was not an unfamiliar place for Steve Okonski, the leader of the eponymous jazz trio Okonski from North Carolina. Since the Colemine label set up shop in Loveland, Ohio, it has hosted a good number of bands, including Durand Jones and the Indications, with whom all members of this trio have connections. Okonski, initially trained as a classical pianist, invited Michael Isvara "Ish" Montgomery and Aaron Frazer for the first session of the album, which was originally intended to be trio instrumentals. During a second session, all the tracks were improvised and recorded live on a Tascam 388 over several late nights at the Colemine HQ. These improvisations allowed the group's collective intuition to fully shape the melodies and arcs of the music. Magnolia was composed with heart and in the spirit of those late nights at the Loveland studio. It is the culmination of an emotional and artistic release that could only be achieved through music, which is why it is introspective, meditative, spiritual, and fresh. For fans of John Carol Kirby, Pharoah Sanders, Bill Evans, Durand Jones & The Indications, Misha Panfilov. Pressed on marbled gray vinyl.