Voices of Bishara, by Tom Skinner

Voices of Bishara

by Tom Skinner

supported by

timmytherube I just bought this earlier tonight, and now I am sitting here in the dark instead of turning in for the night, just listening to this record over and over again on a loop. My initial reaction was that this is probably one of the best jazz albums of 2022. My considered reaction, as I press play for the 3rd time, is that this absolutely must be among the handful of best records released this year. Spend some time with it, and I think you'll agree. Favorite track: The Journey.

mankpit this record is jammed packed with greatness every moment is bright... probably going to hit alot of top ten lists for 2022 ! Favorite track: Bishara.

petnoodle Have a hard time choosing which track I like best - this is just great stuff

more...

	/

Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Rubellite 160g Color LP in Heavyweight Reverse-Board Jacket, with Glossy Photo Insert Sheet, IARC OBI strip & dome-pattern inner sleeve. Pressed at Smashed Plastic in Chicago, with lacquers cut by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service. 45rpm. Limited Edition of 777 copies.

**orders ship from US only. for EU/UK orders, see Brownswood Recordings**

Includes unlimited streaming of Voices of Bishara via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 7 days

edition of 777 138 remaining

Purchasable with gift card

$29 USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Classic Black 160g LP in Heavyweight Reverse-Board Jacket, with Glossy Photo Insert Sheet, IARC OBI strip & dome-pattern inner sleeve. Pressed at Smashed Plastic in Chicago, with lacquers cut by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service. 45rpm.

**orders ship from the US only. for UK/EU orders, see Brownswood Recordings.**

Includes unlimited streaming of Voices of Bishara via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 7 days

Purchasable with gift card

$24 USD or more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Shiny compact disk in a deluxe 4-panel digipack.

**orders ship from US only. for EU/UK orders, see Brownswood Recordings**

Includes unlimited streaming of Voices of Bishara via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 7 days

Purchasable with gift card

$15 USD or more
Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

$7 USD or more

1.	Bishara 05:37	buy track
2.	Red 2 02:57	buy track
3.	The Journey 05:01	buy track
4.	The Day After Tomorrow 04:59	buy track
5.	Voices (of the Past) 04:50	buy track
6.	Quiet as it's Kept 04:03	buy track

about

The title of Tom Skinner’s first release under his own name is a reference to cellist Abdul Wadud’s ultra-rare 1978 solo album ‘By Myself’, which Skinner listened to repeatedly during lockdown. Wadud’s album was privately pressed on his own label, Bisharra, and whilst Skinner’s title uses the more conventional spelling of this common Arabic name, they both have the same intention or meaning: it translates as ‘good news’, or ‘the bringer of good news’.

This is a classic-sounding record that connects backwards to Skinner’s 2017 Hello Skinny collaboration with American composer and Arthur Russell-collaborator Peter Zummo on ‘Watermelon Sun’. It links sideways to Makaya McCraven’s beat maker-inspired treatments of jazz sessions, and it offers a musical bridge to Sons of Kemet’s most meditative moments.

‘Voices of Bishara’ began life when Tom Skinner asked some musician friends to join him for a Played Twice session at London’s Brilliant Corners. The regular event had a simple format: play a classic album in full through their audiophile system and then have an elite ensemble improvise their response. The night in question focused on drummer Tony Williams’ 1964 Blue Note album ‘Life Time’ and the music he and his friends conjured up was so special that it inspired Skinner to write an albums-worth of phenomenal new music.

Skinner, a cellist, a bass player and two saxophonists recorded the results classic album-style, with everyone in the same room. He took the music home and it was put to the side, occasionally coming out for some attention in between Tom’s many other creative projects. This was a slow burn creation, and gradually, a new album began appearing as he embraced the studio recordings and accentuated their sublime idiosyncrasies.

“I took a very liberal approach with the scissors and started going really hard into the edits between instruments. It breathed new life into the music. I was taking my cue from the great disco re-edits, people like Theo Parrish chopping up tunes and looping sections. I’m not a purist. I don’t want to get hung up on the past. It was really empowering to fuck it up a bit, to mess around with the music and see what happened. It felt right”

The result is a tight, hypnotic and unique 31-minutes of music. ‘Voices of Bishara’ is sculpted around timeless and deeply emotional music that contains masses of movement and exceptional harmonic depth and texture. It sweeps and soars through soundworlds, rich in musicality and always anchored by the deep doubling of cello and bass. It also, of course, contains Skinner’s percussive magic – drumming skills that have brought artists from Grace Jones to Jonny Greenwood to request him on their records and tours.

“We’re individual voices, coming together collectively. The idea was that we could collectively bring something more positive to the table. It’s the start of something.”

Tom Skinner and ‘Voices of Bishara’: bringers of good news.

credits

released November 4, 2022

Tom Skinner – Drums
Kareem Dayes – Cello
Nubya Garcia – Tenor saxophone and flute
Tom Herbert – Acoustic bass
Shabaka Hutchings – Tenor saxophone and bass clarinet

Recorded by Blue May and assisted by Scott Knapper at Konk
Mixed by Dilip Harris
Mastered by Guy Davie at Electric Mastering
Produced by Tom Skinner
Sleeve design and artwork by Paul Camo for Studio Camo
Layout for US release by Craig Hansen

Music by Tom Skinner (copyright control)
‘Red 2’ is a version of ‘Two Pieces Of One: Red’ (Williams). Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd/EMI Blackwood Music Inc/Tillmon Music Co. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Shabaka Hutchings appears courtesy of Impulse!
Nubya Garcia appears courtesy of Concord Jazz

license

about

International Anthem Chicago, Illinois

International Anthem is a Chicago-born recording company that produces and promotes progressive media.

The IARC mission is to make positive contributions to the changing state of the music industry, and to vitalize the demand for boundary-defying music by presenting unique sounds in appealing packages to untapped audiences. ... more

contact / help

Contact International Anthem

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Voices of Bishara, you may also like:

Promises
by Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra

supported by 248 fans who also own “Voices of Bishara”

Four words: Absolutely brilliant. Tony Brook
go to album
UNTITLED (Black Is)
by SAULT

supported by 128 fans who also own “Voices of Bishara”

Found this via @rabea_senftenberg and love it very much! wiesel
go to album
Good Days
by Chicago Underground Quartet

supported by 113 fans who also own “Voices of Bishara”

So happy to see a new album from this band. I've long been a fan of Mazurek and Parker's work in Tortoise, on top of the CUQ... Anyhow, if you're curious about contemporary jazz, this is a terrific place to start. Hobie Anthony
go to album
For You (Many Selves Version)
by Kadhja Bonet

featured on Bandcamp Radio Mar 1, 2022
go to album
The Visitor
by Kadhja Bonet

Awe-inspiring soul with orchestral tinges; nuanced R&B full of serene, transformative vocals. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 18, 2016
go to album
Mutations
by Julien Wilson

Spaced-out psych jazz that could easily soundtrack the Black Lodge, "Mutations" is an eerie wonder. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 14, 2022
go to album
Mondays at The Enfield Tennis Academy
by Jeff Parker ETA IVtet

supported by 111 fans who also own “Voices of Bishara”

This album goes HARD Bunterberger
go to album