Tales Of The Facade Morgan Guerin

• 1 Retopia 03:04
• 2 Delayed Green 02:13
• 3 Silhouette 03:30
• 4 Pyramid 04:44
• 5 We Are More 04:38
• 6 Peace Of Mind 03:24
• 7 Ginger Ale 00:43
• 8 Day By Day 02:08
• 9 Pen And Paper 01:56
• 10 Infinity 04:04
• 11 Something In The Air 05:31
• 12 Homeland Heroine 06:04
• Total Runtime 41:59

Info zu Tales Of The Facade

Synthesizing the vast scope of Guerins latest album, Tales Of The Facade, into a single expression presents a formidable task. His intricately crafted compositions stretch seamlessly across traditional genre boundaries featuring everything from expansive fusion grooves to ambitious instrumental improvisation, to hip-hop verses, to experimental - yet intoxicating R&B melodies. "I'm trying to get to music that people can dance to, the music that I like to hear, which means many influences, many moods, many genres. It's not 'world music' in the way people use the phrase, he concludes, but some other type of world music."

Morgan Guerin defines what it means to be a multi-instrumentalist while also having produced and composed the entirety of the album. He is a young musician whose remarkable talents have earned him acclaim from The New York Times, NPR, JazzTimes and more. Tales of the Facade features Guerin's virtuosic performances on saxophone, bass, electronic wind instrument (EWI), drums, and keys, reflecting his upbringing in a family of musicians and his dedication to his craft. Terri Lyne Carrington has been a significant figure in Guerin’s career, giving him one of his first major professional opportunities as a member of her group Social Science, and as Candid’s A&R consultant she was instrumental in bringing him to the attention of label head Exceleration Music partner John Burk.

Guerin spoke on the inspiration behind the song saying, “[“Peace of Mind”] deals with anxiety and the hard times we’ve been living through the last four years. I needed something that got straight to the point that was at the same time vulnerable. It is the act of asking for help, something that used to be very hard for me to do. I’ve gotten better at it, and this music reflects that. We’re not meant to go through life alone. The more we think we are different, sometimes the more we are alike.”

Born into a family of musicians right outside New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, and learning drums and saxophone before he reached double digits, the Louisiana and later Atlanta, Georgia native has a profound musical pedigree. Now 25 years old, Guerin holds a masters degree in Jazz and has studied at both the prestigious New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and Berklee College of Music. Hes performed on stages around the world, working with luminaries like Terri Lyne Carrington, Russell Gunn, Tyshawn Sorey, and Esperanza Spalding. Hes contributed work to two GRAMMY award-winning albums. Hes released a series of acclaimed albums of his own (The Saga Trilogy), and hes already been dubbed a wunderkind saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist by The New York Times.

As part of a new wave of jazz artists pushing the boundaries of the genre, Guerin is boldly making his mark.

"Morgan Guerin further sculpts his broad-minded blend of electrified jazz, hip-hop, and R&B on 2024's Tales of the Facade. Over the course of his initial The Saga trilogy of albums, which ran from 2016 to 2020, Guerin (a saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist who has worked with Esperanza Spalding and Terri Lyne Carrington, among others) seemed to explore his growth as a musician, moving from organic jazz jams to more fluid fusion numbers and hip-hop-infused anthems. All of this comes together on 2024's Tales of the Facade, a lyrically philosophical and genre-crossing production that again finds Guerin pushing at the edges of his musical identity. It's a vibe that's perhaps best expressed on "Silhouette," a spacey, '70s fusion-sounding number with a skittering, funky groove in an odd time signature that ends in enigmatic fashion with Guerin asking the question, "Who am I in this world? A mirror of me?" This kind of probing exploration is mirrored in the music, which impressively weaves together elements of '70s post-bop jazz, gospel, hip-hop, and alternative R&B. As on his past albums, Guerin plays many of the instruments himself, moving from saxophone to bass to EWI with virtuosic ease. He's also put together an impressive ensemble to bring his intricate yet still groove-based songs to life. Here, he is joined by trumpeter/vocalist Milena Casado, flutist Keenyn Omari, keyboardist/vocalist Alexis Lombre, keyboardist Mike King, and drummer JK Kim. There are also several guest vocalists, including J. Hoard on the uplifting "We Are More," Kokayi and Debo Ray on the neo-soul jam "Peace of Mind," and Zacchae'us Paul and Melanie Charles, who bring warm harmonies to the Stevie Wonder-esque "Something in the Air." There are also vital contributions by singers Cisco Swank, Georgia Anne Muldrow, and Guerin's brother Chase Guerin. The vocal songs fall firmly in the crossover R&B end of the jazz spectrum and make a strong case for Guerin as a future pop producer. In contrast, instrumental cuts like the evocatively titled "Delayed Green," with its hypnotic synth riff, the Fender Rhodes-accented "Pyramid," and '80s funk-inspired "Pen and Paper" deftly bring to mind a more contemporary take on Herbie Hancock's classic work with the Headhunters. While there are certainly organic, improvisational moments woven throughout the album, Guerin keeps a tight grasp on his ensemble and even the most atmospheric, soundscape-type tracks have an arranged quality. For fans of experimental R&B, the album soars, but some hardcore jazz fans might come away wishing the band had let loose a bit more. Still, the array of sonic textures on display is impressive. With Tales of the Facade, Guerin might still be questioning who he is, but his musical identity is coming ever more clearly into focus." (Matt Collar, AMG)

Alexis Lombre, keyboards, vocals
Mike King, keyboards
JK Kim, drums
Milena Casado, trumpet, vocals, percussion
Keenyn Omari, flute, vocals, percussion
Morgan Guerin, saxophone, EWI, bass, bass clarinet
Guests:
Chase Guerin, vocals (track 1)
J. Hoard, vocals (track 5)
Kokayi & Debo Ray, vocals (track 6)
Cisco Swank, vocals (track 8)
Zacchae'us Paul, vocals (track 8)
Georgia Anne Muldrow, vocals (track 10)
Zacchae'us Paul, vocals (track 11)
Melanie Charles, vocals (track 11)

Morgan Guerin
Born into a family of musicians right outside New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, and learning drums and saxophone before he reached double digits, Louisiana and later Atlanta, Georgia native, Morgan Guerin has a profound musical pedigree. Now 25 years old, Guerin holds a master’s degree in Jazz and has studied at both the prestigious New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and Berklee College of Music. He’s performed on stages around the world, working with luminaries like Terri Lyne Carrington, Russell Gunn, Tyshawn Sorey, and Esperanza Spalding. He’s contributed work to two GRAMMY award-winning albums. He’s released a series of acclaimed albums of his own (The Saga Trilogy), and he’s already been dubbed a “wunderkind saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist” by The New York Times.

Milena Casado
is a composer, flugelhorn & trumpet player from Spain, currently based in New York. During the course of her career, Milena has performed and recorded with such renowned artists as Jorge Rossy, Terri Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, Kenny Werner, and Bill McHenry, among others; at noted venues and festivals around the world, including the Monterey Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, and Marciac Jazz Festival, among others. She has also been focusing on composing her own music which portrays a process of self-discovery and self-acceptance, and performing it in different settings, including the Milena Casado trio, quartet, sextet and nonet. Milena recently completed her Master’s degree at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute.

Alexis Lombre
is a pianist, vocalist, composer, and producer from Chicago. She discovered early that the true essence of music is not just about what you hear but how music makes you feel. Her musical mission is to keep the ‘Soul’ in music alive. Lombre recently released her single “Come Find Me” which she describes as “lyrically, a gospel song; harmonically, a jazz song and rhythmically, a hip-hop/R&B song. I didn’t create the song with any borders”. As JazzTimes puts it “Lombre realized early on that by refusing to be constrained by convention— whether so-called “jazz” or otherwise—she’d be honoring, rather than defiling, the rich heritage she’d come to embrace.” She has toured nationally all over the United States, and internationally in Canada, Cuba, Brazil, France, and South Africa with artists such as Jon Batiste, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Marcus Miller, Endea Owens & The Cookout, J Hoard, Dan Wilson, Vuyo Sotashe, Nicole Mitchell, Jamila Woods, Tia Fuller, DJ D Nice, and the Miles Davis Electric Band. Alexis Lombre was granted the Inaugural 2022 New Music Next Jazz Legacy Award and the 2023 Luminarts Award.

Michael King
a Chicagoan native began playing drums in his local church band at the early age of four. This fortuitously melodic schooling nurtured an undeniable affinity to the piano and organ, the very seat that he began to occupy, by ear, at age fourteen. Mr. King is an alumni of Lincoln Park High School and the prestigious Oberlin Conservatory. He was selected to attend the Thelonious Monk Institute and The Ravinia Jazz Scholars program on merit scholarships. Michael has performed with Bobby Watson, Kevin Eubanks, Dave Liebeman, Gary Bartz, Billy Hart, Joel Frahm, Rufus Reid, & Antonio Hart, among others. Currently you can catch Mr. King touring internationally with: The Mike King Trio, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Robin Eubanks, Marquis Hill, Theo Croker, Soul Understated, Melissa Aldana, & Marcus Printup.

JK Kim – Jongkuk Kim
is an Award-winning Billboard nominated Drummer, improviser, composer, and electronic musician from Incheon, Korea who has become an integral voice in the contemporary Jazz and improvised music scene in his home city and a rising star in the worldwide Jazz community. Jongkuk’s name has appeared in the Grammy, Billboard and Vogue magazine.

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