Imagine That Daniel Freedman featuring Lionel Loueke, Jason Lindner, Omer Avital and Gilmar Gomes

• 1Determined Soul05:28
• 2Baby Aya06:02
• 3Big in Yemen04:46
• 4Codex05:07
• 5Mindaho07:08
• 6Love Takes Time05:26
• 7Eastern Elegy06:31
• 8The Sisters Dance08:49
• Total Runtime49:17

Info for Imagine That

One of the most in-demand drummers in New York – tapped by Angélique Kidjo, Sting and Anat Cohen – Daniel Freedman presents his third album as a leader, the rhythmically infectious Imagine That. The release draws on a world of music: tune-rich originals that channel African, Middle Eastern, Latin and Indian grooves, as well as an astoundingly fresh version of a rarely covered Radiohead song (“Codex”).

Freedman, born and bred in New York City, leads an international quintet that features guitarist-vocalist Lionel Loueke (from Benin), keyboardist Jason Lindner (Brooklyn), bassist Omer Avital (Israel) and percussionist Gilmar Gomes (Brazil). Benin-born vocal star Angélique Kidjo, with whom Freedman has toured the world as drummer in her band, sings “Baby Aya,” a dancing lullaby he wrote for his infant daughter. Imagine That is the follow-up to Freedman’s 2012 Anzic album, Bamako by Bus, which garnered his band a showcase live on NPR.

"If Imagine That feels like truly international music, just peruse it's personnel . . . Despite the players' passports, the rhythms drawn up don't clash but rather find commonalities . . . what might seem disparate on paper becomes the town square in their hands." (Jeff Tamarkin, JazzTimes, Editor's Pick)

"The resulting 'family' vibe is unmistakable in this intimate, lyrical and uplifting set of world-groove jazz that also encompasses rock and R&B elements. Another benchmark for this enlightened and exceptionally musical drummer." (Jeff Potter, Modern Drummer Magazine)

"A recording full of lovely surprises ... Freedman has succeeded in creating an environment for the players that allows them to speak in their own sensitively expressive languages but also complement each other to become that most special thing-a group with a voice." (Donald Elfman, The NYC Jazz Record)

Lionel Loueke, guitar, vocals
Jason Lindner, piano, keyboards
Omer Avital, bass, oud (3)
Gilmar Gomes, percussion
Daniel Freedman, drums
Angélique Kidjo, vocals (2)

Daniel Freedman
Drummer, percussionist and composer Daniel Freedman grew up in a musical New York City family. In high school, he studied with master drummers Max Roach, Billy Higgins and Vernel Fournier and later traveled to study drumming in West Africa, Cuba and the Middle East. Coming up as part of the Smalls scene in the 1990s, Freedman was a member of Jason Lindner's acclaimed big band, as well as Omer Avital's sextet. The drummer has been a member of the collective Third World Love for the past decade, along with touring and recording with Anat Cohen. He also toured the world as a member of Grammy-winning singer Angélique Kidjo's band from 2009 to 2015.

Freedman has played and recorded with such artists as Sting, Youssou N'Dour, Dianne Reeves, Omara Portuondo, Tom Harrell, Wynton Marsalis and Meshell Ndegeocello. In 2012, Anzic released his sophomore album as a leader, Bamako by Bus, which featured a core band of Avishai Cohen, Lionel Loueke, Jason Lindner and Meshell N'degeocello, along with Mark Turner, Pedro Martinez, Abraham Rodriguez, Omer Avital, Joshua Levitt and Davi Viera. Freedman's debut album, Trio, received a nine-star review in Modern Drummer magazine, and he was featured as one of the publication's "Young Lions." The New York Times selected him as one of five young drummers on the New York scene who helped change jazz drumming for the piece "Propelled by Different Drummers." As founder of New York-based music house HiHAt.tv, Freedman has written and produced dozens of spots for television and the Web.

Encapsulating Freedman's talents, this praise recently came for Imagine That via TSF Jazz (French radio): "With one foot firmly planted in jazz and the other in world music, drummer Daniel Freedman synthesizes two vast universes."

This album contains no booklet.