Voices of Bishara is a studio album by the English drummer Tom Skinner, released on 4 November 2022 by via Nonesuch Records, International Anthem Recording Company, and Brownswood Recordings. It was ranked among the best jazz albums of 2022 by multiple critics.
| Voices of Bishara | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 November 2022 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 27:29 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Tom Skinner | |||
| Tom Skinner chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Voices of Bishara | ||||
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Background
editVoices of Bishara is Skinner's first solo album under his real name, having previously released two albums under the name Hello Skinny. It was announced 7 September along with the release of the lead single "Bishara". The album and lead single are named after Abdul Wadud's record label Bishara which released his solo album By Myself. Skinner described the album as "an attempt to put something truthful into the world, through collaboration and community, at a time of rising dishonesty and disinformation."[1][2][3] "Bishara" is an Arabic word which means "good news" or "bringer of good news".[4] The second single "The Journey" was released 18 October alongside a live performance video of the song which was recorded at St. Luke's Church in London.[5]
The album was recorded in a single day with all five performers – drummer Skinner, saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, bassist Tom Herbert, saxophonist Nubya Garcia, and cellist Kareem Dayes – recording live simultaneously in the same room. Instruments bled into each other's microphones during the recording process, an accidental effect which Skinner accentuated by using editing to emphasise his cuts and create loops from the best improvisatory flourishes.[6]
Style and reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz |   [7] |
| AllMusic | [8] |
| Record Collector |  [9] |
| Uncut | 8/10[10] |
All About Jazz's Chris May called the album "one of the top three jazz albums of 2022 so far and it would take the second comings of John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Horace Silver and Lee Morgan to threaten to dislodge it." Voices of Bishara consists of "just over thirty minutes of exalted jazz" which is frequently "tumultuous such as "when [Shabaka] Hutchings and [Nubya] Garcia unleash their broken-note strewn tenors" and meditative as "when Hutchings switches to bass clarinet, Garcia to flute, and [Kareem] Dayes' sonorous cello steps forward."[7] May also ranked the album among his five runners up for the best new album of 2022.[11]
Treble's Noah Sparkes notes the presence of Dayes' cello as a tribute to Abdul Wadud, a jazz cellist who once said he "hope[d] there [would] be more who take [the cello] further and do more things, because the instrument needs it". Dayes' "deft and varied playing ... only adds to the unique sound" of the album, which is "a terrific affirmation of what makes Skinner so interesting as both a drummer and now a composer" with tracks that "may drift at different times into hip hop, funk, or free jazz" but never "in a way that seems jarring or forced".[12] In describing Skinner's editing method on the album, The Guardian's Ammar Kalia says its "mood lands somewhere between contemporary Chicago producer Makaya McCraven's beat-splicing and Don Cherry's spiritually influenced 70s melodies.[6]
Year-end lists
edit| Publication | # | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| All About Jazz (Chris May) |
— | [11] |
| All About Jazz (Jerome Wilson) |
— | [13] |
| AllMusic | — | [14] |
Track listing
editAll music is composed by Tom Skinner, with track two being a version of Tony Williams' "Two Pieces of One: Red"
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bishara" | 5:37 |
| 2. | "Red 2" | 2:57 |
| 3. | "The Journey" | 5:01 |
| 4. | "The Day After Tomorrow" | 4:59 |
| 5. | "Voices (of the Past)" | 4:50 |
| 6. | "Quiet as It's Kept" | 4:03 |
| Total length: | 27:29 | |
Personnel
editMusicians
edit- Tom Skinner – drums
- Kareem Dayes – cello
- Nubya Garcia – tenor saxophone, flute
- Tom Herbert – acoustic bass
- Shabaka Hutchings – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
Technical
edit- Tom Skinner – producer
- Blue May - recording engineer
- Scott Knapper - assistant recording engineer
- Dilip Harris - mixing engineer
- Guy Davie - mastering engineer
- Paul Camo - sleeve design, artwork
- Craig Hansen - layout
Live album
edit| Voices of Bishara Live at "Mu" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 10 May 2024 | |||
| Recorded | January 2023 | |||
| Venue | Mu (London) | |||
| Length | 70:58 | |||
| Label | International Anthem | |||
| Tom Skinner chronology | ||||
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On 17 April 2024, Skinner announced Voices of Bishara Live at "Mu", a live album which was released on 10 May by International Anthem.[15] The album was recorded in January 2023 at Mu, a concert venue in London, with Skinner leading Dayes, Herbert, and woodwinds players Robert Stillman and Chelsea Carmichael.[15]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bishara" | Tom Skinner | 15:05 |
| 2. | "Red 2" | Anthony Tillmon Williams | 5:20 |
| 3. | "The Journey" | Skinner | 7:49 |
| 4. | "The Day After Tomorrow" | Skinner | 5:56 |
| 5. | "Oasis" | Ronald Earsall DeVaughn | 20:18 |
| 6. | "Camille" | DeVaughn | 7:51 |
| 7. | "Happiness" | DeVaughn | 8:39 |
| Total length: | 70:58 | ||
Personnel
edit- Tom Skinner – drums
- Kareem Dayes – cello
- Tom Herbert – acoustic bass
- Robert Stillman and Chelsea Carmichael – woodwinds
- Juan Blanco – audio engineer
- Dilip Harris – mixing engineer
- David Allen – mastering engineer
References
edit- ^ Chinen, Nate (7 September 2022). "Tom Skinner, "Bishara"". NPR Music. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (7 September 2022). "The Smile's Tom Skinner Announces New Album Voices of Bishara, Shares New Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (7 September 2022). "Tom Skinner - "Bishara"". Stereogum. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ Gallagher, Alex (8 September 2022). "The Smile's Tom Skinner announces solo album Voices of Bishara, shares first song". NME. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Rettig, James (18 October 2022). "Tom Skinner – "The Journey"". Stereogum. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ a b Kalia, Ammar (8 November 2022). "Tom Skinner on the Smile, Sons of Kemet and going solo: "It gives me a blank slate to explore"". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ a b May, Chris (21 October 2022). "Tom Skinner: Voices of Bishara". All About Jazz. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- ^ Thomas, Fred. "Tom Skinner - Voices of Bishara". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
- ^ Waring, Charles. "Tom Skinner - Voices of Bishara". Record Collector. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ Milner, Jack (January 2023). "Tom Skinner - Voices of Bishara". Uncut. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ a b May, Chris (2 December 2022). "Chris May's Best Albums of 2022". AllAboutJazz. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ Sparkes, Noah (30 October 2022). "Tom Skinner – Voices of Bishara". Treble. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- ^ Wilson, Jerome (10 December 2022). "Jerome Wilson's Best Jazz Albums of 2022". All About Jazz. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "AllMusic Best of 2022". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
- ^ a b Strauss, Matthew (17 April 2024). "The Smile's Tom Skinner Announces New Live Album, Shares Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved 18 April 2024.