A Light Shining Through

David Friesen | Kyiv Mozart String Quartet

Label: Origin Records
Format: CD
Barcode: 0805558290824

Catalog number: ORIGIN 82908
Releasedate:

"A solo virtuoso, Friesen can dazzle....but lately his work has settled into an elegant, melodic simplicity. His compositions flow like the modal music of the '70s, yet they also feel grounded..." - DownBeat Magazine

"...a musical manifestation of the spiritual light that offers forgiveness, hope and purpose." - DownBeat

Though a major international jazz figure for decades, it wasn't until 2015 that a tour allowed bassist-composer David Friesen the opportunity to visit his mother's ancestral home of Ukraine for the first time. Welcomed by a camera crew and introductions to pivotal musicians and cultural institutions, his journey was first documented on 2020's critically acclaimed Testimony, recorded live at Kyiv's National Philharmonic Hall with the National Academic Symphonic Band of Ukraine. The ensuing pandemic and war put further plans on hold, but Friesen was able to record with the Kyiv Mozart String Quartet in October 2021, and those recordings provide the framework and soul of A Light Shining Through. Adding organic percussion sounds and saxophone to his singing melodies, the album's tuneful vignettes reflect the many emotions exposed through his journey of ancestral discovery.

Little Ella Bella