Every
relationship is about the commingling of two unique sensibilities into one
harmonious experience. Dawn is a romance in luxurious musical form, bringing
together the passion and rhythmic drive of Flamenco with the sultry
sophistication and alluring wit of jazz. As the title implies, Dawn marks a
bold, bright beginning for the partnership between the extraordinary
Mexican-born jazz vocalist Magos Herrera and the young Spanish Flamenco
innovator Javier Limón.
The
collaboration between Herrera and Limón represents the blending of two fresh,
forward-thinking approaches to their respective musical traditions. Since
moving to New York City in 2008, Herrera has brought the sounds of her native
Mexico City into the vanguard of modern jazz, collaborating with such acclaimed
and distinctive artists as pianist Aaron Goldberg, guitarist Lionel Loueke,
bassist John Patitucci and saxophonist Tim Ries. As a virtuosic guitaristist
and in-demand producer, Limón has helped to expand the vocabulary of Flamenco
music via collaborations with renowned artists like Paco de Lucia, Bebo and
Chucho Valdés, Avishai Cohen, and Wynton Marsalis, among others.
"Something
that we share is that we do believe that music can be inclusive," Herrera
says. "So this means that you can have a Latin jazz singer singing with a
Flamenco guitar player."
Dawn
finds the pair bringing these unique backgrounds to bear on a stunning set of
American and Latin jazz masterpieces, including the Miles Davis classic
"Blue in Green," Mongo Santamaria's "Afro Blue," and
Antonio Carlos Jobim's "O que tinha de ser (What Has to Be),"
alongside their own intoxicating original compositions. The duo's refreshing
takes on these classic tunes stakes out a decidedly 21st century reinvention of
these wide-ranging musical traditions, intertwining Herrera's emotive voice
with Limón's intricate fretwork.
"It's
been an incredible learning experience to see how he works as a producer,"
Herrera says, "and for me to share and be able to create new music
together."
Limón
says of his collaborator, "I really appreciate a singer like Magos that
has a great voice, great rhythm, and a great sense of musicality. She has a big
heart with a lot of knowledge. The album, if we have to choose just a few
words, is about sound, about rhythm, about loneliness, about emptiness, about
voice, heart, guitar, and silence."
Both
Herrera and Limón can boast a profound familiarity with that panoply of emotion
and experience. After studying at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles and the
New England Conservatory in Boston, Herrera returned to Mexico City and
released five albums, garnering a large and dedicated following. She moved back
to the U.S. in 2008, immediately commanding attention with a knockout
performance at that year's Winter Jazz Fest and a guest appearance on Tim Ries'
album Stones World: The Rolling Stones Project II.
Ries
then produced her sixth album, 2009's highly successful Distancia, which
featured Goldberg and Loueke. Her follow-up, México Azul, was an homage to
composers from Mexico's cinematic golden age in the 1930s and '40s. Still
immensely popular in her home country, Herrera has produced and starred in two
music-oriented TV programs on Mexico's Channel 22, while in New York she hosts
her own radio show, La Vuelta a La Manzana, in which she discusses music with
some of today's leading jazz stars. The U.S. Latin magazine Siempre Mujer
recognized her alongside Michelle Obama as one of 2011's ten most important
women for her work as a musical ambassador for contemporary Mexican music.
A
graduate of the Madrid Royal Conservatory, where he studied piano and guitar,
Limón began his career as a composer for Flamenco artists, but his vision has
since expanded to encompass Latin jazz and Cuban music. He has recorded
everywhere from Bogota to Paris and from New York to Palestine, lending an
international scope to his Flamenco concepts.
In
pursuit of total creative independence, Limón created his own record label,
Casa Limón, in 2003. The label's first release, Limón, featured special
appearances by Paco de Lucia and Niño Josele, among others, who performed
original compositions by Limón. The album was followed by Son de Limón (2008)
and Mujeres de Agua (2010), a collaboration album featuring acclaimed Portuguese
vocalist Mariza, long-time collaborator Buika, Spanish flamenco singer Estrella
Morente, Greek folk singer Eleftheria Arvanitaki and Israeli singer-songwriter
Yasmin Levy, among others. In 2004, his production work on albums by Diego El
Cigala, Bebo Valdés, Paco de Lucia, Andrés Calamaro, Enrique Morente and Niño
Josele, won him the Latin GRAMMY for Producer of the Year. In addition, Valdés'
album Lágrimas Negras (produced by Limón) was nominated for Album of the Year
and won a Latin GRAMMY for Traditional Tropical Album.
Aside
from his extensive discography as an artist, producer, composer and
collaborator, Limón co-hosts the shows Entre dos Aguas and Los Oficios de la
Cultura for Spanish National Television and served as musical director for the
network's song contest program Hijos de Babel. He currently serves as Artistic
Director of the Berklee College of Music's Mediterranean Music Institute.
Together,
Herrera and Limón have crafted an intimate and beautifully expressive
exploration of their musical heritages and the winding crossroads that unite
them.
Upcoming
Magos & Limón Tour Dates:
May 7 /
Jamboree Jazz / Barcelona, Spain
May 12 /
Teatro Galileo / Madrid, Spain
May
16-17 / Duc des Lombards / Paris, France
May 19 /
Norwich Playhouse / Norwich, UK
May 20 /
Union Chapel / London, UK
June 5 /
Joe's Pub / New York, NY
June 12
/ "El Lunario" at the Auditorio Nacional / Mexico City, Mexico
July 6 /
Montreux Jazz Festival / Montreux, Switzerland
Magos
& Limón · Dawn ·
Release Date: June 3, 2014
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