Search - Jesse Stern Group :: Blues for the Bear

Supported by King County Arts Commission Hotel/Motel Tax Revenue. From the album's liner notes ((c)1999 Jesse Stern, all rights reserved): ALL THE SAINTS (rhythm based in candombl) is an offering of peace to all saints, spirits, demons and ancestors. Inspirational credit goes to its beautiful rhythm. HN! (partito alto & samba) acknowledges the wordless right brain. PRAYER FOR SAINT FRANCIS (7/4 rhythm) was inspired by its namesake; dedicated to Seattle guitarist Leif Totusek. AYITI, a Creole word for Haiti, laments the devastating economic and racial struggles there. May all people everywhere, without exception, enjoy peace. A BOOK OF FIVE RINGS (5/4 rhythm) pays homage to the ancient Japanese martial arts text of the same name. PRECIPITATION SUITE uses a mixture of rhythms from Brazil (III & IV); and from Cuba, Puerto Rico & "Nuyorico" (I & II). THREE IN THE KEY (maracat & baio) was inspired by its rhythms. The music, in turn, inspired the title. BLUES FOR THE BEAR (13-bar blues) is for the main character in Rafi Zabor's novel The Bear Comes Home. A SECRET WISH (samba, 9-bar form) refers to the innate desire in all of us to speak our hearts and make our wishes known. WHIRLPOOLS (jazz waltz, 21-bar form) is about the whirlpools in a bathtub drain, or in displacing water with your hands.