Nana Simopoulos – Skins (Na Records NR-9206-2, 2016)
Nana Simopoulos is a talented American multi-instrumentalist and composer who bridges the borders between world music and jazz. On “For No reason, the opening track of hew new album, titled Skins, she features a classic jazz swing rhythm, jazz vocals and guitars and saxophone improvisation.
The next song, “Let the Fire Burn Me” offers Middle Eastern influences in the form of frames drums along with vocal, bouzouki and flute melodies from the Near East.
On track 3, Nana Simopoulos ventures further into the East with a seductive mix of Indian tabla, wood flute and fascinating jazz vocals.
“Owl Woman” mixes jazz saxophone with wonderful Indian sarangi and steel drums, bringing together three global cultures.
The Middle Eastern influences return on “The Pathway” although this time, the frame drums intermingle with a Latin jazz beat.
“Anases” is a love song that features Greek-language vocals, global percussion, bouzouki and jazz saxophone.
Track 7, “Merely to Known” has the best vocal work, with delightful call and response vocals and also some of the best guitar work on the album. This lengthy piece gives the other instrumentalists like the bass player and drummer an opportunity to showcase their talent.
The final track has an Indian jazz flavor, with a mix of tabla, sarangi and saxophone.
The lineup on Skins includes Nάnα Simopoulos on vocals, guitar and bouzouki; the late Ustad Sultan Khan on sarangi; Mary Ann McSweeney on bass; Manos Loutas on bass; Royal Hartigan on drums; Michalis Orphanidis on drums; Solis Barki on percussion; Jamie Haddad on percussion; Greg Beyer on steel drums, percussion, berimbau; Dave Liebman on saxophone, wood flute; Charlie Tokarz on alto flute, saxophone; Dimitri Vassilakis on saxophone; and Caryn Heilman, Daví, Solis Barki and Markos Simopoulos on background vocals.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
