RAGA VELA

December 24, 2022  by Stefano Palleni

CONTEMPORARY RAGA #6: VELA

Vela, whose meaning in Sanskrit is time or tide, is the fourth studio recording of the open collection Contemporary Raga, and also the most elaborated one so far.

For this piece I wanted a levantine rhythm to confer a certain lightness to the dark colors I chose for the harmonies. The resulting theme has a deep, airy and at the same time sparkling character, whose coruscating light tells of pinnacles, shadowy oases and caravans on Central Asia desert routes.

Special guests for this recording are Alessandro Tutoli, exquisite Italian guitarist, and Joko Tebon, Javanese percussionist of rare sensitivity. Together they have contributed to tinge the music with mystery. The opening head is played by the saxophones is followed by Alessandro’s dazzling solo, who embellishes the basic harmonic structure with flamenco-flavored chromatisms and arabesques, supported by the breath of the pulsation woven by Joko on his ethnic percussions, together they create an evoking flickering of shadows and lights. After a thematic interlude I wanted a soprano sax solo. Although I had to perform on a fortune instrument borrowed from my friend Chozin Mukti, I realized perhaps one of my best solos ever.

My intention here was aimed to enhance the vocal quality of the traditional scales I used in this composition. Sometimes scarcity of means prompts us to extract the essence.