Kip Hanrahan | Days and Nights of blue luck inverted | American Clavé

Some records are there because there’s money that demands to be made, some records are there because there’s a career that demands to be realized, this is a record that’s here because there was (is?) a mood, understood or misunderstood as above, constantly succeeding itself, that demanded to be heard. “Love is like a cigarette” was written by Richard Jerome and Walter Kent, made beautiful by Duke Ellington with Ivey Anderson, and was arranged for this record by Kip Hanrahan with Alberto Bengolea. The rhythm and horn arrangements and the changes for “Gender” were written by Alien Toussaint and the words and melody were written by Kip Hanrahan. It is published by Warner Brothers/Coup de Tete (BMI). In the case of “Marriage,” the two lower mid range bass lines, which in some ways become the song, were composed by Jack Bruce. The words, melody, form and arrangement are by Kip Hanrahan. It’s published by Coup de Tete (BMI). Continue reading

Kip Hanrahan | All roads are made of the flesh | American Clavé

With it’s subtle evocations of the sexual melodrama of — go, subdued guaguanco rhythms, wisps of Haitian compas and passages of improvisational flair merging together (so that organist Don Pullen’s off-kilter keyboard runs heighten the pulse of the 3/2 clave used throughout), Hanrahan’s new album All Roads are Made of the Flesh is greater than the sum of its parts…. Where much of the new global fusion is rhythm as an intellectual exercise, the rhythms of Hanrahan’s music evoke the many textures of desire and sensuality…” – Peter Shapiro, Wire (London) Continue reading