Michael Echaniz - Seven Shades of Violet (Rebiralost)

Release Date: 09/08/23

Accessibly melodic, rhythmically complex, melancholic, introspective, cathartic, maximalist, but bold contribution to the contemporary jazz scene

On September 8th, 2023, Ridgeway Records releases Seven Shades of Violet (Rebiralost), the stunning debut jazz album from San Francisco based pianist, keyboardist, and composer, Michael Echaniz, in the wake of a successful fight against stage four lymphoma cancer. Well over an hour in length, this epic conceptual work features the core contributions of producer, bassist, and vocalist Jeff Denson, drummer and percussionist Dillon Vado, and primary vocalists Danielle Wertz and Molly Pease with an array of special guests, including features from saxophonist Dann Zinn, percussionist Silvestre Martinez, and the strings of Friction Quartet. Symmetrically constructed, the nine original compositions and two arrangements feature a wide variety of synesthetic moods and acoustic-electric textures, drawing inspiration from mathematics, history, Basque heritage, and existential crisis.

Bookended by the interconnected 'Prologue' and 'Epilogue,' Seven Shades of Violet takes a dazzling early turn with the eponymously named second track, set in a brisk 7/4 groove. Subsequently, 'Proxima Centauri' opens the dynamic, bass-heavy texture wide for the sensitive paired vocals of Denson and Wertz. Wayne Shorter's 'Prince of Darkness' presents the sole reference to the jazz canon, featuring an extended drum solo by Vado against pulsating synth swells. In an unexpected turn, 'Everything Is Embarrassing' transforms Sky Ferreira's minimal indie pop hit of the early 2010s into a tightly arranged, jazz fusion tour de force, featuring a wailing tenor sax solo from reed virtuoso, Zinn. At the album's apex, 'Gernika' ventures dramatically into long-form composition with the fiery vocals of Pease and evolving percussion of Martinez, drawing programmatic inspiration from the 1937 fascist bombing of Guernica, Spain, and Pablo Picasso's famous subsequent art piece.