ETHEL featuring ALLISON LOGGINS-HULL

PERSIST

Sono Luminus

Ralph Farris, viola; Kip Jones & Corin Lee, violin; Dorothy Lawson, cello; SPECIAL GUEST: Allison Loggins-Hull, flute.

First, the chamber group ETHEL is made up of two violins, a viola and a celloist. They have spent twenty-five-plus years working with Native American composers.  That opened their creative minds to music that serves a purpose other than being just some cool or lovely production for our ears to enjoy. Their music would be referred to as utilitarian music. That is to say, their music supports integrity of thought, an expression of the private self, high order of thinking and helps people to identify patterns of sound like language.  They believe music improves health and positive living.

The inspirations for this album are wrapped in the compositions of five dynamic composers.  ETHEL has premiered more than 250 works, many commissioned as well as those submitted by celebrated composers like Julia Wolfe, Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, Jessie Montgomery, Andy Akiho and Marcelo Zarvos. This quartet has been featured at TED conferences, on ABC Radio Australia, Conan O’Brien, NPR’s Weekend Edition and many more opportunities of exposer, including soundtracks of Dan in Real Life and HBO’s Deadwood.

On this album, they feature Allison Loggins-Hull, celebrated by The Washington Post as a musical “powerhouse” on her flute. Her work defies genre or category. On this album, the five member team explores compositions by Ms. Loggins-Hull, Xavier Muzik, Migiwa “Miggy” Miyajima, Sam Wu, and Leilehua Lanzilotti.  Each composition has a story that is documented in the accompanying booklet inside the CD jacket.

This is very beautiful chamber music, steeped in European classical music.  It is EHTEL’s 8^th album release and appropriately titled “Persist” to celebrate ETHEL’s  commissioning program for early-career composers. The group members have been persistent for two-and-a-half decades.

The ETHEL quartet has performed worldwide, released 10 feature albums and won a Grammy with jazz legend Kurt Elling. ETHEL champions the art and music of today, forging human connections across sound and style.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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