Ayanna Witter-Johnson: Ocean Floor [vinyl LP]
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Release date: 12 April 2024
LSO5122-LP | 0822231512219
1 x double-sided LPProducer: Nick Wollage
Engineers: Classic Sound Ltd
Recorded: November 2022 in the Jerwood Hall, LSO St Luke's, London -
‘Feel the genre boundaries melt away like they’d never been there at all. Delightful.’
– The Symphonist‘The Ensemble’s rhythms swing seductively throughout the entire CD including some marvellous jazz-inspired tuned percussion. The programme note describes Ayanna’s music as embracing jazz, reggae, hip-hop and RnB. With her cello playing, she bestrides the worlds of jazz and classical music.’
– British Music Society★★★★
‘An unmissable collection of storytelling magic.’
– Jazzwise
£20.49
Ayanna Witter-Johnson
LSO Percussion Ensemble
Over 200 years later, Jamaica has become a place of significance for Ayanna Witter-Johnson. As a young child, she often spent her six-week summer holiday visiting extended family there, taking trips to a favourite beach on the south coast. It was here that she witnessed a terrible fatal accident at one end of the beach, yet at the other end, a baptism and celebration was taking place.
Witter-Johnson explores this spectrum of events, separated by two centuries yet tied together by their central themes of ancestry, family and the ocean, noting that even amidst the darkness of death, there is still room for joy.
Combining alternative R&B with classical, and with influences from soul, hip hop and reggae, Ayanna Witter-Johnson is the definition of an eclectic soul. Through her work with the LSO, she forged a friendship with LSO Principal Percussionist, Neil Percy, which became the starting point for the recording.
“His enthusiasm for my music moves me to tears and was the catalyst behind our first collaboration and subsequent commission, Forever. The organic development of this project is something I will treasure forever, because above all, I have felt the fullest support in expressing myself exactly as I am, and that goes beyond words.” – Ayanna Witter-Johnson
This album showcases Witter-Johnson’s special partnership with the LSO Percussion Ensemble, where her choice of rhythms and harmony and use of percussion all have symbolic meaning in relation to the songs’ deep inspiration. Released digitally and on CD in October 2023, a new vinyl edition of the album is now due for release in April 2024, using sustainable and reduced-CO2 emissions BioVinyl.
The product contains 1 vinyl and contains a code to access free HD FLAC and MP3 files of the audio.
Composers |
Ayanna Witter-Johnson
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Performers |
Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Gwilym Simcock, LSO Percussion Ensemble
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Ayanna Witter-Johnson: Ocean Floor - Side A
- Ocean Floor Suite: Prologue
- Ocean Floor Suite: I. The Darkest Hour
- Ocean Floor Suite: II. Pioneers
- Ocean Floor Suite: III. Ocean View
Ayanna Witter-Johnson: Ocean Floor - Side B
- Unconditionally
- Tidal Warning
- Forever