Notable nonprofit record label Little Village's grassroots work of bringing undiscovered artistic gems into the spotlight has been lauded by mainstream news outlets including CNN, Forbes and Billboard among others. Today the label launches a unique and eclectic CD of curated Bach chorales titled 4 Bari x Bach. The four harmonic elements produced on each of the twenty-one tracks (average length is about 90 seconds) is performed by Grammy award-winning baritone saxophonist, Aaron Lington.
Aaron Lington normally leads a busy life as a music professor and Coordinator of Jazz Studies at San Jose State, composer, arranger, session musician and family man, but like so many in the performing arts, things slowed down for him during the pandemic. To keep his skills on the baritone saxophone sharp during this time, Aaron would begin his daily practice routine by warming up with a Bach chorale. He stated “It was fun and a great excuse to keep my fingers nimble.”
Aaron enjoyed it so much that every ten days he selected a new Bach chorale that appealed to him to perform. 4 Bari x Bach's tracks are the result of expert “nimble fingers”. Lington points out that the numerous chorales attributed to Bach often descended from preexisting melodies. He interpreted those melodies with his “unique and personalized harmonic sense”and took simple melodies and “harmonized them in a brilliant way”.
Over the course of 2020, Aaron curated twenty-one of his favorite Bach chorales and created this surprising collection by recording all four melodic lines on the baritone saxophone for each track. He enthused “If you pull them apart the listener can hear each melody”.
Aaron intimated that the purpose of 4 Bari x Bach was to let the listener enjoy just two or three tracks at a time. This allows them to enjoy “a small morsel of what can be beautiful” and to receive a sorely needed “spiritual boost”.
Aaron hopes that listeners of the CD will be able to enjoy a “brief bit of beauty” that will help lift their spirits and soul during these difficult times.
About Little Village
Little Village is different. A non-profit, donor supported record label that has been lauded by mainstream media outlets such as CNN, Forbes and Billboard. LV Executive Director and Grammy-Award winning keyboardist Jim Pugh searches out, records and produces a wide and diverse range of work that otherwise would not be heard, supporting artists from non-traditional and non-commercial backgrounds. It's a simple formula. Little Village covers all the costs. LV's artists maintain all rights and receive 100% of the proceeds from sales. It's different. 4 Bari x Bach available for purchase on 6/19/21, please visit: http://littlevillagefoundation.com
