more from
Brownswood Recordings
We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Voices of Bishara

by Tom Skinner

/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      £9 GBP  or more

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Heavyweight 180 gram Vinyl

    Includes unlimited streaming of Voices of Bishara via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    1 remaining
    Purchasable with gift card

      £22 GBP or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Includes unlimited streaming of Voices of Bishara via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 14 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      £11 GBP or more 

     

  • Signed LP
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Limited edition signed vinyl copy of 'Voices of Bishara'.

    Heavyweight 180 gram Vinyl

    **Orders from UK/EU only - for US please see International Anthem**

    Includes unlimited streaming of Voices of Bishara via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

1.
Bishara 05:37
2.
Red 2 02:57
3.
The Journey 05:01
4.
5.
6.

about

Drummer and producer Tom Skinner (The Smile, Sons of Kemet) announces this lean and beautiful mini-album, in which he edited a starry recording session into a sonorous, tuff and beguiling new shape.

The title of Tom Skinner’s first release under his own name is a reference to cellist Abdul Wadud’s ultra-rare 1978 solo album ‘By Myself’, which Skinner listened to repeatedly during lockdown. Wadud’s album was privately pressed on his own label, Bisharra, and whilst Skinner’s title uses the more conventional spelling of this common Arabic name, they both have the same intention or meaning: it translates as ‘good news’, or ‘the bringer of good news’.

This is a classic-sounding record that connects backwards to Skinner’s 2017 Hello Skinny collaboration with American composer and Arthur Russell-collaborator Peter Zummo on ‘Watermelon Sun’. It links sideways to Makaya McCraven’s beat maker-inspired treatments of jazz sessions, and it offers a musical bridge to Sons of Kemet’s most meditative moments.

‘Voices of Bishara’ began life when Tom Skinner asked some musician friends to join him for a Played Twice session at London’s Brilliant Corners. The regular event had a simple format: play a classic album in full through their audiophile system and then have an elite ensemble improvise their response. The night in question focused on drummer Tony Williams’ 1964 Blue Note album ‘Life Time’ and the music he and his friends conjured up was so special that it inspired Skinner to write an albums-worth of phenomenal new music.

Skinner, a cellist, a bass player and two saxophonists recorded the results classic album-style, with everyone in the same room. He took the music home and it was put to the side, occasionally coming out for some attention in between Tom’s many other creative projects. This was a slow burn creation, and gradually, a new album began appearing as he embraced the studio recordings and accentuated their sublime idiosyncrasies.

“I took a very liberal approach with the scissors and started going really hard into the edits between instruments. It breathed new life into the music. I was taking my cue from the great disco re-edits, people like Theo Parrish chopping up tunes and looping sections. I’m not a purist. I don’t want to get hung up on the past. It was really empowering to fuck it up a bit, to mess around with the music and see what happened. It felt right”

The result is a tight, hypnotic and unique 31-minutes of music. ‘Voices of Bishara’ is sculpted around timeless and deeply emotional music that contains masses of movement and

exceptional harmonic depth and texture. It sweeps and soars through soundworlds, rich in musicality and always anchored by the deep doubling of cello and bass. It also, of course, contains Skinner’s percussive magic – drumming skills that have brought artists from Grace Jones to Jonny Greenwood to request him on their records and tours.

“We’re individual voices, coming together collectively. The idea was that we could collectively bring something more positive to the table. It’s the start of something.”

Tom Skinner and ‘Voices of Bishara’: bringers of good news.

credits

released November 4, 2022

Tom Skinner - Drums
Kareem Dayes - Cello
Tom Herbert - Acoustic Bass
Nubya Garcia - Tenor Sax, Flute
Shabaka Hutchings - Tenor Sax, Bass Clarinet

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Tom Skinner London, UK

Drummer and producer Tom Skinner (The Smile, Sons of Kemet) announces Voices of Bishara - the first release under his own moniker. A lean and beautiful mini-album, in which he edited a starry recording session into a sonorous, tuff and beguiling new shape. ... more

contact / help

Contact Tom Skinner

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Tom Skinner, you may also like: