That Nepenthetic Place

SSC1306 2013-04-23

Track List

Dah-Dot Dah - 06:22
Full Circle - 07:08
Nepenthetic - 06:25
Common Occurances - 05:25
A Walk In the Parc - 06:27
But Beautiful - 06:06
Wink Wink - 05:07
American Typhoon - 08:30
Impressions - 11:38
Dr. Wong's Bird Song - 05:59

Musicians

Dayna Stephens - tenor saxophone
Taylor Eigsti - piano
Joe Sanders - bass
Justin Brown - drums
Ambrose Akinmusire - trumpet
Jaleel Shaw - alto saxophone
Gretchen Parlato - vocals

A nepenthe is an elixir that relieves one’s worries and sorrows. In Homer’s Odyssey, the nepenthe is a potion given to Helen to cure her woe. Saxophonist/composer Dayna Stephens finds his nepenthetic reprieve while performing. He relates to it as an elating feeling of inspiration and enlightenment, a musical high. On his new recording, That Nepenthetic Place, Stephens presents a program of mostly original music written or arranged specifically for this astounding assemblage of musical talent.