Native Lands reflects Will Calhoun’s travels and experiences over the past decade and features collaborations with kindred musical spirits from around the globe. The impact and influences of the cultures encountered along the way are found not only in his music, but also in the videos and documentary materials on the companion DVD.
What was initially intended to be a bonus video to accompany the album took on a life of its own when Will and longtime associate, Rob Freda, teamed up with filmmaker Charles Kliment. While brainstorming ways to use the track Amara to showcase photographs Will had taken while traveling in Morocco, the ideas began to flow.
The Harmolodic Studio recording session with Stanley Jordan yielded the album track Push as well as the bonus track Tigris and Euphrates, which reveals a seldom heard harder-edged side of Stanley. Video footage of the session was blended with satellite imagery of the region in the case of Tigris and Euphrates and time-lapse imagery shot in midtown Manhattan to depict the urban landscape as Will had envisioned for Push.
Will’s solo wave drum performance from the session was recorded and filmed in a single take. Charles applied layered visual effects to the footage echoing the way in which Will constructs drum loops. The unique look of Deep and Tagine are the result. The belly dancing and Moroccan influences in Tagine echo the vessel and ethnic cuisine for which the track is named.
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Will and Naná features indigenous African dancing paired with recording session footage of Will and Naná Vasconcelos shot in Recife, Brazil.
Ancestry was shot by Will during the Festa de Sao Benedito in Aparecida - Sao Paulo, Brazil. He edited it on his laptop. Umoja was created from material shot for the short film Brazilian Connections. Filmed in Pernam-buco, Brazil, the sixteen-minute documentary was produced by Will, Paulinho Oliveira and Fernando Moraes. In addition to the stereo version, Umoja features a 5.1 surround sound mix.
The introduction and track commentary sections are a testament to Will’s ability to concisely wrap up the last ten years of his life as well as the thoughts and processes that led to the creation of this album.
Making Native Lands
A six-minute summary of the year long process that yielded to the videos and documentary material.
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This video is available in the following formats:
Windows Media | Real
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