Over the past month, guitarist Ari Joshua has shared a steady stream of impressive collaborations with A-list instrumentalists, and today he’s back with his latest creation, “Dragons Layer” featuring John Medeski and Billy Martin of Medeski, Martin & Wood and bassist Jason Fraticelli (Cyro Baptista, Matisyahu). The track is due out September 29th on Joshua’s Music Factory Records label but is available today exclusively via Live For Live Music.
Conjured during a two-day session at Applehead Recording studio in Woodstock, NY, “Dragons Layer” embodies the ferocity of MMW, with layers of mellotron strings and psychedelic effects that elevate the track to a grandiose scale, all infused with Joshua’s voice as both a guitarist and composer. The song begins like a symphony, with an exposition of the piece’s haunting, classical-inspired main theme, followed by the unmistakable sound of Billy Martin’s swinging drum groove. Despite its sophisticated orchestral influence, the track bursts with fierce energy throughout most of its five-minute runtime, relenting only in the last minute before dissolving into disarray. It stands in stark contrast to the more laid back and jazzy “Let’s Do It Right Now”, which was recorded in the same session and released in May.
“Imperfections can lead us in giant steps toward what’s real, some times that’s what makes an artist’s greatest art,” Joshua said. “John and Billy are the masters of being vulnerable and just stepping out into the unknown, and I composed ‘Dragons Layer’ with them in mind. I listened to a bunch of early John Zorn, MMW, and Marc Ribot, mixed that with a bit of Amon Tobin vibes, and then that feeling of winding up this little jack in the box musical toy I have in my studio. The Dragon can have different meanings to different people at different times, I’d rather just leave it open, but this song is really something that just came out in a single sitting.”
“Dragons Layer” is the latest in an impressively diverse series of recent singles from Ari Joshua. “Nun Kommt es Werder”, a ballad featuring Ari’s classic jazz quartet dropped on August 3rd, followed on August 18th by “Kambo Wambo”, a sprawling, 19-minute Afrobeat-inspired instrumental featuring Ray Paczkowski and Russ Lawton of Trey Anastasio Band, Soul Monde, and their most recent project, LaMP.
Ari Joshua With Russ Lawton & Ray Paczkowski (RaAR Trio) – “Kambo Wambo”
The Ari Joshua Quartet – “Nun Kommt Es Werder “
He previously released another song with the same trio, dubbed RaAR, and recently dropped covers of the Grateful Dead‘s “Eyes Of The World” and “Help on the Way” recorded at Brooklyn’s Bunker Studio with John Kimock, Andy Hess, and Eden Ladin. His discography also includes collaborations with heavyweight instrumentalists Robert Glasper, Skerik, Delvon Lamarr, and many more.
Ari Joshua With Eden Ladin, Andy Hess, John Kimock – “Eyes Of The World” (Grateful Dead)
Ari Joshua With Eden Ladin, Andy Hess, John Kimock – “Help On The Way” (Grateful Dead)
This weekend, Joshua will link up with Marcus Rezak to host two Languedoc appreciation parties at Revival in Denver from 2 p.m.–6 p.m. ahead of Phish‘s shows at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday, September 2nd and Sunday the 3rd. He will also perform at Hurricane Dreams at Seattle’s Seamonster Lounge on September 13th and lead all the music including several newly composed melodies and reharmonized classics for the High Holidays celebration at Mount Baker Row Club with special guest Jessica Lurie and more September 15th, 16th, 24th, and 25th (all walks of life are welcome). Visit his website for a full list of upcoming shows and to purchase tickets.
When he’s not busy recording with musical luminaries, the South Africa-born New School grad owns and operates The Music Factory building, an education facility that has employed over 100 artists and taught tens of thousands of lessons since its inception, as well as his recently launched Music Factory Records label.
Listen to “Dragons Layer” by Ari Joshua featuring John Medeski, Billy Martin, and Jason Fraticelli and pre-order the track ahead of its September 29th release here, and stay tuned for more music and exciting announcements from Ari Joshua.
