Prominent guitar virtuosos Roman Miroshnichenko and Henrik Andersen to release new joint album «New Shapes» they recorded latest spring in duo and joined by special guests: Grammy-winning violinist Charlie Bisharat and best percussionists in the world: Trilok Gurtu (John Mclaughlin), Bickram Ghosh (George Harrison), Frank Colon (Manhattan Transfer), Gumbi Ortiz (Al Di Meola).
“I first met Roman while on a tour of Russia with Al Di Meola in the early ’00’s back then he was showing his brilliance as a young guitarist, with the new recording of New Shapes he has surpassed my initial expectation of him being Great he is now a Master of his instrument” — Gumbi Ortiz
Throughout incredible acoustic gutar music album, the duo demonstrate their fantastic instrumental skills, musicality and deep knowledge of jazz-fusion, flamenco, latin.
This is unique mix of nylon and steel string guitars, Indian tablas and konnakol, Brazilian samba, Russian folk and Mediterranean rhythms, emotional musicianship, setting the new musical genre — Acoustic Neofusion.
“As Henrik was part of my band I’m happy I recognized his multitalent. Now I see the progress in him and of course with such a great partner like Roman to enhance the music for younger generation. I hope the music fraternity encourages these two upcoming musicians and supports them.“ — Trilok Gurtu kindly noted.
Teaser:
youtu.be/ZpZgUenU784
"Russian Mountains"(remix) music video:
youtu.be/q9RcLYBIlK0
Author of 11 jazz books and over 20,000 reviews for Down Beat, JazzTimes, L.A. Jazz Scene Scott Yanow is rightfully recognized as one of the most respected music critics of our time. This time Scott did’t disregard the new joint album of guitar virtuosos Roman Miroshnichenko and Henrik Andersen, appreciating their latest work in his review:
A powerful guitarist who has led more than ten albums so far, Roman Miroshnichenko can be considered one of the pacesetters in today’s fusion scene. Born and raised in the Ukraine, he started out exploring blues and rock before deciding to become a jazz guitarist, one who is always looking for a new challenge. "New Shapes" is just that for it shows that Miroshnichenko is just as impressive on acoustic guitar as he is on electric.
On New Shapes, Roman Miroshnichenko teams up with fellow guitarist Henrik Andersen. Born and raised in Copenhagen, Andersen is not only a top-notch guitarist but a vocal percussionist who can sing rapid lines. Trilok Gurtu, a famous Indian percussionist who worked with John McLaughlin and Oregon, was one of his teachers and is a special guest on New Shapes.
The project also includes appearances by percussionists Bickram Ghosh, Frank Colon, and Gumbi Ortiz plus violinist Charlie Bisharat. Sticking to nylon and steel string acoustic guitars, Miroshnichenko and Andersen constantly challenge each other throughout New Shapes while exploring a wide variety of styles. Both are capable of lightning-fast runs and those are used for punctuation throughout the set without losing the essence of the melodies, moods, and rhythms.
The opener, “Russian Mountains,” makes it clear that the guitarists are both virtuosos but ones who always keep the melody in mind. This is one of several pieces in which Andersen’s rhythmic scatting (which interacts closely with the percussionists) has a memorable spot. “New Shapes” begins quietly, has close interplay between guitar, percussion and voice, and consists of several colorful sections. On “Playground” the guitarists trade off playful ideas throughout and utilize a childlike theme that fits the piece’s title. “Flying Dragon” has a particularly catchy melody and a fairly simple structure over which the guitarists create some miraculous lines during their solos. A moody rhythmic pattern is the basis of “Corona Funk,” a performance that builds up in tension and passion quite effectively. “Bodhran’s Magic” is a jazz waltz with an Indian feel that features violinist Bisharat trading off with Miroshnichenko. On “Salvador” the two guitarists utilize the feeling of flamenco with a touch of gypsy swing while the closing “Simona’s Summer Samba” gives them an opportunity to play an original bossa-nova.
New Shapes is filled with variety and excitement. It features Roman Miroshnichenko and Henrik Andersen at their most inspired.
/ Scott Yanow, jazz journalist/historian and author of 11 books including The Great Jazz Guitarists and Jazz On Record 1917-76 /
AWARDS:
"Flying Dragon" and "Corona Funk" - current NOMINEEs of The Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA'21).
"New Shapes" - Global Music Awards 2021 Silver Medal Winner. Best World Music Composition
"New Shapes" - Global Music Awards 2021 Silver Medal Winner. Best World Fusion Album
released July 24, 2021
Roman Miroshnichenko – acoustic nylon and steel-string guitars (plays on right channel)
Henrik Andersen – acoustic steel-string guitar (plays on left channel), background vocal (1), percussion (8), konnakol (1, 2, 8)
Special guests:
Charlie Bisharat – violin (6)
Trilok Gurtu – percussion, konnakol (4)
Bickram Ghosh – tablas, konnakol (2)
Gumbi Ortiz – percussion (6)
Frank Colón – percussion, cuica (8)
Tracks 1, 4, 6, 7 – composed and arranged by Roman Miroshnichenko
Tracks 2, 3, 5, 8 – composed and arranged by Henrik Andersen
Produced by Roman Miroshnichenko
Recorded in studios: Moscow (Russia), Los-Angeles, CA and St.Petersburg, Florida (USA), Copenhagen (Denmark), Ulzburg (Germany), Rio de Janeiro (Brasil), Kolkata (India); February - June 2021.
Mixed by Roman Miroshnichenko
Assistant mixing engineer – Oleg Kanakov
Edwin Aleixo Braganza - recording engineer (4)
Mastered by Paulo Jeveaux
Roman Miroshnichenko uses: Ovation Custom Legend 1619 and 1669 (1), Wechter Florentine custom made acoustic guitar (2, 3, 4, 8), Jerónimo Pérez guitar custom made flamenco guitar (5, 6, 8), 斉藤安行(Saiko Yasuyuki) custom made flamenco guitar (5, 7) AXE I/O, T-Racks S5 by IK Multimedia, D'Addario EJ16, EJ44 strings, cables and extra heavy signature picks, Neumann KM184 mic, Logic Pro X.
Henrik Andersen uses: Linda Manzer guitar and Wegern guitar picks.
Special thanks to: Daniel Figueiredo, Olga Miroshnichenko, at D’Addario: Steve Lobmeier and Julia Rynkova, at IK Multimedia: Tiia Hassinen
Cover design by Anna Miroshnichenko
Cover artwork by Henrik Andersen
Total running time: [43:24]
All rights reserved
© MMXXI Roman Miroshnichenko (RAO) & Henrik Andersen (KODA & NCB)
WWW.ROMANMIROSHNICHENKO.COM
WWW.HENRIKANDERSENMUSIC.COM