From two cities named Riverside on the North American continent, I sat down with the jazziphile from Toronto Harrisson throughout a heat Zoom session, discussing canine well being points, the impression his late grandfather had on his music, and his newest album Birds, bees, clouds and timber.
5 years is a very long time, however fortunately the Toronto expertise has frolicked occupying the musical area by fleshing out the various arms of his musical imaginative and prescient. In time since 2018 Apricityhe obtained busy.
As the person behind the keys and the rationale traditional 70s cartoons with chill jazz manufacturing have been popping up in your TikTok feed for the previous few years, Harrison painted a vibrant image of her work in a singular means. However regardless of his work focusing extra on the realm of Hip Hop manufacturing, jazz continues to play a serious function within the musician’s craft and core.
His earlier mission Apricity was an illustration of translating the definition into sound. Discovering the heat of the solar throughout winter, because of Lo-Fi aesthetics and sequenced drum loops, Apricity was to isolate an emotion via a wave of different robust musical segments.
Or Apricity aimed to isolate moments via a mosaic of vibrant and colourful sounds, his newest mission The birds, the bees and the clouds and the bees It is about capturing uncooked, private feelings and transporting them via the prism of a robust musical and acoustic id.
Do not get it twisted, although extra acoustic devices take middle stage all through the album, Harrison remains to be progressive in his songwriting and conceptualism. The mission appears noticeably extra cohesive in tone and nature whereas exploring deeper themes of loss, discovering pleasure in on a regular basis objects and eventualities, and love.
“From 2018 till in the present day, I had plenty of time to observe an instrument that I am very captivated with, and I used to be actually targeted on that and I centered an album on my love for this instrument”, a- he declared.
“I am at some extent the place I am assured in what I am doing, I am assured in my sound and I am assured within the music and my artistic course of as nicely. I am tremendous excited to launch this music and I am happy with most issues that I do, actually I am so excited to launch music and I am glad – for everybody who listens to it and loves it let’s go -y”.
Between the 2 initiatives and dealing on his craft, Harrison expanded his musical attain via totally different avenues. One was exploring sound in online game OSTs by recording the favored indie recreation’s soundtrack beat the breath and one was exploring work via sync libraries and even beginning his personal.
Robinson Music Home is Harrison’s newest love mission dipping his ft into synchronized library work.
“I simply thought it will be cool,” he mentioned. The motivation behind the brand new enterprise grew with Brutton Music.
“Brutton Music and KPM Libraries used to ship vinyl for music licensing and that was my dream for Rmusichouse and it nonetheless is. WOnce I was digging containers, I used to go on the lookout for vinyl data to search out data. I had my little setup and each on occasion you’ll come throughout a KPM library and it was like putting gold,” he mentioned.
Having conquered these avenues, Harrison wanted to get again to fundamentals and get again to the subsequent mission: jazz.
“I have been coaching for therefore lengthy. I do not contemplate myself a jazz musician (they’re loopy however so great)… regardless of the vary, nevertheless it was essential for me in my development as a songwriter. I spent plenty of time studying to play this factor,” he mentioned.
A serious second the place this journey might be recognized is the conception and launch of 2020’s “Round You.”
“It was the primary tune I did on the album,” he revealed.
“It was me fucking in a day, I used to be so grumpy and I vented my frustrations via music, and on the time, it was a giant pivot for me to be one of many songs since Apricity and it was actually totally different within the style so the reception he obtained was so rewarding”.
“I had meant to do a weight loss plan jazz album, however now it was all of the extra motive to do it”.
There are myriad themes introduced within the mission, however the image the tunes paint is a colourful and crisp portray of nature. Similar to the album cowl, Birds, bees, clouds and timber totally embraces the aesthetic of the time Harrison grew up in. Rising up in Canada and being uncovered to cityscapes and nature with acquainted individuals infuses a way of childlike marvel into the mission.
“The identify was a mirrored image of my psychological well-being, with Apricity that phrase means a second of sunshine in winter however I feel with that my inspiration got here from the enjoyment of being with myself, nature and the way in which we join together with her,” he mentioned.
“It is humorous how I named this album as a result of I do not like tenting,” he laughed.
“I really like being outdoors, with timber and the moments of silence within the metropolis are so stunning.”
It is a jazz album, however Harrison’s Hip Hop and R&B kinds come out in one of the best ways, particularly in relation to options.
The musical contributions of MED, Responsible Simpson and TOBI are heavy and add robust emphasis to every tune whereas singers similar to Kadjha Bonet and Nana B meld fantastically with the instrumental.
Among the many robust conceptual themes layered all through the mission, the one worn proudly on Harrisons’ sleeve is the sensation of nostalgia. The album strongly captures the feelings of Harrison’s childhood and one musical affect that’s proudly current is that of by Vince Guaraldi Jazz Impressions of a Boy Named Charlie Brown.
“Charlie Brown’s jazz album was the middle of my childhood”.
“At the moment, this album was flushed in my home and I fell in love with this album as a result of it was my first publicity to jazz,” he then extolled the album’s excellence.
“It wasn’t a seasonal album, it is so nicely accomplished and a kind of initiatives that introduced jazz to the plenty in an accessible means,” he exclaimed.
This was Harrison’s introduction to jazz, however this connection was made by his late grandfather Invoice who devoted a tune to him on the mission known as “Honey Harbor (Invoice’s Track)”.
“Invoice is my grandfather who handed away lately. And Invoice is a tremendous man. An unbelievable particular person, an unbelievable artist and an unbelievable grandfather. He was additionally very desirous about jazz music. Honey Harbor is in Georgia Bay and we might go there and have ice cream sandwiches,” he shared.
The recollections shared between the 2 are featured in “Honey Harbor”. With out strictly mentioning his grandfather or their relationship, Harrison highlights their identical love of music in his personal.
“He would in all probability hate it actually however I assume we’ll by no means know,” he laughed.
Love comes and goes with the mission. Songs like “Round You”, “Like When We Have been Children” and “7PM” showcase this robust emotion of affection performed via the chords and this is because of her earlier relationship. A relationship that sadly ended simply earlier than this interview.
Regardless of mentions of a failing relationship, the pianist confirmed that love and the impression of that love are nonetheless very a lot current.
“She supported me at my lowest and was affected person with me at my lowest. The album is upbeat, it is whimsical and she or he was there to assist me to make me glad.”
“Round You” was the conceptual and bodily debut of this album and was born out of a robust romantic relationship. With this relationship ending with the discharge of the album, it symbolizes a altering of the guard, a brand new arc in Harrison’s profession.
The birds, the bees and the clouds and the timber creates a temper of textures that mix into one another to color an image of childhood whereas discovering pleasure within the current.
It is a weight loss plan jazz album, however Harrisons’ roots in soul, R&B and hip-hop bleed via the cracks brilliantly to create a listening expertise that feels actually golden.
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