Circles And Spirals - Gaia Vol. 2 Twilight

Born in France and living in Cologne, Germany saxophonist Ismael Diallo has a strong connection to smooth jazz. During the legendary wave music concert series featuring Rick Braun, Peter White, Slim Man, Richard Elliot and many more he belonged to the well-known backing group under the musical direction of keyboardist Lutz Deterra. Twenty years later he can already look back on a rich artistic life that has always brought him in contact with smooth jazz.

Since 2004 he is regularly releasing groove-oriented lounge music under the label Circles and Spirals. To mention are Colours (2007), and Space Grooves (2009). With Gaia Vol.1 – Sunlight (2011) he started a trilogy presenting soft down-tempo music and a pinch of world beat. Next album of this series is Gaia Vol. 2 Twilight, already available as download and scheduled for CD release August 20, 2018.

Ismael Diallo has written and produced all tracks. He performs saxophones, keyboards and Vocoder on track 10. He is accompanied by Juan Restrepo (guitars), Knuth Jerxsen (percussion), Christoph Titz (trumpet on #7) and Nini Rider (vocals on #1).

The journey begins with Twilight, an excursion to dreamland, which is reminiscent of Winfried Trenkler's show "Schwingungen". Through the use of keyboard sounds and a saxophone with hall effect the tone loses itself in infinity. The Cala Bassa is a quiet, beautiful bay with crystal clear water in the northern region of Ibiza. Taking a Cala Bassa Sundowner is just as delightful and relaxing as the same named song.

Champagne And Toasts is a popular addition for festive occasions. Like the title, the melody consists of two tone sequences, that complement each other perfectly. The first inspired by a well-known song from the soft rock genre and Ismael's improvisation on the saxophone. Ismael also processes the memories of Ibiza with Sax On The Beach. As the song progresses, it becomes more and more dynamic.

Caipirinha is Brazil's national cocktail, made with cachaça (sugarcane hard liquor), sugar and lime. The fieriness of the drink is transferred to the song. The magic word is uncompromising percussion. Miles Away fosters in the area of nujazz and house music. The special feature is Ismael's jazzy saxophone performance. A Nujazz Club In Town captures the acoustic backdrop of a café and combines it with a lively sound network formed by saxophone and trumpet underlaid with modern keyboard sound.

Mojito offers a hypnotic synth sound collage. Mango Lassi goes the Indian way with appropriate instrumentation like Tablas and Sitar. Get Your Groove On is the ultimate challenge to be heeded. With the use of a vocoded voice the groove gets even more momentum. Discussing The String Theory joins seamlessly in rhythm. The guitar enhanced tune also includes some sax voices.

Another drink another song. Gin Tonic is in itself consistent with its predecessors and belongs to the category of dance floor grooves. The final Sea Of Tranquility deals thematically with the moon landing.

Circles And Spirals Gaia Vol. 2 Twilight is not a self-contained complete musical work, but a collection of cross-genre pieces that appeals to different music lovers and tastes. The common handwriting, however, remains recognizable at all times, which allows a combination of different styles under one denominator.