Carlos Niño, Surya Botofasina, Adam Rudolph - Live at Public Records 12/10/2022
(cover image by Jada Rose)
*** out now on all digital music platforms ***
Carlos Niño, Surya Botofasina, Adam Rudolph
Live at Public Records 12/10/2022
On December 10th, 2022, Carlos Niño and Photay assembled a beautiful cast of musicians at Brooklyn's Public Records to perform in celebration of their recently-released International Anthem LP An Offering (and the subsequent mixtape of bonus material, More Offerings).
The first set of that night featured Niño in trio with keyboardist Surya Botofasina and percussionist Adam Rudolph, as the three musicians immersed the sold out crowd in a soul tribe invitational – calling forth their generational inner illuminations through each element of sound and song, spontaneously composing the music by listening, sharing, and calling upon their creative imaginations.
The recording from that first set was originally released exclusively via Qobuz in Summer 2023 (as an extension of International Anthem's series at Public Records), along with an additional track from the second set, "Finite - Infinite," featuring Photay, Laraaji, and Will Logan. And today, for the first time, the music is available across all other digital music platforms.
(photo by Jesse Peterson)
Carlos Niño is currently on Tour with André 3000 as a producer, percussionist and music director. He is also continuously making albums... Adam Rudolph is one of Carlos's closest mentors, friends and collaborators. They have known each other since 1995, working on projects by Adam's Hu Vibrational, Go: Organic Orchestra, and more. Surya Botofasina and Carlos have been building together in various sonic and energetic ways, configurations and ensembles (for over a decade, but much more so in the last 5 years), including as a duet, in trio with Nate Mercereau, as part of Carlos Niño & Friends, as part of André 3000's New Blue Sun Live, and now with Adam Rudolph as a trio. Carlos is also a loving and devoted Father, who is very family oriented, living and creating in Topanga Canyon, California.
(photo by Petra Richterovå)
Surya Botofasina emerges as a spiritual musician and artist on an ethereal quest, with a deep-rooted connection to his upbringing at Swamini Turiyasangitananda Alice Coltrane's Sai Anantam Ashram in California. Raised amidst devotional music and teachings, Surya credits his mother, Radha Botofasina, a devoted student of Alice Coltrane, for his foundational musical inspiration. His musical journey began on the sacred Chumash Pradesh ground; shaped by the immersive sounds of the Ashram's Sunday services and Swamini's profound musical presence.
His debut album, Everyone's Children, produced by dear friend and close collaborator Carlos Niño, as well as Subtle Movements with Niño and Nate Mercereau, embodies Surya's spiritual growth, echoing themes of nurturing the next generation and honoring Mother Earth's perpetual care. Channeling the Ashram's teachings, this album encapsulates Surya's dedication to spirituality and musical exploration.
Surya is currently in presentation connection with Carlos Niño, Nate Mercereau, and Deantoni Parks supporting André 3000 as the New Blue Sun Live concerts debut thru the world.
For the past five decades composer and percussionist Adam Rudolph has performed extensively throughout North & South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. He has released over 30 recordings under his own name, featuring his compositions and percussion work. Rudolph composes for his ensembles Moving Pictures, Hu Vibrational, and Go: Organic Orchestra, a 30-piece group for which he has developed an original music notation and conducting system. He has taught and conducted hundreds of musicians worldwide in his Go: Organic Orchestra concept.
Rudolph has performed with Don Cherry, Jon Hassell, André 3000, Sam Rivers, Pharaoh Sanders, Muhal Richard Abrams, Shankar, Dave Liebman, Wadada Leo Smith, Philip Glass, Fred Anderson, and Tyshawn Sorey, among others. He toured extensively and recorded 15 albums with Yusef Lateef, including duets and their large ensemble compositional collaborations. His compositions have been performed by Momenta String Quartet, Oberlin Percussion Group, Figura Chamber Orchestra, and Odense Percussion Ensemble, among others.
Rudolph is known as one of the early innovators of what is now called “World Music.” In 1978 he co-founded, with Foday Musa Suso, the Mandingo Griot Society, one of the first groups to combine African and American music, and in 1988 he recorded the first fusion of American and Moroccan Gnawa music with sintir player Hassan Hakmoun.
Rudolph has received numerous grants and awards for his work. His music methodology and philosophy books, Pure Rhythm (2006) and Sonic Elements (2022), have been used by composers, performers, students, and music institutions around the world.
Carlos Niño & Friends
(I'm just) Chillin', on Fire
Adam Rudolph and Surya Botofasina both appear on Carlos Niño & Friends 2023 album (I'm just) Chillin', on Fire.
An evolved, ecosystemic expression of Niño’s self-described “Spiritual, Improvisational, Space, Collage” sound – (I’m just) Chillin’, on Fire presents the prolific percussionist/producer’s most singular, intentional work and features the most vibrant, abundant gathering of Friends he’s included on record to date. Featured artists across 80+ minutes of music include LA-based synth/guitarist Nate Mercereau (who appears on most of the album's tracks), keyboardist and Alice Coltrane protégé Surya Botofasina, AACM-affiliated creative music legend Maia, bubbling violinist/vocalist V.C.R, saxophone titan Kamasi Washington, ambient/dance music innovator Photay, prodigious rhythmist Deantoni Parks, plus Dntel, Laraaji, Aaron Shaw, Diego Gaeta, Adam Rudolph, Josh Johnson, Jamire Williams, Woo, and more, including André 3000, who makes an appearance on flutes.
For such a magnificent convergence of sonic journeyers and such a masterful presentation of sounds – all of which is hugged together by Niño’s lucid post-productive guidance, as he makes Q-Tip/DJ Premier-like architectures out of fluid explorations and minimalist musical atmospheres – the undersold title “(I’m just) Chillin’, on Fire” is both humorous and totally appropriate for anyone who is open to understanding what this artist is all about.
Music writer Marcus J. Moore contributed digital liner notes for the album, in which he says: “By creating music with tender messages and leisurely pacing, Niño nudges listeners to slow down and appreciate life’s natural wonders, to savor the journey and not rush so quickly to the destination. In turn, his art conjures pastoral images — endless fields, boundless oceans, ripples crashing along the shoreline. It urges you to simply look up: notice the wind rustling through the trees, listen to the birds sing a glorious song. This is real life, the stuff you can’t quite capture with a smartphone camera.”
*Deluxe Vinyl Package*
Etheric Pink color vinyl 2xLP
(I'm just) Chillin', on Fire comes on two 140-gram vinyl LPs (pressed by Pallas in Germany, with lacquers cut by Daniel K at SST) inside a heavyweight matte jacket, with IARC obi strip, insert booklet and dome-patterned inner-sleeves.
And, as always, we have a limited edition color vinyl option for the first pressing only, available via our Bandcamp page only, which is 555 copies of *Etheric Pink* color vinyl.
Distribution via RedEye for US, Canada, North & South America
Retailers in the United States or Canada or anywhere else inside of North, South and Central America... Please reach out to your sales rep at RedEye Worldwide if you are interested in making wholesale purchases of this album, or any other album in our catalog. Don't yet have a RedEye rep? Please just reach out to us and we'll get you hooked up!
Distribution via !K7 for Europe, UK, Australia, and ROW
Our albums are distributed by our good friends at !K7 and their various territory partners in Europe, UK, Australia, and everywhere else in the world outside of North & South America.
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