Reviews: Awake! Arise! Songs of Sri Chinmoy
- Jazz Weekly
- Take Effect
- O's Place Jazz Magazine
- The JW Vibe
- Jazz Square
- Musical Memoirs
- 6 Degrees Entertainment
- House of Prog Radio
- Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services
Jazz Weekly
Creative Music and other forms of Avant Garde
by: George W. Harris
August 10, 2023
Vocalist Laila Faerman brings together a collection of songs composed by Sri Chinmoy and has Misha Tsiganov arrange them to create accessible jazz meets enlightenment melding of sounds and inspirations. Faerman’s voice is clear and warm, and she’s well supported by Misha Tsiganov/key, Premik Russell Tubbs/winds, Shamita Achenbach-Konig/cel, Samuel Torres/perc, Donald Edwards/dr, Boris Kozlov/b Alex Sipiagin/tp and Ala Jetzer/duduk for an hour of uplifting messages. One song, “Saha Nav Avatu”, has Faerman singing a Sanskrit chant, while the rest of the time, you get a folksy “ Mantras”, a bit of a chant on “Mata Tumi Tomar Asi” and a beautiful piano/vocal duet on ”O Bujhi Kanu Jai”. Uplifting and upward looking.
TAKE EFFECT
Listen to Awake! Arise! Songs of Sri Chinmoy!
By Tom Haugen
December 12, 2023
"...... A very meticulous version of world jazz with plenty of modern sensibilities in the area of classical music, Faerman’s voice is nothing short of stunning, and the players on hand accent the emotive presence superbly."
O's Place Jazz Magazine
By: D. Oscar Groomes
Jun 22, 2023
Vocalist Laila Faerman draws upon a wealth of musicians including arranger, co-producer Misha Tsiganov (keyboards), and co-producer Premik Russell Tubbs (s-sax, fl, bansuri). They perform the songs of the late spiritual leader, Sri Chinmoy, arranged in modern jazz and contemporary classical styles. Boris Kozlov plays bass on six selections notably “Phanki Diye Tomas”. Hendrik Meurkens (harmonica) makes a guest appearance on “Awake! Arise!”, and Alex Sipiagin plays trumpet on two selections. Hats off to Laila for ushering in the peaceful meditative forces of Chinmoy’s songs in a world that is desperate for regrouping.
The JW Vibe
Music That Sticks To My Soul
by: Jonathan Widran
Jun 14, 2023
Music and spirituality fused beautifully in the life and expression of Sri Chinmoy (1931-2007), the globally influential Indian spiritual leader, author, poet and musician who once counted among his grateful followers Carlos Santana, Roberta Flack, John McLaughlin, Narada Michael Walden and Clarence Clemons.
Though stylistically eclectic, globally conscious veteran vocalist Laila Faerman – 2022 winner of the Grand Prix International Creative Arts Festival’s jazz vocal category = only began immersing in the guru’s vast teachings long after those musical legends (2011, to be exact), her passion for exploring not just Chinmoy’s spirituality but grand musical catalog has led over the past decade to many prominent international performances and a tour with “Concerts for Peace” that included shows in the Czech Republic, Italy and Bulgaria.
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While immersed in creating his lovingly crafted arrangements, Tsiganov says he saw the leader in a vivid dream. Chinmoy listened as the pianist played and started playing the melody, with Tsiganov’s accompaniment. Irked at a dissonant modern jazz chord, Chinmoy at one point stopped and said, “This is the wrong chord!” The pianist replied, “No, Guru, I will show you that in modern jazz, you can do that. He then showed him techniques of jazz reharmonization and Chinmoy was on board. He put his hands on Tsiganov’s head and blessed him. The whole album serves to channel the guru’s peace, teachings and musical muse in a dreamlike way that pays homage and carries his spirit forward.
Jazz Square
By Leonid Auskern
02.06.2023
"….. Do not look for Indian influences in these compositions, they are practically absent. Most of the tracks are based on the interaction of Laila's voice with one or two solo instruments. So, in the opening Mantras, the singer conducts a dialogue with the flute of Premik Russell Tubbs, and in Saha Nav Avatu (May we all be protected), the only composition where not Chinmoy’s text is used, but an ancient Sanskrit hymn, the piano and saxophone “rule the ball”. Alex Sipyagin's trumpet adorns the composition Swarupananda (The bliss of self-realization, consciousness and infinity), and Shamita Achenbach-Koenig's cello adorns Khama Karo (Forgiveness). Slightly different from the solemn anthem of most of the tracks is a slightly more accentuated rhythm of the title track Awake! Arise!, where Merkens harmonica assists Fireman's voice. But my personal favorite of this program I would call the most beautiful prayer song Bedanai Bhara (I place my life full of pangs at Your Feet, my Lord) with the sound of the Armenian duduk from Alap Jetzer….
I must think that for Laila Faerman this album has become the next stage of her art-service…"
musical memoirs
WONDERFUL WOMEN IN JAZZ
By Dee Dee McNeil
July 24, 2023
SPOTLIGHTING THE FIRST INSTRUMENT ON EARTH: THE VOICE
Faerman is a studied classical musician, a student of classical piano and an operatic singer, sometimes performing with her father, who was an operatic baritone vocalist. Laila Faerman’s voice is the kind made for studio recording and session work, because she can easily sing various genre’s and is not stylized. Faerman sings meditative music, classical songs, or jazz standards with the same confidence. She has toured with “Concerts for Peace,” performing worldwide, and in 2022 won the Grand Prix International Creative Arts Festival Award for jazz vocals…….
Originally, the music of Sri Chinmoy was cradled in the arms of the ancient Sanskrit musical chants. During this transition to a more modern, commercialized approach, arranger Tsiganov has taken pains to keep the Sanskrit chants alive and prominent in his reimagination of these original songs. Chinmoy’s music was meant to represent peace and harmony. The Faerman and Tsiganov’s arrangements make for a highly creative and unique transformation, that tickles the toes of jazz blended with meditative music like invisible fingers. With this music, the ensemble strives to share peace and joy.
A Jazz Wordpress.com Weblog.
6 Degrees Entertainment
"For those unaware, on Awake! Arise!, Laila Faerman sings a set of spiritual songs by Sri Chinmoy (1931-2007), an Indian spiritual leader who became famous for teaching meditation in the West after moving to New York in 1964, that have been transformed by pianist-arranger Misha Tsiganov into modern jazz with the influence of contemporary classical music…
With accompaniment by an eclectic jazz group that includes saxophonist-flutist Premik Russell Tubbs, trumpeter Alex Sipiagin, and Hendrik Meurkens on harmonica, the singer expresses a wide variety of emotions in a most beautiful voice…
In short, Awake! Arise does justice to the music of Sri Chinmoy while recasting his songs in a contemporary setting and putting the focus on Laila Faerman’s memorable singing."
LAILA FAERMAN - - AWAKE! ARISE! - NEW ALBUM [Official Video Release]
Annecarlini.com
House of Prog Radio
by: Key Rowland
Aug 27, 2023
"… …. Tsiganov reharmonized and modernized the pieces while retaining their essence, added sophisticated chords, giving the vocalist a perfect outlet for her soulful singing.
The result is something which is unsurprisingly incredibly spiritual. I have no idea what Laila is singing about, as many of these are in Hindi (I think), but the musicians are obviously very much in tune with what is taking place, and there is a real feeling of reverence throughout. Given how Chinmoy taught meditation it is of no real surprise that the music is of the same nature, slow and gentle, allowing the listener to relax and reflect life. Tsiganov has obviously been key to the whole process, becoming so involved that at one point he even dreamed he was playing with Chinmoy sat alongside discussing the chords, with Chinmoy blessing him, which shows just how invested he became in the whole project. This is obviously much more than just a single album for Faerman as she has been personally invested in Chinmoy’s teachings for a long time and she is an advocate for his work which comes through clearly in the way this is treated with so much reverence. For a listener such as myself who is not aware of Chinmoy and his teachings this is a pleasant experience, but it will obviously mean much more to those who are followers."
