15 November, 2022Print
Adrian Quesada Releases "Starry Nights" Featuring Mary Lattimore & Neal Francis, Backed With "Rise of the Have Nots"
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Today, Adrian Quesada shares "Starry Nights" and "Rise of the Have Nots," two new singles and videos that further immerse listeners in the intoxicating, nocturnal noir of Jaguar Sound. Out this Friday, November 18th on ATO Records, the second album of the year from the Grammy-winning guitarist, producer and Black Pumas co-founder is a head-nodding and hypnotic opus, heavily inspired by hip-hop and the unheralded composers of 1970s-era Italian and French film music. On the equally celestial and soulful "Starry Nights," harpist Mary Lattimore and pianist Neal Francis make special appearances alongside cinematic layers of violin from Alexis Buffum and Quesada's own bass, guitar and keyboard playing, while "Rise of the Have Nots" erupts into an arrangement of frenzied beats and menacing synth.
Listen to "Starry Nights" b/w "Rise of the Have Nots," accompanied by visuals from Telepath Design: https://atorecords-ffm.com/starrynights
"One of the few positive things that came out of the early pandemic was a reduced human impact on our planet and out of that came some rare and beautiful starry nights," says Adrian Quesada. "I was inspired to make music that reflected the skies, very much capturing a moment in time."
On "Rise of the Have Nots" he adds, "I imagined an animated sci-fi film with a revolt against oppression of all kinds and the song plays out like a musical story, climaxing with a long but victorious battle."
"Starry Nights" and "Rise of the Have Nots" follow the recently released "Noble Metals,"and across the twelve instrumental tracks of Jaguar Sound, Adrian Quesada showcases his singular and signature ability to build a bridge between seemingly disparate worlds of music, driven in part by his experience growing up on the border of multiple countries, cultures and languages. Originally conceived during the onset of the COVID-19 lockdown, Jaguar Sound also paints a musical portrait of a particular moment and set of sonic and emotional obsessions in Quesada's life, when he'd ride his bike every day after dusk, listening to The Alchemist before cranking out beats that he then turned to song. In addition to Mary Lattimore and Neal Francis, Jaguar Sound features Ikebe Shakedown, keys from David Garza and an array of strings, horns and percussion that were produced, written, engineered and mixed by Adrian Quesada at his own Electric Deluxe studio at home in Austin, TX.
Jaguar Sound arrives on the heels of Adrian Quesada's Boleros Psicodélicos LP, which dropped earlier in 2022 and has since led him to performances for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, star-studded sets for the Austin City Limits music festival and PBS program, a Kennedy Center celebration for the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and beyond. A sweeping tribute to his longtime love for the golden age of Latin American balada music, Boleros Psicodélicos saw Adrian Quesada unite an international community of collaborators such as Angelica Garcia, Gabriel Garzón-Montano, Gaby Moreno, Girl Ultra, iLe, Marc Ribot, Money Mark, Tita and numerous others, garnering praise from Rolling Stone, NPR Music, Variety and more. "It is difficult to recreate the magic of a balada, a song of longing popular in the 1970s that defined a generation in Latin America," says The New York Times. "Adrian Quesada manages to harness the genre's power."
Pre-order Jaguar Sound, and listen to Adrian Quesada in a Guest DJ set on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic
Jaguar Sound Tracklist
Reflection with Two Children
Noble Metals
Rise of the Have Nots
Spirits feat. Ikebe Shakedown
Starry Nights
Alberto's Loop
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman
Fireflies
Turk's Cap
The Inquisitor
DG on the Keys
Final Portrait
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For more information, contact Matt Hanks, Greg Jakubik or Annie Mickum at Shore Fire Media, (718) 522-7171