Ron Davis’ 13th Record: Instrumental Music Liberation Front –
The emancipation of Instrumental Music from the shadow of Modern Vocal Music

JUNO award nominated jazz pianist and composer Ron Davis with his ensemble SymphRONica go beyond the confines of musical genre to construct new sonic colors and textures.

  • Together with his ensemble SymphRONica, Jazz pianist, composer and Juno Award Nominee Ron Davis re-establishes instrumental music with his new album Instrumental Music Liberation Front on 15th May 2020
  • Ron is a firm believer that the history of western music is one where the instrumental lived in harmony with the vocal. Whether it’s a Beethoven symphony or a Verdi opera, Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit or Duke Ellington’s Isfahan, The Beatles’ Let It Be or Herbie Hancock’s Watermelon Man, instrumental music historically resided amongst singing cohesively together
  • Ron believes that instrumental music has recently disappeared amongst an ocean of vocals and words. This transgression is one that Ron wants to overturn with his 13th album Instrumental Music Liberation Front

      “Instrumental music must be restored to culture’s apex. We need an Instrumental Music Liberation Front. SymphRONica to the rescue. This record is the opening salvo. […] Let musical freedom ring! Let Instrumental Music be Liberated!” (Ron Davis, 2020)

 With his new album, Ron invites us all on a journey to where jazz meets the entirety of classical music: European, Quebecois, Sephardic and Gypsy music

  • Ron’s artistic philosophy drives him to transcend beyond the confines of genre towards new sonic textures and innovations
  • His mix of jazz and classical music is also tinged with funk, blues as well as world music. Instrumental Music Liberation Front itself pays tribute to the great names of classical, jazz and tango: Bach, Brahms, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, and also Reinhardt and Piazzola
  • Ron’s ensemble SymphRONica joins him on Instrumental Music Liberation Front. SymphRONica matches Ron’s philosophy by fusing together jazz and the symphony orchestra to create a new rich auditory palette for Ron’s original compositions
  • Ron is keen to engage with an increasingly varied audience, with whom he is in constant conversation with throughout his concerts. This has led him to define himself as a Musical Entertainer
  • Having already released 12 critically acclaimed albums, Ron’s latest album, SymphRONica Upfront, has been nominated for a Juno Award in 2020 (Canada’s Grammy or BAFTA equivalent) in the ‘Instrumental Album of the Year’ category

You can buy Instrumental Music Liberation Front here.

 Album Details

  1. Slow Down (Kevin Barrett / arr. Kevin Barrett)
  2. Sergei’s Shuffle – after Sergei Prokofiev – (Ron Davis / arr. Jason Nett, adapted for SymphRONica by Louis Simão)
  3. Pin Y Panouche – after Django Reinhardt – (Ron Davis & Aline Homzy / arr. Aline Homzy)
  4. Brahms – after Johannes Brahms – (Ron Davis / arr. Louis Simão)
  5. Bachzy – after J. S. Bach – (Aline Homzy / arr. Aline Homzy)
  6. Torontango – after Astor Piazzola – (Ron Davis / arr. Louis Simão)
  7. Canada’s Passage Hill – after G. F. Handel – (Ron Davis / arr. Louis Simão)
  8. Spatialism (Ron Davis / arr. Louis Simão)
  9. The Climb (Ron Davis)
  10. Dror Yikrah – with a nod to Igor Stravinsky – (Ron Davis / arr. Jason Nett)
  11. Reel du Pointe-au-Pic (trad. / arr. Aline Homzy)
  12. Rhosymedre – with a nod to Ralph Vaughan Williams – (trad. / arr. Louise Bevan)

Ron Davis – Piano
Kevin Barrett – Electric, Acoustic and E-Bow Guitars, Loops
Aline Homzy – Violin
Mike Downes – Bass (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 – 12)
Louis Simão – Bass (tracks 2, 4, 6, 8)
Steve Heathcoate – Drums and Percussion
Brielle Goheen – Violin
Laurence Schaufele – Viola
Beth Silver – Cello