Diaspora Suite is the fourth in a series of Diaspora recordings that composer, trumpeter, bandleader, arranger, session player, producer, and musician-about-the-world Steven Bernstein has released on John Zorn's Tzadik imprint since 1999. The first three, Diaspora Soul, Diaspora Blues, and Diaspora Hollywood, were all universally acclaimed for their originality in taking traditional cantorial songs and other Ashkenazi folk music and arranging them in ways that allowed for elements of jazz, blues, rock, funk, soul, and even show tunes to integrate and transform one another without losing what was inherent to begin with. Now, four records in nearly nine years isn't a stretch for most musicians. But it's a wonder Bernstein gets them done at all, given the sheer number of other projects that he is deeply involved with -- working with Hal Willner on the Leonard Cohen tribute/documentary I'm Your Man, directing the band for Robert Altman's film #Kansas City and taking the band on tour, scoring episodes of the #Backyardagains animated TV series, playing with his longtime group Sex Mob, being a member of Levon Helm's band in Woodstock, playing dozens of recording sessions on trumpet and slide trumpet, playing in the Millennial Territory Orchestra, and playing in the Harlem Experiment -- as well as being a family man. According to his liner essay, Bernstein said label boss Zorn told him that if he wanted to record another album in the Diaspora series, he wanted all original material. Bernstein sat on this information while going about tours with his Diaspora band and doing all of his other work, all of which was tightly arranged. When playing with the Kansas City Band at Altman's memorial, he was amazed at the sheer number of actors, writers, and family who paid tribute to the man and his work ethic. A couple of Altman quotes guided him, including "You write so the actors know who they are...allow the conversation to unfold...and get it all on tape" and "Create an event and shoot it like to you have no control over it."

1		Reuben
2		Simeon (Yis May Chu)
3		Levi
4		Judah
5		Dan
6		Naphtali
7		Gad
8		Asher
9		Issachar
10		Zebulon
11		Joseph
12		Benjamin

	Like us on Facebook
	@SoundHound	Follow