Convocation

Daniel Carter has been on a life of music mission now for many moons, starting in NYC in 1970 and having just turned 80. Steve Hirsh came up in the late 60’s and early 70’s and made a natural progression from rock to jazz and jazz improvisation. They came together recently for a duo recording on Mahakala. The music they created together takes listeners to the center of both of their relationships with music, and is aptly titled Convocation.

Patient playing calls for patient listening. People today often want their emotional needs met immediately when listening to music. The music on this album expands at a natural pace, going deeper and deeper into places for both Daniel and Steve and the listener. The reward is great for those with the courage to stop scrolling and join with them here in a sacred space conversation. The same way clouds move in front of the sun, the way light enters and leaves your room, is the way the music flows here. There’s moments where the past and future exist simultaneously. Steve brings the natural rhythm, reminding us all that we live on a rotating planet orbiting the sun. Together, Steve and Daniel remind us that as in their music as in life, change is always coming.

Daniel engages with his horn family. Steve is playing Steve music, with his personal sound, touch, and swing on the kit. They travel together, united in co-creation. They often enter a timeless space that still swings. Dynamics are matched moment to moment, note to note, beat to heartbeat. They discover a place unknown to all, that only they could find together.

A duo journey complete for all of us to remember..

Matt Lavelle