Vox Syndrome

Digipak Suite in 21 parts www.nicolasletmanb.com “There is a wizardly intelligence behind the design. It is a thrilling tribute both to Nicolas' writing and to the imaginations and talents of the players that the music never feels contrived, that it breathes and moves with such organic coherence and spontaneity.”­­— Michael Attias Session Work is pleased to present VOX SYNDROME, the highly anticipated new release of bassist/composer Nicolas Letman-Burtinovic, featuring ROBIN VERHEYEN on saxes, AKIRA ISHIGURO on guitar and two drummers NICK ANDERSON and ZIV RAVITZ working two different sides of polyrhythms. VOX SYNDROME is Nicolas’ fifth album as the band leader. The continuous suite consists of twenty-one tracks lasting 40 minutes. The album features music that has been composed specifically for the musicians in the group with emphasis on the band's ability to create textural sounds and complex rhythms obtained by blending the band's personalities. VOX SYNDROME performed two full years before recording the eponymous release. Nicolas studied fine and performing arts before becoming a musician. Devoted to creation in many media, he has always believed that “art has to witness its own time.” In laying the groundwork for VOX SYNDROME, New York City has the provided the backdrop for this credo. Music is a sociological documentation of the world around us at a specific time period; VOX SYNDROME achieves this with the added element of capturing “Live Energy” in the studio recording. There are mini raw improvisations interspersed throughout the suite which transport the listener to an exciting audio realm so intensely that the forty odd minutes that passes goes by so quickly that the time passed is hardly noticed. This new album can be listen to on so many layers, still keeping the cohesion of the stories told; it is questions and answers how to record original music in connection with past present and future! When musicians record their music in a studio, they try to document their music by infusing it with the “live energy” experience, which is only attainable during a live performance. This “live energy” is what maintains the ambiguity between composition and improvisation. Miles Davis knew this, which is why he never recorded his music in the same way he performed it; he even used a different repertoire when recording to keep the recordings sounding spontaneous. VOX SYNDROME is a beautifully unique suite, weaving micro parts which flow into each other linking universes, opening doors to new dimensions. " All conspire to create a natural world of organic resonance and behavior... and yet as one listens further, deeper, a new metaphor emerges, that of a perpetuum mobile, carefully constructed with moving levers, pulleys, triggering mechanisms, detonators; the landscape has become a jigsaw puzzle of moving parts" Michael Attias Nicolas has been in New York City creating, performing and composing for the last 15 years. His last major sideman job was with the ARCHIE SHEPP in January 2013. His latest band UNATTENDED PARKING consists of TONY MALABY on sax, TYSHAWN SOREY on drums and BOBBY AVEYon piano. Nicolas is known for using polymeters and odd meters based on Philadelphia bassist, Jymie Merritt's polymetric system. In 20011 he subbed in Merritt's band during Merritt's illness. He continues to compose metric stories for bands and perform new music, such as free improvisation in the collective UNCONSPISCUOUS MEETING with DANIEL CARTER, RAS MOSHE, JEFF PLATZ, FEDERIKO UGI, as well as prepared bass performances, using 2 or 3 bows simultaneously. “I dig the way Nicolas uses each instrument (soprano or tenor saxes, electric or acoustic guitars) in different ways, which give each piece a different strategy or structure to deal with. This quintet doesn't have just one style or sound since each piece is so different. Yet all of the music is well-written and thoughtfully composed. This is the mark of a mature or well-seasoned composer and band-leader. I would bet that if one were to play this disc in the shuffle mode, a different but less interesting story would unfold. Impressive, no matter what way you view or hear it.”— Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG