What an absolute joy it is to discover something brand new from Matthew Rivera and Stay the Course Records!
It's been three years since the label last blessed listeners with new music via their Bandcamp page and that sensational outing came from the Rivera-helmed Producer's Workshop Ensemble. Marking his third release under the Producer's Workshop guise, Rivera uprooted the label's music from the familial gritty soul setting of Chicago and moved it to Japan where he immersed himself amidst the talents of local musicians for a full-length that sat high amidst the label's sublime releases. Born out of his time in Tokyo in 2020, as the story goes, Rivera assembled a small studio's worth of instruments and recording equipment from visiting second-hand stores and then secured studio time where possible to hone and develop his new sound.
As Stay the Course Records founder, multi-instrumentalist and producer, Rivera as a one-man band or at the head of an ensemble delivers joyful results with each offering. Stay the Course has become home to the multitude of Rivera's musical offerings alongside his friends and collaborators including the quintessential dusty analog sound of Linden Troy's soul-drenched singles 'Rise & Shine' and 'Cares of the World', the ecclesiastical 'Rights of Love' by The Jazz Saints of Chicago, and the brilliant multi-faceted Bless The Mad project which paired Rivera alongside Ibrahem Hasan for an album that celebrated 60s psychedelic soul as much as 90s hip-hop and spiritual jazz.
'Immense Love' finds Rivera continuing his adventures in Japan in what appears to be a loving and deeply moving musical ode to his father. An engaging selection of private messages from his father accompany the Bandcamp description with encouragement in line with the label's own stay the course and persevere mentality.
With Rivera's immeasurable talents put to good use throughout the record tackling piano, synthesizers, drums, percussion, vibraphone, marimba and flute, Rivera is further backed by now-frequent collaborators in guitarist Tetsuta Otachi and saxophonist Takehide Hashimoto, both returning from the Producer's Workshop Ensemble in Japan project in 2022. The album's core is rounded out by bassist Ryozo Obayashi and trumpeter Kyotaro Hori along with vocalist ArinMaya who appears on the scene-stealing numbers including 'rain' and 'from'.
'Immense Love' features Rivera's and Stay the Course's signature lo-fi analog textures and in every sense is a heartfelt triumph. A testament to Rivera's vision and versatility. Whether you've followed Rivera's journey from the beginning or are just now tuning in, this latest chapter is a reminder of how powerful independent music can be when guided by love, intention and an unshakable creative spirit.
We'll leave you with a few words from Dad himself in one of the further treasures that bolster this whole project...
"Just keep on keepin' on and fuck what motherfuckers say. This is you yo. Body and soul, […] Most cutting edge performance styles were misunderstood and discounted by the so called experts of the time, yet we got Monk, Coletrane and modern art music (which nobody gets).not to mention the myriad musics of the world based on different systems, rhythms, times, scales and harmonies. Just do your thing."
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