Migrations by Allison Au
Migrations is a musical exploration of why people leave their homes to pursue life in a new land, and the reverberating impact it has on future generations. It is an acoustic tribute to the complex but universal human act of migration, weaving lush, mosaic-like dreamscapes with poignant, heartrending lyrics.
A suite of music conceptualized by the JUNO award winning saxophonist and composer Allison Au (pronounced “ow”), Migrations draws emotion and depth from Au’s family history of immigration to Canada: from Southern China and Malaysia on her father’s side and war-torn Poland and Israel on her mother’s side. A biracial descendant of migrants, Au’s compositional process is also informed by her personal experience of reconciling displacement, cultural identity, family legacy and the notion of home.“Migrations is one of the most important pieces of music I have created because it is so personal. It speaks to my identity as a Canadian born to immigrant parents and delves into subject matter that I previously attempted to articulate, but never found the project through which to do so.”
Commissioned by the Royal Conservatory of Music in 2019, Migrations premiered in January 2020 at the 21C Music Festival at Toronto’s Koerner Hall, and was recorded as Au’s fourth studio album in 2022 in Toronto.
Au’s most ambitious compositional work to date, the suite marks the first time Au has featured both vocals and string quartet in her writing. Migrations features the musicians of the Allison Au Quartet - Todd Pentney (piano), Jon Maharaj (bass) and Fabio Ragnelli (drums) - alongside an expanded instrumentation that includes Michael Davidson (vibraphone), Aline Homzy (violin), Jeremy Potts (violin), Catherine Gray (viola), Amahl Arulanandam (cello) and guest vocalist Laila Biali. As a testament to the sentiments of traumas and upheaval shared by migrants of different backgrounds and circumstances, the lyrics of Migrations feature the words of poets including Emma LaRocque, Ruth Padel, Rae Marie Taylor, Duncan Mercredi, Chief Dan George, Langston Hughes and Wanda Coleman.
Tracklist
| 1. | Choice | 1:32 |
| 2. | Prayer | 4:25 |
| 3. | The ISM | 3:06 |
| 4. | Progress | 5:23 |
| 5. | Aves Raras | 4:16 |
| 6. | Racing Across The Land | 5:05 |
| 7. | For Russell and Rowena Jelliffe | 2:46 |
| 8. | Them Intro | 0:41 |
| 9. | Them | 3:52 |
| 10. | Keep a Few Embers From the Fire | 0:57 |
| 11. | Migration | 4:42 |
| 12. | Pecola | 1:17 |
| 13. | I Dream a World | 4:22 |
Credits
Recorded by David Hermiston at Revolution Recording in Toronto
Mixed by David Hermiston
Mastered by Justin Gray at Immersive Mastering
Produced by Todd Pentney
Graphic Design & Collages by Yesim Tosuner
The style of the collages are based on the work of Susana Blasco with the artist's permission. See her beautiful art at susanablasco.com
Personnel:
Allison Au alto saxophone, soprano saxophone
Todd Pentney piano, Prophet 6
Jon Maharaj bass, electric bass
Fabio Ragnelli drums, auxiliary percussion
Laila Biali vocals
Michael Davidson vibraphone
Aline Homzy violin
Jeremy Potts violin
Catherine Gray viola
Amahl Arulanandam cello
Migrations Suite was commissioned by Koerner Hall and The Royal Conservatory for 21C Music Festival 2020 with generous support from Nance Gelber & Dan Bjarnason.
This recording was made possible by the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, The Ontario Arts Council and The Radio Starmaker Fund.
License
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Allison Au (pronounced "ow") is JUNO award winning saxophonist, composer and arranger. Highly regarded for her distinctive and imaginative voice, Allison has been lauded as “a new jazz ambassador” for Canada.