A sphere between other obsessions is a recording born of friendship and spontaneity. Our two protagonists, Jorge Rossy (vibes) and Noé Sécula (piano), embarked on a journey into the great and masterful repertoire of Be-Bop High Priest Thelonious Monk.
Hence the title of the project, “A Sphere Between Other Obsessions”—“Sphere” being one of the many nicknames or titles attributed to Monk. Thelonious’s music is always a site of tremendous spontaneity, both in its performance and in the emotional states it evokes in the listener. Indeed, such unique melodies, daring rhythms, and unheard harmonies often bring about abstraction—even spirituality.
The many nicknames given to musicians throughout history tend to describe, in brief but powerful terms, the character of one’s playing, composing, or even human behavior. “The High Priest of Be-bop”, “Sphere”—both evoke the abstract and transcendent nature of Monk’s music and personality.
The High Priest of Be-bop seems to be leading the way toward a new kind of musical ideal— one that moves away from the generic idea of “perfection.” This isn’t to say that Monk wouldn’t consider his music perfect or as it should be—but rather, it challenges musicians to abandon false idols of musical perfection and performism(so to speak), and instead embrace what could be called raw honesty. Honesty is the habit of appearing as one truly is.
In a sense, Thelonious Monk encourages any artist to abandon trial and replace it with being. To bring in a trivial reference: like the wise Yoda says to an impatient Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back: “There is no try. Do or do not.”
This recording session fully embraced what we could call, in the classical sense, “imperfection”—but what is in reality the urge not to control, the end of planning and expectation in the musical realm.
Jorge Rossy is a raw example of trust and honesty. Whether in behavior or playing, rare are the musicians who dare to appear as intellectually or artistically naked as he does. He was the perfect fit for a dive into Monk’s world in the sense that he doesn’t “try”—he does. Even when soundchecking or rehearsing, it sounds like a statement. There is no tiptoeing in Jorge Rossy’s musicianship.
The act of recording in a studio can be quite a challenge for any musician. It wouldn’t be too bold to say that most serious musicians are well aware of their own weaknesses—either in the moment or in general. The studio has the potential to become a nightmare if one isn’t used to it, since it can so easily reflect your truest self. Nothing escapes a microphone and an honest ear. A classic ego¬driven, self-destructive temptation is to ceaselessly stare into that sonic mirror with the eyes of the harshest judge—a.k.a. yourself.
Ego is a spectrum. It’s not entirely negative—but a good part of it can be poisonous. Jorge brings the antidote through his experience and example: an example of unconditional love for the object—in this case, Music, and especially the music of Sphere—and a total forgetfulness of self. Under such conditions, the studio becomes a transformative space, giving birth to music that is easy to listen to, and even easier to love.
On the tracklist, the listener will notice three tunes that are not by Monk, nor (to my knowledge) ever recorded by him: “All the Things You Are”, “Come Rain or Come Shine”, and “What’s New”.
These are the “obsessions” I brought in, due to a delay in the recording schedule. Jorge and I had different times available that day—I arrived at the studio in the morning, and he came at 3 p.m. (which was our usual meeting time). During that time, I recorded these three takes. It felt crucial tome that they be included on the album, because they were simply part of what happened musically that day.
In the hope that you will enjoy this music as much as we enjoyed recording it.
—Noé Sécula
