Giuseppe paradiso & Meridian 71: Parallel Dimensions (UBU0104)

Ubuntu Music is delighted to announce the signing of the versatile Italian drummer and composer, Giuseppe Paradiso & Meridian 71, for the release of Giuseppe’s sextet album, Parallel Dimensions, on 15th April 2022.

Meridian 71 is a cross-cultural music project created and led by Giuseppe since 2012. The project name comes from Boston's longitude: the 71st meridian that passes precisely through the eastern part of the city. Their third album features original compositions by Giuseppe who performs with an eclectic and multicultural ensemble of well-established Boston-based musicians.

“Boston is the location where I met musicians from different parts of the globe. We are deeply connected and spoke the common language of music together”, reflects Paradiso. “It felt like I had known for a long time that at some point in my life I would have met musicians just like them, way before moving across the Atlantic in 2008. Meridian 71 became the creative laboratory and space to develop this music.”

Meridian 71 is more than a conceptual band…it's a dynamic and ever-changing musical project with a revolving lineup and a driving vision to use music and sound to inspire, bridge cultures and create links within different traditions.

Blending music genres that range from jazz and improvised music to Mediterranean and West African styles, the Parallel Dimensions album features Giuseppe on drums, percussion, electronics & vocals; Mark Zaleski on alto & soprano sax/clarinet; Utar Artun on piano & keys; Phil Sargent on electric guitar; James Hazlewood-Dale on upright, electric and fretless bass; Malick Ngom on West African sabar drums, percussion and vocals.

Giuseppe provides his thinking behind the project: “I began composing the Parallel Dimensions album during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in April 2020. This was a time when, on a personal level as well as in the World, many events were unfolding uninterruptedly almost on a daily basis. Music, creative development and art were my medicine and my life’s purpose that guided me through and kept inspiring me to continue a search for deeper layers and to stay focused on my life’s purpose. This album is an attempt to describe the different and parallel realities that each one of us experience even living the same event, at the same time and in the same place. Different perceptions, beliefs, ideologies and interpretations can make a singular event be a completely different story and experience for each one of us, sometimes based also on equivocacy.”

Giuseppe explains further: “These original compositions represent my extensive and ongoing research into multiculturalism and the different traditions and cultures to which I have been exposed musically and personally. Indeed, my experience performing as a sideman with hundreds of international musicians and artists across genres and continents has undoubtedly shaped my own identity and voice as a musician and brought me to create an eclectic and international ensemble in which I could blend all of these different experiences that have enriched my life both on a professional level as a performer and a composer, as well as on a personal level.”

Concerning his signing with Ubuntu Music, Giuseppe elaborates: “I am very excited and honored to be included in the Ubuntu Music Family. I look forward to a new chapter for this project in working with such a great record label and team. Since the very beginning I fell in love for the work that the Ubuntu label was putting out in the world. Working with Martin Hummel, I realized how much love and respect he has for musicians and their work. This alone makes me feel at home and glad to be working with such a label. It has been a unique and very enriching experience. It’s not easy to meet people in the industry who respect and fully understand the musicians’ work. Martin’s sensitivity in this regard has blown me away.  He is undoubtedly one of a kind, and I am so glad we crossed paths. The support of Ubuntu Music will definitely help take this project to the next level in so many different ways, thanks to their expertise in the field and marketing strategies, as well as network and distribution. The Meridian 71’s ensemble and I are thrilled to be a part of their roster as we expand our family across the Atlantic.”

Martin Hummel, Director of Ubuntu Music, concludes: “Meeting Giuseppe and hearing his project was an immediate joy for the head, heart and the ears. We have a strong affinity for jazz music that transcends cultures and defies genres. ‘Parallel Dimensions’ does just that, from the genesis of the band’s formation through to the compositions and the musicians who made this possible. It is fantastic to welcome Giuseppe and Meridian 71 to the Ubuntu Music Family.”