Milena Casado – Reflection Of Another Self
Today, Milena Casado, trumpeter, composer, and producer, announces her debut album Reflection of Another Self due out May 16 via Candid Records.
Alongside the announcement, she released two singles, “Resilience,” and a shorter interlude “Circles (Retrospection)”
“Resilience” is an adventurous, modern track that highlights Casado’s production prowess, with vocal loops, spoken word, and her wailing, lyrical trumpet. About “Resilience,” she says “This song is about pushing through. Moments of doubt, moments of struggle – we all have them. But resilience is finding the strength to keep going. Don’t give up. Don’t let anybody stop you. Believe in yourself. Dream. Laugh. Be happy.”
Reflection of Another Self is a stunning first statement that is sonically adventurous and a deeply personal exploration of her identity, overcoming personal traumas including experiencing racism growing up in Spain and grappling with her dual heritage, among other profound topics. It is an adventurous and bold statement from a newcomer who has been honing her skill with luminaries and biding her time, constructing a debut album fit for someone destined to upend the jazz world.
To start, Reflection of Another Self is a deep dive into one woman’s personal traumas and her journey in processing them and understanding forgiveness. But those stories — of facing down prejudice, of a journey of self-discovery, and ambition — are also profoundly universal. To tell her story, Casado pursues a visionary concept. Reflection of Another Self is a layered and immersive blend of dreamlike, cinematic electronic textures with outstanding organic performances.
Co-produced by Casado with “one of her biggest mentors and friends,” the drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, and the wizardly multi-instrumentalist Morgan Guerin, Reflection of Another Self boasts a dream team of special guests: harpist Brandee Younger, flutist Nicole Mitchell, pianist Kris Davis, sound artist and turntablist Val Jeanty and the MC Kokayi. Meshell Ndegeocello stops by to lay down a bassline on “Self Love,” the meditative closer of pure uplift. Alongside these artists is a core band including some of the finest improvising musicians in the game: pianist Lex Korten, bassist Lex Korten, bassist Kanoa Mendenhall, drummer Jongkuk Kim, and Morgan Guerin on EWI.
Reflection of Another Self is the most important achievement yet in Casado’s career, but it’s also the beginning of a bold new aesthetic. “When I began this album, I had all these expectations: It’s my first album; It needs to express exactly who I am” she says. “But now I see that it’s really just the starting point of a long exploration.”
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