Roots: PRE-ORDER AVAILABLE NOW

$20.00

Packaged in a digi-cardboard sleeve.

BONUS: Digital download of “Ostara Project – Roots – 01 – Dreams and Olive Trees” track.

Description

“The Ostara Project is an all-star collective of top female Canadian jazz players whose music swings far above the ordinary.”

Stuart Derdeyn, Edmonton Journal

Amanda Tosoff (pn) Rachel Therrien (tpt) Valérie Lacombe (dr) Allison Au (sax) Jodi Proznick (bs) Shruti Ramani (v)
Dreams and Olive Trees
The first single from “Roots”, composed by Amanda Tosoff, is an instrumental celebration of longing, hope, and the rhythmic beauty of Bulgarian folk music.

Release Date: February 7, 2025


Raven Haven


The second single, composed by Valérie Lacombe, is a heartfelt tribute to the ravens of Whitehorse. Their mysterious presence served as a muse for the project, embodying themes of transformation, strength and connection in this evocative composition.

Release date: March 7, 2025


Roots


This album is a stunning instrumental homage by the award- winning jazz musicians of the Ostara Project, Canada's all-female supergroup. 'Roots' pays tribute to the foundations of musical, personal, and ancestral journeys—explored, inspired, and distilled into a piece of art destined to be played on repeat.

Release date: April 11, 2025


Recorded at the Warehouse Studios, Vancouver B.C. | March 6, 7 & 8, 2024  | Producers: Jodi Proznick and Amanda Tosoff | Engineer and Mixing: Sheldon Zaharko | Editing: David Hermiston | Mastering: Chris Gestrin | Artwork: Joyce Majiski |   Design and Layout: Kyra Wittikoff |    Photography: Michele Mateus |  Rhea Records Inc.
1) Dreams and Olive Trees (A. Tosoff) 5:25
2) 2601 (A. Au) 6:22
3) What A Moonlit Night (A. Voloshchenko and V. Ovchynnikov arr. J. Proznick) 4:24
4) Rajalakshmi (S. Ramani) 6:44
5) Papa (R. Therrien) 4:45
6) Voyage Sans Retour (R. Therrien , C.L. Therrien) 1:48
7) Raven Haven (V. Lacombe) 5:03

Liner Notes by Céline Peterson
It has been two years since we were first introduced to the Ostara Project, a group of Canadian, female-identifying musicians, composers, arrangers, and educators whose debut album was nominated for a JUNO Award. I found myself waiting (quite impatiently) for the next project from this group, and it has been worth the wait. Roots—the first in a two-album project titled Roots & Wings—is a magnificent encapsulation of cultures, ancestry, and inspiration expressed in original compositions and arrangements. This album takes us across the world, traveling to Bulgaria, Poland, Germany, Ukraine, India, France, Italy, and, of course, ending right back home in Canada. Roots opens with Dreams and Olive Trees, written by Amanda Tosoff.
Through her exploration of her Bulgarian roots, Tosoff was introduced to “Polegnala e Todora,” a Bulgarian folk song performed by The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices that tells the story of a young woman dreaming of her future love while napping under an olive tree. Tosoff’s composition opens with a simple piano intro that acts as a warm welcome, gradually opening to other voices, creating layers of sound and rhythmic complexity.
Allison Au’s contribution to Roots is 2601, a composition written in honor of her grandfather. The title references his Auschwitz identification number tattooed on his arm. A testament to Au’s tremendous skill as a composer is that this song, given the background, could be rooted in darkness but does not leave the listener burdened. While the weight behind the piece can certainly be felt, the layers and depth of the composition, coupled with the musicianship on display, act as a resounding reminder that even within the most unimaginably painful stories, beauty can remain present.
What a Moonlit Night, arranged by Jodi Proznick, is a Ukrainian folk song written by kobzar Andriy Voloshchenko and Vasyl Ovchynnyk. Within the first two seconds, you are instantly transported to a small town in Ukraine via Rachel Therrien and Tosoff, who open the tune. Au, Proznick, and Valérie Lacombe soon join in, and before you know it, you are sitting in a jazz club in the city, listening to the band swing, and fully engaged in the mastery before you.
Vocalist and composer Shruti Ramani paints a musical portrait of her grandmother with the composition Rajalakshmi. The song is an exquisite intertwining of Hindustani and jazz styles, a fusion that Ramani showcases with expert precision. The exploration of different tempos throughout the song, coupled with the inclusion of both traditional and contemporary jazz sounds, brilliantly achieves Ramani’s goal of introducing her grandmother as a multi-faceted human being with personality and warmth.
Continuing with honoring specific familial relationships, Rachel Therrien pays tribute to her late father with Papa, a song born from a melody she wrote shortly after his passing. Therrien and Proznick open the piece with an interconnectedness that can only come from human and musical connections on full display. Therrien’s father was a boat captain, and as the song progresses, there is an element of freedom that evokes being on open water, enjoying a still and reflective contentment that also holds energy and positivity. With Voyage sans Retour, we are introduced to Therrien’s grandfather through a poem he wrote titled “Voyage Sans Retour,” which translates to “a journey of no return.” Therrien recites her grandfather’s words with strength (and what I felt as pride) to fully improvised contributions from Au, Ramani, Proznick, and Lacombe. The spoken word piece is an innovative display of the mastery on show throughout this record.
The album concludes with Raven Haven, written by Valérie Lacombe and carrying a fitting connection to the Ostara Project. This exuberant blues tune was named after the ravens that were ever-present in Whitehorse during the group’s first residency together in 2022. The short, punchy solos provide each artist with a final chance to express her chops as a soloist while celebrating, with joy and energy, the delight of playing together.
There is a beauty in the openness and vulnerability of musicians creating together. Our roots are deeply personal stories that take courage to share and sensitivity to receive. Roots is a powerful album because it is the expression of artists who know how to both speak and listen and who have found joy and magic in merging their distinctive voices into a cohesive and joyful chorus. We will all have to stay tuned for Wings to see where they will take us next.
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