release date: 22.10.2021 via Attaboygirl Records
JUNO Award-winning guitarist and oud master Gordon Grdina launches his new label Attaboygirl Records with a remarkable pair of inaugural releases, Pendulum and Klotski, due out October 22, 2021. Album download links are below.
Pendulum is Grdina’s third solo album and his second composed for classical guitar and oud. It intricately explores the harmonic possibilities of the guitar and oud in ways that bridge their Western and Arab
The prolific Vancouver-based guitarist, composer, improviser, and master oud player Gordon Grdina has long been tireless in his pursuit of new possibilities and partnerships for his expansive musical imagination. Seeking a new outlet that can keep pace with his ever-expanding roster of ongoing projects and new collaborations, Grdina has announced the launch of Attaboygirl Records. The endeavor is being undertaken in collaboration with his partner, photographer Genevieve Monro, who will curate the distinctive visual style of the label. At the outset Attaboygirl will begin strictly as an imprint for Grdina’s own efforts, though the founders have plans to eventually expand to include other artists as well.
“I seem to be putting out more music than other labels can handle,” jokes Grdina about the new effort. “The label is a project that Genevieve and I have wanted to take on for a while now. It allows us to release projects when we want and to create a cohesive visual style for these disparate releases.”
The label’s name stems from a favorite saying of Monro’s late father, serving as a personal dedication while alluding to the two partners at the helm. “It’s also a positive, encouraging sentiment,” Grdina adds, “which is important when taking on something new like this.”
Pendulum builds upon the success of Grdina’s previous solo releases. The first, 2018’s China Cloud, featured his usual arsenal – electric guitar and oud – won a Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy) for Instrumental Album of the Year. His Juno-nominated 2020 follow-up, Prior Street, shifted into more of a chamber-jazz concentration with pieces designed for classical guitar and oud. The new album continues in that vein, intricately exploring the harmonic possibilities of the instruments in ways that bridge their Western and Arabic origins.
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photo: Genevieve Monro
Gordon Grdina
Gordon Grdina is a JUNO Award-winning oud/guitarist whose career has spanned continents, decades and constant genre exploration throughout avant-garde jazz, free form improvisation, contemporary indie rock and Arabic. His singular approach to the instruments has earned him recognition from the highest ranks of the jazz/improv world. Grdina has performed and collaborated with a wide array of field-leading artists including Gary Peacock, Paul Motion, Marc Ribot, Mark Helias, Mats Gustafsson, Hank Roberts, Mark Feldman, Eyvind Kang, Colin Stetson, Mat Maneri, Christian Lilinger, Matt Mitchell and Jim Black.
He currently leads multiple ensembles in Vancouver and New York, including the Gordon Grdina Quartet with Oscar Noriega, Russ Lossing, and Satoshi Takeishi; The Marrow with Hank Roberts, Mark Helias, Hamin Honari, and Josh Zubot; Square Peg with Christian Lillinger, Mat Maneri, and Shahzad Ismaily; Nomad Trio with Matt Mitchell and Jim Black; The Gordon Grdina Septet with Peggy Lee, Jesse Zubot, Kenton Loewen, Tommy Babin, Eyvind Kang and Jon Irabagon; and Haram, an Arabic/avant-garde ensemble that re-envisions the Arabic, Persian and Sudanese repertoire of the 50’s and 60’s from a modern improviser’s lens.
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