'One of Us', the latest CD of the Indo-American composer-pianist Ramona Borthwick confirms the favourable impression and perceived interest that had already been raised in her previous work, 'A New Leaf'. A first listen to 'One Of Us' makes it apparent that there has been a heightening of artistic maturity on the part of Borthwick. Not so much as in the use of instruments, soething she was already gifted with, but in the stylistic approach and creation of music, and in the dynamics of the arrangements. There is a lot of attention to rhythm, with frequent and brilliant development of it. The rhythm is always characterized by a vitality that captures the listener with an intensity that draws him/her toward a positive and relaxed state of mind.

The theme that Borthwick explores in this recent work is the preservation of the integrity of the earth so that future generations can benefit from its gifts. This is indeed one of the major issues of concern in contemporary history, undoubtedly related to the sensitivity and spirituality which undoubtedly Ramona inherits from her Indian origins.

In this journey, a ‘concept-album’ created with entirely original compositions, Borthwick explores the diverse souls of the earth, representing them with music blended by Latin sounds, and cultural ideas originating from her place of birth, India. This music is built off solid differing jazz structures, as well as classical music.

This realization of this attempt through music develops a narrative power with a capacity to achieve and subliminally coerce, interrogate and lay bare the conscience of the listener while reaching the most profound level of awareness.

The spirit of the entire CD is well summarized and represented in 'Who’s Your Mama', the opening track of the CD, which has a mixture of swing marked with 'post-bop' compositional influences and a recurrent use of the voice as an instrument.

Considerable attention has been paid to the instrumentation, something that Borthwick has always done and which is evident in this self-produced CD. And there are rare moments of great lyrical composition, as in ‘One Of Us’, the song that lends its name to the album, and ‘Gaia’, which evokes the drama and genesis of the earth.

Refined and elegant, the serene opening of 'Eight Winds', where swing meets Latin rhythms, has the theme masterfully developed by the brilliant and passionate trumpeter Ingrid Jensen. With Borthwick's characteristic generosity towards her collaborators, the the opening phrases of the CD are entrusted to the trumpet. This is bolstered by a substantial contribution from the double bass and voice.

Samba and bossa rhythms - again happily represented in 'Rio Alegre', display Borthwick's luminuous pianism and highlight another protagonist that must be mentioned, Noel Borthwick. Partner in adventure to Ramona, he has produced the project. Noel is also a great technician and guitarist of rank, and assumes a full role as player in the group. In this song particularly, his playing displays the “Brazilian” spirit, showing great ability to play themes originating from the south-occidental.

Worth mentioning are German double bassist Johannes Weidenmueller, whose fluid and solid touch appears throughout the entire CD, his bright and harmonic lines sometimes the real focus of the composition; and the brilliant drummer Adam Cruz, whose playing reflects his experience with the best exponents of South-American jazz, and who strongly contributes to enhancing the spirit of the entire Latin-jazz project.

Just to underline what is the constantly growing interest in this artist, we remind you that this CD appears in 'The Hotbox' of May 2010's issue of the prestigious journal DownBeat Magazine.

Musicians:
Ramona Borthwick – piano, composition, vocals
Ingrid Jensen – trumpet - flugelhorn
Noel Borthwick – guitarist
Johannes Weidenmueller – bass
Adam Cruz - drums.

Tracks:
01 Who's Your Mama
02 Chinese Whispers
03 Listening to Love
04 One of Us
05 Resident Alien
06 Gaia
07 Eight Winds
08 Garden of the Gods
09 Retrospeak
10 Rio Alegre

Links:
Interview at Sound Contest with Ramona Borthwick