In the Moment Jon Hemmersam & Asal Malekzadeh

• 1 Rumi's Garden 04:10
• 2 Song for Asal 05:53
• 3 Tango Red 03:57
• 4 In Our Soul 04:46
• 5 For Paco 10:23
• 6 Five-Eight 04:02
• 7 The Persian Way 09:15
• 8 Yellow 05:43
• 9 Turnarounds 07:59
• 10 Menilz 10:46
• 11 Pop Song 02:28
• 12 Epilogue 03:34
• Total Runtime 01:12:56

Info for In the Moment

To me, the music on this recording represents some of the most profound and direct communication between two human beings you can possibly imagine. Asal Malekzadeh and I had never met or played together prior to this recording. We only had the desire and deep wish to create something beautiful together. I would call it an invitation from our destiny, to follow the path of One Truth, One Music, One Love.

This recording is of Daf and acoustic guitar in an entirely improvised setting. All the music on this recording is completely improvised in the moment, and composed in real time. To do this, the participants need to have completely open hearts, souls and minds, and mutual love, respect and understanding for each other, in order to communicate beyond rational thinking and to create a space from the deepest place, where only the heart and soul will guide you.

I feel Asal and I succeeded in doing this, beyond words, creating a once in a lifetime statement of beauty, love and hope, not only for us, the musicians, but also for the future of mankind. Communication is all about listening. If you truly listen to each other, there won’t be any misunderstandings, but a possible exchange and inclusion of cultures. Asal Malekzadeh is from Iran, I am from Denmark. But, within and from mutual listening, our respective countries are one with each other. One truth, combined with different colours, shapes and forms.

I hope you will enjoy this recording as much as we enjoyed making it, from our deep hearts and souls directly to you, the listener. (Jon Hemmersam)

Jon Hemmersam, acoustic guitar, acoustic contrabass guitar
Asal Malekzadeh, daf
Niels Praestholm, double bass

Jon Hemmersam
is a world-renowned guitarist, musician, composer and improviser from Denmark. His credits include albums with some of the greatest names in modern jazz and contemporary classical: percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie (The Core-tet Project and Sound Spirits), saxophonist David Liebman (who has previously worked with Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, Wayne Shorter and John McLaughlin), drummer Bob Moses (Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Herbie Hancock, Charles Mingus), violist Szilard Mezei, pianist Michael Jefry Stevens, and guitarist Dom Minasi, among many others.

David Liebman has compared the talent of Jon Hemmersam with that of Miles Davis, stating that “Jon is a free music pro, meaning he knows what he wants from the musicians in the textural arena, setting the stage in such a way that the musicians are pulled in a unified direction—much like Miles could.”

Hemmersam has recorded three albums with David Liebman, Remembering the Future (2008), Duende (2010) and Singing Red (2013). In 2007 Hemmersam received a pre-draft GRAMMY nomination for the Jon Hemmersam/Dom Minasi Quartet album released that year. This album was chosen as one of the best albums of 2008 by Down Beat magazine. Hemmersam has also released two books of his compositions with the Danish music publishing company GUF,12 Compositions for small ensembles and Danza é Spiritu for larger ensembles.

Booklet for In the Moment