Zoh Amba

DIGIPACK EDITION

The world is more elusive than simple cause and effect imply, more typically, life circumvents causation in favor of an unknowable correlation; however, we often turn to where we come from to try to understand where we are.

On this first volume from Zoh Amba and Francisco Mela, the duo brings their regional traditions, from Tennessee and Cuba respectively, and musical inclinations to the cause and effect behind their own life stories. Causa y Efecto, Vol. 1 is an ode to the two musicians’ roots, transporting audiences between the New York studio where it was recorded and the mist-shrouded mountains where they each grew up.

On these tracks, Mela builds a textured, percussive foundation that Amba interrupts with breathy tenor saxophone and her distinctive flute. On “Maria,” dedicated to Mela’s mother, simple hand drumming provides a gentle rhythm, overlaid by Amba’s delicate flute and Mela’s full baritone voice, delivered in the unassuming style of the campesino. Causa y Efecto, Vol. 1 is an ode to the countrysides that both musicians came from, decades apart, and the experimental, improvisational pursuit for which they've joined in New York.

PERSONNEL:

• Zoh Amba - (tenor saxophone, flute)
• Francisco Mela - (drums, voice)

Recorded April 12, 2021.

TRACKS:

• 01. Maria
• 02. Dos Vidas
• 03. ZOME
• 04. Serenata
• 05. Desafíos