Evilena Protektore surprises with intercontinental musical collaboration

The essence of David Harris’s creation in the interpretation of Evilena Protektore and her like-minded colleagues

Composer and pianist David Harris, based in Houston (USA), concluded his active music career many years ago and currently earns a living in the financial sphere. However, music is still a significant part of his daily life, and he always finds time for composition and piano playing. Over the course of 30 years, he has created an extensive collection of compositions, and inspired by his loved ones, Harris has started to seek opportunities to record the best of his pieces in a studio performed by professional musicians. Initially reaching out to pianist Paul English, a possible ensemble lineup was selected.

The rhythm group consists mainly of faculty members from the University of North Texas: bassist Lynn Seaton, drummer Rich DeRosa, and a Houston based saxophonist David Caceres. Lynn Seaton worked as a visiting lecturer at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music less than a decade ago. During the few months he spent in Latvia, Seaton became acquainted with our small but vibrant jazz music scene. One of his successful collaborations was with singer Evilena Protektore, resulting in three recorded pieces in both audio and video versions.

Musical friendships and connections played a role several years later – the vocalist was invited to travel to the USA to participate in David Harris’s song recordings. An album produced years ago (before the pandemic) only recently saw the light of day. Ten charming songs saturated with expressive means typical of jazz music were recorded in this intercontinental musical collaboration. Without unnecessary innovation for the sake of superfluous experiments, the songs included in the repertoire sound like a full-fledged and high-quality evening concert at a jazz club. With tasteful blues intonations, bossa nova rhythms, and walking bass lines in the right places, a wide range of emotions is created for the audience.

The vocalist herself mentioned that although the music language may sound fairly traditional from an outsider’s perspective, from a musician’s point of view, one can notice certain nuances and deviations from conventional formal structures or cliché chord progressions. The ability to find freshness in existing and tried expression combinations can also be considered a sign of the composer’s mastery.

The album is rich with lyrical moods that can be felt in various ballad-type compositions. In the song «One Grey Day,» we can enjoy a special, almost symphonic ensemble sound featuring an elaborate piano introduction accompanied by hushed cymbal tremolos and drum touches with soft mallets reminiscent of timpani playing techniques. The lush low frequencies are provided by the double bass played with a bow. The melody, based on minor pentatonic and minor seventh-chord intonations, remains memorable. We also hear the sound of the saxophone – initially in brief interludes, but later coming to the forefront with small improvisational passages in the middle and at the end of the piece.

«Take Care of Me» is a dreamy ballad that genre-wise balances between a lullaby (guided by the musical material) and a love song (guided by the lyrics). The sequentially woven melody motifs and flowing waltz-like rhythm gently envelop and invite the listener to immerse themselves in emotions. «Our Love Affair is Over» is a poignant ballad where the vocalist’s sung story is complemented by saxophone and piano playing and improvising. The vocalist says this is one of her favorite pieces recorded on the album. A similar emotional tone is evident in the album’s title track, «You Loved Me Then.»

In the song «Lark,» the saxophone performs the main theme at the beginning. Only later do we hear the vocalist intertwining the melody with words. The nature motifs characteristic of romanticism and the portrayal of the human inner world, as well as the subtly nuanced musical aesthetics, continue in the song «Hello Silly Rainbow.» It is evident that the composer, consciously or unconsciously, selects expressive means that correspond to the narrative – for example, by singing about a rainbow, special attention is given to the harmonious coloring.

Based on Evelina Protektore’s knowledge of jazz traditions and vocal techniques, we can appreciate the effectively swinging «Pinocchio Friend,» where the singer not only performs the main theme but also delivers an improvisational section. Protektore’s vocal skills and wide range are also revealed in the cozy bossa nova «Ready to Fly.» The melodious piece, held in charming, bright major tones, at times, pushes Evelina to reach into a relatively low register for a female voice. This is also the only piece where we hear a trumpet tone (in the improvisational section). The instrumental accompaniment created by the ensemble musicians is commendable, with a well-balanced sound and such stylistic correctness that it brings to mind the legendary recordings from Jamey Aebersold’s instructional books.

In addition to bossa nova, we can hear a Latin American-styled musical fabric in another piece – the playful samba «I’m Not the One.» Here, there is a vivid contrast between the positively charged musical mood and the drama unfolding in the lyrics. Standing out from the other pieces is «Evening Song,» where we can hear a more modern musical language. This piece features the characteristic musical language of pianist McCoy Tyner with quartal/quintal harmonies and consistently expressive energy in improvisations where the bass and drums also have moments of glory.