{"product_id":"saul-williams-carlos-nino-friends-saul-williams-meets-carlos-nino-friends-at-treepeople","title":"Saul Williams, Carlos Niño \u0026 Friends - Saul Williams meets Carlos Niño \u0026 Friends at TreePeople","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eLand Back!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn unadulterated opening statement intoned by Saul Williams three times, as he joins Carlos Niño \u0026amp; Friends in sound ceremony underneath oak and black walnut trees in Coldwater Canyon Park, Los Angeles, on December 18, 2024.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe performance, which was organized by Noah Klein of Living Earth on the grounds of longstanding conservationist organization TreePeople, was the first of its kind for longtime friends and collaborators Williams and Niño. The two have been in contact since 1997 and have worked on a variety of projects together, but had never been moved to present in this way. For the occasion, Niño assembled and directed an ensemble of frequent collaborators including Nate Mercereau (Guitar Synthesizer, Live Sampling with Midi Guitar, Sample Sources), Aaron Shaw (Flute, Soprano Saxophone with Pedals, Tenor Saxophone), Andres Renteria (Bells, Congas, Egyptian Rattle Drum, Hand Drums, Percussion), Maia (Flute, Vibraphone, Voice), Francesca Heart (Computer, Conch Shell, Sound Design), and Kamasi Washington (Tenor Saxophone).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWilliams’ inspired poetics both fit seamlessly and guide clairvoyantly the electro-acoustic ecosystem created by Niño \u0026amp;\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eFriends – a constellation of deep connections and intersecting linkups from complementary sound makers. There’s the dialogue between not just Niño \u0026amp; Williams but Niño and Renteria’s reciprocal percussions; the intergenerational woodwind counterpoint between Washington and Shaw; the hovering harmonics of Maia’s vibraphone in aerial resonance with Heart’s digital designs. Heart’s sounds also make a beautiful analogue to synth-guitarist Nate Mercereau, whose live sampling and manipulation techniques turn fleeting moments of sonic presence into musical architecture in real time. Deepening the dimensionality of this constellation, Mercereau and Niño are several years into a shared musical simpatico that has yielded dozens of powerful collaborations, making their particular interaction on this recording as spiritual and transcendent as it is subtle and implicit. And there is yet another connection to be highlighted still.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLate in the set, Williams shares an extended reflection on the Dutch East India Trade Company, the indigenous Lenape people on the island of Manahatta, the origins of Wall Street, and a prayer for the end of empire as he incites an epic crescendo from the ensemble, swirling behind the twin winds of Shaw and Washington, spirited by his repeated call “I’ve seen enough.” The smoke has only begun to clear from this emotional apex as Williams passes the torch to poet Aja Monet, who arrests the atmosphere with a soft apocalyptic reading of a piece from her notebook, “The Water Is Rising.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs Monet finishes her poem and steps aside, Williams follows her foreboding words with a solemnly hopeful return – closing the ceremony with a parable about a firing squad, where one member's dilemma is a \"system of belief\" allowing for humanity in the heart of an oppressor.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased August 28, 2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSaul Williams - Voice, Words, Shaker\u003cbr\u003eCarlos Niño - Bells, Chimes, Cymbals, Surdo Bass Drum, Floor Tom Drum, Gong, Mexican Ceramic Aerophones, Percussion, Rattles, Shakers, Voice, Whistles . . .\u003cbr\u003eNate Mercereau - Guitar Synthesizer, Live Sampling with Midi Guitar, Sample Sources\u003cbr\u003eAaron Shaw - Flute, Soprano Saxophone with Pedals, Tenor Saxophone\u003cbr\u003eAndres Renteria - Bells, Congas, Egyptian Rattle Drum, Hand Drums, Percussion\u003cbr\u003eMaia The Artiste - Flute, Vibraphone, Voice\u003cbr\u003eFrancesca Heart - Computer, Conch Shell, Sound Design\u003cbr\u003eKamasi Washington - Tenor Saxophone\u003cbr\u003e*aja monet - Voice, Poetry (on 4.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Carlos Niño\u003cbr\u003eConcert Presented by Noah Klein and Living Earth LA\u003cbr\u003eConcert Sound by Adrian Garcia-Romano\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded by Ken Barrientos at TreePeople,\u003cbr\u003eLos Angeles, California, Wednesday, December 18, 2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMixed by Dave Vettraino\u003cbr\u003eMastered by David Allen\u003cbr\u003eFront \u0026amp; Back Cover Photos by Todd Weaver\u003cbr\u003eInsert Photos by Sam Lee, Adam Corey Thomas, and Hop Nguyen.\u003cbr\u003eLiner Notes by Mama Claudia Udy, Haize Hawke, Noah Klein, Sham-e-Ali\u003cbr\u003eNayeem, Def Sound, and Dee Barnes\u003cbr\u003eDesign by Aaron Lowell Denton\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*aja monet appears courtesy of drink sum wtr\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0102 Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":52121009127698,"sku":"IARC0102LP","price":28.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0102 Limited *Forest Edition* Color Vinyl","offer_id":52121009160466,"sku":"IARC0102LPI","price":32.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0102 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121009193234,"sku":"IARC0102CD","price":13.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0102 Digital Download","offer_id":52121009226002,"sku":"IARC0102","price":8.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a3315149564_10.jpg?v=1773615073","url":"https:\/\/shop.intlanthem.com\/products\/saul-williams-carlos-nino-friends-saul-williams-meets-carlos-nino-friends-at-treepeople","provider":"International Anthem","version":"1.0","type":"link"}