How Near How Far

With a rich, singing tone and an unerring gift for melody, bassist Etienne Mbappe imparts even the　most demanding musical contexts with a grace, warmth, and humanity that transcends boundaries,genres, and languages. His gifts have been put to use as a member of John McLaughlin's 4th　Dimension and the Ringers (with Jimmy Herring, Wayne Krantz, Michael Landau, and Gary Novak),along sideman appearances with Joe Zawinul, Manu Dibango, Robben Ford, Slif Keita, Ray Charles,Steps Ahead, and saxophonist Bill Evans. Now audiences can experience Mbappé's own music　via How Near How Far, his forth solo album and the first to focus on his instrumental music.How Near How Far also marks the debut of Mbappe's new band the Prophets - featuring　Christophe Cravero (acoustic and electric piano), Anthony Jambon (guitars), Clement Janinet(violin), Arno de Casanove (trumpet, flugelhorn), Herve Gourdikian (tenor saxophone), and　Nicholas Viccaro (drums, percussion). With the unusual trumpet/tenor/violin front-line leading　the way, the Prophets explore eleven Mbappe originals, which touch on a number of international　traditions while bridging cultural divides via deft musicianship and a thoughtful, conversational　improvisational approach. "My music is influenced by places I have traveled, people I meet, colors　I see, flavors that I taste, fun that I've had, and, sometimes, the pain that I feel," Mbappe explains.
"We live in a complex world today. I want nothing more than to bring that joy and understanding to　people through music."

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