Barney McAll : MODAS (Mother of Dreams and Secrets)

Spirits rejoice! Expatriate pianist Barney McAll returns to Australia to present material from his new album, Mother of Dreams and Secrets, a celebration of Afro-Cuban sacred rhythms, especially those of the Orisha Yemaya, a saint in the Santerian religion.

The record, which was recorded in Cuba and New York earlier this year, features Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar, saxophonist Billy Harper along with a number of leading Cuban musicians, and is the culmination of three study trips Barney has made to the Caribbean country.

These new pieces, which have already been performed in New York and Europe to great acclaim, have a hypnotic and ethereal quality, with the tempos slowed down to provide a rock solid foundation for the melodic and harmonic overlay.

Barney has lived in New York for the last nine years and currently performs there with such artists as Gary Bartz, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Josh Roseman.

He has also worked with other leading jazz figures, including Kenny Garrett, Stefon Harris, Wallace Roney, Dewey Redman and Eddie Henderson.

Barney has written music for several films, including Liberia: An Uncivil War and Hide and Seek, featuring Robert De Niro.