The Vince Lahorra Quartet: Rise Above

Song: “Rise Above“
Composed by Vince Lahorra
Copyright @ 2022. All intellectual property rights reserved.
Performed by The Vince Lahorra Quartet
Mario Elepaño - keyboard
Dave Harder - bass
Lawrence Nolan - drums
Vince Lahorra - saxophone
Produced by Vince Lahorra
Recorded Sept. 20, 2022 @ Banana Rising Recording Studio
Sound engineering and video editing by Iñigo Mortel

ABOUT THE SONG
I composed “Rise Above” in June 26, 2022. This is the first waltz i ever composed. I am influenced by the jazz waltzes of Bill Evans (Waltz For Debby, Very Early), Chick Corea (Windows, Waltz For Dave), and Antonio Carlos Jobim (Mojave), so I tried to channel the ambiance and mood of these songs. Many thanks to Dave, Lawrence, and Mario. Your attention to detail and superb performances helped make this song come to life!

ABOUT THE ALBUM
“Rise Above” is the title of my debut album of 9 original compositions. Of the 9, 1 was composed pre-pandemic, 7 during the Covid-19 pandemic, and 1 post-pandemic.

Why the title? The phrase “Rise Above” is defined as “to not be affected or limited by circumstances, offensive remarks, and negative situations.” I was inspired by the story of the great scientist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton. Quick story: Year 1665, at the onset of what is now known as The Great Plague. England and the rest of Europe were forced to impose lockdowns on entire cities and towns. Newton was then a 23-year-old student at Trinity College, Cambridge. Instead of engaging in leisurely activities to pass the time away, he decides to make productive use of his time by furthering his studies on his own. By the time the pandemic was over and the lockdowns were lifted, Newton had laid the foundations for Calculus, made discoveries in Optics, as well as formulated his now-famous Theory of Gravity.

Not all storms come to disrupt your life; some come to clear your path.

Fast forward to March 2020. While the rest of the world took to Zoom, Netflix, K-Pop, K-Drama, TikTok, etc., and with no gigs in sight and plenty of time on my hands, I composed. Day after day, night after night. After so many failed attempts and a huge pile of musical scraps, a few original, truly-inspired compositions emerged. I made a vow to myself to record these with my band "someday when this pandemic is over."

Well, "someday" arrived. In May of 2022, I put together the music sheets, reunited with my band members, scheduled rehearsals and recording sessions. This is the result.

The pandemic may have took 2 and a half years worth of gigs from me, but by RISING ABOVE the circumstances, I was able to do what I’ve always wanted to do - express myself through my own original music.

I hope you enjoy the music and the videos as much as we enjoyed putting this album together.

Vince Lahorra
October 2022

Видео The Vince Lahorra Quartet: Rise Above канала Vince Lahorra