Brenda Miranda Hopkins - Simple

By James Nadal for All About Jazz The piano thoroughly lends itself to the emotional manifestations of the consummate and contemplative Brenda Hopkins Miranda. Simple channels her profound individuality, drawn from a private source of focused consciousness and performed with genuine grace and elegance. As a composer and producer, Hopkins Miranda is well-honed, and she is attuned to the album concept, as luminously displayed on Recuerdos de Granada/Memoirs from Granada (Zona Boricua, 2009) and it's repertoire, drawn from her Spanish sojourn. This time around, she is on a personal spiritual quest and has opted for the uncomplicated structure suggested by the title. But living on a tropical island (Puerto Rico, in the pianist's case) creates it's own sense of awareness, one which, here, enhances an integral component of Hopkins Miranda's music. From the opening 'Sand Balcony,' Hopkins takes a pianistic stroll from the beach to 'The Road,' which captures an approaching shower, leading to the downpour on 'Talking with the Rain,' slows down 'When Darkness Arrives,' and comes full circle with 'Waiting,' where the spirit of Pablo Casals, portrayed by cellist Kutasha Silva, drifts amongst the clouds. 'Calle Molinos' (Miranda's former address in Granada) displays glimpses of the vibrant flamenco flavor she knows well and later revisits with a full ensemble on 'Jameando por la Calle Molinos.' Her softer side is revealed on 'Sahira,' 'Ivannah' and 'Harito,' which-written for her nieces and nephew-highlight the playful and mischievous traits of children. Hopkins can keep it passive and light, or venture into the technical storm of 'The Music Inside Your Sea' with turbulence and tranquility. The sostenuto chords and resolute structure of 'Broken Promise' show the complexity of her personality, which she willingly hangs on her musical sleeve. A superb production, Simple portrays Hopkins Miranda as an adventuresome pianist, and embodies the old adage that still waters run deep. Track Listing: Sand Balcony; The Road; Talking With the Rain; When Darkness Arrives; Waiting; Calle Molinos; The Mirror Inside Your Sea; The Inner Path; Broken Promise; Sahira; Ivannah; Harito; Jameando por la Calle Mollinos. Personnel: Brenda Hopkins Miranda: piano; Enrique 'El Peru' Chavez: percussion (1, 3, 6, 8, 13); Vladimir Colonel: drums (1, 3, 6, 13); Samuel Morales: bass (1, 3, 6, 13); Kutasha Silva: cello (5). Record Label: Zona Boricua Records 'From the very beginning music has been the art that I carry out to conceive unity methods. Thanks to music my life has always been full of bridges. It was in music's neighborhood that I learned to turn sacred every experience along the road. It was there in it's resounding width that I was able to comprehend that the most valuable things in life are the simple ones. And so, moment to moment, I have been laboring on the discovery of myself through music. Each sound on Simple is a metaphor of a being that lives the trade of building paths and bridges. Unceasingly, everything I live keeps filling with melodies my hours of coming and going. The sources of these sounds are a solitude and silence overflowing with love and peace. The method of reaching them is contemplation. The fruit of this contemplation is a gratitude that turned into music. Simple is the celebration of everything that matters and remains: the journey, the search, the simple.' BHM 'Desde el inicio la música ha sido el arte que practico para concebir métodos de unión. Gracias a ella mi vida siempre ha estado llena de puentes. Fue en el barrio de la música que aprendí a volver sagrada cada experiencia en el camino. Fue allí en sus anchuras sonoras que conseguí comprender que lo más valioso de la vida se halla en lo simple. Y así, momento a momento, a través de la música he ido obrando el descubrimiento de mí misma. Cada sonido en Simple es la metáfora de un yo que vive el oficio de fabricar rutas y puentes. Incesablemente, todo lo que vivo va llenando de melodías mis horas de ida y vuelta. La fuente de estos sonidos son una soledad y un silencio desbordados de amor y paz. El método para llegar a ellos es la contemplación. El fruto de esta contemplación es una gratitud que se hizo música. Simple es la celebración de todo aquello que importa y que queda: el viaje, la búsqueda, lo simple.' BHM.