"Inner Peace" Goes Into The Film World

When you write music, especially for a record you always wonder who will end up listening, how far will it go, and of course, how people will receive it. Luckily my first record was well received. The critics said great things and above all the fans enjoyed it. But now with the second record available, would it live up to the hype and surpass it, or just be another record released.

I put my heart and soul in everything that I do. That includes the music I write, and I do my best so that it comes across that way when it's recorded. Cause then again...you really never know who's listening.

A few weeks ago I was contact by Ben Crowe, a well respected, award winning film director based out of the U.K. He heard the title track of my latest record "Inner Peace" (Turnaround Records 2010) and wanted to use it for a scene for his upcoming film. I'm pleased and beyond words in telling all of you that it has come to fruition.

This is something I've always dreamed about happening and I feel this is only the beginning.  The films title is Verity's Summer and it's do out in a few months in a number of film festivals. I can't thank Ben and his producer Emma enough for wanting one of my compositions in the film.

See the thing about being positive and believing in yourself is that it has the power of opening doors that may not show itself until you do. Positive attracts positive. You yourself, generally are the only one holding yourself back. The biggest wall to climb, the excuses your mind can come up with, the countless reason why you shouldn't because that just might be easier. The moment you leave that mindset behind is the moment you begin to live.

A quote that I once read speaks volumes to me as I write to you. "It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not" -Author Unknown

So though I am truly excited for this opportunity, the thoughts and dreams I have for the future excited me just as much. I won't stop just to be the norm, instead I will continue to reach my dreams regardless of peoples ideas of what is possible and impossible.

What will be next for the life of Albert Rivera, his music and his life? I can only imagine, but for now, I'll have a smile, and give myself a pat on the back for what I consider.. a job well done.

‘Inner Peace,’ Albert Rivera helps define Atlanta’s Turnaround Records

Jazz CD review: With ‘Inner Peace,’ Albert Rivera helps define Atlanta’s Turnaround Records
by Jon Ross | Jan 10, 2011

Turnaround Records had a full-blown coming out party in 2010. The two-year-old Atlanta label had been relatively quiet since its founding, only releasing the debut disc from its sole artist, New York tenor saxophonist Albert Rivera, in 2008. Last year, “Evidence of Things to Come” by local saxophonist Brian Hogans — here’s my review — rolled out; another local player, trumpeter Melvin Jones, went into the studio for a recording due out this spring. In addition to signing new talent, the label also returned its original signee in the act, releasing Rivera’s sophomore effort, “Inner Peace.”

The saxophonist’s gruff, unaccompanied tenor is the first sound on “Inner Peace.” There’s reverb — it sounds like he might be playing in a tunnel — but the short, rhythmic statement introducing “It Always Comes Back to This” is otherwise completely raw. Rivera repeats a four-note pattern twice in a commanding, low tone before the band joins in and he launches into a melodic line full of tender sentiment. The album’s foundation is a contrast between this bedroom sound and the aggression heard mostly during Rivera’s solos. In the span of a minute, the saxophonist has imprinted his two personalities on the up-tempo song, which evolves into a smooth funk tune, propelled by prodding organ pecks, frenetic brushwork and the clean guitar tone of Mark Whitfield.

On soprano, which Rivera reserves for two languid ballads (“Inner Peace” and “While You Were Gone”), he asserts his more confrontational personality on the smaller, more sensitive-sounding instrument. Rivera’s soprano sound is equally as compelling as his tenor technique; he wrestles a deep, rich tone from the bright, tiny saxophone.

Bassist Luques Curtis and pianist Zaccai Curtis, holdovers from Rivera’s last effort, are thoughtful accompanists who help bring Rivera’s ideas to fully-formed compositions. The exceptional Nick Roseboro is also heard on trumpet, his improvisations matching (and nearly exceeding) Rivera’s abilities. For the rest of his sidemen, the saxophonist uses a revolving door — Jean Caze on trumpet; Nathan Jolley and John Iannuzzi on drums; Beck Burger on Hammond B3; and Whitfield on guitar. This lineup is broken up into different combinations for each tune (everyone playing together would be a bit muddy for Rivera’s songs), and this gives Rivera the benefit of introducing new ideas into the group and receiving fresh responses in return. Each ensemble change is flawless; the many different units presented on the album work interchangeably.

“Inner Peace” typifies Turnaround Records’ musical outlook. Storied jazz companies like ECM Records and Blue Note became famous for spotlighting certain types of musicians and helping mold a signature recorded atmosphere through studio techniques. When listeners picked up a Chick Corea album on ECM, they were buying the label’s idea of jazz as well as the musician’s artistic concept. While Turnaround Records lacks the output to establish a definition of its place in the jazz sphere, “Inner Peace” echoes many of the same ideas heard from Hogans on his debut. The albums eschew traditional standards and opts for original material that incorporates a range of pop, funk and jazz influences. Through studio work, the artists have a crisp, clean sound with a presence so big it jumps out through the speakers.

Of course, two artists don’t make a label, and it’s a bit early to start writing the history of Turnaround Records. But Rivera and Hogans have gone a long way toward helping the label achieve an all-encompassing concept.