With an otherworldly style,
It's Been Good, features odd bar phrases, lyrics with surprising rhyming structures, jazz harmonies, a South American feel and a rhythmic texture imbued with Turkish percussion. Mixon sometimes refers to his music as World Jazz and says that as a songwriter, he has always been influenced by composers such as Villa Lobos, Stevie Wonder, Leo Brouwer and Wayne Shorter. The new song and video, features a virtuoso vocal performance by Sarah Marie Young and expresses the angst of a parent having to leave behind a child and her plea for his welfare after her passing. This conventional release of this song comes at the conclusion of a GoFundMe campaign to benefit NCMEC, the National Center for missing and exploited children. For eight months, the recording was available only by way of donations. Donovan says, “The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), was highly instrumental in the rescue of my son, Ozan. They stayed in regular contact with the Turkish police, applying pressure to all related agencies. They kept in touch with me as well, calling periodically to receive updates or to simply ask, how I was doing. The campaign had two missions: To give hope to other parents searching for their child and to Give-Back to NCMEC for helping me to find my son." The song is inspired from a conversation between Mr. Mixon and his terminally ill Turkish wife who in anticipation of resistance from her family, expressed in writing her wish that their son be raised by his father, Donovan. But her wish was turned on its head in mid-June 2012, when the family kidnapped five year-old Ozan, launching a nation-wide search. The near five-year ordeal concluded with a dramatic 2016 police rescue in a resort town in southern Turkey. |
Donovan Mixon’s artistry has no boundaries. Classical, funk, jazz...it’s all here in one recording. His music is the embodiment of human expression and he has provided for our hearts and ears, a classic work of art in expression.
-Henrietta Robinson, Musician and Radio Host, “The Jazz Gallery”, WGBH-89.7 fm, Boston, MA USA |
Mixon's sliding rapid picking is reminiscent of fellow Chicago world music traveler Fareed Haque.
Culmination is a highly engaging release from a guitarist/composer with a distinct style who I hope to hear much more from in the future. Brad Walseth: Jazz Critic, Jazzchicago.net |
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