This Land by Theo Bleckmann & The Westerlies

Theo Bleckmann and The Westerlies present This Land, a new collaborative project that merges the candor of the human voice with the limitless expressiveness of brass, highlighting the power of music to invigorate protest movements and provide internal solace amidst external turmoil.

This Land features original compositions as well as arrangements and settings of voices of truth from past and present, including Bertolt Brecht, Joni Mitchell, Woody Guthrie, Agha Shahid Ali, and others. Bleckmann delivers the words of these luminaries with the utmost precision and clarity, using his impeccable technique and command of live electronic effects to evoke sounds that range from the brightest clarion to the murkiest dark.

The Westerlies exploit all of the expressive capabilities of their instruments, sometimes brazenly heroic, sometimes painfully intimate. Fearless improvisers and generous collaborators, these artists form an ensemble that is lithe, organic, and formidably cohesive. Although stalwart in their resistance to the boundaries of genre, Bleckmann and The Westerlies welcome the listener into their world with open arms.

This Land is a universe all its own. There is an inherent sense of power, solace and beauty in these songs; the message is resistance, but the music is irresistible.

Tracklist

1.	The Fiddle and the Drum	2:41

2.	Land	3:46

3.	Two Good Men	2:06

4.	Another Holiday	6:05

5.	Tear the Fascists Down	0:51

6.	Look for the Union Label	2:53

7.	Wade in the Water	3:26

8.	The Jolly Banker	0:47

9.	Grandmar	6:52

10.	In the Sweet By and By / The Preacher and the Slave	3:32

11.	I Ain’t Got No Home In This World Anymore	0:45

12.	Das Bitten der Kinder (Recitation)	1:01

13.	Das Bitten der Kinder	2:52

14.	Looking Out	5:11

15.	Thoughts and Prayers	2:43

Credits

released January 29, 2021

Theo Bleckmann - Voice & Live Electronic Processing

The Westerlies:

Riley Mulherkar - Trumpet
Chloe Rowlands - Trumpet
Andy Clausen - Trombone
Willem de Koch - Trombone

Recorded August 27-29, 2019 at Lethe Lounge, New York, NY
Produced by The Westerlies
Recorded, Mixed, and Mastered by Joseph Branciforte
Additional Engineering by Luke Bergman

© & ℗ 2021 The Westerlies Music Inc.
WST002

www.westerliesmusic.com

Cover Image by John Labbe
Cover Design & Layout by Theo Bleckmann

Special thanks to the Board of Trustees of The Westerlies Music, Inc: Mark Wittow, Gayle Bush, Marc Daudon, Laurie de Koch, Kristina Teuschler, Florangela Davila, Georgia Ragsdale, John Schlosser, Georgina Javor, and Natalie Weiner.

Additional thanks to Seth Knopp and Catherine Stephan, Yellow Barn, Mark Ettinger, Phil Kline, David Middleton, Stephen Cohen, John Labbé, Craig Davidson, Matt Merewitz, Christina Jensen, Preston Bailey, Steve Judson, Chris Williams, Michael and Carole Marks, George Elvin, Jesse Lewis, Wayne Horvitz, Fleet Foxes, Lucy Shelton, Mike Halperin and Jodi Green, Richard Kessler, Dave Douglas, Margaret Lioi, Brian Chin, Henry Herrington, Julia Barrett Mitchell, Nate Zeisler, Steve Hoffman, Bobby Asher, Christina Baker, Alana Klonoski, Laura Duni, Julie Hamre, Fred Tauber, Deborah Sherr, Avaloch Farm Music Institute, Yellow Barn, Cascadia Music, Joye in Aiken, and the families of The Westerlies.

License