Holding It Down: The Veterans' Dreams Project
| Holding It Down: The Veterans' Dreams Project | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 24, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | June 21–22, 2012 | |||
| Studio | The Bunker, Brooklyn, New York | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 70:04 | |||
| Label | Pi Recordings | |||
| Producer | Vijay Iyer | |||
| Vijay Iyer chronology | ||||
| ||||
Holding It Down: The Veterans' Dreams Project is a collaborative studio album by American jazz pianist Vijay Iyer and American hip hop musician Mike Ladd. It was released on Pi Recordings in 2013.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz |   [1] |
| Financial Times | [2] |
| The Irish Times | [3] |
| JazzTimes | favorable[4] |
| Los Angeles Times | [5] |
| MusicOMH |  [6] |
| PopMatters | [7] |
| Tom Hull | B+[8] |
Daniel Paton of MusicOMH gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "compelling and beautiful; troubling and moving in equal measure."[6] Mike Hobart of Financial Times gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, writing, "Each track is stalked by the fear, guilt and surrealism of the post-traumatic dreams that were culled from scores of interviews."[2]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Here" (Mike, Cambridge) | 3:07 | |
| 2. | "Derelict Poetry" (Maurice, Brooklyn) |
| 4:15 |
| 3. | "Capacity" (Lynn, Bronx) |
| 3:56 |
| 4. | "Walking with the Duppy" (Rashan, Queens) |
| 3:42 |
| 5. | "There Is a Man Slouching in the Stairway" (Maurice, Brooklyn) |
| 3:59 |
| 6. | "My Fire" (Brad, Chester) |
| 3:09 |
| 7. | "On Patrol" (Maurice, Brooklyn) |
| 4:53 |
| 8. | "Dream of an Ex-Ranger" (William, Newton) |
| 3:09 |
| 9. | "Name" (Lynn, Bronx) |
| 3:37 |
| 10. | "Costume" (Mike, Cambridge) |
| 4:08 |
| 11. | "Tormented Star of Morning" (Maurice, Brooklyn) |
| 5:09 |
| 12. | "Patton" (Calvin, Massapequa) |
| 4:58 |
| 13. | "Shush" (Maurice, Brooklyn) |
| 4:06 |
| 14. | "REM Killer" (Kirk, Lexington) |
| 3:48 |
| 15. | "Requiem for an Insomniac" (Maurice, Brooklyn) |
| 5:14 |
| 16. | "Dreams in Color" (Lynn, Bronx) |
| 2:39 |
| 17. | "Mess Hall" (Merrin, San Diego) |
| 6:15 |
| Total length: | 70:04 | ||
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.
- Vijay Iyer – piano, electric piano, electronics, production, programming, liner notes
- Mike Ladd – vocals, analogue synthesizer, liner notes
- Maurice Decaul – vocals
- Lynn Hill – vocals
- Pamela Z – vocals
- Guillermo E. Brown – vocals, effects
- Liberty Ellman – guitar, mixing
- Okkyung Lee – cello
- Kassa Overall – drums
References
- ^ Corroto, Mark (October 31, 2013). "Vijay Iyer / Mike Ladd: Holding It Down: The Veterans' Dreams Project". All About Jazz. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ a b Hobart, Mike (October 25, 2013). "Vijay Iyer & Mike Ladd: Holding it Down: The Veterans Dreams Project". Financial Times. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ Larkin, Cormac (November 22, 2013). "Vijay Iyer & Mike Ladd: Holding it Down: The Veterans Dreams Project". The Irish Times. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ Beuttler, Bill (December 21, 2013). "Vijay Iyer & Mike Ladd: Holding It Down: The Veterans' Dreams Project". JazzTimes. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ Barton, Chris (September 10, 2013). "Review: 'Holding It Down' awakens us to veterans' dreams". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ a b Paton, Daniel (September 30, 2013). "Vijay Iyer & Mike Ladd – Holding It Down: The Veterans' Dream Project". MusicOMH. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ Garratt, John (December 8, 2013). "Vijay Iyer & Mike Ladd: Holding It Down: The Veterans' Dreams Project". PopMatters. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ Hull, Tom. "Tom Hull: Grade List: Vijay Iyer". tomhull.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.