Raffi Garabedian’s new album, The Crazy Dog, is a concept album adapted from his father and grandmother’s writings, weaving the tapestry of the Armenian journey overseas and the venture of immigrating to America. It’s also the saxophone player’s first time writing for voice, and on “A Mother’s Letter,” he infuses a vulnerability in the snaking melodies and subdued sonic atmosphere.
“A Mother’s Letter” was the first song I composed for this project,” Garabedian explains. “Adapted from a poem my grandmother wrote, the melodic and harmonic structure emotes a somber mood, embodying her painful life growing up as an orphan, fleeing Turkey during the Genocide, and carrying this trauma into a foreign land where she struggled to raise her family. To me, the words reflect her love and distress for my father.”
Danielle Wertz’s voice carves a gently sloping chasm in the warm, translucent landscape, with Garabedian’s saxophone cascading in earnest patterns, backed by a resonant aural guild. His ensemble on The Crazy Dog is fantastic, featuring Jonathan Beshay, Ben Goldberg, Danny Lubin-Laden, Dierk Peters, Rashaan Carter, and Sean Mullins in addition to Wertz and Garabedian. Beshay’s pointillist flute solo dances across Peters’ vibraphone, adding a surprising whimsical layer to the song’s heavy mood. With so many elements moving through this reflective journey, we are drawn into the center of this world on “A Mother’s Letter.” As the wailing sax solo outro spills into the air, we are ready to move into the night. A wonder.
The Crazy Dog will be released on March 15. Stream below and pre-order HERE.
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What a gorgeous + moving track! Love the arrangement as well as the playing.
Beautiful Raffi! You’re saying it in a most exquisite way. It’s a gift to my ears and heart.