Blessed is an album by American composer, saxophonist and clarinet player Joe Maneri

Joe Maneri

Joseph Gabriel Esther "Joe" Maneri , was an American jazz composer, saxophone and clarinet player. Violinist Mat Maneri is his son....

 with his son, violinist Mat Maneri

Mat Maneri

Mat Maneri, born on October 4, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York is an American composer, improviser and jazz violin and viola player, specifically derivatives such as the five-string viola, the electric six-string violin, and the baritone violin...

 recorded in 1997 and released on the ECM label.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars stating "It has within it the basis of a new study of harmonic improvisation, and a manner of execution and construction that show respect and tenderness not only toward one another as family, but to the music they approach with the sole intention of changing it from the inside out. Blessed is remarkable for its close dancing with the infinite".

Track listing

All compositions by Joe Maneri and Mat Maneri except as indicated

1. "At the Gate" - 3:53
2. "There Are No Doors" - 4:22
3. "Sixty-One Joys" (Mat Maneri) - 4:01
4. "From Loosened Soil" - 11:05
5. "Five Fantasies" - 5:36
6. "Never Said a Mumblin' Word" (Traditional) - 5:38
7. "Is Nothing Near?" - 9:03
8. "Body and Soul
   Body and Soul (song)
   "Body and Soul" was recorded as a duet by Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse in 2011. It was the final recording made by Winehouse before her death on July 23, 2011. The single was released worldwide on September 14, 2011 on iTunes, MTV and VH1....
   
   " (Frank Eyton
   Frank Eyton
   Frank Eyton was an English popular music lyricist best known for co-writing the lyrics of Johnny Green's "Body and Soul" with Edward Heyman and Robert Sour....
   
   , Johnny Green
   Johnny Green
   Johnny Green was an American songwriter, composer, musical arranger, and conductor. He was given the nickname "Beulah" by colleague Conrad Salinger. His most famous song was one of his earliest, "Body and Soul"...
   
   , Edward Heyman
   Edward Heyman
   Edward Heyman was an American musician and lyricist, best known for his compositions "Body and Soul", "When I Fall in Love", and "For Sentimental Reasons". He also contributed many songs for films.-Biography:...
   
   , Robert Sour
   Robert Sour
   Robert Sour was a lyricist and composer, and the president of Broadcast Music Incorporated .In 1940 Sour worked for Broadcast Music as its lyrics editor, and by 1966 had risen through company ranks to become BMI's president. Two years later he had become the company's vice chairman and was...
   
   ) - 6:16
9. "Race You Home" - 1:12
10. "Gardenias for Gardenis" (Joe Maneri) - 1:42
11. "Outside the Whole Thing" - 5:36
12. "Blessed" (Mat Maneri) - 5:05
    • Recorded at Hardstudios in Winterthur, Switzerland in October 1997

Personnel

• Joe Maneri
  Joe Maneri
  Joseph Gabriel Esther "Joe" Maneri , was an American jazz composer, saxophone and clarinet player. Violinist Mat Maneri is his son....
  
   - clarinet
  Clarinet
  The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
  
  , alto saxophone
  Alto saxophone
  The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
  
  , tenor saxophone
  Tenor saxophone
  The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
  
  , piano
  Piano
  The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
  
  
• Mat Maneri
  Mat Maneri
  Mat Maneri, born on October 4, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York is an American composer, improviser and jazz violin and viola player, specifically derivatives such as the five-string viola, the electric six-string violin, and the baritone violin...
  
   - violin
  Violin
  The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
  
  , electric 6 string violin
  Electric violin
  An electric violin is a violin equipped with an electronic output of its sound. The term most properly refers to an instrument purposely made to be electrified with built-in pickups, usually with a solid body...
  
  , baritone violin
  Baritone violin
  A Baritone violin is a member of the violin family and has two specific meanings:* a violin tuned an octave below conventional violin tuning . This is commonly accomplished by stringing a standard violin with heavy gauge strings, sometimes specially manufactured for this purpose. Oversize...
  
  , electric 5-string viola