NYC label Book Works, inspired by the music beloved by co-founders Oskar Mann and Martin Davis, is one of the latest additions to Notre. To celebrate the arrival of selections from their SS20 range on our site, we asked Oskar to put together a playlist—a little thank you from the Notre and Book Works teams for your continued support. We chatted with Oskar earlier this afternoon and he talked us through the set of tracks he assembled:
“I’m never really happy with these things, so better just to let it go, and I’ll do another one. I’m always kind of precious with anything to do with music. It’s such a cheesy line, but it is defined by the listener. What something means to me, it might mean something different to you. Like, “Heather,” the BIlly Cobham song, it could be perceived as sad, but it could also be perceived as beautiful. I find that place really interesting, where it can start really mellow and transition into beauty. You start with a frown and end with a smile, I hope. Looking over these—Gary Bartz, Pharoah Sanders, Ornette Coleman, even the Bobby Hutcherson—they’re all quite saxophone heavy. I studied saxophone, so the first thing I listen to is the saxophone player. Saxophone is similar to cello in that it’s the closest instrument to the human voice. It’s the same timbre. There’s something in that that I think can resonate with people. It can be very lyrical, very comforting. It can feel familiar—like a voice. The Ornette Coleman track, the singer on that is a woman named Asha Puthli. It’s also this intersection of sadness, or pain, and beauty. And, the last track, Love To the World,’ anything with kids is really hopeful. It’s just nice hearing these kids constantly saying, ‘love to the world.’”
