JazzTimes is honored to present the premiere of “Prima Materia,” the opening track of pianist Connie Han’s latest album, Secrets of Inanna. Mack Avenue Records is scheduled to release the complete album on September 23.
“Prima Materia” features Han on acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes, along with bassist John Patitucci, drummer Bill Wysaske (who, in addition, composed the tune and produced the album), and Katisse Buckingham on piccolo and alto flute. Other tracks on Secrets of Inanna also feature tenor saxophonist Rich Perry.
The name Inanna comes from the mythology of ancient Mesopotamia; she was the Sumerian goddess of love, sensuality, beauty, fertility, procreation, and war. Fiery and independent, she would do as she pleased, often without regard for consequences. “Beloved by her people as the Queen of Heaven and Earth,” Han notes, “she represents a shining beacon of femininity, grace, and poise. This multifaceted goddess is self-assured in her unabashed pride, sexual conquests and audacity. Belligerent and feisty, Inanna stops at nothing to achieve her objectives as a passionate woman with an iron resolve and insatiable lust for power.”
Han comments further about this piece in particular: “The opening track of Secrets of Inanna is to be experienced as the primordial and tumultuous Chaos from which Inanna is initially forged. Defined as the original material of the universe, ‘Prima Materia’ illustrates the crucial moment before she awakens and discovers her laden power, ambition, and destiny as the true Queen of Heaven and Earth.”
For more information on Connie Han, visit her website.
