Trombonist Ryan Keberle and his quintet Catharsis are one of the most versatile “jazz” groups in New York today. And not what you might expect. Featuring vocalist/guitarist Camila Meza, the band uses riveting contrapuntal arrangement for horns to frame songs that communicate directly. This new video is for Keberle’s take on the Beatles song “The Fool on the Hill” from the protest album, Find the Common, Shine a Light, released earlier this summer on Greenleaf Music.
“‘The Fool on the Hill’ is one of the first songs I have a clear memory of listening to, singing and playing along with, and emotionally connecting to thanks to my dad’s record collection growing up,” says Keberle. “This arrangement was done almost 15 years ago while I was doing my artist diploma at the Juilliard School, but the lyrics struck me as particularly relevant to our current times. While I’ve been dedicating the piece to our current “fool-in-chief” and his cadre of foolish sidekicks, the lyrics also speak to human nature’s tendency to quickly pass judgement based on superficial observations, leading to a lack of tolerance and social awareness, something most of us are guilty of during these polarizing times.”