Iskandar Widjaja just doesn’t line up with the image of a musician on the classical music scene. As the ambassador of a new generation he simply can’t be pigeonholed as representing this or that genre. He connects worlds: as soloist with internationally renowned ensembles – from the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the Munich, Warsaw and Shanghai Philharmonics to the Hong Kong Sinfonietta – and equally as a performer at mass-media events like Miss World or Miss Earth, the Milan EXPO or Paris Fashion Week. He has long been a TV star in East Asia with regular television appearances, commercial advertising contracts and “trending topic” status on Twitter. In his new project Mercy, Iskandar Widjaja presents a broad musical spectrum with a closely interwoven thematic structure, summing up his achievement to date and opening a new phase of his life.
Marking a further progression in the overall Durutti sound, Without Mercy both an expanded lineup and sense of what could be done with Reilly's compositions. Consisting of a two-part full-album instrumental piece, Without Mercy integrates the slight hints of classical orchestration and accompaniment from Another Setting more fully via a slew of additional players. Besides the indefatigable Mitchell on percussion and Reilly on guitar, bass, and keyboards, performers on everything from viola to cor anglais and trumpet flesh out Without Mercy's sound to newly striking heights. Reilly's work on piano sets the initial mood for the song, a sound by now as intrinsic to Durutti's approach as his guitar work, capturing both tender beauty and deep melancholy just so…
Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, The Mercy Brothers are vocalist extraordinaire Barrence Whitfield and guitarist/producer/songwriter Michael Dinallo.Barrence Whitfield, the soul man/blues shouter/country singer well known from Barrence Whitfield and the Savages, has been called, “…the owner of one incredible pair of lungs and limitless energy and enthusiasm for his music” by John Dougan, in the All Music Guide. Besides touring the world over with the Savages, Barrence has made two critically acclaimed records with Tom Russell, worked with Jim Dickinson, and has a track on the Warner Brothers album from Where I Stand: the Black Experience in Country Music released in 1998. Barrence’s track on the set is a cover of Merle Haggard's Irma Jackson.Michael Dinallo, the former bandleader/guitarist for the Radio Kings, is one Boston’s most sought after producer and guitar players. Michael has become known as the man behind the artist: “Dinallo is that rare self-effacing guitarist who eschews the spotlight” said Bill Dahl in Living Blues and “Thanks to Michael Dinallo’s dynamic production….