Sasha Date

Sasha’s focus on the future and fresh worlds to conquer made it unlikely he’d revisit his seminal cut, which electrified dancefloors in 1999 and has been spoken of with awe ever since. So he began a seemingly new piece on stage, which then revealed itself to be a special new rework, bringing the stunned audience to their feet in a goosebump-inducing joyful finale.

The first Late Night Tales release of 2016 is a very special project by Sasha. Imagine listening to music inspired by Frahm, Richter and Steve Reich, but made by one of the UK’s leading house and techno DJs. Away from the hubbub of the club, the craziness of Ibiza, there’s a contemplative side to everybody. Forget the beats and the sweat and the billowing anthems; this quiet, undulating, at times pastoral piece is less about songs and anthems and more about texture and atmosphere. ‘Scene Delete’ is a side of Sasha you’ve never heard before.

The word opera conjures up images of large casts, a huge orchestra and chorus and massive logistical issues. Not Cooperstown! A jazz opera in nine innings, Cooperstown utilizes five solo singers and a 1950s modern jazz quintet. Based on A. Bartlett Giamatti's essay, "The Green Fields of the Mind," composer Sasha Matson has, with librettist Mark Miller, used baseball as an art form, with the capacity to express the deepest emotional truths about individuals and society. Matson reflects baseball's own specific historical musical attributes in his composition. One is the sound of the stadium organ, which led him to score the music for a "Miles" jazz quintet. This particular grouping of instruments is as capable as any large orchestra of realizing music in all its potential variety.