"The saxophonist/banjoist's Down Home is three parts roots music, two parts jazz, one part blues, mixed on a country porch, and, pardon the cliché, it cooks... the saxophonist takes jazz back to a rural place... It's as if the windows have been thrown open to allow a deep breath of music to flow through the jazz house." Mark Corroto, All About Jazz "From the nostalgic to the personal to the eternal, it’s the multiple layers of meaning on Down Home that make it special and ring with resonance. Much more than a musical travelogue, the disc suggests that home in fact is where Cancura’s heart is, and that we as listeners are very welcome to enjoy ourselves there." Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen "Mr. Cancura, a relative newcomer whose robust exertions on alto and tenor access jazz legacies from both sides of the atlantic" Nate Chinen - New York Times "The opening was folksy, with the mandolin of Petr Cancura announcing a prancing theme that transformed into a dark sax riff over a bumpy groove… the departures from conventional bop phrasing was one of the gig's fascinating features" John Fordham - The Guardian, London, UK ABOUT DOWN HOME Wordless stories of the deep south, gut wrenching cry of the old times, Petr Cancura & Down Home turns old black & white photographs into music. Known for bringing together roots music and jazz, his critically acclaimed group from Brooklyn tackles the old-time acoustic blues and country... sounds like you're on the porch, off the beaten path somewhere in Mississippi... you will not be disappointed! Down Home features a down to earth, fresh sounding music featuring some of the best New York musicians, notably Richie Barshay (Herbie Hancock, Chic Corea, Klezmatics) and Kirk Knuffke (Matt Wilson group) and leader Petr Cancura (Danilo Perez, Joe Morris). The music is beautiful, groovy, rich and rootsy. The album also features some fabulous guests: Clay Ross on guitar Chris Bartos on guitar Liz Hanson on percussion Jayme Stone on banjo Album Liner Notes: About 3 years ago, my fiancé and I moved in together to our new apartment. A week later we decided to go to Mississippi with two friends Gwen and Richie. We loaded up Richie’s old Mercury Sable nicknamed Big Red and took it on its last hurrah. Seven States and three days later we found ourselves down a dirt road about an hour south of Memphis, at the Otha Turner Family Goat Roast & Picnic. Otha was a legendary fife and drum player: one of the only and true sources of this roots tradition. The music and community he built around him is his legend, and although Otha had passed away, we found his annual picnic still going strong. We met people like Sharde Thomas (Otha’s granddaughter and a great fife player) and RL Burnside, were invited to camp in Aunt Dorothy’s backyard, and simply had a life-changing experience. The blues is a way of life down there: stories of good times and bad… it’s a way to survive and pass on your story. We are always looking for something authentic and this is it, without a doubt! I took a lot of black and white photographs, something I’ve been doing for some twenty years. I always felt that good music paints a vivid picture… together, pictures and music create a story, stirring our imagination in that intangible way. This record was inspired by both the music and culture of the deep-south, and by photographs taken during this trip. A couple of years, a baby girl and many shows later, the band drove to Woodstock, New York and spent a few days recording the music on this record. Thanks to all the incredible people and musicians… This is my musical journey down home. Petr