Reflections of the Sun Pt. 3 (Son Como Sangre) appears on the album Sacred Paths by Asia Jazz Project featuring Molina Soleil & Aju (2009)
Jazz meets Latin Reggae meets sultry Spanish vocals and spoken word poetry on the third Reflection of the Sun, highlighting Aju’s multi-faceted abilities as an vocalist, as well as Asia’s diverse sound.
Asia Fajardo-Wright is an avant-garde saxophonist and composer who leads Asia Jazz Project, plays in the Latin-Reggae band Mono Verde, and writes and produces original cultural and musical productions.
Sacred Paths – Soulaju’s 2009 collaboration with Asia – is very theme-oriented and theatric in its musicality. My hope is that Sacred Paths leads to some experimental modern dance productions in coming years. I would like to see a director/choreographer take Sacred Paths to another level, adding physical movement to these compositions.
Reflections of the Sun Pt. 2 (Life Rituals) appears on the album Sacred Paths by Asia Jazz Project featuring Molina Soleil & Aju (2009)
Listening to Aju’s Life Rituals Reflection I am reminded of the importance of rituals, personally, socially, and culturally. Not so much the Mannequin/mundane rituals of day-to-day life, but the spiritual rituals, love rituals, appreciation of moments that echo the circular and spiraling nature of this life.
Reflections of the Sun Pt. 1 (Solar Flare) appears on the album Sacred Paths by Asia Jazz Project featuring Molina Soleil & Aju (2009)
During weeks 32 – 34 of A.M. Soleil, Retrospectively, I get to write about and reflect on pieces that I did not write or record. Reflections of the Sun parts 1, 2 and 3 were written by Aju, recorded with Asia Jazz Project. These Reflections reflect, compliment, and contextualize my Letters to the Moon.
The Letters to the Moon and Reflections of the Sun explore the cosmic dance between the sun and the moon. This relationship has been revered and celebrated cross-culturally throughout human history. Life on Earth could not exist without the sun or the moon and the solar balance they create on the planet.
“Skydreamer” by Adrian H. Molina w/ Mannequin Rituals featuring Helen Chanthongthip, Up Before the Sunrise, released by CHiTT Productions (2008)
Skydreamer is the opening track off Up Before the Sunrise, my first full-length album. It was a dream. I had been writing rhymes for 10 years, constantly envisioning what my first album might look like. What would it sound like? What would I say if I had one chance, one album, to say something to the world?
I started writing material for Up Before the Sunrise during the summer of 2006. I had been through a lot during the years prior. In 2005 I left the life I was living. It was a life that wasn’t mine. It was beating me down, slowly murdering me, and it probably would have killed me, mentally and spiritually, if not physically. I faced my demons, handled my business, then tested out my wings.
This is one of two tracks SOULAJU released with DJ Ceiba for “My America”, a benefit compilation for Papers the movie, released July 4th, 2009. The other SOULAJU/CEIBA collaboration is “Believe It”.
Sending love out to Brotha Sean aka DJ Ceiba, who recently became a father. Ceiba is a Harlem-based drummer, DJ, and producer. He puts together jarring, head-nodding beats, fusing Reggae, Latin, and Hip-Hop influences. Ceiba flirts with some samples but relies mostly on his own musicianship.
Switchin’ up the vibe and pulse. Recent weekly Retrospectives have explored the lighter side of my work. A.M. Soleil, Retrospectively now moves back into harder-hitting territory.
Everyone’s heard the song “Gettin’ Mine.” Every rapper’s got a Gettin’ Mine track. The world is in a Gettin’ Mine state of mind. This is my version of Gettin’ Mine.
Circle back to one of many beginnings. It was November 4th, 2006. I had the opportunity to open for Saul Williams at the University of Wyoming. Will Ross was running sound for ASTEC—the University of Wyoming’s student government sponsored production team.
I knew of Will, having run into him continuously at UW events, but we had never really had a meaningful conversation. Our worlds intersected, but we existed in separate realms in the small town of Laramie, Wyoming.
Something told Will to bring his mini-disc recorder to the gig. It was probably Saul Williams’ name and notoriety. While running sound, Will recorded my performance. Young Brown Poet lit him up, and the next day he emailed the vocal track to Dustin Neal, his fellow band-mate and co-founder of CHiTT Productions.
Out of nowhere, I got an email from Will, telling me to check out a rough mix of Dustin’s vision of Young Brown Poet. Will explained that he sent the track to Dustin in the morning, who ran home over his lunch hour and recorded music to the words. Will produced a rough mixdown and it was in my inbox the night after my big performance.
I was floored by what I heard. Completely unexpected.
Sticking with the theme of the moon, “Letters to the Moon Pt. 1 (Heart in Motion)” appears on Sacred Paths—a collaboration with Asia Jazz Project.
Sacred Paths is a 9-track album that fuses nu jazz with living word poetry. It was released on September 20th, 2009—a day that marked both Asia’s and Aju’s 26th birthdays. The album contains two tracks that are each almost 15 minutes long. These tracks are more like journeys, or opuses, than they are songs.
“I strut, I flow, my style I’m all mine / I shine my truth / I chop, mash up time / you work, you grind, you climb with no interlude / your push, your pull, you rise high, it’s all you…”
…the first words heard from my first collaboration with Aju and DJ Icewater. It was a big shift in style and presentation from the more gritty Up Before the Sunrise album.
Mo-lee-na So-lay & Ah-joo = SOUL-AH-JOO: an independent, community-oriented, multilingual male/female music duo. SOULAJU fuses progressive Hip-Hop and Neo-Soul w/ world music influences. SOULAJU engages youth around issues of self empowerment, cultural identity, the power of the living word, access to education and the arts, gender justice, comprehensive immigration reform, and environmental justice.
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Asia Fajardo-Wright is an avant-garde saxophonist and composer who leads Asia Jazz Project, plays in the Latin-Reggae band Mono Verde, and writes and produces original cultural and musical productions. 
