June 2021 marks the release of An Angel’s Healing, the brand new album from Michael Panteli, affectionately known by his artist moniker, Miguel Muziq. An Angel’s Healing is a unique body of work that covers a notably diverse spectrum of styles. Miguel’s roots as an expert Latin guitarist co-exist alongside a clear understanding of modern jazz, bound together with a range of influences from his Mediterranean-Cypriot upbringing. When combined with the emotive nuances of Miguel’s songwriting and the dexterous ability and flair that he displays as a player, the result is a genuine force to be reckoned with.
An Angel’s Healing features the highly sought after contemporary US jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold and his accomplished brother Emanuel Harrold on drums, as well as other members of leading jazz vocalist Gregory Porter’s band, including saxophonist Tivon Pennicott, and bassist Jahmal Nichols. Afro-Cuban horn player Yelfris Valdes lends his expertise to various tracks and percussionist Jansen Santana makes some exemplary appearances on others. Ultimately a collective of excellent players who hail from the U.S.A, Cuba, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Spain, Romania, Jamaica, the U.K and Canada all make their own special contributions to the album. This ‘dream team’ of musicians greatly enhance proceedings and each in their own way compliment Miguel’s individual talent, as well as providing a glowing endorsement of his calibre as a guitar player, songwriter and producer.
The compositions on An Angel’s Healing evolved from a complex process of loss and reconciliation, after Miguel and his partner experienced the trauma of losing an unborn child. His coping mechanism in the aftermath, was to create music. It was a journey of self-discovery, guided by their 'Angel Star'. He would then seek inspiration from some of the very musicians that would end up contributing to the album. There are many examples of important moments in the development of An Angel’s Healing that occur simultaneously to key milestones in Miguel and his family’s lives – an example of this is the song "Kumharas", a tribute to the special venue in Ibiza where Miguel saw Paco Fernandez perform. Eight months later, the return to this space marked the discovery that Miguel’s wife was in fact pregnant again. Emotional occurrences such as this became synonymous with the creative process of the album, which is evident within the music and ultimately this is one of the things that makes it special.