Stephanie Wagners Quinsch presents their new album “Shapes & Colours” on Personality Recordings. It is one of the rare jazz recordings, on which the flute is used as the lead instrument. Rhythmical finesse and a huge dynamic range display the successful interplay of Stephanie Wagners Quinsch.
C’est une vision poétique de ce «dernier refuge» que j’ai voulu
exprimer dans ce projet, manière de célébrer musicalement l’espoir en la
vie toujours renaissante. Comme beaucoup d’Arméniens, mes
grands-parents ont fui leur pays natal après le déclenchement du
génocide perpétré par les Turcs en avril 1915. C’est ainsi que mon père,
puis mes frères et moi-même, sommes nés en France, une des principales
destinations de ces expatriés. L’envie de retrouver la paix, les
situations géo-politiques et familiales m’ont fait grandir loin de la
culture arménienne (je ne parle pas la langue), dans le but d’obtenir
une intégration sans faille. C’est absolument seul que j’ai retrouvé,
presque recréé, mon rapport à la culture arménienne, et ce,
principalement grâce à la musique. L’histoire de l’orchestre «Lousadzak»
et la rencontre avec Gaguik Mouradian en sont les exemples les plus
forts.
L’année 2015 a marqué le centenaire du génocide arménien.
Evidemment
concerné, cet évènement cristallise une réflexion que je mène depuis
longtemps, sur l’interaction entre mes origines et ce qui me construit
au quotidien, source de richesses mais aussi de décalages. Si cette
situation a toujours été porteuse d’imaginaire, et si elle a toujours
nourri mon domaine artistique, je n’ai jamais eu la sensation qu’elle
intervenait plus que cela dans ma vie personnelle. Read more...
Poussières d'Anatolie
Vergine
La Route De Damas
Lumière De L'Euphrate
Antika
Le Cieux D'Erzeroum
Géraldine Keller, voix
Daniel Erdmann, saxophone ténor et soprano
François Corneloup, saxophone baryton et soprano
Philippe Deschepper, guitare électrique
Christophe Marguet, batterie
Claude Tchamitchian, contrebasse et compositions
Der Gitarrist und Hochschuldozent Werner Acker war bereits in jungen Jahren als Studio- und Livemusiker aktiv und hat sich in den vergangenen vier Jahrzehnten als vielseitiger Sideman in unzähligen musikalischen Projekten präsentieren können. In seinem Debutalbum Roots, welches am 23. Februar 2016 auf dem Mannheimer Label Personality Records erscheint, beruft er sich nun auf seine musikalischen Wurzeln – Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Jazz – und verarbeitet sie innovativ. Zu hören sind erdige Soulbeats, „straight ahead“ Shufflegrooves wie auch relaxte Balladen- und Swingfeelings. Der Roots Sound ist geprägt durch bluesige, jazzige und funky Gitarren, begleitet von Hammond B3, Wurlitzer- und Rhodes-Piano, Flügel, Bass, bzw. Kontrabass, Drumset und einem kernigem Bläsersatz bestehend aus Altsax, Posaune und Tenor, bzw. Baritonsaxophon.
In seiner ausdrucksstarken Art, Gitarre zu spielen, ist hörbar, dass Werner Acker sich in all den Jahren die Leidenschaft und Spielfreude bewahrt hat. Sound, Groove, Improvisationsfreude und das Zusammenspiel mit langjährigen, musikalischen Weggefährten sind die Fundamente des Projekts. Dem Künstler und seiner Band gelingt der Brückenschlag zwischen Rhythm & Blues, Soul und Jazz, ohne dass dabei das einheitliche Groove- und Soundkonzept verloren geht.
Die Eigenkompositionen des neuen Albums ATOMIC B. werden größtenteils von Tobias Becker und Alexander Bühl beigesteuert und schärfen das eigenständige Profil des Jazzorchesters. Daneben gehört die Pflege des „klassischen“ Bigband Repertoires ebenfalls zu den künstlerischen Ambitionen. Damit etabliert der Klangkörper nicht nur zeitgenössischen Bigbandjazz sondern macht sich auch um die Aufführung großer Jazzkompositionen der vergangenen Jahrzehnte verdient.
ATOMIC B. ist nicht nur eine Hommage an eine der bekanntesten Platten der Count Basie Bigband sondern auch das selbstbewusste Bekenntnis zur eigenen Musik.
Die Tobias Becker Bigband schart einige der besten jungen Jazz Musiker aus ganz Deutschland um sich und präsentiert „Bigband Jazz in Perfektion“ (Belgischer Rundfunk – BRF). Mit den versierten Musikern, die sonst in diversen Rundfunkbigbands und Musicalproduktionen spielen, hat Tobias Becker ein eingespieltes Jazzorchester zusammengestellt und so schreibt CriticalJazz: „his big band is one of the two finest large ensembles coming out of Eastern Europe.“
“Tony is an exceptional talent. He has a big, beautiful sound
with just the right amount of edge.”
-Joe Temperley Baritone Saxophone, Jazz @ Lincoln Center Orchestra
“The world is ready for Tony Lustig. He’s the baritone
saxophonist I’ve been waiting for all my life.”
-Wessell “Warmdaddy” Anderson Alto Saxophone
“Tony is one of the most talented, dedicated, and hardest working people I have ever had the opportunity to work with. When he picks up his horn you know it’s Tony Lustig. With his strong character, integrity, and determination
the sky is the limit to what he can achieve.”
-Rodney Whitaker Bass, Director of Jazz Studies
Michigan State University
BIOGRAPHY BRIEF
Originally hailing from Detroit, Michigan, Tony Lustig is a dynamic saxophonist who believes strongly in warmth and groove. Taking Flight is a manifestation of those beliefs. Tony began playing violin in grade school. Learning to play the saxophone was almost an accident. Being as there wasn’t a strings program in his school, Tony needed to find an alternate means of expression. His parents offered an alto saxophone left in a dusty corner, abandoned by his older sister. As soon as the horn met his lips he felt that was it – that is what he had been looking for. He spent his childhood years playing around Detroit where he had the opportunity to play with and learn from such Detroit greats as: Marcus Belgrave and Rodney Whitaker. These experiences would lead Tony to further his quest for musical knowledge at both Michigan State University and the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City.
Upon making New York City his home, Tony has performed with some of the biggest names in the country - appearing with: Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Christian McBride Big Band, Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Gerald Wilson Orchestra, Birdland Big Band, George Gee Swing Orchestra, Patti Austin Big Band, Cab Calloway Orchestra, even Gloria Gaynor, amongst others. His playing has brought him all across the United States, France, England, Japan, Colombia, Brazil, Panama, and elsewhere. Tony is a fiery character who attacks his music fiercely and passionately. He writes with the intention of stirring the soul. His melodies are memorable and his sound is moving. He strives to inspire all who listen and bring a smile to everyone he meets.
CD DESCRIPTION
I believe in creating music that people of all musical interests and backgrounds would enjoy listening to. For this album, it was my goal to write 8 incredibly different tunes that represent what jazz music means, while still making it enjoyable for someone who has never listened to jazz before. I wanted this album to feel good above all else. The players for the band were easy to decide on because they are all incredible musicians who believe in the same thing - creating music at the highest level possible while still keeping the mainstream ear interested. I believe bridging the gap between musical styles is very possible, and this album is the first step in my journey to make that happen. I believe in inclusion, warmth, and groove. This project is the manifestation of those beliefs.
"Watermelon Man" was Herbie Hancock's first major hit. Can you think of anyone better to cover than the Tasmanian tubist, Tim Jones? He gets help from Australia's finest: Stephen Magnusson, Frank Di Sario and Niko Schauble - guitar, bass and drums. Next we get two versions "Kattorna" by Poland's most famous jazz/movie composer, Krzysztof Komeda. The first, from the 2005 Tomasz Stanko Quartet live at JazzBaltica-Festival, featuring Stanko on trumpet and the blazing piano of Marcin Wasilewski with his usual trio mates. Then Germany's premiere jazz pianist, Joachim Kühn, and his trio perform Komeda's tune from his new ACT release, Beauty & Truth. Frequently heard pianist, Marc Copland, completes this set with his quartet's take on Duke Ellington's "Mystery Song" from his 2016 Innervoice Jazz Zenith featuring the trumpet of Ralph Alessi.
The mid-westerner drummer, Matt Kane, begins the second half with his sextet's cover of Pat Metheny's "Question and Answer" from his new Bounce-Step release Matt Kane & The Kansas City Generations Sextet ~ Acknowledgement. From Manfred Eicher's 2016 ECM we get Continuum from Nik Bartsch's Mobile improvising around Nik's penned "MODUL 4". Influential 1980/90s pianist, Anthony Davis, together with flautist James Newton and cellist Abdul Wadud give us an ethereal treatment of Charlie Mingus' "Eclipse" (We've heard the vocal version in a 50s Debut recording.) from their 1990 Gramvision release, Trio 2. Brian Haas, an American jazz pianist, composer, band leader, and producer, leads Nolatet, a quartet - piano, vibes, bass & drums - performing the Haas tune, "Dogs", a musical tribute to man's best friend. from his Royal Potato Family 2016 release of the same name.
Altoist Lee Konitz gets together with Swedish artists, notably pianist Bengt Halberg, in a performance of Lenny Tristano's oft covered "317 East 32nd St." - the address of a NYC jazz venue currently known as gallery café - from his 1951 Membran Audio recording Sax of a Kind. From their 2016 muzoic recording Defuser, The Giving Trio covers Tristano's tune featuring Konitz-sounding Alex Kerwin on alto. Brian Bromberg, sounding like a guitarist on his piccolo bass, gives us another cover of Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" from his new Mack Avenue release, Full Circle. Jack DeJohnette's 1994 Blue Note Extra Special Edition concludes the third half-hour performing DeJohnette's "Seventh D" featuring the great Gary Thomas on tenor. Little-known Michael Cain is impressive on piano. Wiki explains: Most typically, minor seventh chord refers to where the "seventh" note is a minor seventh above the root (a fifth above the third note). Aren't you glad I checked?
Sweden's Rigmore Gustafsson's ACT 2005 On My Way to You kicks off the Romantic Half-Hour with a vocal treatment of Legrand/Alan & Marilyn Bergman's "How Do You Keep the Music Playing". Trombonist Nils Landgren solos and vocalizes as well. Nina Hoss does a curious take on Kurt Weil's "Speak Low" in which she sings from weak to convincing, to help her betrayer understand that she "knows." (The opening line "Speak low when you speak, love" is a play of words on a line in William Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing (1600), in which Don Pedro says "Speak low if you speak love." ~ Wiki) After 2:38 the instrumental begins taking your breath away, especially if you had seen the German film Phoenix (A haunting portrait of identity, loss and the search for answers in post-WWII Berlin.). Mark Murphy, one of J. D.'s and my favorite male vocalists, is next with Till Bronner and Murphy's "Love Is What Stays" from Mark's 2007 Verve pressing of the same name. Till shows up on trumpet/flugelhorn. Bill Charlap Trio's Impulse 2016 Notes from New York is next with a cover of Harold Arlen and Truman Capote's "A Sleeping Bee", written for the 1954 musical House of Flowers. June Christy gets us ready for bed with her romantic spin on Duke Ellington's "Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me" from her 1959 Ballads for Night People.
A special thanks to the troops @ RoJ for their help putting our shows together: Agenor (BRA), Chris do Brasil (BRA), Domi & Victor (SPA), GAB (BEL), JR (SPA), Javi (SPA), Jazzzz61 (SPA), Lira (BRA), Luisa, Menos Que un Perro (ARG), Marcos (BRA), Melokan (VEN), Raz (ISR) and Sonia (SPA)
Pram Trio is a Toronto-based ensemble formed in 2009. Awarded the 2014 Grand Prix de Jazz from the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal by a unanimous panel, it is a collective of three Ontario-born musicians: Mark Godfrey on bass, Jack Bodkin on piano and Eric West on drums. Dan McClenaghan of Allaboutjazz.com describes Pram Trio as: “edgy and interactive, often urgent, and very much in the school of the modern-leaning piano trios.” Influenced by a wide range of traditional and current jazz artists as well as many other styles, their music is “very contemporary, composed and multi-sectional” (Peter Hum/Ottawa Citizen Jazz Blog). Pram Trio puts a strong focus on collective improvisation and creates an experience that appeals to listeners both familiar and unfamiliar with jazz.
“…it’s not enough to play very well; you have to do something that’s actually going to be compelling and original. Pram Trio was like that.” - Michael Bourne, Newark New Jersey’s WBGO 88.3 FM
Founded by Mark Godfrey and Jack Bodkin, they released their debut album in the fall of 2013. The album garnered rave reviews with particular emphasis on their writing style. Specifically, Pram Trio’s compositions “often develop into territories unlike from whence they began and elicit a sense of drama from the relative peacefulness of the piano trio environment” (Dave Sumner/17 Dots Blog, eMusic). Eric West first performed with the band on their CD release tour that year and officially joined the group before their 2014 Canadian Jazz Festival tour.
In March 2016, Pram Trio will be celebrating the release of their new EP with a Canada-wide tour. This will be the first EP that includes the current lineup of the band. The group has been featured at jazz festivals across Canada including Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax, Rimouski and Prince Edward County and they are very excited to take their music on the road once again.
Mark Godfrey - Bass // Jack Bodkin - Piano // Eric West – Drums
pramtrio@gmail.com
Saga Thirteen is a six-track album recorded by Pram Trio in July 2015. This collection of compositions represents a period of constant change in the ensemble’s history. Featuring all original music composed by bassist Mark Godfrey and pianist Jack Bodkin, Saga Thirteen is the group’s second official release.
The record chronicles a period in which Pram Trio’s approach to writing and performing was in a state of flux as they developed their new sound with the addition of drummer Eric West. The music takes the listener on a journey exploring the breadth of Pram Trio’s compositions, visiting hard-hitting grooves (Mrs. Kim Visits the Living Room Alone, Undercurrent), soulful melodies (Bucket List), elaborate improvisations (April, Treptower Park) and a simple through-composed ballad (Control). Saga Thirteen is a small sample of the group’s new musical direction and further establishes Pram Trio as a strong artistic voice in the Canadian jazz landscape.
Released March 8, 2016
Jack Bodkin - Piano
Mark Godfrey - Bass
Eric West - Drums
1. April 07:01
2. Bucket List 04:36
3. Mrs. Kim Visits the Living Room Alone 03:36
4. Control 02:46
5. Undercurrent 05:42
6. Treptower Park 07:05
Recorded July 10th and 11th, 2015 at the Canterbury Music Company.
Mixed by Jeremy Darby (Canterbury Music Company), mastering by Peter Letros (Wreckhouse Mastering), artwork and design by Camille Lauren.
Lubos Soukup & Points Septet, the third album of the Czech band Points, presents a collage of 12 truly unique compositions, that represent the European contemporary jazz music and free improvisation. All compositions are written by saxophonist and clarinettist Lubos Soukup who tailored the music to the band members. He has managed to magnificently elevate their individual personalities through his work. The result is a fresh, creative and playful universe of sounds.
The band Points Septet was created as a special project arising from several concerts of the internationally successful quartet Points. They were the winners of the Spanish jazz competition in Getxo in 2009. Although the septet has a bigger sound, it retains the characteristic features of the original band: the absence of a harmonic instrument and their focus on storytelling in compositions. The initiative to record a new CD came from saxophonist and composer Lubos Soukup, currently based in Copenhagen, Denmark, who helped to realize this special project. Rather than Soukup’s international approach seen in his earlier projects, he chose to work exclusively with Czech musicians on this album. The core of the new band consists of five horn players including Soukup himself: trumpeter Oskar Torok, saxophonist Petr Kalfus, trombonist Jan Jirucha, and bass clarinetist Marcel Barta. They are accompanied by a unique rhythmical duo of bass player, Jaromir Honzak and drummer, Tomas Hobzek.
All 12 pieces featured on the album are written by Soukup. The music is tailored to the aforementioned musicians who have worked closely together on various projects during the last years and so have a keen understanding of each other’s individual style. Taking a closer look at the compositions, one can divide them in two different groups according to their concept. The first group contains more conventional compositions, which crosses borders between
jazz, classical music and exotic folk music.
The track called Gruzie, which translates to “Georgia”, is a piece inspired by traditional Transcaucasian music, while Jesterka, which translates to “Lizard”, is a piece in which Soukup makes a reference to the original roots of jazz i.e. African music. Choral is an ambient composition reflecting European church music, WTF is a vivid number based on a catchy groove, and finally Alegría is inspired by South American melodies and it is dedicated to one of the Soukup’s favourite musicians, Wayne Shorter. The second group is a collection of music sketches with an open concept and elements of free improvisation and no harmonic form. Starting with letters VZ, they represent an infinite universe of sounds (Vesmir zvuku) that can be accessed only through the absolute connection and openness of the magnificent seven who are courageous enough to immerse deeply into themselves and explore unknown areas in the musical cosmos.
“I aimed for fresh and creative music. The band name (Points) symbolizes us, the band members. Each of the musicians is a separate point on the scene. These points come together and create certain energy that works well together. To cumulate this kind of creative energy and to deepen our connection during the performance, we stand in a semicircle, which is not common for a jazz ensemble,” explains Soukup.
ALBUM INFO
Artist Lubos Soukup & Points Septet
Title Lubos Soukup & Points Septet
Catalogue Number ANI 051-2
Format CD
Label Animal Music
Barcode 8594155992881
Style File Under Jazz
Country of Origin Czech Republic
Release Date Oct 30th 2015
SOUND
Recorded by Milan Cimfe (Sono Records,Nouzov)
Mixed by August Wanngren (We Know Music Studios, Islands Brygge, Copenhagen)
