Tras “Primera Toma” (2008) y “Reconstrucción” (2013), el pianista hispano-argentino formado en Nueva York SEBASTIÁN CHAMES se confirma con “Pick Up The Phone”, su nuevo y espléndido trabajo, como uno de los pilares fundamentales del Nuevo Jazz hecho en España.
Grabado en Nueva York, al igual que su precedente “Reconstrucción” (para el que ya contó con una banda de auténtico lujo, formada por el trompetista Jeremy Pelt, Willie Jones III a las baquetas, Justin Robinson al Saxo alto y el desaparecido Dwayne Burno al contrabajo), SEBASTIÁN CHAMES vuelve a rodearse de un selectísimo grupo de instrumentistas de la más alta escuela del Hard Bop neoyorquino: repiten Jeremy Pelt (votado trompetista del año durante cinco años por la revista Downbeat) y el batería Willie Jones III (ex miembro del “Cedar Walton Quintet” y del “Roy Hargrove Quintet”, colaborador de Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins, Hank Jones…) a los que se unen para la ocasión Greg Tardy al Saxo tenor (miembro fijo de la banda de Andrew Hill en sus tres últimos discos y colaborador de Elvin Jones, Wynton Marsalis o Tom Harrell) y, al Contrabajo, Gerald Cannon, uno de los instrumentistas más sólidos de la escena de NY (actualmente en el grupo de McCoy Tyner)
Un trabajo pasional y vibrante, que refleja, con clase y fiereza, el inmarchitable amor de su autor por la tradición Hard Bop en todas sus vertientes, y una decidida inclinación al riesgo que lo aleja del mero ejercicio de estilo. Un auténtico clásico contemporáneo que se presentará en directo en Nueva York, nada menos que en el legendario Smalls Jazz Club, junto a la banda titular del disco…
“Pick Up The Phone” se edita España bajo el sello Youkali Music (distribuído por Gran Sol) y estará disponible en plataformas digitales y tiendas a partir de mediados de Noviembre.
Willie Jones III proudly honors the late Cedar Walton and Dwayne Burno, Jones’ former bandleader and band mate respectively, on Groundwork. For this seminal recording, Jones, who “never fails to assemble a strong crew” (NY Times) convenes living legends Buster Williams (bass) and Eddie Henderson (trumpet), virtuoso Eric Reed (piano) and rising stars Warren Wolf (vibes) and Stacy Dillard (saxophones).
On this new recording, Jones explores the soulful side of jazz, performing re-imagined tunes by his former employer and great influence Cedar Walton, and debuting a tribute to Dwayne Burno composed by Eric Reed. This new collection also includes tunes by Buster Williams and more.
Throughout his career, Willie Jones III has lent his supple rhythm and spirit to artists like Cedar Walton, Milt Jackson, Horace Silver, Sonny Rollins and Roy Hargrove. Today, he continues to prove to be one of jazz music’s most sought out bandleaders and producers, as he was named in Downbeat Critics’ Poll Drums and Producer categories. “Willie Jones III has deepened all the creative aspects of a musician, as a sideman, leader, composer and producer. A representative of cultured jazz, he has become indispensable.”
A determinedly straightahead alto saxophonist, Jim Snidero staffs his Main Street quartet with determinedly adventurous young musicians—and gets them swinging along with him. It’s no surprise to hear that pianist Fabian Almazan, bassist Linda Oh and drummer Rudy Royston have the meat-and-potatoes bop chops that a Snidero record requires; it is, however, invigorating.
Those musicians sneak in bits and pieces of their own conceptions, too. Snidero’s soulful blues “Post Time Saratoga” features scorchers from Oh and Snidero, and behind them, Royston’s latticework marks him as the best decorative drummer in the business. (He continues to prove it throughout, topping himself with a reason-defying solo on the closing “The Streets of Laredo.”) Almazan matches that artistry with subtle figures and note choices that fatten up his comp lines, then bursts forth with a solo that explodes both the tune’s rhythmic and harmonic framework. He does the same on “Duluth at Noon,” “Walla Walla” and “The Streets of Laredo,” making him the album’s MVP.
Oh has tricks up her sleeve, too. When Royston and Almazan ratchet up to double time in “Duluth,” she steadfastly maintains the original tempo even as it displaces her accents. She also finds new ways to express the pulse with every bar of “Las Vegas Tango,” and offers perhaps the album’s best improvisation with her nuanced light touch on “Autumn in New York.”
Snidero, meanwhile, maintains the consistent gifts that have marked his 30-plus-year career: juicy sax work crafted with soul, flawless tone and a keen sense of narrative (his solo on “The Streets of Laredo” rivals Oh for album best). His compositions are impressive, too, eking surprises out of licks in “Duluth at Noon” and building a durable melody out of a mixed meter and an R&B lick on “Born in Redwood City.” Main Street is a solid addition to his résumé.
Jorge Rossy, 1964 Barcelona (Also known as Jordi Rossy) started playing drums at age 11. Between 1980 and 1989 he toured extensively With MOST Recorded musicians in the spanish scene and some Internationally acclaimed artists as Woody Shaw, Kenny Wheeler, Jack Walrath, Dave Schinitter, Sal Nistico, Sean Levitt and others. Moved to Boston in 1989 to study trumpet at Berklee College of Music. In Boston Jordi Became the drummer of choice for many of His peers and joined Danilo Perez Trio for some gigs in Panama, France, Boston and New York, then a sextet joined Paquito D'Rivera for 2 years and Moved to Ny City in 1991. In Ny Jordi played in the early recordings of many of His Boston friends like Mark Turner, Chris Cheek, Seamus Blake, Kurt Rosenwinkel and some other musicians then a living in the city like Brad Mehldau, Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson, Avishai Cohen, Joe Martin Freddie Bryant Also Jordi worked and Recorded With Joshua Redman, Bill McHenry, Bruce Barth, Mike Kanan, Ben Monder, Nat Su, Steve Wilson, Mark Johnson, Larry Grenadier, Ben Street, to mention a few In 1995 started touring around the world and recording extensively With the Brad Mehldau Trio for 10 years.
During This Time Also Recorded and toured with The Bloom Daddies an electric high voltage band lead by Chris Cheek and Seamus Blake, with Jesse Murphy on bass and a drummer two team with Jordi and Dan Reiser or Later with Tony Mason.
Also in 2000 Moved back to Barcelona to raise a family and to start focusing on piano.
in the 10 years Jordi has-been playing and recording on piano With some bands like Jordi Matas Quintet or Joe Smith and several projects septet With Guillermo Klein, Including a performance at Merkin Hall in NYC and the Library of Congress in Washington DC Auditorium.
Since 2006 Jordi is've Recorded first album as a leader in Wicca Trio With Albert Sanz on Hammond organ and RJ Miller on drums And Also His second outing ¨IVLIANVS Suite with the same rhythm section plus Chris Cheek on sax and Felix Rossy ( Jordi's son) on trumpet.
Jordi's band has-been touring around Spain, the east coast of USA, Marroco, Italy and Also Performed in 2010 in Basel Switzerland.
But During This Time Jorge has Also Been busy playing drums occasionally With Lee Konitz and Ethan Iverson quartet, Charlie Haden's Quartet West and Land of the Sun Septet, Carla Bley's Liberation Orchestra, Joe Lovano's Quartet Europe, Kurt Rosenwinkel quintet, Seamus Blake Quartet, Trio 2000 With Chick Corea and NHOP and another threesome With Brad Mehldau and Charlie Haden. More Recently Played With Wayne Shorter Quartet in European Tour 2012.
Biography- Mike Kanan
Michael Kanan hails from Boston, Massachusetts where he first began to play the piano at age 7. He started improvising at the keyboard early on, and by age 10 he was listening to jazz. His first instructor was pianist Harvey Diamond, a student of jazz innovator Lennie Tristano. During his years at Boston College, Michael had the opportunity to perform with several jazz greats including Tal Farlow, Lee Konitz, Al Cohn, and Alan Dawson. After graduating college and doing some freelance work around Boston, he moved to New York in 1991 to study with another Tristano student, the pianist Sal Mosca. He established himself in New York, playing and recording with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Mark Turner, and Jorge Rossy, among others. He also developed a growing reputation as a vocal accompanist. In 1996, he joined the band of legendary singer Jimmy Scott, touring the US, Europe, and Japan and recording 4 CDs. In 2001, Michael became the accompanist and arranger for one of today's most celebrated vocalists, Jane Monheit. With Ms. Monheit's group, he has toured all over the world, recorded several CDs and DVDs, and made many TV appearances, including The David Letterman Show and The Conan O'Brien Show.
When not on the road with the Monheit band, Michael performs and records with his own groups. He has made two trio recordings for Barcelona's Fresh Sound New Talent label: "Convergence" and "The Gentleman Is A Dope", both featuring bassist Ben Street and drummer Tim Pleasant. He has also recorded a duet with his longtime collaborator, alto saxophonist Nat Su, entitled "Dreams And Reflections". He can be heard around New York with his trio featuring drummer Eliot Zigmund and bassist Lee Hudson.
Today, Michael lives in Brooklyn, and is a student of classical piano teacher Sophia Rosoff.
Biography: Jimmy Wormworth
“Jimmy Wormworth is a powerful drummer, whose boundless energy is not easily contained in any room, and who exemplifies [...] ageless musicality.” – Luke Kaven
James E. “Jimmy” Wormworth III, born August 14, 1937 in Utica, New York, is a seasoned, veteran jazz drummer who trumpeter John Marshall (WDR Big Band) calls “a living part of jazz history.” At age 20 he toured Europe with his own quartet, then went to New York City on the invitation of arranger Torrie Zito and soon began touring the United States with Nellie Lutcher.
Along with Mal Waldron and Peck Morrison in the house rhythm section of the legendary Five Spot café in 1959, he worked with Art Farmer, Kenny Dorham, John Coltrane, Booker Little, Pepper Adams, Bobby Jaspar and many more. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he worked with Lou Donaldson, “Les Jazz Modes” (Charlie Rouse, Julius Watkins), Phineaus Newborn, Sahib Shihab, Babs Gonzalez and Lambert, Hendricks and Ross.
In 1969, Jimmy Wormworth was invited by Barry Harris to perform with Coleman Hawkins at The Fillmore East for Mr. Hawkins' second- to-last performance before his death. He has also performed with Roy Eldridge, Ernestine Anderson and Helen Humes. He worked regularly with Al Haig from 1969 until 1982 as well as with J. R. Monterose, Charles Davis, Lonnie Hillyer, Charles McPherson, Barry Harris and Dizzy Reece. In addition, he performed with baritone-saxophone legend Cecil Payne in 2003.
His extensive discography includes seminal recordings with Charlie Rouse and Julius Watkins, Lou Donaldson, Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, Jon Hendricks, Al Haig, J. R. Monterose, Allen Eager, Hod O’Brien and Josh White, more recently, highly acclaimed albums with Annie Ross, Joe Magnarelli, Tardo Hammer, Charles Davis and John Marshall.
Jimmy Wormworth is also a recipient of "The Barry" award, given to him in 2005, by Barry Harris "For True Jazz Mastery."
These days, as one of the generation of great bebop drummers in New York City, Jimmy keeps a busy working schedule. Recently he toured Germany and Switzerland with both Charles Davis and John Marshall and has also toured Europe with Annie Ross, Warren Vaché and Tardo Hammer.
In 2011 and 2012 he taught in two of Europe’s capitals (Berlin and Vienna) and performed in Austria, Hungary, Switzerland and Germany with, among others, Gábor Bolla, Wolfgang Köhler, Claus Raible, Roman Schwaller, Joe Haider and Isla Eckinger.
Biography Putter Smith
Born in Los Angeles, bassist Putter Smith is a musical product of the vast diversity that defines Los Angeles Metropolitan area.
This jazz legend has performed with many of the greatest musicians in the biz, including Thelonious Monk Quartet, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Billy Eckstine, Alan Broadbent, Bob Brookmeyer, Willie Bobo, Dianne Schuur, Warne Marsh, Dave Koonse, Larry Koonse, Sue Raney, Gary Foster, Lee Konitz, Ray Charles, Jackie and Roy, Carmen Macrae, Bob Dorough, Rio Hondo Symphony, Tootie Heath, Mark Murphy, Blue Mitchell, Patrice Rushen, Art Farmer, Marlene Dietrich, Burt Bacharach, Errol Garner, Gerry Muligan, Jack Sheldon, Charlie Haden, Art Pepper, Claude Thornhill Orchestra conducted by Mark Masters, New American Symphony conducted by Jack Eliot, T-Bone Walker, Manhattan Transfer, Lew Tabakin, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Johnny Mathis, Steve Huffstetter, Eric Von Essen, Shelly Manne, George Duvivier, Tommy Newsome, Roy Mcurdy, Kevin Tulius, Art Pepper, Jake Hannah, Janis Segal, Stephanie Haynes, VR Smith, Mark Turner, Joe Labarbera, Bill Mays, Jeff Hirshfield, Billy Mintz Quartet, Mose Allison, Walter Norris, Larance Marable, Sam Most, Abe Most, Bud Shan , Charlie Mariano, Roberta Piket, Dexter Gordon, J.R. Monterose, Tommy Flanagan Don Randi, Earl Palmer, Charles Davis, Bobby Bradford, Don Preston, Billy Higgins, Don Cherry, Paul Bley, Carla Bley, Diana Krall, Natalie Cole, Jim Hall, Stix Hooper, John Gross, Chuck Manning, Tim Pleasant, Bill Holman and many more.
He has performed in concert halls and jazz clubs in the USA, Europe and Asia.
Graffiti, tenorist JD Allen’s ninth album as a leader and his fourth consecutive project for the Savant label, could be considered a back-to-basics affair. The piano component that altered his core trio concept is gone. His regular sidemen, bassist Gregg August and drummer Rudy Royston, are back on board. At this point their relationship the three players are so aligned and intuitively responsive to each other that the challenge for Allen amounts to devising variable means to confront and test these bonds while keeping the processes and outcomes accessible to an audience. Turn the focus too far inward and the risk becomes potential estrangement. It’s a balancing act that these musicians have become experts at accomplishing.
Allen’s also onto something with his candid self-penned liners, which begin with a sincere expression of gratitude to listeners for spending time with his music. Next come edifying annotations for the disc’s nine tracks that express his general intent and designs on each. That’s it. Yet another manifestation of the no-nonsense approach he’s become known for over the course of his career. The compositions reflect the same in aural form, presenting a series of friendly obstacle courses hinged on spontaneous and collective choice-making. Each piece presents a clear set of parameters while ensuring that the ensuing permutations retain both momentum and flexibility. Allen even inserts a (relatively) straightforward swinger “Indigo (Blue Like)” replete with a walking bass line almost as a palate cleanser.
August sits out on the opening “Naked” leaving Allen and Royston to negotiate a melodic progression within an illusory, but finite bar structure with explosive results. “Jawn Henry” references the eponymous folk song in feel with Allen going for a vocalized tone on his tenor against a vaguely calypso vamp. “Third Eye” sets up the instruments in potentially oppositional roles in the service of tension and the title piece takes the conceit even further in transposing a completely different piece on top of a preexisting tune to once again force the players to pick sides, this time with tenor and drums converging in confluent contrast to the bass, which tethers loyally to the original line.
Blues forms also factor prominently into the program with “Little Mack” and “Sonny Boy” reflecting two facets. The first works off an earlier melodic kernel while the second presents another example of Allen transposing another vocal syntax, this time based in the idiosyncratic inflections of John Lee Hooker, through his horn against a gospelish vamp. “G-dspeed, B. Morris” honors the titular composer, forgoing complexity in favor of a loping groove and lilting melody that carries distant echoes of Coltrane’s “Naima”. Once again August and Royston operate on parallel planes in buttressing Allen’s lead.
Three-quarters of an hour evaporates in a flash, but the LP-sized length feels just right. Rather than inciting a longing for additional material the impulse instead is for an immediate repeat trip through the itinerary that exists. Derek Taylor
Ernest Dawkins is in his element during concert or club performances, and has a stance within the post-bop and free bop continuum that speaks of his heritage coming through the ranks in Chicago. Blues, hard swing, and sounds from the black church and Africa all merge into a unified whole that is infectious, head-nodding, and smile-inducing. Leading his New Horizons quintet, Dawkins (alternately on alto and tenor saxophone) has the roaring heart of a lion and storytelling soul of a griot in this instrumental context. Trumpeter Maurice Brown and trombonist Steve Berry are young enough to be fearless and talented enough to provide perfect front-line foils for Dawkins, while bassist Darius Savage and drummer Isaiah Spencer are also exuberant up-and-comers who add plenty of aptitude and energy to the proceedings. Live at Fred Anderson's Velvet Lounge, Dawkins and his crew present six lengthy pieces that allow not only for the meatiest of solos, but also include some tight charts that revolve around the true heritage jazz pretexts proliferated by the AACM, sharpened by current updated popping rhythms.
A wheezing harmonica and percussion intro leads to "Mean Ameen," dedicated to the mentor of Dawkins, guitarist/trumpeter Ameen Muhammad. A modal two-note bass groove sets the pace for the tart harmonic sound of the horns and hip counterpoint that makes the AACM's Great Black Music identifier great. The swinging blues shuffle title track and straight 12-bar "Goin' Downtown Blues" emphasize the Windy City's past, present, and future in soulful, purposefully off-key and vocal spoken word jive dues-paying preaching. Crisp, sharp staccato brass notes in a fast bop mode set up a fulsome Dawkins on "Toucouleur." While the perfectly titled "The Brood" presents a basic introspective mezzo-forte free float, "Lookin' for Ninny" is well formed with its groove bop, simple sleek lines, and reference to their favored "long tall and skinny" girl. Dawkins is a clearly skilled, smart, and forthright musician. His solos are full of substance, crackling with just enough sizzle and depth without pure histrionics. The band picks up on this vibe 100 percent, and plays accordingly. A valuable document of the current Chi-town scene, and very much relevant to the rest of the world, The Messenger deserves attention from the entire universe of jazz listeners.
Ernest Dawkins, alto and tenor saxophone
Maurice Brown, trumpet
Steve Berry, trombone
Darius Savage, bass
Isaiah Spencer, drums
1. Intro
2. Mean Ameen
3. The Messenger
4. Goin' Downtown Blues
5. Toucouleur
6. The Brood
7. Lookin' For Ninny
Recorded live on 14 July 2005 at The Velvet Lounge, Chicago, IL.
