Jon Crowley - I Walk Amongst The Humans (2016)

Source & Label:

Genre: Modern Jazz Creative

GAB's Rating: ★★★★★

Bio: Brooklyn-based Trumpet/Composer/Bandleader Jon Crowley is one of the most fearless and original musicians of his generation. His various projects and groups have combined broad ranging influences from Satie, Death Cab for Cutie, Philip Glass, Chopin, to Miles Davis, showing him to be a musician who will not be bound by a single genre and one that is always looking for new possibilities. One thing that carries through everything he touches is his melodic and individual approach to the trumpet, that has been described as 'Highly personal; masculine, yet sensitive in timbre'.

Jon has three records out as a leader on Lonely Crow Records; Connections(2009), At the Edge(2011) and The Rehumanization EP(2014).  The title track from his debut album won the prestigious 'ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award' in 2010 and his sophomore release made many critics' "Best of 2011" lists.  Jon has played and toured up and down the east coast at places such as 'Chris Jazz Cafe' and 'World Cafe Live(philly), Twins(DC), The Garage(VA) as well as The Blue Note, Lincoln Center and Smalls (NYC) with people such as Chris Potter, Joe Lovano, Ralph Alessi, mark Shim and Dave Pietro. Recently Crowley's band 'Heart of Darkness' was featured in Dave Douglas' FONT Festival that happens each year at venues around New York City

Crowley also has a BA in Music from Muhlenberg College and an MA in Jazz Performance and Composition from NYU, where he studied with Laurie Frink, John Scofield, Kenny Werner and many more. He has also taught privately since 2007(including as an Adjunct Faculty member at NYU) and has worked with Jazz at Lincoln Center's WeBop early education program since 2010.

Trumpeter Jon Crowley continues to forge a highly personal repertoire and career path with his first album on Destiny Records, I Walk Amongst The Humans. The music reflects on the human condition–what it means to be human–empathy, vulnerability, and the emotions we feel towards others in complex relationships. Influenced by the northwest alternative-rock sound of the early 2000s, the compositions and arrangements use rock-inspired phrasing and form, upending the typical melody-solo-melody concept one might expect from looking at this quintet line-up on paper. Crowley is joined by John Beaty on alto saxophone, Noah Berman on guitar, Brad Whiteley on piano and Fender Rhodes, Ben Thomas on bass, and Max Maples on drums.

1. Still Here 05:58
2. Other Lives 05:18
3. I Disappear 04:57
4. Dark Center 04:45
5. A Little Poison 04:42
6. In Dreams 08:12
7. On A Park Bench 06:19

Jon Crowley - Trumpet
John Beaty - Alto Sax
Noah Berman - Electric Guitar, Effects
Brad Whiteley - Piano, Fender Rhodes
Ben Thomas - Upright Bass
Max Maples - Drums 

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Matthew Halsall - One the Go (Special Edition) 2016 (GONDWANA RECORDS)

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Matthew Halsall - One the Go (Special Edition) 2016

We are very happy to announce, that due to popular demand, Matthew Halsall’s 2011 award-winning album, ON THE GO, is being issued for the first time on vinyl (2xLP), including three (never heard before) bonus tracks. The album has been specially remixed and remastered by Matthew Halsall and George Atkins at 80 Hertz. The release will be available on LP/CD/DL formats. 

WINNER OF THE BEST JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR - Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards, 2012 

Nominated Best Jazz Album MOBO Awards, 2011 

"If I could watch any jazz band in the UK, any, I would choose Matthew Halsall's band, just love what he's been doing over the last few years... It's always high level, spiritual jazz music" Gilles Peterson - BBC Radio 1 

"An exciting British jazz artist" Jamie Cullum - BBC Radio 2 

"Lovely record that deepens with every listen" The Independent on Sunday 

“On The Go is a strikingly original and fiercely contemporary record – the product of a musician who openly acknowledges his influences but filters them through his own 21st century sensibility to create jazz that’s fresh but also, paradoxically, familiar and timeless” Mojo Magazine 

“On The Go is superb, a finely-crafted, emotionally and spiritually engaging work that stands comparison with anything the jazz world currently has to offer, and with plenty of the finest from the jazz world's past” All About Jazz 

“A very beautiful album with fantastic, thoughtful performances from all involved” Blues and Soul Magazine 

“This is cool retro jazz with buckets of contemporary invention and Northern soul” Metro Newspaper 

“A gem of an album from trumpeter Matthew Halsall – his third on the Gondawa label, and like all the others, a set that we'd easily rank right up there with the best 70s spiritual jazz on labels like Strata East or Black Jazz!” Dusty Groove 

“Matthew’s easily the brightest star in UK jazz right now” Echoes Magazine 

www.gondwanarecords.com

www.matthewhalsall.com

Released May 20, 2016

Special Edition Compact Disc

Compact Disc (CD)

Compact disc version of the album in a jewel case.

Tracklisting

01. Music for a Dancing Mind

02. Song for Charlie

03. The End of Dukkha

04. Samatha

05. The Journey Home

06. The Move

07. Only You (Bonus Track)

08. Singing Everyday (Bonus Track)

09. Breathless (Bonus Track) 

Includes unlimited streaming of On The Go (Special Edition) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Personnel 

Matthew Halsall, trumpet

Nat Birchall, saxophone

Adam Fairhall, piano

Gavin Barra, bass

Gaz Hughe, drums

Rachael Gladwi, harp (on track 4)

All tracks composed by Matthew Halsall. Recorded by Brendan Williams. Mixed & Mastered by George Atkins at 80 Hertz

Photos by Simon Hunt. Graphic design by Daniel Halsall

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The End of Dukkha

Aaron Parks, Thomas Fonnesbaek, Karsten Bogge - Groovements (2016)

Label:  

Source:  

 Genre: Modern-Piano-Trio-Jazz

GAB's Rating: ★★★★★

In the summer of 2014 two outstanding Danish musicians, bassist Thomas Fonnesbæk and drummer Karsten Bagge, met with the American pianist Aaron Parks, who had spent a long visit in Denmark as “Artist In Residence”. A recording session was arranged, and tunes written especially with this release in mind, were combined with new interpretations and original arrangements of well-known compositions by a collection of very different composers: Carl Nielsen (Tit er jeg glad), Cedar Walton (Bolivia), Arthur Schwartz (You And The Night And The Music), and rock legend Bruce Springsteen (I’m On Fire).
The musical kinship is apparent. Three artists obviously tuned in to the same wavelength. The natural focus and intensity is there from the very first note.
The Russian writer and philosopher Leo Tolstoy defined art as “… the ability to create fellowship between people, uniting them in a mutual experience of the emotions that are indispensable to life and progress, and contributing to the well-being of individuals and humanity”. High ambitions indeed, but this was none the less the trio’s goal for their musical endeavors together.
This is a modern trio jazz recording with interaction driven by dynamic flow and a high level of creativity. The scope, the swing, the harmonic insight, the elegant plasticity of this trio, are boggling.
Aaron Parks (b.1983) is one of the important young innovators to come out of the New York jazz scene the last ten years. When he was 18, he caught the attention of larger audiences when joining trumpeter Terry Blanchard’s band. He recorded four albums with Blanchard including the 2007 Grammy-awarded A TALE OF GOD’S WILL. Since then Aaron Parks has played and recorded with many great artists such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kendrick Scott and Gretchen Parlato. His intense playing is also an attraction in the musical collective “James Farm” with Joshua Redman and Eric Harland. So far, he has released two acclaimed albums in his own name: INVISIBLE CINEMA (Blue Note, 2008) and ABOERESCENCE (ECM, 2013). He collaborated with Danish bassist Anders Christensen and legendary drummer Paul Motian on DEAR SOMEONE, recorded for Stunt Records in New York in 2009. Read more...

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Will Goble - Consider The Blues (2016)

Source & Label:

Genre: Post-Bop

GAB's Rating: ★★★★☆ 

“Mr. Goble delivers a gem...original and fresh...”  JazzTimes

For his second recording as a leader, bassist Will Goble is joined by drummer Dave Potter, his long-time rhythm section mate in Jason Marsalis' Quartet, master saxophonist Greg Tardy and the Atlanta-based pianist Louis Heriveaux. Through arrangements of compositions by Mary Lou Williams and George Gershwin, and originals inspired by the 2015 Nepali earthquakes, racial injustice, and other emotion-charged events, Goble presents the blues as an aesthetic through which all people can make their stories known. From the opening "Another Man Gone Down," a traditional chain gang song with guest vocalist Tabreeca Woodside, to Goble's uptempo "The Ants Went Marching One By One But They Didn’t Come Back," the blues are captured with a variety of outlooks, but always through the infinitely variable lens of swing.

1. Another Man Done Gone 4:52
2. Johnson's Magic Umbrella 4:19
3. Dirge Blues 6:22
4. It Ain't Necessarily So 6:10
5. Just Think For A Moment 5:23
6. Belle Isle 5:43
7. The Ants Went Marching One By One But They Didn't Come Back 5:37
8. Hold Tight 6:09
9. Uncertainty 7:02
10. Hopefully 6:22
11. Three Little Words 4:28

Gregory Tardy - Tenor Saxophone
Louis Heriveaux - Piano
Will Goble - Bass
Dave Potter - Drums
Tabreeca Woodside - Vocals (1)  

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Atma Mundi Ensemble - The Road to Skitacha (2016)

Source & Label:

Genre: World Fusion

GAB's RATING:

★★★☆☆  

World music capturing musical heritage from different areas and cultures of our planet and combining it with modern jazz using vast instrumentation.It is meant to be a project not only confined to music but expanded to all means of art.

All songs were written as a musical statement which clearly denotes the uniqueness and importance of traditional music, both as a point of departure in a compositional process which has led to these songs and also as a part of  human cultural heritage . These compositions are original works but all of them are rooted into various musical traditions and are representing an idea of musical bonding between different areas and cultures of our planet.

Bonus track is a recording we all became very emotionally attached to, being the last recording of such a great artist like Arsen Dedic was. This version of  “1947” was taken from the project “Sergio Endrigo – Momenti di jazz” produced by Alberto Zeppieri for “Musica Jazz – Italy” (MJ 1298).

Big thanks to Simone,Borko, Mirko, Matija and Francesco for giving their energy into my music.Another big thanks to all the people who were a part of the making process of this album.This music is dedicated to bringing more peace and love to our planet, Earth.  Zoran Majstorovic

 

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Horace Bray - Dreamstate (2016)

Label: Self Released

Source: The Dentonite

Genre: Modern Creative Jazz

GAB's RATING: ★★★★☆ 

  

Bray is inspired by Ambrose Akinmusire, The Bad Plus, Gilad Hekselman, Lage Lund, and  Kurt Rosenwinkel, “but mostly the people I play with,” Bray says, “like Matt Young, Mike Luzecky, and Connor Kent,” really inspire the young musician.

More than jazz, Bray says he listens to a lot of different music when he is not playing (or listening to) jazz. Neo-soul, Gospel, folk, prog-metal, old school country, ambient, and singer-songwriter genres top his list, although he says the list could go on.

A master of his craft, Bray graduated from the University of North Texas last fall, earning his Bachelor's in Jazz Guitar Performance and Music Theory. Although not originally from Texas, Bray moved around a bit as a child, hitting two major U.S. coasts and the Midwest in states like California, Maryland, and Ohio. Bray ended up in Webster Groves, Missouri for middle & high school, venturing to Denton shortly after for college.

“I think Denton definitely has a good scene,” Bray says, “but we need more places to play and get together.” With the news of Rubber Gloves set to close later this year, Hailey’s and Banter saying bye-bye last year, Denton musicians seem to venture to Dallas for more frequent shows to play.

In fact, you can catch this Texas-transplant strumming his guitar every Tuesday evening (starting in June) with the Southpaw Preachers who have a residency at Vetted Well in Dallas.

Despite the music venues slowly diminishing, there is a wealth of talent residing in Denton. “The musicians are amazing and really into being great at a bunch of different styles,” Bray says. “I can be on an old-school soul gig on a Friday, then play a jazz standards gig the next night with the same musicians, then a few days after that we may all be playing hip hop and neo-soul. It’s rare to be in a place where there are so many musicians proficient in so many different styles. It also feels like a big family which I think is really important for a musical scene.”

1. Laumeier 05:24
2. Laumeier Outro 05:09
3. Living With Imperfection 05:10
4. Sooth 07:37
5. Dreamstate 06:26
6. 3 4 5 02:56
7. Mellifluous 07:25
8. Dirge For Mary Mallon 04:22
9. The Mind as a Brittle Object 05:19
10.Semantic Satiation 06:53
    

Horace Bray - Guitar, Vocals
Colin Campbell - Keyboard
Mike Luzecky - Bass
Matt Young - Drums (1, 2, 3, 5, 8), Post-production (6, 9)
Connor Kent - Drums (4, 7, 9, 10)
Hale Baskin - Vocals (1)
Allison Pontier - Vocals (1)
Josue Alan - Vocals (1)

Drew Zaremba - String Arrangements

Jesus Saenz - Violin
Amy Wang - Violin
Karina Sim - Violin
Channing Hooper - Violin
Usman Peguergo - Violin
Ethan Rouse - Viola
Sabrina Mackenzie - Viola

 

 

 
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Max Ionata - Rewind (2016)

Source & Label:

Genre: Modern Jazz/Hammond

GAB's RATING: ★★★★☆

Italian saxophonist Max Ionata, among the leading players in the contemporary jazz scene and one of the most demanded worldwide, will be releasing his thirteenth album “rewind” in May; his fourth recording produced by Jando Music | Via Veneto Jazz.  

With “rewind” Max Ionata marks a turning point and repositions himself at the head of an entirely different formation: a Hammond trio. The group features an exceptional array of talents, comprised of master musicians of international stature with whom he established a remarkable synergy during the numerous concerts in the past few years; namely the organist Alberto Gurrisi and the premier Dutch drummer Frits Landesbergen - also considered one of the best vibraphonists in Europe.  

This album truly represents a “rewind” - a transition veering from his traditional path - where Ionata starts anew with an abundance of creativity and bold stylistic innovations.  An energetic swerve following an intense artistic career during which Max Ionata performed both as leader and as special guest at the world’s most important jazz festivals and clubs, collaborating with the greatest musicians in the world.  

The album contains two jazz standards, one song composed by Frits Landesbergen and arranged by Max Ionata, six original songs Ionata composed at the piano in August 2015, at his house in Abruzzo. A time during which he intensified his musical research, starting with his great passion for American jazz, particularly modern hard bop, unveiling new layers of that musical genius and intuitive melodic sense that distinguishes his music.  

Of the nine songs in the album, six are autobiographical: “Drum” is a tribute to the great Italian trumpeter Marco Tamburini, with whom Max shared key moments in his musical career; “Bob’s Mood” is inspired by Bob Mintzer and his unique style of composing; “Mr G.T.” is dedicated to his friend and colleague Gege’ Telesforo, who inspired Max with his unique way of experiencing the stage and with his passion for funk. “North Sea” is a ballad, played on the soprano sax, enthused by the coastal landscapes seen during their tour of Northern Europe; “Sunflower” stems from the effect of the intense colors of Van Gogh’s sunflowers, which had impressed Max during his visit to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

The track list ends with Antonio Carlos Jobim’s pulsing and rhythmic “Chovendo Na Roseira” followed by George Coleman’s  “Amsterdam After Dark” and concludes with the loping swing of “At Vic's” written by Frits Landerbergen and dedicated to one of the greatest musicians in jazz, Victor Feldman.

01 At vic's (Frits Landesbergen)
02 Drum (Max Ionata) 
03 The black hole (Max Ionata)
04 North sea  (Max Ionata)
05 Sunflower (Max Ionata)
06 Bob's mood (Max Ionata)
07 Chovendo na roseira (Antonio Carlos Jobim)
08 Amsterdam after dark (George Coleman)
09 Mr G.T. (Max Ionata)

Max Ionata - saxophones
Frits Landesbergen - drums and vibraphone
Alberto Gurrisi - hammond organ 
Amedeo Ariano - drums (on #9)  

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Rempis / Morris / Reid / Baker - Nettles (2016) AEROPHONIC RECORDS

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Rempis / Morris / Reid / Baker - Nettles (2016)

Released May 3, 2016 

In the summer of 2013, guitarist Joe Morris decided to thoroughly acquaint himself with the vibrant Chicago creative music scene. Although he’d worked with plenty of Chicago musicians over the years, including regular collaborations with percussionist Hamid Drake and reedist Ken Vandermark, it had been many years since Morris had spent any significant time in the city. So he undertook a series of concerts, organized by Vandermark, which placed him in a number of different contexts alongside many of his Chicago-based counterparts, including this string-heavy date at Elastic Arts. 

From the start, this ad-hoc quartet took advantage of an unusual instrumentation to produce some austere and starkly beautiful music. Each member contributes quickly interweaving lines that occasionally burst to the fore, but tend more often to wrap themselves into one other, hiding in plain sight amongst the unified whole. Cloaking their individual timbres into a sinewy mass, the result is a tight and fascinating exploration of contrapuntal improvisation.

1. White Dead 23:14

2. Yellow Dead 09:31

3. Purple Dead 09:41

4. Spotted Dead 05:22

Dave Rempis, alto sax, baritone sax

Joe Morris, guitar

Tomeka Reid, cello

Jim Baker, piano

Recorded live at Elastic Arts in Chicago, IL 

August 8th, 2013 

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Dave Zuchowski 

Produced by Dave Rempis 

Special thanks to Ken Vandermark for his help in organizing this concert.

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