We are very happy to announce the release of our new debut album, “The Hive.” The album features compositions by every member of the quartet, as well as special guest Steve Cardenas on guitar. We had our release show recently, at Cornelia Street Cafe in the West Vilage. And there will be more shows to come!
“The Hive” is a product of the band’s ritual of meeting every Monday to play and work on compositions. The record highlights the band’s interactive energy and empathy, as all members work toward a common goal in each song. Collective in nature, bustling with interactive improvisation, each member is treated as an equal and integral part of the whole. Each player contributes not only as a instrumentalist but also as a composer. “The Hive” is a mile marker in an ongoing process, one which will continue to evolve and flourish through the years.
That said, please click on our SoundCloud to sample the music! And, you can visit iTunes, Amazon, or cdbaby.com/commonquartet, to purchase your own copy!
In addition to the album, we are currently booking an international tour for 2017, so stay tuned for details!!
We are also happy to be continuing our Monday night residency at Vodou Bar, in Brooklyn. This continues to be a great source of inspiration for us as a band, and we find it fortunate to be able to work together on a consistent basis. We think that’s one of the things what makes our band unique.
That’s all for now, stay tuned for more!
1. Zam 5:40
2. Lem 7:48
3. Gemmi 5:00
4. Don't Hide 6:13
5. Traffic Song 6:29
6. En Otro Lugar 5:15
7. Lazybird 5:10
8. Empty Castle 6:01
9. Big Foot 4:43
Nitzan Gavrieli, piano / composer
Pablo Menares, bass / composer
Alex Wyatt, drums / composer
Seth Trachy, saxophone / composer
Nitzan Gavrieli
Pianist and composer Nitzan Gavrieli grew up in Ramat Gan, Israel. In 2007, he relocated to New York and shortly after received several scholarships to attend the prestigious New School for Jazz and Contemporary music. While in school, he studied with Sam Yahel, Hal Galper and Reggie Workman among other leading figures in the New York jazz scene.
Since then, Nitzan has performed and recorded with some of the biggest names in contemporary jazz, including Mark Murphy, Charlie Persip, Bob Moses, Jeff Hirshfield, Frank Gambale, David Schnitter, Peter Bernstein, Cameron Brown, Melissa Aldana, Fransisco Mela and Steve Cardenas. He played in festivals across the U.S and Europe, including Sudtirol Jazz Festival, Bern Jazz Festival, Red Sea Jazz Festival, Tel Aviv Jazz Festival, Scranton Jazz Festival, Jazz & Colors Festival, and at such venues as Marians Jazz Room in Berne, Unterfahrt Jazz Club in Munich, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Blue Note Jazz Club, Town Hall and Smalls Jazz Club in New York. This summer the Nitzan Gavrieli Trio will release its debut album, featuring Nitzan’s original compositions.
Pablo Menares
Pablo Menares is a chilean bass player based in Brooklyn, NY. He is one of the most highly regarded bass players in Chile. Since moving to New York City in 2009, he has worked widely in both Jazz and Latin music. He has performed in many of New York’s notable jazz venues, including Blue Note, Jazz Standard, Jazz Gallery, Smoke, Smalls Jazz Club, Fat Cat, 55 Bar, Lincoln Center, Steinway Hall and Carnegie Hall. He has toured extensively in Europe, Asia, North, Central and South America. Among the luminaries with whom he has performed are Sam Yahel, Arturo O’Farrill, Randy Brecker, David Kikoski, Bob Moses, Greg Osby, Melissa Aldana, Claudia Acuña and Francisco Mela.
Alex Wyatt
Alex Wyatt is a New York based drummer and composer hailing from Denver, Colorado. Recognitions include winning the drum chair in the Colorado All-State Jazz Band three years in a row, receiving scholarship to attend the New School for Jazz in New York, graduating from the New School for Jazz Signa Cum Laude with a B.F.A., and being a finalist for the Thelonious Monk Institute for Jazz. Noteworthy performance work: performed with pianist Kevin Hays at Scalo in Albuquerque, New Mexico; with guitarist Gilad Hekselman in various New York City jazz clubs; with saxophonist George Garzone at Ortlieb’s in Philadelphia; toured Japan with saxophonist Masahiro Yamamoto; performed in South Korea with vocalist Yeahwon Shin; toured the Czech Republic with guitarist Rudy Linka; toured the United States with Broadway stars The Midtown Men. Noteworthy recording work: Here Be Dragons, featuring saxophonist Jon Irabagon released 2009 on Fresh Sound New Talent; WYATT, self-released indie-pop record from 2011, led by Alex’s sister Maddy; There’s Always Something, Alex’s own jazz record with original compositions, released on Nowt Records in 2012; Tales of a Dreamer, by pianist Hyung-Jin Choi in 2014, and Magic Light, by pianist Eugenia Choe, released in April 2016 on Steeplechase Records. Current work includes performing and releasing a new album with Common Quartet, continuing to tour with The Midtown Men, performing as a house band member of Duane Park Jazz and Burlesque Club, and performing around New York City with the indie-pop band WYATT.
Seth Trachy
Saxophonist/composer Seth Trachy was raised on a farm in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains and spent his childhood exploring the Appalachian wilderness and absorbing the soulful sounds of artists such as Sam Cooke and Otis Redding from his father’s record collection. Trachy received recognition early on in the Downbeat student music awards while attending high school at the North Carolina School of the Arts. He has performed and recorded with artists such as Kenny Werner, Dave Douglas, Steve Cardenas, Peter Bernstein, Miguel Zenon, Henry Cole, Clarence Penn and Jeff Hirshfield.
Trachy relocated to New Jersey in 2000 to study on full scholarship at William Patterson University for two years before completing his studies at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City. In 2005, Trachy was selected to participate in the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Workshop as well as the Ravinia Jazz Festival. He has studied with Sam Yahel, Dave Tofani, Miguel Zenon, George Garzone, Armen Donelian, Joe Lovano, and Eddie Saulkin. In addition to studying jazz, Trachy has studied Indian classic music at the Ustad Alik Akbar Khan School of Music in San Rafael, California. He currently lives in Brooklyn working as a freelance saxophonist.
