Monday, November 7, 2016

Roberto Spadoni New Project Jazz Orchestra - Travel Music (ALFA MUSIC 2016)



La sua strada di musicista e di compositore Roberto Spadoni la percorre libera da condizionamenti stilistici in questo polittico di emozioni  che colpisce lentamente, suonato al meglio in un clima di session nella quale vive una tensione tutta personale, sempre in bilico fra esperienze e tendenze diverse, forte di un respiro intellettuale intenso, mai riverso su modi abusati e, jazzisticamente parlando, “borghesi”.

“Travel Music” è una storia vera nata fra le magie dei Maestri e dai Maestri lontana quanto serve per narrare note proprie, europee quanto newyorkesi, senza astuzie d’immagini d’incanti fatali ; note saldamente legate ad obiettivi originali che intendono innovare senza “tirar fuori gli artigli” a tutti i costi, come testimoniano le piacevoli aperture dei soli e gli arrangiamenti in ottimo Bop, elegantemente disegnati in speziature ampie quanto naturali, amalgamando con prontezza tecnica e finezza armonica ogni diverso stato dell’Arte jazzistica, dal frammento lirico nebuloso e crepuscolare (“L’Italia dal finestrino”) al flusso poliedrico (“Travel Music”), dall’espressività delle Blue Notes coltraniane e davisiane (“Ce la posso fare”) alla complessa vivacità compositiva (“Dolls”) che, immaginifica e fiammante, suona improvvisa nelle voci solistiche del fantasmagorico Deus ex Machina Giovanni Falzone alla tromba e Stefano Menato al sax alto.

Mai concettuale e astratto è il ruolo da Voce Narrante che il nostro chitarrista concepisce in un album in fondo privo delle incertezze del Viaggio cui il titolo allude, del resto concluso con “La pensione degli artisti” che, a parte il rimando ideologico circa l’indifferenza politica verso il problema, allude ad “una piccola pensione che si trova nella parte più antica e forse metafisica di Ferrara, nei vicoli del Ghetto ebraico” dov’è apparso il tema che vibra di Blues e Hard Bop, traslando l’ironia della metrica degli “autunni melanconici pieni di addii” di Corrado Govoni e la sublime (in)differenza dell’intimismo di Guido Gozzano nel serissimo divertissement introspettivo  della personalità orchestrale di Gil Evans.

Ecco, come la New Project Jazz Orchestra mostra e dimostra,  suonare è azione di autoscoperta, e dunque di Viaggio, perché ogni musicista suona ciò che è, ciò che vede e, ancor più, ciò che sogna.
Fabrizio Ciccarelli



Stefano Menato alto sax & clarinet Giuliana Beberi ,alto sax Fiorenzo Zeni
tenor sax & soprano sax Renzo De Rossi ,Giorgio Beberi baritone sax

Trumpet & Flugelhorn Giovanni Falzone trumpet Paolo Trettel, Christian Stanchina, Alessio Tasin,
Emiliano Tamanini

Trombones  Luigi Grata, Hannes Mock, Fabrizio Carlin, Glauco Benedetti Tuba

Roberto Spadoni guitar Roberto Cipelli piano, Stefano Colpi double bass,Mauro Beggio drums

Produced by Roberto Spadoni & Associazione Culturale New Project for AlfaMusic Label&Publishing
Production coordinator: Fabrizio Salvatore
Sound engineer: Alessandro Guardia

1 Ce La Posso Fare 8.14
2 L’Italia dal Finestrino 10.54
3 Travel Music 11.45
4 La Vita, in Fondo, è un Rincorrere Emozioni da Ricordare 19.44
5 Dolls 6.09
6 La Pensione degli Artisti 8.05

Total Time 65.09



Jorge Vera - Luz (YOUKALI MUSIC 2016)



Jorge Vera combina en su nuevo viaje musical Jazz , latín, barroco , virtuosismo y multiculturalidad acompañado por los mejores músicos de la escena de Madrid presentando su nuevo proyecto titulado LUZ…

01. Luz
02. La Suite
03. Comprende
04. Softvera
05. Decada
06. Les Feuilles Mortes
07. Desde la Nada
08. Matices
09. En Tierra Amiga
10. Up Cha Cha
11. Cherokee


Jorge Vera - Piano
Christian Gálvez - Bass
Tomás Merlo - Bass
Rafael Águila - Sax
Shayan Fathi - Drums
Maureen Choi - Violin
Jorge Pérez - Percussion
Manuel Machado - Trumpet



Jorge Rossy - Stay Here (PIROUET RECORDS 2016)



The Rossy Vibes Quintet release new album “Stay There” (Pirouet Records 2016)

Renowned drummer Jorge Rossy lays down his sticks and picks up the mallets as he displays his love of melody on the vibraphone and marimba. Jorge has brought along three old friends, contemporary jazz masters tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, guitarist Peter Bernstein, and bassist Doug Weiss. Add to the mix legendary drummer Al Foster of Miles Davis fame and you have a potent musical elixir. Modern jazz at its melodic best.


Jorge Rossy vibes, marimba
Mark Turner tenor saxophone
Peter Bernstein guitar
Doug Weiss bass
Al Foster drums


1. Who Knows About Tomorrow 5:49
2. Portrait 4:32
3. Artesano 4:05
4. Blessed 5:17
5. Mark's Mode 2:01
6. The Newcomer 5:49
7. W Waltz 6:19
8. Pauletta 4:24
9. Mmmyeah 7:05
10. Stay Here 6:16



Jonathan Finlayson & Sicilian Defense - Moving Still (PI RECORDINGS 2016)


Moving Still is the eagerly-awaited follow-up to trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson’s Moment and the Message (Pi 2013), which was voted the top Album by a Debut Artist in the 2013 NPR Jazz Critics Poll and proclaimed “intricate and alluring, melodic but daring, riveting and rare” by Popmatters. Well regarded among fellow musicians for his ability to negotiate complex musical material and his decidedly personal sound and improvisational style, Finlayson was named the Number One Rising Star Trumpeter in the 2014 Downbeat Critics Poll. He has been a member of alto saxophonist Steve Coleman’s Five Elements for over 15 years, while also playing regularly with the likes of such cutting-edge artists as Steve Lehman, Mary Halvorson, Muhal Richard Abrams and Henry Threadgill.

Moving Still is filled with enthralling twists and turns, a hallmark of Finlayson’s compositional style. As usual, there is far more to his work than might readily appear. Even though the pieces move forward with a clear thrust, instrumental voices rarely move in unison and counterpoint almost always holds sway. This is apparent on “Flank and Center,” where the melody utilizes hockets - a series of three and two notes played in turn by three voices, a pointillistic effect that is carried throughout the piece. “Space And” is based on a traditional bell pattern of the Dagomba of present-day Northern Ghana while “Folk Song” is inspired by an Afro Cuban melody from the song cycle devoted to Oshun, a deity that reflects one of the manifestations of God in the Ifá and Yoruba religions. “Cap vs Nim” is based on a celebrated chess match between the grandmasters José Raúl Capablanca and Aron Nimzowitsch wherein Finlayson assigned harmonic values to positions on the board with the melody determined by the origin and destination of each move. Guitarist Mile Okazaki states of the music: “It demands restraint and balance. It breathes and moves along unencumbered. You join in for the trip, but travel light and watch your step, because Finlayson will surely take a turn that you don’t expect.”

Finlayson’s band, Sicilian Defense, is named after the popular chess opening counter move, and most of the composition titles on Moving Still are also allusions to some aspect of the game of chess, which he plays with great zeal. This latest iteration of the band includes guitarist Miles Okazaki, who is also a member of Steve Coleman’s Five Elements and with whom Finlayson has played with consistently for ten years. Trickster, his next release, will be out on Pi in 2017. Pianist Matt Mitchell (Tim Berne, Dave Douglas, Rudresh Mahanthappa, John Hollenbeck) has also released two of his albums on Pi. Finlayson has played alongside bassist John Hebert (Andrew Hill, Fred Hersch) for years, most recently in the bands of guitarist Mary Halvorson. And the young drummer Craig Weinrib, best known for tackling the challenges of Henry Threadgill’s music as a member of his Ensemble Double up, a band that released the acclaimed Old Locks and Irregular Verbs earlier this year.

Finlayson has been a professional musician for a decade and a half despite being only 34 years of age. It’s not uncommon for musicians years younger with far less experience to have multiple albums as leaders under their belt already yet Moving Still is just the second release under his own name. According to Okazaki: “You can’t rush Finlayson. He’s not concerned with expectations. He has confidence that his preparation will allow things to fall into place when the time is right. It has to do with timing and nuance, and allowing the story to reveal itself to those who are leaning in and paying attention.” Or as Steve Coleman puts it: “Jonathan was aware of the entire spectrum of this music from a young age and he’s always taken a panoramic view of what has come before. But for him it’s not about imitating the great players. He has the patience to find his own way and it’s important to him for his music to reflect his own personality and philosophy, to create his own style and sound. He has made a conscious choice to be on the cutting edge so that he continues to make an individual contribution to the continuum of this music.” The result is a daring work with a firm sense of purpose.




1. All of the Pieces 11:15
2. Flank and Center 04:34
3. Space And 08:33
4. Cap vs. Nim 08:58
5. Between Moves 08:08
6. Folk Song 10:47

Miles Okazaki - guitar
Matt Mitchell - piano
John Hébert – bass
Craig Weinrib - drums



Nasheet Waits Equality - Between Nothingness and Infinity (LABORIE JAZZ 2016)



Batteur parmi les plus influents du jazz actuel, Nasheet Waits s'inscrit dans l'évolution d'un jeu de batterie plein, subtil, fougueux, bien en dehors des codes d'accompagnement traditionnels. Il alimente le fl ux musical par un jeu reposant sur un usage complexe de la polyrythmie, une approche très particulière de l'instrument qui ouvre la voie à une expression plus libre et authentique, une musique communicative qui révèle un attachement profond aux racines du Jazz, de ses créateurs et compositeurs.

L’album « Equality » est né favorablement lors d’une tournée printanière en Italie en 2007. Le quartet était composé alors de Logan Richardson aux saxophones alto et soprano, de Jason Moran et de Tarus Mateen, tous deux musiciens également dans le groupe Jason Moran & The Bandwagon. « Equality » s’est vu enregistrer une première proposition en 2009 chez Fresh Sound Records, intitulé « Alive At MPI » et a entrainé des pianistes virtuoses tels que Stanley Cowell et James Hurt pour plusieurs tournées en Europe de 2007 à 2013.

Il a notamment enregistré et tourné fréquemment en Afrique, en Europe, au Japon, au Canada, en Amérique du Sud et aux Etats-Unis. En plus de ses prestations, de ses enregistrements et de ses tournées, Nasheet Waits enseigne la batterie et la musique avec une approche bien personnelle.

Tout en défendant la nécessité d’équilibrer entre le traditionnel et le modernisme, Nasheet Waits rencontrent de nombreux musiciens, aussi en Master class. Il est dévoué à explorer son rôle et son parcours artistique dans la musique.


1. Korean Bounce (10’20)
2. Story Line (8’05)
3. Between Nothingness and Infinity (4’54)
4. Snake Hip Waltz (5’43)
5. Unity (7’16)
6. Kush (6’14)
7. Koko (7’32)
8. Hesitation (8’14)
9. Unity Bonus Track* (2’17)

Nasheet Waits : Batterie
Mark Helias : Contrebasse
Darius Jones : Saxophone
Aruan Ortiz : Piano

Produced by Laborie Jazz
Executive producer : Jean-Michel Leygonie
Recorded by Boris Darley at Studio Laborie
Assistant : Fabien Lambré
Mixed by Boris Darley at Holy Oak Studio
Mastered by Pierre Vandewaeterat Studio Lakanal
Photos cover & back by Emra Islek
Photos by Lucie Sassiat
Artwork / Design by Martial Muller
Booking International : 3D Family
Worldwide Digital Distribution by IDOL
Distribution by SOCADISC