Monday, November 21, 2016

Venice Connection Quartet - Acrilico (CALIGOLA RECORDS 2016)




“Acrilico” è il primo lavoro di questo mirabolante quartetto Veneto composto da Tommaso Troncon (sassofoni), Paolo Garbin (pianoforte), Vincenzo Dalla Malva (contrabbasso) e Enrico Smiderle (batteria). In quest’album il gruppo si avvale inoltre della collaborazione di un astro indimenticato del Jazz Italiano nonché mentore dei componenti: Marco Tamburini (tromba). Il disco si apre con “Ceci n’est pas une blues”, una chiara citazione al celeberrimo “La Trahison des images” di Magritte, in cui il gruppo ci presenta un sound prettamente hard bop (o “new hard” come qualcuno ama dire) pieno di swing.

I soli, di altissimo livello, sono di Garbin, Tamburini, Smiderle nello Special e infine Troncon. Il disco prosegue con “Sir Joe”, un waltz tutt’altro che convenzionale che ribadisce la direzione “Shawinana” del gruppo mettendo nuovamente alla prova Troncon e Garbin, anche alle prese con Smiderle nelle trades. Il terzo brano, “Enigma”, cambia leggermente atmosfera: mezzo latin, mezzo swing, il tutto tenuto insieme magistralmente con una grande energia tensiva, senza essere né frenetico né chiassoso. 

Tensione elegante. Splendido il solo di Garbin in duo con Dalla Malva, autore del brano successivo “Song for my mother” (citazione di Horace Silver?) che distende decisamente il clima con una ballad even eight molto toccante. Sublimi i soli di Tamburini e Troncon, qui al soprano. Si riprende a pieno regime con “Contayner”, pienamente hard bop, in cui i solisti ci regalano emozioni degne di una Formula 1, non tanto per la velocità esecutiva, ma per l’energia emanata; in particolare Smiderle ci entusiasma in un solo libero. “Il Nibelungo” è l’altro brano even eight del disco; ritorniamo un attimo sognanti e melodici, ma sempre con una certa tensione malinconica tipica del Jazz odierno. 

Ispiratissimo Troncon seguito da Dalla Malva e Garbin. L’ultimo brano “Strushy” ci viene introdotto da Tamburini con un solo senza accompagnamento quasi inquietante che sfocia poi nel morbido tema waltz per poi regalarci un ultimo, appassionato, solo prima di lasciare la parola ai discepoli Troncon e Garbin.

Complessivamente parliamo di un disco veramente valido, contraddistinto dalle forme proprie della musica afro-americana, ma in una sonorità squisitamente Europea; presenta un quartetto di professionisti pronti a dimostrare la propria integrità e ispirazione artistica. Un plauso lo merita anche Stefano Onorati che ha donato al gruppo dei suoni a dir poco incantevoli. Non si può non menzionare ulteriormente la presenza del compianto Marco Tamburini che anche dopo un anno dalla prematura scomparsa brilla di luce sempre nuova.

Ciò non toglie nulla ai quattro musicisti che non temono il confronto con questo gigante. Ne sono certo: faranno parlare di sé. Teneteli d’occhio. Paolo Andreotti / cdclassico



Nathalie Loriers / Tineke Postma / Nicolas Thys - We Will Really Meet Again (W.E.R.F. RECORDS 2016)



Weinig jazzartiesten zijn in eigen land zo geliefd als pianiste Nathalie Loriers. Sinds eind jaren ’90 groeide ze uit tot de ‘leading lady of Belgian jazz’. Niet alleen omwille van haar lyrische pianospel, maar evenzeer om haar muzikale veelzijdigheid en sterk compositorisch vermogen.

Voor De Werf Records nam ze intussen maar liefst vijf CD’s op, die allen bijzonder succesvol zijn gebleken bij zowel pers als publiek. Daarnaast nam ze deel aan diverse projecten, waarvan haar werk bij het internationaal geprezen Brussels Jazz Orchestra ongetwijfeld het meest bekend is.

In 2013 werd ze door het Waalse Gaume Festival uitgenodigd om een nieuw repertoire uit te werken met de Nederlandse saxofoniste Tineke Postma. Het album 'Le Peuple Des Silencieux' (W.E.R.F.120) is de neerslag van dit fantastische concert. De klik tussen Tineke Postma en Nathalie Loriers deed hen voorzichtige plannen smeden om een studioplaat samen te maken. ‘We will really meet again’ (W.E.R.F.142) is hier de vrucht van!

Tineke Postma is één van de grootste exporthits van de Nederlandse jazz en wordt dan ook tot ver buiten de eigen landsgrenzen gelauwerd. Zo plaatste het gerenommeerde Amerikaanse jazztijdschrift Down Beat haar in 2012 op nummer 5 in hun "Rising Star"-ranglijst. Op de laatste International Jazzday speelde ze nog samen met Amerikaanse saxofonist Wayne Shorter in de Asembly Hall van de United Nations in New York. Verder mocht ze in eigen land reeds de prestigieuze Boy Edgar prijs in ontvangst nemen.

Voor deze nieuwe CD nemen de beide jazzladies bassist Nic Thys onder de arm, een internationaal klinkende naam en één van de meest gevraagde bassisten in België. Thys kent vele muzikale universums en weet deze invloeden subtiel in zijn muziek naar boven te laten komen. Op ‘We will really meet again’ neemt het drietal je mee op een meeslepende en melancholische reis.


01. Luiza
02. Everything We Need
03. Quietness
04. We Will Really Meet Again... or the Sadness of Losing a Brother (For Thierry)
05. Dançao
06. Remembering Lee
07. Take the Cake
08. And Then Comes Love
09. Fallen Walls
10. Oceans

NATHALIE LORIERS PIANO
TINEKE POSTMA SAX
NICOLAS THYS CONTRABAS


John Beasley - MONK'estra Vol. 1 (MACK AVENUE RECORDS 2016)




Perfect! Who better than Monk Institute Music Director John Beasley to finally create something that might have been thought of years ago: the concept of a "Monk'estra," which is, of course, a full-fledged 15-man orchestra doing nothin' but the hard, complex, circuitous compositions by The High Priest Of Bebop, baby, Thelonious Monk [1917-1982]. He's been doing it for three years and now we have it on CD for the first time.

Beasley's been a bad-ass ever since he performed in the bands of Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard. As the main American Idol arranger for the show's last nine seasons...and as a hired-gun piano player who survived James Brown, Chick Corea, Steely Dan and Queen Latifah, the cat can do no wrong. Pianist/conductor/arranger, he's taken on the task of reinventing, reimagining and redoing Monk through an influencing filter of Gil Evans (who worked magic with Miles).


Since Monk (like Bach, Ellington or Gershwin) still sounds good at any tempo, Beasley has changed and rearranged like a mad man gone amok. He's a genius in getting just the right sound for his perambulations. Thus, he uses superstar vibes player Gary Burton on, arguably, Monk's hardest twisting turning composition of them all, "Epistrophy," to open. Beasley (in the liner notes): "what a virtuoso! One take, boom! He just nailed it." Plus, he uses European harmonica master Gregoire Maret on "Ask Me Now."

On "Skippy," saxophonist Bob Sheppard plays the role of John Coltrane ('Trane played a legendary gig with Monk for five months in 1957 at The Five Spot in New York). Or maybe he's aping Charlie Rouse, Monk's longtime tenor man, despite the fact that Sheppard wails exclusively on soprano and alto. (The tenor man here is Tom Leur and his big solo comes on "Little Rootie Tootie," accentuating its cha-cha roots.)


Not afraid to interpret Monk's most covered tune, "'Round Midnight," Beasley pulls out all the keyboard stops to focus on piano, Fender Rhodes and mini-moog synthesizer. Oddly enough, the leader doesn't play a whole lot of piano here, only soloing on two tracks. Obviously, this whole band is his palette and he plays it like Duke played his big-band...like an instrument.


1. Epistrophy
2. Skippy 8:03
3. Oska T 8:16
4. Monk's Processional (Medley) 2:50
5. 'Round Midnight 3:43
6. Ask Me Now 6:46
7. Gallop's Gallop 3:14
8. Little Rootie Tootie 9:13
9. Coming on the Hudson 5:47

MONKestra Musicians:  East Coast and West Coast bands

TRUMPET: Bijon Watson, Brian Lynch, Brian Swartz, Dontae Winslow, Rashawn Ross, Scott Wendholt, Shawn Edmonds, Jamie Hovorka, Brandyn Phillips, Gabriel Johnson

TROMBONE: Frank Lacy, Conrad Herwig, Steve Turre, Ryan Dragon, Lemar Guillary, Francisco Torres, Wendell Kelly, Steve Hughes, James Burton

SAX: Bob Sheppard, Greg Tardy, Tom Luer, Tommy Peterson, Dave Reikenberg, Adam Kolker, Oliver Santana,Steve Wilson, Danny Janklow, Justo Almario, Bob Malach,  Jeff Driskill

BASS: James Genus, Benjamin J. Shepherd, Ben Williams, Rickey Minor

DRUMS: Terreon Gully, Gene Coye, Gary Novak, Tony Austin

PIANO/SYNTHESIZERS/MELODICA: John Beasley

Guest Artists and other MONK’estras: Dianne Reeves, Gary Burton, Regina Carter, Gregoire Maret, Gretchen Perlato, Lee Ritenour



Stu Harrison - Volume I (ONE NIGHTSTAND RECORDS LTD 2016)



Stu was born and raised in South-Western Ontario, beginning piano instruction at the age of 3. 

Completing his early studies through the Suzuki Method in London ON, and then studying with Harold Riddolls (RCM), he attained his ARCT by 16.

Following several years of competitive classical performance, he branched out into a wide variety of musical settings, from choir direction to church organist, and finally to jazz. He attended the University of Toronto’s Jazz Performance program, graduating with Honours in 2003. 

In 2003 he started Stu Harrison Music, a commercial and wedding music company that worked extensively throughout Ontario from 2003 – 2007, supplying music to a wide variety of high-profile clientele. During the same period, he was also Music Director and Composer for Garden Brothers Circus, performing more than 1000 shows to well over 2 million people.

In 2006 he joined Merriam Music, the largest private music school in Canada as well as its highest volume piano dealer, and took on a variety of roles, including teaching, retailing, curriculum development, marketing, and eventually to the executive level where he serves as head of Sales, Marketing, and Strategic Development.

In October 2016, Stu released his debut album “Volume 1” (ONE NIGHTSTAND RECORDS LTD), to critical acclaim, featuring Canadian legends Terry Clarke, and Neil Swainson. 

Stu continues to perform, accompany, MD, and arrange regularly throughout Canada.


01. On The Street Where You Live
02. Blame It On My Youth
03. Place St. Henri
04. Body And Soul
05. In You Own Sweet Way
06. Cheek To Cheek
07. Nature Boy
08. Manteca
09. My Romance
10. Young & Foolish

Stu Harrison, piano
Neil Swainson, bass
Terry Clarke, drums


Jean-Philippe Scali - Low Down (GAYA MUSIC 2016)




SORTIE OFFICIELLE
Vendredi 4 novembre 2016
SUR LE LABEL GAYA MUSIC PRODUCTION
DISTRIBUTION SOCADISC

CONCERT DE SORTIE
Mardi 6 décembre 2016
AU STUDIO DE L’ERMITAGE À PARIS




Wallace Roney - A Place in Time (HIGHNOTE RECORDS 2016)



Wallace Roney's music is a tough, taut and intransigent continuation of the arcane forms and structured freedoms of Miles Davis' 1960s quintet. Listeners often associate Roney with Davis, thanks to Roney's work with the jazz legend early in Roney's career. 

But at this point, Davis' impact on Roney can be considered mostly historic, with Roney's playing larger in scope, firmer in tone and sharper in attack than Davis.' Today, Wallace's set lists feature easy-on-the-ear themes that mask harmonic complexities, while solos are fueled by strong moods and sustained rhythmic drive informed by the spectre of Davis but far from imitating him. Whether he performs up-tempo original compositions or mainstream ballads, Roney is always compelling in his idiosyncratic ways.

His tendency to produce smeared tones, bent pitches and jabbing rhythmic figures in the stratospheric range of the instrument distinguishes his playing, as does the volatile spirit and ever-changing direction of his phrases. With the Grammy-winning composer/pianist Patrice Rushen on hand with guest reedman Gary Bartz and Wallace's sidemen of choice, Ben Solomon, tenor sax, Buster Williams, bass and Lenny White, drums, the musicians deliver a blisteringly accomplished and creative session.


WALLACE RONEY, trumpet
Patrice Rushen, piano
Gary Bartz, alto sax
Ben Solomon, tenor & soprano sax
Buster Williams, bass
Lenny White, drums

01 Around and Through
02 Elegy
03 Air Dancing
04 Observance
05 Ardéche
06 L's Bop
07 0Clair de lune
08 My Ship