Brian Landrus Launches Major Orchestra Album via Artistshare

Photo © Vince Segalla

Drawing upon his favorite musical Influences, from hip-hop and Motown to jazz, classical and reggae, Brian Landrus launches a major new orchestra album via ArtistShare

Performers include Landrus, Ralph Alessi, Billy Hart, Joe Locke, Brandee Younger, Lonnie Plaxico, Marcus Rojas, Jamie Baum, Tom Christensen, Darryl Harper, Jay Anderson Michael Rabinowitz, Alden Banta, Justin Brown, Igmar Thomas, Chris Komer, Alan Ferber, Chris Turner, Sara Caswell, Mark Feldman, Joyce Hammann, Meg Okura, Lois Martin, Kallie Ciechomski,

Jody Redhage, Maria Jeffers and conductor JC Sanford

“Landrus demonstrates tonal nuance, melodic sense and instrumental command that set him apart from his peers.” — DownBeat

 “A baritone saxophonist of convincing authority.” — NY Times

ArtistShare, the internet’s first “crowdfunding” platform, has just launched Generations by The Brian Landrus Orchestra. The project features composer, baritone saxophonist and low woodwind master Brian Landrus and a stellar 26-piece orchestra performing eight of Landrus’ compositions, the centerpiece of which is “The Jeru Concerto,” a four-movement work inspired by and written for Landrus’ two-year-old son. Other compositions on the recording include “Ruby,” written for Landrus’ four-year-old daughter and “The Warrior,” written for his dad.

Fans will be able to participate directly in Landrus’ creative process and experience Generations as it is created, with access to exclusive videos, audios, downloads, photos and news about project. Levels of participation range from $12.95 for all of this and a download of the CD, to the $10,000 Executive Producer level which includes Executive Producer credit on the new recording, an autographed CD, a private concert, invitation to the mixing and mastering session, VIP access to all Landrus performances for 1 year, and more.  The recording, which will be released June 27, 2017, is powered by ArtistShare and available exclusively at ArtistShare

“The music I’ve composed for this recording is a blend of all of my musical influences since I was a kid. I grew up loving and listening to Motown, soul, jazz, funk, hip hop, reggae, Latin jazz, world music, and classical music,” says Landrus.  “The music is influenced by all of these sources and the compositions themselves are structured, yet have the freedom of jazz improvisation built in. I wrote this music to give these musicians the freedom to express their individual voices.”

Joe Locke, who plays on the project, said after hearing the music in rehearsal: “This is really like nothing I’ve ever heard before. It’s going to be amazing and I can’t wait to hear the final product!”  Billy Hart agreed: “To be part of Brian’s vision is enlightening.  It causes me optimism.” 

Musicians on the project include Landrus (bari sax, bass clarinet, alto flute), Jamie Baum (flute,alto flute), Tom Christensen (oboe), Darryl Harper (clarinet), Michael Rabinowitz (bassoon), Alden Banta (contrabassoon), Ralph Alessi (trumpet), Igmar Thomas (trumpet), Chris Komer (horn), Alan Ferber (trombone), Marcus Rojas (tuba), Chris Turner (vocals), Brandee Younger (harp), Joe Locke (vibraphone) Billy Hart and Justin Brown (drums), Sara Caswell, Mark Feldman, Joyce Hammann, and Meg Okura (violin), Lois Martin and Kallie Ciechomski (viola), Jody Redhage and Maria Jeffers (cello), Jay Anderson and Lonnie Plaxico (bass).  The music will be conducted by JC Sanford with Brian Landrus and Bob Aldridge serving as producers.


"We are living in extraordinary times for musicians and listeners alike," says Landrus, "So many genres and styles are colliding and influencing each other in amazing ways, creating compelling music that knows no boundaries or limits. Exploring these wildly interesting creative intersections is what drives my work. The compositions that we will be recording for Generations are diverse and complex. In the end, each musician will have the space to take off, and significantly contribute to project's collective power, power I hear in the streets and the concert halls, imagine in my head, and feel in my heart."

The recording will have about 70 minutes of orchestral music. “The Jeru Concerto” is written for baritone saxophone and features a mix of jazz, classical, hip hop, and soul.  The four-movement piece is about 20 minutes long.  Landrus started composing the work right after his son was born.  Once Landrus got to know Jeru’s “adorable, generous, and feisty demeanor,” he wrote the fourth movement. The concerto covers an extreme range and goes from the lowest the baritone sax can play up though the top notes of the altissimo range. 

Other pieces to be featured include “Ruby,” written for Landrus’ daughter.  “I tried to match the joy of life which emanates from Ruby’s soul.  She is an inquisitive and loving girl, and I feel very lucky to have such a wonderful daughter.”   The album also includes “The Warrior,” a track written for Landrus’ father and other works reflecting his “journey through life and love.”

Landrus booked the recording session a year ago when he only had two pieces composed.  “This is something which I learned from my dear friend and mentor Bob Brookmeyer, who said ‘If you want something to happen, book a date and start writing.’”

Brian Landrus

One of the most unique and powerful voices on low reeds and a composer of striking abilities, Brian Landrus has released six widely acclaimed albums as a leader, toured the world as part of star bassist-vocalist Esperanza Spalding's band and contributed to such ensembles as the Grammy-winning Gil Evans Project.  In addition, Landrus has performed with the likes of John Lockwood, Lewis Nash, Frank Kimbrough, Donny McCaslin, Steve Wilson, Jay Anderson, Matt Wilson, Maria Schneider, Rufus Ried, Uri Caine, Anat Cohen, Steve Swell, the Ayn Inserto Orchestra, Frank Carlberg, and Alan Ferber, among others.  Landrus has been voted a Rising Star multiple years running in the DownBeat Critics Poll earning a spot as the #1 Rising Star in 2015 before moving up to the Baritone Saxophonist category in 2016, marking his place as one of the top bari players in the world. He's also earned a place on DownBeat's list for his bass clarinet prowess.

Born in 1978 and raised in Nevada, Landrus began playing saxophone at 12 and was performing professionally by 15. He earned his bachelor’s degree in saxophone performance at the University of Nevada-Reno and two master’s degrees at New England Conservatory, one in jazz composition and the other in jazz saxophone. He is currently a PhD candidate in classical composition at Rutgers where he also teaches. The New York Times notes “the tenderness in his playing feels as warm and accessible as his writing.”

7º FESTIVAL PORTA-JAZZ + BÓNUS! - 10 dezembro, Sábado & 11 dezembro, Domingo

10 dezembro, Sábado - 15h30

Natal... À Porta!

Varandim dos Clérigos (Torre dos Clérigos)

ANDRÉ FERNANDES

André Fernandes - guitarra

Francisco Brito - contrabaixo

Luís Candeias - bateria

André Fernandes é um dos nomes mais marcantes no jazz português.

Com uma vasta carreira como líder e músico convidado, o guitarrista lisboeta conta já com registos com a Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos, Lee Konitz, Mário Laginha, Chris Cheek, Maria João, Cyro Baptista, Ohad Talmor, Tomasz Stanko, Bernardo Sassetti, Dan Weiss, Pete Rende, Bill McHenry, Jochen Rueckert, Perico Sambeat, Jeff Ballard, Julian Arguelles, David Binney, AviShai Cohen, Eli Degibri, Jorge Rossy, Carlos Barreto, Akiko Pavolka, Jarmo Savolainen, Phil Markowitz e João Paulo Esteves da Silva, entre muitos outros, dos quais se destaca o último "Dream Keeper" em quinteto.

Virá até ao Porto com uma formação intimista, para partilhar mais música original com a nossa cidade.

11 dezembro, Domingo - 18h00

SiloAuto

Upstreet Urban Market

SINOPSE

João Paulo Rosado - contrabaixo / baixo eléctrico

João Guimarães - saxofone alto

AP - guitarra

Hugo Raro - piano

António Torres Pinto - bateria

SINOPSE é o quinteto liderado pelo músico madeirense radicado no Porto, João Paulo Rosado, compositor de todos os temas do álbum de estreia desta fomação. 

Este resulta da gravação ao vivo feita na Sala Porta-Jazz em Janeiro de 2016.

Trata-se do 28º disco do Carimbo Porta-Jazz, e vai ser lançado neste concerto, de entrada livre, em mais uma produção conjunta entre a Porta-Jazz e o Comissariado Cultural da FEUP.

Michael Spiro and Wayne Wallace earn Grammy nomination for Canto América

PERCUSSIONIST MICHAEL SPIRO AND TROMBONIST WAYNE WALLACE’S Canto América 

EARNS GRAMMY® NOMINATION 

FOR “BEST LATIN JAZZ ALBUM”

“Simply put, Canto América is a certified masterpiece – one of the most aurally-arresting and culturally-distinctive recordings in recent memory.” – Mark Holston, Latino Magazine.com

World-renowned trombonist Wayne Wallace and percussionist Michael Spiro have earned a GRAMMY ®  nomination for “Best Latin Jazz Album” for their CD Canto América on the Patois label. The Grammy Awards ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 12, 2017.

"We are extremely proud of this recording, and would like to take the opportunity to personally thank the Academy and all of the musicians who participated in the making of this project,” say Spiro and Wallace.

Wallace, Spiro and La Orquesta Sinfonietta (consisting of 35 performers, many of whom are affiliated with Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music where Wallace and Spiro teach) weave a colorful tapestry of classic-to-modern rhythms – bolero to timba, Haitian petro to Cuban rumba, mambo to guiro – refreshed by traditional and newly composed compositions, along with surprising treatments of 20th-century standards. Thus the Great American Song “Stardust” is recast as a danzón, while the familiar John Coltrane vehicle “Afro-Blue” transforms into a Creole masterpiece.

Canto América artfully balances African and Western influences by way of “a strong rhythmic base over which orchestral elements of European classical music are featured,” write Wallace and Spiro in their engrossing liner essay. But here, the rhythmic base combines folkloric rhythms with the modern grooves of Wayne Wallace’s well-established Latin Jazz Quintet. This fusion forms the foundation for Canto América, upon which the co-leaders use post-bop harmonies, emblematic compositions, and their own eclectic experiences to create music far removed from the usual Latin Jazz formats.

The recording earned rave reviews:

"[Wallace], Spiro, and Orquestra Sinfonietta deliver something nearly peerless in Canto America. Though highly disciplined and carefully plotted, it is far from an academic exercise. Jazz improvisation and individual acumen shine through while feel and groove consciousness are paramount. Ultimately, this is more than the knowledge and practice of traditions; it is the collective expression of human imagination and heart. Brilliant." – Thom Jurek, Allmusic.com

“Simply put, Canto América is a certified masterpiece – one of the most aurally-arresting and culturally-distinctive recordings in recent memory.” – Mark Holston, Latino Magazine.com

Five stars: "...an ambitious and panoramic endeavor...an engaging narrative of the Afro-Caribbean experience on a grand scale.... Michael Spiro and Wayne Wallace have done a tremendous favor to those interested in not only the music, but also the academic and intellectual approach to its formation and evolution as well." – James Nadal, All About Jazz

"What beauty! What a rarity!....prodigious work..." – Eric Gonzalez, Herencia Latina

"...joyous, celebratory.... a vision of groundbreaking jazz. The longtime collaborators are in top form in this fusion of ancient folkloric rhythms, modern Latin jazz grooves, post-bop harmonies, and stunning orchestral work." – Monarch Magazine  


"...sweeping and gorgeous.... Never unwieldy in its largeness, the music is focused, unpretentious, and heartfelt. Highly rewarding." – Jeff Potter, Modern Drummer

In his four-decade career, San Francisco native Wayne Wallace has collaborated with artists ranging from Count Basie to Stevie Wonder, Sonny Rollins to Carlos Santana, Tito Puente to Lena Horne and Aretha Franklin – as sideman, composer, arranger, and producer. His debut album as a leader, 2000’s Three In One (Spirit Nectar), showcased his writing skills and his encyclopedic knowledge of Afro-Cuban rhythms, the result of years of music-making in the close-knit Bay Area jazz community, where Wallace has played an oversized role. He has earned particular notice for his approach to Latin Jazz, a vision shaped by his work with Latin Jazz percussion giants Pete Escovedo and John Santos, in whose Machete Ensemble he served as music director for more than 20 years. This is the eighth time that Wallace — a San Francisco native who splits his time between the Bay Area and the Midwest where he’s a professor at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music — has been on a GRAMMY nominated album.

Michael Spiro has performed on each of those nominated albums – a mere fraction of the literally hundreds of wide-ranging albums on which he has worked, which include GRAMMY-nominated albums by John Santos, pianist Mark Levine, and vocalist Karrin Allyson. He has also performed with Ella Fitzgerald, Carlos Santana, and McCoy Tyner. Internationally recognized for his expertise and his exploration of African and Latin rhythms, he has authored three books on Afro-Caribbean percussion. The first album under his own name, BataKetu (with Mark Lamson), released in 1996, was named by DRUM! Magazine as one of the “Top 50 Drum Records” of all time.


Wallace and Spiro met more than 30 years ago in San Francisco, forging a personal and professional relationship tempered by their shared interest in the music of Cuba. In 2008, Spiro joined the faculty of the Jacobs School of Music at IU, and under his direction the percussion department grew from its emphasis on orchestral work to include the world’s rhythms. He soon began leading a Latin Jazz big band at the school, which used many of Wallace’s acclaimed arrangements, which led to a guest appearance with the band -- and eventually to the school hiring Wallace as a professor in 2013.

walacomusic.com

waynewallacelatinjazzquintet.com

patoisrecords.com

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Best Latin Jazz Album Grammy Nomination For Trio Da Paz "30"

Best Latin Jazz Album

Grammy Nomination For

Trio Da Paz  "30"

Romero Lubambo - Acoustic & Electric Guitars

Nilson Matta - Acoustic Bass 

Duduka Da Fonseca – Drums

The 59th ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

Will Air On CBS Sunday, February 12th

Only very special collaborations last 30 years, and rarely do they become more exciting and together over the decades. Trio da Paz, however, is one such long-lasting and still lightning band. The team of drummer Eduardo "Duduka" Da Fonseca, guitarist Romero Lubambo and bassist Nilson Matta, all Brasilian jazzmen of New York City, is just as dashing today as when the three first met in 1985.

o 30, their seventh album and ZOHO debut release, wastes no time glancing back. Rather, Trio da Paz celebrates the past as a way to get to what's now and what's next. This is not to imply that the band or 30 denies history. As friends, Duduka, Romero and Nilson are utterly secure in their enduring triangle, and as musicians they tap well-established elements of bedrock Brasilian samba and bossa nova -- the music of Jobim, Gilberto and Bonfá -- as well as bebop and its developments, Wes Montgomery, third stream and even free improvisation for ingredients of their signature sound. Romero's urban gypsy melodies and percussive chording, Nilson's firm yet flexible baselines and Duduka's rhythms -- which, whether surging or simmering, are always energized -- flow fast and inseparably over the course of 30.

Sampa 67 is characteristic: A brisk tune that welcomes the listener to enjoy the musicians' empathic interplay. The composition is slangily named for São Paulo, where Nilson, its composer, was born, and his rubato statement is at the track's center. Hear how Romero and Duduka, in stimulating exchanges, ramp the tempo back up to where it started.

In a similar mood and moving quickly, For Donato is Romero's tribute to bandleader and pianist Joao Donato, a Brazilian master who absorbed Caribbean accents during his stints with Mongo Santamaria, Cal Tjader and Tito Puente, among others, when he lived in the United States during the late '50s and '60s. The tune uses an afoxé rhythm that comes from Bahia, and is closely related to an Afro-Cuban groove.

The pace slows somewhat – Duduka using brushes instead of sticks - for Romero's bossa nova Outono ("Autumn"). Says the guitarist-composer: "With its changing of colors and cooler days after the summer, autumn is really a season for romantic music." And this is really music for romance. Alana is Duduka's piece for his older daughter, now an adult. Her father says Alana's personality is reflected in the song, which changes meter from 15/8 to 6/8 to a doubletimed 4/4 for the bass solo to Duduka's own episode in 15/8. So may we assume Alana is a sparkling and strong woman whose many dimensions fit together gracefully? Complementary yet contrasting, Luisa is for Romero's daughter, currently 17. The guitarist calls her "a beautiful person inside and out, who I love very much!" Although written in ¾, "Luisa" is not phrased as a jazz waltz but instead sways in a way that Duduka identifies as a waltz with a Brasilian lilt.

Brasilian guitar virtuoso Baden Powell (1937 – 2000), obviously a hero to Romero, Nilson and Duduka as an early exemplar of the pan-stylistic approach Trio da Samba favors, wrote Samba Triste which at a breakneck tempo doesn't seem triste at all. Nilson's Águas Brasileiras refers to the Atlantic ocean, which has exerted implacable influence on the Trio's native land. A ballad, the song moves in soft waves; the trio's improvisation opens up the theme's depths and crosscurrents. Nilson recorded this previously, on his 2010 ZOHO album Copacabana.


Sweeping the Chimney, which Duduka calls "fast, really fast," was inspired by workers attending to Romero's house in New Jersey. "Luisa was three years old when I wrote that," the guitarist mentions, "and she helped me decide some of the notes." Duduka contributed Flying Over Rio, the melody of which came to him in an airplane taking off over Guanabara Bay, giving him a view of the mountains around Rio and Sugar Loaf, their peak. "Wow, it was gorgeous," he remembers – also remembering to credit Paulo Jobim (Tom Jobim's son) with suggesting to him one perfect note that launched the bridge "in a completely different direction."

To conclude, Nilson's LVM/Direto Ao Assunto (the initials of his wife and sons/"to the point") goes in a flash from subtle reflection to searing line. Both of these songs have been recorded before by Duduka and Nilson with pianist Helio Alves: "Flying over Rio" in 2008 on The Brazilian Trio's ZOHO release "Forests", and "LVM/Direto ao Assunto" on that group's album "Constelacao". Nilson introduced the song on the late pianist Don Pullen's album Kele Mou Bana, released in 1991.

That was just one year before Trio da Paz's own recording debut, Brasil from the Inside. Annotating that album, I wrote, "If North Americans hadn't invented jazz, surely Brasilians such as guitarist Romero Lubambo, bassist Nilson Matta and percussionist Duduka Da Fonseca would have." In fact, the members of Trio da Paz have invented jazz that's personally and musically unique. Their music is cool and hot, rooted in Brasilian heritage but cosmopolitan, timely and timeless.


"After 30 years together, we still bring the same energy, emotion and happiness whether we're stepping onstage or into a recording session," says Nilson. "That's the secret to Trio da Paz, what captivates our fans and why we keep making new ones all over the world." Romero agrees: "To play as Trio da Paz is a unique experience because the music always transcends notes, chords, tempos and anything written on sheet music. Naturally, because we've been playing together for 30 years, we know each other so well that we don't need to explain anything. These are qualities that are impossible to teach or articulate in words. They come from the hearts, souls and feelings that we have as individuals and as a group." Duduka adds simply, "When we play, we're very organic and spontaneous. Even to songs we perform often, we like to take a fresh approach. Sometimes one of us does something a little different, and we all realize it's better, so we stick with that. It's like a democracy. We all have ideas and try to do our best." The best of Trio da Paz is very fine. And though journalists used to use "-30-" to indicate the end of a story, 30 whets the appetite for more from a band in its prime. -- Howard Mandel

Artist Website: www.triodapaz.com

Label Website: www.zohomusic.com

ZOHO ® is distributed by Music Video Distributors 203 Windsor Road Pottstown, PA 19464 www.mvdentertainment.com

Zoho Media contact

Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services

Ph: 845-986-1677 / jim@jazzpromoservices.com

www.jazzpromoservices.com

Grammy Nomination For Bob Mintzer All L.A. Band

Grammy Nomination For

Bob Mintzer All L.A. Band

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

The 59th ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

Will Air On CBS Sunday, February 12th

The extraordinary saxophonist/composer Bob Mintzer and master drummer Peter Erskine go back nearly 50 years since their high school days in a big band at the renowned Interlochen Arts Academy. Afterwards, when Bob was in Buddy Rich’s big band and Peter worked with Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson, their paths crossed often. But in the 1980s in New York City, their big band collaborating took full root, resulting in numerous projects over the years. Now both of them are in Los Angeles and the outstanding new album Bob Mintzer – All L.A. Band on Fuzzy Music is the latest gem to blossom from this fruitful relationship.

Joined by some of the finest musicians on the L.A. scene for ten marvelous tracks, they have added another component that is both ambitious and ingenious to the mix. Through Fuzzy Music Mobile, they have developed a new app that brings the stimulating big band experience directly to students and musicians, allowing them to play along, record and mix their own versions of this inspired music. Where most play-along products allow the user to music-minus two or three tracks, this new app allows the user to minus (or solo) virtually any of the instruments involved in the recording. Each part can be printed directly from the app, and resultant play-along recordings can be mailed to teachers, colleagues and friends.

But the primary treasure is in the music itself, whether participating through the app or simply enjoying the remarkable music contained in this album. Bob and Peter are joined by 15 splendid musicians – a trumpet section of Wayne Bergeron, James Blackwell, John Thomas, Chad Willis and Michael Stever; Bob McChesney, Erik Hughes, Julianne Gralle and Craig Gosnell on trombones; Bob Sheppard on alto and Adam Schroeder on baritone join Bob in the reed section; pianist (and Bob’s fellow Yellowjackets colleague) Russ Ferrante; guitarist Larry Koonse; Edwin Livingston on bass and Aaron Serfaty on percussion. In addition to playing drums, Peter also supervised the project and produced the recording.

The collaborative relationship between Mintzer and Erskine is the central nervous system upon which this entire journey is constructed. Bob’s exceptional tenor is the primary story teller in the plot and theme provided by his brilliant compositions and arrangements. His writing is highly imaginative and wonderfully textured with layer upon layer of sonic brushstrokes painted on the canvas. Call and response, thrust and parry, multi-leveled conversation and bold counterpoint create harmonic and rhythmic structure and tension that challenge in contemporary fashion while remaining thoroughly musical in the finest traditions of the big band legacy from Basie and Ellington to Charles Mingus and George Russell.

Bob’s experience with Buddy Rich clearly instilled a sense of the drums providing the big band’s engine. Peter’s impeccable rhythmic sense and consummate artistry provide the mortar that fortifies the structure, while also stirring the kettle to properly cook all the ingredients in the brew – whether driving powerfully, enhancing subtly, rocking or stomping as demanded by the music.

While there is solo space for a number of the musicians, Bob’s virtuosic tenor is the key ingredient – muscular, passionate, adventurous, lyrical and urgent – dancing and interweaving in perfect synch within the rich textures of the horn parts that are constantly in motion creating a vibrant and exhilarating atmosphere for every tale told on this album.

Afro-Cuban influences have been a major part of orchestral jazz since the 1940s when Machito and Mario Bauza poured the foundation and Dizzy Gillespie and George Russell built upon it. There are three pieces rooted in that style here, crossing it with sheer swing in a manner that evokes the spirit of another West Coast legend, Gerald Wilson. The album’s opener El Caborojeño features percussive, layered horn lines in rich syncopation. Spirited horn riffs cushion a lyrical Cuban/hard-bop trumpet solo by Stever and punchy, deeply grooved simmer-to-boil blowing from Mintzer. Ellis Island is a 6/8 excursion built on vividly intricate interplay between brass and reeds, with a fluid baritone solo by Schroeder caressed by swirling horns and buoyed by darkly luminous low brass. A blending with R&B and a touch of calypso is at play on Latin Dance and features Bob’s tenor in a hollerin’ conversation with trombones, McChesney’s trombone solo driven by counterpointing horns and flared with a trumpet fanfare, and a vigorous drum solo rooted by deliciously suspended horn lines.

A different Caribbean island adds a spice in the reggae-tinged Original People with a gentle groove that blends easy swing with the inside-out reggae rhythmic approach, providing a relaxed setting for smoothly lyrical tenor and trumpet solos. At the other end of the thermometer, Runferyerlife is a rip-roaring be-boppish romp with Bob’s tenor roaring through, around in, out and under the horn lines into a scorching solo. McChesney’s blistering trombone solo follows and a robust drum solo pitted against the horns closes it out.

Mintzer has been a member of The Yellowjackets for over 20 years, so it makes sense that soulful R&B would be the flavor for three items neatly blended with the swing feel. New Rochelle (originally written for that group) opens with baroque-ish brass before easing into its R&B groove, providing the setting for Bob’s soulful sojourn in the territory so often staked by Hank Mobley and Stanley Turrentine. Slo Funk written by Bob for the Buddy Rich band swings mightily over a half-time funk bottom with Bob Sheppard taking a barking alto solo so funkily rooted in Maceo Parker territory that one might expect to hear Fred Wesley chime in beside him. That marriage of pure swing and R&B is most appropriate on Home Basie, which could be a portrayal of the Count meeting the pre-funk big band James Brown and the Famous Flames. Punctuated by syncopated horns, Mintzer’s solo pays homage to King Curtis and Junior Walker.

A more traditional Basie influence is at hand for two pieces. Havin’ Some Fun was composed in the classic Count Basie style – from that smoothly dulcet Neal Hefti Li’l Darlin’ angle of perspective. Bob’s tenor does a captivating dance with the horns, and Schroeder offers a lyrically virile baritone solo. The album’s extended closing track Tribute was conceived to honor the many immortals who came out of the Basie band – most specifically, the legendary Thad Jones, who made his own mark on the big band legacy holding his own court along with Mel Lewis in their co-led orchestra at NYC’s landmark Village Vanguard from the mid-sixties through the seventies. An excursion in blue swing, launched by Ferrante with that profound Basie blues simplicity, it features a deeply soulful Mintzer and Stever’s very Thad-ish homage – providing a perfect ending to this truly wonderful album. Special note must be made regarding the peerless lead trumpet playing throughout by the legendary Wayne Bergeron.

To sum it all up in Bob’s words: “It was a total joy to record this music with my long time colleague Peter Erskine, and my new family of musicians in Los Angeles. Special thanks to Talley Sherwood for his expert engineering.” 

For more information about this album and its related app, visit www.petererskine.com and www.bobmintzer.com

Media Contacts

Press

Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services

Ph: 845-986-1677 / jim@jazzpromoservices.com

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