http://www.kzmu.org/listen.m3u ~ Use this link to access the show online.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Howard Johnson Celebrates His 75th With New CD and Concert at The Jazz Museum In Harlem Sunday, January 29th 2:30pm
DATE AND TIME
Sun, January 29, 2017
2:30 PM – 5:00 PM EST
LOCATION
The National Jazz Museum in Harlem
58 West 129th Street
New York, NY 10027
Featuring
Howard Johnson – baritone sax, tuba, penny whistle
Yayoi Ikawa – piano
Melissa Slocum – bass
Newman Taylor Baker – drums
Testimony includes eight tunes ranging from soulful to funky to bluesy to cookers. Gravity’s take on Johnson’s originals as well as compositions by McCoy Tyner, Carol King, and others, testifies to the range and versatility of the tuba.
Over the past half century, Howard Johnson, the eminence grise of low brass, has appeared on hundreds of albums playing tuba, baritone sax, bass clarinet, electric bass and other instruments with the giants of many genres. The New York Times’ critic Nate Chinen credits Johnson as “the figure most responsible for the tuba’s current status as a full-fledged jazz voice.” With Testimony, his third recording with Gravity (and his fourth as a leader) Johnson takes a giant step forward in making the music world safe for tubas and low brass, delighting—and enlightening—listeners in the process.
After arriving in New York in the early ’60s, Johnson appeared with Jack DeJohnette, Abdullah Ibrahim, Lou Rawls, Lee Morgan, Chick Corea, John Lennon, The Band, Paul Simon, Tony Williams, Pharoah Sanders, Hank Mobley, The Saturday Night Live Band, Gato Barbieri, Levon Helm, and literally hundreds of others.
Johnson was also a long-time muse to innovators such as Charles Mingus, Gil Evans, Carla Bley, and George Gruntz, who created music to showcase the multi-instrumentalist’s abilities, and inspired him on his life-long quest to expand the range and repertoire for some of the less familiar instruments in jazz and popular music. Bluesman Taj Mahal helped to spread the word when he invited Johnson and his tuba cohorts to tour and to record with him in 1971. The resulting album, The Real Thing, features Johnson’s brass arrangements and Gravity stalwarts Joseph Daley, Earl McIntyre and Bob Stewart, who also appear on Testimony.
Dave Bargeron (tuba), a self-described “proud charter member of Gravity since 1968.” He has played with Blood, Sweat and Tears, big bands led by Clark Terry, Gil Evans, George Russell, George Gruntz, and Jaco Pastorius, and countless smaller ensembles.
Velvet Brown (tuba), the Penn State professor of tuba and euphonium, is equally at home with the St. Louis Symphony, the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra, or the San Francisco Women’s Philharmonic Orchestra.
Joseph Daley (tuba) is the producer of Testimony and a mainstay of New York’s adventurous music scene, having played with the likes of Sam Rivers, Carla Bley, Gil Evans, Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, and Hazmat Modine.
Carlton Holmes (keyboards) is a top pick of icons like Charli Persip, Cindy Blackman-Santana, Michael Carvin, Freddie Hubbard, Stevie Wonder, and many others.
Nedra Johnson (tuba, vocal) has one of the most powerful and compelling voices you’re likely to hear. Whether playing jazz, womyn’s music, funk, or R&B, she’s known for bringing festival crowds to their feet.
Earl McIntyre (tuba) is a renowned educator, Brooklyn Philharmonic guest conductor. An in-demand bass trombonist as well, he is an alumnus of bands fronted by Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Cecil Taylor, Lester Bowie, McCoy Tyner, and others.
Melissa Slocum (bass) is an in-demand veteran of stints with Art Blakey, Leon Thomas, Hank Jones, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Melba Liston. She also shines in settings from symphony to Broadway to baroque.
Bob Stewart (tuba) has worked with the mainstream (Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Wynton Marsalis), the avant-garde (Muhal Richard Abrams, Henry Threadgill, Arthur Blythe), and the hit makers (Chaka Khan, Dap Kings, Aretha Franklin).
Album highlights include:
“Testimony”: This 1990 Howard Johnson original is a cooker that testifies to the power and versatility of the tuba, and puts the listener on notice as to what’s to come.
“Workin’ Hard for the Joneses”: Forget keepin’ up with the Joneses! Nedra Johnson’s original is a reminder that addictions, including love, can come at a hefty cost.
“Fly With the Wind”: This Howard Johnson arrangement of a too-rarely heard McCoy Tyner composition proves how nimble and versatile a tuba choir can be: Tubas can indeed fly with the wind!
“(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”: A 1968 Howard Johnson arrangement of the Carol King classic, inspired by Aretha Franklin’s hit version. Besides her brilliant lead work throughout the CD, Velvet Brown’s solo here shows truly authentic command and grace.
“High Priest”: McCoy Tyner’s tribute to Thelonious Monk, the high priest of jazz. From the jaggedness of the melody to the signature lope in the rhythm, Gravity captures what’s best about both McCoy and Monk. Listen up for a brilliant solo from bassist Melissa Slocum.
“Little Black Lucille”: Johnson brings the pennywhistle to the fore with his lilting original folk tune. It’s a tender tribute to his Aunt Lucille, who overcame the privation of her early years to build a loving family.
“Evolution”: A Bob Neloms composition Johnson learned at 18—Neloms was two years younger. “I really liked the rhythm and the hipness of the blues. I’m the only person who plays it, and Bob doesn’t remember writing it,” Howard recalls, laughing.
“Way Back Home”: Penned by saxophonist/bassist/Jazz Crusader Wilton Felder, Johnson wrote an arrangement of this soulful crowd-pleaser for The Saturday Night Live Band, as well as this one for Gravity. “We recently lost Wilton, and we will not forget him,” Howard declares. Full of mellow, rich harmonies, its subtlety challenges preconceptions about the role of low brass in jazz.
Howard Johnson has made it his life’s work to “reveal the range and versatility of the tuba in all its splendor” to a larger audience. With its vibrant spirit and swing, Testimony makes a strong case for repeated listening.
Howard Johnson And Gravity Testimony
(Tuscarora Records Item number 17-001 )
Street Date: March 3, 2017
Howard Johnson Media Contact
Langford / Gibbs / Skerman / Anstey / Kirkbride - Exchange (FREE TONE RECORDS 2017)
1. Scuttle 08:08
2. Chaser 01:39
3. Stream 11:08
4. Deep End 04:13
5. Ripple 02:54
6. Trag 04:49
7. Frizzle 07:15
8. Bird Fish Snake 04:30
Mark Langford: tenor saxophone & bass clarinet
Phil Gibbs: electric guitar
Roger Skerman: drums
Paul Anstey: double bass
Hugh Kirkbride: double bass
Released January 15, 2017
RECORDED AT JOE’S GARAGE
22ND JANUARY 2016
RECORDING, MIXING AND EDITING
ENGINEER JOE GARCIA
MASTERED AT THE WHITE HOUSE STUDIO
2ND JUNE 2016
FINAL MASTERING ENGINEER
MARTIN NICHOLS
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO
PAUL HORLICK AT THE EXCHANGE
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY EMILY KIRKPATRICK
INSIDE SLEEVE PHOTOGRAPHY DEREK RIPPER
LAYOUT MATTHEW GRIGG
TRACK ART ELIZABETH BELL LANGFORD
Chiche Trío - Chiche (KUAI MUSIC 2016)
Chiche Trío reúne a Sergio Verdinelli, Martín Sued y Juan Pablo di Leone, tres músicos congéneres con influencias de diferentes universos musicales: tango contemporáneo, jazz, rock, y folklore. De su encuentro surge una nueva música instrumental de Buenos Aires, donde la experimentación y la improvisación son espacios para la búsqueda de un sonido propio. El grupo presenta su primer disco, ganador del premio del Fondo Nacional de las Artes de Jazz y músicas contemporáneas.
MARTIN SUED: Es bandoneonista y compositor argentino. Tiene dos discos editados con su grupo Tatadios, “Crecida” y “Panal” y se encuentra trabajando en la producción del tercero y uno con el Dúo Sued-Nikitoff, ganador del premio del Fondo Nacional de las Artes 2014. Realizó varias giras por Europa, USA, Brasil y Uruguay con sus proyectos, y colaboró en conciertos y grabaciones con artistas como Liliana Herrero, Diego Schissi, Yamandú Costa y Adrián Iaies, entre otros.
JUAN PABLO DI LEONE: Toca flautas, armónica, piano y canta. Integró durante 12 años el grupo del Chango Farías Gómez. Es frecuentemente invitado a shows y grabaciones por artistas como Rubén Rada, Aca Seca, Carlos Aguirre, Juan Quintero, Luna Monti, Nicolás Ibarburu, Julieta Rada, Hernán Jacinto y Francisco Fattoruso, entre otros. Tiene un disco solista, “Sin Palo”, donde participan músicos de Argentina, Uruguay y Brasil.
SERGIO VERDINELLI: Es uno de los más destacados bateristas de la escena del jazz y el rock argentino. Editó “Sicomoro”, un disco solista de composiciones propias. Participa en varios proyectos junto a músicos como Mono Fontana, Ernesto Jodos, Rodrigo Domínguez, Ramiro Flores, Guillermo Klein, Matías Méndez. Dentro del rock argentino, actualmente es baterista del grupo de Andrés Calamaro, tocó en Ilya Kuryaki and the Valderramas, e integró las bandas de Fito Páez y Luis Alberto Spinetta.
01. Balvina 05:32
02. Sanyo 06:59
03. Hormiga 08:29
04. Reloj 06:55
05. Lago 01:02
06. Piedra 06:29
07. Cataforesis 05:31
08. Chiche 05:54
09. O Que A Helena Sonhou Ontem À Noite 01:34
Balvina, Piedra y Cataforesis pertenecen a Sergio Verdinelli.
Sanyo, Hormiga, Reloj, Chiche y O Que Helena Sonhou Ontem À Noite pertenecen a Martín Sued.
Lago es una improvisación colectiva.
Producido por Chiche Trio con la colaboración de Mariano López y Mariano Otero.
Balvina, Piedra and Cataforesis composed by Sergio Verdinelli.
Sanyo, Hormiga, Reloj, Chiche and O Que Helena Sonhou Ontem À Noite composed by Martín Sued.
Lago is an improvisation.
Produced by Chiche Trio with the assistance of Mariano López and Mariano Otero.
Grabado del 23 al 25 de mayo de 2016 en Estudio Insigno, Buenos Aires
Grabación, mezcla y mastering: Mariano López
Arte de tapa: Pablo Gentile
Sergio Verdinelli usa baterías Gretsch, platillos Istambul Mehmet, palillos Regal Trip, parches Aquarian y hardware Gibraltar.
Recorded from May 23th to 25th 2016 at Estudio Insigno, Buenos Aires
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Mariano López
Cover art: Pablo Gentile
Sergio Verdinelli plays Gretsch drums, Istambul Mehmet cymbals, Regal Trip drum sticks, Aquarian drumheads and Gibraltar hardware
Tri002 - Live At The Guggenheim (2017)
1. Ich sah dich 14:13
2. Aleppo 12:38
3. Bollie's Beans 10:37
4. Life Is A Beach 12:20
Albrecht Ernst - alto saxophone
Tobias Fröhlich - bass
Jan-Einar Groh - drums
Wilhelm Martens - sound engineering
Recorded live at Peppi Guggenheim, Berlin on 17.12.2016
Read More
Shane Quartet - Shane Quartet Live (2017)
1. #14 06:36
2. Adieu Merci 05:11
3. A Burrow Of Badgers 05:46
4. Auf Umwegen 07:00
5. Blues For Eddie 04:23
6. SOR 06:27
Michael Gilsenan - Sax / Comp.
Gabriel Wenger - Sax
Jérémie Krüttli - Bass
Philipp Leibundgut - Drums
Read More
Curtis Stigers - One More for the Road (with the Danish Radio Big Band) 2017
Singer, songwriter and saxophonist Curtis Stigers has been bringing those worlds together in his own music for the last three decades (along with touches of nearly every other genre one could call to mind), which makes him an ideal candidate to reinterpret Ol’ Blue Eyes’ cherished repertoire for modern ears. On his twelfth album and ninth release for Concord Records, One More for the Road, Stigers captures the rare alchemy of hipness, elegance, playfulness and feeling that made Sinatra’s renditions of these songs immortal while adding his own unique twist.
On One More for the Road, due out January 20, 2017 via Concord Jazz, Stigers finds his own version of that elusive Sinatra-Basie chemistry with the virtuosic and ebulliently swinging musicians of the Danish Radio Big Band. Recorded in the band’s headquarters, the acoustic marvel that is the DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen, the bristling live recording features the DRBB playing vibrant takes based on the original Nelson Riddle and Billy May arrangements, which can’t help but spark inspired vocal performances from Stigers.
Come Fly With Me
I’ve Got You Under My Skin
Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me
You Make Me Feel So Young
My Kind Of Town
Fly Me To The Moon
Summer Wind
They Can’t Take That Away From Me
The Lady Is A Tramp
One Fore My Baby (And One More For The Road)
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