Republic of Jazz: May 12, 2017

Friday, May 12, 2017

Quatuor Ebène - Eternal Stories (WARNER CLASSICS 2017)

The New York Times has described the French ensemble as “a string quartet that can easily morph into a jazz band” and its recordings of Haydn, Bartók, Brahms and Schubert have been praised all over the world. Portal and the Ébène first played together in Paris in 2013, where Piazzolla’s compositions were also on the programme, prompting Le Monde to speak of “a significant lesson, a superb encounter, a real conversation.”

Eternal Stories might just turn out to be one of the best albums that Portal has ever recorded. He could well have been thinking of his beloved Charlie Parker, who in 1949 realised his dream of making a recording with a string section. Eternal Stories is not some kind of attempt at a remake, but comprises completely new pieces and two new arrangements of classic Portal numbers, a late work by Piazzolla and astonishing contributions from members of Quatuor Ébène itself.

01. City Birds 7:53

02. L'Abandonite 7:38

03. Judy Garland 4:21

04. Élucubration 4:19

05. Eternal Story 6:21

06. 5 Tango Sensations: I. Asleep 4:48

07. 5 Tango Sensations: II. Loving 5:23

08. 5 Tango Sensations: III. Anxiety 5:22

09. Plus l'Temps 3:12

10. Solitudes 5:15

11. Le Corbillon 5:26

12. It was nice living here 8:47

Matthew Shipp Quartet - Not Bound (FOR TUNE 2017)

Recorded June 14th, 2016 at the Park West Studios in New York (USA).

1. Soul Secrets 10:14

2. Is 11:26

3. Not Bound 11:34

4. Totality 16:13

5. This Coda 8:18

Matthew Shipp piano

Daniel Carter flute; trumpet; tenor, soprano saxophone; clarinet

Michael Bisio double bass

Whit Dickey drums

Orlando Le Fleming - Romantic Funk (OLF RECORDS 2017)

Perhaps the most accomplished UK-born improviser of his generation, bassist Orlando le Fleming returns with his new album Romantic Funk, the long awaited follow-up to 2010's From Brooklyn With Love.

The spirit of Romantic Funk falls somewhere between the serene, legato passages of early-Jaco-era Weather Report, and the spaced out electronica of late-70's Herbie Hancock; a unity distorted beautifully by Le Fleming's jedi-level command of complex rhythmic systems. Best known as a double bassist with jazz luminaries like Branford Marsalis, Joey Calderazzo, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jeff "Tain" Watts and Lage Lund, Le Fleming takes a left with his new release, electing to showcase his abilities on the electric bass this time against a backdrop of his own kaleidoscopic compositions.

About the music, Le Fleming says: “The ‘romantic’ is personified by lush, classical harmony echoed by the nostalgic synth sounds of Pete Rende and Frank LoCrasto. The strong grooves and guitar lines are heavily influenced by Funk, although the complexities in rhythm stem from more contemporary forms of jazz.”

The pithy irreverence of the album's tracklist reflects Le Fleming's wry wit and penchant for injecting irony into musical conversation. "Pretentious Brooklyn’s” combination of popular and esoteric elements finds its composer utilizing much the same crossover approach as Miles Davis did on Live - Evil, recalling Dave Holland as readily as David Axelrod. "Focustrate" is a whirling, polyrhythmic take on the Headhunters sound, a quieter contemporary analog to the gyrating hemiolas of Wayne Krantz's modern classic Two Drink Minimum. The sublime "Myth" finds a strong asset in guest drummer Lenny Reece (otherwise known for his work with DJ Premier and Gentei Kaijo), who helps Le Fleming & co. find common ground between the Dilla-inflected Robert Glasper aesthetic of this generation, and the electric jazz canon of decades prior.

Reece is not the only guest on the album. The core lineup of Le Fleming, drummer Ari Hoenig, guitarist Greg Tuohey and keyboardist Frank LoCrasto is augmented intermittently by saxophonists Seamus Blake and Will Vinson, keyboardists Sullivan Fortner and Pete Rende, and guitarist Ryan Scott. Le Fleming's veteran leadership finds a place for everyone, and everyone in their place.

Turn off your TV and turn up the bass - Romantic Funk is out May 12th.

1. Brooklyn

2. And That Sort Of Thing

3. Focustrate

4. Myth

5. Mr Grumble

6. Ellington

7. Smirk

8. Melancholy

Orlando le Fleming (Bass)

Ari Hoenig & Lenny Reece (Drums)

Greg Tuohey & Ryan Scott (Guitars)

Frank LoCrasto, Sullivan Fortner & Pete Rende (Keyboards)

Seamus Blake & Will Vinson (Saxophones)

www.orlandolefleming.com

Guitarist Doug Munro Plays The Harry Warren Songbook Saturday May 20th 8pm The Bean Runner Cafe + Wednesday May 24th 6pm Winston Restaurant

DOUG MUNRO AND LA POMPE ATTACK

CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF THEIR NEW CD

THE HARRY WARREN SONGBOOK

Saturday May 20th 8pm The Bean Runner Cafe

Doug Munro - guitar

Ted Gottsegen - guitar

Michael Goetz - bass

The Bean Runner Cafe

201 South Division Street

Peekskill NY 10566

Click here for more info

Wednesday May 24th 6pm Winston Restaurant

With Vinny Raniolo

Winston Restaurant

130 East Main Street

Mt. Kisco NY 10549

Click here for more info

Harry Warren was my great uncle on my father’s side of the family. My great grandparents were Leon Charles Munro and his wife, Mamie (or Mae as my grandfather called her). Mae’s maiden name was Guaragna. Her parents where Antonio and Rachel Deluca Guaragna. They changed their last name to Warren after coming to America. Harry was one of Mae’s brothers. I never got the chance to meet Harry in person but my grandfather often talked about him. I knew I wanted to do a project celebrating his music.

Harry Warren was the rst major American song composer to write primarily for lm. Every song on this CD is from a movie (except for the two songs I wrote). All of this music (except Nagasaki 1928) is from the 1930’s and 40’s. The songs are arranged in the hot swing style made popular by the great guitarist Django Reinhardt with violinist Stephane Grappelli and the Hot Club de Paris. The main body of work from Django Reinhardt is from the same time period. It was an easy marriage of styles taken from the same point in history on two di erent continents.

The scope of this project was a bit daunting, it took almost 3 years to re ne the concept, pick the songs, write the arrangements and record/ lm the music. The music was recorded live in four sessions with four di erent groups. We recorded a lot of songs, of which 16 are presented here.

Artist: DOUG MUNRO AND LA POMPE

Title: DOUG MUNRO AND LA POMPE ATTACK THE HARRY WARREN SONGBOOK

Label: Got Music Records (GMR-1004)

Artist Website: www.dougmunro.com

Release Date: MARCH 1, 2017

UPC Code: 888295541978

Track listing

1. Lullaby Of Broadway 3:33 Harry Warren/Al Dubin

2. (I’veGotAGalIn)Kalamazoo 2:44 Harry Warren/MackGordon

3. Serenade In Blue 6:06 Harry Warren/ Mack Gordon

4. Nagasaki 3:38 Harry Warren/Mort Dixon

5. JeepersCreepers 3:17 HarryWarren/JohnnyMercer

6. I Only Have Eyes For You 4:36 Harry Warren/Al Dubin

7. ChattanoogaChooChoo 4:29 Harry Warren/MackGordon

8. The More I See You 6:09 Harry Warren/Mack Gordon

9. September In The Rain 4:55 Harry Warren/Al Dubin

10. BluesForHarry 3:29 Doug Munro

11. Forty Second Street 3:55 Harry Warren/Al Dubin

12. We’re In The Money 2:43 Harry Warren/Al Dubin

13. Boulevard of Broken Dreams 4:04 Harry Warren/Al Dubin

14. You Again 3:16 Doug Munro

15. You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby 2:36 Harry Warren/Johnny Mercer

16. At Last 6:58 Harry Warren/Mack Gordon

SESSION NOTES: Session #1 June 17, 2016
Musicians: Howard Alden- guitar, Vinny Raniolo- guitar, Doug Munro- guitar, Matt Dwonszyk-bass Songs: Serenade In Blue, Lullaby Of Broadway, Nagasaki (without Howard Alden)

Session #2 July 5, 2016
Musicians: Vic Juris- guitar, Vinny Raniolo- guitar, Doug Munro- guitar, Michael Goetz- bass, Andrei Matorin- violin Songs with Vic Juris: The More I See You, September In the Rain, Songs with Andrei Matorin: Chatanooga Choo Choo, Jeepers Creepers, I Only Have Eyes For You

Session #3 August 10, 2016
Musicians: Doug Munro- guitar, Ernesto Pugliese- guitar, Michael Goetz- bass, Howie Bujese-violin Songs: Forty Second Street, You Again, At Last, I’ve Got A Gal In Kalamazoo

Session #4 August 24, 2016
Musicians: Vinny Raniolo- guitar, Ted Gottsegen- guitar, Doug Munro- guitar, Michael Goetz-bass Songs: We’re In The Money, The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams, You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby, Blues For Harry

Recorded and mixed by: Adam Pietrykowski Mastered by: Peter Denenberg Videos and photos by: Simon O’Keefe Cover Design and layout by :Robert Mag

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