Hello dear friends! I hope you are all well, I wanted to share with you a new video for a new song of mine. The video was shot live at our last show at Nublu. The name is: "Two People". I hope you will like it! I also want to invite you to my next show- this Saturday, May 12th at 4:00 PM. It's a house concert, in Brooklyn hosted by a Beautiful family in Cobble Hill. The address is: 475 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY 11231. Link to the Facebook event with all the details is bellow. Peace, Arnan
The harp has never had a major role in jazz, but then again, harpist Kathrin Pechlof’s music encompasses more than jazz. Her success in both traditional and contemporary classical music, her venture into a jazzy version of Bavarian folk music and the Avant-pop of Cosmic Groove Orchestra led to her consequent turn towards contemporary jazz and work with such players as Pablo Held, Niels Klein, and Sebastian Gille. Such a background lends a depth and breadth to Pechlof’s play that places her in the forefront of the new generation of innovative musicians. Pechlof’s trio of like-minded musicians alto saxophonist/composer Christian Weidner and bassist Robert Landfermann has been testing musical borders for some seven years. Jazzthing depicted their first PIROUET album, Imaginarium, as “chamber music worlds of quiet beauty and understated elegance”. On their new PIROUET CD, the three guide the listener towards the beauty and challenge of the unexpected.
When he recorded Glow with his 10-piece ensemble in 2010, “German piano wonder Pablo Held was only 23 years old…, but he had already earned his place in the pantheon of modern day piano trio leaders… As good as Held’s earlier albums are, they don’t hold a candle to ‘Glow’.” (Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz). Other critics declared that Held had created a “masterpiece” and praised Held for such “enthralling contemporary jazz”. On “Glow II” Held and company continue their incandescent musical explorations.
XYQuartet è uno dei gruppi più apprezzati della nuova scena del jazz italiano e calca da anni le scene di tutta Europa. Con alle spalle tre incisioni e numerosi prestigiosi concerti in Italia e all’estero è stato premiato nel 2014 e nel 2017 come secondo miglior gruppo italiano nel sondaggio della critica indetto dalla rivista Musica Jazz. Il loro repertorio spazia tra jazz e ricerca con fluidità e leggerezza, elaborando il materiale musicale in modo mai banale, ricomponendo codici differenti in modo omogeneo: dal jazz alla contemporanea, dal prog al postminimalismo, dal pop alle ultime influenze newyorkesi. Comincia oggi la tournée europea tra Austria, Ungheria, Polonia prima del rientro in Italia.
XYQuartet is one of the most appreciated groups of the new Italian jazz scene. With three albums and many concerts in Italy and abroad, it was twice awarded (2014 and 2017) “second best Italian group” by the magazine Musica Jazz. The band’s musical language goes from jazz to contemporary music, from prog to post minimalism and from pop to the latest NY in influences. To do so, they research and develop this new language in a creative and influent way, putting together all these different musical codes in a very homogenous form. The tour is beginning today, from Austria to Hungary and Poland, before coming back to Italy.
"The best organ trio of the last decade." - The New York Times
"unusual camaraderie of world-class players Three of the world's best players in the current jazz scene..." - Jazzstation
Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein and Bill Stewart possess a special place within the rich history of organ trios; with their adventurous eclecticism, they progress beyond the bop-influenced soul jazz of the likes of Jimmy Smith, Brother Jack McDuff and Shirley Scott and into their own singular musical realm.
Larry Goldings has collaborated with the "who's who" of soul, pop and jazz, from Maceo Parker, Tracy Chapman, and James Taylor to Jim Hall, Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, and Charlie Haden, and is in demand as a composer for film and TV. Peter Bernstein has been called "the most universally respected and admired jazz guitarist of his generation", and his work with such greats as Sonny Rollins, Jim Hall, Joshua Redman, and Brad Mehldau backs up the claim. Known for his melodicism and polyrhythmic complexity, drummer Bill Stewart has played with Joe Lovano, Dave Holland, and, like Goldings, Maceo Parker, and has had a long-time collaboration with John Scofield. All three are recognized composers.
Toy Tunes marks the trio's twelfth album since their first release in 1991. It's their second recording with PIROUET. The press greeted their first PIROUET CD, 2014's Ramshackle Serenade, with "It doesn't get much better than this" (All About Jazz), and "Another memorable outing from one of current jazz's finest small groups" (JazzTimes). Goldings states that, "Our approach has never been dictated by the 'organ trio' format but rather by our individual personalities, our broad range of musical interests, our desire to be highly interactive, and to grow together as musicians."
Goldings' relaxed, lyrical Fagen was named for Steely Dan's Donald Fagen, whose records "introduced me to a whole new world of harmony and song structure." Larry comments that Stewart's Don't Ever Call Me Again "possesses Bill's unmistakable combination of craftiness and wit." The piece sports a funky fusion feel, and the three keep the communication going as they converse with Stewart's talkative drums. Bernstein wrote the dreamy Lullaby For B for his oldest son. Goldings says it "unravels like a novella, and, due to its rich harmonies and unexpected structure, is a joy to play." The standard I'm In The Mood For Love is a variation on the arrangement Goldings wrote almost 25 years ago for the great Jim Hall. "The three of us knew and loved Jim, and he inevitably pops into our consciousness when we play this." Goldings calls Carla Bley's And Now the Queen "a gem of a composition. I still can't fathom how she can say so much in four bars. Carla's pieces invite the interpreter to dive right in and explore. She gave us her own handwritten chart from which to work!" As for Toy Tune, Goldings says that improvising on Wayne Shorter's pieces "is akin to playing with a Rubik's Cube." The trio takes a slightly more relaxed stance than Shorter's original version, playing delightful games over the changes, with Stewart wailing over the fading riff at the end.
Bernstein's Calm is a beautiful mood piece with a serene church-like quality, and with Maybe, Goldings recounts that, "When I was in elementary school my mom took me on a train from Boston to New York to see my first Broadway musical, Annie. Charles Strouse wrote the music, and his song Maybe has always stuck with me. With its timeless melody and shifting key centers, it seemed like a natural fit for us to interpret." Depth, lyricism, complexity - it's all here, as three of the strongest musical personalities of their generation, join hands to play music that is pure joy.
The Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra celebrates its first decade
on Without a Trace, due out March 16, 2018 from Origin Records
The 17-piece big band’s second release features a stellar line-up of New York City jazz greats on bandleader/composer/trombonist Reeves’ vibrant originals and reimagined jazz classics
“[Reeves’] compositions are sophisticated yet accessible, his arrangements scrupulously burnished and invariably engaging.”– Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
“This group of fabulous musicians are continuing and developing the great tradition of big band music.”
– Adrian Fry, London Jazz News
Performances • Sunday, April 15 – Trumpets, Montclair, NJ • Monday, April 23 – Sir D’s, Brooklyn, NY
• Saturday, May 12 – Smalls, NYC
Duke Ellington famously insisted that he never wrote music for instruments, but tailored each piece for the particular individuals in his band. After nearly ten years together with a remarkably stable line-up featuring some of the most gifted musicians on the New York City jazz scene, the Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra offers bandleader, composer and trombonist Scott Reeves a similar opportunity. The big band’s thrilling second album, Without a Trace, showcases the results with a decade-spanning repertoire drawing from both original compositions and bold new arrangements of jazz standards.
Due out March 16, 2018 from Origin Records, Without a Trace draws on the influences of great big band composer/arrangers from Ellington and Gil Evans to Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer and Jim McNeely. Reeves spent years writing for the likes of Dave Liebman’s Big Band, the Westchester Jazz Orchestra, Bill Mobley’s Smoke Big Band, and the BMI Jazz Composers Orchestra before setting out on his own in 2008. Seeing the divide between swing traditionalists and more harmonically inventive modernists, Reeves decided to cull the best from both worlds, devising inventive harmonic progressions but never letting go of the vigorous swing that makes large ensemble music so exciting.
“I’ve had people describe my band as sounding like ‘swinging dissonance’,” Reeves says with a laugh. “A lot of my music is overtly swinging in the tradition of big band jazz, but in the majority of my work I’m trying to get away from the typical harmonic palette.”
It helps when bridging such a stylistic gulf to be supported by some of the most talented and sought-after musicians in modern jazz, and Reeves can count many of them as regular band members for the whole of the 17-piece Orchestra’s existence. The line-up on Without a Trace includes saxophonists Steve Wilson, Tim Armacost, Vito Chiavuzzo, Rob Middleton, Jay Brandford and Terry Goss; trumpeters Seneca Black, Nathan Eklund, Chris Rogers, Bill Mobley and Andy Gravish; trombonists Tim Sessions, Matt McDonald, Matt Haviland and Max Siegel; pianist Jim Ridl, vibraphonist Dave Ellson, bassist Todd Coolman, and drummer Andy Watson. Stunning vocalist Carolyn Leonhart, on a break from her busy touring schedule with Steely Dan, guests on the lovely title tune.
Having been able to get know his musicians’ sounds so intimately over the years, Reeves has become adept at styling his arrangements to spotlight their particular talents. Not that there’s much that a virtuoso like Steve Wilson – an in-demand guest soloist for most bands, but regular lead alto with Reeves’ Orchestra – couldn’t handle. Wilson’s fiery yet controlled voice drove Reeves’ take on Kurt Weill’s classic “Speak Low,” which begins with a nod to Bill Evans’ classic rendition from his New Jazz Conceptions album before surging along on an Afro-Cuban beat. Trumpeter Chris Rogers and drummer Andy Watson follow with their own blistering solos.
Leonhart’s elegant turn on Reeves’ own “Without a Trace” follows. Where the orchestra’s debut, Portraits and Places, featured wordless vocals as a coloristic element, here Reeves pens lyrics to craft a love song that matches the emotion and drama of some of the Songbook standards in his repertoire. Leonhart’s subtle grace belies the tune’s angular melody, which combine to conjure a uniquely dark-tinged atmosphere for the song. The familiar “All or Nothing at All” is completely reimagined in Reeves’ handling, with an Ahmad Jamal-inspired groove and a taste of John Coltrane’s immortal “Giant Steps,” giving the timeless tune a feeling unmoored from any particular era.
“I always try to transform a song in some way when I do an arrangement,” Reeves explains. “I learned that particularly from studying Gil Evans’ music. He would take a tune and it would somehow end up in a completely different universe from where it originally started.”
Reeves’ entrancing original “Incandescence” was inspired by a trip to the south of France, where the composer – an amateur astronomer when away from the bandstand – marveled at the star-filled skies over a medieval walled village. The very next day he was at the piano in his rented house, capturing the majesty and mystery of that experience in music. “Shapeshifter” is similarly evocative, built on a tonal twelve-tone row that adds a touch of sci-fi strangeness (with an explicit wink towards Star Trek).
“JuJu” has been a favorite of forward-looking jazz musicians since Wayne Shorter first recorded it more than 50 years ago; of course, being one of the most forward-looking of them all, Shorter has never been interested in doing things the same way. John Patitucci, the longtime bassist in Shorter’s revered modern quartet, gave Reeves the lead sheet for the sax icon’s current approach to the song, which Reeves combines with a sax-section arrangement of Shorter’s original solo, making this version something of a portrait of Shorter’s incredible evolution. Another portrait of sorts, the lively “Something for Thad” closes the album with a brisk homage to another of Reeves’ bandleading heroes, the great Thad Jones.
Though the prospect of leading a big band in the current music-industry environment is a daunting one, Reeves has learned all the right lessons from his mentors: assemble brilliant musicians; pen original, heartfelt music and inventive arrangements; innovate without losing touch with the tradition. With all of those elements radiantly in place, the Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra takes its place among jazz’s most compelling ensembles on Without a Trace.
Scott Reeves
Scott Reeves is a trombonist, alto flugelhornist, composer, arranger, author, and college jazz educator. A Chicago native, he attended Indiana University where his teachers included David Baker and Thomas Beversdorf. Over the years, he also studied improvisation with Woody Shaw and Kenny Werner, and arranging with Manny Albam, Mike Abene, Jim McNeely and Mike Holober. Reeves regularly performs with the Dave Liebman Big Band, the Bill Mobley Big Band, and the Valery Ponomarev Big Band, and has subbed with the Vanguard Orchestra, the Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, and the Oliver Lake Big Band. His own groups include the 17-piece Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra, his quintet with saxophonist Rich Perry, and his 4-trombone, 3-rhythm band, Manhattan Bones. Reeves has been teaching jazz at the university level since 1976 and is currently a Professor at The City College of New York, CUNY. His two books, Creative Jazz Improvisation and Creative Beginnings (both published by Prentice-Hall), are among the most widely used texts in their field.
Sarah Lancman a sorti son nouvel album A Contretemps en début d'année, accompagnée par le pianiste Giovanni Mirabassi. La chanteuse Sarah Lancman a du velours dans la voix, le souffle des grandes, la respiration juste des mots et des intentions. Pas d'affect, pas de tremolo, pas de surenchère vocale alors qu'elle monte dans les sommets sans problème et descend si bas pour faire résonner nos corps. Dans le jeu du pianiste Giovanni Mirabassi, il y a du contrepoint, de l'ornementation, un touché au détaché précieux. Une association pareille, entre deux musiciens exceptionnels, fait fondre les coeurs les plus endurcis tout au long de l'album A Contretemps sorti sur le label Jazz Eleven. Nommée comme « la nouvelle voix du jazz français », Sarah Lancman sait se démarquer et innove avec ce clip en dessin animé entièrement dessiné et réalisé par Jon Verleysen, également chanteur et auteur compositeur du groupe Elephanz. On y voit l’attente de l’être aimé ancrée dans la vie du quotidien et illustrée avec délicatesse : c’est l’amour « a contretemps. » Découvrez la vidéo en animation de la chanson « A contretemps » et entrez dans l' univers poétique de Sarah Lancman.
Mademoiselle chante le jazz et elle ne fait pas semblant. A l’heure où le swing a déserté les gosiers et où les projets ultra formatés flattent les oreilles, Sarah Lancman fait figure au mieux d’oiseau rare, au pire de samouraï. Comme ses illustres aînées, les Merrill, Vaughan, Horn ou Simone, elle sait jongler avec les timbres et explorer tout le registre des émotions. Sa voix caméléon monte à la gorge, jouant tantôt d’un petit voile qui électrise, tantôt d’une candeur adolescente qui attendrit. Comme elles, elle chante l’amour, les histoires qui commencent et qui finissent mais sur tout l’amour de créer ensemble et de se donner toute entière à la musique et à ceux qui la reçoivent. On pourrait croire qu’elle a toujours chanté, pourtant cette parisienne native de Châtelet-Les Halles est d’abord une pianiste, montée à la station Debussy avant de prendre la correspondance Bill Evans. Du piano classique à 7 ans au piano jazz à la Haute Ecole de musique de Lausanne - où elle obtiendra en 2013 son diplôme de Bachelor filière composition - c’est au clavier qu’elle se destine.
Et le chant dans tout ça ? Une envie qui trotte dans la tête depuis longtemps. Le grand saut, Sarah le fera en 2012 au Festival de Montreux. Elle s’inscrit au Concours International Shure Jazz Vocal, présidé cette année-là par Quincy Jones. Quand le Premier Prix arrive, il est pour elle. Le verdict de Mister Jones est sans appel : « She’s truly a great new voice for jazz. » Cette fois, plus de doute, elle sait qu’elle est sur le bon chemin. Sarah se lance alors dans l’aventure de l’autoproduction pour accoucher au bout de deux ans d’un premier album de reprises baptisé Dark qui témoigne de ses goûts personnels, de Julie London à Nick Drake en passant par des standards du Real Book. Un deuxième coup du destin l’attend un soir, dans un bar montmartrois de la rue des Abbesses. Venue écouter une amie chanteuse, elle tombe sur le pianiste italien Giovanni Mirabassi. « Je ne pouvais pas croire que cet artiste que j’admirais depuis longtemps, était là, juste à côté de moi, en train de boire un café au comptoir. Alors je me suis lancée. » Il dit banco. « J’étais justement à la recherche d’une chanteuse et quand on en rencontre une qui a un tel sens de l’harmonie et du swing et qui arrive à émouvoir autant, on ne la laisse pas passer ! » Ces concerts vont sceller un solide compagnonnage entre ces deux résistants du jazz. Giovanni Mirabassi endosse alors l’habit de coach et de manager, trouve les musiciens, la pousse à composer, co-écrit avec elle.
Après le succès de l’album “Inspiring Love” dont les 10 compositions originales ont été enregistrées à New York et qui est sorti le 18 novembre 2016, Sarah Lancman revient avec l'album "A contretemps" toujours en co-écriture avec Giovanni Mirabassi et enregistré en Thaïlande avec la même « dream team » ainsi qu’un invité spécial : le trompettiste et chanteur japonais Toku.
To mark today’s release of the ‘Music For Installations’ box set, Brian Eno premieres a video taken from his recent sold-out multimedia talk of the same name at The British Library, which was part of the institution’s ‘Season of Sound’, in celebration of their sound archive.
Musician, producer, visual artist, thinker and activist Brian Eno first came to international prominence in the early '70s as a founding member of Roxy Music, and immediately followed with a series of critically-praised and influential solo albums. His visionary production includes albums with David Bowie, Talking Heads, Devo and Laurie Anderson, whilst his long list of collaborations includes recordings with John Cale, David Byrne, Grace Jones and James Blake.
Less widely discussed although equally notable and arguably even more prolific are his visual experiments with light and video. These are the fertile ground from which so much of his other work has grown, they cover an even longer span of time than his recordings, and have in recent decades paralleled his musical output.
These highly-acclaimed works have been exhibited all over the globe - from the Venice Biennale, the Marble Palace in St. Petersburg to the Sydney Opera House. At The British Library event, Bowers & Wilkins showcased a selection of this music that has been heard in Eno’s installations at galleries, airports, hospitals and public spaces around the world.
He also demonstrated compositional theories and discussed a range of topics including generative music, non-hierarchical processes and structures, concepts on potential new ways for the organisation of society and the therapeutic benefits of installations and installation music.
Watch part one of Brian Eno’s ‘Music For Installations’ talk at The British Library
Brian Eno
‘Music For Installations’
Released worldwide today on UMC
6 CD super deluxe limited edition numbered box set, including 64-page Plexiglass cover book and download card
6 CD standard edition box set with 64-page book
9 LP super deluxe edition vinyl box set with 64-page book, plus download card
“If you think of music as a moving, changing form, and painting as a still form, what I’m trying to do is make very still music and paintings that move. I’m trying to find in both of those forms, the space in between the traditional concept of music and the traditional concept of painting.” Brian Eno
‘Music For Installations’ is a collection of new, rare and previously unreleased tracks, all of which will be available on vinyl for the first time. All of the material was recorded by Eno for use in his installations covering the period from 1986 until the present (and beyond). Over this time he has emerged as the leading exponent of generative music worldwide and is recognised as one of the foremost audio-visual installation artists of his time.
Designed by Brian and long-time collaborator Nick Robertson, this beautifully bound package comes with a 64-page booklet featuring rare and unseen exhibition photographs and a new essay written by Eno.
Track list
‘Music From Installations’ (previously unreleased): 01: ‘Kazakhstan’ Premiered at the Asif Khan-designed installation ‘We Are Energy’ in the UK Pavilion at Astana Expo 2017 in Kazakhstan. 02: ‘The Ritan Bells’ Premiered at an installation by Eno at Ritan Park in Beijing, China as part of the British Council’s ‘Sound in the City’ series, 2005. 03: ‘Five Light Paintings’ Premiered at an installation by Eno called ‘Pictures Of Venice’ at the Gallerie Cavallino, in Venice, Italy, 1985. 04: ‘Flower Bells’ Premiered at an installation by Eno called ‘Light Music’ at the Castello Svevo in Bari, Italy, 2017.
‘77 Million Paintings’ (previously unreleased): 01: ‘77 Million Paintings’ Premiered at the inaugural exhibition of ‘77 Million Paintings’ at La Foret Museum Tokyo, Japan, 2006.
‘Lightness - Music For The Marble Palace’ (previously only available as a limited-run CD, via Enostore only): 01: ‘Atmospheric Lightness’ 02: ‘Chamber Lightness’ Premiered at the Eno installation ‘Lightness in the Marble Palace’ at The State Russian Museum in St Petersburg, Russia, 1997. ‘I Dormienti’ / ‘Kite Stories’ (previously only available as separate limited run CDs, via Enostore only): 01: ‘I Dormienti’ Premiered at an eponymous installation by the Italian sculptor Mimmo Paladino at The Undercroft of The Roundhouse in London, 1999. 02: ‘Kites I’ 03: ‘Kites II’ 04: ‘Kites III’ Premiered at an installation by Brian Eno at the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki, Finland, 1999.
‘Making Space’ (limited-run CD previously only available at Eno installations and on the Lumen website): 01: ‘Needle Click’ 02: ‘Light Legs’ 03: ‘Flora and Fauna’ / ‘Gleise 581d’ 04: ‘New Moons’ 05: ‘Vanadium’ 06: ‘All The Stars Were Out’ 07: ‘Hopeful Timean Intersect’ 08: ‘World Without Wind’ 09: ‘Delightful Universe (seen from above)’ Compiled by Eno for sale exclusively at his installations, this was first made available while guest artistic director of the Brighton Festival, 2010. ‘Music For Future Installations’ (previously unreleased): 01: ‘Unnoticed Planet’ 02: ‘Liquidambar’ 03: ‘Sour Evening (Complex Heaven 3)’ 04: ‘Surbahar Sleeping Music’
