“Meeting of Minds” focuses on the integration of voices with the big band. The combination of the dynamic writing styles of Bob Mintzer and Darmon Meader, from New York Voices, produces a very dense yet very fresh sonic palette. There are subtle harmonic and rhythmic nuances in the arrangements that blend together to deliver an engaging musical journey. The repertoire draws on the Great American Songbook from the 1930s and 1940s. Each arrangement transforms a classic song into a modern-day hit revealing the lasting power of a great song. In addition to the wonderful arrangements, the album showcases over a dozen powerful improvised solos from some of the top musicians in the world. The collaboration is truly a musically rich Meeting of Minds. “Working with New York Voices on this project has been a total joy,” said Mintzer. “They are a tight knit, dynamic vocal group, as good as they come. Damon Meader’s vocal arrangements were exquisite! He took what was there in the arrangements and integrated the vocals in such a clever way. As always, the band rose to the occasion. Great soloists and superb ensemble playing on some fairly challenging arrangements. The material on Meeting of Minds is so very strong. The cream of the crop of the popular song of the 1940s. It was fun to go somewhere else arrangement-wise while acknowledging the greatness and intention of the tunes. They don’t write lyrics like this anymore. Kudos to Marty Ashby and the staff at MCG Jazz for providing the vehicle for this project to come to fruition. The idea of collaborating with the New York Voices seemed like such a good idea from the very beginning. Grateful we got to do this!” Meader, speaking collectively for the members of New York Voices, said, “Working with Bob and his band was definitely a ‘bucket list’ opportunity. We have all been big fans of his writing and playing for years; so, to jump into this collaboration was a thrill. Writing our four-part harmony into his intricate big band charts created a different sound from previous NYV projects, shifting our role in an interesting way. It was fun to figure out how to dance in and out of the big band textures, and the end result was very rewarding.”
Un viaggio all’interno di un profondo sentimento interiore, dove il mondo delle piccole cose diventa un universo di emozioni intorno al quale ruota il senso dell’esistenza: prodotto dall'etichetta pugliese Dodicilune, nella collana Fonosfere, mercoledì 30 maggio esce - distribuito in Italia e all’estero da Ird e nei migliori store online da Believe Digital - "En La imaginaciòn. Jazz tribute to Marta Valdès". La cantante Paola Lorenzi e il musicista, compositore e arrangiatore Pedro Mena Peraza rileggono otto temi dell’immaginifico e meditativo repertorio di Marta Valdès, una delle grandi signore del bolero e della canzone nello stile “filin”. "En La imaginaciòn" vuole evidenziare la natura fantasiosa, immaginaria a tratti quasi surreale dell’anima della compositrice, cantante e chitarrista cubana. Il progetto nasce dopo l’esperienza dei due artisti al Festival Internacional Boleros de Oro (2003/2005) e al Recital per festeggiare i 70 anni della compositrice a L’Avana e prosegue in Italia per contribuire alla diffusione delle sue bellissime melodie, purtroppo ancora sconosciute nel nostro Paese. Il cd è completato dall’inedito “A Marta, un Bolero”, un sentito omaggio dei due musicisti, proposto in due versioni (bolero classico in quintetto e in duo voce e organo hammond), il cui inciso è creato da citazioni melodiche e titoli di alcuni brani tra i più celebri di Marta Valdes. Paola Lorenzi (voce) e Pedro Mena Peraza (arrangiamenti, direzione musicale, chitarra, percussioni), sono affiancati in alcuni brani da Gianni Giudici (uno dei più importanti organisti jazz europei, considerato “il Padrino” italiano dell'Hammond, ex vice presidente e Product Manager di Generalmusic e attuale Brand Manager di Studiologic, tra le sue collaborazioni quelle con Chet Baker, Bobby Watson, Eddie Davis, Gary Burton, Milt Jackson, Bruce Forman, Randy Bersen, Lew Tabackin, Renzo Arbore), Massimiliano Rocchetta (pianoforte, tastiere, tra le sue collaborazioni, Renzo Arbore, Mario Biondi, Flavio Boltro, Bob Brookmeyer, Fabrizio Bosso, Tullio De Piscopo, Gegè Telesforo), Stefano Travaglini (contrabbasso, tra le collaborazioni Dave Schnitter, Sal Nistico, Urbie Green, Howard Johnson, Bruce Forman, Peter Erskine, Lee Konitz, Steve Grossman, Jimmy Owens) e Daniele Marzi (batteria).
«Non posso negare di sentirmi arrossire quando sento risuonare il mio nome messo in musica da Pedro Mena in quella canzone omaggio con cui inizia e termina il disco», sottolinea Marta Valdes nelle note di copertina. «Poteva essersi trattato di una somma di elogi, di una semplice sequenza di citazioni pr endendo a pretesto i titoli delle mie canzoni. Allora, io mi sarei limitata a ringraziare senza sapere in realtà perché. Non è questo il caso. La vita mi ha gratificato con la presenza, nella mia musica, di qualcuno, come Pedro Mena, che pur appartenente a una generazione tanto distante dalla mia, elimina le barriere del tempo e ci insegna con quella esemplare comprensione di un pensiero musicale che, se bene gli sia giunto in un caso attraverso alcune interpretazioni abbastanza diffuse, in un altro caso attraverso la mia propria visione, giunge ad appropriarsene e di ritorno senza deformazioni vi aggiunge accenti molto personali», prosegue. «Riconosco in Paola Lorenzi una di quelle voci che ascolterei volentieri cantare in ogni momento, come solo lei riesce a fare, in qualunque genere musicale, dove la sua interpretazione sempre dinamica, saggia ed emotiva, assume, invariabilmente, una forma che la differenzia da ogni riferimento precedente, anche se si tratta di versioni clas siche alle quali, con vera audacia, si avvicina fino al minimo dettaglio per alzare, quindi, il suo proprio splendido volo e lasciarci impressionati ed emozionati. Mi piace», entra nel dettaglio la compositrice cubana, «che il brano “Palabras” si sia adattato ad una versione così; mi riconosco in quel “No Hagas Caso”; ringrazio che tra le tantissime canzoni che diedi loro da scegliere, mi abbiano accontentato, come se avessi loro confessato l’angosciosa necessità che sento che “Canciòn Dificil” e “Juego A Olvidarme De Ti” non siano canzoni dimenticate. Infine sono al punto di pentirmi di aver dichiarato alla fine del testo di “Como Un Rio”, che “los rios de amor no saben” (“i fiumi non sanno l’amore”), dopo che Pedro Mena ha incontrato in questa canzone motivo per fare suonare i colpi dei tamburi Batà che caratterizzano Ochún, Dea, precisamente, del fiume e dell’amore, giungendo a rivelarci un’altra dimensione dell’opera musicale. Sento P aola Lorenzi e Pedro Mena affermare che “en mi tempo no existe el ayer” ("nel mio tempo non esiste lo ieri”) e rispondo loro con vera emozione, a loro e anche ai musicisti che hanno viaggiato nelle mie canzoni attraverso questo disco, che la cosa più preziosa di un regalo così è l’aver confermato una volta di più, che con tutta la lontananza che ci divide, il linguaggio della musica ha creato il miracolo di farci pensare che non è vero che esiste la distanza, che “està de fiesta la imaginaciòn” (“l’immaginazione è in festa”)». More Info...
L’etichetta Dodicilune è attiva dal 1996. Dispone di un catalogo di oltre 220 produzioni di artisti italiani e stranieri ed è distribuita in Itali a e all'estero da IRD in circa 400 punti vendita tra negozi di dischi e store. I dischi Dodicilune possono essere acquistati anche online, ascoltati e scaricati su una cinquantina tra le maggiori piattaforme del mondo.
1 A MARTA UN BOLERO (Pedro Mena Peraza, Paola Lorenzi) duo
2 CANCION DIFICIL (Marta Valdes)
3 PALABRAS (Marta Valdes)
4 TU NO HAGAS CASO (Marta Valdes)
5 COMO UN RIO (Marta Valdes)
6 EN LA IMAGINACION (Marta Valdes)
7 LLORA, LLORA (Marta Valdes)
8 LA CANCION (Marta Valdes)
9 JUEGO A OLVIDARME DE TI (Marta Valdes)
10 A MARTA UN BOLERO (Pedro Mena Peraza, Paola Lorenzi) quintetto
MCG Jazz is proud to announce that the 2018 documentary “We Knew What We Had: The Greatest Jazz Story Never Told” received two Telly Awards this week. The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and it is judged by leaders from video platforms, television and streaming networks, agencies, and production companies including Vice, Vimeo, Hearst Digital Media, and BuzzFeed.
This year, The Telly Awards introduced the inaugural gold Telly Award to honor the 39th Annual Telly Awards’ top tier of entrants. “We Knew What We Had” won gold in the Craft-Use of Music category and bronzein the General-Culturalcategory.
“Receiving the Telly Award is a testament to the special contribution that Pittsburgh has had on the history of jazz music,” said Marty Ashby, producer of “We Knew What We Had” and Executive Producer of MCG Jazz. “It was an honor to work with so many musicians and historians to tell this important story.”
The film premiered in February 2018 and continues to have hundreds of telecasts on public television stations throughout the United States. “We Knew What We Had” is distributed by American Public Television with presenting station WQED Multimedia for broadcast on television, locally, nationally, and around the world. Consult your local listing for current showtimes or visit www.weknewwhatwehadfilm.com.
About MCG Jazz Since 1987, MCG Jazz, a program of the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild that is an affiliate of the Manchester Bidwell Corporation, has brought audiences together with jazz artists at its 350-seat music hall in Pittsburgh for innovative performances and recordings. Its mission is to preserve, present, and promote jazz. MCG Jazz Archive assets derived from concerts, workshops, interviews, recording sessions, off-site productions, and other events includes nearly 32,000 hours of raw footage and is home to the personal collections of Stanley Turrentine, Herbie Mann, John “Doc” Wilson, and others. In addition to presenting one of the nation’s longest-running jazz subscription series, the MCG Jazz label has won five GRAMMY® Awards and is an anchor of Pittsburgh Cultural and community life. For more information about Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, please visit their website at www.mcgjazz.org. About The Telly Awards The Telly Awards is the premier award honoring video and television across all screens. Established in 1979, The Telly Awards receives over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents. Entrants are judged by The Telly Awards Judging Council—an industry body of over 200 leading experts including advertising agencies, production companies, and major television networks, reflective of the multiscreen industry The Telly Awards celebrates.
Abril e Maio foram meses de Tour Internacional para os Paraguaii, que tiveram 19 concertos distribuídos por Espanha, França e Suiça e muitas casas cheias. A banda vimaranense apresentou o seu último disco em várias salas e deixou boas impressões por onde passou.
Agora, de regresso a casa, preparam o próximo concerto no Serralves em Festa no dia 3 de Junho. Os Paraguaii tocam pela primeira vez no Festival e levam na bagagem "Dream About the Things you never do", o último disco da banda de Giliano Boucinha e Zé Pedro Caldas. Para ilustrar o vídeo promocional do evento o Festival escolheu dois temas de Paraguaii, "Scope" que abre o vídeo, e que faz parte do primeiro longa duração da banda, editado em 2016 com o mesmo nome, e "Ancient Gurl" um dos singles do último disco. Podem ouvir aqui:
Assim como o país que lhes dá nome é um mistério, também os Paraguaii o são, em termos puramente sonoros. É isto pós-punk? É isto space rock? É isto uma banda rock que sabe dançar – e quem disse, na verdade, que as bandas rock não sabem dançar? Não chegaremos a nenhuma conclusão definitiva, até porque os Paraguaii são tudo isso e muito mais.
Próximos concertos:
3 Jun | Festival Serralves em Festa | Porto
15 Jun | Festival Saídos da Caixa | Caldas da Rainha
6 Jul | Festival Souto Rock | Barcelos
7 Jul | Festival Quintanilha Rock | Bragança
20 Jul | Cais Criativo da Costa Nova | Ílhavo
15 Set | Muscarium#4 Festival de Artes Performativas | Agualva, Cacém
O último single de Paraguaii chama-se She Kills Everyone. O videoclipe é uma curta-metragem realizada e produzida por Mário Macedo e Sebastian Søgård, do 73collective, coletivo de arte que abarca diversas formas artísticas como a pintura, fotografia, filme, música, poesia e moda.
Zone is a quintet of distinguished musicians who create an utterly modern sound rooted in not only the history of jazz, but also in a vast array of music traditions, old and new. While the members have all played with each other in different ensembles, mostly in the downtown New York scene, Zone is particularly fertile group for their considerable compositional and improvisational abilities. Sensitivity, interplay and deep listening are always evident whether the music is lyrical or hard hitting. Rocco John Iacovone studied composition under the direct disciples of Nadia Boulanger as well as saxophone and improvisation with Lee Konitz and played with Sam Rivers at Studio Rivbea,. Rocco has released a number of recording, including two on UNSEEN RAIN, Embrace The Change - with his quartet and Peace and Love with his Improvising Composers Ensemble. Jack DeSalvo initially appeared on the international jazz scene with the groundbreaking trio D3 and as a member of the electric harmolodic group Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society. He is a member of Sumari, the 12 Houses Orchestra and other groups, including his own. Jack studied composition with Ariadna Mikéshina, classical guitar with Leonid Bolotine and jazz with Bill Connors and others. Jack appears on numerous recording including many on UR. Chris Forbes has been on the piano bench as a crucial part of countless NYC ensembles including Jason Kao Wang's Sing House, Matt Lavelle's 12 Houses Orchestra, the Steve Swell Quintet and Chris' own trio. He is a classically trained composer, jazz pianist, and has composed for symphonies, chamber groups, jazz ensembles, and musical theater. Dmitry Ishenko has played bass with a wide range of jazz artists, including Steve Lacy, John Tchicai, Eric Harland, Dave Liebman, Myron Walden, Jeff Williams, Roy Campbell, Jr., Sam Yahel, Steve Swell, Kenny Wollesen, Ches Smith, and many others. A graduate of both the Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, he is also a busy session player and arranger, having worked in the studio and on the road with Paul Banks of Interpol, among others. has toured all over the world. He appears on Blaise Siwula's UR album Remoliona. In addition to being an incomparable jazz drummer, Tom Cabrera is an adept world percussionist Initially a mainstay in the Hudson Valley, NY jazz scene in Florida Tom gigged constantly establishing himself as a preeminent player on Orlando's vibrant jazz scene. After returning to NY he immersed himself in the creative jazz scene as a member of the Julie Lyon Quartet, the Matt Lavele Quartet, Sumari, Jack DeSalvo's trio and quartet and the 12 Houses Orchestra. He appears on a number of UR releases including with his own trio, What I've Found and Rocco John Iacovone's Embrace The Change.
Centered in Madrid, Kotka is an improvising trio with truly international players. Guitarist Guillermo Bazzola (Argentina), double-bassist Risto Vuolanne (Finland) and drummer Fernando Lamas (Spain) offer their first Unseen Rain release with marvelous music and fascinating interplay.
Kotka is creation in the purest sense, without stylistic or national boundaries.
Finnish bassist Risto Vuolanne has long lived in Spain and is the leading double bassist in the Galician Symphony Orchestra. A couple of years ago, he founded Kotka with Argentine guitarist Guillermo Bazzola and Spanish drummer Fernando Lamas creating a formidable trio of improvising musicians.
1. Plateau I 06:35
2. Plateau II 07:10
3. Plateau III 07:14
4. Plateau IV 09:02
5. Plateau V 05:51
6. Plateau VI 05:16
7. Plateau VII 05:45
Guilermo Bazzola electric guitar and effects
Risto Vuolanne double-bass and effects
Fernando Lamas drums and percussion
All music was spontaneously created and performed by Kotka
Recorded (July 27, 2014) and mixed by Guilermo Bazzola, GNU Town Studio, Madrid, Spain
Piano virtuoso Bob Rodriguez‘ history includes performances with Kenny Wheeler, Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Billy Hart. Double bassist Lee Marvin, ubiquitous in the New York scene is on scores of recordings. Danish drummer Kresten Osgood is a recipient of the Ben Webster Award. He has recorded with Paul Bley, Oliver Lake, Michael Gregory and many European masters.
A Little Waltz Bob Rodriguez 5’51
Cross Currents Bob Rodriguez 8’58
Drums and Water Lee Marvin 9’53
Ennovy's Blessing Lee Marvin 8’30
Fish Cannot Leave Deep Waters Kresten Osgood 4'53
Wonjo Rodriguez, Marvin, Osgood 6’23
Quick Start Rodriguez, Marvin, Osgood 7'01
Remembering Bob Rodriguez 8’06
The Two Step Kresten Osgood 7’18
Window Traffic Lee Marvin 6’50
Bob Rodriguez - piano
Lee Marvin - double-bass
Krestin Osgood - drums
Recorded November 23, 2011 at Tedesco Studio, Paramus, NJ
Mixed by Larry Hutter at Hutter Studio, Orlando, FL
“Crabbe is a first class thrush … vocal fans will give this high marks throughout. A winner.” - Midwest Record
“Shirley Crabbe is a musical bridge that each listener will find sturdy, beautiful, cement strong and comfortable to walk across. Her voice is a charming way to bring us all together.” - Dee Dee McNeill, Musical Memoirs
Some vocalists excel at lyric interpretation. They know how to tell the story of a song with subtlety and nuance. Other singers have such beautiful voices that they’d be a pleasure to listen to if they sang the periodic table set to a Brahms lullaby. It’s not easy to say which is SHIRLEY CRABBE’s strength, since she possesses both those talents in equal measure. Now, BRIDGES, her newest CD and follow-up to her 2011 debut release Home, re-affirms Crabbe’s position as a rising star in the jazz firmament. Crabbe’s singing career might have turned out very differently if it weren’t for advances in medical laser technology. A native of an artsy community in Rockland Country, just outside of New York City, Crabbe has been singing since she was a child. Although she was first attracted to opera, she also became interested in jazz as a senior in high school when she was chosen as the featured female vocalist for the All Eastern Jazz Band at a major regional event. She went on to study music at Northwestern University and then earned a graduate degree from the Manhattan School of Music with the idea of pursuing a career in opera. Shortly after grad school, she developed a serious medical problem with her vocal cords that almost ended her singing career before it had really begun. Luckily, modern medicine gave Crabbe another chance when a new surgical procedure restored her vocal cords to full health.
Although she still loved opera, she also loved the creative freedom afforded by jazz. After a lengthy hiatus, Crabbe returned to performing with a new vision for the future and soon established herself on the New York jazz scene, performing in clubs like Minton’s, Lenox Lounge, The Metropolitan Room, and Birdland. The overarching concept of BRIDGES is about connections. There are bridges that we cross, bridges that we burn, and bridges that we build, and each song that Crabbe chose exemplifies those interactions. It is an eclectic project, featuring jazz standards, a pop tune, a couple of originals, and a hip, updated version of “Blessed Assurance,” which is a well-known Christian hymn written in 1873 that Crabbe included because it’s one of her mother’s favorite songs. Crabbe opens the CD with “Isn’t It a Lovely Day,” a love song she borrowed from Ella Fitzgerald, who was an important influence on Crabbe. DAVID BUDWAY accompanies Crabbe on that tune and on Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes” and on “Thief in the Night,” the Dietz and Schwartz song for which Budway also wrote a lush string arrangement. Budway is a versatile pianist who has recorded and performed with a Who's Who of top jazz musicians, including Branford Marsalis, Michael Brecker, Stanley Turrentine, Hubert Laws, and many more. He also accompanies Crabbe on her one-woman show that celebrates the life and music of Ethel Waters.
Crabbe has a deep affinity and admiration for Waters, who managed to overcome grinding poverty and overt racism to become one of the most successful, highest paid stars of her era. Crabbe sings “Taking a Chance on Love,” a tune that Waters originally made famous. She’s accompanied on that tune, as well as on all the other tunes, by DONALD VEGA, who is also the musical director for this CD. Vega, a Juilliard graduate who studied with Kenny Baron, has won many awards, including the Los Angeles Jazz Society’s New Talent Award, Downbeat’s 2007 Student Music Award for Best Soloist, and the Great American Jazz Piano Competition. Vega is a virtuoso pianist who is currently performing internationally in Ron Carter’s Golden Striker Trio. “Bridges,” the title tune, is by Milton Nascimento. It’s about finding the bridge that leads to love. On the other hand, “The Bridge,” written by Crabbe and Vega, is about making a connection with your love, but something goes awry in the relationship. Crabbe and Vega also wrote “Promise Me,” which is both a love song and a spiritual song about hope. “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was,” which Crabbe and Vega arranged with a cha cha feel, is one of Crabbe’s favorite songs that she often sings in live performances. Crabbe just started singing “The Windmills of Your Mind” in live performance only recently and chose to record it because it fit so well with her thematic concept. Also joining Crabbe on this project are some of the top musicians in the New York City area, including CLOVIS NICOLAS on bass, ULYSSES OWENS JR. on drums, ALVESTER GARNETT also on drums, and BRANDON LEE on trumpet, with a string section comprising CHRIS CARDONA on violin, SEAN CARNEY on violin, TODD LOW on viola, and STEPHANIE CUMMINS on cello. BRIDGES is not just a project of love songs; it’s also a project that is genuinely imbued with love. With her superb phrasing, inflection, and honeyed voice, Crabbe’s warmth and sincerity shine through. BRIDGES is an excellent showcase for an artist poised for wider recognition.
Shirley Crabbe has been the opening act for Abbey Lincoln and has recorded with jazz greats Houston Person and Donald Vega, among others. Her debut CD, Home, remained on the JazzWeek radio chart for 26 weeks. She was one of the top 5 finalists at Jazzmobile’s “Best of the Best” Jazz Vocalist Competition held in New York City, and she was awarded Rockland County’s prestigious County Executive Performing Arts Award. Crabbe is also the recipient of the Stanton Bronze Medalist of the 2008 American Traditions Vocal Competition at the Savannah International Music Festival in Georgia. She is the featured soloist on the jazz CD “Africa” by The Mystic Pilgrims.
