Republic of Jazz: Oct 3, 2018

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Mirko Signorile TRIO TRIP (AUAND RECORDS) out on October 12

Mirko Signorile’s Expressionist Touch

On Trio Trip Colorful Map

New album out on Auand Records for the Italian pianist

Featuring Francesco Ponticelli (bass) and Enrico Morello (drums)

Either contemplative or frisky, Italian pianist Mirko Signorile’s new project is the colorful map of a journey: “Trio Trip”, out for Auand Records and supported by Puglia Sounds funds (Regione Puglia - FSC 2014/2020 - Patto per la Puglia - Investiamo nel vostro futuro), is led by the Apulian musician, who penned most compositions, joined by Francesco Ponticelli on double bass and Enrico Morello on drums.

Far from being a tortuous or unnaturally layered work, “Trio Trip” is an emotional collage. In their joyful polychromy, these tracks paint an entire life with an expressionist style: exposing both certainties and fears, each composition is the picture of a moment, a feeling, a place. «I wrote these tunes relying on my gut feelings, with no overthinking – Signorile says – I trust my sensations: when I write, it’s like a bliss, a slow and endless fire.»

While confirming the melodic and minimal taste that distinguished his previous works, the sparkle of the compositions gradually replenishes on either naif or harrowing lines. Opening track “The Blue Ritual” starts the fire with a synthetic glare; suddenly, the dancing meditation of “Indigo Garden” opens wide on a surprising lightheartedness, much like what can be heard on the background of Signorile’s tender “The Colorful Tuner” and the dreamy “Orange City”. Although, on the opposite side of this emotional spectrum, is the sinister uncertainty of “Black Forest”, the tracklist ends with an essential, sly rendition of Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic”, like a note for the future: the will not to take anything too seriously, and an invitation to enjoy every moment.

Ora meditabondo ora danzante, il nuovo progetto guidato dal pianista Mirko Signorile è la colorata mappa di un viaggio: in “Trio Trip”, in uscita a settembre per Auand Records e finanziato da Puglia Sounds (Regione Puglia - FSC 2014/2020 - Patto per la Puglia - Investiamo nel vostro futuro), il musicista pugliese, impegnato al pianoforte oltre che nella maggior parte delle composizioni, è accompagnato dal contrabbassista Francesco Ponticelli e da Enrico Morello alla batteria.

Lontano dall’essere un lavoro cerebrale o forzatamente strutturato, “Trio Trip” è invece un collage emotivo. La giocosa policromia delle tracce dipinge i quadri di un’intera esistenza con un tocco espressionista: dalle certezze alle inquietudini, ogni pezzo è la fotografia di un momento specifico, di una sensazione, di un luogo. «Ho scritto questi brani di pancia, senza troppo pensare – confida Signorile – Mi fido molto di quello che sento: è una specie di rapimento quando compongo, un fuoco lento ma continuo».

Confermando il gusto melodico e minimal che ha messo in luce nei lavori precedenti, la fiamma delle composizioni si alimenta a poco a poco, su linee naif o stranianti: ad accendere la miccia è il motivo dai riflessi sintetici che campeggia in “The Blue Ritual” all’apertura del disco.

La meditazione danzante di “Indigo Garden” si spalanca all’improvviso su una solarità sorprendente che, con un risvolto più intimo e raccolto, ritorna sullo sfondo di altre tracce, inclusa l’affettuosa “The Colorful Tuner” o la sognante “Orange City”. Se sul lato opposto dello spettro emotivo c’è spazio per l’incertezza sinistra e le corse a perdifiato di “Black Forest”, la tracklist si chiude con un una versione asciutta e sorniona di “Ironic” di Alanis Morissette. Una sorta di appunto per il futuro: la volontà di non prendersi mai troppo troppo sul serio, e l’invito a godersi ogni momento.

Mirko Signorile piano, synth

Francesco Ponticelli double bass, bass

Enrico Morello drums

1 The Blue Ritual

2 Indigo Garden

3 Black Forest

4 Golden Pearl

5 The Red Dot

6 The Colorful Tuner

7 Orange City

8 The White Story

9 Pink Lighthouse

10 Trio Trip in Violet Flow

11 Ironic

Produced by Mirko Signorile

Executive Producer: Marco Valente

Recorded at Sorriso Studio

Engineer: Tommy Cavalieri

Cover Design: Segni&Disegni

All compositions by Mirko Signorile (Jazz Engine Ed. Mus.)

Except Ironic by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard (Song of Universal Inc.)

SKNAIL: New album "Mutation" and new official video "A Storm"

NEW ALBUM

"MUTATION"

out now !

« One day, nobody knows why, the objects mutated with the bodies. It was undoubtedly the beginning of a new era. Then the musical instruments did the same, and also the musicians who played them. All became one. »

For their third album "Mutation", SKNAIL continues the exploration of their pioneering avant-garde glitch jazz. This time, more than ever with the fusion of timbres and styles of the past and future, they are taking jazz to unexplored territories.

SKNAIL (production, electronics)

Billie Bird (vocals)

Nya (vocals)

Yannick Barman (trumpet)

Stéphane Chapuis (bandoneon)

Philippe Ehinger (bass clarinet)

Guy-François Leuenberger (piano)

Alain Dessauges (double bass)

Cyril Regamey (drums, on 1 track)

Can Pekdemir - artwork, design

buy the CD :

download and streaming :

NEW OFFICIAL VIDEO

"A Storm"

click here to watch :

LIVE

Rue de l'industrie 10, CH-1005 Lausanne

Booking and informations:

by phone +41 (0)21 311 65 14

or online

Benny Green - Then and Now (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS November 2, 2018)

Throughout his career as one of the world’s premier living Jazz musicians, legendary bebopper Benny Green has established himself as a powerhouse pianist and bandleader, boasting concert appearances and recording credits with giants of the industry over the past 35 years. But prior to his forthcoming record Then And Now (his 20th album as leader), Green has never featured either vocals or flute on any of his albums. Painting with rich aural colors and textures, Green boldly steps into new musical space for Then And Now, featuring both vocal sensation Veronica Swift and flautist Anne Drummond.

Jazz sensibility comes naturally to Green, the NYC-born son of a jazz saxophonist and a Berkeley, California native. At a young age Green’s ear became fine-tuned to the art form, and he soon found himself invited to perform alongside Jazz icons like Betty Carter, Freddie Hubbard and Ray Brown. Art Blakey found Green’s swinging musicality to be the right ingredient and invited Green to join the ranks of his elite Jazz Messengers – this relationship would prove deeply influential to Green, who has since dedicated his career to straight-ahead hard bop.

Although featured in a wide variety of performance arenas, Green is in his element and shines as the leader of the Benny Green Trio. With drumming master Kenny Washington and revered bassist David Wong completing the piano trio, Green commands the stage, delighting international audiences in his 38th year as a bandleader. It was only natural that this trio would become the springboard for Green’s recent new musical adventures.

A recording session led by prodigy vocalist Veronica Swift made such an impact on Green that he expanded his own generally instrumental traditions and began collaborating with both Swift and his trio. Green’s authoritative skill at the keyboard and hard-swinging ensemble were the perfect sonic landscape for Swift’s masterful musicianship and organic approach to scat singing, with Swift proving her voice was the perfect soloing instrument to complement Green’s stylistic swing.

Swift, like Green, grew up in a musical family – her father a world-renowned bebop jazz pianist Hod O’Brien, along with her mother, vocalist Stephanie Nakasian, had made Swift’s young life rich with Jazz tradition. Swift and Green were a well-matched pair, each dedicated to bebop and swinging Jazz styles. When Swift began performing together with the Benny Green Trio, they discovered a dynamic element of interactive group synergy and interplay. They regularly perform together still, celebrating the musical vision they share.

With Then And Now, Green explores yet more new ideas and soundscapes, delving into the rich sounds of a Rhodes electric piano on a few tracks. The vintage Rhodes, with Green at the helm, becomes a new and darker sonic foundation for Swift’s voice. Flautist extraordinaire Anne Drummond joins Green on the new record as well, after having previously performed some of Green’s own original music on her recording Revolving.

Green’s compositions for Then And Now exemplify the album’s title: this record is musically distinct from any of his previous records. Longtime fans of Green’s will immediately recognize his unparalleled mastery and swing, but will also hear him stretching out comfortably in these new colors. The juxtaposition of Green’s familiar trio format and the new voices and textures on Then And Now create a heartfelt program, anchored in the swinging tradition that’s always been so central to Green’s heart. The new album is definitively, authentically Benny Green – but it conveys a side of Benny Green you haven’t heard before.

Then And Now begins with Green’s salute to revered soul singer, pianist, composer Donny Hathaway which quotes both the singer’s “Valdez in The Country” and his duet with Roberta Flack, “The Closer I Get to You; Green’s “Donny Hath A Way” is a hard-grooving tune featuring flute, percussion and Green on Rhodes.

Swift joins Green on Dexter Gordon’s “For Regulars Only,” a childhood favorite of hers, and performs her own stunning vocal transcription of Freddie Hubbard and Dexter Gordon’s original trumpet and tenor saxophone parts. For Cedar Walton’s “Latin America,” Green explores the duality of the keyboard itself, playfully balancing the Rhodes and acoustic piano as two characters: the Latin character and the gringo character, respectively.

Swift’s touching lyrics about life lessons, set to Green’s “Naturally,” feature Swift exploring her own sonic comfort zone, with her voice eventually layered over itself in delicious triple texture. Driven by Washington and Wong, Green and the trio lay down a hard-hitting arrangement of Hank Jones’s “Minor Contention”, followed by a meditative dedication to California wildlife, Green’s calming “Enchanted Forest” as chamber trio of flute, piano and bass.

Washington plays a classic Art Blakey-style 4-bar introduction out front on Horace Silver’s “Split Kick,” for which Swift rejoins the trio, covering the original trumpet and alto saxophone parts as played by Clifford Brown and Lou Donaldson with her voice. Green pays tribute to Duke Pearson, one of his favorite composers, with “Say You’re Mine”, and along with Swift recalls his mentor Walter Davis, Jr. with “Humphrey”, first recorded by Green in 1991 on his album Testifyin’. Swift’s vocals follow the trio’s opening chorus on “Something I Dreamed Last Night,” harkening Anita O’Day’s classic ballad style.

But the crowning moments of the album are the “then” and the “now.” With “Hipsippy Blues” Green calls to mind his greatest musical influence, Art Blakey, and the time they’d spent playing together: a mindful musical glace back to “then.” Then Green turns to the “now”, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release his own composition “Wiggin” (first recorded in 1993 on Green’s That’s Right. Green stands firmly in the present, surrounded by fascinating musical colors, textures, collaborators, and ideas.

With the release of Then and Now, listeners get a rare glimpse of Benny Green, a giant of Jazz in his own right, both then and now.

Anne Drummond - flute & alto flute

Benny Green - piano & electric piano

David Wong - bass

Josh Jones - percussion

Kenny Washington - drums

1. Donny Hath A Way

2. For Regulars Only

3. Latin America

4. Naturally

5. Minor Contention

6. Enchanted Forest

7. Split Kick

8. Say You're Mine

9. Humphrey

10. Hipsippy Blues

11. Something I Dreamed Last Night

12. Wiggin'

Yuhan Su - City Animals (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS October 26, 2018)

New York City can be like a jungle. With a menagerie of people intermingling in seemingly never ceasing action, the City has ecosystems within ecosystems. Vibraphonist/composer Yuhan Su has been inspired by her chaotic new home and her experiences with the individuals she has met there. Her new recording, City Animals, captures her enthusiasm for the craziness of the City and the adventures she has had since her arrival.

Originally from Taiwan, Su came to the States in 2008 to further her music studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she expanded her classical percussion knowledge to the world of jazz and improvisation. In 2012, Su moved to New York; she fell in love with the City and immediately immersed herself in the wilds of the jazz scene.

Su began to check out the local musicians in an effort to create her own ensemble. She started writing music for a quintet of trumpet, guitar, bass, vibes and drums, which was able to record an album and tour, including a visit to her native Taiwan. As her compositional style evolved, Su wished to both open the sound and to have more harmonic control of the group through her vibes. So she recruited saxophonist Alex LoRe to replace the guitar and join the tightly knit ensemble, which features trumpeter Matt Holman, bassist Petros Klampanis and drummer Nathan Ellman-Bell.

Her decision to have the vibes as the only harmonic instrument freed up the group’s sound, enabling a stripping down to single voices or a wide harmonic spectrum. Su’s music continues to blend elements of modern jazz and contemporary classical into a texturally rich and dynamic fusion, while always maintaining a groove. Having wanted to be a novelist as a child, Su is a natural storyteller who uses words to remember feelings that will drive compositions inspired by experiences and stories that she has grown fond of.

The program begins with “Y El Coche Se Murió,” a dramatic piece that interprets Su’s nerves when her band’s van broke down en route to a gig in Spain, the van’s pace echoed by an insistent pulse that dies out leaving the musicians to their own devices. Echoing the optimism and wariness of the immigrant experience, “Viaje” is written in two parts, dark and disjointed leading to bright and optimistic. Su has had an increasing interest in dance, which led her to write “Feet Dance,” a bounding aural study of dancers’ feet as they move.

As a vibraphonist, Su is a harmonic instrument player, so pianists are obvious inspirations. “Poncho Song” captures her appreciation for the approach of piano legend Bill Evans. The title track is about the noisy yet grooving experience of living in New York, with the band dancing around the groove and rich harmony.

Su wrote the Kuafu Suite using the Chinese folk tale about a giant who chases the sun only to exhaust himself, try to revive himself by drinking a lake and, finally, dying with his goal unrealized, thus creating mountains and valleys. Seen by many as a warning of overestimating oneself, Su’s fascination with the story led to her romantic take of running towards your goals. Three parts, “I. Rising,” “II. Starry, Starry Night,” and “III. Parallel Chasing,” follow the giant’s journey in a wonderfully expressive musical narrative.

The beautiful ballad “Tutu & D” is inspired by Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama’s The Book of Joy, which tells readers to find happiness, which for Su is finding beauty in music. The raucous “Party 2AM” looks to a more inebriated style of merriment, with the ensemble playing rambunctiously against one another.

Yuhan Su looks to find the joy in the hectic life she has chosen in the jungle that is New York City. Her City Animals is a deft and uplifting journey that will separate the young vibist from the herd.

Yuhan Su - vibraphone

Matt Holman - trumpet, flugelhorn

Alex LoRe - alto saxophone

Petros Klampanis - bass

Nathan Ellman-Bell - drums

1. Y El Coche Se Murió

2. Viaje

3. Feet Dance

4. Poncho Song

5. City Animals

6. KuaFu (I. Rising)

7. KuaFu (II. Starry, Starry Night)

8. KuaFu (III. Parallel Chasing)

9. Tutu & D

10. Party 2AM

Jerome Sabbagh & Greg Tuohey - No Filter (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS October 26, 2018)

There are special bonds that can withstand distance and time. Saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh and guitarist Greg Tuohey’s partnership has lasted from their days in college at the beginning of the 1990s, through moves and interruption, only to be reinvigorated with the creation of a new ensemble and recording. The resultant No Filter eschews pretension in an effort to provide music that cuts straight to the heart.

Sabbagh and Tuohey met at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Coming from opposite sides of the world (Sabbagh from France and Tuohey from New Zealand), they stared playing together, and quickly became friends and roommates. The two moved to New York around the same time and created the band Flipside, which included bassist Matt Penman and drummer Darren Beckett. Flipside recorded an eponymous album for Naxos Jazz in 1997 and toured for a number of years.

In the early 2000s, Tuohey took a ten-year leave from the jazz scene but remained active in rock bands, touring and recording, most notably with singer/songwriter Joe Pug. Upon moving to Illinois, where he lived for three years, Tuohey began to play jazz again around Chicago and recorded an album, First, before eventually moving back to New York. There he reconnected with, among others, pianist Aaron Parks, who hired him for his band Little Big.

Sabbagh remained involved in jazz, playing in a trio with Paul Motian in one of the legendary drummer’s last appearances at the Village Vanguard and releasing a string of well-received albums, including The Turn (Sunnyside, 2014) with his quartet, featuring guitarist Ben Monder.

In New York, Sabbagh and Tuohey put a band together. Joe Martin, one of today’s great bassists and an alumnus of Sabbagh’s quartet, was an obvious choice. Drummer Kush Abadey impressed when he came to a session at Sabbagh’s house; his commitment, versatility and musicianship cemented his position in the quartet.

The two leaders knew they wanted to record an album of original pieces. Following the success of The Turn in the audiophile community, they also aimed to release the best sounding record possible (No Filter will be available in audiophile vinyl, cut all analog by Bernie Grundman, as well as high resolution download). Sabbagh and Tuohey both wrote a number of tunes, fourteen of which were recorded live to two-track tape by James Farber at Sear Sound in New York City.

Recording direct to analog tape, all in the same room, without edits or overdubs, required some preparedness. Following a tour last fall, the band knew the material and veteran engineer Farber mixed on the fly. This urgency and directness are very much representative of the band’s esthetics. The goal was to capture the moment and produce an album in which there is as little barrier as possible between the artists and listeners.

The seven pieces eventually chosen for the album are short and punchy, melodic and lyrical. They keep the listener engaged and provide the four musicians a canvas for improvising, interplay and exploration. Though Sabbagh and Tuohey have different compositional identities, their contributions work well together and the history and deep trust between the two leaders is evident in the way they phrase melodies together and play off each other throughout the album.

The recording begins with Sabbagh’s exploratory “Vicious,” an extended minor blues on which the band really lets loose. Tuohey’s “Lurker” is meant to have a slightly sinister vibe, though it remains engaging and grooving. On the beautiful ballad “No Road,” Tuohey expresses the emotion of coming to the end of the road, in this case a marriage, while his “Chaos Reigns” holds together by the faintest of structures even as it lets the solos fly off with abandon.

Tuohey’s “Ghostly” has an Elvin Jones inspired groove and the lyricism of the solos belies the song’s intricate harmonic structure. Sabbagh’s “Cotton” is a through-composed melody on which the saxophonist sought to emulate the vulnerability of the human voice, singing over dissonant chords. The recording concludes with Sabbagh’a “You Are On My Mind,” a catchy melody, which shows the band’s deep connection to swing and the jazz tradition.

With this new record, Jerome Sabbagh and Greg Tuohey have sought to bring listeners a performance of emotion, depth and resonance. After ten years apart, they have reunited to take their longtime musical partnership to new height with No Filter.

Recorded by James Farber at Sear Sound, New York City, live to 1/2 inch two track analog tape at 30 ips, December 22, 2017

Mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood

There are no edits or overdubs on this recording.

Produced by Jerome Sabbagh & Greg Tuohey

Jerome Sabbagh - tenor saxophone

Greg Tuohey - guitar

Joe Martin - bass

Kush Abadey - drums

1. Vicious

2. Lurker

3. No Road

4. Chaos Reigns

5. Ghostly

6. Cotton

7. You Are On My Mind

Sunnyside Artists Live

Sunnyside Artists Live:

Oct. 3 - Adam Nussbaum Lead Belly Project @ Blue Note - Milan, Italy

Oct. 3 - Sara Serpa & Ran Blake @ Regattabar - Cambridge, MA

Oct. 4 - Román Filiú Quartet @ Bilbaina Jazz Club - Bilbao, Spain

Oct. 4 - Adam Nussbaum Lead Belly Project @ Cri du Port - Marseille, France

Oct. 5 - Román Filiú @ Auditorio de Zaragoza - Zaragoza, Spain

Oct. 5 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ Cornelia St. Café - NYC

Oct. 5-6 - Clovis Nicolas Quartet @ 75 Club - NYC

Oct. 6 - Christian Artmann @ The Buttonwood Tree - Middletown, CT - CD release for Our Story

Oct. 6 - Román Filiú & Iván "Melón" Lewis @ Bogui Jazz - Madrid, Spain

Oct. 6 - Adam Nussbaum Lead Belly Project @ AMR - Geneva, Switzerland

Oct. 7 - Randy Ingram & Drew Gress @ Mezzrow - NYC

Oct. 7 - Judy Niemack & Jim McNeely @ Jazz Forum - Tarrytown, NY

Oct. 8 - Román Filiú Quartet @ Casino de Soria - Soria, Spain

Oct. 8 - Adam Nussbaum Lead Belly Project @ Porty & Bess - Vienna, Austria

Oct. 9 - Román Filiú @ Centro Sefarad-Israel - Madrid, Spain

Oct. 9-10 - Adam Nussbaum Lead Belly Project @ Cafe Montmartre - Copenhagen, Denmark

Oct. 10 - Michael Leonhart Orchestra @ Jazz Standard - Residency!

Oct. 10 - Stu Mindeman @ Fulton Street Collective - Chicago, IL - CD release for Woven Threads

Oct. 11 - Vinicius Cantuaria @ The Mansion at Strathmore - North Bethesda, MD

Oct. 11 - Aaron Goldberg & Yes! Trio @ Festival Nancy Jazz Pulsation - Mirecourt, France

Oct. 11 - Adam Nussbaum Lead Belly Project @ A-Trane - Berlin, Germany

Oct. 11 - Cristina Pato @ Weis Center, Bucknell University - Lewisburg, PA

Oct. 12 - Adam Nussbaum Lead Belly Project @ Jazz Club Ferrara - Ferrara, Italy

Oct. 12 - Dan Tepfer @ Warch Campus Center, Lawrence University - Appleton, WI

Oct. 13 - Vinicius Cantuaria @ Arts Garage - Delray Beach, FL

Oct. 13 - Laszlo Gardony @ Amazing Things Arts Center - Framingham, MA

Oct. 14 - Harriet Tubman @ Ronnie Scott's - London, UK

Oct. 15 - Caroline Davis Heart Tonic @ Ear Shot Jazz Festival - Seattle, WA

Oct. 17 - Steve Cardenas Trio @ Bar Next Door - NYC

Oct. 17 - Jay Clayton B-Day Celebration @ Jazz@Kitano - NYC

Oct. 18 - Christian Artmann @ Jazz at Kitano - NYC - CD release for Our Story

Oct. 18 - Aaron Goldberg & Yes! Trio @ Festival Jazz sur son 31 - Toulouse, France

Oct. 19 - Jamie Baum Septet+ @ Jazz Gallery - NYC

Oct. 19 - Harriet Tubman @ Skopje International Jazz Festival - Skopje, Macedonia

Oct. 19 - Camila Meza @ BRIC JazzFest - Brooklyn, NY

Oct. 20 - Benny Green @ Manchester Craftsman's Guild - Pittsburgh, PA - ft. Veronica Swift

Oct. 20 - Randy Ingram Trio @ Sam First - Los Angeles, CA

Oct. 21 - 9 Horses @ Good Shephard Church - Brooklyn, NY

Oct. 21-22 - Aaron Goldberg & Yes! Trio @ Sunside Jazz Club - Paris, France

Oct. 23 - Aaron Goldberg & Yes! Trio @ Theatre de Clermont-Ferrant - Clermont-Ferrant, France

Oct. 26 - Brandon Ross For Living Lovers @ Jazz Gallery - NYC

Oct. 28 - Jerome Sabbagh & Greg Tuohey @ Nublu 151 - NYC - CD release for No Filter

Oct. 30 - Camille Bertault @ Jazz Standard - NYC

Oct. 31 - Cristina Pato @ Dizzy's Club Coca Cola - NYC

Nov. 1 - Harriet Tubman @ Ear Shot Jazz Festival - Seattle, WA

Nov. 2 - Harriet Tubman @ The Jack London - Portland, OR

Nov. 3 - Jay Clayton & Dawn Clement @ Earshot Jazz Festival - Seattle, WA

Nov. 4 - Steve Cardenas & Kris Davis @ Mezzrow - NYC

Nov. 4 - Benny Green @ Freight & Salvage Coffee House - Berkeley, CA

Nov. 9 - 9 Horses @ Rockwood 3 - NYC

Nov. 9 - Luciana Souza @ Berklee Performance Center - Boston, MA - Book of Longing Tour

Nov. 10 - Dan Tepfer @ Palm Springs Chamber Music Festival - Palm Springs, CA

Nov. 15 - Bill McHenry @ Arte - Barcelona, Spain

Nov. 17 - Dan Tepfer @ Salón Dorado del Teatro Colón - Buenos Aires, Argentina

Nov. 23 - Scott Tixier @ Point Richmond Jazz - Richmond, CA

Nov. 27 - Dan Tepfer & Leon Parker @ Jazz Gallery - NYC

Nov. 27-28 - Frank Kimbrough @ Jazz Standard - NYC - Boxed Set release for Monk's Dreams

Nov. 28 - Luciana Souza @ The Outpost - Albuquerque, NM - Book of Longing Tour

Nov. 29 - Luciana Souza @ Kuumbwa Jazz - Santa Cruz, CA - Book of Longing Tour

Nov. 30 - Luciana Souza @ Herbst Theater - San Francisco, CA - Book of Longing Tour

Dec. 1 - Luciana Souza @ Royce Hall - Los Angeles, CA - Book of Longing Tour

Dec. 2 - Luciana Souza @ Auditorium at TSRI - San Diego, CA - Book of Longing Tour

Dec. 14-16 - Luciana Souza @ Jazz Standard - NYC - Book of Longing Tour

Don't forget the Mingus Big Band every Monday @ Jazz Standard in NYC!

Michael Leonhart Orchestra Residency @ Jazz Standard! - Begins Oct. 10th!

Tickets: 7:30 & 9:30

Walking Distance ft. Jason Moran - Freebird! on Thursday Oct. 4th! (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS 2018)

It’s almost trite to mention the indelible mark that saxophonist Charlie Parker left on the world of culture at large, and more specifically with the practitioners of jazz, the music that he redefined. In the years since his death, his music has been covered incessantly, which in many ways, has robbed the music of its essential vitality. One solution to this ubiquitous problem lies in the stunning invention of the NYC based quartet Walking Distance and their second album, Freebird, which features the resplendent piano playing of Jason Moran on a number of tracks.

The quartet – comprised of alto saxophonist Caleb Curtis, tenor saxophonist/clarinetist Kenny Pexton, bassist Adam Coté, and drummer Shawn Baltazor – released their debut, Neighborhood, in 2015, which was acclaimed in Downbeat, AllAboutJazz and elsewhere. On that album, Walking Distance happened by chance upon the concept that would grow into Freebird. By displacing just one of the melodic phrases of Parker’s “Dewey Square,” their original interpretation “Dewey Circle” came alive and this concept was born. Freebirdis the full realization of this idea.

Caleb Curtis - alto saxophone, trumpet (6)

Kenny Pexton - tenor saxophone, clarinet (6, 7)

Adam Coté - double bass, Mellotron (4)

Shawn Baltzor - drums, percussion (2, 5, 6)

Jason Moran - piano (1, 2, 6, 7, 11 [sampe], 12)

Ben Rubin - producer, Mellotron & additional bass (4)

1. William 04:48

2. Feather Report 05:36

3. Ghilnooorty Classic 01:29

4. Simple Ghilnooorty 03:17

5. Lost & Found 02:41

6. Bigment 04:18

7. Quasar Halo 07:33

8. Pexterity 02:49

9. Cheat Sheet 03:31

10. Donnalise 06:05

11. Fly By 02:54

12. Confirmation Bias 00:47

NYC CD Release Gigs for Miller / Staaf & Walking Distance! (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS 2018)

Two CD Release Gigs at NYC's Jazz Standard!

Allison Miller & Carmen Staaf - Science Fair!

on Wednesday, Oct. 3rd!

Tickets: 7:30 & 9:30

Scientists spend long hours investigating their passions, delving into the complex details of their research in pursuit of new knowledge. In a science fair, they demonstrate their findings, making them accessible and even fun. As a combustion reaction generates heat and light, a similar reaction happens between sound and movement. With the wonder of kids making a baking soda volcano, drummer Allison Miller and pianist Carmen Staaf combine bold musical concepts, tremendous collaborators, and a passion to challenge and explore into an eruption of energy on their fantastic new recording, Science Fair.

Miller and Staaf’s experiments began to take shape as a recording project. They both began to bring tunes to their weekly rehearsals, and tinkered with arrangements and different ensemble lineups. They eventually picked bassist Matt Penman to round out their core trio. He proved to be of a similar mindset, fun-loving and open-minded, not to mention a highly swinging accompanist. For a number of pieces, the trio is augmented by one or two horns, namely the gifted trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and the wonderful saxophonist Dayna Stephens.