Pianist & composer Gerald Clayton explores the impact and abstraction of time on his ravishing 2nd Blue Note album Bells On Sand, which features contributions from mentor Charles Lloyd on saxophone, father John Clayton on bass, longtime friend and peer Justin Brown on drums, and new collaborator MARO on vocals. “Each musician on the record represents a different aspect of the axis of time and its shifting sands,” says Clayton. “My father and Charles Lloyd, who has been a mentor figure to me, reflect new permutations of my past, and the lineage of elders who have shaped my development; Justin Brown, being my contemporary and musical brother, represents my present; and MARO represents the future—she is part of the next generation, and points to a brand new collaboration.” The music includes new originals, pieces by Catalan composer Federico Mompou and Gerald’s uncle Jeff Clayton, as well as two stunning solo piano versions of the standard “My Ideal.”
If the digital album is purchased, you will receive the full album via email on April 1st, 2022.
Standard digital downloads are delivered as MP3 44.1khz/24-bit audio files.
Please note, digital downloads are only available in the U.S.
1. Water’s Edge feat. John Clayton & Justin Brown
2. Elegia feat. John Clayton
3. Damunt de tu Només les Flors feat. MARO, John Clayton & Justin Brown
säje is: Sara Gazarek, Amanda Taylor, Johnaye Kendrick, and Erin Bentlage.
Featuring: Gerald Clayton, piano; Anna Butterss, bass; Christian Euman, drums.
“säje is blazing a new trail for female composers and performers in the jazz world”
-- Micah Hendler, Forbes
“...[säje is] taking the vocal jazz ensemble into the 21st century.”
-- Abe Beeson, KNKX/NPR
“...transcendent music.”
-- DownBeat Magazine
It might come as a surprise to hear that, while newly-formed vocal super-group, säje (rhymes with beige), received a GRAMMY® nomination for “Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals” for their first original composition “Desert Song”, a John Lennon Songwriting Contest Grand Prize Award for their second composition “Wisteria”, and a Jazz Journalists Association Award nomination for “Best Vocal Group”, the world continues to eagerly await the debut album from this transcendent and genre-defining group.
It is through their three previously released singles and multiple self-produced music videos that this all-female compositional/vocal collective has demonstrated their devotion to thoughtful, sophisticated, and heartfelt covers and original compositions, understandably garnering critical acclaim and a wide-spread and ardent fanbase.
from left to right: Amanda Taylor, Sara Gazarek, Johnaye Kendrick, Erin Bentlage
Photo by Lauren Desberg
However it is with their most recent, upcoming single “Dusk Baby” (due September 10th, 2021, independently released) in collaboration with six-time GRAMMY® nominated pianist Gerald Clayton, that listeners get a sneak peek into the sounds and energy that we can expect from their highly-anticipated debut album (Spring 2022). We can also clearly see that säje has positioned themselves as a genre-defining powerhouse ensemble, surpassing any expectations of what one might typically associate with a vocal group.
On the group’s arrangement of “Dusk Baby”, we hear more than just lush harmonies, complex contrapuntal lines, or symbiosis with their all-star band. More than just a deep relationship with the emotional landscape of this piece, and mastery of their craft. We can hear, front and center, that säje is a group to be watched -- if their newest single is only a mouth-watering snapshot of what’s to come.
Gretchen Parlato has returned, not only to the recording industry but to herself, with her new Brazilian-inspired project, Flor. Portuguese for “flower”, Flor is the artistic embodiment of the GRAMMY®-nominated singer’s deep dive into motherhood over the last six years, a metamorphic interval of space that allowed Parlato to discover the fullness of her essence through a new lens. In this season of epiphany, Parlato reaps her most personal harvest yet, which she refers to as, “a blossoming, an opening, an offering, a return.”
A gorgeous synthesis of original material, American popular music, European classical music, and Brazilian standards, Flor exemplifies the many ways in which motherhood has reconnected Parlato to her own inner child, revisiting the enchantment of falling in love with music for the first time, particularly the various Brazilian genres she became enamored with as a young teenager. “This is music that I’ve always wanted to honor,” says Parlato. “What I’m trying to find isn’t outside of myself. It’s not out of reach, it’s actually that internal revealing of what already exists.”
1. É Preciso Perdoar 05:56
2. Sweet Love (featuring Gerald Clayton) 04:11
3. Magnus (featuring Magnus, Thaddeus, and Ashley Thompson) 04:10
4. Rosa 04:32
5. What Does a Lion Say? 05:55
6. Roy Allan (featuring Airto Moreira) 04:11
7. Wonderful (featuring Gerald Clayton and Mark Guiliana) 06:02
8. Cello Suite No. 1, BWV 1007 : Minuet I / II 05:45
9. No Plan (featuring Mark Guiliana) 05:57
Gretchen Parlato -Voice
Marcel Camargo - Guitar and Musical Direction
Artyom Manukyan - Cello
Léo Costa - Drums and Percussion
Guest Personnel
Mark Guiliana - Drums
Gerald Clayton - Piano
Airto Moreira - Voice and Percussion
Produced by Gretchen Parlato
Co-Produced by Marcel Camargo and Léo Costa
Executive Producer Dave Stapleton
Engineered and Edited by John Davis at The Bunker Studio
Assistant Engineer: Alex Conroy
Mixed by Helik Hadar at Hadar Studio
Mastered by Felipe Tichauer at Red Traxx Mastering
GRAMMY-nominated pianist and composer Gerald Clayton melds together diverse inspirations to create an interconnected musical narrative that resonates with modern styles as boldly as it evokes classic and timeless sounds. To record Tributary Tales, Clayton assembled a group of artists both new and familiar, each of whom brings additional, unique influences and experiences to the music. Saxophonists Logan Richardson, Ben Wendel and Dayna Stephens, bassist Joe Sanders, drummer Justin Brown and percussionists Henry Cole and Gabriel Lugo join guest vocalist Sachal Vasandani and poets Carl Hancock Rux and Aja Monet to bring life to Clayton’s range of alluring compositions.
01. Unforeseen 5:58
02. Patience Patients 6:13
03. Search For 1:07
04. A Light 4:19
05. Reach Fo 0:36
06. Envisionings 6:43
07. Reflect On 1:09
08. Lovers Reverie (feat. Aja Monet & Carl Hancock Rux) 3:11
09. Wakeful 5:54
10. Soul Stomp 7:47
11. Are We 7:00
12. Engage In 1:29
13. Squinted 7:10
14. Dimensions: Interwoven (feat. Aja Monet & Carl Hancock Rux) 5:50
Who is the greatest harmonica player in the world? Until recently, Toots Thielemans reigned as the most in-demand performer on the chromatic harp, but he announced his retirement in 2014. Let me introduce you to the new new champ: Grégoire Maret, son of a Harlem-born African-American mother and a Swiss jazz musician, and a genre-crossing harmonica hotshot. He has shared the stage with everyone from Sting to Herbie Hancock, but is increasingly finding a following for his own work as a bandleader. Be on the lookout for his Wanted album coming in April.
– Ted Gioia, The Daily Beast
There is a balance that must be struck when one is an expert at something. There is the pressure to share your gifts at the whim of others, which requires the ability to bend to their demands. Then there is the need to express one’s own substance with the talent that has been honed.
On his new recording and his second as a leader, Wanted, the exceptional chromatic harmonica player Grégoire Maret once again finds himself moving away from his complementary duties as a sideman, and focusing on his role as a leader with his own musical vision. Naturally, Maret finds collaborating an important part of developing as an artist, but he is especially aware of the pressures imposed by the needs of others, and the necessity of removing these outside influences in order to get to one’s core identity.
Over his career, Maret has found himself alongside many musical masters, including Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Cassandra Wilson and Steve Coleman, adapting to and absorbing many different styles, as many in his open-minded generation do. The challenges were exciting and educational.
Maret heard many kinds of music in his native Switzerland. His parents introduced him to soul, jazz and R&B. It was the music of masters Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Wayne Shorter, and Louis Armstrong that immediately struck home and inspired Maret. It was their example that shined brightest as he approached the creation of his own recording, as he looked to make a recording that he would have connected to when he was younger.
Going into the studio, Maret knew that he wanted to shape his music using all the tools at his disposal. He assembled a tight, core quartet of pianist Gerald Clayton, bassist James Genus and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. Maret wanted to treat the initial sessions like Miles Davis did the Kind of Blue sessions, namely to embrace the moment at hand with great musicians.
Maret was able to assemble a who’s who of the jazz world to appear as special guests on Wanted. First off, he approached the fantastic drummer Terri Lyne Carrington to play as a part of his core group band, and also to co-produce, with Maret, the recording. Maret also enlisted Chris Potter on bass clarinet, guitarists Ricardo Vogt, Marvin Sewell and Kevin Breit, pianist Jon Cowherd, organist Shedrick Mitchell, keyboardist Bobby Sparks, arranger Gil Goldstein, percussionist Mino Cinelu and Kofo the Wonderman on talking drum.
Maret has a deep connection to voice since the beginning of his musical life, as he began as a singer and later took up the chromatic harmonica, which he sees as an extension of, or the instrument closest, to the voice. So it should be no surprise that he brought in a number of fabulous vocalists to perform on Wanted, including Mark Kibble of Take 6, Frank McComb, Dianne Reeves, Luciana Souza, Ivan Lins and Maret’s early mentor, Jimmy Scott, who passed away shortly after the recording.
The recording begins with “2Beats,” a grooving love song featuring lyrical highlights from Maret, Terri Lyne Carrington and the rapper Kokayi, who he met through Steve Coleman. The title track is in the pocket, with an incredible vibe created by utilizing the voice of Maret’s friend Kibble, and Maret’s expressive harmonica. Miles Davis’s “Blue In Green” takes a page from Me’shell Ndegeocello’s book of soul and is a perfect choice for Chris Potter’s dynamic bass clarinet and Gerald Clayton’s tasteful piano. The soulful rendition of Onaje Allan Gumb’s “Diary of a Fool” features Frank McComb’s wonderful voice, while the amazing Dianne Reeves lends hers to “Heaven’s,” an emotive ballad written by Reeves and Maret
Luciana Souza delivers a lovely wordless vocal to “Groove,” a great ensemble workout with some dazzling solos. Maret turns Wayne Shorter’s classic “Footprints” into a slinky, bobbing vehicle for improvisation. The wistful “Voo Do Pássaro” features a dramatic wordless vocal turn from Brazilian legend Ivan Lins. Arranged by the great Gil Goldstein, “Talking Drums” is an epic piece in three movements inspired by Lins which focuses on the essence of music: namely voice and drums, the latter provided by master percussionists Mino Cinelu and Kofo the Wonderman. The recording concludes with “26th of May” which was written for and performed by the legendary vocalist Jimmy Scott, who hired Maret for his first gigs in New York, taught him to play a ballad and gave his last heartfelt performance to Maret.
Grégoire Maret’s Wanted shows a complete artist coming full circle. Maret utilizes all that he has learned from his life as a sideman and leader in this entrancing and highly listenable recording.
“A naturally inquisitive musician whose credentials branch out beyond jazz. He’s a member of Kneebody, a postmillennial groove band with a sizable following, as well as an accomplished solo artist and producer. His next album, ‘What We Bring,’ due out on Motéma in September, will feature a lithe postbop quartet, with Gerald Clayton on piano, Joe Sanders on bass and Henry Cole on drums.” - Nate Chinen, The New York Times
“Those who wish to be called creative musicians should actually create music, and hardly no one has done that better recently than Ben Wendel . . .” - Gary Fukushima, LAWeekly
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Saxophonist/composer/bandleader/educator/catalyst Ben Wendel’s What We Bring, available September 9, 2016 on Motema Music (his 15th album as a leader or co-leader and his debut for Motema), is panegyrical, acknowledging the great legacy and lexicon that he has played and composed his way into. While composing the music for this album, it occurred to Wendel that the evolution of a musical genre, or artist, is a continuum that looks backwards and forwards at the same time. Wendel elaborated, “What We Bring refers to the experience, inspiration and shared wisdom that musicians collect and absorb throughout their lives, and how that is expressed through their art. All of the pieces on this album are dedicated to masters from the past, peers from the present and musicians of the future. In my opinion, nothing springs from a vacuum – all that we make is connected, influenced, and most importantly, indebted to what has been created before us and around us in the present day. This album expresses my continued acknowledgement and appreciation to all of those who have helped me along the path, both directly and indirectly.” Wendel added,
“I get the most joy when I find ways to express my love for the bravery of the people who came before me, for the people who are doing this music now, and for the people who will do this music in the future” (from the feature on Wendel by Ted Panken, DownBeat Magazine, June 2016).
What impresses most about Wendel is that he has gleaned from past masters, and his peers, far more than technique and chops to become an artist who embodies the importance of finding your own voice, and the pluck to follow your inner compass. This is fully revealed and represented on What We Bring, which opens majestically and powerfully with “Amian”, a subconscious, compositional reaction to listening to Coltrane’s “Naima” hundreds of times in his formative years. Like “Naima”, “Amian” possesses a melody that floats over a constant bass note, with shifting chord qualities, offering myriad moods and colors.
“Fall” and “Spring” are two pieces repurposed from Wendel’s acclaimed Seasons project of 2015, featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, and in The New York Times (www.npr.org/2015/07/28/427178381/saxophonist-ben-wendel-reimagines-tchaikovskys-the-seasons, www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/arts/music/with-the-seasons-ben-wendel-redefines-the-musical-encounter.html). “They were originally written as duo pieces for the exceptional pianists Taylor Eigsti and Aaron Parks. I felt they would be great vehicles for the quartet and decided to arrange them for this album”, commented Wendel.
“Doubt” is one of two covers on the album (the other being the standard “Solar”, given a highly-entertaining, brainy, odd-meter face lift by Wendel & co.), by the indie-rock band Wye Oak. “I fell in love with their music years ago and this track is hauntingly beautiful in its mood and simplicity. What We Bring also refers to what we listen to, and at this point, most jazz musicians listen to a wide spectrum of music outside of our field. I wanted to showcase something that had moved me along the way”, said Wendel.
“Song Song” is dedicated to the great Ahmad Jamal, and was inspired by his famous composition, “Poinciana”. “I was on tour with nothing to do one evening and watching countless performances of ‘Poinciana’ on YouTube. There’s something incredibly meditative about the piece that I’ve always loved – the rhythm section’s commitment to playing one beautiful groove throughout the song – not doing anything more, and most importantly, not needing to. I recall waking up the following morning with the bass line for ‘Song Song’ looping in my head”, explained Wendel.
“Soli” rocks and swings and, like the rest of the album, displays the band’s ability to conduct complex maneuvers in complete harmony with one another (the term “big ears” comes to mind). A track like this will surely send fledgling musicians scurrying to the shed, and prompt listeners to quickly hit “repeat.” “Soli” is a pre-written passage played in unison by multiple instruments. You can hear this technique used in everything from classical music to big band music and Wendel has always loved the sound of it. “In fact, I’ve always had at least one piece on each album that highlights this approach. Though I don’t know how long this streak will continue, I can say this was perhaps the most challenging one I’ve written to date”, said Wendel.
One of the most emotive and gorgeous songs on What We Bring is “Austin”, “dedicated to the incredibly talented pianist Austin Peralta, who left this world much too soon. I played with Austin on ‘Endless Planets’, his final album. I was deeply saddened by Austin’s passing and also incredibly moved at his funeral by the outpouring of love from friends, family and musical peers. Many of his personal letters and writing were read at the ceremony. I was struck by the depth of his inner life – something he didn’t show the outer world very much. I didn’t get to see this side of him until it was too late. This was something I was thinking about as I wrote the piece,” stated Wendel.
On What We Bring, Wendel’s camaraderie with his fellow musicians, Gerald Clayton (piano), Joe Sanders (bass) and Henry Cole (drums) greatly informed his artistic choices and inspired him. He has stated (in a recent feature by Bob Weinberg, Jazziz Magazine, Spring 2016) that, “it’s hard to know where the music starts and the friendship ends”, and that, “all of these layers of understanding and all the coded information that’s embedded in how you play together, it’s so intermingled.”
More on Ben Wendel: GRAMMY-nominated saxophonist Ben Wendel was born in Vancouver, Canada and raised in Los Angeles. Currently living in Brooklyn, NY, he has enjoyed a varied career as a performer, composer and producer. Highlights include multiple domestic and international tours with artists such as Ignacio Berroa, Tigran Hamasyan, Antonio Sanchez, Gerald Clayton, Eric Harland, Taylor Eigsti, Snoop Dogg and the artist formerly known as Prince. Ben is a founding member of the GRAMMY-nominated group Kneebody, currently signed with Concord Records and Brainfeeder Music.
As a composer, he has received an ASCAP Jazz Composer Award, the 2008 and 2011 Chamber Music America “New Works Grant” and most recently was awarded the Victor Lynch-Staunton award by the Canada Council For The Arts. He also co-wrote the score for John Krasinski’s adaptation of David Foster Wallace’s “Brief Interviews With Hideous Men.”
Ben’s recent work includes producing and playing in jazz and many other genres, including the GRAMMY-nominated album “Life Forum” for pianist Gerald Clayton on Concord Records, the new Kneedelus album (Kneebody + Daedelus), released on Brainfeeder and given a rave 8.0 review from Pitchfork, appearing on Julia Holter’s new film score, and collaborating with her on a new non-jazz album he is co-creating with Daedelus (the album will feature artists such as Terrace Martin, Knower and Mark Guiliana), producing an album for Folk/Americana artist Darryl Holter (a BMI Woody Guthrie Fellowship Recipient), playing on Jimmy Chamberlin’s (drummer from Smashing Pumpkins) new instrumental album, and producing live concerts at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, CA from 2008-2015, with the help of Quincy Jones and his production team. He also recently worked with conductor Kent Nagano in producing a series of concerts for the Festspiel Plus in Munich, Germany.
Ben is a former Adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies at USC and a current Adjunct at the New School in NYC. Educational outreach has been a constant in his career with over 250 masterclasses at various colleges, universities, high schools, and previous work with the LA Philharmonic Artist Program.
Ben has recorded for Sunnyside Records, Concord Records and Brainfeeder, with two solo albums under his belt, Simple Song (2009) and Frame (2012), a duo project with French-American pianist Dan Tepfer entitled Small Constructions (2013) and multiple Kneebody albums. His music video project, The Seasons, inspired by Tchaikovsky’s works of the same name, was released throughout 2015 and included guests such as Joshua Redman, Jeff Ballard, Mark Turner, Julian Lage and more. Ben’s third solo album What We Bring is planned for release in the Fall of 2016 on Motema Music.
GUITARIST PETER BERSTEIN IS JUSTLY RENOWNED AS AN INTERPRETER OF OTHER PEOPLE’S MUSIC.
His unerring, relaxed swing, his stunning gift for crafting and developing sophisticated melodies, the un-showy but absorbing narrative arc of his solos, the just plain rightness of his in-the-moment choices—all of these account for his well-established status as one of the most in-demand musicians on the New York jazz scene.
Let Loose, Bernstein’s debut release for Smoke Sessions Records, shifts the focus to Bernstein the composer. Five of the album’s nine tracks stem from the guitarist’s pen. It also features a quartet of artists who are equally well versed in tradition and innovation, who can breathe ecstatic life into these pieces while simultaneously anchoring them with deep roots. Bassist Doug Weiss and drummer Bill Stewart are longtime collaborators stretching back nearly three decades. Gerald Clayton is the newcomer but brings along a reputation as one of the most respected pianists of his generation.
The spirit of the session is pithily captured in the title of the album: Let Loose, a case of simplicity masking complexity. The surface meaning suggests an unbridling of passion, an opening of the floodgates of expression that definitely characterizes the playing of all four members of the quartet. But there’s also the suggestion of the need to allow oneself to be loose, free, open to whatever may come—a guiding principle on the stage as well as off.
