Mike Holober & Balancing Act - Don't Let Go (April 15, 2022 Sunnyside Records)

It’s an appropriate name for a Holober-led band; in many ways, Holober’s management of his many musical inspirations is a balancing act. On one hand, much of what he’s best known for is his work with larger ensembles like the WDR Big Band, the HR Big Band, and the Gotham Jazz Orchestra, whose latest work with Holober at the helm, Hiding Out, earned a 2020 GRAMMY® nomination. On the other, there’s the magnetism of even greater self-actualization, of writing for and leading a smaller group.

“After focusing on big band work for so long,” Holober says, “Balancing Act exists to satisfy my needs to write for and lead a smaller group again and make a completely personal statement, where the fruits of the collective are matched with band leadership and personal artistic goals.”

But the balancing isn’t just finding the sweet spot between large groups and small; it’s also about striking the balance between Holober’s classical and jazz impulses. Don’t Let Go is a 14-part song-cycle divided into two sets — one for each of the album’s two discs — recorded in October 2019 at Aaron Davis Hall on the campus of the City College of New York, where Holober has taught since 1995. The work is intended to be heard in the order presented, much like the song-cycles of classical influences like Robert Schumann, Samuel Barber, and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Of course, when the roster of sidemen is composed of Marvin Stamm (trumpet and flugelhorn), Dick Oatts (alto and soprano sax, flute), Jason Rigby (tenor sax, clarinet, bass clarinet), Mark Patterson (trombone), Mike McGuirk (bass), and Dennis Mackrel (drums), one knows there’ll be no scarcity of jazz-rooted improvisation. The presence of Brazilian vocalist Jamile only enhances the group’s expressive palette and dynamic interplay.

Rhapsodic in nature, Don’t Let Go’s structure and presentation will appeal to listeners across the musical spectrum. At times it presents like classical-inspired jazz; at other times like jazz-inspired classical. That’s by design. Holober formed Balancing Act in 2015, with its eponymous premiere recording landing on many jazz critics’ “best of” yearly roundup lists. In 2017, Holober sought (and won) a commission from Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works program to create Don’t Let Go because, as he puts it, he’s drawn to “contrasting elements and ideas, mixing styles, grooves, and influences from diverse jazz and classical languages.”

So then, it’s no surprise he utilizes the talents of vocalist Jamile in a manner slightly unconventional. “Although some of the music contains lyrics,” explains Holober, “Balancing Act is not designed as a singer’s showcase. I employ voice as another frontline instrument, often singing wordless notes.”

This is why Holober describes Balancing Act as “a jazz octet with voice.” Listen to set-one’s “Four-Letter Words,” “Kiss the Ground,” and, especially, “A Summer Midnight’s Dream” and “Morning Hope” to get a sense for the diversity of contexts in which Jamile’s expansive musicality is employed. When she’s not featured out front, bringing Holober-penned lyrics to life, she’s not on break; whether it’s scatting improvisationally or wordlessly vocalizing lines typically not meant for voice, Jamile is utilized as another piece of the octet’s instrumentation, adding texture and color.

Holober says the spiritual impetus for Don’t Let Go was born from his desire to “explore the concept of ‘hope’ in the context of current social, political, and environmental realities.” This hope is manifested in the way he’s chosen to present this program—pieces that are individually self-sufficient but inextricably bound to their musical companions and maximally effective, both emotionally and musically, when presented as a unit. This governing principle applies not just to the whole but to the parts themselves, the individual songs of the cycle.

“Necessary,” the closer of the first set, speaks well to Holober’s commitment to exposing the connection and striking the balance between the individual and the collective, with sparkling individual displays by Rigby and Patterson giving way to section playing of the highest precision.

“I Wonder,” the second set’s opener, continues Holober’s exploration in duality and contrasts, opening with an atmospheric solo piano prologue before showcasing the rhythm section (plus Jamile) as a swaggering quartet punctuated by concentrated bursts of horn support. The horns are foregrounded once more in “You’re a Long Way from Home,” but it’s not necessary to keep score. Whether it’s Holober with a jaunty, bouncy solo (“Touch the Sky”), Oatts piercing through a bossa nova-induced reverie on soprano sax (“Letting Go”), or Jamile and Stamm trading star-turns on a melodic, theatrical ballad (“You Never Know”), every one of these talented musicians gets their just due here.

The title track and closer serves as the spiritual anthem for this concert-length suite. No mere suggestion, this is a musical imperative, at once uplifting and defiantly optimistic. Crafted specifically in these times and for these times and speaking to both head and heart, this song cycle lends credence to Downbeat’s assessment of Holober as “one of the finest modern composer/arrangers of our time.” 

1. Breathe Deep

2. Morning Hope

3. Four-Letter Words

4. Kiss The Ground

5. Burnin' Daylight

6. A Summer Midnight's Dream

7. Necessary

8. I Wonder

9. You're A Long Way From Home

10. You Never Know

11. Smile Slow

12. Letting Go

13. Touch The Sky

14. Don't Let Go

Jamile - voice

Marvin Stamm - trumpet & flugelhorn

Dick Oatts - alto, soprano saxophone, flute

Jason Rigby - tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet

Mark Patterson - trombone

Mike Holober - piano & composer

Mike McGuirk - bass

Dennis Mackrel - drums

PRE-ORDER

Chris Morrissey - Impact Winter Formal (December 2021 Edition Records)

Described by Chicago Reader as “casually clearing the way for one potential path for jazz to progress into the future”, Chris Morrisey is a musician with an uncanny ability to blend styles and genres. Informed as much by alternative music of the 90s like Elliot Smith and Bjork as contemporary Jazz of that era, it was the presence of Happy Apple, the hyper original punk Jazz group from Minnesota (Dave King, Michael Lewis and Erik Fratzke) that installed his sense of what was possible in music.

This new set of work, his fifth record as a leader, represents his most authentic blend of all his influences in one melting pot. Here’s a musician as adept as a singer-songwriter as an improvising Jazz musician and composer.

With Impact Winter Formal, he gives up on straddling two genre worlds and instead has both feet firmly planted in a totally new one that is personal and looking-forward, complex but immediate, tuneful and inspiring. The result is brilliant, engaging and emotive featuring some of the most interesting and creative contemporary musicians in New York including Philip Dizack, Ryan Ferreira, Dan Rieser, Jon Cowherd, Josh Dion, Grey McMurray and Jason Rigby.

1. Don't Look so Serious 05:02

2. The Indigos 07:38

3. Ode to All Night 06:47

4. It's Cruel That It Ends 06:00

Chris Morrissey - Bass and Singing

Philip Dizack - Trumpet

Ryan Ferreira - Guitar

Dan Rieser - Drums

Jon Cowherd - Piano

except on THE INDIGOS, which is Chris Morrissey, Bass and Singing - Philip Dizack, Trumpet - Josh Dion, Drums - Grey McMurray, Guitar - Jason Rigby, Saxophone

All songs by Chris Morrissey (chris morrissey music, bmi)

Recorded at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, New York between February 2019 and April 2021

Recorded and co-produced by John Davis

Mixed by John Davis at The Bunker Studio in April 2021

PRE-ORDER

Chris Jentsch: Jentsch Group No Net – Topics in American History

Guitarist and composer Chris Jentsch explores yesteryear through a jazz lens on his stirring new CD Topics in American History

Live recording of Chamber Music America commission hits all the right notes

Jentsch’s all-star Jentsch Group No Net features flutist Michel Gentile, clarinetist Michael McGinnis, saxophonist Jason Rigby, trumpeter David Smith, trombonist Brian Drye, pianist Jacob Sacks, bassist Jim Whitney, drummer Eric Halvorson, conductor JC Sanford

“(Jentsch) writes lavish suites – which he then plays with remarkable terseness and attention to detail. His narratives are vivid and often very funny. His latest, Topics in American History, couldn’t be more relevant.”

— New York Music Daily

 “Chris Jentsch’s Brooklyn Suite was one of last year’s most satisfyingly ambitious jazz efforts.”

— Richard Gehr, Village Voice

On his new album, acclaimed guitarist and composer Chris Jentsch pairs his extraordinary skill at writing long form musical suites with his expertise in history. Jentsch earned a B.A. in history from Gettysburg College, but his approach to expressing his knowledge through music is anything but academic. Topics in American History (out November 30, 2018 on Blue Schist Records), featuring jazz interpretations of seven historical events and concepts, takes listeners on an emotionally exhilarating, compellingly thoughtful journey through selected corners of our nation’s past. “In learning about music there is always the historical facet,” says Jentsch. “Aspects of classical music, world music, jazz, and now even rock music have their backgrounds of decades or even centuries past. With the Topics project, for the first time, to express my present I have merged what I have learned from the chronicles of music with my general interest in American history.” 

The hour-long Topics, a result of a Chamber Music America/Doris Duke New Jazz Works commission, follows Jentsch’s previous highly-acclaimed large ensemble works including Miami Suite, Brooklyn Suite, and Cycles Suite. The new CD is a live recording of the Topics premiere, presented on December 2, 2016 at ShapeShifter Lab in Jentsch’s hometown of Brooklyn. Combining the immediacy and excitement of in-the-moment performance with Jentsch’s masterful musical vision, the recording features Jentsch Group No Net’s roster of extraordinary musicians: flutist Michel Gentile, clarinetist Michael McGinnis, saxophonist Jason Rigby, trumpeter David Smith, trombonist Brian Drye, pianist Jacob Sacks, bassist Jim Whitney, drummer Eric Halvorson, and conductor JC Sanford.

Jentsch’s large group music generally invokes contemporary improvisation with an eclectic mix of influences ranging from jazz to rock and world to classical, always striving for a careful balance between lyricism and dissonance, and a deliberate combination of complexity and simplicity. “1491,” the CD’s first track, brings us into Jentsch’s vision with the ensemble producing airy, gently percussive bell and bird-like sounds that capture a Caribbean beach at the dawn of European entry. 

As the piece develops with a walking bass ostinato, interweaving horn lines, and plaintive, wandering flute, the sense of change to come is unmistakable. “Manifest Destiny” explores ideas about America’s spread across North America with a harmonically rich expansiveness that gives the soloists plenty of room to stretch out and explore. An animated full band statement announces “Lincoln-Douglas Debates,” which features raucous, spirited interplay between trumpet and trombone—the clear winner is the listener. 

“Tempest-Tost,” which takes its title from an inscription on the Statue of Liberty, captures the weariness, hope, and awe of the huddled, yearning masses making their way through Ellis Island. It also offers poignant connections to the present day, drawing inspiration from Jentsch’s sympathy for the plight of refugees and his gratitude for his own citizenship status. “Suburban Diaspora” delves into the idea that a shared cultural heritage exists among American middle class Baby Boomers who were raised in the burbs then migrated to urban and rural areas. With its tight cluster chords, fascinating harmonies, searching solos, and staggered entrances, the gripping “Dominos” evokes the dread and uncertainty of the Cold War and McCarthyism.

The suite closes with “Meeting at Surratt’s,” an homage to Mary Surratt, the first woman executed by the United States government after Abraham Lincoln’s assassins plotted their crime at her boarding house. From the opening march cadence of the snare drum to the powerful anthem-like build that follows, the piece is a fitting conclusion to a superior jazz suite. The band is in top form throughout, with notable solos from the horns, flute, piano, and bass. Jentsch’s exemplary guitar playing presides over it all, with stunning effects, muscular lines, and consummate musicality.

Topics in American History by Christopher Jentsch and Jentsch Group No Net has been made possible with support from Chamber Music America’s 2015 New Jazz Works Program funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

JENTSCH GROUP NO NET

Michel Gentile, flutes

Michael McGinnis, clarinets

Jason Rigby, saxophones

David Smith, Trumpet, flugelhorn

Brian Drye, tromboneJacob Sacks, piano

Chris Jentsch, electric bass

Jim Whitney, acoustic bass

Eric Halvorson, drums, percussion

JC Sanford, conductor

1 1491 11:36

2 Manifest Destiny 11:36

3 Lincoln-Douglas Debates 09:37

4 Tempest-Tost 09:12

5 Suburban Diaspora 07:26

6 Dominos 09:24

7 Meeting at Surratt’s 06:23

Chris Jentsch is a Brooklyn-based composer, bandleader, and guitarist working primarily in jazz and contemporary improvisational forms. Based in NYC since 1999, his main ensemble is Jentsch Group in its trio, quartet, nonet, or large configuration. As a composer he has been the recipient of grants, commissions, or fellowships from the Maelstrom Percussion Ensemble, the Penfield Commission Project, American Composers Forum, the Composers Assistance Program of the American Music Center, New Music USA, Meet the Composer, New York State Council on the Arts, Ucross Foundation, the Commission Project, the New Music Collective, the Donald Knutson Memorial Faculty Development Fund, and Chamber Music America/Doris Duke New Jazz Works.

As a bandleader and sideman Jentsch has worked with such diverse musical personalities as George Russell, John Cage, Maria Schneider, and Chris Wood. He appears as a guitarist on the CD John Cage, Volume 11. He is also featured in Scott Yanow’s book The Great Jazz Guitarists. All About Jazz says, “Jentsch is more than just a seasoned musician; he’s a composer who can convey his ideas on a grand scale.” Of Brooklyn Suite, DownBeat said that Jentsch “created a contrasted and kaleidoscopic patchwork with marvelous melodies, splendid voicings, and a skillful use of dynamics.” Jentsch has released five CDs as a leader: Media Event (1998); Miami Suite (1999); Brooklyn Suite (2007); and Cycles Suite (2009). Fractured Pop, a CD/DVD production featuring Jentsch’s jazz quartet was released in 2017. Jentsch attended the Berklee College of Music and has liberal arts and jazz guitar degrees from Gettysburg College, the New England Conservatory, and the Eastman School of Music. 

He earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Miami in 1999 and is published by the University of Northern Colorado Press, Advance Music, and Fleur de Son Records.

Saxophonist Jason Rigby's trio date "One"

Acclaimed Saxophonist/Composer Jason Rigby releases new trio recording ONE

Out April 28, 2017 on Fresh Sound Records

CD Release Performance April 29th, 2017 at The Jazz Gallery in New York City

Rigby's third recording as a leader is the first of a series of releases featuring his working trio

with bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Gerald Cleaver

Saxophonist Jason Rigby's new album, ONE, is the long-awaited release of his Detroit-Cleveland Trio. Rigby's first two recordings employed larger ensembles as he worked to find his own artistic balance as composer, bandleader, and improviser. This new album is more intimate, putting improvisation first, both from the leader and from the group collectively. The focus of ONE is the connection between three players of different generations, who meet to form a unity of like-minded artists, bending the boundaries between inside and outside. Most of the pieces are Rigby originals.

"I've been composing for this band in a way that gives each player enough compositional material to grab on to, but not too much to stifle open-ended improvisation. Ultimately this recording is about freewheeling improvisation and the unique connection that we have formed over the past 6 years performing together as a trio."

That unique sound has its roots in development for more than a decade. Cameron Brown has been with Rigby in various formats since 2005, and Gerald Cleaver first played with the saxophonist in 2001. "I initially played with Gerald on bassist Eivind Opsvik's debut release, and then did some European touring with him shortly after with bassist Thomas Morgan. I've been a fan of Cameron's since hearing him play with Idris Muhammed in Joe Lovano's trio, and on record with the George Adams/Don Pullen Quartet. I knew that putting Cameron and Gerald together would be an extremely exciting concoction."

In addition to the dazzling alchemic pairing of Brown and Cleaver, Rigby's formation of this trio was an homage to the band members' Midwest roots - Brown and Cleaver from Detroit and Rigby from Cleveland.  Both cities have fostered a lengthy list of jazz luminaries, with the Midwest long being a fertile cradle for musical talent.

The result is an ensemble that deeply grooves, has a strong predilection for free improvisation, and is visionary while respecting the lineage of the music. The trio's cohesiveness is enhanced by the musicians' abilities to effortlessly dance between inside and out playing - no doubt evidence of three experienced players sharing similar artistic ideas.

"'ONE" refers to the musical unity the three of us have with each other," Rigby explains. "There is a deep trust we share with one another, allowing for greater risk-taking. The music is always first, so I know whatever happens, we all have each other's back. Playing with these guys is always an adventure - I never really know what's going to happen, which is exciting."

The album opens with "Dive Bar," a fiery tenor saxophone and drums duet. "I love drummers, and I've been fortunate to play with some really great ones over the past several years." Rigby refers to his work in various situations with the likes of Mark Guiliana, Brian Blade, Tom Rainey, Billy Hart, Rudy Royston, Mark Ferber, and R.J. Miller, to name a few. The title "Dive Bar" refers to the now too-few classic New York City musical haunts, such as the original Five Spot, where bands played night after night. "The great bands that played together nightly formed a deep cohesion, such as with the Miles Davis Quintets." Rigby says. "Cameron, Gerald and I have played together a lot over the years in various formats, which has resulted in a strong bond, and I feel we have developed a unique sound as a group. 'Dive Bar' is a very simple 2-part theme, built to spark the bulk of the performance of uncharted improvisation."

The second track, "Dorian Gray," is inspired by the Oscar Wilde work. "It's is built on 2 opposing themes - the first being an odd-meter ostinato that evolves and shifts into the second, a settled yet slightly askew bass ostinato with a contrasting melody on top." This track showcases the trio's unity with the timing between drum and bass groove, complicated rhythms, and angular melody lining up perfectly.

The third track is a departure from Rigby's original compositions, Rodgers & Hart's "You Are Too Beautiful." "This tune that was a big inspiration for me - mainly from the recordings of John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman, and a live Sonny Rollins performance from the late 1950's," explains Rigby. "I read that Dewey Redman expressed frustration with listeners pigeon-holing his playing, as he stated that he loved to play free as much as he loved to play an old standard ballad. The love for both is something I share with Mr. Redman." Cameron Brown's bass solo stretches the time with such patience and musical intent, in a way that wonderfully illuminates his highly melodic style.

Track four, "Newtoon," is a composition by one of Rigby's favorite drummers, George Schuller. The melody is a flowing line that moves through several tonalities in rubato style. The players slip seamlessly into group improvising, while maintaining a consistent thread of connection to the original melody. "I love the idea of playing a tune in a way where the lines between composed material and improvisation become blurred," explains Rigby. "George is such a melodic player on the drums, which is expressed in his composing. I love the way Cameron and Gerald play this piece as if they wrote it."

The Herbie Hancock composition "Speak Like A Child" is track five, and features Rigby's cascading soprano saxophone. "This is another of my favorite compositions, which we pare down into the trio. The absence of a harmonic instrument allows us to stretch into more freedom and space, which I feel has become a defining aspect of this band."

The sixth track is a Rigby original, "Live By The Sword," a free-flowing melodic unison between tenor and bass. Cleaver's swirling playing is particularly atmospheric here. After wisps of melody and space, the performance builds to an intense final statement.

Rigby chose to record a solo version Gershwin's "Embraceable You" for track seven, another of his favorite standards. He begins with an introspective theme that develops into the tune, yet he never fully plays the original melody. The quietest track on the recording, Rigby weaves his improvised lines around the essence of the composition with patience and thoughtful melodic development.

The final track, "Dewey," is part of a suite of music that Rigby composed a few years ago dedicated to saxophonist Dewey Redman and pianist Paul Bley. Beginning with a call-and-response of rhythmic hits and flurrying melodies, the band plunges red-hot into group improvising. Rigby plays with ferocious intensity while Brown and Cleaver stoke the fire. A powerful ending to a varied collection of pieces, this track reveals this band's capacity for primal screaming emotion.

"ONE" is the first of a series of recordings that Rigby plans to release over the next couple of years, showcasing this band of unique unity and vision. They celebrate the CD release on April 29th at The Jazz Gallery in New York City. For more information and tickets, visit jazzgallery.nyc.

READ MORE...

About Jason Rigby

Increasingly considered one of the most creative and unique saxophonists of his generation, Jason Rigby has developed a unique voice as a compelling improviser, as well as a composer. An in-demand sideman, Rigby currently tours and records with Mark Guilliana's Jazz Quartet and Beat Music, and has performed with a wide variety of musicians including Chris Morrissey, Kris Davis, Russ Lossing, Owen Howard, Kermit Driscoll, Dan Wall, Mike Baggetta, Eivind Opsvik, Mike Holober, Jeff Davis, Alan Ferber, David Binney, and Aretha Franklin.

 Jason Rigby Website

Jason Rigby: Detroit / Cleveland Trio - One (2016) FRESH SOUND NEW TALENT

present

Jason Rigby: Detroit / Cleveland Trio - One (2016)

JASON RIGBY DETROIT-CLEVELAND TRIO combines the creative powers of Detroit natives Cameron Brown and Gerald Cleaver, with Cleveland native Rigby. Hailed as “a truly lyrical musician” and “New York’s rising start of tenor sax” with a “pioneering voice that deftly combines many influences,” Rigby is known for his compelling inside-outside improvising. Cameron Brown is one of the greatest living bass veterans, a driving and creative constant. Gerald Cleaver is an unstoppable modern drummer who consistently dazzles with his creative depth.

Tracklisting:

01. Dive Bar 6:59

02. Dorian Gray 6:28

03. You Are Too Beautiful 8:09

04. Newtoon 7:00

05. Speak Like a Child 7:19

06. Live By the Sword 4:03

07. Embraceable You 4:26

08. Dewey 7:45

Total time: 52:11 min.

All songs composed by Jason Rigby, except #3 by Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart, #4 by George Schuller, #5 by Herbie Hancock, #7 by George & Ira Gershwin

Personnel:

Jason Rigby (tenor & soprano sax)

Cameron Brown (bass)

Gerald Cleaver (drums)

Recorded & mixed at the Bunker Studio, Brooklyn, New York, 2016

Engineering: Aaron Nevezie

Mastered by Steve Fallone at Sterling Sound, New York

Photography & design by Colleen Chrzanowski

Produced by Jason Rigby

Executive producer: Jordi Pujol

BUY THIS ALBUM