Tony Malaby - Turnpike Diaries Volume 2 (2021)

There’s a type of Kung Fu one needs to drive in New Jersey. Hidden signs, many types of drivers with constantly changing velocities that are ahead, behind, and alongside one at all times. It’s very similar to this first track that I am calling Jersey Merge Redux (I have used this title before). I hope you can feel the Kung Fu as I did - unbelievable flow and intelligence from Michael and Mark. Enjoy. T

1. Jersey Merge Redux 48:47

2. Bonus Track - Elbow Up ! 34:59

Tony Malaby - Tenor and Soprano Saxophones

Michael Formanek - Bass

Mark Ferber - Drums

Recorded and Mixed by Randy Thaler

Mastered by Eivind Opsvik

Cover by Tim Berne

Recorded on November 10, 2020

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Caleb Wheeler Curtis / Rashaan Carter / Mark Ferber - CURTIS CARTER FERBER (2021 Imani Records)

1. Doing Nothing Is Hard Business 35:15

Caleb Wheeler Curtis – alto saxophone

Rashaan Carter – bass

Mark Ferber – drums

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Rashaan Carter

Recorded May 16, 2019 at Studiocho, Brooklyn, NY

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Matt Panayides - Field Theory (April 9, Pacific Coast Jazz)

COMING OUT APRIL 9th, 2021! This album features the music this group has been playing together since 2018. With compositions by the band leader and guitarist Matt Panayides, the group features Matt Vashlishan on Wind Synth, Rich Perry on Tenor Sax, Robert Sabin on bass, and Mark Ferber on drums. The album will come out this Spring

Contemporary jazz composer/guitarist Matt Panayides explores new sonic landscapes on Field Theory.

On FIELD THEORY, guitarist and composer MATT PANAYIDES explores new sonic landscapes by mixing electric and acoustic sounds in a set of modern, highly original post-bop compositions.

FIELD THEORY is a departure from Panayides' previous releases, Conduits (2016) and Tapestries of Song (2011), which were both acoustic, modern jazz projects. The music on FIELD THEORY is complex and modern yet exciting and accessible. The contrast between the electric guitar and EWI with the upright bass and tenor sax creates rich textures.

Although Panayides' approach to composition is influenced by the harmonic language of modern jazz composers like Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, he set out on his own path, writing tightly structured arrangements with dissonant harmonizations containing ample space for improvisation. Panayides says, ''For me, the ideas for compositions come as if from another place. They will appear at any time, sometimes while practicing or on a gig. But the ideas can also come in a dream, or while driving, or standing in line. The trick is to capture these little musical nuggets as best I can so I can organize them later. This entire album was conceived in this way.

''FIELD THEORY'' is a contemporary jazz album that does not completely abandon traditional forms. Panayides invites the listener in with music that is at once familiar, yet largely unexpected, with pops of contrasting colors that weave together images of sound that tell stories not unlike a great abstract painting.

1 Kite Flying

2 Disturbance

3 Closer Now

4 Field Theory

5 Looking Round Corners

6 Energy Mover

7 2.27.20

8 Penta Folk I Arrive

9 Penta Folk II Coalesce

10 Penta Folk III Ascend

11 Penta Folk IV Depart

12 Self Narrative

Matt Panayides on guitar 

Matt Vashlishan on Wind Synth

Rich Perry on Tenor Sax

Robert Sabin on bass

Mark Ferber on drums

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David Ake - Humanities (POSI-TONE RECORDS 2018)

Pianist, composer, and educator David Ake is a native of New Haven, CT, but spent his formative years in Chicago. He did his  undergraduate at the University of Miami before heading to the West Coast to do post-grad work at the California Institute of the Arts and UCLA.

Ake’s fifth album on Posi-Tone is titled “Humanities” and features the powerful musical voices of his fellow CalArts colleague Ralph Alessi (trumpet), Ben Monder (guitars), Drew Gress (bass), and Mark Ferber (drums).  If you have heard any of Ake’s earlier group albums, you’ll know he’s a powerful and thoughtful pianist while his music often has a powerful forward motion.

There are moments on the new album where the music leans towards Americana, not surprisingly on the quintet’s reading of The Grateful Dead’s “Ripple” (the only “cover” tune on the CD) – they don’t mess with the gentle bluesy quality of Jerry Garcia’s sweet melody. Alessi’s muted trumpet brings the sound of Ron Miles to mind and the piece would not be out of place on a Bill Frisell album (but note the alternate chords at various times throughout the piece). The piano introduction to “Drinking Song” has the feel of a Randy Newman ballad but there is a spare quality to the melody. The trumpet and guitar play the melody and counterpoint while the rhythm section tosses and turns beneath them, not disrupting the flow as much as creating dynamic differences.

What stands out throughout the program is how distinctive all five voices are.  On songs such as “The North“, one can hear the power of the guitar, the rich melodic sense of the trumpet, the “heavy” chords from  the piano, the counterpoint and melodies from the bass, and the driving force of the drums. Ferber is truly in the driver’s seat; listen to his strength on “Rabble Rouser“, how Gress helps him push the music forward, and then how the soloists are inspired by the rhythm section.  And, they can swing! “Hoofer” starts out with the drummer’s brush work creating his own sweet soft-shoe.  Ake picks up on that and dances right through his sly Monk-like solo.  The bassist leads the group through the beginning of “Stream” – much of the fun of the piece is how the dynamics change on the fly.  After the opening, the band moves into a harder-edged melody but drops back for the piano solo.  Ake build the tension as the trumpet and guitar play a unison counterpoint to his solo. A similar interaction takes place beneath Alessi’s solo, this time the pianist and guitarist playing chordal patterns as Ferber builds the tension with a fiery drum spotlight.

The program closes with “Walter Cronkite“: that’s the newsman’s voice you hear near the beginning saying “...it’s the ultimate question that being a democracy we the people are responsible for the actions of our leaders“.  Alessi’s keening, questioning, trumpet moves atop the rumbling piano, droning bass, quiet guitar fill, and active drums, giving the rubato piece the feel of an elegy, at times, a prayer.  There is a short section where the trumpet and piano sounds like a telegraph signaling an urgent question across the great divide before the music fades.

To do justice to the music on “Humanities” is truly to tell you to listen and listen deeply. David Ake composes music that asks questions, that plumbs the depth of the human spirit, and looks for the soul within the songs. And the musicians know how to transmit those questions and searches to an eager audience.  Give some time to this music; it will make you think and, perhaps, even move you to action in these often tense times.

Quoan - Fine Dining (feat. Brian Walsh, Daniel Rosenboom, Sam Minaie & Mark Ferber) ORENDA RECORDS 2018

Brimming with cheeky humor and fearless creativity, Quoan tips its hat to the historic lineage of the modern, chord-less jazz quartet with an album that feels classic yet new, biting yet sweet, and that overflows with virtuosity and character.

Two prominent Los Angeles's wind/brass improvisers join forces with a formidable New York rhythm section to deliver Fine Dining under the band name Quoan. Though clarinetist Brian Walsh and trumpeter Daniel Rosenboom have collaborated in numerous bands and projects for more than a decade, this is their first co-led ensemble, and the results are as nuanced and engaging as such a union would suggest. Bassist Sam Minaie and drummer Mark Ferber ground and drive the group with a remarkably nimble approach, ranging from elegant to burly, as the bi-coastal group navigates the timbral landscapes of the modern chord-less quartet. With a fearless approach to composition and improvisation, Quoan steps into the lineage of this classic avant-garde jazz format with grace, creativity, and a cheeky sense of humor that is downright infectious.

Brian Walsh and Daniel Rosenboom are two of the most sought after voices in the Los Angeles creative music scene and have appeared on dozens of recordings in jazz, pop, classical, experimental and other genres. Walsh is a member of the contemporary classical groups wild Up and gnarwhallaby and has previously worked alongside figures as diverse as Gavin Bryars, Meredith Monk and Nels Cline. In addition to leading his own bands Burning Ghosts and the Daniel Rosenboom Quintet, Rosenboom has worked in the groups of Vinny Golia, Josh Groban and Anthony Wilson and works frequently in the storied Hollywood film-scoring community for such notable titles as the recent Star Wars films. Sam Minaie has worked with many of today's leading jazz musicians, including Tigran Hamasyan, Donny McCaslin, and Ravi Coltrane, and Mark Ferber has performs regularly with such notable artists as Gary Peacock, Ralph Alessi, and Brad Shepik. 

This wealth of performance experience is on full display in the expansive stylistic ground covered throughout the duration of Quoan's Fine Dining. Beginning with the brooding groove of “The Last,” Walsh and Rosenboom carve out their own distinct sonic spaces while exploring the shifting colors of microtonal improvisation. This group has moments of unabashed jazz as well, such as the hard-swinging “Capitol Absurdity” and slippery groove that anchors “Demicolon.” The group plays cleverly with structure, as in the rhythmic palindrome of "216" or the aleatoric “Fist," and plays with ironic sound painting in "Legislation" and the title track "Fine Dining." Several miniatures pepper the record, where the group breaks into factions of duos and trios (“Gnomish”, “Shunyata” and “Witch's Butter”), as well as a couple moments of profound lyrical respite in the waltz “Moon Cage” and the elegiac closer “Braids and Brooms.” 

History is not lost on these musicians. Recorded live, all together in the same room at 64 Sound in Highland Park, CA, using a total of 9 microphones, the group embraces an old-school sound that places the listener in the room with palpable energetic interplay between band mates. This marriage of history and innovation extends even to Eron Rauch's cover art, which presents a wonderfully "kill-your-idols" style homage to Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground. With Fine Dining Quoan presents an album that feels classic yet new, biting yet sweet, and overflowing with light-hearted virtuosity.

1. The Last 07:44

2. Shunyata 01:34

3. Demicolon 06:25

4. Fine Dining 03:20

5. Moon Cage 07:26

6. Gnomish 01:26

7. Fist 02:14

8. 216 09:51

9. Witch's Butter 01:17

10. Legislation 00:22

11. Capitol Absurdity 06:06

12. Braids and Brooms 08:42

Tracks 1, 5, 7, 12 composed by Brian Walsh (ASCAP)

Published by Walsh Set Music (ASCAP)

Tracks 3, 8, 11 composed by Daniel Rosenboom (ASCAP)

Published by Daniel Rosenboom Music (ASCAP)

Tracks 2, 4, 6, 9, 10 improvised by Quoan

Brian Walsh - Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet

Daniel Rosenboom - Trumpet, Piccolo Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Sam Minaie - Bass

Mark Ferber - Drums

Recorded October 19, 2017

64 Sound, Highland Park, CA

Sound Engineered by Theo Karon

Mixed by Daniel Rosenboom

Orenda Sound, Los Angeles, CA

Mastered by Sam Minaie

Bird Food Studio, New York, NY

Art and Design by Eron Rauch

Ryan Meagher - Lost Days (FRESH SOUND NEW TALENT RECORDS 2018)

Ryan Meagher (pronounced Marr) is a jazz guitarist and composer who grew up in San Jose, California. His teenage years were split between taking ground balls and hitting soft-toss on ball fields with stomping on distortion pedals and kicking over mic stands in garage band rehearsals. He launched his international reputation in New York City in 2003 after completing his bachelor of music degree at San Diego State University. During his years in New York, he released his debut jazz album "Sun Resounding," followed by his second album entitled "Atroefy" on Fresh Sound New Talent Records (FSNT). His third album "Tone," also on FSNT, was created while he was splitting time between graduate studies at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and New York City.

Not soon after relocating to Portland, Meagher teamed up with the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble, the local non-profit organization (of which he would later become an important leader), and recorded a live album that would be released on their budding record label, PJCE Records. “Tango in the City of Roses," was recorded live in concert at Ivories jazz club in 2014 alongside his mentor from UNR, Peter Epstein (alto and soprano sax), George Colligan (piano), Chris Higgins (bass), and Matt Mayhall (drums). The album is a confluence of regionality in that Meagher, Epstein, and Mayhall all shared Reno as a home base for some time; Colligan, Higgins, Epstein, and Meagher resided in Portland at one time or another; and Epstein, Colligan, Higgins, and Meagher all called New York City home for a period.

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01. Bayou Brasileira

02. Absurdly Delinquent

03. Lost Days

04. Brook’s Little Blues

05. Introduction to Heart-Whole

06. Heart-Whole

07. South Slope

08. Deep Ocean Hall

09. Meagher

10. Bayou Brasileira (Surf Reprise)

All tracks written by Ryan Meaghe

Ryan Meagher (guitar, Irish bouzouki & glockenspiel)

Bill McHenry (tenor sax)

George Colligan (piano, Hammond organ, Wurlitzer electric piano & Fender Rhodes)

Chris Higgins (bass)

Mark Ferber (drums)

Recorded at Map Room Studios, in Portland, Oregon, April 13 & 14, 2017

Option 3 - Peaberry (2018)

Recorded in 2013, this is Option 3's second release. Option 3 breathes new life into the familiar setting of the traditional jazz organ trio. Based in Los Angeles, organist Joe Bagg and guitarist Jamie Rosenn have united with Brooklyn drummer Mark Ferber to form a trio that specializes in original based, interactive, modern jazz. The three musicians developed their intuitive rapport over the past 10 years, performing and recording with the quintet, Us and Them, the Alan Ferber Septet and eventually became Option 3. Bagg has performed with such diverse artists as Bobby Hutcherson, Anthony Wilson and Madeleine Peyroux and has been in the Downbeat Critics Polls for 4 years running. Rosenn co-leads the bass-less trio JoE-LeSs shOe, which recently released its self titled debut and also teaches at the Musician's Institute and Saddleback College. Ferber has played with such notables as Lee Konitz, Fred Hersch, Billy Childs and Ralph Alessi. Option 3 released their first CD, "Points Subtracted" in 2008.

1. Peaberry 05:26

2. Ba-Ba-Do-Op 06:05

3. Saturday Pants 08:30

4. Dropping Darkness 05:42

5. Indolent Fowl 05:08

6. A Gerbil's Hearth 05:45

7. Cousin Jim 06:08

8. Brief Bob 04:25

Jamie Rosenn - guitar

Joe Bagg - organ

Mark Ferber - drums

Jon Davis - Happy Juice (POSI-TONE RECORDS 2017)

Jon Davis’ fourth release for Posi-Tone, Happy Juice is a ten-track showcase split evenly with original compositions and covers. The musical contexts suggest an association with the dynamic jazz piano movement of the 60’s. In particular, Davis is paying tribute to his personal heroes, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner and Bill Evans. The opening title cut is a bluesy swinger that starts with some punctuated chord runs. The rhythm section (Boris Kozlov – bass/Mark Ferber – drums) is flawless and support the vibrant piano solos. “Slant Six” (another Davis-penned opus) has some underlying, pronounced grooves and utilizes up tempo chords, soulful notation and pulsating elegance. The first cover is the haunting Bill Evans classic, “The Two Lonely People”. Like Evans, Davis explores the melancholic sentiment and then at 1:37 slips into a supple groove that radiates with warmth and complexity.

The second “cover’ is a latin-tinged version of Chick Corel’s “Tones For Joan’s Bones”. Davis’ gliding lyricism and awe-inspiring tempo development is potent. His piano leads are agile and never predictable. As he takes on Herbie Hancock’s “Speak Like A Child”, it seems like the pianist is hitting on all cylinders. There is a ruminative opening that flows seamlessly into a medium swing vibe that bristles with creative phrasing. There are different jazz elements, including pulsating undercurrents and rhythm potency, along with meditative shadings. On Tyne’s evocative “Search For Peace”, Davis adopts a swaying tempo and understated elegance that would make the Philadelphia legend quite proud. The melodic structure always centers the arrangement. The final cover is Keith Jarrett’s “Rainbow”. It is whimsical, but has an aspirational resonance to it. Then at the 0:55 mark it morphs into a gentle near-waltz time signature. The jazzy notation is dynamic.

There are compelling original compositions. “As We Know” approximates gospel with soulful inflections. But there are many agile flourishes. “Bred On Red” (a reference to Red Garland) begins with an ethereal intro, but employs a finger-snapping medium groove with sprightly accents and syncopation. Davis’ compositions draw on rhythm complexities. That is rewarding on “Mostly Minor”. This might be the most improvisational number, and the piano runs are intriguing, reminiscent of the unbridled freedom of the era of jazz explored on this album.

Happy Juice is a fitting tribute to piano legends like Evans, Hancock, Tyner, Corea and Jarrett. Davis covers their material and draws on their inspiration in his own compositions. The audio on this recording is excellent. The exacting detail of the piano and drum cymbals is palpable. The bass is kept in the bottom of the mix.

John O'Gallagher Trio- Live In Brooklyn (WHIRLWIND RECORDINGS 2017)

As New York-based saxophonist & composer John O’Gallagher would emphatically relate, there is nothing quite like the concept and energy of a live performance to provide both artist and listener with the affecting, visceral tingle which is at the heart of great music – and especially true when it comes to the spontaneity of improvised jazz. So the opportunity to offer up these riches to a wider audience, through a live album, has always been an aspiration for the acclaimed altoist and his longtime colleagues Johannes Weidenmueller (bass) and Mark Ferber (drums).

Live in Brooklyn captures the spirit of the chordless trio’s appearance as part of Seeds Brooklyn’s intimate, weekly concert series – a popular venue for many leading contemporary artists – with realism and verve. And having forged a close, intuitive working relationship over several years, this became the perfect environment in which to unveil new material alongside interpretations of two tracks from their studio album 'The Honeycomb' (the saxophonist has also previously released on Whirlwind, with 2013’s The Anton Webern Project). The realization and 'stretch and pull' of the original compositions in this conducive setting, during the gig and in playback, confirmed to O’Gallagher that this was the one – and now the wider public have the fortuity to focus on this rich seam of in-the-moment creativity.

One of the most compelling saxophone improvisers on the New York scene, John O’Gallagher’s many collaborators have included Jeff Williams, Ben Monder, Maria Schneider and Kenny Wheeler – and all the years of experience cascade from his alto bell with a seemingly inexhaustible and colorfully individual vocabulary, supported prominently by the high-level, malleable responses of Weidenmueller and Ferber. The saxophonist explains that the blurred lines of composition and conversational improvisation are key to the challenge: “That’s the beauty of playing with these two guys – they’re masters of form and structure, yet don’t always have to mark it.”

Oblique five-against-seven-meter experiment ‘Prime’ sets up an increasingly turbulent dialogue, O’Gallagher’s forceful, rippling lines prompting heavyweight, percussive reactions from bassist and drummer; and ‘Blood Ties’ alludes to the band’s prowess in intertwining the number’s purely rhythmic beginnings with various pitch collections. The broad landscape of ‘Credulous’ prompts extreme displays, especially from saxophonist and drummer; and furtive ‘Nothing To It’ finds its animation through the close connection between Weidenmueller and Ferber.

‘Extralogical Railman’ – an anagram in both composition and title – turns Charlie Parker’s ‘Relaxin’ at Camarillo’ upside down, O’Gallagher carefully spinning the rhythmic content on its axis, then reassembling re-pitched melodics against it… and it swings with glorious abandon, the saxophonist’s lines incessantly searching, screeching and tumbling through “a number you know, but can’t put your finger on.” Finally, ‘The Honeycomb’, specifically originating from common links and patterns between tones, lets rip for an appreciative audience.

Describing the elevated, exposed nature of this three-way partnership, O’Gallagher concludes: “We are constantly listening and taking risks, creating an atmosphere which is exciting to play in – there is no 'wrong', and we all know the paths back. A shared trust provides the confidence to pretty much explore any avenue and be assured that everything will be OK. That transformative, on-the-edge excitement – not knowing what’s gonna happen – is what I’ve always wanted.”

"Powerful jazz-making without a safety net."
★★★★ The Guardian

"The music intuitively blurs the boundaries between composition and improvisation and between freedom and structure... Absorbing and rewarding... A monster player... he’s certainly in fine form here and is well supported by an empathic and impressive rhythm team."
The Jazz Mann

"John O'Gallagher has a rather individual earmark to his playing​... ​Some of his finest work to date."
Cadence Magazine

“Live recording of a great concert... It’s as if you were there.”
Culture Jazz (FR)

"There is nothing quite like the environment of a live gig to bring out the best in the musicians and this set is no exception."
★★★★★ UK Vibe

1. Prime 10:24

2. Extralogical Rainman 06:15

3. Credulous (Intro) 02:50

4. Credulous 10:45

5. Blood Ties 06:37

6. Nothing To It 06:34

7. The Honeycomb 06:14

John O'Gallagher - alto saxophone

Johannes Weidenmueller - double bass

Mark Ferber - drums