Phronesis - Alive (LP Deluxe Version) March 11, 2022 Edition Records

Jasper Høiby's Phronesis, widely recognised as one of the finest piano trios in Europe, will release a limited edition vinyl pressing of their groundbreaking 2010 album ‘Alive’ in March 2022.

Over the last two decades, Phronesis forged a reputation for spell-binding live performances, capturing the imaginations of audiences worldwide. Years of performing, touring and recording gave this trio a matchless rapport that inspired an ever-flowing stream of pioneering new music.

The group’s first album on Edition Records and their first live recording, it was ‘Alive’ that truly catapulted the trio onto the international stage.  Flawless in execution, and driven by some of the most infectious and compelling music written in recent years, this extraordinary recording became one of the most talked-about live piano trio releases.  It was awarded Album of the Year in 2010 by both Mojo and Jazzwise and was voted Jazzwise Magazine’ No.1 Jazz Album of the last 5 years in 2015. It won endless plaudits and praise for its irresistible excitement, skillful flair and expansive compositional craft, and prompted extensive international touring across the world.

At the centre of the band’s sound was bassist and founder Jasper Høiby, the charismatic and dynamic player and composer, and a musician who has been central in shaping the story of Edition Records as a label. On ‘Alive,’ Jasper is joined by Ivo Neame on keys and Mark Guiliana on drums, standing in for Anton Eger on this one-off live recording.

To celebrate over a decade since the album first dropped, ‘Alive’ will be released on vinyl for the first time ever in March 2022 with brand new artwork and liner notes specially written by Jasper.

Get your orders in early – this special edition vinyl album is a must-have collector’s item for fans of the group.

1. Untitled #1 02:14

2. Blue Inspiration 11:05

3. French 08:35

4. Eight Hours 05:32

5. Abraham's New Gift 10:07

6. Rue Cinq Diamants 06:09

7. Happy Notes 10:08

8. Love Song 14:06

9. Untitled#2 07:14

10. Smoking the Camel 13:52

Jasper Høiby  Double Bass

Ivo Neame  Piano

Mark Guiliana  Drums

Details

– Each Vinyl will be packaged in a double album gatefold

– Each LP will be pressed on Ocean Blue Coloured Vinyl

– The first 200 copies sold on the Edition Store will be numbered

– The Deluxe Vinyl package will include sheet music of all 10 tracks as a PDF download

Available as limited edition vinyl, with online-only exclusives, as well as on WAV and MP3

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Brad Mehldau - Jacob's Ladder (March 18, 2022 Nonesuch Records)

Nonesuch Records releases Brad Mehldau’s Jacob’s Ladder on March 18, 2022 on CD and digital; a vinyl LP version will be released later in the year (exact date TBD). The album features new music that reflects on scripture and the search for God through music inspired by the prog rock Mehldau loved as a young adolescent, which was his gateway to the fusion that eventually led to his discovery of jazz. Featured musicians on the album include Mehldau’s label mates Chris Thile and Cécile McLorin Salvant, as well as Mark Guiliana, Becca Stevens, Joel Frahm, and others. A video for ‘maybe as his skies are wide’ is available today here. The song builds off an interpolation of one portion of Rush’s classic “Tom Sawyer.” Nonesuch Store pre-orders include an exclusive signed, limited-edition print.

Mehldau explains, “We are born close to God, and as we mature, we invariably move further and further away from Him on account of our ego. Jacob’s Ladder begins at that place closer to God with the voice of child, and then moves into the world of action. God is always there, but in our discovery and conquest, and all the joys and sorrows they bring, we may lose sight of him. He sets a ladder before us though, like in Jacob’s dream, and we climb towards him, to find reconciliation with ourselves, to stitch up all those worldly wounds and finally heal. The record ends with my vision of heaven—once again as a child, His child, in eternal grace, in ecstasy.

“The musical conduit on the record is prog,” Mehldau continues. “Prog—progressive rock—was the music of my childhood, before I discovered jazz. It matched the fantasy and science fiction books I read from C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L’Engle and others at that time, aged ten through twelve. It was my gateway to the fusion of Miles Davis, Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra and other groups, which in turn was the gateway to more jazz. Jazz shared with prog a broader expressive scope and larger-scale ambitions than the rock music I had known already.

“The prog from Rush, Gentle Giant, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer here only hints at the genre’s conceptual, compositional and emotional range. These bands and others have continued to influence newer groups that bring prog impulses into the arena of hard rock and screaming math metal, like Periphery, whose music is included here, and also inspired the screaming vocals on ‘Herr und Knecht.’ I tried to avoid a direct tribute approach to all the songs, and opted in some cases for excerpts, or reworking of themes.”

Although Brad Mehldau is best known as a jazz composer and improviser, he has made several albums that fall outside of the mainstream jazz genre, including his 2001 Largo, produced by Jon Brion. Wide-ranging in texture and big in scale, it features woodwind or brass ensembles are on several tracks, as well as a heavy emphasis on powerful drums. In 2010, Nonesuch released his second collaboration with Brion, Highway Rider, which includes performances by Mehldau’s trio—drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Larry Grenadier—as well as drummer Matt Chamberlain, saxophonist Joshua Redman, and a chamber orchestra led by Dan Coleman. Mehldau also orchestrated and arranged the album’s fifteen pieces for the ensemble.

Mehldau’s 2014 collaboration with Mark Guiliana, Mehliana: Taming the Dragon, featured Mehldau on Fender Rhodes and synthesizers and Guiliana on drums and effects, playing twelve original tunes—six by the duo and six by Mehldau. His 2019 album Finding Gabriel featured performances by him on piano, synthesizers, percussion, and Fender Rhodes, as well as vocals. Guest musicians included Ambrose Akinmusire, Sara Caswell, Kurt Elling, Joel Frahm, Mark Guiliana, Gabriel Kahane, and Becca Stevens, among others.

1. -maybe as his skies are wide-

2. Herr und Knecht (Master and Slave)

3. (Entr'acte) Glam Perfume

4. Cogs in Cogs, pt. 1: Dance

5. Cogs in Cogs, Pt. II: Song

6. Cogs in Cogs, Pt. III: Double Fugue

7. Tom Sawyer

8. Vou correndo te encontrar / Racecar

9. Jacob’s Ladder, Pt. I: Liturgy

10. Jacob’s Ladder, Pt. II: Song

11. Jacob’s Ladder, Pt. III: Ladder

12. Heaven: I. All Once – II. Life Seeker – III. Würm – IV. Epilogue: It Was a Dream but I Carry It Still

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Mark Guiliana - Music for Doing (January 28, 2022 Colorfield Records)

1. Song for Making Things Right

2. Song for Investigating Consciousness

3. Song for Listening

4. Song for Getting Lost

5. Song for Critical Thinking

6. Song for Looking in the Mirror

7. Song for Moderate Drinking

8. Song for Finding Your Way Home

9. Song For Investigating Consciousness

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Ex-Vitamins | "Ex-Vitamins" | Available August 27th, 2021

Anonymous Performer and Composer

Recruits All-Star Cast for High Energy Project;

Encourages Artists to Respond Instinctually with First Take Recordings

Eponymous Release Ex-Vitamins

Features Mark Guiliana, Nate Smith, Ben Wendel,

Tim Lefebvre, Shayna Steele, and More

Available Everywhere August 27

There is something both soothing and terrifying when a schedule clears. The opportunity to reclaim a bit of time that had been put aside for someone else can feel like an unexpected vacation. How we react and what we create during those unexpected and challenging breaks is what sets us apart. Ex-Vitamins was on that perpetual touring/recording/touring carousel before everybody’s schedule cleared. They worked tirelessly in front of crowds that could rival the population of most American towns.

 

A curious anonymity can wash over a tight band playing before a stadium crowd. The personality in the spotlight becomes oversized while the rest of the band focuses on that amplification, holding up mirrors to create an even brighter center point. Ex-Vitamins knows those crowds weren’t there to see him. They were there to see his boss. Ex-Vitamins has a lot of friends who did that for a living; musicians who once referred to David Bowie, St. Vincent, Paul Simon, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, or others as the boss. 

 

During the world’s unexpected hiatus, Ex-Vitamins set about creating a project that resulted in a series of songs and hypnotic music videos that untangle a funky brain far from rehearsals and shows and tours. “I had always wanted to take what I’ve learned in those musical situations and do something creative with it. I kept referring to it as a laptop side project,” the elusive composer said from his modest New Jersey studio. “I didn’t want attachment to any preconceived notions about how it should sound or what lane it goes into. I just wanted to make music.” So, with the spotlight off and the world retreating to their electrified caves, Ex-Vitamins assembled some friends and created a whole different beast.

  

The energy of contact-less collaboration bursts through from the very first seconds of the album and never slows down. “Some of these guys play in situations where they need to play the same kind of thing night to night. When they did whatever they wanted to, I got some unexpected results. I never had to say, ‘can you try something else?’ I value these guys’ voices so much on their own instruments. I called them for a reason. I didn’t just need a guitar. I needed Max Bernstein on this. I didn’t just need drums. I need what Mark Guiliana or Nate Smith can bring. These are guys that have their own voice.”

 

And that sound is not bound by time or travel restrictions. This album was recorded by musicians in New York, California, Arizona, Tennessee, and France. Smith, who was in Nashville, pounds out a strong backbeat for “Intro” that makes way for an orchestra of sounds: New Power Generation horns rise up in waves; a limber and soulful piano solo fights for space. “On some of these tunes, when I sent the music out it was, ‘don’t listen to it until you are ready to record. First take. Have as many toys as you can in the room. Send it back.’” 

 

Guitarists Robin Macatangay and Bernstein join Smith for “Are You Proud.” Together they engage in a funky rhythm guitar battle whose essence floats through the next two tracks as Bernstein stays for “Toronto” and “Ism.,” the latter of which takes the affair down a different ‘80s avenue. Visions of Morris Day and Rick James dance above Guiliana’s unmistakable drum kit. “Some of these songs initially felt like I was waiting for someone to come lay a topline melody, but the more I played them the more I got used to them existing on their own. Now I think adding anything else would get in the way,” says Ex-Vitamins.

 

“Hello, Let’s Go” features haunting synthesizers amid pounding drums. As the tune builds, another voice enters that shifts the whole experience. “I wrote a bridge to it and sent it to saxophonist Ben Wendel and he put the whole thing into outer space. There’s something very fulfilling about that arpeggiated bass line, that pulsing feel. It feels like it could go on forever.”

  

Vocalist Shayna Steele provides the swagger for “Fake Out,” her enthusiasm carrying the tune with a force that evokes great shouters like Tina Turner and Merry Clayton. Like any funky endeavor, a lot of weight falls on the bass player. Tim Lefebvre does here, as he does elsewhere on the album, just what makes him such an in-demand low-end master. “Every time I think I know what Tim’s going to play, he plays something else that’s even hipper. That’s the mark of an unbelievably creative musician,” says Ex-Vitamins. Drummer Chris Kimmerer is no slouch either. His driving push makes this collaboration a standout.

 

Ex-Vitamins bookends the album with a nod to their jazz roots in moments of lithe dexterity. “I wanted something athletic” he says of the unexpected solo, his sound is aggressively showered with a weighty grind. “You Are #9” brings back a few of the albums stand-out performers - Lefebvre, Guiliana, Kimmerer, Bernstein – for one last hurrah, an ascending thump in an optimistic direction.

 

“This past year was a time when everybody got a lot of perspective on what it is they do and what it is they like to do. That informs what I asked for from them, and it informs what they gave me. I was more open than ever to say, ‘do your thing.’ I want to have even less say in how it is that you do it,” says Ex-Vitamins on his first, self-titled album Ex-Vitamins. And that’s the point. Music for music’s sake. What secrets lie stacked in the basement studio? Who wants to help find out? The results may surprise you.

For more information on Ex-Vitamins, please visit:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

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Bayfront Jazz Festival Miami: Roy Ayers | Dee Dee Bridgewater | Chucho Valdés | Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Aymée Nuviola | Mark Guiliana | April 30 - May 1

BAYFRONT JAZZ FESTIVAL 2021 

INAUGURAL EDITION TO KICK OFF MIAMI’S LIVE MUSIC EVENTS TO BRING BACK JOY

CELEBRATING JAZZ / AFRO-CUBAN / LATIN / ELECTRONIC MUSIC MASTERS

Roy Ayers, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Chucho Valdés, Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Aymée Nuviola and Mark Guiliana’s Beat Music

ICONIC OPEN AIR FPL SOLAR AMPITHEATER HAPPENING 

ON UNESCO’S  INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY

PARTIAL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO HOSPITALS FIGHTING COVID-19

"Jazz is not just music, it is a way of life, it is a way of being, a way of thinking." – NINA SIMONE

"The story of Jazz is written into the quest for human dignity, democracy and civil rights. It has given strength to the struggle against discrimination and racism. UNESCO believes in the power of Jazz as a force for peace, dialogue and mutual understanding." – UNESCO/International Jazz Day

The 2021 inaugural edition of the Bayfront Jazz Festival will take over Miami's Bayfront Park for two magical days as Miami’s "Post-Covid recovery calendar" kicks off one of the first LIVE musical events on April 30 and May 1, 2021. The first Miami festival of its scale, Bayfront's mission is to honor and celebrate the current and future giants of Jazz, Afro-Cuban/Latin & Electronic music and for fans from the world over to enjoy music's greatest heroes and masters play with a real audience for the first time in over a year at a stunning, iconic Miami open air venue. The concerts will host 1500 people, rather than the usual 10G and will respect  all Covid-19 sanitary rules of social distancing.

Hosted by Melrose Media at the FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park in Miami, the Bayfront Jazz Festival will take place on the UNESCO International Jazz Day, intended to raise awareness of the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for empathy, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people.

FPL Solar Amphitheater

This year’s unique line-up includes Roy Ayers, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Chucho Valdés, Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Aymée Nuviola and Mark Guiliana’s Beat Music who will be participating at the festival throughout 2 days of spiritual and joyful music.

The FPL Solar Amphitheater is situated in the middle of the Bayfront Park, directly on the Oceanfront. The Bayfront Park has 500-panel solar installation, including solar trees, which generates about 250 kilowatts of emissions-free energy – more than the power used during the Amphitheater’s concert season. 

Physical tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster. An Internet ticketed livestream video will also be in place through EluvioLIVE allowing happy fans from the world to enjoy the Jazz musicians play in front of a real audience, which has not been possible for one year ! All payments will be accepted, including Crypto currencies to purchase the live streaming.

The livestream will be available on mobile, desktop, tablets,  Apple TV and Roku TV all in 4K.

Partial proceeds will be given to hospitals fighting Covid-19.

“Artists and audiences crave for live music in an outdoor venue and we had to fight to make that event happen. We took engagements with the venue and the City to protect our audience with masks, gels and social distancing,” said Manuel Molina, Managing director of Melrose Media. His co-producer Rozenberg added, “We wanted to bring back live jazz in the heart of the Miamians and feed their souls with iconic musicians vibes. There will only be 1500 happy people in the venue but everybody likes the sunshine. So everybody will be able to follow that hybrid event on a livestream”.  Molina wanted to add “We are so glad to put back on the map a new Jazz Festival, especially after the cultural chaotic Covid and bring back joy with live music.”

Bayfront Jazz Festival (30 April – 1 May 2021)

Tickets Bayfront Jazz Festival: via bayfrontjazz.com for the livestream and Ticketmaster.

Passes and vouchers are limited in number

FRIDAY 30 APRIL 2021- MAIN STAGE

9:30 PM: CHUCHO VALDES QUARTET

CHUCHO VALDÉS—PIANO

JOSE ARMANDO GOLA—BASS

DAFNIS PRIETO—DRUMS

ROBERTO VIZCAINO JR.—PERCUSSION

7:30 PM: ROY AYERS QUINTET

ROY AYERS—VIBES & VOCALS

MARK ADAMS—KEYBOARD

TREVOR ALLEN—BASS GUITAR

CHRISTOPHER DECARMINE—DRUMS

DASHILL SMITH—HORN

SATURDAY 1 MAY 2021 - MAIN STAGE

9:30 PM: DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER & THE MEMPHIS SOULPHONY

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER—VOCALS

BARRY CAMPBEL— BASS

CHARLTON JOHNSON—GUITAR

BRYANT LOCKHART—SAX

CURTIS PULLIAM—TRUMPET

SKYLER JORDAN, MONET OWENS—BACKGROUND VOCALS

CARLOS SARGENT—DRUMS

FARINDELL "DELL" SMITH—KEYS & ORGAN

7:30 PM: GONZALO RUBALCABA & AYMEE NUVIOLA

GONZALO RUBALCABA—PIANO, SYNTHESIZERS AND PERCUSSION

AYMEE NUVIOLA—LEAD VOCALS

CRISTOBAL “EL PROFE” VERDECCHIA—BASS

REINIER GUERRA—DRUMS

NEIGER “MAJITO” AGUILERA—PERCUSSION

YANIER HORTA—SAXOPHONE 

LOURDES NUVIOLA—LEAD VOCALS AND BACKING VOCALS; 

ALFREDO LUGO—BACKING VOCALS

5:30 PM: MARK GUILIANA BEAT MUSIC

MARK GUILIANA —DRUMS AND ELECTRONICS

NICK SEMRAD —SYNTHESIZERS

CHRIS MORRISSEY —ELECTRIC BASS

Gretchen Parlato - Flor (March 2021 Edition Records)

“There is a story to tell, now.”

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

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Avishai Cohen - Two Roses (Friday April 16, 2021 NAÏVE / BELIEVE)

Many musicians dream of making a record with a symphony orchestra, but few can afford to make it a reality. Thanks to an extraordinary ability to compose melodies that take root in his listeners’ minds and because he has patiently performed these compositions on stage to the point where they are practically a part of him, Avishai Cohen was well-positioned to execute such an ambition. Two Roses (Friday April 16th, 2021, NAÏVE / BELIEVE) is the result of a long process, which began in 2013 when Cohen recorded his album Almah, with his trio and a small chamber ensemble of four string instruments and an oboe.

Cohen’s music is an intricate tapestry of global and historical influence. A master of Afro-Caribbean music, Cohen has absorbed its complexity. Equally affected by the melodies of Israeli folklore, and the complexity of their Sephardi, Ashkenazi or Yemeni heritages, he reintroduced the traditional Ladino “Morenika,” as well as popular tunes from his native country, such as “Two Roses”, which lends its title to this album. The title itself works as a metaphor for the album’s adept fusion of jazz, and the symphonic world. Cohen, a fan of jazz standards, which he likes to make his own through very personal arrangements — in this recording, with a version of “Nature Boy” — nevertheless remains a composer of themes in his own right. Many of his own “classics” take their cues from North Africa, the Middle East, Slavic countries and Russia.

“Recording with an orchestra is an adventure in itself. It’s nothing like making a jazz record,” An orchestra has its own rhythm, you have to understand how they breathe, says Cohen. 

And now he has finally found an ensemble capable of providing this experience: the 92 talented women and men of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alexander Hanson. Cohen did not embark on this adventure alone: his trio includes two musicians for whom he is full of praise. Azerbaijani pianist Elchin Shirinov, who appeared on Cohen’s previous record, and New Jersey native drummer Mark Guiliana, with whom Cohen revolutionized the trio’s approach. 

“I’ve basically devoted myself to the same songs my whole life,” admits Cohen, “which hasn’t prevented me from writing and learning new ones…” He explains that his arrangement in E major of “A Child Is Born,” by Thad Jones, now transposed to the symphonic scale, dates back to the time of his own International Vamp Band, in which he played primarily the piano. Two Roses, however, includes originals such as “When I’m Falling,” which testifies to the autobiographical dimension that his work has taken. “Hearing songs like ‘Morenika’ or ‘Puncha Puncha’ is like switching eras, finding yourself in a time when nothing is the same,” notes Cohen. The unfolding of Two Roses, in several respects, resembles the soundtrack of an epic film, at times tinged with nostalgia, carried elsewhere by a hectic and vibrant energy. On Two Roses, the only things that count are performance, emotion and the personal expression of a citizen of the world who sees music as his only true homeland.

Tracklisting

Almah Sleeping – Avishai Cohen (composer, arranger), Jonathan Keren (arranger)

When I’m Falling – Avishai Cohen (composer, arranger), Jonathan Keren (arranger)

Nature Talking – Avishai Cohen (composer, arranger), Jonathan Keren (arranger)

Song For My Brother – Avishai Cohen (composer), Robert Sadin (arranger)

Emotional Storm – Avishai Cohen (composer, arranger), Per Ekdahl (arranger)

Two Roses (Shnei Shoshanim) – Mordechai Ze’ira (composer), Ya’Akov Orland (author), Avishai Cohen (arranger), Robert Sadin (arranger)

Nature Boy – Eden Ahbez (author, composer), Avishai Cohen (arranger), Jonathan Keren (arranger) 

A Child Is Born – Thad Jones (composer), Avishai Cohen (arranger), Robert Sadin (arranger)

Puncha Puncha – Avishai Cohen (arranger), Robert Sadin (arranger)

Morenika – Avishai Cohen (arranger), Robert Sadin (arranger)

Seven Seas* – Avishai Cohen (composer, arranger), Robert Sadin (arranger)

Arab Medley – Avishai Cohen (arranger), Tscho Theissing (arranger)

Overture ‘Noam’, Op. 1* – Avishai Cohen (author), Robert Sadin (arranger)

Alon Basela – Avishai Cohen (author, composer), Robert Sadin (arranger)*vinyl exclusive

Personnel

Avishai Cohen: vocals, acoustic bass, electric bass, minimoog synthesizer

Mark Guiliana: drums

Elchin Shirinov: piano

Alexander Hanson: orchestra conductor

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

Produced by: Avishai Cohen, Lars Nilsson, Lenny Ben Basat

Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet - Jersey (MOTEMA MUSIC 2017)

As both leader and collaborator, the versatile drummer Mark Guiliana spends much of his time exploring jazz’s fascinating fringes, producing some of his best music in the place where EDM and free-improv intersect.

He first rose to prominence as a member of bassist Avishai Cohen’s trio, in which he contributed deft yet highly emotive drum work to acclaimed albums such as Lyla (2003) and Gently Disturbed (2008). Later, as the leader of the jazz trio Heernt, Guiliana released Locked In The Basement, which found him pivoting toward a style he called “experimental-garage-jazz.”

With 2010’s Beat Music, Guiliana honed in on a crisp and intelligent electro-jazz sound that would become an integral facet of his jazz identity, one that he would develop further alongside pianist Brad Mehldau on 2014’s Mehliana: Taming The Dragon. And in 2016, he famously served as the drummer for the backing band on David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, in a combo led by tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin.

With his latest album, Guiliana returns home—in more ways than one. Due out Sept. 29 on the Motéma label, Jersey finds the drummer at the helm of a straightahead jazz quartet featuring saxophonist Jason Rigby, pianist Fabian Almazan and bassist Chris Morrissey. What’s more, the program presents original music by Guiliana and his collaborators in an entirely acoustic environment, a tactic that, for Guiliana, presented both opportunities and obstacles.

“For the band, this lineup presents the challenge: How creative can we be inside this box?” said Guiliana in a press statement. “How much freedom and experimentation can we find? ... I have to say that it’s always so exciting to hear the guys play this music in ways I never could have imagined.”

The album is also a tribute Guiliana’s geographical roots. Born and raised in 1980 in Florham Park, New Jersey, Guiliana first discovered jazz in high school through his first drum teacher Joe Bergamini, and later graduated from William Paterson University in Wayne. He held longtime residences in Jersey City and Hoboken, and now resides in Madison with his wife, singer Gretchen Parlato, and their toddler son.

On Jersey, the acoustic setting serves as an incubator for Guiliana’s rhythmic creativity and technical facility. Case in point is the title track, which DownBeat is premiering below. Listen with careful attention to the tenor saxophone solo by Rigby, and notice how Guiliana’s skittering snare work and punchy toms add an almost phosphorescent sheen: READ MORE...

1. inter-are 04:35

2. Jersey 06:18

3. Our Lady 06:21

4. BP 03:07

5. Rate 00:52

6. September 04:15

7. Big Rig Jones 06:07

8. The Mayor Of Rotterdam 06:49

9. Where Are We Now? 08:30

Released September 29, 2017 

Jason Rigby - Tenor Saxophone 

Fabian Almazan - Piano 

Chris Morrissey - Bass 

Mark Guiliana - Drums 

Vocals on "Where Are We Now?": Gretchen Parlato, Jeff Taylor, Jason Rigby, Fabian Almazan, Chris Morrissey, Mark Guiliana & Marley Guiliana 

Produced by Mark Guiliana 

Recorded October 27-28, 2016 at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, NY 

Recording Engineer: John Davis 

Assistant Engineer: Nolan Thies 

Mixed by John Davis 

Mastered by Alex DeTurk at Strange Weather Recording Studio, Brooklyn, NY 

“Jersey,” “Rate,” “September” and “Big Rig Jones” written by Mark Guiliana (HEERNT Music, BMI) 

“inter-are” written by Mark Guiliana (HEERNT Music, BMI) and Gretchen Parlato (Gretchen Parlato Music, ASCAP) 

“Our Lady” and “The Mayor of Rotterdam” written by Chris Morrissey (BMI) 

“BP” written by Rich Hinman (ASCAP) 

“Where Are We Now?” written by David Bowie (Nipple Music, BMI, administered by RZO Music, Inc.)

Donny McCaslin - Beyond Now (2016) MOTÉMA MUSIC

Deeply influenced by the extraordinary experience of collaborating with David Bowie on his final release, 'Blackstar', Donny McCaslin steps forward with 'Beyond Now'. 

Recorded a few months after Bowie's passing, it is a heartfelt dedication to the Starman. Alongside Bowie's 'Last Band' (Jason Lindner, Mark Guiliana, Tim Lefebvre and McCaslin himself), Donny reimagines two Bowie songs, tracks by Deadmau5 and MUTEMATH, plus powerful originals, displaying the rich musicality and innovation that originally led to him working with one of the most creative artists of all time.

"It was like a dream except it was something I never could have dreamed of," reflects McCaslin on working with Bowie. "David Bowie was a visionary artist whose generosity, creative spirit and fearlessness will stay with me the rest of my days. 'Beyond Now' is dedicated to him and to all who loved him."

Comprised of core 'Blackstar' personnel, bassist Tim Lefebvre (Tedeschi Trucks Band, Saturday Night Live), drummer Mark Guiliana (Me'shell Ndegeocello, Brad Mehldau) and Jason Lindner (Now Vs Now), along with guitarist Nate Wood and producer David Binney, 'Beyond Now' is comprised of two Bowie songs, covers of Deadmau5 and MUTEMATH as well as compelling McCaslin originals that include the title composition, inspired by a track inspired by a song McCaslin recorded for 'Blackstar' that didn't make the album.

With three GRAMMY nominations and 11 albums to his name, McCaslin's path to Bowie and 'Beyond Now' can be traced back to 2011 and the release of his album 'Perpetual Motion', taking on an electric direction for the first time in contrast to his previous acoustic projects. Two subsequent albums 'Casting for Gravity' (2012) and 'Fast Future' (2015) released with his working band were directly influenced by electronica artists (covering groups such as Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, and Baths), which netted McCaslin a 2013 GRAMMY nomination for 'Best Improvised Jazz Solo'.

The (as it turned out) once in a lifetime opportunity to work with Bowie came after composer Maria Schneider, a longtime collaborator, recommended McCaslin and his group to Bowie. Schneider and Bowie were collaborating on the track 'Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)', which featured McCaslin as a soloist. In June 2014, Bowie heeded Schneider's advice and made a visit to hear McCaslin and co at the 55 Bar in Greenwich Village. Soon after, Bowie began corresponding with McCaslin over email and sending music, forming a new collaboration and friendship that transpired through the recording of 'Blackstar' until Bowie's passing. The result is 'Beyond Now', which documents the 'Last Band' as they were processing both their grief and Bowie's distinctive impact.

"This new album is an expression of that journey for all of us," says McCaslin. "David allowed 'Blackstar' to be what it was going to be regardless of how people might have categorised it. More than anything, it was his fearlessness in crossing musical boundaries and genres in his music and life that inspired the risks I'm taking in 'Beyond Now'. I am indebted to Bowie for showing me the risks and rewards of going for your uncompromising musical vision."

1 Shake Loose

2 A Small Plot of Land

3 Beyond Now

4 Coelacanth 1

5 Bright Abyss

6 Faceplant

7 Warszawa

8 Glory

9 Remain

Donny McCaslin, tenor sax

Jason Lindner, piano

Tim Lefebvre, bass

Mark Guiliana, drums