Anton Delecca - The Offering (November 5, 2021 Earshift Music)

Melbourne based saxophonist-composer Anton Delecca makes his Earshift Music debut with The Offering, an emotional yet powerful dedication to the passing of his parents. Recorded in New York City, the album features pianist Caili O’Doherty, drummer Cory Cox, special guest Blue Note artist, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, alongside Melbourne expat bassist Matt Clohesy. The album bursts with power, groove and passion, paying homage to the memory of his parents who were major supporters of his life in music.

The Offering is the sister album to his award-winning 2013 release The Healer and represents the artistic culmination of living in NYC from 2017-19. Recorded over two freezing days in Brooklyn in December 2019, the album consists of seven original compositions from Delecca along with Barbara by the great Horace Silver, and Skylark, the Hoagy Carmichael classic ballad. “This album represents the spiritual connection and meaning that New York holds for me,” explains Delecca, “much of the music that I have connected to in my life has been made there.” He felt that his musical growth in Melbourne had stagnated. “This album represents the breaking free of some stagnation I was feeling. Living in NY was like coming into the daylight and this recording is the musical representation of that.”

The band consists of some of the best young musicians that New York has to offer. Matt Clohesy played on Anton’s first album released in 2001 and was a fixture in his band for several years. Caili O’Doherty and Delecca undertook their masters together during which time Anton met and played with her husband, drummer Cory Cox. Anton heard Immanuel Wilkins play during a masters recital of a friend at the Juilliard School. Blown away by his playing, and in particular his level of maturity, he asked him to be a part of this recording. “Recording this album was like hanging out with friends whilst making music for two days!” explains Delecca.

This album is the culmination of several years of writing and playing. Some of the material had already been played extensively in Melbourne by his quartet. There’s also a personal element to the album, as Delecca explains, “it is dedicated to the recent passing of both of my parents Marg and Bill. It is in a sense a gift to them both, as they had been major supporters of my life in music from the start.”

Anton Delecca has undergone some personal challenges over the years and music has always been a counterbalance to these. The creation and performing of music is a necessary, life-giving process for Delecca. His sister, who was a musician, studying at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, passed away when he was a child. He was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder in his early 20s which has required ongoing treatment. Through the years he has encountered other challenges including, addiction, the passing of his parents and recently a major operation for bowel cancer.

Anton Delecca has performed with many local and international greats and appeared with his band at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival and the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz among many others. He was also a member of Melbourne funk outfit The Bamboos for 13 years which involved extensive touring and recording commitments.

“The strongest piece for me is the title track, ‘The Healer’……..It is lovely, transporting, spiritual, and has exactly nothing to do with the way much of jazz is played today. Which makes it a truly unique musical experience, beyond genre, as much great music is”

John Hardaker, australianjazz.net

1. Beloved

2. The Offering

3. Invisible Forces

4. Skylark

5. The Flight

6. Barbara

7. The Wooden Bluebird

8. Mother Tongue

9. Promises Promises

Anton Delecca - tenor saxophone

Caili O’Doherty - piano

Matt Clohesy - acoustic bass

Cory Cox - drums

Immanuel Wilkins - alto saxophone tracks 2, 6 & 8

All compositions Anton Delecca except Skylark composed by Hoagy Carmichael, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, arranged by Anton Delecca

Barbara composed by Horace Silver, arranged by Anton Delecca

Recorded 25th & 26th of November 2019, Big Orange Sheep, Brooklyn NYC

Michael Perez-Cisneros - recording & mastering engineer

Kevin Thomas - assistant engineer

PREORDER

Jared Schonig - Two Takes, Vol. 1: Quintet (September 24, 2021 Anzic Records)

When at home in New York City, Schonig is a fixture in both the jazz and Broadway scene- he recently held the drum chair for the critically acclaimed Tony, Grammy and Emmy-award winning Broadway Revival of The Color Purple and is currently playing drums and percussion for Moulin Rouge! The Musical. He also is an in-demand drummer/percussionist for studio recordings, jingle sessions and other commercial music recordings. 

Jared is releasing not one but TWO impressive solo albums - his first as a band leader - featuring his own compositions. One in a quintet setting, the other with big band realizations penned by some of today’s leading arrangers including Jim McNeely, Darcy James Argue, John Daversa and Miho Hazama. This is a stunning, ambitious debut.

Jared Schonig

1. Intro to White

2. White Out

3. Climb

4. Nuts

5. Drum Interlude #1

6. Eight Twenty

7. Drum Interlude #2

8. Tig Mack

9. Sound Evidence

10. Drum Interlude #3

11. Sabotage

12. Gibbs St.

Marquis Hill - trumpet

Godwin Louis - alto saxophone

Luis Perdomo - piano

Matt Clohesy - acoustic bass

Jared Schonig - drums & compositions

Recorded by Owen Mulholland at Sear Sound on September 17-18, 2019 Assisted by Grant Valentine Mixed by Chris Allen at The Mud Room on February 4-5, 2020 Mastered by Mark Wilder at Battery Studios in May, 2021 Artwork and Graphic Design by Madeline Sturm Band Photo by Amy Crawford

Produced by Jared Schonig and Amy Crawford

PRE-ORDER

Davy Mooney & Ko Omura - Benign Strangers (July 27, 2018 SUNNYSIDE RECORDS)

The world is remarkable in that people from far off places and different walks of life can have an immediate, dramatic impact on each other after meeting just once. The notion of meeting a newcomer who embraces new people and ideas but also freely puts forth his own ideas is the theme of guitarist Davy Mooney and drummer Ko Omura’s new recording, Benign Strangers. 

Originally from New Orleans, Mooney is a longtime regular on the New York scene and, for the past year, he has been teaching at his alma mater, the University of North Texas in Denton. Mooney’s two Sunnyside releases, Perrier Street and Hope of Home, highlight his fantastic playing and composing with an incredible cast of musicians graced with the New Orleans magic, including saxophonist John Ellis, pianist Jon Cowherd and drummer Brian Blade. 

Intrigued by the culture after his first visit in 2008, Mooney has been a regular visitor to Japan. After the 2012 release of Perrier Street, he reached out to a Japan based UNT friend for help getting a tour and ensemble together. It was then that Mooney met Ko Omura. 

Omura was born in Tokyo but grew up in the United States and Australia. After graduating from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and a stint in Sydney, Omura returned to Tokyo where he has made his name as a top-notch drummer and organizer and influencer in the local scene. 

Mooney returned to Japan to tour over the next two years. The initial tours mainly featured Mooney’s pieces but a fluid dynamic was enforced as Omura’s influence began to shape the sound of the collaboration by introducing his own music into the touring ensembles. Mooney and Omura’s composing styles are well suited, as they both are melodists of high degree. It wasn’t long before the duo began making plans for further endeavors, including a recording. 

During the brutal cold of January 2018, Mooney and Omura met in New York City to record with a small ensemble. It was a warm, reunion-like atmosphere in the studio, as Mooney had long friendships with all involved. But apart from pianist Glenn Zaleski, it was the first time Omura had met the assembled cast, which included John Ellis, bassist Matt Clohesy and engineer Michael Perez-Cisneros. 

The recording was a true collaboration with Mooney and Omura both providing compositions, which were finely tuned in the studio. The resulting recording is a stirring collection of original pieces that prove that jazz is a language that spans the globe. 

The recording begins with Omura’s sweeping “Benign Strangers,” an homage to individuals, now friends, from all over the globe who have helped him along his musical path. Mooney’s “In This Balance of Time” is a beauty with interesting form and shifting meters, while his “Dim” is an intriguing experiment with the diminished chords. Omura’s “Subconscious Partner” is a breezy tune that shares gratitude to the inner voice that pushes us on our way. Omura has traveled to India to study the tabla over the past four years and his talent on the twin drums is evident on his “Unimagined Virtues,” which is performed in a trio with Mooney and Ellis. 

Named for a street sign he sees on his way to work each day, Mooney’s “Shady Shores” is a bright and inspiring piece, which features solos from Zaleski and Mooney. The title for Omura’s quietly stoic “Hiraeth” comes from a Welsh word meaning nostalgia or longing and provides a perfect vehicle for Clohesy’s bass feature. Mooney’s angular “Polly Pulse” is a tricky, polyrhythmic piece and a departure from the guitarist’s usual compositional style. “The Heights” is another from Mooney’s book that shows his talent at writing catchy material in service to improvisation. The recording concludes with Omura’s “29th Road,” a lilting composition named for a street in a Mumbai suburb that had a spiritual feel and the most jovial stray dogs on the planet. 

Bright things can happen when worlds collide. Two individuals of diverse backgrounds can come together to create beautiful music, as is the case with Davy Mooney and Ko Omura on their lovely new Benign Strangers.

1. Benign Strangers 06:27

2. In This Balance of Time

3. DIM

4. Subconscious Partner

5. Unimagined Virtues

6. Shady Shores 06:25

7. Hiraeth

8. Polly Pulse

9. The Heights

10. 29th Road

Davy Mooney - guitar

John Ellis - soprano, tenor sax, bass clarinet, clarinet

Glenn Zaleski - piano

Matt Clohesy - acoustic bass

Ko Omura - drums, tabla

Fabio Marziali Quintet - Windows and Light (2018)

Fabio Marziali is an Italian Alto Sax player currently living in Amsterdam. Named one of the most promising Italian jazz musicians on the scene at the moment. His new release “Windows and Light” is his fifth album as a leader and presents nine original tracks composed by Marziali.

Windows and Light features a quintet with Jonathan Kreisberg on guitar and a rhythm section comprising of Glenn Zaleski – piano,  Matt Clohesy – double bass and Colin Stranahan on drums.

The first thing that comes to mind when you press play is the exceptional sound that Marziali has developed on the Alto,  sweet where need be and growling where appropriate.  Marziali provides the perfect counterbalance for Jonathan Kreisberg, who in my mind,  is equally the star of this show.

While there is no solo room to speak of provided to the rhythm section they are omnipresent and consistently tight throughout the album providing a solid basis for Marziali and Kreisberg. The third track on the album, “October”,  is a prime example of how this quintet functions as fully integrated whole.

This album is largely a high energy affair with the exception of tracks like “Ancient Ruins” and “A safe place” providing a quiet resting place. The albums opening track, “Underground Tale” sets the tone for the album with it’s unisono theme giving way to a superbly constructed solo by Kreisberg before passing the ball to Marziali. On this track and indeed the entire album,  Marziali shows his command of the instrument while exploring the full range that the Alto sax provides.

Closing out the album is “True friend”,  a slightly more pop oriented track featuring an interesting rhythm track with piano and acoustic guitar fitting seamlessly together. On top of this we have once again the melody played in unison giving way to solo’s by guest guitarist Marcel Liu and Marziali.

Personal highlights of this album include Kreisberg’s solo on ‘October’ and Marziali’s solo on the lilting ballad “Ancient Ruins’. The arrangements are strong ensuring a great balance between the arranged and improvised sections.

This album is not produced to be put on as background music, it commands your attention from start to finish. The performances are exceptional as is the quality of the recording. This album is highly recommended.

1. Underground tale

2. Ancient Ruins

3. October Seven

4. Windows and lights

5. A safe place

6. Unexpected Event

7. Illusionary Event

8. Falling Spirit

9. True friend (Marcel Liu on solo guitar)

Fabio Marziali, Alto Sax

Jonathan Kreisberg, Guitar

Glenn Zaleski, Piano

Matt Clohesy, Double Bass

Colin Stranahan Drums