'All In' is the exciting new all-instrumental album from Canada's renowned Shuffle Demons who celebrate 37 years in music with their 10th CD! Featuring compositions by four of the five band members, the music ranges from brilliantly composed contemporary jazz to groovy funk jazz reminiscent of the JB Horns or Average White Band, all played with the inimitable Shuffle Demons style and unique sound. With standout solos and dynamic group playing, this album adds a new instrumental-only twist to the Shuffle Demons repertoire and is one of their best albums to date.
1 All In (5:59) (Mike Downes) • Melodic Contemporary Jazz
2 One Step Ahead (4:37) (Richard Underhill) • Jazz Funk
3 Wait, What? (4:15) (Richard Underhill) • Hard Swinging Jazz
4 Watch Your Step (5:48) (Richard Underhill) • Jazz Funk
5 Five’s Company (5:47) (Matt Lagan) • Contemporary Jazz
6 COVID Blues (3:58) (Stich Wynston) • Hard Swinging Contemporary Jazz
7 Walk the Walk (5:02) (Richard Underhill) • Jazz Funk
8 Strange Days (5:27) (Richard Underhill/) • Doom Jazz
9 Inside Out (6:46) (Richard Underhill) • Jazz Funk
10 Let’s Play (6:37) (Matt Lagan) • Contemporary Jazz
Recorded and engineered by Jeremy Darby and Julian Decorte at Canterbury Music Company, Toronto, October 2-4, 2020.
Produced, mixed and mastered by Jono Grant at Victory Drive Music
Cover Art by ‘J.’
Layout and design by Matt Lagan
The cover art was painted by artist ‘J’ who was a camper in Trinity Bellwoods park. To help the homeless in our city, $1 from the sale of each CD will be donated to https://www.sschto.ca/
DIAMOND Dedicated to a dear childhood friend, the pianist/keyboardist András Losó, who was nicknamed gyémánt (Diamond). Unfortunately he passed away very young due to heart disease. Many great memories...I learned a lot from him about playing & music in general. His presence & music brought a lot of joy to many. One of the funniest people ever, too… I incorporated grooves & chord changes that we used to jam on for hours & hours. R.I.P BUDAPEST A song that contains mixed feelings. A bittersweet tribute to one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Many different experiences there for the first 20 years of my life. Some of the best, but unfortunately some of the harshest ones too. OLD SOUL Somehow that’s how this tune felt like to me. That’s the title which came to me from the feeling of it. Musically, this track is all over the map. It has many old & soul-oriented influences from Romani, Folk, Baroque Classical to Jazz, Funk, Gospel, Fusion to Motown & more...it all just came out like that. It also paints a musical picture of my journey from old Europe to North America. PRAISE I used to play in Church a lot. I always try to play the same way I did when I was performing in Church, everytime I am on stage. This song is really a prayer. Praising the One who gave me all good things including music. As my former teacher Jim Blackley said to me: “you are not the doer, you are the instrument”. HOPE A Latin influenced tune, with a positive outlook. I wrote it shortly after winning the Montreux Jazz festival piano competition with a heart full of new hope. DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES One of my favourite standards, with a groovy twist. I love old standards & the joy in finding fresh ways of playing them without losing their meanings. CALHOUN SQUARE A tribute to the one & only Prince. One of the funkiest musicians, multi-instrumentalists & producers who ever lived. He was a musical chameleon. One of the few who knew his craft, kept & respected the tradition, but also brought a totally new thing to the scene.
Produced by Scott Morin and Robi Botos
All Compositions : Robi Botos
except Calhoun Square (Prince) and Days of Wine and Roses (Mancini/Mercer)
Recorded on Sunday, July 3rd at Planet Studios – Montreal, Canada
Engineered by Nicolas Roberge at Planet Studios
Recording Supervised by Dan Cinelli at Planet Studios
Piano Tuning : Oliver White
Mixed by John ‘Beetle’ Bailey at The Drive Shed
Percussion Overdubs Recorded at Sound Lens Studio, Markham, Ontario
Engineer : Ted Sevdalis // Studio Owner : Lenny Binder
All audio Mastered by Peter Letros for Wreckhouse Mastering
Photography : Tracey Nolan
Art Direction and Design : Simon Paul
Production Management : Geoff Lang for A440 Entertainment Inc.
Release Coordination : Celine Peterson and Scott Morin
It has been said that a musician should “tell a story” when they play and storytelling, at its core, is really all about relationships. How characters interact, how they grow or change, and how the audience relates to, responds to or empathizes with those characters is essential. It is the relationships that bring meaning: to the story, its characters, its audience, its author. That is why Kinship is at the heart of this album; it tells the story of the relationships and experiences that inform the artist and bring meaning to the music.
Kinship is the debut solo release from Toronto- based trumpet player John Pittman (The Heavyweights Brass Band, Composer’s Collective Big Band), and features a stellar cast of musicians that were chosen in keeping with the overarching narrative of this record. Shirantha Beddage, Jeff McLeod, Mike Downes and Curtis Nowosad all share a history and a connection with John and, while they are all musical giants individually, their collective studio chemistry is palpable on this release. Kinship is the story of the people and experiences that make us who we are; that which brings meaning to our narrative and communicates what matters most to us. Here’s hoping you find kinship with the artists through your experience of the music.
Featuring four of Canada’s top jazz musicians – Mike Downes (JUNO Award winner 2014), Robi Botos (JUNO Award winner 2016), Ted Quinlan (JUNO nomination 1998) and Larnell Lewis (Grammy Award winner with Snarky Puppy 2017), “Root Structure” explores lyrical compositions with a deep underlying structural integrity. Mike undertook an extensive study of large ensemble writing (including the work of Gil Evans and Maria Schneider), culminating in a Master’s degree in composition and the release of his recording “In the Current,” (Addo Records, 2014) featuring a 12-piece chamber jazz ensemble. Inspired by new approaches to form, structure and the interweaving of improvisation and melodic development, Mike brought these ideas into his latest quartet recording. FromMike Downes –“In music and life, I’ve always been interested in what lies beneath the surface: the underlying structures that hold everything together, the strength that resides deep down. The music in this recording was composed and performed in this spirit.”
"5/5 - This album is as close to perfect as it is possible to get and fully warrants its rating here. Buy it!"Alan Musson, UK Vibe “One of the most intriguing and innovative small group jazz recordings of the year”Lesley Mitchell-Clarke, theWholeNote “Simply beautifully-written repertoire. Downes’ traversal of the ten songs is spellbinding…”Raul da Gama, Toronto Music Report “The new album is amazingly good, the music well composed, the redemption completely eminent and the whole thing so absolutely listenable… compositions and improvisations flow naturally, organically, and it makes the experience special.”Ivan Rod, Danish jazz critic “Mike has produced a beautiful new record that shows the great playing of these heavyweights but also Mike's tremendous compositions.”JAZZ.FM91 First Listen “Root Structure is, as stated, a world class recording from beginning to end… the album presents ten wide-ranging compositions primarily written by Downes and executed with exceptional musicality by the quartet”Textura “The music soars with melody and lush solos along with powerful rhythmic foundation… Jazz versions of classical tunes are common, but this group’s interpretation of a Chopin’s Prelude shows how such a crossover should be done…”Keith Black, The Winnipeg Free Press “Mike Downes' "Root Structure" has everything a jazz lover looks for in a record: outstanding compositions, tight ensemble play and dynamic soloing. "Root Structure" demands repeated listens with constant rewards.”Ron Steeds, CKCU-FM “A super tasty quartet date that's sure to bring him another Juno, this bass ace is incapable of letting you down. By all means, put this winner on your list.”Midwest Record “They swing or they quietly reflect, they expand tunes or play with tightness and precision...The title tune is also funky and catchy..."KUCI.org 88.9 FM
