Kevin Eubanks & Orrin Evans Collaborate on 'EEE THE EUBANKS-EVANS-EXPERIENCE' due out March 18, 2022 (Imani Records)

Imani Records Announces the Release of EEE: The Eubanks-Evans-Experience, A Dauntless, Exploratory Duo Debut For Two World-Renowned Jazz Icons, Guitarist Kevin Eubanks and Pianist Orrin Evans

Available on March 18, 2022 

Bi-coastal Tour Announced; Dates in NYC, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Oakland, Phoenix and more!

Imani Records is excited to announce the forthcoming release of EEE (Eubanks-Evans-Experience), the debut duo recording by two of jazz’s most acclaimed and eclectic artists. Due out March 18, 2022, EEE brings together guitar great Kevin Eubanks with adventurous pianist Orrin Evans for a set that’s as wide-ranging and unpredictable as audiences have come to expect from these two risk-takers. Created in an atmosphere of spontaneity and try-anything experimentation, the repertoire veers from gut-rumbling blues to delicate, airy impressionism, mixing up on-the-spot originals with funk-jazz deep cuts and classic tunes by jazz masters. Audiences will have an opportunity to hear these two greats live during March and April of this year as they embark on a tour throughout California, the Pacific NorthWest and the NorthEast.

Eubanks and Evans share more than their Philly roots – though that’s not an aspect that can be discounted, and the city’s tension between brotherly love and gritty attitude courses through the album’s veins. Both also bring a wealth of experience to the table, along with a friendship of long standing. Eubanks, middle brother of the well-known jazz family, made his name through a series of electrifying releases in the 1980s before spending a decade and a half as bandleader for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Since that stint ended in 2010, he’s reemerged as a vital voice on the modern jazz scene leading his own bands along with resuming his partnership with bassist Dave Holland in the band Prism. Nominated for a 2018 Grammy Award for his Captain Black Big Band, Evans has been splitting his time recently between his own prolific performing career and newly appointed role as the Artist in Residence of the DC Jazz Festival. 

While EEE marks the pair’s recording debut as a duo, there’s an inviting ease and a scintillating chemistry to the meeting of Evans and Eubanks that speaks to their parallel histories as well as their shared fearlessness. That’s reflected in the offbeat choice of material on the album, most of which was decided upon at the spur of the moment – both in the studio and on stage at Philadelphia’s Chris’ Jazz Cafe. 

The album harkens back to Eubanks’ 1983 debut Guitarist with the album’s opening track “The Novice Bounce”, beginning the album with a sauntering improvisation which builds into a soulful bounce, wrife with moments of tasteful interplay. The duo continues with a reimagining of the Tom Browne song “Dream of Lovin’ You”. Departing from the funky upbeat feel of the original, this version is an introspective ballad, fully embodying the “dream” aspect of the title. Evans contributed the heartfelt ballad “Dawn Marie”, a tribute to his wife and creative partner, Dawn Warren Evans. 

Photos of Orrin Evans and Kevin Eubanks by Anna Webber

Freedom is a theme that runs throughout the DNA of this release, and the freedom of two like-minded, and deeply well-versed artists playing in a duo context allows for spontaneous creation of the highest echelon. “I like to play with musicians where you don’t have to talk much; you just find a feeling and a direction and go there together,” says Eubanks, “There’s a certain trust that the person is going to bring a vibe, a texture and a personality to the song, even if you’re making up as you go along. With Orrin, I feel confident that if we say, ‘Let’s just start a song,’ we can do that; but if we want something really articulate and planned out, we don’t have any problem with doing that either.” Tunes such as “I Don’t Know” and “And… They Ran Out of Bisquits!” tap into that freedom with spontaneous compositions stemming from a single melody or groove and blossoming into truly expansive works. 

“Variations on The Battle” and “Variations on Adoration”, recorded live at Chris’ Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia, allow the duo to stretch out for nearly thirteen minutes, performing variations on Evans’ “Half the Battle”, then doing the same for “Adoration” a ballad from Eubanks’ Zen Food album that also served as his farewell performance on The Tonight Show.

“What I love about Kevin is he’s not afraid of the journey,” Evans says. “When you have nothing to prove, the possibilities of the music are just amazing, and that’s pretty much what’s happening here.”

Tracklisting:

1. Novice Bounce (6:54)

2. Dreams Of Loving You (4:40)

3. I Don't Know (5:39)

4. And... They Ran Out of Bisquits! (3:36)

5. Dawn Marie (5:19)

6. Variations on The Battle (13:02)

7. Variations on Adoration (8:51)

Eubanks-Evans-Experience Spring 22’ Tour Dates

March 26, 2022 / Townhall (Seattle, WA) TICKETS / INFO

March 27, 2022 / The Old Church (Portland, OR) TICKETS / INFO

March 30, 2022 / Yoshi’s (Oakland, CA) TICKETS / INFO

March 31, 2022 / Kuumbwa (Santa Cruz, CA) TICKETS / INFO

April 1, 2022 / TBA (Los Angeles, CA)  

April 2, 2022 / Jazz at the Athenaeum (San Diego, CA) TICKETS / INFO

April 3, 2022 / Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix, AZ) TICKETS / INFO

April 22, 2022 / World Cafe Live (Downstairs) (Philadelphia, PA) TICKETS / INFO

April 23, 2022 / Le Poisson Rouge (New York, NY) TICKETS / INFO

April 24, 2022 / City Winery (Washington, DC) TICKETS / INFO

April 28, 2022 / One Longfellow Square (Portland, ME) TICKETS / INFO

April 29, 2022 / Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club (Portsmouth, NH) TICKETS / INFO

Michael Feinberg’s HARD TIMES (w/ Orrin Evans, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts) is out October 22 via Fresh Sound

Bassist Michael Feinberg Releases Provocative New Album HARD TIMES, due out October 22, 2021 via Fresh Sound

Bassist and composer Michael Feinberg issues Hard Times, out on October 22, his eighth album as a leader spotlighting a fiercely integrative sound. At once stark and uplifting, the Fresh Sounds release expresses his layered response to the pandemic that, “offered some challenging opportunities,” according to the New York-based artist, who contends Hard Times “is the culmination of those challenges and opportunities.”

Primed for spontaneous expansion, the collection of largely original compositions reflects an aesthetic containing multitudes. “It’s a pretty diverse album in terms of the music,” he says. “It’s pretty eclectic.” Serving as co-producer alongside Jordi Pujol, Feinberg booked David Amlen to record the music at Sound on Sound Studios in Jersey, and Michael Perez-Cisneros to mix and master the album at Big Orange Sheep. 

For Feinberg and his collaborators, Hard Times offers room to wail and room to contemplate and, at its core, room to stretch. As a result of the lockdown, he seized an opportunity to assemble a band of perennially touring artists, including Leo Genovese on keyboards and synths, Billy Buss on trumpet, Godwin Louis on alto, Noah Preminger on tenor, Gabriel Globus-Hoenig on percussion, Orrin Evans on piano and special guest Randy Brecker for one texturally lavish, melodious track. 

Once he secured Jeff “Tain” Watts for the studio date, Feinberg began composing much of the music as well as the arrangements with the drummer’s nuanced expression in mind. “He’s someone who I’ve listened to for so long and have such deep respect for,” says Feinberg. “I wanted to bring out elements of his playing I really like.” 

Partly for Tain, partly in service of his own expression, Feinberg sought to create a groove-driven album that welcomes dualities and apparent contradictions. “A lot of the interest I have in music comes from disparate worlds combining — the order in the chaos,” he says. “Not that it’s always chaos [laughs]; it can be beautiful, tranquil.” Hard Times presents structured concepts of patterns and groove, allowing Feinberg and his fellow artists to respond with an elasticity and a pervading freedom to take scripted music and spontaneous melodies wherever they mean to go. “It creates the tension and release within the ensemble,” he says, “rather than just with the notes on the page.” 

Photos of Michael Feinberg courtesy of the artist

From opening colors on track one’s dedication to master forgers Pei-Shen Qian and Rudy Kurniawan, Hard Times reveals inquiry within the music. In addition to his strength and subtlety on the kit, Tain’s attention to leaving and creating space for idea development persists across the album. Through his arrangement of “Nardis,” Feinberg seeks to honor the pivotal apprenticeship gig with Russell Gunn he landed when he was coming up in Atlanta. Full on the low-end, the groove swells and recedes, arcing the music from one section to the next. “Husafell Stone” hits the listener with a fullness up front. Taking the first solo, Evans allows the composition’s syncopated melody to serve as point of origin before Buss delivers his own swinging response. 

Twin McCoy tracks “Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit” and “Three Flowers” pay tribute to a recently departed hero of Feinberg’s, the latter piece featuring a dualism is his bass solo characteristic of the entire record: strength in sensitivity. “These performances are intended as a tribute to him, as well as keeping the flame lit for those who love his music,” he says in his album notes. Written as a feature for Louis and Buss, “Janky in the Middle” spotlights the artists’ interplay, offering each opportunities to play with, alongside and against what the other proffers. The resulting dialogue creates smaller arcs in the music that punctuate the movement of the tune. Feinberg has played together with both artists for the past decade and a half. “We have that comfort to take those chances,” he says, “knowing we can find our way back once we get out there [laughs].” 

Flush with lamentation, “Every. Damn. Day. (Burn it down blues)” acknowledges and honors the continued generational trauma inflicted on the Black community as a result of racism, police brutality and gun violence. “Lauren’s Song” features another of Feinberg’s beautiful and tender melodies. In his signature language, Brecker speaks in full voice on “Monkeys Never Cramp.” Concluding on a note of jubilance and healing, “Hard Times” features Feinberg’s resonating walk and swinging melodies. He admits, however, he can only make suggestions; in the moment, sound is fluid. “Everything’s always in flux in the music,” he says. “It can go anywhere at any time, and everyone in the band knows that so we’re ready for it.” 

Fresh Sound Records Website

Ember with Orrin Evans - No One Is Any One (October 29, 2021 Sunnyside Records)

Music making is enhanced when the music is made with friends. The ability to involve peers who are experiencing life in a similar way makes communication and organization more natural. The Ember band is composed of three Brooklyn based jazz musicians and comrades. The group’s new recording, No One Is Any One, shows that the bond and aesthetic that the members have built is solid yet expandable, with the addition of pianist Orrin Evans for a handful of tracks.

Ember came together in 2017 when saxophonist Caleb Curtis, bassist Noah Garabedian, and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza began to assemble at rehearsals that would become as much conversations on music and values as actual playing. The members realized quickly that their openness and stylistic breadth led them quickly to a place of comfort in performance, their deep relationships leading to their understanding of musical needs and inspiring hopes of further development.

Garabedian and Sperrazza came from backgrounds in grooving, instrumental R&B music, while Curtis was more devoutly in the jazz world. The Brooklyn jazz scene provides a hospitable, if maybe under-recognized, scene of musicians who can reach across genre boundaries to make creative music.

Ember’s initial recording, New Year, came out under the names of the three members in 2018. The group’s first thought for recording was to approach the process casually, perhaps recording an album of standards. Instead, the members decided to write their own music, music that felt like standards rather than the overly complicated exercises that many in their community focus on. Ember wanted their music to be approachable in their everyday, musical life. Tunes that they could return to as part of their own canon.

A South Arts Grant in 2019 allowed Ember to tour and be clinicians for two weeks. The musicians developed a new set of music for the tour and committed it to memory, so that they would be naked on stage. Just the music and the possibilities within. Ember had intentions of recording the new material in March 2020 when the pandemic struck.

After months of isolation, Curtis, Garabedian, and Sperrazza began to meet in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park in impromptu rehearsals as performances. The organic nature of the meetings and the group’s desire to move forward led them to set up a recording at the Samurai Hotel studio at the end of July.

Curtis invited his friend and frequent collaborator Orrin Evans to join the group on the recording session. The involvement of Evans could be seen as an intermingling of two musical scenes, as the Philly based pianist has become well known for his post-bop inflected original music and for becoming the Bad Plus’s second pianist. But, in reality, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement that solidified Ember’s aesthetic and accessibility.

The recording begins with Curtis’s “Reanimation (Zombie Tune),” a tongue in cheek piece with a humble but rocking bassline from Garabedian, the ear taught tune establishing Ember’s sound identity immediately. Garabedian’s solo bass introduces his “Josephine and Daphne,” a piece inspired by Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis’s characters from Some Like It Hot, who find meaning in their lives when they adopt female personas to be in an all-woman jazz band. The blues-forward sound of Sperrazza’s “No One Is Any One” finds its essence in simplicity; its title is derived from the writer’s discourse on, and eschewal of, the cult of personality. “Pilot Light” shows another element of Ember’s identity, composing in real time through collective improvisation.

Curtis’s sharp and snappy “Glass House” is inspired by woodwind legend Thomas Chapin’s groundbreaking trio, the song approximating the group’s ability to balance chaos and fragility. Curtis’s mesmerizing “Peace of Deoxygenated Sleep” comes from his hour-long piece, Bottom Feeders, and is meant to mirror the quiet at the bottom of the ocean. Orrin Evans’s gorgeous sound adds additional resonance to the weight of the piece. Evans returns on Curtis’s “Thomas,” another unsettled, attention grabbing piece that once again channels Thomas Chapin’s fearlessness.

Written in a sudden burst of inspiration in a 15-minute span, Sperrazza’s “Graceful Without Grace” is a thoughtful piece that reflects on the Protestant idea of God’s grace being inherent. Garabedian’s “Chia-Sized Standing Desk” is evocative of something never heard before, an experimental composition that shows Ember’s appreciation for the AACM’s meditative sound worlds. The recording concludes with Sperrazza’s “Harvey Pekar” from his suite called One Day, the composition taking its name from the well-known jazz critic who had a talent of finding beauty where there usually wasn’t any.

The depth of the band Ember’s collaborative energy and understanding are eye and ear opening. Caleb Curtis, Noah Garabedian, and Vinnie Sperrazza create music that is inspirational and meaningful on their new recording, No One Is Any One. 

1. Reanimation (Zombie Tune)

2. Josephine and Daphne

3. No One Is Any One

4. Pilot Light

5. Glass House

6. Peace of Deoxygenated Sleep

7. Thomas

8. Graceful Without Grace

9. Chia-Sized Standing Desk

10. Harvey Pekar

Caleb Wheeler Curtis - alto saxophone

Noah Garabedian - bass

Vinnie Sperrazza - drums

Orrin Evans - piano (6-9)

PREORDER

Orrin Evans | "The Magic of Now" | Smoke Sessions Records

Pianist Orrin Evans Boldly Embraces

Challenges and Change to Create Music of

Beauty and Meaning in the Present Time

The Magic of Now Reconnects Evans with

Immanuel Wilkins, Vicente Archer, and Bill Stewart

moke Sessions Records proudly releases The Magic of Now, Orrin Evans’ sixth leader album for the label, and the 20th of the 46-year-old pianist-composer’s luminous career. Recorded in the midst of the upheavals set in motion by the COVID-19 pandemic, this latest recording of Evans’ kaleidoscopic artistic journey coincides with several self-generated sea changes in his life. For one thing, Evans and his wife recently sold their Philadelphia home of 20 years to their oldest son. For another, on March 15th, Evans ended a three-year association with the popular piano trio The Bad Plus to focus on musical projects under his own name.

“People have had to make adjustments and be reborn to a certain extent,” Evans says by way of explaining the title. “We’re past the point where we didn’t know what was going on or what the future would look like. Now we’re settling into what our ‘new normal’ will be, embracing the magic of now and the shape of what will happen next.”

The Magic of Now was recorded at SMOKE during the second weekend of December 2020 by Evans and a multi-generational cohort of A-list partners – first-call New York bassist Vicente Archer; iconic drummer Bill Stewart; and the dynamic 23-year-old alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins. They generate an eight-piece program that exemplifies state-of-the-art modern jazz, including three tunes apiece by the leader and Wilkins (whose 2020 Blue Note debut, Omega, was named “Best Debut Jazz Recording of 2020” by NPR Music and number-one jazz recording of 2020 by the New York Times). From the first note to the last, the quartet, convening as a unit for the first time, displays the cohesion and creative confidence of old friends.

Actually, “old friends” is a precise descriptor for the protagonists. “This album is a reunion,” explains Evans, who met Archer when both moved to New York City during the mid-1990s. He began playing frequently with Stewart when saxophone titan Steve Wilson hired both to play in his Wilsonian Grain quartet in 2008. In 2013, he played “big fun” trio gigs with Archer and Stewart at the Litchfield Jazz Festival and the Detroit Jazz Festival, and used Stewart on his 2014 Smoke Session album Liberation Blues.

Evans initially met Wilkins – a fellow Philadelphia resident – when teaching him at a summer music camp. They first shared the Smoke Jazz Club bandstand in 2018, when Evans to organize a series called “Philly Meets New York.” Their simpatico intensified last summer, as Evans recruited Wilkins to play several self-produced “Club Patio” concerts outside his Philadelphia home.

“I knew Immanuel as a performer and a saxophonist, but not as a composer until I played some of his pieces during that series,” Evans says. “I loved the compositions, how he treated them within a set, and how he put everything together. Playing other people’s music inspires me.”

Producer Paul Stache, who’d personally experienced the Evans-Wilkins simpatico during a Wilkins-led livestream at Smoke last August, suggested the matchup. “I’d wanted to do more with Vicente and Bill after 2013, but they ended up playing with Nicholas Payton for a few years and I couldn’t figure out a way to put it back together,” Evans says. “By happenstance, we were all at home during the pandemic.”

“I love Vicente’s fearlessness,” says Evans, himself known for applying a “kamikaze” attitude to jazz expression since he began leading groups in his late teens. “He learns the music and then adds so much to the conversation by playing harmonic and rhythmic ideas you might not have thought of. And I love the way that Bill’s drums sound – his cymbal choices, the way he tunes his bass drum and snare drum.”

As for Wilkins, Evans appreciates his lovely tone throughout the alto’s registral range; his command of a broad swath of jazz lineage; his “ability to bring music to the table and let it breathe, allowing myself, Vicente and Bill to bring something to it totally different than what his band would do.”

On The Magic of Now, the members apply their collective mojo to three heretofore unrecorded Wilkins songs, including the gorgeous ballad “The Poor Fisherman,” of which Evans (a master of the genre) remarks, “I’ve always wanted to write a ballad like that.” The leader notes the “relaxed” quality that Archer and Stewart impart to the 5/4 time signature that underpins the melody-drenched “Levels,” on which composer and leader engage in probing dialogue before each uncorks a commanding solo. Evans also applauds Wilkins’ “Momma Loves,” analogizing it to “a modern-day Monk tune, or modern-day bebop, with extra bars that make it feel weird – everyone plays right on through it.”

The program opens with a medley of Stewart’s anthemic “Mynah” (which debuted on Stewart’s 1997 Blue Note album, Telepathy) and Mulgrew Miller’s “The Eleventh Hour,” a blues that Evans describes as “a melody that, when you get in there, it’s going to start swinging.” That understates what the unit does on this ferociously executed, up-tempo tour de force, on which Wilkins and Evans refract the language of seminal ’60s modernism into their respective argots, propelled by stalwart beat flow from Archer and Stewart.

The first of Evans’ three tunes is “Libra,” a stick-to-the-ribs melody that previously appeared on Evans’ self-released Luvpark and White Boy, You Don’t Know Nothin’ About No Barbecue. “I wanted to hear what Bill would play,” says Evans, whose intensely percussive solo dances to the “distinctive groove” of Stewart, who played regularly with jazz-funk saxophone legend Maceo Parker during the early ’90s.

Evans dedicated the medium-up swinger “MAT-Matt” – which debuted on Evans’ 1999 album Listen To The Band and was reprised on the 2010 date Faith and Action – to his two sons, now 28 and 23. “It speaks to watching them grow,” he says.

The intensity winds down on the set-closing “Dave,” a pensive ballad on which Stewart showcases his skill at flowing in the rubato space. As on the preceding tunes, where he explores numerous dimensions of piano expression, Evans projects his singular voice onto the 88 keys.

“I love the sound of the piano and drums on this record – and I love the sound at Smoke,” Evans says of The Magic of Now. “I love the energy – so close, so intimate. And I appreciate having a long-standing relationship with Paul Stache that’s built on mutual respect. That has a lot to do with how much I enjoy playing music there.”

1 Mynah / The Eleventh Hour

2 Libra

3 The Poor Fisherman

4 MAT-Matt

5 Levels

6 Momma Loves

7 Dave

PREORDER

Jon Gordon - Stranger Than Fiction (September 17th 2021 via ArtistShare)

Jon Gordon is one of the most accomplished and in demand alto and soprano saxophonists of his generation. A past winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, Gordon has made multiple appearances in Downbeat Magazine’s critics poll over the years. His past recordings havebeen consistently celebrated for their unique brilliance.

Gordon’s new ArtistShare release Stranger Than Fiction is a nonet project of all original music. It features faculty members and former students from the University of Manitoba jazz program - where Gordon teaches - alongside special guests from across North America, including jazz greats Orrin Evans, John Ellis, and Alan Ferber, among others. Stranger Than Fiction is an incredible addition to an already remarkable catalogue of music.

“Jon Gordon is one of the greatest alto players ever.”

Phil Woods

“Gordon has embraced the history of his instrument, carrying with it the ability to extend music as a universal language.”

Wayne Shorter

Stranger Than Fiction will be released worldwide

on Friday, September 17th 2021 via ArtistShare.

1. Pointillism 3:32

2. Havens 7:15

3. Stranger Than Fiction 7:19

4. Dance 7:24

5. Sunyasin 1:28

6. Counterpoint 6:59

7. Bella 7:50

8. Modality 7:04

9. Steps 0:51

10. Waking Dream 4:32

Jon Gordon - Alto Saxophone

Derrick Gardner - Trumpet

Alan Ferber - Trombone

Reginald Lewis - Tenor Saxophone (1, 7-10)

Tristan Martinuson - Tenor Saxophone (1-6)

John Ellis - Bass Clarinet (1-4, 6-8)

Anna Blackmore - Bass Clarinet (1, 5, 9, 10)

Jocelyn Gould - Guitar and Vocals (1, 5)

Larry Roy - Guitar Solo (6)

Will Bonness - Piano (all but 3 and 7)

Orrin Evans - Piano (3, 7)

Julian Bradford - Bass

Fabio Ragnelli - Drums

PREORDER

Caleb Wheeler Curtis - Ain't No Storm (2021 Imani Records)

This recording would not have been possible without the support and tremendous positive energy from everyone involved. Thank you Orrin, you’re a lighthouse. The area you have illuminated helps us all enjoy the music, the process, and life. Thank you to Josh, Chet, Luques, Mark and Julius for having fun and bringing life and vitality to the music. Thank you to Sarah, my great friend and collaborator, for joining us. Collaboration is music. To Ben Rubin, for being involved all the way through the recording; from conversations, producing, and mixing, thank you for making it sound great. And last, but certainly not least, thank you to Marta Sánchez for her love, her support, and for inspiring me to reach past my goals.

Caleb Wheeler Curtis

1. La Tortuga 03:08

2. Day 3 04:55

3. Torrential 04:00

4. The Importance of Abstraction 04:37

5. Ain't No Storm 04:38

6. The Others 05:50

7. Failure is an Option 03:48

8. A Cautionary Tale in Two Parts 02:34

9. That Which Cannot Be Replaced 05:27

10. Dystopia 02:38 video

11. Portrait 06:19

All songs and lyrics by Caleb Wheeler Curtis (BMI)

Caleb Wheeler Curtis – alto saxophone

Josh Lawrence – trumpet

Chet Doxas – tenor saxophone

Luques Curtis – double bass

Mark Whitfield Jr. – drums

With:

Julius Rodriguez – piano (1, 6, 11)

Sarah Elizabeth Charles – voice (4, 5)

Orrin Evans – piano (4)

Produced by Orrin Evans and Ben Rubin

Mixed by Ben Rubin at the House of Cha Cha, Brooklyn, NY

Mastered by Katsuhiko Naito

Recorded by Katsuhiko Naito with assistance from Teng Chen and Ben Rubin at Samurai Hotel, Astoria, NY on March 18, 2019

Pre-order

Jim Snidero - Live at the Deer Head Inn (March 26, 2021 Savant)

As with many professions, it was a difficult thing to be a jazz musician during the pandemic year of 2020, but alto saxophonist Jim Snidero found himself in a unique situation: he was able to assemble a quartet for a feasible, safe, limited-audience gig at Pennsylvania's famed Deer Head Inn. Snidero and his colleagues relished the chance to commune with listeners, and one another, on the bandstand again at long last. Live at the Deer Head Inn is the result, and as Snidero remarks in the liner notes, "It just felt like the perfect opportunity to cut through the fog of this damn pandemic and mark this moment in time." The energy and excitement are palpable on this, as Snidero rallies his players and the audience in an exuberant set of what he calls "comfort music," beginning with a trenchant take on Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time" (with Bird's daughter, Kim Parker, in attendance to hear it). The depth of swing and interplay is evident in every measure, and Snidero's sound and phrasing reveal a disposition of his own, guided by a unique melodic and harmonic concept — qualities that have earned him recognition in the Downbeat and JazzTimes Critics Polls.

Band Intro by Denny Carrig

Now's the Time

Autumn Leaves

Intro to "Ol' Man River"

Ol' Man River

Bye Bye Blackbird

Idle Moments

Who Can I Turn To

My Old Flame

Yesterdays

Jim Snidero, alto saxophone

Orrin Evans, piano

Peter Washington, bass

Joe Farnsworth, drums

Pre-order

Charlie Porter - Hindsight (2021 OA2 Records)

Internationally acclaimed GRAMMY Award Winning trumpeter and composer Charlie Porter first cut his teeth on the New York jazz scene, while simultaneously studying classical trumpet performance at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of famed trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis.

Not a stranger to the idea of infusing one's art with examinations of societal conditions, Grammy-winning trumpeter Charlie Porter follows 2019's "Immigration Nation" with thoughts of how we act in hindsight to deal with the collateral damage of 'progress' and the centuries-old struggles with racism, inequality and corruption. Born during the upheavals of 2020, "Hindsight" reflects the tumult, uncertainty, and fiery emotions of the times, yet with the recent birth of his son, and thoughts of how we're going to leave the planet for the next generation, his "For Ellis" closes the album with a gospel choir and a hymn of hope. Joining Porter on the wide-ranging set of originals are saxophonist Nick Biello, pianist Orrin Evans, guitarist Mike Moreno, bassists David Wong & Damian Erskine, Behn Gillece on vibes, drummer Kenneth Salters, along with several guest performers. "Porter's playing is fluid, expressive, and magnificent." - DOWNBEAT

1 Tipping Point 5:49

2 Hindsight 7:00

3 Walking The Plank 6:51

4 Things Fall Apart 7:53

5 Requiem 7:38

6 In Short Supply 9:45

7 Going Viral 5:55

8 Paradise Lost 5:33

9 For Ellis 4:18

All music by Charlie Porter

Porter House Music (ASCAP)

(4) lyrics by Majid Khaliq

(6) lyrics by Madelaina Piazza

Charlie Porter - trumpet

Nick Biello - alto & soprano saxophones (1,6,8), keyboards (7,8)

Mike Moreno - guitar (3-6,8)

Behn Gillece - vibraphone (2,6)

Orrin Evans - piano/keyboards

David Wong - bass

Damian Erskine - fretless electric bass (4)

Kenneth Salters - drums

Jimmie Herrod - vocals (4,6)

Rasheed Jamal - rap vocals (6)

Majid Khaliq - violin (4)

Bassekou Kouyate - ngoni (African traditional guitar) (6)

Mahamadou Tounkara - ntama (African talking drum) (6)

Hallowed Halls Gospel Choir (9)

Pre-order

Ralph Bowen - Power Play (February 2011 Posi-Tone Records)

Saxophonist Ralph Bowen brings forward a full complement of tour de force performances on his 2011 release "Power Play." Highlighted by a strong program of new compositions by Bowen, the album also features powerful showings by the stellar pianist Orrin Evans, the solid bassist Kenny Davis and the ever exciting drummer Donald Edwards, all of whom work seamlessly together to keep the session in the pocket. Most of all, Bowen shoots and scores with his effortless mastery and melodic brilliance on his saxophone, and "Power Play" is a hard hitting collection of performances that will certainly entertain jazz enthusiasts again and again with amazement and delight.

1. K.D.'s Blues 04:40

2. Drumheller Valley 06:19

3. Two-Line Pass 05:05

4. My One And Only Love 05:27

5. The Good Shepherd 06:26

6. Bella Firenze 08:22

7. Jessica 06:28

8. Walleye Jigging 05:31

9. A Solar Romance 06:31

Ralph Bowen - tenor saxophone, alto saxophone 2, soprano saxophone 7 & 9

Orrin Evans - piano

Kenny Davis - bass

Donald Edwards - drums

Marc Free - producer

Nick O’Toole - engineer

Barry Shapiro - associate producer

recorded February 4, 2009 at Acoustic Recording, Brooklyn, NY

mixed & mastered at Studio 507, Los Angeles, CA

Pre-order

Josh Lawrence - Contrast (POSI-TONE RECORDS 2018)

Trumpet player Josh Lawrence examines the scene from a whole new perspective on "Contrast,” his second release for Posi-Tone. Using both his instrument and his skills as a bandleader, Lawrence succeeds in making another inspired statement by exploring several different musical avenues with his "Color Theory" project. Also featured on the record are the colors and sounds of alto saxophonist Caleb Curtis, trombonist David Gibson pianists Orrin Evans and Zaccai Curtis, bassist Luques Curtis, and drummer Anwar Marshall. The session is elegantly lyrical and clearly suggestive of a modern jazz sensibility. With an amazing combination of talents, brilliant performances, and an evocative program of new original compositions, "Contrast" is sure to bring bright moments of intense delight to serious listeners and jazz fans everywhere.

David Murray (feat. Saul Williams) - Blues for Memo (MOTEMA MUSIC 2018)

The new album from jazz innovator David Murray and acclaimed actor/poet Saul Williams ‘Blues for Memo’ is out now. This album is a  powerful, political expression of the blues, paying homage to a pioneer of Istanbul’s jazz scene, Mehmet “Memo” Uluğ, inspired further by the legendary conductor/cornetist Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris and poet Amiri Baraka.

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Josh Lawrence - Color Theory (POSI-TONE RECORDS 2017)

Josh Lawrence brings a full complement of tones and contrasts to his new record "Color Theory." Featuring a powerful line-up fronted by Lawrence's trumpet, keyboardist Adam Faulk, pianist Orrin Evans, and alto saxophonist Caleb Curtis, everything stays straight forward and swinging hard while the rhythm section of bassist Madison Rast and drummer Anwar Marshall keep everything honest and in the pocket. The music is meant to be reflections of the entire spectrum, and the musical program covers several hues and shades with an exciting and evocative presentation of Lawrence's amazing new original compositions. "Color Theory" features an amazing combination of talents and a highlight reel of brilliant performances. Josh Lawrence is a new star on the jazz horizon and his music is sure to bring bright moments to jazz fans everywhere.

Yellow

Presence

The Ripoff

RED!

The Conceptualizer

Green

Black

An Uptown Romance

Purple (4 Prince)

Blue

On The Yangtze

Josh Lawrence - trumpet

Caleb Curtis - sax

Brent White - trombone

Orrin Evans - piano

Adam Faulk - fender rhodes

Madison Rast - bass

Anwar Marshall - drums

Kevin Eubanks - East West Time Line (MACK AVENUE RECORDS 2017)

Guitarist Kevin Eubanks’ Unique Perspective on

Musical Landscape of East and West Coasts

Shines with New Mack Avenue Records Release

East West Time Line, Available April 7, 2017

East Coast Band (Side A) Features:

Nicholas Payton, Orrin Evans,

Dave Holland and Jeff “Tain” Watts

West Coast Band (Side B) Features:

Bill Pierce, Rene Camacho,

Marvin “Smitty” Smith and Mino Cinelu

Joining Eubanks on this stellar outing are longtime collaborator and former Berklee College of Music schoolmate, drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith, who fuels the West Coast outfit alongside seasoned session bassist Rene Camacho, percussionist Mino Cinelu and saxophonist Bill Pierce.

Smith’s East Coast counterpart on this bi-coastal session is the irrepressibly swinging Jeff “Tain” Watts, a force of nature on the kit who combines with bassist Dave Holland, Philadelphia-based pianist Orrin Evans and New York trumpeter Nicholas Payton for a potent lineup. Together these great musicians bring out the best in Eubanks’ six-string prowess and ignite his searching instincts throughout the sessions in Los Angeles and New York.

Side A

1) Timeline 

2) Watercolors 

3) Poet 

4) Carnival 

5) Something About Nothing 

6) Take The Coltrane

Side B

7) Captain Senor Mouse 

8) Cubano Chant 

9) What's Going On 

10) My One And Only Love

Reggie Watkins (The Jimmy Knepper Project) - Avid Admirer (2016)

Serendipity, synchronicity and promises that were made to be kept led to the making of this fantastic tribute to Jimmy Knepper played on the late bone masters own horns. 

Pure music, pure jazz and pure gold every step of the way when he steps into the Knepper's shoes and finds his own sizable talents augmented with the magic that's hard to explain. Backed by jazzbos that get it and want to be there, this romp through some of Knepper's greatest moments sound as fresh as today as when they were written and first played making this simply an album that needed to be made. Killer stuff throughout.

1. Figment Fragment 04:18

2. Idol of the Flies 03:55

3. Cunningbird 05:14

4. Noche Triste 05:45

5. In The Interim 06:02

6. Avid Admirer 05:55

7. Ogling Ogre 05:07

8. Primrose Path 05:26

9. Goodbye 04:29

Reggie Watkins, trombone

Matt Parker, tenor & soprano saxophone

Orrin Evans, piano (1-6)

Tuomo Uusitalo, piano (7-9)

Steve Whipple, bass

Reggie Quinerly, drums