Showing posts with label Ugonna Okegwo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ugonna Okegwo. Show all posts

Friday, January 21, 2022

Oz Noy, Ray Marchica & Ugonna Okegwo's 'RIVERSIDE' (January 21, 2022 Outside in Music)

Oz Noy, Ray Marchica and Ugonna Okegwo present Riverside, a new trio recording out January 21, 2022 via Outside in Music

Oz Noy, Ray Marchica and Ugonna Okegwo are pleased to present Riverside, out on January 21, 2022 via Outside in Music. Their first release as a trio, Riverside is a fresh, life-affirming collection of standards that stems from the group’s spontaneously assembled outdoor jams held in Riverside Park, New York City during lockdown.

As individuals, this dynamic trio has a wide range of performing credits – Okegwo as a celebrated sideman with Jacky Terrasson and Tom Harrell, Marchica as a Broadway and session player (plus two albums as a leader) and Noy as one of fusion’s most sought after individual voices. All three have worked on the New York scene for the past two decades, so when the COVID-19 lockdown hit, it was a huge blow to both their livelihoods and their creative spirits. Then, summer came around, and the chance presented itself for housebound musicians to meet up and play outdoors. Oz called upon his neighbors Ugonna and Ray and invited them down to the park for a jam session – Ugonna on upright, Marchica with a small drum set, and Noy on electric guitar, with a battery-powered amp. 

Their spot was pretty picturesque. “We set up perfectly: you could look down to the Hudson River, and then across to New Jersey – it was a lovely environment being there,” reflects Okegwo. It helped the group find a sound too. “It was almost like a little venue,” says Noy, and they weren’t the only ones taking advantage of the accidental bandstand-like coves the park is blessed with. “There were multiple little stages, some people playing bluegrass, some classical. When we started playing, there was nobody in the park, but by October time, people were thinking ‘oh, maybe we can do this too’. We were pioneers,” says Marchica.

The sessions went on through the summer months until the weather turned in October. But instead of packing up entirely, the group went into the studio, satisfied that they had created  a sound, and a feeling amongst the group. “It saved me, it saved all of us – musically and mentally,” says Marchica.

The beauty shines throughout the trio’s creative, yet hands-off, arrangements. “All The Things You Are” opens with a Monk-ish kilter, Noy breezily sweeping over the changes and into some mysterious territories, particularly in the vamped ending, which stretches time effortlessly. “Anthropology” nimbly tiptoes through Charlie Parker’s choppy lines, and “Have You Met Miss Jones” continues the rhythmic trickery, skidding along as Noy veers between lithe straight playing and relaxed swing.
Billie’s Bounce” is given a makeover by Noy, who ‘figured out a way to play it as a ballad, a slow blues harmonized in a different way’. “Riverside Blues” adds another dimension to the record, a shuffling 12/8 blues-rock written at one of the jams in the park. 

6/8 Lunch Break” is a chance for Marchica to strut his stuff on an extended solo interlude. Then comes an intriguingly free-form take on “Out Of Nowhere” that embraces the opaque, before a barnstorming take on “Donna Lee”, where Noy shows serious chops. It’s arranged sparsely, letting solo contributions from Noy and Marchica unfurl naturally before an abrupt full stop brings the trio to a halt.

This Could Be a Start of Something Big” is apt for the group; in what was Okegwo’s first encounter with the standard, the group’s arrangement grew organically week-by-week, in tandem with the rapidly developing bonds tying the trio together. The album ends on a different note – “Sunny” injects Bobby Hebb’s classic track with a healthy dose of musical serotonin, in a rocking, soul-fueled cover that transports the group right back to where they started – the sun-soaked surroundings of Riverside Park.

1. All The Things You Are
2. Anthropology
3. Have You Met Miss Jones
4. Billie's Bounce
5. Riverside Blues
6. 6/8 Lunch Break
7. Out Of Nowhere
8. Donna Lee
9. This Could Be The Start Of Something Big
10. Sunny


Friday, January 14, 2022

Pete Malinverni 'On the Town – Pete Malinverni plays Leonard Bernstein' – Jan 14 via Planet Arts Recordings

 

Pianist Pete Malinverni pays tribute to iconic composer Leonard Bernstein with his all-star trio featuring bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Jeff Hamilton

On the Town – Pete Malinverni Plays Leonard Bernstein, due out January 14, 2022 via Planet Arts Recordings, harkens back to an inspiring “only in New York” meeting between
the two passionate musicians
 
" Pete Malinverni is a pianist with a forthright and elegant style."
– Nate Chinen, New York Times
 
" Pianist Pete Malinverni is a wild cat. [His] playing can be dark, gritty and oddly rapturous…he digs into the piano and emerges with exotic treasure."
– Karl Stark, Philadelphia Inquirer

Having spent four decades on the New York City jazz scene, pianist Pete Malinverni has crossed paths with countless revered artists and come away with a host of tales to tell. But few moments measure up to the time that Malinverni met the iconic composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein.
 
The seeds planted in that meeting decades ago come to fruition on Malinverni’s stunning new album, On the Town – Pete Malinverni Plays Leonard Bernstein. Due out January 14, 2022 via Planet Arts Recordings, the album reimagines nine Bernstein favorites, along with a new Malinverni original penned in tribute to the composer, for an all-star trio featuring bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Jeff Hamilton.
At the time of that fateful meeting, Malinverni had a steady gig at an upscale restaurant in the city. One night the swanky nightspot was chosen as the site of the opening night cast party for Franco Zeffirelli’s production of “Tosca” at the Metropolitan Opera. As Malinverni played through a selection of arias at the piano, Bernstein walked in, and the young pianist immediately launched into the composer’s “Lucky To Be Me.” Bernstein recognized the homage and, following a trip detour to the men’s room (where a friend of Malinverni’s broke the protocols of polite society and touted the pianist’s virtues), proceeded to spend a considerable portion of the evening hanging around the piano.
 
“Real musicians want to hang out with the band,” Malinverni says, recalling those magical hours. “Bernstein was this gray eminence I’d see on TV, and I’d listened to his ‘Young People’s Concerts’ in high school. So he was a definite presence in my life even though I’d never met him.”
 
Malinverni still recalls that encounter – which included introductions to other notables at the party, including legendary songwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green – as “one of the great moments of my musical life.” To this day he remains touched by Bernstein’s magnetic attraction to musicians of any stature.
 
“His public image was of a guy who knew his stuff and was super passionate about it. But I found out that night that as passionate as he seemed, he was even more so. When I saw him in the flesh, it was electric. His head poked through the clouds, and the piano somehow seemed a more exalted place then and thereafter.”
 
If that weren’t inspiration enough, the story takes another slight twist: some time later, Malinverni befriended a bartender at one of the nightclubs where he performed regularly, whose wife happened to be Bernstein’s personal chef. The composer had given her a sheaf of blank staff paper, which the bartender then gifted to Malinverni. The pianist hung onto it for nearly thirty years, finally using it to write the arrangements for the present recording. “The last arrangement I had to write turned out to use the last piece of staff paper I had left,” Malinverni recalls. “I'm always looking for signs, and that made everything feel right.”
Exploring these brilliant songs with such a gifted and intuitive trio felt incredibly right as well. Malinverni’s first opportunity to pay tribute to Bernstein arrived on the occasion of the composer’s 2018 centennial, when the pianist was commissioned to arrange many of these pieces for a four-horn ensemble featuring Joe Lovano at Purchase College, where Malinverni is Chair of the Jazz Studies Program. But when it came time to record the music, he determined to pare the music down to a trio setting.
 
“I love playing trio, and the music really took on a life of its own in this format,” Malinverni says. “Ugonna Okegwo and Jeff Hamilton are real artists. You know, if you go scuba diving you discover that there are just as many colors underwater, but the spectrum is the reverse of what you see up here on the surface. I found that in playing Bernstein’s music with these amazing musicians: there were all these textures and colors underneath the music that they could really bring to light.”
 
Another bond that Malinverni shares with Bernstein is a deep love for New York. Through his selection of tunes from the composer’s oeuvre, Malinverni also made the album a love letter to the metropolis that he’s called home since trekking down from his hometown of Niagara Falls in 1980. Titles like “New York New York,” which opens the album, and “Lonely Town” make the reference explicit; other pieces are culled from Big Apple-centric shows like “Wonderful Town,” “West Side Story” and “On the Town.”
 
The sole exception is the trio’s heartfelt take on “Simple Song,” from Bernstein’s “Mass.” The piece is in keeping with Malinverni’s tradition of including a spiritual piece on every one of his albums, a nod to his 18-year tenure as Minister of Music for Brooklyn’s Devoe Street Baptist Church. The album closes with Malinverni’s “A Night On the Town,” a playful refraction of Bernstein themes and ideas that spotlights the composer’s enduring influence.
 
“I always tell my students, ‘They don't say silence is golden for nothing,’” Malinverni says. “So if you're going to disturb the silence, you better be playing something. Starting with Bernstein’s compositions, every note you add better serve that song. But this is also my record, and I think he would have appreciated that. Bernstein was cool with seeing how things go today as opposed to sticking with how they went yesterday. He was a real jazzer in a lot of ways.”

1. New York New York 5:05
2. Lucky to Be Me 5:37
3. Somewhere 5:18
4. Cool 5:33
5. Simple Song 6:05
6. I Feel Pretty 6:00
7. Lonely Town 5:56
8. Some Other Time 5:04
9. It`s Love 8:04
10. A Night on the Town 6:09

(by Pete Malinverni, Malinverni Music)

Pete Malinverni, piano
Ugonna Okegwo, bass
Jeff Hamilton, drums


Friday, January 7, 2022

Have You Heard? Oz Noy, Ugonna Okegwo, Ray Marchica "All The Things You Are" (January 7, 2022 Outside in Music)

Their first release as a trio, Riverside is a fresh, life-affirming collection of standards that stems from the group’s spontaneously assembled outdoor jams held in Riverside Park, New York City during lockdown.

As individuals, this dynamic trio has a wide range of performing credits – Ugonna Okegwo as a celebrated sideman with Jacky Terrasson and Tom Harrell, Ray Marchica as a Broadway and session player (plus two albums as a leader) and Oz Noy as one of fusion’s most sought after individual voices.

All three have worked on the New York scene for the past two decades, so when the COVID-19 lockdown hit, it was a huge blow to both their livelihoods and their creative spirits. When, summer came around, and the chance presented itself for housebound musicians to meet up and play outdoors. Oz called upon his neighbors Ugonna and Ray and invited them down to the park for a jam session – Ugonna on upright, Marchica with a small drum set, and Noy on electric guitar, with a battery-powered amp. The sessions went on through the summer months until the weather turned in October. But instead of packing up entirely, the group went into the studio, satisfied that they had created a sound, and a feeling amongst the group. We welcome their debut single, "All The Things You Are".


Friday, January 26, 2018

Wayne Escoffery - Vortex (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS January 26, 2018 2018)

Wayne Escoffery reaching his 40th birthday marked a period of big changes for the award-winning saxophonist both artistically and in his personal life. Escoffery had reached a crossroads. He had spent a happy and successful decade in the band of trumpeter/composer Tom Harrell but felt that it was time for him to step out more as a leader. At the end of 2016, Escoffery assembled a tremendous quartet of jazz’s most elite musicians that would record a live album, headline New York’s legendary Village Vanguard, and tour steadily for the next year. 

The current political and cultural landscape of the United States has caused many to take pause and Escoffery has had a lifetime to learn and deal with growing up black and as an immigrant (English born of Jamaican descent). But it was the recent US election and its effects on his young son that had a profound impact on him. Escoffery’s evocative new recording, Vortex, is about the current dizzying maelstrom of racism, bigotry and hate in the U.S. and the saxophonist’s renewed commitment to his responsibilities and artistic goals. 

As a youth in the southern United States, and as a young adult in Connecticut, Escoffery experienced first hand the entire prismatic spectrum of racism. From being too black to not being black enough, he had to be strong and determined to push past the negativity to succeed in the fields he pursued, namely being a professional musician and educator, most recently being appointed “Lecturer in Jazz Improvisation” at the prestigious Yale School of Music.



The 2016 Presidential election left Escoffery perplexed and despondent, as it did a large portion of the nation, but it was the response of his young son that he found most distressing. Escoffery’s eight year-old son was born into a period of hope, dignity and pride through the Obama presidency. It was the aftermath of the Freddie Gray shooting and the upheaval of racism and hate after the election that had his son frightened as though the end of the world was approaching. Escoffery knew his role as a father would become increasingly crucial in educating a boy in how to become a young man in the turbulent US racial environment. 

On his new recording, Escoffery presents this great quartet on a number of original pieces, a standard and an original piece by the ensemble’s brilliant drummer, Ralph Peterson, who Escoffery has worked alongside since Escoffery’s arrival in New York in 2000. The rest of the band is equally pedigreed. Pianist David Kikoski has been a regular collaborator in the Mingus Big Band and with Eddie Henderson, and bassist Ugonna Okegwo has been driving the rhythm section of Tom Harrell’s ensemble for the entirety of Escoffery’s tenure. Escoffery’s quartet is augmented by the percussion of Jaquelene Acevedo on a number of pieces. 

The recording begins with the leader’s “Vortex,” an intense composition characterizing the environmental pull of racism and hate that he guides his son away from. The plaintive “Judgement” is an improvised introduction to Peterson’s “Acceptance,” a challenging piece written in 15/4 that really highlights the ensemble’s interconnectivity and drive, its title stemming from “The Serenity Prayer” written by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr:


God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, 
Courage to change the things I can, 
And wisdom to know the difference.

Tom Harrell’s penchant for constant writing amazes Escoffery who regularly falls in love with the trumpeter’s compositions. Escoffery rehearsed and played Harrell’s “February” with him only once before the piece was shelved. The saxophonist revives the tune named for his birth month here. Escoffery’s “The Devil’s Den” is an ominous and darkly atmospheric piece evocative of Donald Trump, his entourage and the world they seem intent to create, powered here by the fantastic young drummer, Kush Abadey. 

The wistful “Tears for Carolyn” echoes a mood of both melancholy and perseverance after the unfortunate end of a long relationship. Escoffery learned the Noel and Joe Sherman standard “To The Ends of the Earth” from pianist Monty Alexander. He fell in love with the piece and re-imagined the Nat King Cole favorite in an arrangement reminiscent of the John Coltrane Quartet. Escoffery’s “In His Eyes” is about taking in the world as a child would, specifically the way his son has interpreted the events of the past year, with dramatic turns by guests: trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and drummer Abadey. The recording concludes with the saxophonist’s “Baku,” an uptempo piece that reflects a hectic 48-hour period where he had to switch from one gig to another, which required him to visit the Azarbaijani Embassy and get to Baku for a performance with pianist/composer Amina Figarova. 

On his moving new Vortex, Wayne Escoffery uses his music to come to terms with what he confronted as a man of color growing up in the US, how to help his son navigate through the current environment of bigotry and hate, and how to harness his emotions to generate positive momentum in his life and career.

1. Vortex
2. Judgement
3. Acceptance
4. February
5. The Devil's Den
6. Tears For Carolyn
7. To The Ends Of The Earth
8. In His Eyes
9. Baku


David Kikoski - piano
Ugonna Okegwo - bass
Ralph Peterson, Jr. - drums
Jeremy Pelt - trumpet (track 8)
Kush Abadey - drums (tracks 5 & 8)
Jacquelene Acevedo - percussion (tracks 4, 5 & 6)



Coming Later This Year:

Feb. 9 - John Raymond & Real Feels - Joy Ride
Feb. 23 - Adam Nussbaum - The Lead Belly Project
Mar. 23 - Caroline Davis - Heart Tonic
Apr. 13 - Duduka Da Fonseca Trio - Plays Dom Salvador
Apr. 20 - Mike McGinnis - Singular Awakening
Apr. 20 - Edward Simon - Sorrows and Triumphs
May 11 - Román Filiú - Quartería

Sunnyside Artists Live:

Jan. 26-27 - Wayne Escoffery @ Smoke - NYC - CD Release for Vortex
Jan. 26-27 - Randy Ingram w/ Drew Gress @ Bagots Hutton - Dublin, Ireland
Jan. 27 - Camille Bertault & Dan Tepfer - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Jan. 27 - Laszlo Gardony @ James Library - Norwell, MA
Jan. 27 - Cristina Pato Quartet @ Clark State Performing Arts Center - Springfield, OH
Jan. 28 - Randy Ingram w/ Drew Gress @ Jazz Dock - Prague, Czech Republic
Jan. 31 - Randy Ingram w/ Drew Gress @ Hot Club - Lisbon, Portugal
Feb. 1 - Cristina Pato Quartet @ Cathedral of San Fernando - San Antonio, TX
Feb. 2 - Duane Eubanks Quartet @ Cornelia St. Café - NYC
Feb. 2-8 - Benny Green @ The Jazz Cruise - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Feb. 7 - Duane Eubanks Trio @ INC American Bar & Kitchen - New Brunswick, NJ
Feb. 7 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ Jazz Standard - NYC - CD Release for Joy Ride
Feb. 8 - Clovis Nicolas @ Minton's - NYC - CD Release for Freedom Suite Ensuite
Feb. 9 - Dan Tepfer - Maui, HI
Feb. 10 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ The Liberty - Cincinnati, OH
Feb. 11 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts - Menomonie, WI
Feb. 12 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ The Icehouse - Minneapolis, MN
Feb. 13 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ Jazz Showcase - Chicago, IL
Feb. 13-14 - Dave King Trio @ Crooners Lounge - Minneapolis, MN
Feb. 14-15 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ Luther College - Decorah, IA
Feb. 15 - Dave King Trio @ Jazz at the Athenaeum - La Jolla, CA
Feb. 15 - Dan Tepfer Trio @ Blue Note - Honolulu, HI
Feb. 16 - Dave King Trio @ Blue Whale - Los Angeles, CA
Feb. 16 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ The Mill - Iowa City, IA
Feb. 16-17 - Abdullah Ibrahim @ Dimitriou's Jazz Alley - Seattle, WA
Feb. 17 - Dave King Trio @ Revolution Hall / PDX Jazz Fest - Portland, OR
Feb. 17 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ Noce - Des Moines, IA

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Dick Oatts - Use Your Imagination (SteepleChase Productions ApS 2017)


Dick Oatts' sensitive and cerebral approach to music enhanced by his "monster chops" is manifested here again on his eleventh leader album on SteepleChase, whoch features seven original compositions plus Cole Porter's "Use Your Imagination". 

Jazz critic Owen Cordle once described Dick Oatts as "an uncompromising jazz musician, one who possesses monster chops without trumpeting them." Dick Oatts has, since his move to NYC in the late 70s, been one of the most sought-after soloists on alto sax on both the NY scene and the international stage. 

He has performed with Red Rodney, Bob Brookmeyer, Mel Lewis, Jerry Bergonzi, Fred Hersch, Lester Bowie, Joe Lovano, Sam Jones-Tom Harrell, Paquito D'Rivera, Tito Puente, Kenny Wheeler and others.

1. Yesteryear
2. Do Da Day
3. Speaking Relative
4. Como Uno
5. Lossofyou
6. Use Your Imagination
7. Mideast Midwest
8. Game Show

Dick Oatts (alto saxophone)
Joe Magnarelli (trumpet)
Anthony Wonsey (piano)
Ugonna Okegwo (bass)
Chris Smith (drums)

Monday, October 10, 2016

Tony Moreno Quintet - Short Stories (2016) MAYIMBA MUSIC (2 CD)




Born in Manhattan, Tony Moreno, was raised by his mother, Nina Dunkel Moreno, who was considered one of the great American harpists of her day, as well as an accomplished pianist, musicologist and teacher. His early upbringing proved a perfect backdrop to pursue a career in music. By the age of three, Moreno began playing the piano. By the age of ten, he received his first drum set from Elvin Jones.

Jones became Moreno’s early mentor and teacher. In later years, other teachers included Art Blakey, Al “Tootie” Heath, James Priess, Freddie Waits and Bob Moses.

When Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast shore in 2012, Moreno lost his entire musical life – his instruments, possessions, the library of his compositions and treasured, archival possessions bequeathed from his mother.

“After Hurricane Sandy destroyed my studio, I was offered a monthly residency at The 55 Bar for the Quintet,” says Moreno. “This record is a way of expressing my gratitude for the outstanding support and love I received within the music community – from colleagues, organizations and fans alike.”

“The band is made up of artistic companions who have performed together over four years,” the drummer explains. “Since I lost my drum set, I purchased a small keyboard and began composing again. It was, of course, cathartic. It was time to document the group. We had enough music for two CDs. I had to clean the slate and move on.”


This record, featuring Marc Mommaas, Ron Horton, Jean-Michel Pilc and Ugonna Okegwo, represents the rebuilding process of Tony Moreno’s shattered life. Re-assembling the pieces seemed impossible but soon it began taking shape.

On October 8th the Quintet will celebrate the record release of Short Stories at the 55 Bar in New York City with two sets at 9.30 pm and 11.30 pm. With admission, every guest will receive a double-disc album for free.

Moreno teaches at New York University’s Jazz Performance Program and Columbia University’s Louis Armstrong Jazz Studies Program as well as at City College of New York. He has performed and toured extensively. The drummer lived and worked in Europe for six years, and appeared on over 100 recordings, as well as television, DVDs and radio broadcasts.

Moreno has recorded with the likes of Jaki Byard, Dave Liebman, Ravi Coltrane, Art Lande, Richie Beirach, Chris Potter, and has performed with Eddie Gomez, Arthur Blythe, Sonny Fortune, Eddie Henderson, Mal Waldron, Barry Harris, Richard Bona, Paul Bley and Elvin Jones, to name just a few.

Tony Moreno endorses Paiste Cymbals and plays Sonor Hi Lites, Pro Lites and Q2 drums.


Disc 1 
1. Foxy Trot / Kenny Wheeler
2. Little One / Marc Mommaas
3. The West's Best / Tony Moreno
4. Erroll Garner / Tony Moreno
5. 55 Scotch / Tony Moreno / arranged by Ron Horton (For Cueva Lutz)
6. Susan's Dream / Tony Moreno / arranged by Marc Mommaas (For My Wife Susan)
7. No Blues To You / Tony Moreno 8. C Jam Blues / Duke Ellington / arranged by Art Lande and his students at C.U. Boulder

Disc 2
1. Three For D'reen / Kenny Wheeler
2. Oh Henry / Tony Moreno / arranged by Marc Mommaas
3. Grovelling / Ron Horton
4. El Rey / Tony Moreno / arranged by Marc Mommaas (For Elvin Raymond Jones and Keiko Jones)
5. M.O. / Tony Moreno (For Miles Okazaki)
6. Pueblo De Lagrimas / Tony Moreno (For Ketil Bjørnstad)
7. El Rey Take #2 / Tony Moreno (Duos/Trios)

Marc Mommaas - Tenor Saxophone
Ron Horton - Trumpet
Jean-Michel Pilc - Piano
Ugonna Okegwo - Bass
Tony Moreno - Drums



Monday, September 19, 2016

Jim Snidero - MD66 (2016) SAVANT RECORDS



Over the course of the past three decades alto saxophonist and composer Jim Snidero has been constantly pushing himself to explore new territories and expand his outlook. In 1989 his extraordinary album Blue Afternoon made its way into The Penguin Jazz Guide: The History of the Music in the 1001 Best Albums. 

Later on he made his mark in the sax-with-strings department, not only playing at the top of his game, but also composing and arranging all of the music on the project. Most recently he's impressed more than a few listeners with a spate of fine albums on Savant. 

On this his latest release, Snidero tackles open modal forms and uses his unfettered imagination as a portal into free(r) territory, and takes his soloing to the next level by working an inside/outside approach that's rooted in the structure and style of each song but radical enough to move in wildly unexpected directions. This is a musical promised land where revelations, whether subtle or seismic in nature, are guided by revolution.


Alex Sipiagin, trumpet
Andy LaVerne, piano
Ugonna Okegwo, bass 
Rudy Royston, drums 

01. MD66  
02. Recursion  
03. Free Beauty  
04. Unified  
05. Who We've Known  
06. Un4Scene  
07. Blue in Green  
08. Purge