Steven Feifke Big Band - Kinetic (April 2021 Outside In Music)

Outside in Music is proud to announce the release of Kinetic, the spellbinding big band debut from pianist, composer, arranger, orchestrator, educator and Yamaha Recording Artist Steven Feifke.  One of the most in-demand artists of his generation, Feifke has amassed  an impressive discography having appeared on 30 albums all before  turning 30 years old.  After over a decade’s worth of work as a notable  sideman, conductor and arranger for esteemed artists as Steve Tyrell, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, Santino Fontana, and most recently, Veronica Swift, Feifke finally comes to the fore on this smashing new album that highlights his singular vision and distinct voice. Kinetic will be available everywhere on April 9, 2021. 

Joining the bandleader is an ensemble  made up of players from the very frontline of the contemporary jazz  scene including drummer Ulysses Owens Jr., vocalist Veronica Swift, tenor saxophonist Lucas Pino, and alto saxophonist Alexa Tarantino among many others. The music on Kinetic was refined during the big band’s popular monthly residency at The Django in New York City that ran for nearly two years before COVID brought all live performances to halt. These  regular live performances afforded the band to develop a cohesive  common language and solid rapport, lending a rare intimate air to this  large ensemble recording. 

While Kinetic is his formal label debut, Boston-native Feifke has been a ubiquitous presence on the scene in a plethora of musical arenas. A  two-time semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk Jazz Piano Competition,  Feifke has written commissioned work for such notable institutions as  the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra featuring jazz trumpet greats Sean Jones and Jon Faddis, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra with Ken Peplowski, the Malmo Big Band with Katie Thiroux, and the New Generation Festival Orchestra featuring Dominick Farinacci. Additionally, Feifke works as musical director for musical theater luminary and Tony Award Winning actor and singer Santino Fontanato.  In the realm of television music, Feifke’s compositions and orchestrations have been prominently featured on such hit shows as Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (Netflix), Impractical Jokers (TruTV), and Animaniacs (Hulu). Feifke is also a respected educator; he is currently on  faculty at The New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music where he  teaches composing and arranging.  He has served as a guest educator at  Moravian College, Yale University, Williams College among others, and  was the 2018 recipient of the “Pros Meet Pupils” grant from Arts  Mid-Hudson after developing a comprehensive curriculum about the history  of civil rights in America and its relation to jazz pedagogy and  performance. 

All of this and more informs Feifke’s unique artistry, which is on full display on Kinetic. “I  have been running my big band for the past 10 years — since just after I  moved to New York, pretty much. Of all the musical releases I have been  a part of since then, Kinetic is  the one that contains the most “Feifke” on there. It’s just 100% me.  It’s my own voice, and it’s my own unique stamp on the big band idiom,” Feifke says, adding, “I am really proud of the end result.” 

Acclaimed pianist, producer and arranger Gil Goldstein  notes, “There is a traditional quality to the music but upon closer  listening you can hear Steven’s voice and how he reinvents the big band  format to suit his musical personality. He plays with a similar  adventurous spirit, which is at once rooted in the modern jazz piano  tradition, while showing a curious and probing musical mind.”

Kinetic begins with the  bright tempoed swing of the album’s title track.  Feifke’s Coltrane –  McCoy tinged melodic refrains glide atop an unshakeable swing before the  band descends on the tune’s rich melody.  The track demonstrates the  pianist’s immense improvisational acuity with solo features from the  composer as well as trumpeter Gabriel King Medd and drummer Ulysses  Owens Jr.  The album’s first single, the video for “Kinetic” premiered late last year with JazzTimes. The album continues with another highlight, “Unveiling Of A Mirror”,  a composition rife with impressionistic intrigue.  The two contrasting  parts of the tune (a softer and more mysterious textured beginning, and  hard-hitting swing section) speaks to the complexities of reflections  and our often-diverging perceptions versus realities.  The piece  features solos by trumpeter Benny Benack III, saxophonist Sam Dillon,  and drummer Joe Peri.  The composer won second place, for “Unveiling of a  Mirror,” in the 2016 BMI Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Competition  (judged by Wynton Marsalis, Jimmy Heath and Alan Ferber).

“The Sphinx”  is a true feat of sonic exploration and instrumental virtuosity.  The  shifting time signatures and sonorities of the piece serves the overall  energy of the composition, not for one second sacrificing musicality for  the sake of technicality.  The piece is equally served by the stunning  musicianship of the ensemble and especially soloist Lucas Pino who acts  here as the Gonsalves to Feifke’s Ellington.  The album ventures on with  a sultry vocal feature for vocalist Veronica Swift on “Until The Real Thing Comes Along”.   Recalling iconic moments of this song’s rich history, from Andy Kirk to  Jackie Wilson, Feifke’s arrangement ultimately is one of restraint,  romanticism, even reverence.  

Showcasing a who’s who of acclaimed, virtuosic instrumentalists and masterful arrangements, Kinetic  offers audiences the polish of a studio album with the electric  intrigue and emotional ebb and flow of a live performance in a time when  gathering to enjoy live music is impossible. The echoes of the Django  residency ring throughout this album with ebullient arrangements of  gorgeous Feifke-penned originals and jazz standards, reflecting the very  pinnacle of orchestral jazz.

Kinetic

Unveiling of a Mirror

The Sphinx

Until the Real Thing Comes Along

Word Travels Fast

Wollongong; Nica's Dream

On the Street Where You Live

Midnight Beat

Closure

Steven Feifke: piano

Andrew Gould: saxophone

Alexa Tarantino: saxophone, alto

Lucas Pino: clarinet, bass

Sam Dillon: saxophone, tenor

Andrew Gutauskas: saxophone, baritone

Max Darché: trumpet

John Lake: trumpet

Benny Benack III: trumpet

Gabriel King Medd: trumpet

Robert Edwards: trombone

Jeffery Miller: trombone

Armando Vergara: trombone

Jennifer Wharton: trombone

Alex Wintz: guitar

Dan Chmielinski: bass

Ulysses Owens, Jr.: drums

Veronica Swift: voice / vocals

Jimmy Macbride: drums

Bryan Carter: drums

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Pianist Ryan Slatko Releases Debut Album “First Impressions” (2017)

Ryan Slatko Releases Debut Album “First Impressions” That Features Original Works And Line-Up Of Leading Artists

Florida pianist, composer, and arranger Ryan Slatko recently released his debut album entitled First Impressions backed by a notable line-up of prominent musicians including Daniel Dickinson (alto/soprano saxophone); Linda Oh (acoustic bass); Ulysses Owens, Jr. (drums); Joel Ross (vibraphone); and Samir Zarif (tenor saxophone). The independent recording was recorded in New York City in 2016 and produced by recognized drummer and producer Ulysses Owens, Jr.

First Impressions is a culmination of Slatko’s musical experiences thus far. Through thoughtfully written compositions and personalized arrangements of select jazz standards, Slatko establishes a marked sense of confidence and maturity for a young artist. Apparent throughout the recording, is the piano player’s adept improvisation and command of the keyboard, which can be attributed to his dedication to the instrument and guidance he has received over the years from distinguished instructors such as Don Friedman, Alan Broadbent, Ari Hoenig, Gil Goldstein, Taylor Eigsti, and Kenny Werner. 

Slatko began his journey into jazz as a drummer and was introduced to diverse styles of music by his father who was an amateur guitarist, before being introduced to the piano at thirteen years of age. Following high school, he attended University of North Florida and earned a Bachelor of Music degree in 2015. It was during his years in Florida that he received several impressive achievements, placing third in the Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition in 2014, as well as reaching the semifinals of the American Jazz Pianist Competition for two consecutive years.

A relative newcomer to New York, Slatko completed a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies at New York University in 2017 while immersing himself in the city’s unparalleled music scene. He has shared the stage and recorded with an impressive cadre of artists including Randy Brecker, Ari Hoenig, Linda Oh, Rich Perry, Chris Potter, Adam Rogers, Tom Scott, and Alex Sipiagin, among others. Slatko is currently performing in support of First Impressions and planning upcoming concerts to showcase the album; he is also serving as the musical director for the new musical Lights Out: Nat "King" Cole in Pennsylvania

First Impressions was recorded by Chris Allen at Sear Sound Studio and mixed by Dave Darlington at Bass Hit Studio. The album is currently available on iTunes and other leading digital music platforms. For more information visit www.ryanslatkomusic.com

The Tony Lustig Quintet - Taking Flight (2016)

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Critics, Listings, Features

Tony Lustig 

Taking Flight

CLICK HERE

“Tony is an exceptional talent. He has a big, beautiful sound 

with just the right amount of edge.” 

-Joe Temperley Baritone Saxophone, Jazz @ Lincoln Center Orchestra

“The world is ready for Tony Lustig. He’s the baritone 

saxophonist I’ve been waiting for all my life.”

-Wessell “Warmdaddy” Anderson Alto Saxophone 

“Tony is one of the most talented, dedicated, and hardest working people I have ever had the opportunity to work with. When he picks up his horn you know it’s Tony Lustig. With his strong character, integrity, and determination 

the sky is the limit to what he can achieve.”

-Rodney Whitaker Bass, Director of Jazz Studies

Michigan State University

BIOGRAPHY BRIEF

Originally hailing from Detroit, Michigan, Tony Lustig is a dynamic saxophonist who believes strongly in warmth and groove. Taking Flight is a manifestation of those beliefs. Tony began playing violin in grade school. Learning to play the saxophone was almost an accident. Being as there wasn’t a strings program in his school, Tony needed to find an alternate means of expression. His parents offered an alto saxophone left in a dusty corner, abandoned by his older sister. As soon as the horn met his lips he felt that was it – that is what he had been looking for. He spent his childhood years playing around Detroit where he had the opportunity to play with and learn from such Detroit greats as: Marcus Belgrave and Rodney Whitaker. These experiences would lead Tony to further his quest for musical knowledge at both Michigan State University and the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City.

Upon making New York City his home, Tony has performed with some of the biggest names in the country - appearing with: Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Christian McBride Big Band, Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Gerald Wilson Orchestra, Birdland Big Band, George Gee Swing Orchestra, Patti Austin Big Band, Cab Calloway Orchestra, even Gloria Gaynor, amongst others. His playing has brought him all across the United States, France, England, Japan, Colombia, Brazil, Panama, and elsewhere. Tony is a fiery character who attacks his music fiercely and passionately. He writes with the intention of stirring the soul. His melodies are memorable and his sound is moving. He strives to inspire all who listen and bring a smile to everyone he meets.

CD DESCRIPTION 

I believe in creating music that people of all musical interests and backgrounds would enjoy listening to. For this album, it was my goal to write 8 incredibly different tunes that represent what jazz music means, while still making it enjoyable for someone who has never listened to jazz before. I wanted this album to feel good above all else. The players for the band were easy to decide on because they are all incredible musicians who believe in the same thing - creating music at the highest level possible while still keeping the mainstream ear interested. I believe bridging the gap between musical styles is very possible, and this album is the first step in my journey to make that happen. I believe in inclusion, warmth, and groove. This project is the manifestation of those beliefs.

Track Time & Times

Change is Comin’ 5:49

Fraytown 8:47

Prometheus 8:33

For Wayne 5:56

Taking Flight 6:22

Serving it Up 6:18

On the Wings of Icarus 9:46

Burnin’ Grease 4:31

All compositions by Tony Lustig 

Player and instrument:

Tony Lustig – bari sax, bass clarinet

Mike Dease – trombone

Samora Pinderhughes – piano

Ben Williams – bass

Ulysses Owens – drums

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