James Beckwith Trio - Vortex Sessions EP (2016)

Label: Self Released

Source: Cdbaby

JBT (James Beckwith Trio) is a new project formed by Dankworth Prize winning composer & jazz pianist James Beckwith. From England, having spent many years in Canada, and currently studying Composition at Trinity Laban, James draws from a wide range of geographical influences in his writing. The group’s style: strong lyrical tunes with warm, full harmony, is described as sounding akin to and influenced by Gerald Clayton, Tigran Hamasyan, and Robert Glasper. With inspiration ranging from New York contemporary jazz harmonies, Middle Eastern & Asian folk melodies, and hip hop inflected groove, this dynamic trio’s performances are not to be missed.

On bass is Joe Downard. Currently bassist for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, and performed at Ronnie Scott's Late Show, and the main show with the Engines Orchestra. A highly sought after young player in multiple genres and music scenes; Joe effortlessly grooves over the multiple genres that JBT play. On drums is Harry Pope, MMus Jazz from Trinity Laban and also drummer with the internationally touring World Service Project. This percussive sideman has recently completed a number of sessions for television adverts and has performed notably with the RSNO, Tom Cawley, and Chaos Orchestra.

1. Tachymeter
2. Figurative
3. Californication
4. Permanent Resident
5. Goose (Take 1)
6. Goose (Take 2)
7. Took My Shield & Sword

James Beckwith // Piano & Keyboards,
Joe Downard // Bass,
Harry Pope // Drums

BUY THIS ALBUM 

 

GoGo Penguin - Man Made Object (Deluxe) 2016

It’s been an astonishing couple of years for Manchester based trio GoGo Penguin (drummer Rob Turner, double bassist Nick Blacka and pianist Chris Illingworth). Their trademark mash-up of minimalist piano themes, deeply propulsive bass lines and electronica-inspired drums has seen them shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and fuelled their exhilarating live shows from Manchester to Montreal and Paris to London. They’ve written and performed a new score for Godfrey Reggio’s cult film Koyaanisqatsi and collaborated with noted choreographer Lynn Page for a Gilles Peterson-curated night at the Barbican. And in the midst of all this they’ve signed a multi-album deal with Blue Note Records, the most famous jazz label on earth. Their new album is called Man Made Object and it’s the sound of a band confidently pursuing their own path. “The title is partly inspired by my fascination with ideas of robotics, transhumanism and human augmentation,” says pianist Illingworth. “We’re recreating electronic music on acoustic instruments. It’s like a man-made object that has become humanised and it seemed like a good album title, one that also means something different to each of us, and hopefully to each listener.” 

Indeed, although they're predominately an acoustic piano trio, GoGo Penguin’s music draws from many areas of contemporary electronic music, one where you can hear arcade game bleeps, glitchy breakbeats, hypnotic Aphex-style melodies, grinding bass lines and a rumbling low-end. It has been described as “acoustic electronica”, a term which perfectly sums up their modus operandi. “Many of the songs on this album started out as electronic compositions that I made on sequencing software like Logic or Ableton,” says drummer Turner. “I’ll then play it to the band and we’ll find ways of replicating it acoustically.” And it is that ability to synthesis the seemingly disparate influences of electronica, jazz and classical music into their own unique musical DNA that gives GoGo Penguin such an instantly recognisable and compelling sound. One that is set to reach an even wider audience with the release of Man Made Object on February 5 2016.

01. All Res

02. Unspeakable World

03. Branches Break

04. Weird Cat

05. Quiet Mind

06. Smarra

07. Initiate

08. Gbfisysih

09. Surrender To Mountain

10. Protest

11. Unspeakable World (Matthew Herbert's Onc Workout)

12. Initiate (Stray Remix)

13. All Res (Dabrye Remix)

BUY THIS ALBUM!!!

VÍCTOR

(Son of Domi)

Antoine Pierre - Urbex (2016)

The young drummer Antoine Pierre already has impressive credits that include Philip Catherine, Tom Barman and several awards. His first solo album showcases his own writing and arrangements.

Urbex stands for Urban Exploration and the fascinating aesthetics of abandoned old buildings that time tries to embellish with mushrooms, mould and stains, while the damp and cold strips the wallpaper and eats into window frames. Antione Pierre’s music echoes with this atmosphere; alive yet deserted, chaotic but with structure.

Antoine invents arrangements that are rich, dense and that alternate between gentler atmospheres that tend towards the void and then spiral into stunning climaxes. He plays with expectations.

URBEX came together between stays in two cities. On the one hand, Brussels where he studied music and met his sparring partners. On the other, New York offered him the opportunity to get close to the sources of Jazz. These twin urban roots act as a catalyst for compositions and arrangements that are by turns energetic and apocalyptic and that really come alive when played by the octet.

"The tracks are intelligent, sophisticated, carefully worked (...) There is something of a painter’s work, sketching out huge landscapes, creating atmosphere, a particular climate. There is something of Claude Monet in the fluidity, delicate touch, the impression. But also some Spilliaert in the atmosphere and mystery. And also some Pollock in the energy, the dynamics, the splash of colours." (Le SOIR, JCV)

Release date: Jan 2016

Antoine Pierre Drums, Compositor

Bert Cools Guitar

Bram De Looze Piano

Steven Delannoye Clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax

Jean-Paul Estiévenart Flugelhorn, Trumpet

Fréderic Malempré Percussion

Toine Thys Clarinet, Compositor, soprano sax, tenor sax

Félix Zurstrassen electric bass, Double Bass

01. Coffin for a Sequoia (to Basquiat)

02. Litany For An Orange Tree

03. Who Planted This Tree?

04. Les Douze Marionnettes 

05. Urbex

06. Metropolitan Adventure

07. Walking On A Vibrant Soil

08. Wandering #1

09. Metropolitan Adventure (reprise)

10. Moon's Melancholia

11. Ode To My Moon

Total duration 1:08:07

BUY THIS ALBUM!!!

Domi

Samo Salamon Bassless Trio (feat. Julián Argüelles, John Hollenbeck) - Unity (2016)

By EDWARD BLANCO / allaboutjazz

Veteran Slovenian jazz guitarist Samo Salamon has little use for the standards or contemporary traditional jazz music preferring instead, the more creative challenging landscape of today's modern jazz. With his nineteenth album as leader, the young guitarist explores the edges of the genre venturing into uncommon territory once again on Unity, where he continues employing his bass less trio format for the fourth time in his recording career. 

On tap here is Salamon joining forces with two world-class players, renowned drummer John Hollenbeck and tenor saxophonist Julian Arguelles, one of the finest musicians in Europe. Together, this version of his bass less trio performs an unconventional set of music recorded live while on tour throughout Europe in 2014. Featured here are ten dynamic new compositions of the modern jazz type that actually borders slightly on the Avant-garde sound. 

The date begins with the dicey sounds of Hollenbeck's splashy brushes laying down the beats to the dueling sounds of Salmon's guitar and Arguelles's howling tenor on the opening "Asking for a Break." The most ambitious piece of the album is "Kei's Venice" at twelve and a half minutes in length, it is perhaps the most melodic tune of the set. As is the case with a free style type of sound, there is a great deal of improvisation here lending that unanticipated or unexpected quality to the music. 

As is often the case when a trio format is used, each of the players are provided with plenty of solo space with Salamon demonstrating his appreciable chops on the guitar throughout but especially on "Soundgarden," while Hollenbeck delivers a pounding performance and Arguelles is solid on both the tenor and soprano. Samo Salamon's Unity continues the guitarists journey into the sophisticated side of modern jazz with innovative music and excellent musicianship that make this outing worth exploring.

Samo Salamon - guitar

Julian Arguelles - tenor and soprano saxophone

John Hollenbeck - drums

01. Asking for a Break (feat. Julian Arguelles, John Hollenbeck) 6:52

02. Dawn (feat. Julian Arguelles, John Hollenbeck) 5:44

03. Kei's Venice (feat. Julian Arguelles, John Hollenbeck) 12:25

04. Holla Back (feat. Julian Arguelles, John Hollenbeck) 5:23

05. Soundgarden (feat. Julian Arguelles, John Hollenbeck) 7:24

06. Moonless (feat. Julian Arguelles, John Hollenbeck) 6:31

07. Seagulls in Maine (feat. Julian Arguelles, John Hollenbeck) 6:22

08. Drop the D (feat. Julian Arguelles, John Hollenbeck) 9:25

09. Pif (feat. Julian Arguelles, John Hollenbeck) 2:25

10. Kei's Secret (feat. Julian Arguelles, John Hollenbeck) 5:52

BUY THIS ALBUM!!!

JAVI

Mark Wade Trio - Event Horizon (2015)

markwademusicny.com

As a performer for over 20 years, Mark Wade has been an active bassist in the NYC area. In February 2015, Wade released his debut album Event Horizon to international acclaim. The album received great critical reviews from a host of domestic and international publications such as Downbeat Magazine, Hot House Jazz Magazine, The New York City Jazz Record, All About Jazz, Jazz Life (Japan), and several others. Event Horizon was programmed on over 50 stations in the United States and received airplay in the UK, Austria, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Canada.

By JEFFREY UHRICH / allaboutjazz

With his impressive debut release, Event Horizon, bassist/composer Mark Wade and his trio create a soundscape of musical expression, using their chemistry with one another and their mastery of their instruments to create an intimate interplay of ideas and jazz repartee. The Mark Wade Trio consists of three seasoned musicians that have performed together as a trio for the past two years: Wade on bass, Tim Harrison on piano, and Scott Neumann on drums. Although one might be tempted to refer to this group as a 'piano trio,' make no mistake that bassist Wade is the captain of this ship, composing intriguing frameworks for each musician to express their musicality and sense of nuance. The tracks on this disc are replete with surprising and intriguing changes in meter and unexpected harmonies. 

All three musicians are tuned into one another, listening and asserting their individuality when the moment is right, yet maintaining an energetic unity and balance throughout the disc. The artists communicate musically as equals. 

The disc opens with the waltz "Jump For Joy," and the listener is quickly drawn into a gentle yet complex interchange between the musicians, and Wade wastes no time asserting a melodic and rhythmic bass presence over the stellar piano and drums of his fellow musicians. "Apogee" is more of a free-form piece, using space and a lack of meter to allow each musician to push boundaries as they create a unique musical vision. On the quirky "Singsong," each musician has a chance to shine as a soloist, and are exceptional as they establish an air-tight timing sensibility as a unit. The disc's only cover, "If I Only Had a Brain," draws the listener in with a gentle swing in a very satisfying rendition of the longtime standard. 

After listening to "Event Horizon," the discerning jazz fan will be left hoping that Mark Wade will continue to create and record new material with Tim Harrison and Scott Neumann, and looking forward to their future releases.

Brent Black / www.criticaljazz

Debut releases connected with improvisational music often serve as sort of a business card as the artist introduces himself. The piano trio is often predictable and finding a half dozen time tested standards is usually the norm, the artist simply phones it in and looks to the sophomore release. 

Bassist Mark Wade takes a slightly more eccentric approach with only one cover and original compositions that have a myriad of meters and harmonic twists that take what might normally simply be considered a good release to that next level of enjoyment. More than a trio, this is a collective with each member contributing to Wade's lyrical vision. Comparisons to other bassists fall short as Event Horizon includes the charming ballad "Cold Spring" which pairs nicely against the more Afro-Cuban inspired "Tossed." The cover of Harold Arlen's "If I Only Had A Brain" is simply a master class in how to swing. 

These are lyrically inspired conversation between three artists and not simply a soloist and a couple of after thoughts. The Mark Wade Trio should turn some heads in short order, plenty to like here!

Mark Wade - double bass

Tim Harrison - piano

Scott Neumann - drums

1. Jump for Joy 5:00

2. The Prisoner 6:42

3. Apogee 4:53

4. Singsong 6:54

5. Tossed 7:42

6. Valley and Stream 5:26

7. Twist in the Wind 6:24

8. Cold Spring 5:22

9. If I Only Had a Brain 5:49

BUY THIS ALBUM!!!

cdbaby

amazon

itunes

Herlin Riley - New Direction (2016)

Label: Mack Avenue

Source: Proper Music

Herlin Riley's 'New Direction', sees the New Orleans drummer with a fierce musical intelligence and prodigious skills, lead a fine group of outstanding young musicians, including players from Haiti and Jamaica. Veteran guitarist Mark Whitfield and Cuba's Pedrito Martinez on percussion are Herlin's special guests.

New Orleans ambassador of drumming, Herlin Riley has recorded with many of the bayou's favourite sons including Harry Connick Jr., Dr. John, Marcus Roberts and toured in Wynton Marsalis' band for more than six years. For 'New Direction' - his first leader date in many years - Herlin chose originals and local favorites resulting in an eclectic and heady mix. Herlin speaks of his process: "I have a radio in my head that plays melodies and tunes, then I sit down at the piano and work it out. Once you start writing and engaging in the music it takes you to different places?" hence, New Direction. Magnificent, N'awlins dipped neo-bop, funk jazz. Where will it take you?

1. New Direction     06:53
2. A Spring Fantasy     06:01
3. The Crossbar     06:44
4. The Big Banana     06:15
5. Shake Off The Dust     05:55
6. Connection To Congo Square     05:32
7. Herlin's Hurdle     07:04
8. Hiccup Smooth     07:20
9. Harlem Shuffle     07:23
10.Toottie Ma     04:35

Herlin Riley - drums
Bruce Harris - trumpet
Godwin Louis - saxophone
Emmet Cohen - piano
Russell Hall - bass
Mark Whitfield - guitar
Pedrito Martinez - congas

BUY THIS ALBUM

 

Joost Zoeteman Quartet - Live in Almere (2016)

Label: Self Released

Source: Cdbaby

Joost Zoetman keeps the great tradition of modern jazz guitar alive and well. His playing keeps up with the high standards of the greats, and at the same time brings a fresh sound and approach to this rich history. His new recording with the swinging quartet, featuring Hans Kwakkernaat, Wim de Vries and Bas Rietmeijer, is a powerful statement about the strength and durability of the art form called Jazz. This CD shows that it is in very good hands.
Can't wait to hear what's next from Joost!    - Roni Ben Hur -

1. Yardbird Suite
2. Triste
3. April in Paris
4. Godchild
5. Corcovado
6. C Jam Blues
7. Nuages
8. Cotton Tail
   

Joost Zoeteman - guitar
Hans Kwakkernaat - piano
Bas Rietmeijer - doublebass
Wim de Vries - drums 

BUY THIS ALBUM

 

José Dias Quartet - The Seven Deadly Sins (2016)

Label: Sintoma Records

Source: José Dias

JOSÉ DIAS

José Dias is part of the emerging new generation in Portuguese contemporary jazz.

He has worked with numerous jazz, world music and pop musicians and performs now mainly with his quartet and trio.

Dias performed with David Murray in Lisbon in July 2012. In 2013 he released two albums: "360" and "Magenta" [Sintoma Records].

In 2015 he recorded his third album in Edinburgh: "What Could Have Been" [Sintoma Records | 2016].

As composer, Dias has scored music for several plays, contemporary dance performances and animation films. 

His music is strongly inspired by the visual arts and literature. His projects deviate from the traditional language of jazz,

and explore the dialogue between various contemporary sound universes, where experimentation is assumed as a central element.

José Dias is an associate researcher at Institute of Ethnomusicology INET-md, Universidade Nova de Lisboa,

where he has developed research on jazz education in Portugal and on European jazz networks.

He conducted his PhD exploring the relationships between jazz practices, cultural identity and cultural policies in Europe.

From his research experience, Dias has been appointed delegate for the 12 Points jazz festival. 

He has presented papers in international conferences and published articles in international peer-reviewed journals.

BUY THIS ALBUM 

 

Hans Ottsen Trio - Navigation (2015)

Label: Deepdig Records

Source: Cdbaby

West Coast guitarist Hans Ottsen delves into the jazz trio setting with New York cohorts Drew Gress and Don Peretz. Navigation (ddr-105) pilots through creative standard formats such as Olive Stings You Arm, based on All The Things You Are, to original and cover material based on modern popular song form with progressive improvisation. Navigation pushes the context boundaries of the modern jazz guitar trio.

1. Jonathan Cooper 06:52
2. You Choose Blues 05:10
3. Navigation 07:15
4. All I Have To Do Is Dream 06:03
5. Squealar 05:35   
6. Shea's Dream 03:45
7. Olive Stings You Arm 05:20
8. Message In A Bottle 05:48
9. Sesquialtera 05:20
10.Zoë's Lullaby 04:51

Hans Ottsen- guitar
Drew Gress- acoustic bass
Don Peretz- drums & cymbals 

BUY THIS ALBUM

 

Tord Gustavsen - What Was Said (2016)

ECM

What was said brings new colours to Tord Gustavsen’s musical palette. His latest trio project builds upon the subtle understanding of his long musical association with drummer Jarle Vespestad, introduces German-Afghan vocalist Simin Tander, and explores the tradition of Norwegian church music in untraditional ways: “For the repertoire of the new project, Simin and I have been working with Afghan poet B. Hamsaaya, translating and shaping a selection of hymns that I grew up with in Norway into Pashto,” Gustavsen explains. 

“This process has been challenging and really fruitful. We have gone quite far in interpreting the lyrics in a more ‘integral’ manner, reaching into a space where I feel that Sufism and Christianity actually meet.” Simin Tander also sings, in English, verse of Persian mystic Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-73) and US proto-Beat poet Kenneth Rexroth (1905-82). As a pure play of sounds, too, the combination of Tander’s voice and Gustavsen’s piano and discreet electronics has an emotional persuasiveness of its own, outside the limits of language. The trio takes its programme of “hymns and visions” to the concert halls and clubs of Europe in the first months of 2016.

What was said was recorded at Oslo’s Rainbow Studio in April 2015 and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Tord Gustavsen: piano, electronics

Simin Tander: voice

Jarle Vespestad: drums

01. Your Grief (02:45)

02. I See You (05:09)

03. Imagine the Fog Disappearing (06:23)

04. A Castle In Heaven (04:46)

05. Journey of Life (07:26)

06. I Refuse (05:42)

07. What Was Said To the Rose / O Sacred Head (05:35)

08. The Way You Play My Heart (03:03)

09. Rull (03:08)

10. The Source of Now (04:25)

11. Sweet Melting (03:23)

12. Longing To Praise Thee (04:26)

13. Afterglow / Sweet Melting (03:39) 

BUY THIS ALBUM!!!

JAVI

Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas - Sound Prints (Live At Monterey Jazz Festival) 2015

Blue Note

Saxophonist Joe Lovano and trumpeter Dave Douglas have announced an April 7 release date for Live at Monterey Jazz Festival, the debut recording from their co-led quintet Sound Prints featuring pianist Lawrence Fields, bassist Linda Oh and drummer Joey Baron. The album features the debut of two new compositions written for the band by the band’s primary inspiration: Wayne Shorter. Sound Prints will be performing at Jazz At Lincoln Center in New York City on May 15 & 16 in The Appel Room as part of their Wayne Shorter Festival. Further tour dates will be announced shortly.

For almost twenty years, Lovano and Douglas have been prime moving forces in the jazz scene, their paths crossing often on stage and occasionally on record. Douglas appears on Lovano's 2001 Blue Note album Flights of Fancy: Trio Fascination Edition Two and they overlapped as members of the SFJAZZ Collective for three seasons during which the band performed the repertoire of Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner, and their mutual touchstone: saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter.

Sound Prints takes their inspiration from the music of Shorter – the band's name is a nod to his classic "Footprints" – however the quintet’s focus is on new original compositions by Lovano and Douglas, as well as new Shorter compositions in direct collaboration with the composer himself. The band is fueled by a desire to push the boundaries of their music as far as they can stretch, similar to the expansive role Shorter has played in jazz since his debut with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in 1959.

In the album’s liner notes Shorter exclaims: “Onward! Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano, Lawrence Fields, Linda Oh and Joey Baron!  It’s not often when a combination of musicians such as the aforementioned elect to immerse themselves in an explorative adventure without hesitation or reservation. May they continue forging ahead on the trail less trodden. Onward!”

"The defining trait of Sound Prints," wrote Nate Chinen in The New York Times in a 2012 review of their engagement at the Village Vanguard, "is the tangled crosstalk of its front line: an urbane, on-the-fly counterpoint brimming with crooked urgency, like a choice bit of dialogue in a David Mamet play.”

In the summer of 2011 Sound Prints opened for Shorter's Quartet on a European tour. They weren't performing any of his tunes yet but time spent with the legend and his band made a big impact on the group. When Sound Prints appeared on the bill with Shorter at New York's Town Hall in June 2013 he presented them with the new scores of "Destination Unknown" and “To Sail Beyond The Sunset," two pieces commissioned by the Monterey Jazz Festival. "The music came handwritten - very detailed, very precise," says Douglas.

Sound Prints' debut album was recorded live at the Monterey Jazz Festival on September 21, 2013.  Lovano and Douglas contributed two songs apiece to the set and the Shorter compositions were given their public debut that day. "The recordings are the very first performances of the newly commissioned tunes," said Douglas. "We all were at a heightened state of paying attention. Shorter took a lot of risks exploring elements of change. It was such a high to play it for him.” “The music moves from today into tomorrow," adds Lovano. "Wayne told us the melody was just a suggestion – tell your own story with it."

The tracklisting for Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas Sound Prints Live at Monterey Jazz Festival is as follows:

1. Sound Prints (Joe Lovano)

2. Sprints (Dave Douglas)

3. Destination Unknown (Wayne Shorter)

4. To Sail Beyond The Sunset (Shorter)

5. Weatherman (Lovano)

6. Power Ranger (Douglas)

Recorded At – Monterey Jazz Festival

Mixed At – Sear Sound

Mastered At – Battery Mastering Studios

A&R – Don Was

A&R [A&R Administration] – Steve Cook (12)

Art Direction, Design – Hayden Miller

Bass – Linda Oh

Drums – Joey Baron

Engineer [Assistant Engineer (Recording)] – Amanda Davis (2), Eli Robbins, Michael Orsow, Rob MacKinnon

Engineer [Assistant Mix Engineer] – Ted Tuthill

Engineer [Engineered By (Recording)] – Ron Davis (2)

Liner Notes – Dave*, Joe*, Wayne Shorter

Mastered By – Mark Wilder

Mixed By – James Farber

Photography By [Cover Photo By, Individual Photos By] – Craig Lovell

Photography By [Group Photo By] – Cole Thompson

Piano – Lawrence Fields

Producer – Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano

Recorded By – Monterey Jazz Festival Audio Recording Crew

Tenor Saxophone – Joe Lovano

Trumpet – Dave Douglas

Recorded live at Monterey Jazz Festival on September 21, 2013 

Mixed at Sear Sound, New York, NY on December 18, 2013 

Mastered at Battery Studios, New York, NY

BUY THIS ALBUM!!!

VÍCTOR

Terrence Brewer - The TB3 (2016)

Recently proclaimed by long-time music scribe, David Becker (SF Examiner/AXS.com), as the San Francisco Bay areas #1 Jazz Guitarist, Multiple-Award winning guitarist Terrence Brewer is a first-call and in-demand bandleader, record producer, concert performer, studio musician, and one of the San Francisco Bay area’s foremost and sought after music educators.

Brewer brings his all-star Trio to Cafe Pink House in celebration of releasing his 10th album as a bandleader, “THE TB 3”.  “THE TB 3” is an amazing collection of jazz standards by Charlie Parker, Thelonius Monk, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, George Gershwin, and others. Showcasing his versatility as a bandleader, arranger, and improviser, Brewer, once again, delivers an amazing tribute to the jazz legends who have come before him.

Combined with being an in-demand record producer for himself and others, Brewer has lead his various groups in nearly 2500 performances in the last 8 years (over 225 in 2014); performing to sold-out crowds at the 52nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival, the world famous Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, Yoshi’s San Francisco, SFJAZZ Jazz Festival, and countless other venues.  When Brewer is not touring regionally and nationally, he finds time to instruct/facilitate master classes, clinics, workshops, and lectures for the likes of Stanford Jazz Workshop, SFJAZZ, The Jazz School, Jazz Camp West, Lafayette Summer Music Workshop, CMEA (California Music Educators Association), and presenting at colleges, high schools, middles schools, and public libraries throughout California including Los Medanos College, Chabot College, Santa Rosa Jr College, San Francisco University High School, Edna Brewer Middle School, the Nueva School, and many others.

*Winner – SF Weekly “Best Jazz Artist” Award

*Winner – Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce “Artist of the Year” Award

*Winner – Bay Area Blues Society “Best Jazz Group” Award

“…guitar wizard Terrence Brewer…[an] amazingly articulate and energetic player has gone on to forge a distinctly personal voice. A remarkably busy presence on the Bay Area club scene…~ David Becker (SF Examiner / AXS.com)

“(Brewer’s) guitar work is fluent, and his feel for the groove is unerring…” ~ Philip Van Vleck, Billboard

“(Brewer) is one of the reasons the Bay area jazz scene looks promising” ~ Dan King, San Francisco Chronicle

Terrence Brewer – Guitar

Brandon Essex – Acoustic Bass

Micah McClain – Drums

1. I Love You / Tangerine

2. Cool Blues

3. Hackensack

4. Yardbird Suite

5. But Not for Me

6. No Moe

7. Alone Together

BUY THIS ALBUM!!!

VÍCTOR

Terrence Brewer - Friends of Mine (2015)

Source: cdbaby

Recently proclaimed by long-time music scribe, David Becker (SF Examiner/AXS.com), as the San Francisco Bay areas #1 Jazz Guitarist, Multiple-Award winning guitarist Terrence Brewer is a first-call and in-demand bandleader, record producer, concert performer, studio musician, and one of the San Francisco Bay area’s foremost and sought after music educators.

Brewer returns with his quartet, releasing his 9th album as a bandleader, "Friends Of Mine". "Friends Of Mine" is an amazing collection of jazz standards by Horace Silver, John Scofield, Bill Evans, Wayne Shorter, and others. Showcasing his versatility as a bandleader, arranger, and improviser, Brewer, once again, delivers an amazing tribute to the jazz legends who have come before him.

Brewer has produced and released 8 nationally acclaimed albums (including two released in February 2014, ‘Mi Historia (My Story) The Calling: Volume 4’ and ‘Mosaic – Setting The Standard: Volume 2’) on the record label (Strong Brew Music) he started in 2006. ‘Mi Historia’ and ‘Mosaic’ are albums #7 and #8 for Brewer as a bandleader. Brewer’s last four albums, ‘Citizen Rhythm: “Of, By, For The People” (2012), ‘Setting The Standard: Vol 1’ (2011), ‘Groovin Wes’ (2009), and ‘QuintEssential’ (2008), combined to spend over 100 weeks on the National JazzWeek Radio charts weekly top 50. Three of those albums made their way into the top 15 on the national JazzWeek radio charts (‘Groovin’ Wes’ #9, ‘Setting The Standard: Vol 1’ #12, and ‘QuintEssential’ #15). 

Combined with being an in-demand record producer for himself and others, Brewer has lead his various groups in nearly 2500 performances in the last 8 years (over 200 in 2014); performing to sold-out crowds at the 52nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival, the world famous Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, Yoshi’s San Francisco, SFJAZZ Jazz Festival, and countless other venues. In addition to headlining his own shows, Brewer has shared the stage with vocalist/pianist Diana Krall, Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers), Gerald Albright, has worked with Mary Wilson (The Supremes), Darlene Love, Taylor Eigsti, Jay Lane, Dr. Anthony Brown, Pete Escovedo, and has studied with the likes of Charlie Hunter, Duck Baker, Tom Patitucci, Mark Levine. When Brewer is not touring regionally and nationally, he finds time to instruct/facilitate master classes, clinics, workshops, and lectures for the likes of Stanford Jazz Workshop, SFJAZZ, The Jazz School, Jazz Camp West, Blue Bear School of Music, Lafayette Summer Music Workshop, CMEA (California Music Educators Association), and presenting at colleges, high schools, middles schools, and public libraries throughout California including Los Medanos College, Chabot College, Santa Rosa Jr College, San Francisco University High School, Edna Brewer Middle School, the Nueva School, and many others.

Terrence Brewer, guitar

Tim Campbell, keyboard

DouEbert, acoustic bass

Greg German, drums

1. Israel (feat. Tim Campbell)

2. Big J (feat. Greg German)

3. Deluge (feat. Doug Ebert)

4. Beatrice (feat. Tim Campbell)

5. Very Early (feat. Tim Campbell)

6. Straight No Chaser (feat. Greg German)

7. The Real Guitarist (feat. Doug Ebert)

8. Juicy Lucy (feat. Tim Campbell)

BUY THIS ALBUM!!!

VÍCTOR

Joe Magnarelli - Three On Two (2015)

BY S. VICTOR AARON / somethingelsereviews

Last year trumpet ace Joe Magnarelli put forth his first album under the Posi-Tone flag, but this was hardly the first time around the block for this respected veteran sideman and bandleader. Three On Two, out earlier this month, is his second for the label and also marks twenty years of leading his own dates.

As the title suggests, it’s a three horn/two-part rhythm section setup, but a little bit different than what you might think it’d be. Once again, the eminent Steve Davis is by Magnarelli’s side on trombone and Mike DiRubbo joins the two on alto sax. Rudy Royston is on drums and instead of bass, Brian Charette completes the quintet on organ. His handling of both the keyboard and the bottom (via bass pedals) chores effectively expands the ensemble to a sextet and few are better qualified to simultaneously lock down the low end and mix it up with a large front line of crackerjack horn players than Charette.

And in spite of this being a straight-ahead blowing affair in the finest Posi-Tone tradition, there’s quite of bit of mixing it up, starting with the title tune, with shifty rhythms and maximal, articulate trumpet playing by the leader. DiRubbo keeps the good vibe going and Charette put a soul-leaden cap on the solos run. Straightforward swingers abound on this collection, too, like the crisp, uptempo Coltrane number “26-2,” which features DiRubbo’s lively sax and some seriously sizzling outpouring of notes from Magnarelli. The guys show they can play it cool, too, on another Trane tune, “Central Park West,” where Magnarelli lays his soul bare and delivers a pretty solo on flugelhorn.

There’s even some fresh funk on this record: Magnarelli’s “NYC-J-Funk” gets down with a sly mixture of contemporary, almost hip-hop beats (led by Royston) and the soulful genius of Art Blakey’s Messengers; here, Charette syncopates his organ and bass pedal lines with easy equanimity.

The way Joe Magnarelli’s band members are pitted against — and with — each other through a solid blend of originals and covers makes Three On Two a gratifying way to experience mainstream jazz. Just like Magnarelli’s last release.

01. Three On Two

02. Easy

03. The Step Up

04. NYC-J-Funk

05. 26-2

06. Clockwise

07. Paris

08. Central Park West

09. Outlet Pass

10. My Reverie

Joe Magnarelli: trumpet

Steve Davis: trombone

Mike DiRubbo: alto saxophone

Brian Charette: organ

Rudy Royston: drums

BUY THIS ALBUM!!!

VÍCTOR

Michael Dease - Decisions (2015)

BY S. VICTOR AARON / somethingelsereviews

I’ve might have said this before: Michael Dease is the rightful heir to the trombone legacy of Curtis Fuller, and even Fuller himself might agree. Rare is the trombonist who can match the technical proficiency, inventive phrasing and genuine feel that seems to come easily to Dease.

After making a triumphant foray into big band for his Posi-Tone debut Relentless, Dease gets back to small ensemble business for Decisions (August 28, 2015). Heading a five-piece band with Tim Green on alto sax, Glenn Zaleski on piano, Rodney Whitaker on bass and Ulysses Owens behind the drum kit, Dease makes good use of the talent he’s assembled using mostly his own compositions with a couple of standards tossed in for good measure.

Dease serves up prime post-bop in all sorts of flavors. “Grove’s Groove” has a nice shuffling groove courtesy of Owens’ precise drumming, but Zaleski’s spry solo is the high point of a series of fine solos by nearly everyone. The rhythm section forges a crisp, contemporary groove for “Jason’s Gonna Get Ya” that the horns nimbly syncopate around, but Dease composed a complexity to the song that goes well beyond being just a riff. He does the same for “Right Place Wrong Time,” a track where Green’s expressive alto steals the show. Whitaker’s taut bass work anchors a lilting swing for “Decisions,” again a highlight for Zaleski. And Owens gets to show off on the blues based “The Big D.”

Take those stellar individual performances away and you can still be blown be dazzled by Dease’s trombone. He makes it sing on “Gorgeous Gwen” and on ballads like “Everything Must Change” he knows just how much emotion to invest in his trombone to make it believable.

A model of consistency, style and grace, Michael Dease stays at the head of the class among jazz trombonists with his seventh album, Decisions.

01. Grove's Groove

02. Jason's Gonna Get Ya

03. Trayvon

04. Gorgeous Gwen

05. Decisions

06. Right Place Wrong Time

07. Everything Must Change

08. Three And One

09. You're My Everything

10. The Big D

Michael Dease: trombone

Tim Green: saxophone

Glenn Zaleski: piano

Rodney Whitaker: bass

Ulysses Owens Jr.: drums

BUY THIS ALBUM!!!

VÍCTOR