Cuneiform Artists on Tour - March 2017

AHLEUCHATISTAS

March 23-26 - Big Ears Festival

Knoxville, TN

Listen to Heads Full of Poison

RAOUL BJORKENHEIM / eCsTaSy

April 27 - Jazzahead! 2017

Bremen, Germany

Listen to Out Of The Blue

CHEER-ACCIDENT

July 31 - Beat Kitchen

2100 W. Belmont Ave - Chicago, IL 60618 [opening for Free Salamander Exhibit!]

September 15-17 - Rock In Opposition Festival

Cap D'ecouverte - Le Garric 81450, France

Listen to No Ifs, Ands Or Dogs

THE CLAUDIA QUINTET

May 15 - Songbyrd

2477 18th St NW - Washington, DC 20009 (202) 450-2917

Listen to Super Petite

THE GREAT HARRY HILLMAN

March 26 - Saxstall

Pohrsdorf, Germany [with Edi Nulz]

March 30 - BeJazz Transnational

Bern, Switzerland [with Edi Nulz]

May 6 - Apollo

Shimo-Kitazawa - Tokyo, Japan

May 7 - Gig

Yokohama, Japan

May 8 - Star Eyes

Nagoya, Japan

May 9 - Mokkiriya

Kanazawa, Japan

May 10 - UrBANGUILD

Kyoto, Japan

May 11 - Left Alone

Ashiya, Kobe, Japan

May 13 - Bird

Hiroshima, Japan

May 14 - Candy

Chiba, Japan

May 15 - Tokyo Club Meguro

Meguro, Tokyo, Japan

May 16 - Airegin

Yokohama, Japan

June 11 - Hot Club Ghent

Ghent, Belgium

TILT out in May!

IDEAL BREAD

March 22 - Rye Bar

247 South 1st Street - Brooklyn, NY - 10:30

May 14 - The Legion Bar

790 Metropolitan Ave - Brooklyn, NY - 9:00

Listen to Beating The Teens: Songs of Steve Lacy

LED BIB

April 13 - Jazz Spot Candy

Chiba, Japan

April 14 - Velvet Sun

Tokyo, Japan

April 15 - tbd

Tokyo, Japan

April 16 - Nanya

Nogoya, Japan

April 17 - Big Apple

Kobe, Japan

April 18 - Pepperland

Okayama, Japan

April 19 - Jazz Riverside

Fukuoka, Japan

May 3 - Vortex

London, UK

May 4 - Vortex

London, UK

May 5 - Blue Orange Theatre

Birmingham, UK

May 6 - Fuse Art Space

Bradford, UK

May 7 - The Bridge Hotel

May 8 - Bramley's Bar

Canterbury, UK

May 12 - Jazztage Goerlitz

Goerlitz, UK

Listen to The Good Egg

NAIMA

April 6 - Bar Django

Thorvald Meyers gate 25 - 0555 Oslo, Norway

April 8 - Nordic Black Theatre

Hollendergata 8 - 0190 Oslo, Norway

April 29 - Jazz & Cookin' Festival

Veles e Vents, Marina Real Juan Carlos I

46024 València, Spain - 17:00

June 7 - Palau de la Musica

Passeig de l'Albereda, 30

46023 València, Spain - 20:00

July 14 - White Night Music Joint

Fontanka river embankment, 59 - Saint Petersburg, Russia

July 15 - Petrojazz Festival

St Petersburg, Russia

September 7 - Amstel Arts

Veles e Vents, Marina Real Juan Carlos I

46024 València, Spain - 19:00

Listen to Bye

DYLAN RYAN / SAND

March 29 - Satellite

Los Angeles, CA

Listen to Circa

WADADA LEO SMITH

March 25 – Wadada Leo Smith & Angelica Sanchez

Greenwich House - NYC, NY

April 8 – CREATE Festival Firehouse 12

45 Crown St - New Haven, CT 06510

April 9 – CREATE Festival Firehouse 12

45 Crown St - New Haven, CT 06510

June 8 – Wadada Leo Smith & Vijay Iyer - Ojai Music Festival

Libbey Bowl - Ojai, CA

June 15 – Wadada Leo Smith & Vijay Iyer - Zellerbach Hall

Berkeley, CA

July 18  – Wadada Leo Smith & Vijay Iyer - Molde Jazz Festival

Newport, RI

August 4 – Wadada Leo Smith & Vijay Iyer - Newport Jazz Festival

Newport, RI

October 13 – Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet

performing 'Ten Freedom Summers' - tab - Houston, TX

October 14 – Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet

performing 'Ten Freedom Summers' - tab - Austin, TX

October 15 – Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet

performing 'Ten Freedom Summers' - tab - New Orleans, LA

Listen to America's National Parks

BENT KNEE

April 12 - Amityville Music Hall

Amityville, NY [opening for Thank You Scientist]

April 14 - Monty Hall

Jersey City, NJ [opening for Thank You Scientist]

April 18 - The Shelter

Detroit, MI [opening for Thank You Scientist]

April 19 - Mac's Bar

Lansing, MI [opening for Thank You Scientist]

April 20 - Shank Hall

Milwaukee, WI [opening for Thank You Scientist]

April 21 - The House Cafe

Dekalb, IL [opening for Thank You Scientist]

April 22 - Blue Moose Taphouse

Iowa City, IA [opening for Thank You Scientist]

April 23 - The Bottleneck

Lawrence, KS [opening for Thank You Scientist]

April 27 - Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

280 Fenway - Boston, MA [opening for Ruby Rose Fox]

May 6 - Waiting Room

Buffalo, NY [opening for Thank You Scientist]

May 7 - The Haunt

Ithaca, NY [opening for Thank You Scientist]

May 9 - The Ottobar

Baltimore, MD [opening for Thank You Scientist]

May 10 - Chameleon Club

Lancaster, PA [opening for Thank You Scientist]

May 11 - Canal Club

Richmond, VA [opening for Thank You Scientist]

May 12 - Motorco Music Hall

Durham, NC [opening for Thank You Scientist]

May 18-21 - FIMAV

Victoriaville, Quebec G6P 6T3 - Canada

Listen to Say So

MICHAEL GIBBS

September 22 - tba

Hamburg, Germany

September 24 - tba

Scarbourough, UK

October 19 - Berklee School of Music

Boston, MA

Listen to Play A Bill Frisell Set List

GUAPO

September 15-17 - Rock In Opposition Festival

Cap D'ec

iCasi - Clunk (IRMA RECORDS 2017)

I Casi nascono nel 2013 a Milano come tributo alla formazione pianoless di Gerry Mulligan e Chet Baker, ma Il progetto viene presto abbandonato per dare spazio all’esigenza di proporre composizioni originali da parte di tutti i membri del gruppo.

Nei due anni successivi la band ha modo di esibirsi ed emergere all’interno del panorama musicale milanese e italiano, producendo autonomamente due dischi che li porteranno a partecipare e vincere, nel 2015, la prima edizione del Maletto Prize.

Casi è un’opera di Daniil Charms. Una collezione di racconti visionari che descrivono una realtà concreta, apparentemente non connessi tra loro pur facendo parte dello stesso assurdo e multi sfaccettato scenario.

Clunk, anche titolo di una delle storie raccontate da Charms, è il risultato di una ricerca collettiva volta a valorizzare e fare propri i diversi linguaggi musicali che più hanno influenzato i quattro musicisti. 13 brani che, toccando differenti generi, racchiudono in un insieme organico le eclettiche intenzioni dei loro compositori, trasformando la sperimentazione tipicamente jazzistica in una sintesi volutamente meno articolata ma, al contempo, innovativa.

1. Attenti al loop

2. Il maggiordomo

3. Sublimare

4. Huffy

5. Il nemigo

6. Perspiration

7. Pitaghiros

8. Serratura

9. Art's Dream

10. Domande

11. Risposte

12. GB

13. Casbah di Porta Genova

Arturo Garra: clarinetto, clarinetto basso

Andrea Jimmy Catagnoli: sax alto

Vito Zeno: contrabbasso

Andrea Quattrini: batteria

Jonah Levine Collective - Attention Deficit (WORLD GALAXY RECORDS 2017)

West coast jazz music is alive and well, with many entities in the movement breaking open doors with magnetic force and luminous brilliance. From Kamasi Washington to Terrace Martin and Esperanza Spalding to Miguel Atwood Ferguson, the west coast is bubbling with new energy in the jazz idiom. The voices creating the next wave of timeless music is here and the melting pot of composers leading the charge continues to expand by the year. 

Jonah Levine is next up, bridging a vast level of knowledge, skill and creativity over the trombone and piano. Launching out of the gates this year with full speed and momentum, Jonah has signed with the Alpha Pup Records’ jazz imprint World Galaxy. The debut album, Attention Deficit, will drop March 17, 2017 and follows up stellar World Galaxy releases from Ronald Bruner Jr., Josef Leimberg and Miles Mosley. 

With dynamic harmonies and rhythms sprawling over every track, the flaring solos and pensive layering of minds carries an adventurous sense of oneness over the entire Attention Deficit LP. Iman Omari and MNDSGN flip the energy of the album into a futuristic spiral, blending the ethos of modern soul and electronica with the complex nature of Jonah’s writing style. Aditya Prakash pushes the sonic identity even further, adding in the deep traditions of Indian Classical music to an already eclectic and otherworldly affair. Ending the LP, we find the Jonah Levine Collective diving into a technically expansive and emotionally climactic cover of Kendrick Lamar’s “For Free.” The compositional scope on Attention Deficit travels the world and beyond, putting emphasis on the all encompassing search for knowledge many people from this generation are seeking. As the title suggests, the cosmology of Attention Deficit’s music hemispheres shift vastly from piece to piece, showing the totality of the band’s spirit in a uniquely amorphous and beautiful light. 

Jonah Levine’s time studying under jazz legends such as Kenny Burrell and James Newton reveals an important road towards the creation and release of Attention Deficit. Time spent with Anderson .Paak before his career shifted towards stardom is another important road. All of Jonah’s collaborative access points over the years have been integral elements to the creation of Attention Deficit, including recordings and live stints with Leonard Cohen, The Game, Ed Sheeran, Anderson .Paak, Josef Leimberg, Nx Worries, MNDSGN, Iman Omari, Ryan Leslie, Jeff Parker, Bennie Maupin, Chris "Daddy" Dave, George Watsky and Shafiq Husayn. All of these voices and more carry influence over Attention Deficit, brought together with a culturally integrated collective that includes Emile Martinez (trumpet, flugelhorn), Josh Johnson (alto saxophone), Owen Clapp (upright & electric bass), Jonathan Pinson (drums) and Kiefer Shackelford (piano). 

In whatever mode Jonah Levine is creating in from day to day, there’s a constant dedication in adding beauty to the modern art-form of music. Attention Deficit is a jump off point in that regard and speaks a truly unique language from his collective. Pick up Attention Deficit across CD and digital platforms March 17, 2017 and support the continued ascension of west coast jazz music.

Joe Fiedler - Like, Strange (MULTIPHONICS MUSIC 2017)

“The versatile Joe Fiedler has often been associated with the avant-garde . . . [but he] proves that he’s also a master of swing and blues-based music . . . he uses superb technique, which includes playing chords (multiphonics), and a wit worthy of trombonist Ray Anderson to invigorate straight ahead jazz, paying indirect tributes to tradition while simultaneously turning the music inside out” - Jazziz Magazine 

The imaginative and adventurous trio of trombonist, composer, bandleader Joe Fiedler, bassist Rob Jost and drummer Michael Sarin just accomplished the near-impossible; with the addition of saxophonist Jeff Lederer and guitarist Pete McCann they have broadened their melodic and harmonic range, and expanded rhythmically, becoming even more awe-inspiring. The Quintet is featured in all its splendor on Fiedler’s new recording, Like, Strange. After thirteen years of leading his trio (documented on I’m In, Plays The Music of Albert Mangelsdorff, The Crab and Sacred Chrome Orb), and that format being his primary creative outlet, Fiedler felt the urge to expand. He explains, “after more than a decade of playing trio I still love it, but I found myself wanting to branch out and bring different colors and textures to my music. Thus I thought that it was time to add some people who were both unique soloists and great interpreters of music in general.” 

Like, Strange, in many ways, is a continuation of the music from Fiedler’s previous critically acclaimed recording, I’m In (which also features bassist Jost and drummer Sarin). “In general, and similar to my previous recording, the compositions are more traditional forms and variations of traditional chord progressions, yet still pliable and able to handle both inside and outside playing. For my ears, adding Pete and Jeff turned out to be the perfect way to expand the trio and give it an added, richer depth of color and sound,” said Fiedler.

1. Go Get It

2. Maple Avenue Tango

3. A Ladybug in My Notebook

4. Like, Strange

5. E.T.

6. Guiro Nuevo

7. Tuna Fish Cans

8. Quasi...

9. Yinz

JOE FIEDLER (Trombone)

JEFF LEDERER (Saxophones)

PETE MCCANN (Guitar)

ROB JOST (Bass)

MICHAEL SARIN (Drums)

Olivier Collette - Conceptions (IGLOO CIRCLE 2017)

Conceptions, the fourth album of the pianist Olivier Collette, presents a repertoire formed only by original compositions inspired mainly by jazz but also blues or world music.

Olivier is surrounded by great musicians such as Samuel Gerstmans on double bass, Matthias De Waele on drums and on 4 songs, Steve Houben on alto saxophone.

The music put the accent on melody, harmony, diversity, sometimes close to the tradition, sometimes close to modern jazz.

"Conceptions" has a double meaning : the concept and to give birth to something, the basic principle of artistic creation.

1 Missing

2 Little Baïon

3 Hatta Road

4 Danse Pachyderme

5 Waltz for Charlie

6 The B Train

7 Azur

Till Martin Trio - Knit for Elly (UNIT RECORDS 2017)

Space, calmness and transparency – that is the point of departure of Munich-based saxophonist Till Martin’s trio without drums. Martin, Elsässer and Sieverts unfold their music between the two poles of beautiful chamber music and complex intensity in a grounded and remarkably versatile way. At the same time their music represents a play with references to the swinging roots of jazz. Therefore Martin’s pieces are dedicated to groundbreaking musicians and composers like Duke Ellington, Bill Evans or Jimmy Giuffre. Moreover they winkingly pay tribute to many a milestone of jazz history.

1 Bill´s

2 Jg Blues

3 Three Threads

4 Yellow & Blue

5 Trio for Five

6 Knit for Elly

7 Things

8 Sketches

9 Darjeeling

10 Tiny Swing 

Till Martin - tenor saxophone

Christian Elsässer - piano

Henning Sieverts - bass

Yaron Herman - Y (BLUE NOTE RECORDS 2017)

Tout album est particulier, spécial, singulier dans une discographie. Et c’est toujours délicat d’en pointer un du doigt pour dire de lui : « celui-ci n’est vraiment pas comme les autres ». C’est forcément réducteur, injuste voire mensonger.

Déjà « Everyday », premier duo fusionnel avec Ziv Ravitz en 2015, premier album pour Blue Note, premier disque avec chant (« Volcana » avec Helgi Jonsson), avait comme un air de renaissance pour Yaron Herman. Pourtant, avec « Y » (sortie vendredi 17 mars chez Blue Note / Universal), la tentation est encore plus forte. Jamais le pianiste franco-israélien n’avait autant « assumé » et « synthétisé » corps et âme toutes ses influences, qu’elles soient jazz, post-rock ou électro, qu’elles viennent de Sufjan Stevens, de Steve Reich ou de Keith Jarrett. Mieux : au lieu de reprendre des tubes populaires comme par le passé (de Britney Spears à Radiohead), il se crée les siens. Car au final, c’est de ça dont il s’agit dans « Y » : un disque de chansons avec ou sans voix, avec ou sans paroles, avec ou sans refrains.

Peut-être que tout ça vient des Rencontres Photographiques d’Arles en 2015 et de son coup de foudre amical pour Matthieu Chedid alias -M- (chanteur aquatique sur Saisons Contradictoires). Peut-être que tout ça résulte de sa complicité avec le bassiste de The Dø Bastien Burger (co-producteur du disque et vocaliste éthéré sur Jacob). Peut-être que tout ça découle de sa découverte du jeune producteur électro-pop français Dream Koala (invité stratosphérique sur Solaire). Peut-être que son ami bluesman-rockeur Hugh Coltman tient un rôle également dans cette histoire (crooner touchant sur The Waker).

Mais peut-être que tout ça n’a rien à voir. Car pour Yaron Herman, « Y » est aussi et surtout une histoire de son(s). Chaque morceau explore une nouvelle piste, des cloches inaugurales de Phoenix aux chœurs célestes de Dreamson. Quand il en parle, on a l’impression d’entendre moins un musicien qu’un metteur en scène : « Je ne pense pas ma musique en termes d’images, mais je ressens la profondeur et l’espace ». Certains des morceaux du disque sont même nés d’un timbre de synthé, comme Solaire (« ce son, quand je l’écoute, j’ai envie de sauter dans la piscine : c’est large, chaud, c’est comme être au soleil, immobile »). D’autres sont nés d’une impro sur son canapé domestique. Les parties batterie de Jacob ont même été enregistrées par Ziv Ravitz, son batteur-ami-complice-alter-ego-binôme, sur un… smartphone ! « Ce qui donne le côté très saturé, un peu crunché de la batterie » confie-t-il avant d’ajouter : « Sur cet album, beaucoup de choses sont « home made ». Pratiquement tous les claviers ou les xylophones ont été enregistrés dans mon salon, sur ordinateur ». La production DIY de « Y » rappelle que le trentenaire conçoit le jazz comme une caverne à surprises. « Je suis un improvisateur à la base, c’est le fondement de mon être » explique-t-il, « si tu sais ce qui va arriver, ce n’est plus du jazz ».

Silhouettes ou Legs to Run sont générés comme en concert : par un aller-retour live de sons trafiqués entre Yaron et Ziv. « Il fallait arriver à mélanger acoustique et électronique de manière subtile. Que l’un ne prenne pas le dessus sur l’autre : « Y »_, c’est un monde dans lequel tous les sons s’épanouissen_t. »

Sans doute que tout ça est lié, qu’il n’y a rien d’antinomique dans toutes ces facettes. Si derrière le « Y » du titre, on peut lire une marque autobiographique – Yaron signe souvent ses messages de cette initiale – on peut aussi y voir un autre sens : « le Yod en kabbale, c’est l’étincelle ». Mais aussi une volonté d’unité : « je trouve que cette lettre ressemble à un arbre » confie-t-il. « Y » serait donc un alliage hétéroclite qui forme un tout aussi solide qu’un tronc, la naissance d’un nouveau trio soudé (Yaron/Bastien/Ziv), une suite de racines qui auraient fini de bourgeonner. Et ce n’est pas un hasard si l’unique « reprise » du disque est un traditionnel yiddish, Fun Groys Dasad. On y entend une voix de femme immémoriale que le Parisien né à Tel Aviv accompagne avec sobriété. « C’est un morceau incroyable que j’écoute depuis très longtemps. Ça parle de la douleur face à la mort. C’est juste une femme enregistrée dans sa cuisine dans les années 20 par des chercheurs américains qui voulaient documenter la vie dans les vieux shtetls juifs en Europe de l’Est. Ils ont bien fait parce que toute cette culture a été décimée… C’est une trace du passé qui est mis dans un contexte d’avenir. Ça crée une élasticité de l’espace-temps qui nous sort un peu de notre quotidien. »

Prendre des éclats de passé pour les transformer en bouts d’avenir, voilà une des définitions possibles du jazz qui va de l’avant. Et c’est ce mouvement que tente de capter Yaron Herman dans « Y » dont plusieurs titres évoquent le mouvement : Legs to Run, First Dance ou Side Jump. Le pianiste confirme : « oui, pour moi c’est un album vivant, c’est de la musique vivante, c’est-à-dire de la musique d’aujourd’hui ».

1 First Dance

2 Legs To Run

3 Phoenix

4 Saisons contradictoires (feat. M)

5 Jacob

6 Silhouettes

7 Solaire (feat. Dream Koala)

8 Side Jump

9 The Waker (feat. Hugh Coltman)

10 Spark

11 Fun Groys Dasad

12 Dreamson

Tom Dempsey / Tim Ferguson Quartet - Waltz New (OA2 RECORDS 2017)

"...inventive, straight ahead and swinging. The Tom Dempsey/Tim Ferguson Quartet shows how creative the modern mainstream of jazz remains..." SCOTT YANOW

Paying tribute to the profound effect Jim Hall had on their music, guitarist Tom Dempsey and bassist Tim Ferguson's fourth album together approaches six of Hall's classic compositions, and several standards that the guitarist made distinctively his own over a storied career. Featuring saxophonist Joel Frahm and drummer Eliot Zigmund, the quartet explores "All Across The City," "Something Special" and the title track, all by Hall, and their take on "Alone Together," "All the Things You Are," and "Skylark," as they give a nod to Hall's contributions to modern jazz and the impact of his enduring legacy.

1 Something Special 5:58 (Jim Hall)

2 All The Things You Are 5:47 (Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein II)

3 Big Blues 6:01 (Jim Hall)

4 All Across The City 5:53 (Jim Hall)

5 Waltz New 6:10 (Jim Hall)

6 Careful 6:00 (Jim Hall)

7 Alone Together 5:44 (Howard Dietz-Arthur Schwartz)

8 Subsequently 5:53 (Jim Hall)

9 Skylark 5:53 (Hoagy Carmichael)

10 Village Waltz 6:19 (Tom Dempsey)

11 Receipt Please 4:55 (Ron Carter)

Tom Dempsey - Guitar

Tim Ferguson - Bass

Joel Frahm - Tenor Saxophone

Eliot Zigmund - Drums