Mark Lewandowski - Waller (WHIRLWIND RECORDINGS 2017)

Thomas Wright ‘Fats’ Waller was a true entertainer; a New York trailblazer of his time (1920s to early 1940s), turning out hundreds of songs including those which would become established standards, such as ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’, ‘Honeysuckle Rose’ and ‘Jitterbug Waltz’. A jocular, larger-than-life character, his Harlem stride piano and gritty voice were key to a distinctive sound which would inform the jazz of subsequent generations, with solid showtime melodies ensuring its longevity.

Strongly maintaining the integrity of Fats Waller’s music while looking afresh at its present-day possibilities, English double bassist Mark Lewandowski embarked on this concept with clear intent: “I wanted to approach it with respect. Fats’ music is frequently loud, exuberant, even obnoxious at times, as well as wistful and elegant; so I really wanted to strip it down – and, with that in mind, I automatically thought of Liam Noble and Paul Clarvis (their 2009 duo album, Starry Starry Night, has long been a great inspiration to me). As a drummer, Paul demonstrates such great poise and economy, using only brushes throughout the whole of what was a particularly relaxed recording session, whilst Liam’s playful, unpredictability at the piano is perfect for this” (he has skilfully reworked the music of many artists, including Dave Brubeck, Bud Powell… even Elgar). “For the three of us, the experience of improvising so conversationally and intimately felt remarkably equal, and became more of an ongoing commentary rather than a straightforward reinterpretation. Nothing was fixed, the shackles were removed – so I loved the spontaneity and the vulnerability, as well as Liam’s and Paul’s wry take on things.”

With authentically-sampled historical introductions occasionally reinforcing the context, Waller’s eleven tracks unfold organically from the slenderest of wireframes. As Lewandowski says: “Fats would never have written any of those things down; if he composed a new tune, he’d go over to them and play it from the piano.” A similar approach here affords each of the musicians the freedom to respond in their own way while also intertwining their various strands of ideas, so ‘Lulu’s Back in Town’ emerges and then reappears from the trio’s enthusiastically percussive ‘chat’. ‘I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead… Suzannah!!’ fuses together two Fats originals, its countrified bass phrasing sparingly embellished by Clarvis’ irregular snare patterns before Noble runs headlong into it with characteristically oblique swing. Another astute pairing results in ‘It’s a Sin to Write a Letter’, followed by Lewandowski’s animated bass solo ‘Have a Little Dream on Me’; and ‘Blue Because of You’ quicksteps to dashing bass and shuffling brushes as Noble shrugs off its melancholy origins.

Flirtatious favourites ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’ and ‘Honeysuckle Rose’ are typically mischievous, nay impetuous, with each player lying in wait to jump off the others’ ideas; ‘Jitterbug Waltz’s familiar descending phrases are avidly seized upon by the ever-inventive imaginings of Noble; and both ‘Cinders’ and ‘Fair and Square in Love’ are deliciously and mesmerisingly held back, the latter hinting at a cool Motown ballad vibe towards its close.

Mark Lewandowski’s final, sung/whistled track – ‘Surprise Ending’ (Jelly Roll Morton’s resigned ‘Why’) – whimsically nods to Waller’s personable, socially-relevant reflections on the mundanity of life, as well as his popular showmanship from the piano. It might even offer a glimpse of future spin-off projects: “We’ve all studied early jazz alongside our more contemporary projects, and everything I do is very heavily informed by the Black-American tradition – it’s how I first fell in love with this music. So it’s been a great way to focus on Fats’ output; and I can even envisage some continuity in us exploring other historical artists in the same way. You can’t hide behind this music, so we wanted it to be as honest as possible, based on our own instincts. We’re using our collective influences of the past to inform how we improvise as contemporary musicians – and I hope, for listeners, it’ll be a gateway to the wider, colorful world of Fats Waller.”

1. Lulu's Back In Town 04:44

2. I'll Be Glad When You're Dead... Susannah 05:12

3. Jitterbug Waltz 06:16

4. Blue Because Of You 03:40

5. Fair & Square In Love 07:03

6. Cinders 04:33

7. It's a Sin to Write a Letter 04:31

8. Have a Little Dream on Me 02:02

9. Ain't Misbehavin' 06:15

10.Honeysuckle Rose 01:55

11.Surprise Ending 03:13

Mark Lewandowski - double bass

Liam Noble - piano

Paul Clarvis - drums

Jim Casey - Miles Goes Wes (2017)

The gunslinger guitarist is the first archetype that comes to mind. This is the Guitar Slim/Johnny Guitar Watson/Jimi Hendrix/Jimmy Page raucous rocker. His pyrotechnical explosions leave us breathless; his every riff is high drama. We can’t keep our eyes off him. He commands the stage. He’s the centerpiece of every record he cuts. His swagger is irresistible, his virtuosity always on full display. 

But there is a second category of guitar hero who is all too easily overlooked. He stands off to one side or drifts towards the back. He brings no attention to himself. The power of his playing is something you feel rather than see. His forte is understatement. His strength is his subtlety. He exhibits the rarest of artistic traits: humility. 

“Of all the cats in my band,” Count Basie once said, “the one you notice least is the one who means the most. You don’t even think he’s doing anything. But take away my guitar man Freddie Greene and suddenly we stop swinging. He’s our pulse. There are loud geniuses and quiet ones. Freddie’s one of the quiet ones.” So is Jim Casey.

I first heard Jim nearly forty years ago at Popsicle Toes, a nightspot on Greenville Avenue in Dallas. His soul-searing R&B band was the real deal. I was initially drawn to the group’s brilliant lead singer Kelly McNulty. Beyond Kelly’s blue velvet voice, the group was overflowing with extravagant talent—singer/saxist Little John Sanders, drummers Ken Johnson and Eric Stuer, multi-instrumentalist/singer Eric Tagg. Over time, the more I listened to Buster Brown, the more I came to appreciate the nuanced skills of Jim Casey.

His rhythm guitar work was a wonder to behold. I loved how he crafted a battery of slick funky grooves. I marveled at his sturdy yet remarkably gentle touch. As a soloist, he was a minimalist, a man who served the song and the singer rather than himself. His blues chops, like his fusion-jazz chops, were razor sharp. He displayed a balanced sense of dynamics—knowing when to kick back, when to hit it hard—that revealed a musical maturity far beyond his age. At the time he was in his mid-twenties.

Now in his early sixties and sounding better than ever, Jim has finally decided to take that much-awaited step into the spotlight. I applaud and celebrate that decision. Miles Goes Wes is an exemplary recording of Jim’s prodigious gifts even as it honors his essential character. Although he’s the visionary behind this suite of songs—at long last the leader of a release bearing his own name--he retains that endearing sense of humility that makes him who he is: the most unassuming of guitar heroes.

Jim conceived the project, in fact, as a tribute to his own heroes, Miles Davis and Wes Montgomery. 
“Because they’ve never failed to inspire me as creative artists,” says Jim, “I wanted to honor them by interpreting their material. For Wes, the compositions I chose—`Road Songs,’ ‘4 on 6,’ ‘Angel’ and `Day in the Life’—come from sixties. For Miles, I dipped into his classic stuff from the fifties—like `So What’ and ‘Four’—as well as three songs from Tutu, the record he made with Marcus Miller in the eighties that had a huge impact on me. With every tune, though, my goal was to reimagine the songs in a contemporary context. To do that I needed help. That’s why I turned to Frank Hames who essentially serves as my co-producer and main arranger, not to mention engineer and mixer. Frank’s genius informs every second of this record. I met him back in the early seventies when I left my home of Pampa, Texas for college at North Texas in Denton. North Texas—with its incredible One O’Clock Lab Band—was the first time I found myself in a sophisticated musical environment. So many of the great players on Miles Goes Wes—drummers John Bryant, Greg Bissonette and saxist Randy Lee, bassist/drummer Mike Medina, drummer Kirk Covington, bassist James Driscoll--are connected to North Texas.”

North Texas—both the university in Denton and the geographic area encompassing Dallas/Fort Worth—is the fertile territory that gave birth to bands like Phyrework, the legendary jazz-rock-soul group founded by Frank Hames and John Bryant around the same time Jim formed Buster Brown. In that sense, Miles Goes Wes has the feeling of a warm homecoming, a reunion of musicians whose connections have stayed strong over a lifetime.

“I also must mention Bernard Wright,” Jim is quick to add. “He’s all over this record, playing with impeccable taste, style and imagination. Of course he became a funk star in the early eighties as Nard, a contemporary of Marcus Miller and Lenny White from Jamaica, Queens, New York. Marcus recruited him to play on Tutu. I met Bernard when he moved to Dallas some thirty years ago and worked with Buster Brown. We lost touch for a while, but hooked up again for this project. I treasure his solos here, especially the haunting introduction he wrote for ‘Nardis.’ Randy Lee, another forty-year-friend and the original tenor saxist in Phyrework, also knocked me out. I love how he tears up `Day in the Life.’’ True to form, Jim resists talking about himself. He’s too busy praising others.

“Can’t say enough about Steve Howard,” Jim enthuses. “Steve played with both Buster Brown and Phyrework before going off with Paul McCartney and Wings and the Blues Brothers. His role in this record is essential since, in some ways, he’s standing in for Miles. Without imitating Miles, Steve’s able to express that super-intense Miles feeling. A lot of this record can be heard as a conversation between Steve and myself. And in that conversation I wanted to be sure and give Steve all the space his creative ideas deserve.” 

One of the most intriguing aspects of Miles Goes Wes is the limited space Jim gives himself. When he does solo—his intricately sinuous work, for example, on “Splatch” or his graceful turn on “Stella by Starlight”—it is typically at the end of the song, into the fade. Why not give himself more solo space? 

“When I heard what the other soloists had to say—Frank, Bernard, Steve, Randy, Bobby Sparks on B3—I couldn’t imagine cutting them off. I couldn’t see myself taking over and sucking up all the air. These are incredible artists too good not to be featured. At the same time, I have my say on this record. You hear me express myself on every song. I don’t believe in over-talking or over-playing. This music reflects who I am and what I love. And to be truthful, what I love and cherish most is the camaraderie of playing with musicians I admire. I’m truly honored to have them join me on my record.” 

The result is a lyrical and deeply satisfying document of Jim Casey as more than a stellar guitarist. He is an artist with a highly cultivated jazz aesthetic and, most strikingly, a man with a sweet and beautiful soul. 

-David Ritz 
Ritz has written books with, among others, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, BB King, Buddy Guy, Aretha Franklin and Willie Nelson. His lyrics include “Sexual Healing.“

So What

Splatch

Road Song

Solar

4 on 6

Tutu

Nardis

Full Nelson

Stella by Starlight

Angel

Four

All Blues

A Day in the Life

Jim Casey: leader, guitar

Steve Howard: trumpet

Jeff Robbins: sax, flute

Randy Lee: tenor sax

Bobby Sparks: B-3 organ

Bernard Wright: keyboard, synthesizer

Frank Hames: keyboard, synthesizer, arranger

Braylon Lacy: bass

Rick Rigsby: bass

James Driscoll: bass

Kirk Covington: drums

Jason Thomas: drums

Greg Bissonette: drums

John Bryant: percussion

Michael Medina: bass, drums, percussion

Emily Medina: percussion

Josiah Woodson - Suite Elemental (TRUTH REVOLUTION RECORDS 2017)

On his debut album titled 'Suite Elemental,' multi-instrumentalist Josiah Woodson weaves an epic story of a prince on a journey to become a king. Over the course of six tracks, Woodson creates a sound sculpture (suite) inspired by the elements – Air, Water, Fire, and Earth – and universal themes that revolve around inheritance, ascendance, struggle, adversity, and eventual triumph. 

“In reading the story and listening to the music,” says Woodson, “I hope to spark something in people and they take away a message that is pertinent to them in their lives, whoever they might be.” 

“AIR” represents energy, movement transcendence. 

“EAU” (Water) was composed by Woodson during a difficult time in his life. He likens it to a “soothing musical balm.” 

“FEU” (Fire) states that there is no triumph without trial; there is no temperance without a test. The tune moves through sections of intense “reds” and “oranges” and a temporary respite rest in “purples” and “yellows.” 

“TERRE” (Earth) is a journey. It is the uneasy yet the steady calm before the storm that provides solace for the body but not the mind. Also, it conjures up images of a vast forest and the epic story of “The Prince of Soro.” 

“SOLSTICE” is the culmination of the story. 

“(rep)RISE” is where the composer comes to terms with forging his path, mind and name. Also, Woodson reveals the story – literally and figuratively – is his. 

jazzdelapena.com

1. Air 07:54

2. Eau 08:34

3. Feu 09:16

4. Terre 09:06

5. Solstice 08:49

6. [rep]Rise 01:30

Josiah Woodson: composition, trumpet, flugelhorn, guitar, flute

Ricardo Izquierdo: tenor sax (3)

Daniel Gassin: piano (2-6)

Zacharie Abraham: upright bass (1-3, 5, 6)

Laurent-Emmanuel “Tilo” Bertholo: drums

Special Guests

Lovell Bradford: Rhodes (1)

Peter Giron: upright bass (4)

Ralph Lavital: guitar (5)

Philippe Makaia: Gwo Ka (5)

Playlist for Tom Ossana – The Thin Edge – April 19, 2017 MST 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

www.kzmu.org/listen.m3u ~ Use this link to access the show online.

Mateus Gonsales - Mateus Gonsales Trio (2017)

Mateus Gonsales (piano): Natural de Londrina – PR. Formado em Jazz e MPB no Conservatório Musical e Dramático de Tatuí, em produção fonográfica pela UNOESTE (Presidente Prudente), e pós-graduado em Arranjo Musical pela Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL). Desenvolve atividades como produtor, arranjador e professor de piano, harmonia e improvisação.

Mateus Gonsales - Piano e Rhodes

Diogo Burka - Baixo

Roger Aleixo - Bateria

Tracks in

Jeff Platz - Neu Cabal (2017)

Jeff Platz - guitarist, composer, has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe. He has performed in various music festivals world wide such as New York city’s “What is Jazz” festival, the “Heidelberg jazz festival” in Heidelberg Germany, Amsterdam's” Crossing Borders” festival and the Munster International Jazz festival in Munster Germany.

The Berlin based music journalist Wolf Kampmann writes, “Platz’s music is generous although never accidental. The secret of its uninhibited quality lies more in Platz’s playful use of the familiar where intuition, feeling, and memory are the most important navigational instruments”.

1. Seer & Seen 6:29

2. Dark Poppies 6:42

3. Springish 7:54

4. Trickle Down 7:10

5. Mr. Stone 7:01

6. Constellation 3:42

7. Hornet Breath 9:20

8. Hammer & Saw 7:19

9. Actual Size 3:59

10. Wrong Way Around 6:56

Jeff Platz guitars

Daniel Carter woodwinds, trumpet, piano

Dmitry Ishenko acoustic bass

Dalius Naujokaitis drums, percussion

Vintage Orchestra - Smack Dab in the Middle (The Vocal Side of Thad Jones) GAYA MUSIC PRODUCTION 2017

The new recording by the Vintage Orchestra takes on quite a rare repertoire : the vocal music composed by the great trumpet player and composer Thad Jones. The instrumental music composed and arranged for his own big band is known all over the world and has been recorded and played by so many different bands, but Jones’ arrangements for a lead singer from 1965 to 1968 have never been recorded since, nor have the music charts been edited.

In order to play this music we asked Dominique Mandin, Stéphane Guillaume, François Biensan, Jon Boutellier and Erick Poirier to make transcriptions, not to copy the originals but mostly to create new interpretations of this repertoire for a band which has been working on Thad Jones’ music for the last 15 years. Denise King, internationally acclaimed American singer, and Walter Ricci, a very talented young singer, are the ideal voices for this laid aside repertoire, supported by the Vintage Orchestra.This new international project by The Vintage Orchestra is both daring and unexpected.

01. Get Out Of My Life (3:23)

02. Evil En Man Blues (3:35)

03. Yes Sir That's My Babe (3:35)

04. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (3:02)

05. Come Sunday (3:04)

06. Bye Bye Blackbird (2:35)

07. Smack Dab In The Middle (3:57)

08. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You (2:50)

09. Fine Brown Frame (3:22)

10. Hallelujah, I Love Her So (2:47)

11. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town (4:13)

12. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (2:57)

The Band:

Saxophones: Dominique Mandin / Olivier Zanot / Thomas Savy / David Sauzay / Jean-François Devèze

Trumpets: Erick Poirier / Lorenz Rainer / Fabien Mary / Julien Ecrepont

Trombones: Michael Ballue, Bastien Ballaz, Jerry Edwards, Martin Berlugue

Piano: Florent Gac

Bass: Yoni Zelnik

Drums: Andrea Michelutti

Guest vocalists: Denise King & Walter Ricci

Linda May Han Oh - Walk Against Wind (BIOPHILIA RECORDS 2017)

The art of mime, with its embrace of silence and pure physical expression, may seem like an unlikely source of inspiration for a jazz musician. But in “Walking Against the Wind,” one of Marcel Marceau’s best-loved pieces, bassist/composer Linda Oh found a stunning metaphor for the life of an artist. Marceau’s graceful but frustrated motion, which also inspired Michael Jackson’s iconic moonwalk, found the legendary mime fighting against invisible but pervasive forces while also embracing the beauty and pleasure to be found in taking the paths in life that offer greater challenges but also richer rewards. 

On her fourth album, Walk Against Wind, Oh explores both the challenges and the rich rewards of an artist’s journey. “Walk Against Wind is about the paths that we choose,” Oh explains. “Sometimes they end up being the harder paths, but in the long run they prove more fruitful.” 

The album is the spiritual successor to Oh’s acclaimed 2013 release Sun Pictures, with returning saxophonist Ben Wendel joined by guitarist Matthew Stevens drummer Justin Brown. 

In addition, pianist/keyboardist Fabian Almazan and Korean traditional musician Minji Park appear as special guests with the quartet, which has been workshopping Oh’s compositions at a variety of New York hotspots including the 55 Bar, the Jazz Gallery and Minton’s Harlem. - Shaun Brady

1. Lucid Lullaby 07:48

2. Firedancer 03:44

3. Speech Impediment 06:57

4. Perpluzzle 03:55

5. Walk Against Wind 07:28

6. Ikan Bilis 06:51

7. Mother Reason 04:16

8. Mantis 04:54

9. Deepsea Dancers 06:38

10. Midnight 06:42

11. Western 04:15

Linda Oh - acoustic bass 

Ben Wendel - tenor saxophone 

Matthew Stevens - guitar 

Justin Brown - drums 

Fabian Almazan - piano (tracks 2, 6, 10) 

Minji Park - janggu & kkwaenggwari (track 8) 

Recorded at Brooklyn Recording 

on March 1 & 2, 2016 

Engineered by Tyler MacDiarmid & Andy Taub 

Mixed and Mastered by David Darlington at Bass Hit Studios

Javo Barrera - Far From Home (2017)

Javier "Javo" Barrera es considerado como  uno de los músicos más prestigiosos como músico de sesión y en vivo. Su larga  trayectoria  y su versatilidad en muchas facetas musicales hacen que  ya sea  reconocido como  uno de los artistas más completos del panorama musical mundial.
Javo ha sido Director Musical y/o Baterísta de algunos de los artistas más aclamados del Latin-Pop, tales como: Franco De Vita ,La Quinta Estación, Alejandra Guzmán, Antonio Orozco, Carlos Baute, Emmanuel, Cristian Castro, y Natalia Jiménez, entre otros muchos.

Ha participado  en las grabaciones de muchos trabajos discográficos de artistas y grupos  como son: La Quinta Estación,  Gilberto Santa Rosa, Luis Fonsi, David Bisbal, Franco de Vita, Natalia Jiménez, por mencionar algunos de ellos.

En 2014  Javo Barrera se mudó a Los Angeles, EE.UU.  desde  la ciudad de México. Inmediatamente comenzó a trabajar en su álbum debut de Jazz contemporáneo "Far from home", donde el jazz, el funky, los ritmos latinos y más, se funden, se difunden y se confunden.

Para ello ha contado con la  colaboración de   los músicos más exitosos  del panorama   musical actual americano y  por tanto mundial, como es  el  trompetista Luis Aquino (de Marc Anthony/Elvis Crespo), con  pianistas de la talla de  Nick Smith (de Stanley Clarke), de Matt Rhode (American Idol), Milton Salcedo,Osmany Paredes ,y con el galardonado saxo/flauta, Najee, además del bajista Andrew Gouche  (Andre Crouch/Prínce).

El primer single de este disco “Far From Home” es "Just In Time", Najee, (producido por Javo y Najee)  y está previsto su lanzamiento  este  enero de 2017.

La presentación mundial y  lanzamiento del disco, cuya distribución mundial corre a cargo de Warner Music, tendrá lugar en Abril desde la ciudad de Los Angeles, y para  dar a conocer este nuevo trabajo discográfico Javo Barrera  y  su banda se embarcarán en una gira por U.S.A., Europa y Centroamérica en este mismo   año 2017. En Octubre está prevista la visita en concierto  a Europa y por tanto también a España  ( fechas exactas por confirmar).

En este trabajo discográfico  han participado reconocidos ingenieros de sonido y masterización entre los cuales destacan: Juan de Dios Martín, Rafa Sardina,  Juan Hidalgo de la Bella España.

1. Just In Time

2. Far From Home

3. Vibe 4

4. Gate 11

5. Arrival

6. Next To You

7. Petrushka

8. Waiting (part 1)

9. Waiting (part 2)

10. Waiting (part 3)

11. Just In Time