Monday, October 2, 2017

Cuneiform Artists on Tour - October 2017

October 2017
Upcoming Releases: October 2017

Art Zoyd — 44 ½ : Live & Unreleased Works Box Set (12 CDs, 2DVDs, 2 Booklets)
Schnellertollermeier — Rights (LP and CD)
Raoul Björkenheim — Doors of Perception (CD)
The Ed Palermo Big Band — The Adventures of Zodd Zundgren (CD)


UPCOMING SHOWS




Listen to : Say So

Raoul Björkenheim / eCsTaSy celebrate their new release on Cuneiform, Doors of Perception, out October 6, 2017!

October 4 - Tavastia Klubi - Helsinki, Finland

November 23 - RUSK Festival - Schauman Hall - Pietarsaari/Jakobstad, Finland 

Listen to Raoul Bjorkenheim's Ecstasy: 




November 18 - Jack London Revue - 529 SW 4th Ave - Portland, OR - w/ 1939 Ensemble

Listen to Swim:

Celebrating their Cuneiform release, A Night Walking Through Mirrors

May 2018 - Details TBA - European Tour 


Italy, Switzerland & Austria tour starts in Graz as part of John Hollenbeck's artist-in-residence at KLUG Jazz Institute


October 26 - @Jazzfest - Auditorium San Servolo - 30100 Venezia VE - Venice / San Servolo, Italy

October 27 - A Jazz Supreme - Sala Vanni - Piazza Del Carmine 14 - Florence, Italy






Listen to Super Petite:
Stay tuned for an upcoming book:
John Hollenbeck's Claudia Quintet "Playbook"!

Empirical's radical musical experiment - bringing jazz directly to the public via Pop-Up Jazz Lounges - expands into Europe!

October 4 - Symphony Hall - Birmingham, UK


November 1-5 - Empirical Jazz PopUp at Alexa One - Alexanderplatz Station - Berlin - Germany 

November 4 - Jazzfest Berlin - Haus der Berliner Festspiele - Berlin, Germany -
w/ Nels Cline Lovers & Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio

Listen to  Connection:

Celebrating his 80th birthday with an international tour of big band performances!

October 19 - Michael Gibbs Directs the Chrome Waterfall Orchestra w/ Bill Frisell, Gary Burton, & Jim Ogden - w/ Greg Hopkins & Berklee Concert Jazz Orchestra - Berklee School of Music - Boston, MA

Listen to Michael Gibbs & NDR BigBand:
Play A Bill Frisell Set List [w/ Bill Frisell]



Celebrating their new release on Cuneiform: Tilt!

November 15 - The Early Bird - Innsbruck, Austria

November 16 - Generalmusikdirektion – Graz, Austria


December 2-23  - [Artists in Residence at Uncool 2017], Poschiavo, Switzerland

December 14 - TBA - Bormio/Tirano, Italy

December 16 - Casa Hasler - Poschiavo, Switzerland

December 27 - Die Letzten Tage Jazzfestival - Bern, Switzerland

2018 
January 26 - The True Harry Nulz [The Great Harry Hillman w/ Edi Nulz] - Les Murs du Son – La Chaux-de-Fonds CH

January 27 - BeJazz Winterfestival - Vidmarhallen Bern-Liebefeld – Bern, Switzerland

January 29 - Isebähnli – Baden, Switzerland

January 30 - Stadkirche - Darmstadt, Germany

January 31 - Kulturcafe Elbphilharmonie - Hamburg, Germany

February 2 - Donau 115 - Berlin, Germany

February 3 - Tangobrücke - Einbeck, Germany

February 22 - Im Schatten des Irrlichts, Humboldthain Club - Berlin, Germany

March 6 - Weekly Jazz – Chur, Switzerland

March 9 - Literaturcafé – Biel, Switzerland CH

May 4 - Jazz Station – Sierre, Switzerland CH

May 5 - Salon Hombis – Zürich, Switzerland

Listen to Tilt:


October 22 - Joel Harrison / Anthony Pirog / Dave Chapell's BLAZING TELECASTERS -  Bertha's Mussels -  Baltimore, MD 

Listen to Mother Stump:


October 2 - Piano's - NYC, NY



Listen to Somnambulist:

LED BIB
November 12 - Match & Fuse Present Led Bib + Schnellertollermeier + WorldService Project at The London EFG Jazz Festival -  Rich Mix - London, UK

Listen to:
The Good Egg

The People In Your Neighbourhood

Visual Art Exhibition:

September 16 - November 18 -  "Constellation Scores": prints, objects, paintings & sound - URDLA - Villeurbanne, France

Listen to: 

Celebrating their Cuneiform release, Bye!

November 11 - EFG London Jazz Festival - London Iklectik - London, UK

November 12 - EFG London Jazz Festival - Rabbit Hole - London, UK - w/ Corrie Dick Trio

Listen to Bye:

Celebrating their new album, The Adventures of Zodd Zundgren, released October 6, 2017  

October 28 - The Falcon - Marlboro, NY - Halloween Show!

December 16 - The Iridium - NYC, NY - Christmas Show!

December 23 - The Falcon - Marlboro, NY -Christmas Show!

Listen to two EPBB 2017 releases:


RICHARD PINHAS

November - TBA - South American Tour

Listen to:


ANTHONY PIROG

22 October - Joel Harrison / Anthony Pirog / Dave Chappell's Blazing Telecasters -  Bertha's Mussels - 734 South Broadway - Baltimore, MD 21231 - 3:00 


PIXEL

PIXEL

October 11 - Union Scene - Drammen, Norway

October 12 - Victoria, Nasjonal Jazzscene - Oslo, Norway

October 13 - Risør Jazzclub - Norway

October 28 - Umeå Jazz Festival - StudioJazz -Umeå, Sweden

November 8 - The Jazz Bar - Edinburg, UK

November 9 - The Cinnamon Club - Altrincham, UK

November 10 - EFG London Jazz Festival - The Spice of Life - London, UK -w/ Tori Handsley & Tori Handsley Trio

November 11 - EFG London Jazz Festival - The Spice of Life - London, UK - w/ Corrie Dick Trio

Listen to Golden Years:

SCHNELLERTOLLERMEIER
Celebrating their new album on Cuneiform - RIGHTS - released October 6, 2017!

October 6 - Südpol - Luzern, Switzerland [record release show for RIGHTS!]

October 8 - Area Sismica - Forli, Italy

October 28 - Kaltern POP Festival - Kaltern Südtirol, Italy

November 4 - Point 11 - Sion, Switzerland

November 12 - Match & Fuse Present Led Bib + Schnellertollermeier + WorldService Project at The London EFG Jazz Festival -  Rich Mix - London, UK

November 23 - Flatterschafft - Basel, Switzerland

December 1 - Art & Jazz @ Kulturwerk 118 - Sursee, Switzerland

December 2 - Yarn @ Spinnerei - Bern, Switzerland

December 8 - Chäsi - Gysenstein, Switzerland

December 9 - Kaff-Kulturarbeit für Frauenfeld - Frauenfeld, Switzerland

2018
February 16 - Cinema Sil Plaz - Ilanz, Switzerland

March 1 - Le Singe - Biel, Switzerland

Listen to:
RIGHTS

X

Thumbscrew is the collaborative trio: Michael Formanek / Tomas Fujiwara / Mary Halvorson

November 2 - Masada Club - Milan, Italy 

November 4 - JAZZ FEST SARAJEWO - Dom Policije - SARAJEVO, Bosnia 

November 5 - Area Sismica - Forli, Italy 

November 6 - TBA - Rome, Italy

November 7 - Tante Betty - Nürnberg, Germany 

November 8 - Thalhaus Theater - WIiesbaden, Germany

2018
July 7-22 - residency at The Village Vanguard - 178 Seventh Avenue South - NYC, NY 

July - TBA - West Coast USA tour

August 10-20 - TBA - Argentina and Brazil tour

Listen to:


Winner of  Jazz Journalist Association's
and
DownBeat 2017 Critics Poll Awards for Trumpeter of the Year, Jazz Artist of the Year, & Jazz Album of the Year-America's National Parks

Wadada Leo Smith's October 2017 Southern tour,
performing selections from 'Ten Freedom Summers' with his Golden Quartet, RedKoral Quartet & video artist, Jesse Gilbert

October 12 - Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet + RedKoral Quartet + video artist, Jesse Gilbert - performing the First Collection from 'Ten Freedom Summers' - Boyd Vance Theater at the George Washington Carver Museum - - presented by Epistrophy Arts  1165 Angelina Street - Austin, TX



October 15 - performing "Ten Freedom Summers" - 7:30pm - University of Alabama's Sonic Frontiers Concert Series - Moody Music Building Concert Hall, The University of Alabama - 810 Second Avenue - Tuscaloosa, AL

Listen to:


Posted by Republic of Jazz a la dirección 6:00 PM
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Sunday, October 1, 2017

Lena Bloch & Feathery - Heart Knows (FRESH SOUND NEW TALENT RECORDS 2017)



Russian-Born Saxophonist/Composer Lena Bloch Creates a Beautiful, Thrilling Blend of Freedom and Wide-Ranging Inspiration on Heart Knows

Released Sept. 25 on Fresh Sound New Talent, the album features Bloch's brilliant quartet Feathery with Russ Lossing (piano), Cameron Brown (bass), and Billy Mintz (drums)

"Bloch demonstrates a wonderful melodic sense, a tremendous musical imagination and, yes, a feathery touch" - Paul Freeman, Pop Culture Classics

"Bloch is a talent to watch, building upon the innovations of Konitz, Brown and Tristano in a singular manner." - Mark Keresman, New York City Jazz Record


True artists know to trust the instincts of their hearts before the knowledge in their heads. The title of Heart Knows, the new album by Russian-born, Brooklyn-based saxophonist Lena Bloch and her quartet Feathery, expresses that sentiment with succinct assurance. The same could be said for the music made by these four remarkable musicians, which conjures a singular and striking group sound from four individual voices given the freedom to follow their own hearts.

With one significant change, Feathery the group is an evolution of the quartet that appeared on Feathery, Bloch's 2014 debut. Heart Knows, out September 25 on Fresh Sound New Talent, welcomes back bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Billy Mintz, while adding pianist Russ Lossing, who also contributes half of the album's compositions (Bloch herself penned the remaining half). Though each of the pieces begins with written material, the sole guiding principle for Feathery was to leave plenty of space for what Bloch calls "spontaneous collective composing and instant musical communication."

In part that approach was inspired by one of Bloch's mentors, the legendary saxophonist and innovator Lee Konitz, who she says "taught me that improvising and spontaneity is what makes our music so fresh and timeless." But to a perhaps even greater degree, the spark that ignites in Feathery comes from her collaborators - whom she refers to, borrowing one of Lossing's titles, as her "Three Treasures" - whose fearlessness spurs one another on to ever greater heights of invention.

"We're not trying to produce something already contrived beforehand," Bloch insists. "Jazz doesn't have to be risk free - on the contrary, I think risk is a great factor! Because I trust the professionalism and experience of these people, risk and challenge only facilitate the result. The less safe we all feel, the better it is for the music."

The unique combination of following a spontaneous instinct wherever it might lead and creating a sound that stands on its own distinctive merits is captured by the band's whimsical name. It suggests something lighter than air, diaphanous and Feathery's music is that, certainly. But as Bloch also points out, "A feather is something that drifts in the wind. At the same time it is a very beautiful, concrete object. The beauty of a feather is in its submissiveness and its openness to change, but at the same time it has beauty in itself."

The music itself draws on a wealth of inspirations as Bloch points out in the liner notes, there are aspects of 20th and 21st-century classical music, Eastern European and Middle Eastern traditions, and of course modern jazz and improvised music.

But all of these have been absorbed and emerge organically from the group's interactions with one another, with an intriguing freedom that calls to mind the work of the Tristano School or Paul Motian. The music moored by the compositions in the way a kite is moored by its string - kept in tenuous touch with the ground but allowed to float free and be carried along by the prevailing winds of the moment.

Another key touchstone is paid homage in the album's 12-minute opening track, "Lateef Suite." Bloch studied with the late Yusef Lateef in the 1990s, and there's no doubt that the revered multi-instrumentalist and composer made a lasting impression on her as a saxophonist and as a composer. But "Lateef Suite" doesn't draw on his teachings which drew upon 12-tone serialism as well as Asian and Middle Eastern modes as much as it does Bloch's more personal memories of her departed teacher. "It's not theoretically related to what he taught," she says. "It's more of an emotional impression of how I felt about his impact."

The title track follows, rife with an enticing but elusive lyricism. Mintz's shimmering brushwork sets the ethereal stage for Bloch's supple, keening tenor and the mysterious musings of Lossing's pianism. The aforementioned "Three Treasures" insistently returns to its exotic opening melody, putting the quartet through tensely recursive paces. Lossing's "French Twist" reharmonizes J.S. Bach's French Suite in D Minor, playfully referencing a stylish hairdo in its title.

"Esmeh" translates to "name" in Farsi, pointing to another unexpected shift in the wind that guided Bloch to a study of Persian music. Middle Eastern influences also emerge in "Munir," a dedication to the iconic Iraqi oud master Munir Bashir. Lossing's opening on muted piano strings evokes the sound of the oud, while Brown's bass line is an interpretation of a Bashir improvisation.

Significantly for Feathery's ethos, Bloch says, "In the Middle East improvisation is equal to composing. Just like in jazz, you can't generally distinguish between composer credits and improviser credits. Bashir was a genius composer-improviser and I always loved his playing."

Lossing's "Counter Clockwise" is the album's most traditional composition, a poignant ballad that takes its time unfolding. The album closes with "Newfoundsong," which captures the pianist's first impressions of the remote and beautiful Newfoundland. As throughout the album's eight tracks, Bloch and her quartet freely blur the lines between composition and improvisation while maintaining an alluring cohesiveness by trusting, always, what the heart knows.


Born in Moscow, Russia, Lena Bloch immigrated to Israel in 1990 to attend Rubin Academy of Music and Dance - and since then has traveled the world, performing in Israel, Holland, Italy, Germany, Belgium, England, Canada, Russia, Slovenia and the United States. Lena has studied with Yusef Lateef, Billy Taylor, Joe Lovano, Kenny Werner, Dave Holland, and her most important mentor, Lee Konitz, at such institutions as UMass Amherst, Cologne Conservatory, Germany, and the Jazz Workshop in Banff, Canada. Since 1993 Lena has been leading her own quartet and trio, combining influences from the European Classical tradition, Middle Eastern and Turkish music, and jazz. She moved to Brooklyn in 2008, releasing her debut album Feathery (Thirteenth Note) in 2014. The quartet from that album has evolved into the band of the same name, which features the gifted improvisers Russ Lossing, Cameron Brown and Billy Mintz. Lena is also an active woodwinds and jazz improvisation instructor and clinician, a member of the Jazz Education Network, and a faculty member at Slope Music in Brooklyn.



Posted by Republic of Jazz a la dirección 9:12 PM
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Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet - Jersey (MOTEMA MUSIC 2017)



As both leader and collaborator, the versatile drummer Mark Guiliana spends much of his time exploring jazz’s fascinating fringes, producing some of his best music in the place where EDM and free-improv intersect.

 He first rose to prominence as a member of bassist Avishai Cohen’s trio, in which he contributed deft yet highly emotive drum work to acclaimed albums such as Lyla (2003) and Gently Disturbed (2008). Later, as the leader of the jazz trio Heernt, Guiliana released Locked In The Basement, which found him pivoting toward a style he called “experimental-garage-jazz.”

 With 2010’s Beat Music, Guiliana honed in on a crisp and intelligent electro-jazz sound that would become an integral facet of his jazz identity, one that he would develop further alongside pianist Brad Mehldau on 2014’s Mehliana: Taming The Dragon. And in 2016, he famously served as the drummer for the backing band on David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, in a combo led by tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin.

 With his latest album, Guiliana returns home—in more ways than one. Due out Sept. 29 on the Motéma label, Jersey finds the drummer at the helm of a straightahead jazz quartet featuring saxophonist Jason Rigby, pianist Fabian Almazan and bassist Chris Morrissey. What’s more, the program presents original music by Guiliana and his collaborators in an entirely acoustic environment, a tactic that, for Guiliana, presented both opportunities and obstacles.

“For the band, this lineup presents the challenge: How creative can we be inside this box?” said Guiliana in a press statement. “How much freedom and experimentation can we find? ... I have to say that it’s always so exciting to hear the guys play this music in ways I never could have imagined.”

 The album is also a tribute Guiliana’s geographical roots. Born and raised in 1980 in Florham Park, New Jersey, Guiliana first discovered jazz in high school through his first drum teacher Joe Bergamini, and later graduated from William Paterson University in Wayne. He held longtime residences in Jersey City and Hoboken, and now resides in Madison with his wife, singer Gretchen Parlato, and their toddler son.

 On Jersey, the acoustic setting serves as an incubator for Guiliana’s rhythmic creativity and technical facility. Case in point is the title track, which DownBeat is premiering below. Listen with careful attention to the tenor saxophone solo by Rigby, and notice how Guiliana’s skittering snare work and punchy toms add an almost phosphorescent sheen: READ MORE...

1. inter-are 04:35
2. Jersey 06:18
3. Our Lady 06:21
4. BP 03:07
5. Rate 00:52
6. September 04:15
7. Big Rig Jones 06:07
8. The Mayor Of Rotterdam 06:49
9. Where Are We Now? 08:30

Released September 29, 2017 

Jason Rigby - Tenor Saxophone 
Fabian Almazan - Piano 
Chris Morrissey - Bass 
Mark Guiliana - Drums 

Vocals on "Where Are We Now?": Gretchen Parlato, Jeff Taylor, Jason Rigby, Fabian Almazan, Chris Morrissey, Mark Guiliana & Marley Guiliana 

Produced by Mark Guiliana 
Recorded October 27-28, 2016 at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, NY 
Recording Engineer: John Davis 
Assistant Engineer: Nolan Thies 
Mixed by John Davis 
Mastered by Alex DeTurk at Strange Weather Recording Studio, Brooklyn, NY 

“Jersey,” “Rate,” “September” and “Big Rig Jones” written by Mark Guiliana (HEERNT Music, BMI) 
“inter-are” written by Mark Guiliana (HEERNT Music, BMI) and Gretchen Parlato (Gretchen Parlato Music, ASCAP) 
“Our Lady” and “The Mayor of Rotterdam” written by Chris Morrissey (BMI) 
“BP” written by Rich Hinman (ASCAP) 
“Where Are We Now?” written by David Bowie (Nipple Music, BMI, administered by RZO Music, Inc.)

Posted by Republic of Jazz a la dirección 8:00 AM
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Various Artists: Magic Moments 10 - In the Spirit of Jazz (ACT MUSIC 2017)




Posted by Republic of Jazz a la dirección 6:30 AM
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Saturday, September 30, 2017

Colin Steele Quartet - Diving for Pearls (Jazz Interpretations of the Pearlfishers Songbook) MARINA RECORDS 2017



"This is effusive, vital, lovely jazz” - JAZZ UK

"Beautiful life-affirming music” - HMV CHOICE

“Colin Steele can unfurl the Chet Baker arabesques” - THE TIMES

Marina Records proudly presents one of its most unusual and best releases yet: The music of The Pearlfishers, one of Marina’s most beloved acts, gets the royal jazz treatment in exciting new arrangements by the Colin Steele Quartet. Continuing a great jazz tradition - like Miles Davis with “Porgy & Bess” (’58) and Chet Baker with “Plays Lerner & Loewe” (’59) - the entire album is dedicated to the work of one composer - David Scott of The Pearlfishers. Colin Steele from Edinburgh, one of UK’s leading jazz trumpeters, adds his very own sound and interpretations to Scott’s songs and transports them into a brand new musical territory.

 Steele has a long association with The Pearlfishers since he appeared as a studio musician on many of their albums. Steele: “I’d played on many sessions with The Pearlfishers before, and have a similiar taste in music with David Scott, with our shared love of Burt Bacharach, Beatles and Beach Boys. I was impressed by the depth of the beautiful melodies and could immediately hear my own voice playing these melodies - specifically using the ‘Miles Davis sound’ of the Harmon mute.”

 The results are simply gorgeous. The album kickstarts with the joyous blast of “The Bluebells” - a song that originally appeared on the Pearlfishers album “Up With The Larks”. Colin Steele makes it swing and rise just beautifully. His warm, melodic playing and tone is also a perfect match for the wonderful “Everything Works Out”, one of Scott’s most enduring songs. “The Vampires Of Camelon” rides on a great piano riff reminiscent of Vince Guaraldi - brilliantly played by Dave Milligan, Steele’s long-time collaborator, who also arranged the album. Quite fabulously so.

 "Ice Race" - from the Pearlfishers' seasonal album "A Sunflower At Christmas" - gets propelled to new heights by the powerhouse drumming of Alyn Cosker. It just grabs you and won't let go. "Gone In The Winter" is a superb showcase for the exceptional deep-toned, warm double-bass playing of Calum Gourlay. Just stunning.


The piano intro of "The Umbrellas of Shibuya" quite fittingly recalls the stripped-down beauty of Ryuichi Sakamoto. And then Steele breezes in with the fantastic melody and his imaginative playing. The album comes to a perfect close with the blissful coda "Swan Dreams" (originally from "Sky Meadows"). Simply sublime.

 "Diving For Pearls" was recorded in just one day - like many of the great jazz albums - at Scotland's famous Castlesound studios (The Blue Nile, Orange Juice, R.E.M.). Masterfully engineered by Stuart Hamilton. You really get the "in-the-room-with-the-artist" feel. Dive, baby, dive!

Posted by Republic of Jazz a la dirección 1:30 PM
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