Thursday, June 7, 2018

Rafael Toral - Space Quartet (CLEAN FEED RECORDS 2018)

After the conclusion of the 13-year-long Space Program series, Space Quartet marks a new horizon in Rafael Toral’s ongoing music explorations. Referring both to a record and a band configuration, Space Quartet embodies a maturing moment for the Portuguese musician. As one of the most internationally-recognized figures in the leftfield domains of music, Toral describes the album as “an advanced application of the Space Program principles”: electronic music with a human touch.

Over the years, Toral developed a jazz-like phrasing using abstract electronics. Operating within the context of a typical quartet, Space Quartet features the interplay of two electronic voices, one played by himself, on melodic feedbacks and hacked amplifiers, and one by Ricardo Webbens, on modular synthesizer and other custom stuff; rounding out the quartet is the versatile Hugo Antunes on double bass and the inventive drums of João Pais Filipe, who also plays gongs and bells of his own making.

The electronics are the driving core of the ambitious Space Quartet, setting it apart from many examples of electronics in jazz. Inspired by some of the principles and methods of enigmatic master Sei Miguel, the music develops solely according to the musicians’ free decisions. The result is a sense of flux and ever-renewing forward motion, continuously unfolding into new places, through spirit and matter from jazz-rock to ambient music and “the singing of standards from another planet” (Toral dixit). One thing is for sure: you’ve never heard anything like this before.


I am very happy and excited about bringing you the newest stuff i've been working on. More than a new development, it's a whole other level. SPACE QUARTET's debut album has deeper roots and flies higher than anything i've done so far. Hugo Antunes (double bass), João Pais Filipe (drums) and Ricardo Webbens (modular synth and electronics) all performed amazingly into uncharted grounds. 
Clean Feed will be making sure it's available worldwide. It's a CD-only release, at least for now. 

1 Lisboa I 18:06
2 Porto 9:18
3 Coimbra 11:12
4 Lisboa II 0:36

Hugo Antunes  double bass
João Pais Filipe  drums and percussion
Ricardo Webbens  modular and network synthesizer (R)

All compositions by Rafael Toral

Recorded by Noise Precision Mobile, at Estúdio 15A, Lisboa (1, 4), Sonoscopia, Porto (2), and Salão Brazil, Coimbra (3), November 2017

Produced by Rafael Toral | Mixed and mastered at Noise Precision Regada | Executive production by Pedro Costa for Trem Azul | Art and design by João Paulo Feliciano

Sábados Porta-Jazz: Filipe Teixeira Trio - 9 Junho - 19:00h.


Sábados Porta-Jazz de Junho em parceria com a agenda cultural da União de Juntas de Freguesia do Centro Histórico do Porto


Filipe Teixeira Trio

Depois do lançamento, em Maio de 2015, do seu disco de estreia  Páginas com  Carimbo da Porta-Jazz ter sido calorosamente acolhido pela crítica e pelo público, o trio, por vezes em formação mais alargada, teve oportunidade de se apresentar em várias salas e festivais do pais como por exemplo: Casa da Música, Palácio de Cristal, RampaJazz e Festival de Jazz de Viseu, entre outros.

Depois de viradas as Páginas, o trio procura agora desenvolver novos temas e refrescar o seu repertório, sempre movido pelo intuito inicial de explorar as suas possibilidades sonoras, sem instrumento harmónico.

João Mortágua – Sax Alto
Filipe Teixeira – Contrabaixo
Acácio “Salero” Cardoso – Bateria

Próximos Sábados Porta-Jazz

16 Junho - 19:00
Hermon Mehari "Bleu"

23 Junho - 19:00
The Nada

30 Junho - 19:00
Ricardo Coelho "Circle"


5€ / 3€ Membros*

* (doação sugerida); Membros: https://portajazz.com/about/membros/ 
quotas válidas por 1 ano: Membro amigo 40 eur; Membro músico/estudante 25 eur.

Lynn Cassiers - Imaginary Band (CLEAN FEED RECORDS 2018)

The septet consisting of Lynn Cassiers (compositions, voice, electronics), Sylvain Debaisieux (soprano and tenor  saxophone), Ananta Roossens (violin), Niels Van Heertum  (euphonium), Erik  Vermeulen (piano), Manolo Cabras (double bass) and Marek Patrman (drums) is debuting with the record you hold in your hands, ‘Imaginary Band’. Cassiers’ compositions are dynamic, free, vulnerable and musing. With her dreamy voice and electronic manipulations, Lynn Cassiers knows exactly how to take the audience with her to her own unique and personal universe. Imaginary  Band transcends the classical jazz ensemble and sounds fresh and adventurous.

71%
Water Falls
Korrels
Busy Chick
Gugu
Namekian Color
Kapitein Antonio & Toutes Les Gares
Frillin (The Cartoon Madness)
We Talk
7 Ways Of A Hermit
A Full 6% 
Shelf


Ananta Roosens (violin)
Sylvain Débaisieux (soprano and tenor saxophone)
Niels van Heertum (euphonium)
Erik Vermeulen (piano)
Manolo Cabras (double bass)
Marek Patrman (drums)

All the music written by Lynn Cassiers except 1, 4, 6, 8, 11 by Imaginary Band

Recorded by Peter Soldan and Thibault Dupont at Dada Studios, Brussels, 9 -12 December 2017 | Mixed and Mastered by Manolo Cabras
Produced by Lynn Cassiers | Executive production by Pedro Costa for Trem Azul | Artwork and Photography by Sophie Saporosi | Graphic Design by Travassos


Exegesis - Fake Humans (CLEAN FEED RECORDS 2018)

The name Fake Humans for the duo (yes, it’s a duo, even though sometimes it seems an entire orchestra) formed by Colin Fisher and Carl Didur may really be the most appropriate one, considering that any atempts to define the music they play and even to list their instruments are inhuman tasks.

Usually, they’re presented as a “spiritual free jazz” project, pointing you immediately to a Pharoah Sanders or an Alice Coltrane reference, but if you may recognize somewhere the saxophone of the first and the harp of the second, the music takes you directly to something very far from jazz. Is it space rock? Exotica? We’re never sure, and it doesn’t matter. The same way we’re never sure if we just heard a guzheng, a flute, a bass guitar, an analogue synthesizer, a drumkit or some phantomization of those instruments by way of magnetic tapes, in a sort of figuration of musique concr?te, if something like that can exist considering music as the only non-representative art. Once again, you won’t care.

By then, you’re imersed in a sound world that becomes addictive. The right sound world to honor the journals written by Philip K. Dick which inspired this record and gave its title, “Exegesis”. You’re on another planet now, in the middle of a strange forest where human names like “jazz” or “exotica” mean nothing, and where a monkey can be a bird and a flute something else. Sap maybe, dripping from the giant trees?

Side A 
Exegesis

Side B 
Exegesis

Colin Fisher  woodwinds, percussion
Carl Didur  keyboards, bass

All music by Colin Fisher and Carl Didur

Recorded and produced by Fake Humans | Mastered by Matt Smith | Executive prodution by Travassos for Trem Azul | Design and artwork by Travassos

Lana Trio with Sofia Jernberg (CLEAN FEED RECORDS 2018)


Trombone, piano and a drumkit with some extra percussive devices: this is the format chosen by Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø, Kjetil Jerve and Andreas Wildhagen for Lana trio, a Norwegian experimental band formed in 2007, playing uncompromising improvisations focusing on a continuous personal and social creation process.

For their third record, they have a fourth contributor in Sofia Jernberg, a Swedish singer with both classical and jazz backgrounds who has become one of the most intriguing innovators in vocal music today, rapidly gaining the same projection achieved by Phil Minton and Sidsel Endresen. The music played together by Lana trio and Jernberg is wild but focused, in a kind of orchestrated chaos capable to constantly surprise and seduce you, turning unexpectedly accessible what is difficult and sometimes even tough. This ability to move us without making concessions is a rare thing, a preciosity in what concerns the communication between a group of artists and their listeners.


1 Ears Anciens 13:59
2 Omivore's Aperetif 8:49
3 Ghost Training 6:24
4 Solitude Chant 12:50

Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø  trombone
Kjetil Jerve  piano
Andreas Wildhagen  drums and percussion
Sofia Jernberg  voice

Alex Bellegarde Quartet - Caminando (2018)


"Caminante no hay camino, se hace camino al andar" Antonio Machado 

"I love the freedom of jazz and the joy of Cuban rhythms. I wanted to write music that reflects this and makes the best of each musician’s unique style: Cuban-born pianist Yoël Diaz, alto saxophonist Erik Hove, and drummer Yvon Plouffe. Guest percussionist, Cuban-born Orlando Lavielle on congas, joins us on the album which was cut in a single session at Studio Karisma, Montreal. My idea - to have a sound as close to ‘live’ as possible with the sort of playing which is spontaneous yet structured." Alex Bellegarde


1. Caminando 07:26
2. Got Lip 06:14
3. Native 06:54
4. Timba Tune 07:05
5. Brown's Groove 06:39
6. A Blues or Not ! 05:16
7. La Vaca 05:55
8. Desert 06:54
9. En moins de deux 01:42
10. Driving on a rainy night 05:38

Yoel Diaz - piano
Erik Hove - alto sax
Yvon Plouffe - drums

Special guest
Orlando Lavielle - congas

Bangin' Bülows Nice Jazz Quartet - Let's Get Weird (2018)


Award winning danish jazz band releases new album!

Bangin´ Bülows Nice Jazz Quartet is one of the most exiting jazz artists in Denmark right now. In 2014 they won a Danish Music Award for ‘Best upcoming band of the year’. Their second album ‘You’re Beautiful, I’m Beautiful Let’s Have a Beautiful Night’ have been played frequently on the Danish Jazz Radio P8 and received an award for one of the best albums in 2016! May 18, 2018 they release their third album called ‘Let’s Get Weird’. The album is recorded in New York with the world class jazz musician Gilad Hekselman as artistic producer. In the September 2016 Bangin’ Bülows travelled to New York city to record their 3rd studio album, under the wings of Gilad Hekselman.

Hekselman offered to produce the album, when he heard the band playing in Copenhagen in 2015. After the collaboration started, a lot of work was put into making this album something really special. It was recorded in the Bunker studio the 8th and 9th of September in New York. The album was later mixed by Ziv Ravitz and Gilad Hekselman. And finally mastered by Michael Perez-Cisneros. 


"From the first moment I heard these guys, I could tell they were dealing with very original, individual music that 
has some influences, but mainly a unique sound and aesthetic of its own. This music is adventurous, daring, honest, 
and groovy!" – Gilad Hekselman

“There is so much music out there today and the task of getting a unique sound and Identity is harder then ever. In this ocean of 
music this band has managed to create such a strong voice and Identity! I am proud of their music and honest search of their voice.” – Ziv Ravitz

1. Sugardating 05:03
2. Banger 04:04
3. Bato Bébé 06:36
4. Spasiba 04:11
5. Clarabinkz 04:10
6. New Shit 05:04
7. Ofigenno 02:07
8. Cheap Weed 04:26
9. Dreamland 03:40


Wednesday, June 6, 2018

LPR presents The JD Allen Trio "Love Stone" Record Release Event at NuBlu (151 Avenue C) :: Monday, June 18 @ 8pm & 10pm *doors at 7pm

$15 advance / $20 at door
TICKETS: HERE

THE CRITICS ARE SPEAKING!

“JD Allen plays Vanguard tenor; worthy of comparison to Sonny and Coltrane with Elvin at the Vanguard, the music that got to me as a teenager and has stayed with me ever since…JD’s concept, his sound and his execution took me there.”
– BOB BLUMENTHAL, lauded jazz critic & author of Saxophone Colossus: A Portrait of Sonny Rollins

“… this beautiful and intensely interesting ballads album is an assured milestone in his career to date. There are patented JD-isms…proves again that it is one of the most highly accomplished small groups in contemporary jazz.”
– REPUBLIC OF JAZZ

“Passion & Poetry….There was an emotional depth to Allen’s playing that transformed blues lines into poetry….melody counts mightily to him, whether written or improvised...grace and passion…”
– Bill Beuttler, THE BOSTON GLOBE

Tenderlonious shares new track ‘Expansions’ ahead of tour and debut album release


Track taken from upcoming album ‘The Shakedown’ featuring the 22archestra, released via 22a on 15th June

Live dates:

June 7th - Brighton – Patterns - tickets
June 8th - Wales - Gottwood Festival – tickets
June 14th - Manchester - Soup Kitchen - tickets
June 15th - Poland – Wrocław (22archestra show) – tickets
June 22nd - London – Oslo – tickets
June 30th – London – Red Bull Music Odyssey – River Thames – tickets
July 30th - Croatia – Soundwave – tickets
August 30th - Cornwall - Knee Deep Festival – tickets

“Flawless. Every track 5 stars from start to finish” Bradley Zero

“Swaggerific gangster jazz - I f*****g love this guy and all his ideas!” Gilles Peterson

“An original, sophisticated and challenging slice of modern jazz.” London In Stereo

“The future of UK jazz is bright. If ever proof were needed that London’s young jazz scene is on fire right now, here it is.” Evening Standard

“Not enough people realise how much this artist has helped to shape the U.K underground right now. A don.” The Move

“Tenderlonious is one of the hardest working men in music, bridging jazz, house and beats with restless ease.” The Vinyl Factory

“Loosey-goosey grooves and stoned soul chords” Resident Advisor

“The sheer force of this musician's personality is forging out a fresh universe for others to explore” Clash


More info...

The Bamboos Release New Track 'Broken' (Feat J-Live)


THE BAMBOOS RELEASE NEW VIDEO ‘BROKEN’ FEATURING J-LIVE

TAKEN FROM EIGHTH STUDIO ALBUM ‘NIGHT TIME PEOPLE’

COMING JULY 6TH VIA PACIFIC THEATRE / BMG

“One mans vision of Soul music's evolving potential” ROLLING STONE

One of Australia’s finest soul-funk exports, The Bamboos, follow up their infectious single “Lit Up” with “Broken”, the second single released from their July 6 album, ‘Night Time People’. It will be released in three different versions and videos over successive weeks, each with a different guest MC telling stories of resilience in the face of mental illness.

“This is a message worth shouting loud”, Bamboos guitarist and bandleader Lance Ferguson said. “So we asked some friends from around the globe to jump on board with us”. Joining The Bamboos on the uplifting, gospel inspired track are Atlanta based J-Live, Australian MC Urthboy and contributing a German language version is Berlin’s Teesy. Vocalist Kylie Auldist’s powerful and rousing chorus is constant across all versions, supported by an unforgettable horn riff and emotive string arrangements.

In the first version released on June 1, J-Live rhymes from his own experience of personal struggle in his trademark direct and forthright style. But, importantly, he reminds us that we have the ability within us to emerge from those depths.

“Give yourself enough time to start to mentally heal
Enough space to feel the whole truth of your ordeal
Forgive yourself, make yourself a new deal
Learn from your mistakes
So you can do whatever it takes”


“It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help”  Ferguson says, when digging into what he asked the three MCs to address in their lyrics. “It’s a sign of STRENGTH.” Though the stories each MC tell are personal, Ferguson feels the theme touches so many. “If you or someone in your life has or is currently experiencing anxiety, depression, OCD, an eating-disorder, PTSD or any kind of personality disorder: our message with this song is that ASKING FOR HELP IS O.K. it should be applauded...In fact, it’s so worthwhile that it will most probably change your life for the better.”

“We’re just a band, simply a bunch of friends who love making music together”, Ferguson points out. “But we know that some of our own lives and the lives of those we love have been affected by this stuff – so if we can use whatever platform we have to raise awareness and help the cause then that’s gotta be a good thing.”

J-Live has released eight albums since 2001 and has collaborated with hip hop greats such as DJ Premier, Pete Rock and Prince Paul. Acclaimed Sydney MC Urthboy has managed to rhyme about the personal and political seamlessly across his solo albums and time in hip hop collective The Herd. Fast rising Berlin MC / singer / producer Teesy is becoming one of the freshest voices in German hip hop. Their personal and insightful rhymes are joined by a rousing, spirit-lifting chorus from Kylie Auldist.

As engagement with the themes and lyrics on all three versions are crucial to the project, the videos for each will be presented in a comic book inspired format. Put together by design team Cool Your Jets, each video will have its own look and aesthetic.

“Broken” feat. J-Live is released June 1
“Broken” feat. Urthboy is released June 8
“Broken” feat. Teesy is released June 15

The Bamboos album ‘Night Time People’ is released on Pacific Theatre / BMG on July 6.


1. Lit Up
2. Stranded
3. Golden Ticket
4. Salvage Rites
5. Pony Up
6. Night Time People
7. Backfired
8. War Story
9. You Should've Been Mine
10. San Junipero
11. Broken (feat. J-Live)

AUSTRALIAN TOUR NOW ON SALE

Rachele Andrioli & Rocco Nigro - Maletiempu (DODICILUNE / IRD June 7, 2018)


Dopo Maldimè e Malìe prosegue la collaborazione tra la Dodicilune e il duo composto dalla cantante Rachele Andrioli e dal fisarmonicista Rocco Nigro. Giovedì 7 giugno esce - distribuito in Italia e all’estero da Ird e nei migliori store online da Believe Digital - Maletiempu, terzo disco del progetto prodotto da Gabriele Rampino ed Eraldo Martucci per Fonosfere, collana editoriale dell'etichetta salentina. Nel giorno dell'uscita ufficiale il duo presenterà il disco al Teatro Paisiello di Lecce (ore 21 - ingresso 8 euro). 

L'affiatato duo continua a far rivivere con sensibilità moderna i canti della tradizione del Sud Italia, non trascurando però di fornire il proprio personale e originale apporto. Il disco comprende, infatti, tre inediti ("Maletiempu", "Occhi", "Zumpettana"), sei brani provenienti da varie tradizioni regionali ("Nunna Nanna", "Tanti Suspiri", "Vanni Dell'Uorto", "Lu Cunigghiu", "Tempesta", "Ninna Nanna"), "Cosa Sono le nuvole" di Pierpaolo Pasolini e Domenico Modugno e "L'attesa" del cantautore salentino Massimo Donno, tra gli ospiti del disco con Giuseppe Spedicato (basso acustico), Vito De Lorenzi (duff, tabla, daire), Massimiliano De Marco (voce) e Valerio Daniele (chitarra elettrica).

“In questa nostra quotidianità si osserva il ruolo cruciale dell’emigrazione. Si apprende attingendo al passato, per poterlo proiettare verso un futuro incerto", sottolinea nelle note di copertina Eraldo Martucci, produttore e critico musicale. "Traspare ancora il naturale istinto di conservazione delle proprie tradizioni. Ci si sposta verso un altro territorio, ma si conservano le sfumature ed il sapore del proprio luogo d’origine. Tutto questo ci conduce verso  la più semplice delle consapevolezze: anche lontani dalla propria terra, ci si circonda ancora di ciò che ricorda o richiama la propria casa. E  proprio l’arte, in questo caso quella dei suoni, appare come ciò che ha sempre costituito un linguaggio universale: la voce, gli strumenti musicali e le note viaggiano da secoli. È un viaggio non solo verticale, con la trasmissione del proprio patrimonio da una generazione all’altra, ma che investe anche un’insolita mobilità orizzontale, nello spazio, da un paese all’altro", prosegue Martucci. "Ed è quello che accade soprattutto nei canti popolari, in cui la distanza di secoli e luoghi viene annullata come per incanto, ritrovando ancora una volta nuova e fresca vita grazie alla voce di Rachele Andrioli ed alla fisarmonica di Rocco Nigro. Tutte le tracce presenti in questa produzione risentono dell’esperienza che il duo ha vissuto in questi anni fuori dal territorio, confrontandosi con le realtà locali incontrate nel percorso. Una sorta di “emigrazione” che ha loro consentito di portarsi il proprio habitat, e di implementarlo però dall’incontro con le altre culture. Una casa musicale mobile, dunque, ricca ovviamente della musica popolare meridionale e salentina in particolare”.


1 - Maletiempu
2 - Occhi
3 - Zumpettana
4 - Nunna nunna
5 - Tanti suspiri
6 - L'attesa
7 - Janni dell'uorto
8 - Lu cunigghiu
9 - Tempesta
10 - Tarantella del Gargano
11 - Ninna nanna
12 - Cosa sono le nuvole

Rachele Andrioli - voce, tamburi a cornice, flauto armonico, ukulele
Rocco Nigro - fisarmonica
Giuseppe Spedicato - basso acustico (1, 2, 6)
Vito De Lorenzi - duff, tabla, daire (1, 2, 6)
Massimo Donno - voce, chitarra acustica (6)
Massimiliano De Marco - voce (5)
Valerio Daniele - chitarra elettrica (6)

Recording Data
total time 43:14
stereo ddd
fonosfere fnf117
2018 fonosfere records, a dodicilune label
p + c dodicilune records, all rights reserved
8033309691176

Produced by Eraldo Martucci
and Gabriele Rampino for Dodicilune
Label manager Maurizio Bizzochetti (www.dodicilune.it)
Recorded February 2018 by Valerio Daniele
at Chora Studi Musicali, Monteroni (Le), Italy
Mixed and mastered April 2018 Valerio Daniele
at Chora Studi Musicali, Monteroni (Le), Italy
Photos by Francesco Torricelli
Contact: andriolinigro@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/RacheleAndrioliERoccoNigro

L’etichetta Dodicilune è attiva dal 1996. Dispone di un catalogo di oltre 220 produzioni di artisti italiani e stranieri ed è distribuita in Itali a e all'estero da IRD in circa 400 punti vendita tra negozi di dischi e store. I dischi Dodicilune possono essere acquistati anche online, ascoltati e scaricati su una cinquantina tra le maggiori piattaforme del mondo.

Igor Willcox Quartet - LIVE! (June 6, 2018)


"I am very happy to share with you the first live album of the quartet, which features the incredible performances of my friends and amazing musicians Vini Morales, Glecio Nascimento, Clayton Sousa, Erik Escobar and Fernando Rosa. 

This album is a celebration of several concerts and great achievements of the quartet, which have happened throughout these 2 years of existence. 


1- Brotherhood (Igor Willcox) 
Clayton Sousa – saxophone 
Vini Morales – keys 
Glecio Nascimento - bass 

2- The Scare (Igor Willcox) 
Igor Willcox – drums 
Clayton Sousa – saxophone 
Vini Morales – keys 
Glecio Nascimento - bass 

3- Waltz For My Love (Igor Willcox) 
Igor Willcox – drums 
Clayton Sousa – saxophone 
Vini Morales – keys 
Glecio Nascimento - bass 

4- Julie’s Blues (Igor Willcox) 
Igor Willcox – drums 
Clayton Sousa – saxophone 
Vini Morales – keys 
Glecio Nascimento - bass 

5- Room73 (Igor Willcox) 
Igor Willcox – drums 
Clayton Sousa – saxophone 
Vini Morales – keys 
Glecio Nascimento – bass 

6- Thankful (Erik Escobar) 
Igor Willcox – drums 
Clayton Sousa – saxophone 
Vini Morales – keys 
Glecio Nascimento - bass 

7- Lifetime (Igor Willcox) 
Igor Willcox – drums 
Clayton Sousa – saxophone 
Vini Morales – keys 
Glecio Nascimento - bass 

Bonus Tracks: 

8- Fred (Allan Holdsworth 
Igor Willcox – drums 
Clayton Sousa – saxophone 
Erik Escobar – keys 
Glecio Nascimento - bass 

9- Wolfbane (Lenny White) 
Igor Willcox – drums 
Clayton Sousa – saxophone 
Erik Escobar – keys 
Fernando Rosa - bass 

10- Elegant People (Wayne Shorter) 
Igor Willcox – drums 
Clayton Sousa – saxophone 
Erik Escobar – keys 
Fernando Rosa - bass 

Recorded by Caio Miranda 
Mixed and mastered by Igor Willcox 
Cover Photo by Marcos Hermes


Serendipity Quintet - The Serendipity Quintet (June 8, 2018)


Featuring musicians from Wellington’s vibrant music scene, this quintet makes spacious jazz of the cool school. 

The Quintet grew out of a musical relationship begun between Mike Duffy (Bass) and Jeremy Desmond (Guitar) in late 2010. They played as a Duo doing jazz standards as a side project to their tenure in local Wellington Reggae stalwarts Newtown Rocksteady. This duo held a monthly residency at Baobab cafe for close to 3 years in this configuration. Jeremy and Mike are the principle writers of the Quintet.

The Quintet adds some exciting up and coming players from Wellingtons notoriously cross pollinated music scene

Ben Lemi needs no introduction, as a drummer, bassist, guitarist, arranger, songwriter, audio engineer and producer his creative touch has left its mark on Projects ranging across genres and continents including Trinity Roots, Newtown Rocksteady, French for Rabbits, Hikoikoi, Khufu’s Ethiopics, Dawn Diver, Courtesy Caller, Ariana Tikao, and many others 

Garam Jung is a fantastic young tenor saxophone talent with excellent jazz sensibilities. He can be found as a member of the Wellington Mingus Ensemble, Clube de Choro, The Organic Trio, and out and about with Ras Judah and the Culture Embassy 

The Quintet is rounded out with the inclusion of James Guilford Smith who is one of Wellington’s hottest young brass talents. He can be found playing trumpet with the RNZAF Jazz orchestra, Cumbia Bros, Raw Collective, Superbad soul section, Ras Judah and Culture Embassy amongst many others. 

As diverse as this line-up is the common thread that binds them all together is the respect for jazz as a living culture. They are all alumni of the New Zealand School of Music Jazz Performance programme. 

The Album was recorded, mixed and mastered at the legendary Surgery Studios, Newtown, Wellington by Ben Lemi. 

1. Plumbing Day 12:58
2. Reciprocity 05:58
3. Vinaigrette 06:43
4. Untitled (Serendipity) 05:49
5. Farewell To The Electric Wizard 05:49

James Guilford-Smith - Trumpet
Garam Jung - Tenor Sax
Jeremy Desmond - Guitar
Michael Duffy - Double Bass
Ben Lemi - Drums

All songs by Michael Duffy, except Untitled (Serendipity) written by Michael Duffy & Jeremy Desmond

Recorded @ Surgery Studios by Ben Lemi, mixed and mastered Ben Lemi 2017

duende libre - Drift (June 15, 2018)


Rejoining Pangea: Seattle’s Duende Libre Uses Jazz Savvy to Knit Continents and Rhythmic Sensibilities from Cuba to Turkey

Once long ago, there were no continents, nothing to divide the great mass of land. Seattle-based trio Duende Libre’s lyrical, clever songs explore this notion, charting the imaginary folds and roads of Pangea, the ebb and flow of the world’s sounds.

Guided by founder and bandleader, pianist Alex Chadsey, Duende Libre prove that what drifted apart can drift back together, and that musical traditions are living things and therefore constantly in flux. The Puget Sound and the Bosphorus, Cuba and Jamaica overlap and inform one another in pieces that wed jazz concepts with pop pleasures on Drift (release June 15, 2018; release celebration: June 29, 2018), the group’s second album.

“We draw influences from many different cultures and countries and parts of the world, and the album’s title is a tribute and invocation of these influences,” explains Chadsey. “On the new album, we explored using different rhythmic feels and styles as a way to meld those sensibilities. That’s what I was going for: a musical pangea where borders become less rigid, and where surprising new sounds emerge in the grey areas between traditions.”


Chadsey comes by his global influences honestly. Growing up with an ear for music from around the world, Chadsey developed a lifelong passion for Western classical and jazz, including pieces like Chick Corea’s “Spain,” covered artfully on the album by the trio joined by vocalist Chava Mirel. Chadsey applied his classical and jazz training to Latin music as a member of the GRAMMY-winning Quetzal and as a core player in roots reggae legend Clinton Fearon’s Boogie Brown Band. Chadsey drew on these experiences and a lifetime of curious listening as he embarked on his own project, tapping fellow open-eared Seattle musicians bassist Farko Dosumov and drummer Jeff “Bongo” Busch to create an original sound that Jazziz called “a strikingly authentic blend, one that has marked their city as an epicenter for musicians who share an appetite for bridging worlds.”

They take full advantage of Seattle’s wealth of global musical talents. “Choro,” a piece a few degrees removed from the Brazilian style, pays homage to Jovino Santos Neto, a master pianist and composer whose work guided Chadsey. The grooving “Kiki” tips the hat to the Cuban son of Cuban cuatro virtuoso Kiki Valera Alarcon and La Familia Valera Miranda, his family’s long-standing band. Valera invited Duende Libre to join him for a collaborative concert, part of a larger series he was curating. “We did one gig together and I was so inspired by that encounter,” recalls Chadsey. “I wrote the piece for him. We are drawing on clave, but trying to do something different. I wanted to know what would happen if I took traditional figures and chord progressions from Cuban son, which is usually in four, and experimented with changing meters. It creates a whole different feel and has been a fun challenge for us to play.”

Duende Libre’s debut album sparked an extensive round of touring, taking them from their hometown and as far afield as Alaska. They spent long hours on the road together between gigs. The downtime had a musical upside, as the group became more integrated and tighter. “It’s osmosis,” notes Chadsey. “You’re just hanging out together more than you’re actually playing. You’re sitting in the bus, hanging out with the people you meet. Time spent together on the road impacts the music in interesting and surprising ways.”

New directions coalesced for Duende Libre, and they took advantage of the momentum to jump into the studio, resulting in Drift. They invited friend and fellow Clinton Fearon bandmate, singer and songwriter Chava Mirel to join them, adding her voice’s lilting strength to several tracks including the ethereal “Zephyr.” Busch and Chadsey put their heads together to shape the rhythmic push and pull of the title track, “Drift,” which contrasts various nuances of the pulse and the swing, the juxtaposition of triple and duple meter that is so integral to African diasporic musics. Dosumov also contributed a piece to the album, the bouncy, gritty “Subway.” “We are starting to have musical convos as a trio, or quartet when Chava joins us,” says Chadsey. “To do that spontaneously is one of the goals of any jazz artist, to be creating musical communion on the spot.”


This communion has grown out of productive tensions between Chadsey, who loves to engage with pop song forms and hooks, and the other members of the trio, in particular Busch, who wants to open things up and push the boundaries. In the end, Duende Libre strikes the balance between ear candy and experimentation.

“When I’m writing a tune, I intentionally try to strive for something as melodic as possible. But I’m not too attached to how the songs are arranged,” Chadsey says. “When I bring them into the band, they go through different iterations, experimenting with forms. Jeff has great arrangement ideas, in particular, and he and I often agree to disagree. That’s the beauty of any relationship, the opportunity to step out of your bubble. That’s where growth happens.”

By exploring new territory where heritage, influence, and style can meet, Duende Libre reenforce, in their own nuanced way within the jazz tradition, the ties that bind our world, sonic and otherwise. “Everyone in the project really understands and values music as a sacred way of connecting people across lines of difference,” states Chadsey. “The imperative to connect has never been more important than it is now, and music will keep us healthy and sane through these turbulent times.”


Zephyr (for Meltem)
Drift
Spain
Subway
Choro
Kiki
Bosphorus