Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Peter Knight & Australian Art Orchestra - Crossed & Recrossed (June 15, 2021)

Peter Knight & Australian Art Orchestra - Crossed & Recrossed (June 15, 2021)

Crossed & Recrossed presents two works composed by Peter Knight & inspired by mappings of imagined places by iconic Australian novelist, Gerald Murnane, & Italian master, Italo Calvino.

Simultaneously celebrating & deconstructing the tropes of minimalism, Crossed & Recrossed creates a series of musical mirages that form on an endless sonic horizon, reflecting & reimagining the wide open spaces described in Murnane’s iconic novel, The Plains, & the labyrinthine streets of Calvino’s Invisible Cities.

“Peter Knight’s work sets up a post-minimal logic that refracts & disintegrates as we listen. The instrumentation of the chamber jazz orchestra is expanded with the unexpected additions of turntables, a reel-to-reel tape machine & live laptop signal processing. The sounds of acoustic instruments & voices are interwoven with field recordings cut onto vinyl, & are filtered & augmented as Knight plays with our perceptions of what we hear & what we imagine we have heard. Time folds into itself in a very Calvino-esque manner, leaving us with the trace residue of moments half remembered.”

The Plains
Premiered National Forum of Music, Wroclaw Poland
Jazztopad Festival 2018
Finalist ‘Performance of the Year’ APRA/AMC Art Music Awards 2020 for performance at Berlin Jazz Festival 2019

Diomira
Premiered at Metropolis New Music Festival 2016,
Melbourne Recital Centre
Winner Albert H Maggs Composition Prize 2017
Finalist ‘Work of the Year’ APRA/AMC Art Music Awards 2017

Peter Knight – composer
Perpetually curious, composer/trumpeter/sound artist Peter Knight’s practice exists in the spaces between categories, between genres, & between cultures.

As Artistic Director of one of Australia’s leading contemporary music ensembles, the Australian Art Orchestra (AAO), Peter has emerged as a significant international force in contemporary music, initiating commissions, collaborations, & performances with a diverse range of artists including recently: Anthony Braxton (USA), Nicole Lizée (Canada), Amir ElSaffar (USA), & Alvin Lucier (USA). He has also performed his works with the Orchestra at major international festivals with recent highlights including: JazzFest Berlin, London Jazz Festival, MONA FOMA (Tasmania), Jazztopad (Poland), Barunga Festival (NT), & Melbourne Festival.

In addition to his role with the AAO, Peter regularly presents his music as both performer & composer in a range of settings; he also composes for contemporary theatre, film, & creates sound installations.


“Solos here were like songlines, not paving superhighways through a compositional infrastructure but leaving faint footprints in a soundscape that evolved as organically as an ecosystem.” - Downbeat

“Hard to categorise… hauntingly memorable” - The Wire

“If trumpet is an element then Knight is an alchemist” - New York City Jazz Record 

1. The Plains
2. Diomira

THE PLAINS
Recorded by Jem Savage May 10/11 2019
Ginger Studios, Melbourne
Mixed by Joe Talia & Peter Knight
Produced by Peter Knight
Mastered & cut by Helmut Erler, D&M, Berlin

Featuring:
Georgie Darvidis – voice
Andrea Keller – piano
Peter Knight – trumpet/electronics
Aviva Endean – bass clarinet
Lizzy Welsh – violin
James Macaulay - trombone
Tilman Robinson – electronics
Jacques Emery – double bass
Simon Barker – drum kit

DIOMIRA
Recording of live performance by AAO for Metropolis New Music Festival May 9 2016 by Jem Savage & ABC Classic FM
Audio system design by Jem Savage
Remixed by Joe Talia & Peter Knight
Produced by Peter Knight
Mastered & cut by Helmut Erler, D&M, Berlin

Featuring:
Gian Slater – voice
Andrea Keller – Nord keyboard & piano
Peter Knight – trumpet/electronics
Tristram Williams – trumpet
Tony Hicks – bass clarinet
Erkki Veltheim – violin
Steve Raegele – guitar
Adrian Sherriff – bass trombone
Mary Rapp – cello
Nicole Lizée – turntables
Vanessa Tomlinson – vibraphone
Joe Talia – Revox B77 reel-to-reel tape machine
Sam Pankhurst – double bass
Jem Savage – audio systems design & live sound
Tamara Saulwick – pre-recorded whispered voice

Remix overdubs:
Katherine Philp – cello
Jacques Emery – double bass
Dan Sheehan – Fender Rhodes piano

Topsi Series / Cloud Reading Society (May 3, 2021 Umlaut Records)

“Hopscotch” is a Berlin based Company and represents Tristan Honsinger’s latest effort in a lifetime search for unity between music, theatre and poetry. This gatefold vinyl contains a collection of songs and compositions invented through the years as musical material for Hopscotch’s performances and plays, along with improvisations and dialogues.

1. Mother‘s Song Suite
2. Stupidity March
3. Family Suite
4. Potatoes
5. Father‘s Song Suite
6. Mockery Suite
7. 10 Inch Screw Suite
8. Electromagnetismo

Featuring:
Tristan Honsinger (cello, voice), Izumi Ose (voice, toy piano), Franziska Hoffmann (violin, voice), Tobias Delius (saxophone, clarinet, voice), Axel Dörner (trumpet), Hiroki Mano (tap dance, voice), Klaus Kürvers (bass), Antonio Borghini (bass, voice), Steve Heather (drums, voice).
Children choir on tracks A1, A4 and B3:
Mathilda Burand, May Fischer, Greta Grip, Frieda Simons, Pauline Simons

All compositions by Tristan Honsinger. Recorded (Kühlspot, Berlin, February 12 and 13, 2020), mixed and mastered by Alexis Baskind. Cover painting by Joel Grip. Still photos from the film Proud Cloud by Mauricio Hernandez (also including Hopscotch members Ciska Jansen and Hisako Horikawa). Produced by Topsi Series for Umlaut Records. Topsi Series produces records, books and films related to the activities around the venue Au Topsi Pohl in Berlin.
tslp1 c & p Topsi Series / Umlaut Records 2021

Topsi Series / When Will Never Meet (May 3, 2021 Umlaut Records)

“When will never meet” is the soundtrack of a fragmented movie in transformation. Engaging many musicians of the Berlin scene, performing in solo or in small bands, this soundtrack is a collage of the impossible, a mosaic of wishes and lost opportunities, the dream of a lonely demiurge.

1. Kleiderordnung
2. Irrenanstalt Buch, Festes Haus
3. Das Schiffchen Fliegt, Der Webstuhl Kracht
4. Niemand Ist Hier Geboren
5. But Being
6. Spreekreisschiftfahrtsgesellschaftstouristenselfiestangenhauptknopf video
7. Über Das Taubenproblem
8. Du Bist Bereits Auf Der Anderen Seite
9. Smalltalk Über Zeit

A : Sheeps
Olga Nosova : drums, voice
DJ Illvibe : turntables
Antonio Borghini : electric bass
B : Andrea Neumann
Andrea Neumann : inside piano
C : Carpet Below
Michael Thieke : clarinet
Kai Fagaschinski : clarinet
Liz Albee : trumpet, conch shell
Matthias Müller : trombone
D : Heather / Repotente
Steve Heather : drums
Rico Repotente : electric guitar
E : Il Salto del Dogo
Antonio Borghini : double bass
Grégoire Simon : violin
Anil Eraslan : cello
Rudi Fischerlehner : drums
F : Peepholes have the power
Mat Pogo : voice
Liz Albee : trumpet, conch shell
Antonio Borghini : double bass
Steve Heather : drums
G : Lillinger /Schick
Christian Lillinger : drums
Ignaz Schick : turntables
H : Al Schachtel
Alexis Baskind : electronics
I : Manunkind
Almut Kühne : voice
Michael Thieke : clarinet
Gerhard Gschlößl : trombone
Girogio Pacorig : piano
Antonio Borghini : double bass
J : An Kopf
Antonio Borghini : double bass
K : Hook, Line and Sinker
Tristan Honsinger : cello, voice
Antonio Borghini : double bass, voice
Tobias Delius : tenor saxophone, clarinet, voice
Axel Dörner : trumpet
L : Die Hochstapler
Louis Laurain : trumpet
Pierre Borel : alto saxophone
Antonio Borghini : double bass
Hannes Lingens : drums

Conceived and produced by Antonio Borghini and Alexis Baskind.
Recording : Berlin . 2017-2018
Sound engineering : Alexis Baskind (Christoph Schlimbach for session I)
Painting and graphic design : Joel Grip
Produced by Topsi Series for Umlaut Records.
Topsi Series produces records, books and films related to the activities around the venue “Au Topsi Pohl” in Berlin.

Solborg / Banke / Heebøll - Angels (2021)

The approach of the trio is about thorough attentive, synergistic and dynamic interplay. The focal point is always at how to redeem the material at hand in the strongest possible way - regardless of genre. Over time they have developed a deep mutual understanding and - in the words of some listeners - telepathic playing style. As if all in the group breathes through the same lungs - and create transparent elastic music. This is a place of thorough, respectful, curious listening and musical talks.

The last years the group has worked two main agendas:
A - Original works focusing on melody, counterpoint and complex rhythm
B - Interpretations of selected favorite songs by strong historical voices

On "Angels" both are intertwined in an intense and dynamic three-way conversation. All contribute with equal voices - and on these tracks in particular you can hear Heebølls energetic and ultra melodic answers to Solborg and Bankes playfull interwoven lines and melodies.

1. Den 7. Dag 05:05
2. Rigors Remain 05:11
3. Early Morning Bells 06:08
4. Mr. Y Oso 05:17
5. Another Bastard 04:32
6. Angels 05:35
7. Crepuscule With Nellie 02:35
8. Longsome 03:46
9. Harvest Breed 04:37

ANDERS BANKE · TENOR SAXOPHONE & BASS CLARINET
MARK SOLBORG · GUITAR
BJØRN HEEBØLL · DRUMS & PERCUSSION

Doug Sides & Daniel Cano - Duplexity EP (April 2021)

"This record bravely highlights the colours and capabilities of the trumpet & drums. A modern extension of the American 60's tradition in a rarely heard line-up". -Binker Golding

Trumpeter Daniel Cano and drummer Doug Sides are two of the most exciting jazz musicians on the South-East Kent scene. They’ve played together in various bands, are both regular participants at Margate's legendary Monday night Lifeboat jazz jam and often perform at venues including Ronnie Scott’s and Pizza Express.

With live music on hold throughout 2020, Cano and Sides spent a day at Ramsgate’s Big Jelly Studios during the space between lockdowns and recorded their first EP as a duo. All the ideas were lightly rehearsed to keep them fresh and recorded live in no more than one or two takes. They show the strong compositional themes combined with powerful rhythms and inspired improvisation, echoing former trumpet and drums duos such as Max Roach and Dizzy Gillespie and Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell.

Daniel Cano moved from Spain to the UK in 2014 and has since recorded two albums as leader, "Don't Touch the Blue" and "Social Music" for the independent Blue Asteroid. He was awarded a scholarship to the Banff International Workshop in Jazz & Creative Music in Canada in 2019. Cano is a featured soloist, composer, and educator, works with Canterbury’s Free Range Orchestra and is a member of the London Improvisers Orchestra.

Doug Sides was born in Los Angeles in 1942, and as well as being a premier jazz drummer is also a composer and arranger. Before moving to Europe in the late eighties he worked and recorded with artists including Lionel Hampton, John Handy, Abbey Lincoln, Jon Hendricks, Joe Henderson, Sonny Stitt, Blue Mitchell, Bobby Hutcherson, Chick Corea, Harry Edison, Cedar Walton, and Clark Terry. While living in Paris he worked with Johnny Griffin, Horace Parlan, Benny Golson, Kirk Lightsey and Hank Jones.

1. Sanus 05:12
2. Made Up Recipe 05:44
3. Perpetual Motion 04:24 video
4. Libertatem 04:47

DANIEL CANO, trumpet
DOUG SIDES, drums

All selections composed by Daniel Cano (tracks 2,3) and Doug Sides (tracks 1,4)

Produced by Daniel Cano
Mixed by Tony Platt at "Have ears..."
Mastered by Cicely Balston at AIR Studios
Recorded by Mike Collins at Big Jelly Studios on 19 October 2020

John Hasselback III - Entrance (April 2021)

Buffalo New York native John Hasselback III is quickly establishing himself as a lyrical trumpet soloist and composer in New York City’s vibrant jazz scene. Hasselback’s colorful sound is thoroughly informed by the lineage of jazz trumpet tradition, combining the sounds of yesterday with the sounds of tomorrow.

This music was written while living in Hartford, Connecticut and New York City. It reflects my experiences, surroundings and inspirations. I hope the listener finds their own sense of meaning and joy from the music.

1. B.F.G. 03:42
2. Blood Orange 05:21
3. Robert's Run 06:59
4. Scarborough Street 05:26
5. Rene's Way 06:36 6. Third Time's the Charm 03:43
7. Body and Soul 05:41
8. Eclipse 04:42
9. Kingsbridge 05:11

All compositions by John Hasselback III | John Hasselback III Music (ASCAP) except Body and Soul by Johnny Green | Warner Bros. (renewed)

John Hasselback III - Trumpet
Wayne Escoffery - Saxophone
Steve Davis - Trombone
Jonathan Barber - Drums
Luques Curtis - Bass
Taber Gable - Piano

Recorded at GHR October 10th & 11th, 2020
Andrew Oedel - Recording Engineer
Ethan Weissman - Mixing Engineer
Carl Bespolka - Additional Mixing and Mastering Engineer

John Hasselback III - Producer
Jack Nosavage - Production Assistant
Zack Rubin - Cover Photo

This project is funded in part by the Pathways To Jazz grant, a donor advised fund of the Boulder County Arts Alliance.

Enrico Morello - Cyclic Signs (2021 Auand Records)

Enrico Morello, one of the most creative drummers in the Italian jazz scene, to release his new album “Cyclic Signs” on Auand Records on March 19

Italian drummer Enrico Morello debut album comes after gaining experience on the need of putting together the endless inputs he received over many years of activity as a sideman. These collaborations allowed him to get in touch and play with the musicians he selected as members of his Cyclic Signs quartet – Francesco Lento on trumpet, Daniele Tittarelli on alto sax and Matteo Bortone on double bass.

Immediately and solid and synched, the members’ approach and contribution fit into Morello’s complex original compositions, and enriched them with their own vision. The Cyclic Signs driving force is to be found in the rhythms of life, and their multiple transformations. However, this album also wants to become a gesture, a moving body, a kinetic force – in other words, a dance.
«When I had to put these concepts into music», Morello explains, «I started from what I feel is more suitable to me – rhythm. I tried to subvert the predictable logic of a metered tempo by tracing unexpected and mixed paths. My aim was to give that feeling of surprise and confusion back to the listeners facing the unknown.»

«Using instruments», he adds, «that are mostly monodic allows a polyphonic development of the themes and let the music flow from silence, just like the strokes of a painter on a canvas. I focused my energy on the harmonic side of each track, conducting the different voices that create the polyphony. Following these principles, harmony keeps a central role in the big picture of these compositions, and it determines their changing music scenarios.»

«Such choices», Morello says, «led me to exploring soundscapes that have an essential timber, although their appearance is complex and well-structured. They are not so far from some traditional music productions in Central Africa, which endlessly inspired my creative research.»

1. The Forest People 04:18
2. Persephone’s Dance 04:35
3. Sometimes, During The Night 00:49
4. What Happened On The Road 07:57
5. Walking Together 01:28
6. Drills In My Brain 05:49
7. Tales De Hadas 06:40
8. Playful 01:00
9. Natural Movement 05:25
10. Quite Close 06:25
11. Ghost Truck 09:20
12. The End Is The Beginning 01:56

Francesco Lento - trumpet
Daniele Tittarelli - alto sax
Matteo Bortone - double bass
Enrico Morello - drums, qraqeb, carillon

Recorded at Cicaleto Recording Studio, Arezzo - Italy
on July 2-3, 2020 by Francesco Ponticelli

Mixed at Cicaleto Recording Studio, Arezzo - Italy
on August 6-7, 2020 by Francesco Ponticelli

Mastered at Jambona Lab, Livorno - Italy
on August 24, 2020 by Antonio Castiello

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Weird Box - Radio Paris (April 2021 Auand Records)

Weird Box, Radio Paris
A box full of surprises that highlights the need to listen to the edges

Out April 2nd on Auand, “Radio Paris” is the new album by Weird Box, a genre-defying trio that features sax player Francesco Bearzatti (longtime member of the Auand family), Bruno Angelini on piano, rhodes and keyboards, and Emiliano Turi on drums.

Fiercely original, Weird Box is a project that challenges imagination and creates music you can listen to with your ears and also with your feet. The three musicians share collaborations, mutual respect and a strong will to follow their ideas without any music prejudice.

«I’ve been playing acoustic music with Bruno for a long time – Francesco Bearzatti says – and to listen to him on keyboards is always inspiring. On the other hand, Emiliano is a precise and skilled master of drumming, and he also has lots of experience on electronic and underground music. I like to dive into different sounds with creative musicians. That’s why I’m here.»
«Emiliano – Bruno Angelini adds – developed his own sound through his many music experiments, and has a great sense of tempo. Francesco is a fresh and unpredictable improviser, always ready to sing, dance and play in every context».

That’s why the name Weird Box fits well on Radio Paris. Their will to surprise is always intentionally down-to-earth, and willing to explore the daily life around the suburbs of Paris, where they all live and work.

«We picked the name Weird Box – Bearzatti adds – because we decided not to play any ordinary jazz or improvised music. We want to try something different, listening to the banlieu radio stations. Here is where the real differences are in the air. We all live in Paris. The music we play is jazz influenced by Paris suburban radio stations. These are poor neighborhoods, where you get to listen to a lot of rap and mostly electronic sounds. This allows us to communicate more easily with the younger generations, especially those who don’t attend music schools, music halls or jazz clubs. That’s why the album is called Radio Paris.»

All of this becomes naked melodies, powerful grooves, unleashed improvisations, unordinary electronic soundscapes – an energy always ready to explode, along with more dense, lyrical moments. It is a rich musical path, that is also rhythmically sharp and passionate, as well as filled with both collective and expressive tension, and yet geometrically balanced.

1 Why
2 Prince Of Crime
3 Déontologie Blues
4 Axis
5 Jungle 79
6 Friday
7 Hope

Francesco Bearzatti - tenor sax, clarinet
Bruno Angelini - piano, keyboards
Emiliano Turi - drums

Recorded at Artesuono Studio on september 22-23, 2018 by Stefano Amerio
Mixed at Studio Taitbout Paris on november 2018 by Emiliano Turi
Mastered by Chab mastering on february 8, 2019

Produced by Weird Box
Executive producer: Marco Valente
Cover photo by Marzia Truand

Franco Ambrosetti - Lost Within You (2021 Unit Records)

The outstanding trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti loves ballads. Over the years he realised that often less is more, and now he has recorded the ballads album 'Lost Within You' with the same dream line up as on 2019's 'Long Waves'. The result is one of the most romantic and sentimental albums of the great European trumpeters career. "Trust and communication were the main points of action for this collection of ballads by Ambrosetti, one of Europes great living jazz masters, and his world class crew" (Bill Milkowski)

1. Peace
2. I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Outta Of My Live
3. Silli In The Sky
4- Love Like Ours
5. Dreams Of A Butterfly
6. Body And Soul
7. People Time
8. Flamenco Sketches
9. You Taught My Heart To Sing

Franco Ambrosetti – Flugelhorn
John Scofield – Guitar
Jack DeJohnette - Drums
Uri Caine – Piano
Rene Rosnes – Piano
Scott Colley - Bass

Nezelhorns - Sentiment (April 2021 Barefoot Records)

Nezelhorns is an experimental jazz quintet, which plays original compositions by Petter Hängsel and Nana Pi. The music has harmonic freedom creating soundscapes that both have a diatonic and dissonance character, where traditional and abstract grooves meet tonal and atonal melodies. The band plays with great emphasis on sound and improvisation and they are known for their rough and forceful expression. Sentiment is the follow-up of their debut release Nezelhorns In An Elephant String, which was described as “Jazz with genuine darkness” by DN’s jazz reviewer Johannes Cornell and “a very worth hearing record that is recommended!” by Jan Strand

1. Frontless 06:54
2. Sentiment 03:51
3. Ultra Magnus 06:56
4. Need No Leash 05:18
5. The Worst Case Scenario 06:33
6. Red Ballet Shoes 06:12
7. Moobs 06:12
8. Långsamt 07:12

Nana Pi - tenor saxophone & objects
Petter Hängsel - trombone
Erik Kimestad - trumpet
Johannes Vaht - double bass
Kristoffer Rostedt - drums

Recorded and mixed by Tobias Ekqvist at Sunnanå Studio
Mastered by Markus Nilsson at Sunnanå Studio
All compositions by Nana Pi, except 1,3 and 8 by Petter Hängsel
Artwork by Håkon Berre
Released with support from DJBFA and Koda Kultur

Ingrid Laubrock / Tom Rainey - Stir Crazy Episode 53 (April 2021)

1. Stir Crazy Episode 53 25:44

Tom Rainey drums
Ingrid Laubrock tenor and soprano saxophones

Recorded in our apartment on 03/31/2021

Daniel Tamayo Quintet - Unjustified Paranoia (April 29, 2021)

Daniel Tamayo Quintet is a band dedicated to creating a sound experience that takes the listener in a world of texture, merging electronics with free improvisation and composed music.

1. Unjustified Paranoia
2. Photons
3. Bauchredner
4. Some Exceptions
5. Spekulation
6. Simply
7. Anubias 09:40
8. Anachronic Man (ft. Dariya Maminova)

Daniel Felipe Tamayo Gomez: Guitar, Electronics, Composition.
Yaroslav Likhachev: Tenor saxophone
Moritz Preisler: Piano
Conrad Noll: Double bass
Simon Bräumer: Drums

The Dave Glasser / Clark Terry / Barry Harris Project (feat. Frank Wess, Benny Powell, Roy Hargrove) - Uh! Oh! (2021 nagel heyer records)

Alto saxophonist/composer Glasser's project band is loaded with stars that shine brighter than his own, and this elevates his cachet to a very high level. Trumpet veteran Terry and peerless pianist Harris are joined by bassist Peter Washington and unsung drummer Curtis Boyd. Guests include trombonist Benny Powell, tenor saxophonist Frank Wess, and a pair of cameos from trumpeter Roy Hargrove. Glasser wrote eight of the 13 selections. There are several tracks that feature all four horn players, who swing effortlessly together on "The Intimacy of the Blues." Glasser leads as the rest nod in counter-harmonic agreement during Duke Ellington's "Blue Rose" and the "Foggy Day"-stylized Glasser original "FNH," and they collectively swing their posteriors off on "Jumpin' at the Woodside." 

The leader can bop with the best, wailing in deftly pronounced Phil Woods fashion for Thelonious Monk's "52nd Street Theme" with the witty ramblings of Harris, while the steaming, straight-ahead "Powell's Prance" pairs Glasser and Wess -- the alto being dominant -- with a short, mushy trombone solo and individual statements by Washington and Boyd. Hargrove's features with Glasser and the rhythm section are the darting unison, loose, and swinging line of the smartly titled "Bye-Yard" (assumedly for Jaki Byard) and Glasser's original ballad "Charise."

Terry's upfront shot on flügelhorn uses Glasser on the second line of the torch song "The Nearness of You," which doubles time on a counterpointed bridge. Glasser and Terry's muted trumpet trade and talk back riffs in great chit-chat banter with zeal and zest on the title cut, the funnest of swingers. Glasser's thinly veiled vibrato wavers on the sexy ballad "Tranquility" while his lilting legato is displayed to good measure during the quick samba "A Touch of Kin."

This is an excellent grouping of top-notch jazz musicians who have come together for the sole purpose of playing great music, and they succeed on nearly every count. It's also a great achievement for Glasser and another reminder of how wonderful Terry and Harris continue to be. Highly recommended. AllMusic Review by Michael G. Nastos

1. Uh! Oh! 07:12
2. Bye-Yard 04:45
3. A Touch of Kin 06:15
4. Intimacy of the Blues 06:06
5. Blue Rose 05:07
6. Charise 04:23
7. 52nd Street Theme 03:54
8. FNH 05:15
9. The Nearness of You 04:36
10. CT 05:29
11. Tranquillity 05:11
12. Powell's Prance 05:15
13. Jumpin' at the Woodside 03:03

Dave Glasser - alto sax
Clark Terry - trumpet, flugelhorn
Barry Harris - piano
Frank Wess - tenor sax
Benny Powell - trombone
Roy Hargrove - trumpet
Peter Washington - bass
Curtis Boyd - drums

Recorded June 1999 at Nola Recording Studios, New York City.
Pre-order

Almog Sharvit - Get Up Or Cry (May 28, 2021)

1. Dear Hunter
2. Roller Disco
3. Mx. Bean
4. We'll Get Back To You
5. Get Up Or Cry feat: Ambrose Getz
6. Open Wound

All songs were composed, arranged & produced by Almog Sharvit (Coralitionriffs/ASCAP)

“Get Up Or Cry” lyrics are "A Poem" from INSOMNIAC DREAMS by Vladimir Nabokov. Copyright © 1943, 2017 by Vladimir Nabokov, used by permission of The Wylie Agency LLC.

Almog Sharvit - Upright & Electric Bass
Adam O’Farrill - Trumpet
Brandon Seabrook - Guitar & Banjo
Micha Gilad - Piano, Keys & Synths
Lukas König - Drums

Ambrose Getz - Vocals on #5
David Leon - Flutes on #3
Idan Morim - Acoustic Guitar on #1
Jocelyn Silver, Arianna Fleur, Chris Bradshaw, Rebecca Zola & The Getz Family - Voices on #4

Engineered by Eva Lawitts & Chris Krasnow at Wonderpark Studios on March 8th, 2019.
Additional engineering by Daniel Bloch at Soda Aroma Studios.

Produced by Almog Sharvit & Daniel Bloch
Mixed by Daniel Bloch
Mastered by John McCaig

Monday, April 5, 2021

Eric Goletz - Into The Night (April 2021 CAP Records)

INTO THE NIGHT
Brings a 30-Year Dream to Life
For East Coast Trombonist/Composer Eric Goletz
Out April on Consolidated Artists Publications

I hate the word fusion because it makes everyone think of unlistenable types of jazz. In my mind, the word means the blending of different kinds of elements into a particular kind of sound. – Eric Goletz

On his new CD, INTO THE NIGHT, releasing April 2nd on CAP Records, trombonist and composer ERIC GOLETZ offers a program that mixes funk, rock, and jazz sounds into a unique sonic blend. By featuring his own trombone over a full rhythm section with keyboards, guitar, bass, drums and percussion, Goletz’ music has no artistic parallel in the current jazz scene. While the compositions are intricate, the approach is highly accessible for music lovers of all kinds.

Says Goletz, “Growing up, I was highly influenced by funk and rock, and by the time I moved to New York, funk was very popular. As a composer, I wanted to mix the music I heard on the radio with the spirit of jazz. I also wanted to feature the trombone as the lead instrument in a fusion setting because there wasn’t a lot of that out there.”
Goletz put together a group in 1987-1988 to explore these sounds, but it took him a few years to fully realize the sound he heard in his head. Goletz was friends with an engineer from the legendary Nola Studios in Manhattan and was given access to the studio when it wasn’t otherwise booked. He recorded his groups many times during this period, and he would listen to the tapes at home to decide what was working and what needed development. In the early 1990s, Goletz pitched the recording to several people in the music business, but the edgy nature of his tunes was at odds with the smooth jazz sounds then in vogue. Goletz decided that his other music projects were sufficient to keep him going, so he shelved the idea for a few years.

Goletz continued to work in New York, most notably with pianist Mike Longo’s State of the Art Jazz Ensemble, and with Stan Kenton’s former guitarist Sal Salvador, who invited Goletz to play and write for an album, Lorinda’s Kitchen. However, by the early 2000s, Goletz decided that he could no longer afford to live in Manhattan, and like many other musicians, he moved across the river to New Jersey. In fact, he formed a group called The Jazz Locals, consisting entirely of players who had made the same exodus across the Hudson

However, Goletz still wanted to develop the concepts he had recorded with his group at the Nola Studios years before. About three years ago, he started waking up with new musical ideas running through his head. Blessed with perfect pitch, Goletz would write down the idea while still in bed. Eventually, he created a new repertoire based on an updated version of his earlier concepts.

1. SAY WHAT??  7:47
2. MR. PC 10:21
3. INTO THE NIGHT  13:17
4. AFTER HOURS  7:35
5. STEPPIN OUT  8:02
6. WHAT IS THIS THING...  5:21
7. OASIS  8:30
8. CAT ON THE CORNER 7:50
9. LULLABY  6:18

ERIC GOLETZ  trombone, keyboards
HENRY HEINITSH  guitar  
MITCH SCHECHTER  piano
MARK HAGAN  bass
STEVE JOHNS  drums
JOE MOWATT  percussion
VINNIE CUTRO  trumpet
FREDDIE MAXWELL  trumpet
BOB MAGNUSON  alto sax
ERICK STORCKMAN  trombone
JONATHAN GREENBERG  bass trombone

Mark Small - One Day

You’ve most likely seen him perform, be it Newport Jazz Fest, Village Vanguard Orchestra, or on a late night TV show with Michael Buble. Mark Small has been an award winning sideman for numerous groups in all genres, free jazz to pop, that have an inkling of improvisation to them. He has co-lead groups with fellow musicians such as Walter Smith III and Jeremy Udden. He has finally taken the plunge and released a record of his own titled One Day.

“I’ve been extremely lucky to have played with so many wonderful musicians for so long. I’ve gotten to fulfill most of my dreams such as playing at the iconic Village Vanguard, performing at Madison Square Garden, and traveling the world over. I felt it was time I made a statement of my own.” Small continues, “I thought it would be amazing to reconnect with two friends who both perform frequently together. I hadn’t had the opportunity to play with Matt Brewer and Damion Reid in years so this recording became the catalyst.”


Recorded in one day, the trio explores Mark’s original compositions that had been written here and there over the course of years. He’s a traditionalist with an itch to experiment so it comes as no surprise that these songs cover a wide swath range of styles, from the straight ahead swing of the blues tribute to a major influence titled “Sonny”, the Frisell-like laid-back groove of “Tumbleweed”, to the ECM inspired “Charmer”. Each song creating its own little universe.

Recorded and mixed in New York City at Samurai Hotel Recording Studio by David Stoller, Small says “I couldn’t be happier with the way David captured the sound and performance. The studio has such a warm and intimate atmosphere which is really what the songs and the trio format is all about to me. I love performing in a trio, being able to hear every single nuance from the other players around you, being able to shift at a moments notice wherever the music takes you. These musicians and this studio really made that possible in the best way”.

1. Sonny 06:01
2. Tumbleweed 06:54
3. The Charmer 03:29
4. Persephone 05:37
5. GeeZee 04:11
6. Local Color 04:15
7. Conflict of Interest 04:21
8. UP 03:54

Composer: Mark Small
Performers: Mark Small, Matt Brewer, Damión Reid

Recorded by: David Stoller at Samurai Hotel Recording Studio

Jason Moran / Milford Graves - Live at Big Ears (April 2021)

Preparation....

In 2016 I invited Milford Graves to perform at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. In preparation for his solo performance we spoke over the phone, and then in person as he visited the performance space, Veterans Room. He talked about transferring and transmitting energy through language, body and sound. I wanted to experience him pull the ear of the audience into his drums, the open vessels and gaping caverns. While he created a frame for his performance, he and Jake Meginsky created a new video. This video opened his performance and dove into his practice of amplifying the movements of the heart muscle and how those movements can render melodies. It was extraordinary, and his performance brought every aspect of his practice to peak.

At the end of his performance, he said "Thank You Jason....you know what's next.... we gotta play TOGETHER".

The festival producer Ashley Capps (Big Ears Festival) was in attendance that fateful evening, and two years later he invited Milford and I to his festival. Our duo had a date. I began visiting Milford at his home in Jamaica, Queens. On my first visit, I brought one of my sons and we sat in Milford's basement for hours. The basement is a laboratory. Thousands of wires, hundreds of vitrines, piles of books, stacks of drums, an enormous subwoofer, multiple video monitors. Everything that enters the basement is prone to be examined. Milford researches it all, from the voice to the pulp, and then he finds a way for those studies to exist in his music. He hooked my heart up to his computer and rendered a melody of my heartbeat. He added it to his archive of heart melodies. I'd return a few months later, we'd talk about sculpture, demand, and process. This was all in preparation for stepping onstage with him.

Milford reminded me of my teacher, the pianist Jaki Byard. Their stance and voice, their round sound and momentum, all of the history at play at once, never segmented into style, all living in the garden together. Milford spoke of gardens and how he planted species close to one another that might not otherwise meet, charging a new relationship.

This is how he approaches music.

Performance...

The music as it unfolds.

The tracks, First - Seventh , represent the pieces we created that evening. Underneath and Splash are manipulations of segments I yearned to hear drowned, draped and slowed. Over the course of the concert, a real time language was born. By Seventh, the language had unified. In Sixth, there is a gap of silence leading to a classic comedy. "I apologize..... I apologize to the drums." Fourth is a ceremony. Third is a love song. First, Second and Third are a seating, chopping it up, a continuation of our phone calls and basement meetings.

The following morning, we were interviewed by writer Peter Margasak and Milford says

"That's what we did last night—we played, man. A part of that history is missing. And there's people now I know that want to climb back into that. How do we play from deep inside? How do we compose right on the scene? That's the most difficult way to play, because after ten minutes, you can be finished! We got to bring back the people's type of thing. The name of the game today is that you've got to teach people how to get back into themselves, to learn how to be that human being."

Mind-Body Deal Exhibition

In November 2020, I was invited by Mark Christman of Ars Nova Workshop to give a performance within Milford's exhibition at the Philadelphia Institute of Contemporary Art. I asked that the piano be moved adjacent to the final sound sculpture Milford created, Bikongo Ifá: Spirit of the Being. The piano is in conversation with the heart melody.

This would be our final "duet".


1. Mind-Body Loop 01:20
2. First 09:27
3. Second 10:21
4. Third 07:51
5. Fourth 04:41
6. Underneath 01:25
7. Fifth 14:12
8. Splash 01:41
9. Sixth 03:26
10. Seventh 03:38
11. With Bikongo Ifá: Spirit of the Being 11:03

Milford Graves - Drums & Vocals
Jason Moran - Piano

Tracks 2-10 recorded in The Bijou Theatre March 24, 2018
Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee

Tracks 1 & 11 recorded at Philadelphia Institute of Contemporary Art on November 24, 2020 within the Mind-Body Deal Milford Graves exhibition co-presented by Ars Nova Workshop. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Big Thank You to the Big Ears Festival producer Ashley Capps and to Mark Christman of Ars Nova Workshop for making space for sound.

Knoxville Recording Engineer - Matt Honkonen
Philadelphia Recording Engineer - Eugene Lew
Mix Engineer: Amon Drum
Mastering Engineer: Amon Drum
Mixed and Mastered at The Bridge Studio in Brooklyn, NY
Photograph by Kate Joyce
Cover layout by Jonas Moran