Jesús García Leoz - Father Spanish Film Music (ODRADEK RECORDS)

On visiting the Royal and General Archives of Navarre Rinaldo Zhok came across handwritten scores of a composer from Navarre who lived through those dire years of the Civil War:

Jesús García Leoz,

father of Spanish Film Music

Jesús García Leoz 

Father of Spanish Film Music 

Lilia Donkova - Rinaldo Zhok

Violin and Piano

In recent years the acclaimed Italian pianist Rinaldo Zhok has been living in the musically fertile region of Navarre, Spain, where he has been fascinated to discover the music of composer Jesus García Leoz (1904-1953).

Living in this region has given Rinaldo Zhok access to scores he might not otherwise have encountered, and before long he was engrossed in the Royal and General Archive of Navarre, poring over music by a composer who endured the Spanish Civil War to write numerous dazzling film scores.

It was inevitable that, having got to know Jesus García Leoz’s film music, Rinaldo Zhok would seek out pieces that he himself could perform. He discovered a wealth of refined and vibrant chamber works for solo piano and for piano and violin, a selection of which is presented on this exceptional disc.

Rinaldo Zhok is joined on this disc by violinist Lilia Donkova, who was born and studied in Sofia before graduating from the Royal Academy of Music. Currently studying for her doctorate in Portugal, Lilia Donkova has performed internationally as a chamber musician in venues including Carnegie Hall and the Purcell Room, Southbank Centre.

Rinaldo Zhok has been an Odradek artist since 2013; his debut disc, of Liszt’s transcriptions of music by Verdi, was released to critical acclaim, receiving praise from Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine, among others. In 2014 he and Artur Pizarro formed a piano duo, releasing an outstanding disc of Dvořák’s music together on Odradek.

Noah Preminger - Meditations on Freedom (2017) + TOUR

Saxophonist Noah Preminger Releases an Album of Musical Protest Meditations on Freedom on Inauguration Day:

January 20, 2017

Featuring Preminger and his quartet – with trumpeter Jason Palmer, bassist Kim Cass & drummer Ian Froman – in searching originals and reimagined classics by Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Sam Cooke & Bruce Hornsby

TOUR
April 7 & 8 at Small's Jazz Club, NYC
April 12 & 13 at West Virginia Wesleyan College, Buckhannon, WV
April 14 at Side Door Jazz Club, Old Lyme, CT
April 15 & 16 at The Rex, Toronto, ON
April 17 clinic at Denison College, Granville, OH
April 19 at Blu Jazz, Akron, OH
April 20 at Bop Stop, Cleveland, OH
April 24 at Black Eyed Sally's, Hartford, CT
May 18 at Scullers Jazz Club, Boston, MA

“He designs a different kind of sound for each note, an individual destiny and story.” — Ben Ratliff, The New York Times on Noah Preminger

As a musical protest at ominous political developments in America, jazz saxophonist Noah Preminger presents his sixth album – Meditations on Freedom – on Inauguration Day: January 20, 2017 (for digital release via Dry Bridge Records, with CD on Feb. 3). It’s the third album featuring the tenor player’s current quartet, with Jason Palmer (trumpet), Kim Cass (double-bass) and Ian Froman (drums). Following two albums inspired by Delta blues, this new recording finds Preminger and company reimagining – in intense, emotive instrumental versions – classic politically charged songs by Bob Dylan (“Only a Pawn in Their Game”), Bruce Hornsby (“The Way It Is”), Sam Cooke (“A Change Is Gonna Come”) and George Harrison (“Give Me Love, Give Me Peace on Earth”). The saxophonist’s deeply felt original compositions are titled “The 99 Percent,” “Women’s March,” “Mother Earth,” “Broken Treaties” and “We Have a Dream,” reflecting pressure points in contemporary society. Meditations on Freedom was recorded – live on the studio floor with no edits – by engineer Jimmy Katz, as with the two previous albums, Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground and Pivot: Live at the 55 Bar. Not available on any streaming sites, Preminger’s most recent recordings are exclusively offered for purchase, whether as digital download or on CD, at noahpreminger.com.

Praising his “creativity and passion,” DownBeat called the 30-year-old Preminger “an old soul,” while the UK’s Jazzwise magazine declared that the saxophonist “oozes integrity, authority and gravitas.” In other words, Preminger has something to say and the means to say it. About Meditations on Freedom, he explains: “I hope the titles of the original tunes – and the encoded messages in the covers – can serve as a conversation starter for listeners and ultimately raise awareness of some subjects I care about, whether it’s women’s rights or climate change or the well-being of Native Americans. I realize that the key thing I can hope to do with music – particularly instrumental jazz, with no words – is to heighten emotions. That said, some of the most beautiful, meaningful creations in the history of jazz have been poetic statements of protest, like John Coltrane’s ‘Alabama’ or Sonny Rollins’ ‘Freedom Suite’ and so many more great examples. I would never put myself in that category, but I’m not alone among jazz musicians today who wonder why it is that we do this. Ultimately it’s important to care about something larger than yourself and that’s what I am trying to convey with this music."

“Artists should always try to really matter, and that includes jazz musicians – we should strive to be relevant to the wider conversations of our time,” Preminger continues. “I started writing the music for this album on Election Day and came into the session a few weeks later with just sketches for the tunes. I wanted Jason, Kim and Ian to react to the music with immediacy – and with the hard feelings from the election fresh in our minds. I come at the issues of the day from a progressive place, as do the guys in the band. This group is made up of open-hearted, forward-minded people, and that’s ideal for conveying emotion in a strong way, whether the music is the deepest blues or about spiritual protest. The recording process was honest, unadulterated. And our recording engineer, Jimmy Katz, is integral to that process. He and I see eye to eye when it comes to intensity in music.”

To Katz, a renowned photographer as well as a recording engineer, the content of Meditations on Freedom matched the method of capturing it, just as with the previous studio album of blues interpretations, Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground. “Noah likes to record live with everybody right next to each other just like on the bandstand, with no booths or headphones – so there’s a lot of subtle communication among the band,” he explains. “And we’re presenting full, unedited takes, no edits or fixes. It’s indeed as honest as it can be, so that the true emotion and intensity of the music comes through to a listener as if the band were right there in front of you, like with a performance in a club.”

Preminger’s previous albums Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground and Pivot: Live at the 55 Bar earned wide acclaim for their emotional intensity and individualist engagement with the blues. Of Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground, the Boston Globe said: “Tenor saxophonist Preminger – a master with standards and ballads, as well as an adventurous composer and bandleader – continued the exploration of the blues that began with last year’s Pivot: Live at the 55 Bar, this time with a collection of early Delta bluesmen, in original, imaginative arrangements…. Preminger lets a little Ornette into his sound to join Coltrane and Rollins. One of the most emotionally satisfying discs of the year.” All About Jazz, reviewing Pivot – recorded in 2015 at the 55 Bar, a gritty Greenwich Village nightspot – extolled the saxophonist’s record-making virtues at length: “In an age when accomplished young jazz musicians are prone to making recordings that are simply too cautious, too precious, obviously ‘dressed to impress,’ or too complicated to digest in one sitting, Pivot: Live at The 55 Bar is a welcome blast of gritty, fearless, sweaty, and intelligent hard-core jazz.” Meditations on Freedom is cut from much the same musical cloth, albeit with the aforementioned political thoughts to the fore.

About the members of his quartet, Preminger says: “Jason has amazing technique, along with a beautiful tone and a rare sense of harmony and rhythmic freedom. He’s the complete improviser – a badass dude, as well as a sweetheart of a guy. Kim Cass and I went to the New England Conservatory together. He has this warm, crisp sound. He’s a great texturalist, but you can also hear each note he plays – uncommon among bass players. And Ian Froman has this incredible energy, driving everything. This quartet is devoted to a certain ideal of playing – swinging hard but with harmonic freedom, plus a blues phrasing in our minds. As I said, this band is all about conveying spirit and emotion with immediacy and intensity. The long jazz tradition is inside us even as we’re working very much in the present, with the issues of today on our minds in every sense.”

Noah Preminger has performed on stages from Boston and New York to Europe and Australia, playing with a wide range of jazz greats including Dave Liebman, Dave Holland, Fred Hersch, Dave Douglas, Victor Lewis, John and Bucky Pizzarelli, Billy Drummond, George Cables, Roscoe Mitchell, Dr. Eddie Henderson, Cecil McBee, John McNeil and Frank Kimbrough. As The Boston Globe says: “He plays with not just chops and composure, but a distinct voice: His approach privileges mood and reflectiveness, favoring weaving lines that can be complex but are also concise, without a trace of over-playing or bravado.”  The Boston Phoenix declared: “Preminger’s sound is beholden to no one. That makes him continually unpredictable and continually satisfying.” 

A native of Canton, Connecticut, Preminger has released six critically acclaimed albums.  His 2008 debut Dry Bridge Road was named Debut of the Year in the Village Voice Critics Poll, along with making Top 10 Albums of the Year lists in JazzTimes, Stereophile and The Nation.  In 2011 Palmetto Records released Preminger’s next album Before the Rain, an essay in atmospheric romance that blends virtues both modern and old school. Reviewing that album, All About Jazz said: “Sensitivity and an ear for aural sophistication are the hallmarks of tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger.”  Preminger’s third album, Haymaker (Palmetto, 2013), features the saxophonist in mostly original material (plus a Dave Matthews cover and a tune from Annie for good measure). In The New York Times, Ben Ratliff said: “Mr. Preminger designs a different kind of sound for each note, an individual destiny and story,” while Nate Chinen chimed in, too, lauding his “darkly shaded… warmly expressive” tone and his “fluency, prudence and control.” The Boston Globe called Preminger’s music “impressive, challenging and beautiful.”

In autumn 2016, Preminger followed his fiery, blues-fueled quartet discs Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground and Pivot: Live at the 55 Bar by showing his more intimate, romantic side again with a collection of ballads, Some Other Time, released exclusively as a vinyl LP by Newvelle Records. He recorded this with a dream band featuring Monder, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Billy Hart. All About Jazz, reviewing Some Other Time, said: “With this all-star band in tow, Preminger does what he does best: He tells a compelling story without frills – and he does it better than he has ever done before.”

https://twitter.com/RepublicOfJazz

Jazz at Princeton University Presents Diverse and Compelling Spring 2017 Season

Jazz at Princeton University Presents Diverse and Compelling Spring 2017 Season

Guest artists include Walter Smith III, Steve Lehman’s Sélébéyone, Darmon Meader and Billy Childs premiering a new work commissioned by Jazz at Princeton University

Jazz at Princeton University, helmed by acclaimed saxophonist/composer Rudresh Mahanthappa, presents a diverse and compelling series spring 2017 season, March 5 – May 13, 2017. Highlights include the world premiere of a Princeton-commissioned work by pianist/composer Billy Childs, and appearances by saxophonist Walter Smith III, saxophonist Steve Lehman’s global hip hop project Sélébéyone, and vocalist, arranger and saxophonist Darmon Meader.

“Jazz at Princeton University has a very exciting spring season that embraces this music in its many styles and forms,” says Mahanthappa. “Some of the top jazz artists of our day will be performing and working with out students.  From saxophonist Walter Smith III performing with our top small jazz group to esteemed composer and alto saxophonist Steve Lehman’s global hip-hop project Sélébéyone to a newly commissioned work by the amazing pianist Billy Childs, this will truly be a season to remember.”

Spring 2017 Schedule

Sunday, March 5 – Small Group I with special guest saxophonist Walter Smith III 

8 p.m. – Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall

Tickets are $15; $5 for students, available at 609-258-9220, or online at tickets.princeton.edu.

The Los Angeles Times simply states the future of Jazz is bright with rising saxophonist Walter Smith III. Although it may appear Smith is a young gun on the scene at age 33, he is widely recognized as an adept performer, accomplished composer, and inspired educator. Small Group I will be performing music from his most recent album Still Casual.

Tuesday, March 28 – Steve Lehman’s Sélébéyone

7:30 p.m. – Taplin Auditorium in Fine Hall

Free and open to the public.

Formed in 2015 by award-winning saxophonist Steve Lehman, HPrizm, Maciek Lasserre, and Bamar Ndoye, Sélébéyone is a collaborative project that draws from Senegalese rap, French spectral music, modern jazz, underground Hip Hop, interactive electronics, and beyond.  The band’s first full-length album was called one of the “Top 10 CDs of 2016 by NPR Music, The NY Times Popcast, The Denver Post, The LA Times and The Chicago Reader, among many others.

   

Wednesday, April 12 – Small Group 1 and Small Group A

7:30 pm – Taplin Auditorium in Fine Hall

Free and open to the public.

Sunday, April 23 - Small Group A 

2 p.m. at Princeton Public Library

Free and open to the public.

Come celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month in a special concert of jazz standards from Princeton’s Small Group A.  

Thursday, April 27 – Jazz Vocal Collective I and II with special guest Darmon Meader

7:30 pm – Taplin Auditorium in Fine Hall

Free and open to the public.

Recognized in both the jazz vocal and instrumental worlds, Darmon Meader is a highly respected vocalist, arranger and saxophonist. Meader has achieved international recognition as the founder, musical director, chief arranger, composer, producer, saxophonist, and vocalist with New York Voices. As a member of New York Voices, he has released numerous recordings on the GRP, RCA/Victor, Concord and MCGJazz labels.

Saturday, May 13 – Creative Large Ensemble with special guest pianist/composer Billy Childs 
8 pm – Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall
Tickets are $15; $5 for students, available at 609-258-9220, or online at tickets.princeton.edu.


Creative Large Ensemble with special guest pianist and composer Billy Childs, one of the foremost American composers of his era working in jazz, classical, and rock.  CLE will be premiering a new work of Mr. Childs commissioned by Jazz at Princeton University as well as performing his previous work in arrangements by Grammy Award Nominee Darcy James Argue.

Jazz at Princeton University serves to promote this uniquely American music as a contemporary and relevant art form.  Our goals are to convey the vast musical and social history of jazz, establish a strong theoretical and stylistic foundation with regard to improvisation and composition, and

emphasize the development of individual expression and creativity. Offerings of this program include academic course work, performing ensembles, master classes, private study, and independent projects.

THROES + THE SHINE, la sensación del Kuduro aterrizará en España a primeros de Marzo

THROES + THE SHINE

DESDE ANGOLA Y PORTUGAL

Miércoles 1 de Marzo · BARCELONA · Sala Apolo [2]

Viernes 3 de Marzo · MADRID · Sala Caracol

Sábado 4 de Marzo · GRANADA · Sala Boogaclub

Entradas a la venta en www.rootsound.com

Throes + The Shine es el nuevo fenómeno de la música Kuduro que está contagiando al continente, danza electronica, riffs afro rockeros y tropical bass son los otros pasajeros que van en la nave que aterrizará en España a primeros de Marzo.

Los componentes de Throes + The Shine utilizan cada impulso de creatividad para construir un estilo único, que se concentra en una infecciosa energía en sus directos. Oriundos de Oporto y Luanda (Angola), basan su sonido en la fusión, en cuyo caso comenzó mezclando kuduro y rock and roll y extendiéndose hasta alcanzar influencias de multitud de culturas, de África a Europa, pasando por El Caribe, Asia y EEUU.

El pasado 2016 publicaron “Wanga”, que significa "hechizo" en kimbundo, dialecto hablado por los ancianos angoleños. Y eso es lo que recoge este trabajo, hechizos de los que te hacen bailar, de esa manera empoderada y sumamente placentera. “Wanga” supone la cumbre de un estilo de creación propia, el “rockuduro”, y sus diez cortes hacen retumbar las paredes a base de intensos beats y profundas melodías sintéticas. Una suerte de mixtura de pop electrónico, tropical bass, afro, rock y kuduro, revitalizando la estela que en su momento dejaron M.I.A., Buraka Som Sistema y Vampire Weekend.

Atención, porque cuando este trío aterriza en el escenario, la fiesta atraviesa la estratosfera y pegan chispas.

BALKAN BEAT BOX en España · Gira "Shout It Out"

BALKAN BEAT BOX 

Presenta:

“Shout It Out”

SPANISH TOUR MARZO 2017

Miércoles 29 de Marzo · BARCELONA · Sala Apolo 

Jueves 30 de Marzo · MADRID · Sala Arena #MadTownDays

Viernes 31 de Marzo · JEREZ · Primavera Trompetera

Entradas a la venta en www.rootsound.com

Balkan Beat Box llega en Marzo a los escenarios españoles con su sorprendente nuevo disco Shout it Out.

Los líderes mundiales del movimiento “Balkan Beat” vuelven a nuestra tierra presentando su nuevo trabajo “Shout It Out”. Tras agotar todas las entradas en su último tour, la banda americana- israelí actuará en la Sala Apolo de Barcelona el miércoles 29 de Marzo, el jueves 30 de Marzo lo harán en Madrid en la Sala Arena y el viernes 31 de Marzo en el festival Primavera Trompetera de Jerez de la Frontera.

Ha llovido mucho desde que en 2005 con su primer y homónimo LP, Balkan Beat Box diera un golpe de estado a los patrones de la música tradicional y a las nuevas tendencias, creando un nuevo estilo, que sorprendía tanto a críticos como a público de todo el planeta, desconformes ante lo que sucedía en el mundo sus letras siempre han estado llenas de mensajes de protesta, de gritos de paz y unidad. Nunca se encasillaron en ningún estilo musical porque los creadores de esta original amalgama musical son tan diferentes como la procedencia de sus componentes; Tomer Yosef (voz, percusión, samplers), Ori Kaplan (saxo) y Tamir Muskat (batería, programación); y tan versátiles como la propia exploración que realizan disco a disco, en las músicas de raíz, la música electronica y urbana.

Ahora, tras cuatro años de la publicación de “Give”, llega el esperado regreso discográfico de Balkan Beat Box, “Shout It Out”, el cual está siendo muy bien recibido por toda su parroquia de seguidores, nuevamente rompiendo cliches. Temas como “I Trusted U” o “Chin Chin” ya superan el millón de reproducciones.

BRUUT! - Superjazz (DOX RECORDS 2017)

Maarten Hogenhuis, organist Folkert Oosterbeek, bassist Thomas Rolff and drummer Felix Schlarmann bring their brand of postmodern popcorn grooves and hi-octane soul jazz with a sense of joyful interaction not unlike like-minded outfits as Flat Earth Society and Medeski, Martin & Wood. I’ve always felt there just might be that young newcomer to jazz having a revelation after hearing Bruut! perform an homage to the boogaloo period of saxophonist Lou Donaldson. Wishful thinking? I don’t think so.

Sparse boogaloo traits on Superjazz, strictly speaking, but Papa Lou’s spirit is certainly hovering over the exotic Camel. And the increasingly hot groove on Plume, which starts as the sound of a shellac disc of Cab Calloway, Wild Bill Davis or Bill Doggett that one might find in an East-Texan thrift store, develops into a cut many will recognize from the late sixties funk jazz output on Prestige and Blue Note by the likes of Rusty Bryant and Boogaloo Joe Jones. There’s Yamazaki, a fast-paced cartoonesque bopswing tune right out of the Raymond Scott bag. The old-timey Sonora swings merrily in 4/4 time.

The soundtracks of Quinten Tarantino have always been a big inspiration for Bruut!. Maybe one day the director might consider including Saga in one of his flicks, a sleazy grunge affair that reveals a lot of ‘rage against the machine’… Organist Folkert Oosterbeek conjures up his meanest Hammond sound available. Throughout the album, the playful Oosterbeek alternates between textures that range from shades of the Farfisa organ, old-fashioned, accordion-type chords to the crunchy sound and crisp lines of the organ modernists from the sixties.

Above all, the sing-songy, slightly husky alto sax of Hogenhuis earmark the straightforward, Dick Dale-influenced surf tunes Baha and the punky, jumpin’ and jivin’ Prince as quite out of the ordinary. Occasional twists, turns and flurries of notes reveal the work ethic of a jazz cat that grew up with Parker and the Parker-influenced giants of jazz. The poppy ballad Loulou finds Hoogenhuis, like a daddy soothing a daughter with a fractured knee, reaching for a soft spot in the heart.

Bruut! appeals to the hearts and minds of jazz and popular music fans that appreciate tongue-in-cheek, uplifting tunes performed with deftness and unbridled enthusiasm.

Baha

Camel

Plume

Loulou

Prince

Yamazaki

Kors

Saga

Binson

Sonora

Maarten Hogenhuis (alto saxophone)

Folkert Oosterbeek (organ)

Thomas Rolff (bass)

Felix Schlarmann (drums)

Brandon Coleman Quartet - Infinite Loop (2017)

A young, energetic and passionate improviser, Brandon Coleman seeks to stretch the limits of being a guitarist by constantly searching for sounds beyond the normal barriers of the instrument.

Brandon's compositions, whether in a improvisatory context or a classical one, embrace both the rhythmic intensity and complexity of stravinsky and zappa with the harmonic brilliance of Debussy and Messiaen.

01. Hoopwood 6:45

02. I Fell 5:18

03. Morphic Gate 1:35

04. Bathynerita 5:39

05. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 7:49

06. Infinite Loop 6:13

07. Frozen Lake 6:01

08. Orb 2:42

09. A Key 8:06

10. Engram 1:18 

Brandon Coleman - Guitar, Guitar Synth

Keigo Hirakawa - Piano

Matt Wiles - Bass

Jeff Mellott - Drums

Kurt Rosenwinkel - Caipi (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS 2017)

The most influential and strikingly original guitarist/composer of his generation makes a radical leap in his musical direction on Caipi, the debut release on his new label Heartcore Records. Ten years in the making, Caipi is easily his most personal expression to date and features Kurt Rosenwinkel playing all the instruments (drums, bass, piano, synthesizers, percussion) and showcases his vocals prominently on tunes like the hard rocking "Hold On," the ethereal "Summer Song" and the slow ballad "Ezra," named for his son. The lilting "Little B" is named for his other son Silas, who was nicknamed Little Bear as a toddler. Elements of rock and jazz co-exist happily with all the easily recognizable features of his personal style; above all, there is ample space for the evolving world of Brazilian music in its most recent guise and, in particular, the Brazilian love song. To some extent this symbolizes Rosenwinkel's natural leaning towards the creation of melodies of considerable emotional impact, a highly distinctive feature and an unavoidable element in his markedly romantic artistic vision. 

Although most of the instruments on the album were played by Rosenwinkel, there are some notable guests: Amanda Brecker (daughter of Eliane Elias and Randy Brecker) provides Portuguese lyrics on "Kama" and contributes layered backing vocals throughout Caipi. Special guest Eric Clapton offers a subtle touch of signature string-bending on the upbeat pop number "Little Dream." And Rosenwinkel's former musical partner Mark Turner delivers potent tenor sax performances on "Ezra" and "Casio Escher." "I had to bring Mark in because it was very important to me to have that close friendship and collaboration represented on the album." Caipi also features the participation of a new young Brazilian multi-instrumentalist and singer Pedro Martins. 

Regarding his new role as a frontman singing his own thoughtful, metaphysical lyrics, Rosenwinkel says, "Writing songs with lyrics has always been very much a part of my musical world, but they've usually stayed in my private sphere. With Caipi, I realized that these were also lyric songs and that ultimately I would sing them as well. It's definitely something different from my other albums, but it's a familiar place for me and it was just a matter of doing what the music needed." 

With Caipi, Rosenwinkel presents eleven tantalizing, effervescent compositions. It is the most uplifting album he has ever made; it is an ode to resilience, a call not to give in to negativity. Deeper songs from an even deeper well.

01. Caipi

02. Kama

03. Casio Vanguard

04. Summer Song

05. Chiromatic B

06. Hold On

07. Ezra

08. Little Dream

09. Casio Escher

10. Interscape

11. Little B

Kurt Rosenwinkel - acoustic & electric guitars, electric bass, piano, drums, percussion, synth, casio, voice

Eric Clapton - guitar

Pedro Martins - voice, drums, keyboards, percussion

Alex Kozmidi - baritone guitar

Mark Turner - tenor saxophone

Kyra Garéy - voice

Antonio Loureiro - voice

Zola Mennenöh - voice

Amanda Brecker - voice

Frederika Krier - violin

Chris Komer - French horn

Andi Haberl - drums