Republic of Jazz

Friday, June 16, 2017

Parisien / Peirani / Schaerer / Wollny - Out of Land (ACT MUSIC 2017)

For once, here’s a band for which the word 'supergroup' is completely apposite. Swiss vocalist Andreas Schaerer, German pianist Michael Wollny, French accordionist Vincent Peirani and his saxophonist compatriot Emile Parisien are four of the brightest and most charismatic stars in European jazz, and they have now formed themselves into a quartet. Between them, they have so far garnered no fewer than twelve German ECHO Jazz awards, as well as just about every distinction of importance in their own countries. They are in their mid- to late thirties, and their new live recording “Out of Land” demonstrates why they are at the very pinnacle of jazz musicians of their generation. It is because they are re-defining the possibilities of their instruments; not just cutting loose from the boundaries of jazz, but doing it in a way which energizes and inspires audiences of all generations.

The pivot and connector for this top-flight group of musical allies and equal partners has been Peirani. He had previously played with all three of the others, and has brought them together. The quartet member he has had the closest connection with is Parisien: they have been kindred spirits since working together in Daniel Humair’s quartet. They work as a regular duo, and in the group “Living Being”. Michael Wollny had been enlisted by Peirani at the end of 2012 for the latter’s ACT debut CD “Thrill Box”, and the two have continued to bring their combined “resourcefulness, erudition and shared relish for risk” (John Fordham in The Guardian) to their 2016 ACT album “Tandem”. Schaerer had first met Peirani two years previously, when he had invited the Frenchman to join his band “Hildegard Lernt Fliegen” as a guest for their concert in Paris. After that, both wanted to do more together, but the overladen state of their diaries conspired against it. It was only when Schaerer received invitations from Budapest and Berne which gave him carte blanche to put together any project he wanted, that he was able to enrol Peirani for a project - for which the accordionist also wanted to involve both Parisien and Wollny…

The four searched long and hard for the right name to put on their new band’s birth certificate. Schaerer sent Peirani a whole raft of suggestions, including the indeterminate “Out of...”. To which Peirani responded promptly with “Out of Land”. “That was it, we'd nailed it,” remembers Schaerer. The phrase “Out of Land” is intended to bring to mind that specific sense of leaving solid ground, and of venturing into terrain where it is far from obvious how things are going to develop. That was certainly a part of the concept: staying open to the ideas of the others, keeping the excitement intact, seeing what will happen musically in the moment. They did three days of rehearsals without prior preparation, and then went off to appear on stage together. Schaerer found it all very fulfilling: “It is simply a dream, almost a spiritual form of making music. It’s about being able to address one’s own visions in conditions of complete spontaneity, and also about transparency of communication with the others. These musicians can really do that!”

That capacity of all four musicians to interact and co-create which Andreas Schaerer has described here begins with the Swiss vocalist himself, one of the great singing improvisers of our time. He has a vast vocal compass; his stylistic palette ranges from classical art song to crooning and scat. He can produce all kinds of improbable sounds, and is able to imitate many instruments – including various parts of a drum kit. His recent arrival at the ACT label was marked with the release of “The Big Wig”, a major composition for 66- piece symphony orchestra. Accordionist Vincent Peirani, originally from Nice, is another musician making huge waves on the European scene. He too has received numerous awards and distinctions, the “Prix Django Reinhardt” and “Victoires du Jazz” in France and an ECHO Jazz award in Germany - his profile on the scene is huge. Peirani is able to magic an astonishing, maybe unprecedented range of sounds out of his button accordion and accordina. He is an inheritor of the great French accordion tradition, and that shines through in his playing, but his own expressive purposes take him further. Peirani’s spiritual brother is Emile Parisien, and not only because both can improvise over anything from Wagner tunes to hiphop. And like his band-mates, Parisien takes his instrument acoustically and compositionally into new domains. That is also true of Michael Wollny’s piano playing, which is full of fantasy and always capable of springing surprises, whatever the context - and he plays in many. Wollny is one of the very few German jazz musicians - of any era - to have carved out a substantial profile internationally.

“Out of Land” does put on record one first meeting: Wollny and Schaerer had never in fact previously played together. The listener can sense the unleashing of huge performance energy, impetus and joy right from the outset. Schaerer comments: “A whole lot of the things we had discussed in rehearsal were over-ruled once we got on stage. It was done quite consciously, the music in the moment simply demanded something different. That works with this band. It just gets airborne.” The listener gets that sense of flying with the band right from the start of Peirani’s tune “Air Song”. This highly melodic miniature brings its own powerful emotional updraft. The rhythmic and dynamic exuberance in Peirani’s tune “B&H” are overwhelming, while Wollny’s “Kabinett V” overflows with the desire for sonic experiment and discovery. Schaerer’s “Rezeusler” inspires the group to a combined burst of creative inspiration. This tune has evolved through various guises. Schaerer first imagined it as an uptempo roaster for sextet, it then morphed into a through-composed ballad for full orchestra, and is here in completely new clothes as a suite for quartet. The sounds of Peirani’s accordion, Schaerer’s voice and Wollny’s piano swirl and eddy impressionistically, before they all dig in together for a heart-on-sleeve finale. “Ukuhamba” is a fourteenminute all-encompassing jam session-like epic, which brings the album to a close. This album brings the listener tinglingly close to a moment of creation by four brilliant musical alchemists. The result is pure gold.

01. Air Song (Vincent Peirani)

03. B & H (Vincent Peirani)

03. Kabinett V (Michael Wollny)

04. Rezeusler (Andreas Schaerer)

05. Ukuhamba (Andreas Schaerer)

Emile Parisien / soprano saxophone

Vincent Peirani / accordion

Andreas Schaerer / voice & mouth percussion

Michael Wollny / piano

Produced by the artists

Executive Producer: Siggi Loch

Recorded live in concert at bee-flat Bern, April 10, 2016

Mixed and mastered by Martin Ruch at Control Room Berlin, November 2016

Ron Carter: Golden Striker (Live) with Donald Vega & Russell Malone (Live at Theaterstübchen Kassel) IN+OUT RECORDS 2017

Erst unlängst feierte der am 4. Mai 1937 in Michigan geborene US-amerikanische Bassist RON CARTER seinen achtzigsten Geburtstag. Mit Beiträgen zu mehr als 2.200 Alben ist Carter der meistaufgenommene Bassist der Jazzgeschichte. Anlässlich seines achtzigsten Geburtstags sind nun gleich zwei Live-Alben erschienen: zum einen das mit dem französischen Akkordeonisten Richard Galliano eingespielte „An Evening With Ron Carter & Richard Galliano“, und die uns vorliegende Live-Aufnahme mit Donald Vega am Klavier und Russell Malone an der Gitarre. Beide übrigens mit nur einem Tag Abstand im Theaterstübchen in Kassel aufgenommen.

Auf einer Gesamtlänge von 68 Minuten glänzt das Trio durch unglaublich tightes Zusammenspiel. Fast will es scheinen - je sparsamer die Instrumentierung, desto brillanter Carters Performance. Bei keinem anderen Track tritt dies so deutlich zu Tage wie auf „Samba de Orfeu“. Die Art und Weise wie das Trio so ganz ohne Schlagzeuger rhythmisch aneinanderklebt zeugt von überragender Meisterschaft. Insbesondere Gitarrist Russell Malone stellt durch sein Rhythmusspiel unter Beweis, warum er ein gern gesehener Sideman von Jazzgrößen wie Diana Krall, Benny Green, und dem unvergleichlichen Jimmy Smith († 2005) war und ist.

Unvergessen ist Carters Live Auftritt im Blue Note, dem wir vor einigen Jahren in New York beiwohnen durften. Auch auf "Golden Striker“ ist es dem Trio gelungen, die einzigartige Atmosphäre eines RON CARTER Konzerts perfekt einzufangen. Ins Kasseler Theaterstübchen passten an den beiden Aufnahmeabenden dem Vernehmen nach gerade mal an die 100 Leute. Und so ist „Golden Striker“ ein intimes Geburtstagsgeschenk an die Fans der Legende geworden. Um mit Carters Worten in einem renommierten deutschen Jazzmagazin zu schließen: auf "Golden Striker“ erwarten den Hörer „Funken, Rauch, Flammen, Freude und eine Menge Freundschaft“.

1. Laverne Walk [Live] 12:16

2. Candle Light [Live] 6:47

3. Golden Striker [Live] 7:46

4. Samba de Orfeu [Live] 7:20

5. Eddie's Theme [Live] 9:14

6. A Nice Song [Live] 7:26

7. My Funny Valentine [Live] 10:44

8. Cedar Tree [Bonus Track] [Live] 6:26

Ron Carter, double bass

Donald Vega, piano

Russell Malone, guitar

CONCERTOS PORTA-JAZZ: Sábado, 17 jun. - WAKO (Noruega)

Sábado, 17 junho

19:00 & 22:00

Sala Porta-Jazz

WAKO

Martin Myhre Olsen - saxofone

Kjetil André Mulelid - piano

Bárður Reinert Poulsen - baixo

Simon O. Albertsen - bateria

Desde 2015 Wako estão em tour pela Escandinávia e Europa Central, e já partilharam o palco com artistas ECM como Arve Henriksen e Frode Alnæs, e o vencedor de um Grammy Team Hegdal. Lançaram dois álbuns, ambos aclamados pela imprensa norueguesa: em quarteto "The Good Story"(nov 2015), e o segundo "Modes for All Eternity"(jan 2017) com trio de cordas Oslo Strings.

Individualmente, os membros desta formação fazem parte da nova vaga de músicos noruegueses tanto no pop como no jazz e música improvisada, com participações em numerosos projetos como Megalodon Collective (Norwegian grammy nominee 2016), Espen Berg trio (NTNU ambassadors 2016), e Trondheim Jazz Orchestra.

PRÓXIMOS CONCERTOS SALA PORTA-JAZZ

24 junho, 19:00 + 22:00

Catarina S. Ribeiro & Hugo Raro

Catarina S. Ribeiro - piano

Hugo Raro - piano

1 julho, 19:00 + 22:00

Eduardo Cardinho & Pedro Branco Group

Eduardo Cardinho - vibrafone

Pedro Branco - guitarra

Demian Cabaud - contrabaixo

Iago Fernandéz - bateria

8 julho, 19:00 + 22:00

Quarteto José Pedro Coelho

José Pedro Coelho - saxofone

João Grilo - piano

Demian Cabaud - contrabaixo

Marcos Cavaleiro - bateria

15 de Julho, 19:00 + 22:00

Weird Beard

Florian Egli - saxofone

Dave Gisler - guitarra

Martina Berther - baixo eléctrico

Rico Baumann - bateria

22 de Julho, 19:00 + 22:00

André Santos "Vitamina D"

André Santos - Guitarra

Tristan Renfrow - Bateria

Matt Adomeit - Contrabaixo

29 de Julho, 19:00 + 22:00

João Guimarães / Travis Reuter / Simon Jermyn / Allan Mednard

João Guimarães - saxofone

Travis Reuter - guitarra

Simon Jermyn - baixo eléctrico

Allan Mednard - bateria

PRÓXIMO LANÇAMENTO CARIMBO PORTA-JAZZ

Auditório da FEUP

- entrada livre -

19 junho, 21:30

João Mortágua "AXES"

+ "Mirros" - projecto Guimarães-Jazz / Porta-Jazz #3

João Mortágua - saxofone alto e soprano

José Soares - saxofone alto

Hugo Ciríaco - saxofone tenor

Rui Teixeira - saxofone barítono e clarinete baixo

Pedro Vasconcelos - bateria e percussões

Alex Lázaro - bateria e percussões

CICLO JAZZ DE SANTO TIRSO

Centro Cultural de Vila das Aves

- entrada livre -

16 junho, 21:30 - AP Quarteto

AP - guitarra

Carlos Azevedo - piano

Filipe Teixeira - contrabaixo

Acácio Salero - bateria

1 julho, 21:30 - Rui Filipe Freitas Sexteto

Rui Filipe Freitas - vibrafone

José Pedro Coelho - saxofone tenor e clarinete-baixo

João Mortágua - saxofone alto e saxofone soprano

Mané Fernandes - guitarra

Filipe Teixeira - contrabaixo

João Martins - bateria

Thursday, June 15, 2017

David Benoit - The Steinway Sessions (Steinway & Sons 2017)

For three decades, the GRAMMY®-nominated pianist/composer/ arranger David Benoit has reigned supreme as one the founding fathers of contemporary jazz. But, like an actor who has been known primarily for one role, he wanted to show other dimensions of his artistry, influenced by Stephen Sondheim, Burt Bacharach, Dave Grusin and Leonard Bernstein.

“I’ve done records where I had a token vocal tune, all the way back to my first album,” Benoit says. “But I never did an entire record [with vocals]. So the thought here was to do something really different.”

The result is Benoit’s thirty-fifth recording as a leader and his first with a vocalist. 2 In Love, set for release on June 16, 2015 via Concord Records, features Jane Monheit, the GRAMMY®- nominated, cool-toned chanteuse from New York, who burst on the scene in 1998 as the first runner-up in the Thelonious Monk International Vocalist Competition.

“Concord suggested Jane Monheit,” Benoit says. “She was the perfect vocalist. I like to make records a certain way: I prefer to go in live and record it all at once. And a lot of vocalists can’t do that: they need to edit, fix and use auto-tune. But Jane doesn’t need to do any of those things. Many of the keys were difficult, but she sang everything live. Jane also has a background in Broadway, which is another part of my lexicon that I’ve not explored. She was up to the task and easy to work with. She made it a complete, perfect package.”

Along with Monheit, Benoit also enlisted the help of three lyricists: Mark Winkler, Lorraine Feather and Spencer Day. “Mark is my long-time collaborator,” says Benoit. “And I’ve known Lorraine (daughter of jazz critic Leonard Feather) for thirty-five years. Then, there’s Spencer Day: I was really impressed with him. What a nice, young man and fantastic singer. He brought some new blood to the table.” This terrific triad breathed lyrical life into Benoit’s songs and helped showcase Monheit’s considerable skills as an interpreter. “I met them all,” she says. “They did great work and made it very, very easy for me to do my job.”

Supported by an alternating rhythm section featuring drummers Jamey Tate and Clayton Cameron, percussionist Lauren Kosty, guitarist Pat Kelley and bassists David Hughes and John Clayton (of the Clayton Brothers), Benoit and Monheit swing and sing on ten tracks imbued with, to use Duke Ellington’s elegant phrase, “the feeling of jazz” in ballad, mid-tempo, neo- classical-, Latin-, pop- and Broadway-styled genres that range from the bossa nova-buoyed title track to the optimistic, piano-driven “Love Will Light the Way.” Violinist Michelle Suh and cellist Cathy Biagini add their impressionistic airs to the waltz “Dragonfly,” the evocative, 5/4 time-signatured “Something’s Gotta Give” – originally from a play co-written by Benoit and Winkler about Marilyn Monroe – and “The Songs We Sang,” a beautiful melancholy ballad, originally titled “Out of Tune,” about a couple that wrote hit songs and are trying to reignite their magic.

On the ebullient “Fly Away,” Monheit flexes her considerable vocal muscles. “I had a really great time wailing on that one,” she says, “because it’s a style of music that I don’t often get to sing.”

“Barcelona Nights,” is pulsed by an infectious Latin groove, which was inspired by a visit to Spain by Benoit and his wife. “I talked to Lorraine about it,” Benoit says, “and she came up with a beautiful lyric.” On the Pat Metheny-esque “Love in Hyde,” which was previously published under the title “A Moment in Hyde Park,” Benoit showcases his spirited piano prowess. “I recorded it on my second album, Life Is Like a Samba, with a big orchestra. And I always wanted to redo it,” he says. The album concludes a heartfelt solo piano performance of “Love Theme from Candide”/”Send in the Clowns,” by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, dedicated to the memory of Benoit’s mother, Betty June Benoit (1929–1997).

“Those were my mom’s two favorite songs,” Benoit says. “My friend David Pack (who started the group Ambrosia) introduced me to Lenny, and we worked on a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall. I got to know him a bit. So it was always my destiny to do something with “Candide.” And I felt it would make a nice segue into “Send in the Clowns.”

In addition to his obvious skills as a soloist, 2 In Love also highlights Benoit’s overlooked gifts as an accompanist. “He’s a wonderful piano player,” says Monheit. “He has a great understanding of singers, and that makes him a very good accompanist.” When he was coming up, Benoit worked with singers Patti Austin, Connie Stevens, and Ann-Margaret. But he credits Lainie Kazan as his biggest influence in the fine art of vocal accompaniment. “I was twenty-one when I started with her,” he says. “She literally taught me how to accompany singers.”

Benoit’s work with singers is but one more intriguing aspect of his multi-talented musicianship. He was born in Bakersfield, California, and grew up in Los Angeles. Benoit was bitten by the jazz bug after watching a Charlie Brown special on television and listening to the music of Vince Guaraldi in 1965. “I was already a fan of the comic strip,” he says, “but when I heard that jazz piano trio, that was the defining moment when I decided that I wanted to play like Vince Guaraldi.”

At the age of thirteen, Benoit studied privately with pianist Marya Cressy Wright and continued his training with Abraham Fraser, who was the pianist for famed conductor Arturo Toscanini. He also studied music theory and composition, and later studied orchestration with Donald Nelligan at El Camino Junior College and film scoring from Donald Ray at UCLA. He studied conducting from Heiichiro Ohyama, assistant conductor of the L.A. Philharmonic, and furthered his musical education with Jan Robertson, head of the conducting department at UCLA, and UC Santa Barbara symphony orchestra music director Jeffrey Schindler.

After working with Lainie Kazan as her musical director/conductor in 1976, Benoit released albums on the AVI label from 1977 to 1984. He later released several chart-topping recordings for GRP, including Freedom at Midnight (1987), Waiting for Spring (1989) and Shadows (1991), which both topped Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Charts at #5, #1, and #2, respectively. His other noteworthy recordings include Letter to Evan (1992), his tribute to another piano influence, Bill Evans, and Here’s to You, Charlie Brown: Fifty Great Years (2000). Benoit also recorded with Russ Freeman on their album The Benoit/Freeman Project (1994), and on their follow-up collaboration, 2 (2004), which was released on Peak Records. His other recordings for the label include American Landscape (1997) and Orchestral Stories (2005), which featured his first piano concerto, “The Centaur and the Sphinx,” and a symphonic work, “Kobe.”. In 2012, he released Conversation on Concord’s Heads Up International imprint.

Benoit received three GRAMMY® nominations in the categories of Best Contemporary Jazz Performance for “Every Step of the Way” (1989), Best Large Ensemble Performance for GRP All-Star Big Band (1996), and Best Instrumental Composition for “Dad’s Room,” the latter from the album Professional Dreamer (2000). In 2010, Benoit received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Smooth Jazz Awards, and he’s worked with an impressive potpourri of musicians including the Rippingtons, Emily Remler, Alphonse Mouzon, Dave Koz, Faith Hill, David Sanborn, CeCe Winans and Brian McKnight.

Benoit’s film scores include The Stars Fell on Henrietta (1995), produced by Clint Eastwood, and The Christmas Tree, produced by Sally Field, which was voted Best Score of 1996 by Film Score Monthly. He has served as conductor with a wide range of symphonies including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Asia America Symphony Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. A long-time guest educator with the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, he received that organization’s Excellence in Music Award in 2001. His musical selections have been featured on The Weather Channel and his version of Vince Guaraldi’s “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” is included on compilation The Weather Channel Presents: Smooth Jazz 11 (2008). Benoit also currently hosts a morning radio show on KKJZ 88.1 FM in Long Beach, CA.

01 - Kei's Song

02 - Every Step of the Way

03 - Letter to Evan

04 - I Remember Bill Evans

05 - Strange Meadowlark

06 - Dad's Room

07 - Once Running Free

08 - Rainbows

09 - Your Song

10 - Candide / Send in the Clowns

11 - Etudes for the Contemporary Pianist: Journey in a Rental Car

12 - Etudes for the Contemporary Pianist: I Miss You

13 - Etudes for the Contemporary Pianist: A Solitary Moment by the Ocean

14 - Etudes for the Contemporary Pianist: Lonely Boy

15 - Etudes for the Contemporary Pianist: Scherzo (For Charles Brown)

16 - Etudes for the Contemporary Pianist: Kenji

17 - Etudes for the Contemporary Pianist: Betty's Dance

18 - Etudes for the Contemporary Pianist: Peacock Fallen

19 - Linus and Lucy

David Benoit, piano

CD 1 Binker and Moses - Journey to the Mountain of Forever (GEARBOX RECORDS 2017)

It may have a portentous title (a genuflection to the spiritual and very influential 1960s jazz of John Coltrane), but the second album by the prize-winning young London sax-and-drums pairing of Binker Golding and Moses Boyd is the diametric opposite of earnest: it’s the seductive sound of spirited improvisers letting off steam. Binker and Moses emerged from vocalist Zara McFarlane’s backing band, and this double-vinyl set continues their duologue – soulful tenor sax sermons plus earthily funky drumming, fusing jazz, hip-hop and grime. It adds an expanded lineup on the second disc, including free-sax pioneer Evan Parker, trumpeter Byron Wallen and harpist Tori Handsley.

The duo’s tracks winningly mix dark, classic Coltrane raptures, infectious hook-rooted rockers and Sonny Rollins-like calypsos (Fete By the River). The larger group sets up thrilling rhythm textures merged from Parker’s seamless soprano lines and a chatter of snare drums and tablas; there are atmospheric guitar-like harp figures, and dramatically spontaneous two-tenor tussles for Golding and Parker. The no-frills, no-edits production only adds to the incandescent immediacy.

Disc One: The Realm of Now

1. The Departure

2. Intoxication From The Jahvmonishi Leaves

3. Fete By The River

4. Trees On Fire

5. The Shaman’s Chant

6. Leave The Now Behind

CD 2 Binker and Moses - Journey to the Mountain of Forever (GEARBOX RECORDS 2017)

Disc Two: The Realms Of The Infinite

1. The Valley of the Ultra Blacks

2. Gifts From The Vibrations Of Light

3. Mysteries and Revelations

4. Ritual Of The Root

5. The Voice Of Besbunu

6. Echoes From The Other Side Of The Mountain

7. Reverse Genesis

8. Entering The Infinite

9. At The Feet Of The Mountain Of Forever

Brian McCarthy, Justin Kauflin and more mix Civil War history with Jazz

Brian McCarthy Nonet - The Better Angels Of Our Nature (June 13, 2017)

On The Better Angels Of Our Nature, McCarthy arranges Union and Confederate folk songs and original music for his Nonet featuring several Clark Terry alumni

“Saxophonist Brian McCarthy takes a progressive approach to straight-ahead jazz, demonstrating a strong command of the jazz saxophone lineage.” — John Barron, Jazz World Blog

“[McCarthy] touches those roads Joshua Redman travels on with a fresh footing. This band excels at building anticipation… exciting.” — Fiona Ord-Shrimpton, All About Jazz

Available June 13, 2017 via Truth Revolution Recording Collective

Looking back on the most divisive moment in American history (no matter how much the current day seems ready to claim that title), saxophonist Brian McCarthy finds the roots of jazz in Civil War-era songs and spirit. On his new album, The Better Angels Of Our Nature, McCarthy pairs insightful new arrangements of vintage wartime folk songs with vibrant new compositions for his skilled Nonet to explore the clashing inspirations and enduring influence of the war that turned brother against brother in a battle over the soul of America.

Due out June 13 via Truth Revolution Recording Collective, The Better Angels Of Our Nature takes its title from the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address. The speech, addressed in large part to the citizens of the Southern states, was offered in a spirit of reconciliation and hope for reunification with the seceded Confederacy. McCarthy’s music locates the better angels at the heart of music representing the North, the South, and the African-American slaves who weren’t considered full citizens but whose fate hung in the balance of the brutal conflict.

A self-professed Civil War history buff, McCarthy found the era an ideal subject for the large-scale project that grew out of a Vermont Arts Council Creation Grant. The war has long served as the starting point for the Jazz History class that McCarthy teaches at Johnson State College, as “a time before jazz existed, but a time that was crucial to its existence.” As he explains, “Jazz came from the African-American experience here in America. Out of the darkness of terrible slavery, Reconstruction and Jim Crow came this really beautiful art form.

McCarthy designed the music of The Better Angels Of Our Nature for his nine-piece ensemble, largely composed of longtime collaborators dating from his days at William Paterson University, many of them fellow alumni of legendary trumpeter Clark Terry’s band. Pianist Justin Kauflin (whose relationship with the late CT was documented in the moving documentary Keep On Keepin’ On), tenor saxophonist Stantawn Kendrick and trombonist Cameron MacManus all spent time under the jazz icon’s wing, a shared experience that McCarthy says left them all with “a deep appreciation for history. It was awe-inspiring just to play with him, but there were times when we’d just be hanging out and hearing stories about Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Pops. I realized that he was living jazz history.”

The band also features trumpeter Bill Mobley, one of McCarthy’s teachers and compositional mentors at WPU, along with baritone saxophonist Andrew Gutauskas, one of McCarthy’s earliest friends and collaborators at the school. Saxophonist Daniel Ian Smith is a professor at McCarthy’s wife’s alma mater, Berklee College of Music, while drummer Zach Harmon is a recent transplant to McCarthy’s native Vermont who suggested bassist Matt Aronoff as an ideal rhythm section partner.

Many of the compositions on The Better Angels Of Our Nature date from the Civil War era, in transcendent new arrangements that discover richly emotional harmonies in music from a most disharmonious time. The album begins with Harry McCarthy’s “The Bonnie Blue Flag,” a song adapted from a traditional Irish tune to tout the Southern cause. The saxophonist (no relation) undergirds the piece’s brisk, patriotic swagger with a darker undercurrent evoking the “oppressive foundation of the Confederacy.”

Julia Ward Howe’s familiar “Battle Hymn of the Old Republic,” built on the melody of the Union’s marching song, “John Brown’s Body,” couples the optimistic spirit of the Northern cause with a tinge of mournfulness, hinting at the profound loss entailed by the years-long struggle. Equally well-known to modern ears, “I Wish I Was In Dixie’s Land” was most likely originally penned as a parodic minstrel song before being co-opted as a Southern anthem. McCarthy’s raucous rendition returns the song to its African-American roots with blues and gospel accents and a ferocity inspired by the audacious rebelliousness of Frederick Douglass.

The spiritual “Oh Freedom” becomes a lush chorale for the horn section, while “Weeping, Sad and Lonely” is given an elegiac treatment better suited to Charles Sawyer’s autumnal lyrics than Henry Tucker’s upbeat original setting. Bonus track “All Quiet Along the Potomac To-night” sticks close to John Hill Hewitt’s 1863 setting of Ethel Lynn Beers’ poem recounting the First Battle of Bull Run. One crucial fact turned up by McCarthy’s research was that George Frederick Root’s “Battle Cry of Freedom” was equally important, with slightly altered lyrics, to soldiers on both sides of the conflict. While both original versions were sung to the same tune, McCarthy heightens the divide by splitting his arrangement in half, each reflecting an opposing take on the source.

McCarthy’s original compositions try to imagine the mood and atmosphere of the period when these songs were written. “Shiloh” is a gorgeously aching ballad highlighted by the composer’s yearning soprano, while the title track is a musical interpretation of Lincoln’s first inaugural address in three sections: the driving, no-nonsense opening section, “The Lawyer,” captures the President’s most rational arguments for the Union; the chaotic “The President” depicts the burdens of leading a nation divided; while the tender “The Person” is a portrait of Lincoln the humanist, whose rhetoric soared to embrace the better angels of an embattled public’s natures.

Since graduating from William Paterson University, Brian McCarthy has played a key role in the jazz community of his native Vermont, where he lives just outside of Burlington. He released his acclaimed leader debut, This Just In, in 2013, and plays regularly with his own ensembles and alongside trumpeter Ray Vega. He is a member of the faculty at the University of Vermont, teaches at Johnson State College and is director of bands at Saint Michael's College.

www.brianmccarthyjazz.com

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Studnitzky - KY-Organic (2017)

KY ist das Synonym für Sebastian Studnitzky's minimalistisches Projekt, welches gleichsam vielschichtig und abwechslungsreich daherkommt.

Der mit dem ECHO Jazz ausgezeichnete Trompeter & Pianist setzt bei »KY Organic« auf von elektronischer Musik beeinflusste Ästhetik in kleiner instrumentaler Besetzung.

Mit gleichsam virtuosem wie uneitlem Klavierspiel und seinem einzigartigem, fast schon gesungenem Trompetensound gelingt es Studnitzky mit Leichtigkeit, prägnante Grooves und Sounds mit wunderschön klaren und auffallend emotionalen Melodien zu kombinieren.

Studnitzkys Offenheit und Stil übergreifender Background schaffen es, Minimal Techno mit zauberhaft raffinierten Stimmführungen und offene Jazzimprovisationen mit Indie-pop-Harmoniefolgen in Einklang zu bringen.

Rhythmisch, unnahbar und romantisch zugleich. Verfolgt man Studnitzky's Schaffen der letzten Jahre, versteht man wie sehr er einer klaren künstlerischen Stringenz folgt - dem Suchen nach dem perfekten Verschmelzen und gegenseitigen Befruchten unterschiedlicher Genres.

Studnitzky schafft seinen ganz eigenen Stil und vollbringt dabei den Spagat, zeitgemäß modernistisch zu sein und zugleich Zeitlosigkeit auszustrahlen.

Luba

Watergate

Anemos

C'mon Move

Organic

Sieben

Milad

Raimundo

Aviso

Adam Ben Ezra - Pin Drop (ROPEADOPE RECORDS 2017)

“Playing and recording the ‘Pin Drop’ album at ‘Little Big Beat Studios’ in Liechtenstein has undoubtedly been one of the most unique and creative experiences I’ve ever had. Recording an album in front of a live audience is a big challenge, it requires a lot of focus and attention since the songs are being played only once, with no option for re-takes. Luckily I had everything I needed to help me rise through this challenge.

Since the whole session was recorded through an analog tape, which had only 30 minutes duration, we divided the session into two focused sets with a brief interval for switching the tape. This contributed to the retro feeling whilst playing, the way musicians would have recorded before they introduced digital recording. Nothing compares to the quality of analog tape enhancing the warm sound of the bass.

The atmosphere in the room during the recording session was electrifying! The audience was asked to remain as quiet as possible so as not to interrupt the recording. This allowed for an even more attentive audience and it created such an immense energy. The sheer intensity of this silence and the effect it had on my playing is what inspired me to call the album “Pin Drop”. This rare experience of quiet before applause is something a musician rarely has the privilege to encounter.

I’ve learned so much during this experience. I believe it has sharpened my performance, improved my ability to really understand what it means to be in the moment and for this I am very grateful”. – Adam Ben Ezra

01. Intro

02. Silk Road

03. Prayer

04. Dear Prudence

05. Brown Piano

06. Can’t Stop Running

07. Balagusto

08. India Time

09. Flamenco

10. Lord of Forgiveness

All music composed and arranged by Adam Ben Ezra, aside from:

- Dear Prudence (Composed by Lennon-McCartney, arranged by Adam Ben Ezra)

- Lord of Forgiveness (Jewish traditional composition, arranged by Adam Ben Ezra)

Double-Bass, Vocals, Piano, Clarinet and Flamenco footwork: Adam Ben Ezra

Recorded by Little Konzett at Little Big Beat Studios - Eschen/Liechtenstein

Mixed and mastered by Little Konzett at Little Big Beat Studios – Weiler/Austria

Technical assistant: Kerim Bachmann

Production assistants: Olivia König & Anna Salcher

Photography: Matthias Rhomberg

Cinematography: Marco Rusch, Johannes Kogler, Bernhard Samson, Petre Mathislav, Chris Laine.

Video editing: Marco Rusch

Graphic Design: YONIL www.yonil.com

Print production: Victor Levin

Love and support: Natalie Ben Ezra

Pin Drop – DIGITAL, CD, VINYL or BUNDLE. You get the complete digital album now, plus the pdf liner notes. CD’s ship out in 2 days! Vinyl preorders ship out by early July 2017.

Also available on iTunes, Google Play, Apple Music, Bandcamp, Spotify, Amazon.

Volker Goetze Quintet - Bridges (July 20, 2017)

The new quintet album “Bridges” from international touring trumpeter and composer Volker Goetze unites musicians from three continents. Together they explore new ground, stretch creative improvisation and build musical Bridges over thousands of miles.

Goetze has brought together top tear Grammy Award winning and nominated musicians who have toured with the best jazz musicians on the planet including Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Esperanza Spalding, Bobby McFerrin and many more.

The original compositions are rooted in West African and contemporary New York Jazz creating a unique cross-cultural musical experience.

1. African Child

2. Ding Ding Borlaba

3. Mask

4. Funky One

5. Snow Crystal

6. Fulani Dance

7. Bridges

8. Devika

Releases July 20, 2017

All compositions by Volker Goetze

Lyrics on Ding Ding Borlaba by Ablaye Cissoko

Produced by Volker Goetze

(2,7) Recorded at the Battery Park, New York

(1,4,5) Recorded at the Center of Improvised Music, Brooklyn, New York

(3) Recorded at Saint-Louis, Senegal

(6) Recorded at Paris, France & Harlem, New York

(8) Recorded in Harlem, New York

Recorded by Tyler McDiarmid, Geoff Countryman and Volker Goetze

Mixed by Jim Anderson at Avatar Studios

Mastering by Alan Silverman

Quintet

Volker Goetze - Trumpet & Flugelhorn

Patrick Breiner (1,2,4,5,7) & Christian Torkewitz (8,6) - Tenor Saxophone

Josh Myers (1,2,4,5,7) & Aidan Carroll (6,8)- Bass

Kristjan Randalu (1,2,4,5,7) & Chrisitan Torkewitz (8,6) - Piano

Richie Barhsay (2,6,8) & Bodek Janke (1,4,5,7) - Drums

Percussion

Andreas Molino - bata, timbales & conga on African Child & Bridges

Aziz Diop - baragabu on Ding Ding Borlaba

Abdou Khadre Diop - sabar & tama on Ding Ding Borlaba

Special Guests

Oran Etkin - Bass-Clarinet (6,8)

Ablaye Cissoko - Voice & kora (1,2)

Additional Horn Players:

African Child (1)

Alan Ferber - Trombone

Peter Ehwald - Soprano Saxophone

Ding Ding Borlaba (2)

Joe Beaty - Trombone

Uri Gurvic - Soprano Saxophone

Seth Paris - Tenor Saxophone

Bridges (7)

Seth Paris - Bass Clarinet

Devika (8)

Roger Rosenberg - Basson

Christian Torkwitz - Flute

Fœhn Trio - Magnésie (MAD CHAMAN 2017)

Nous y sommes ! DEMAIN sortie officielle de notre album "MAGNESIE", première sortie sur le label Mad Chaman crée par André Manoukian, pour l'occasion nous sommes très heureux de partager avec vous ce TEASER pour vous en dire un peu plus sur cet album ! Partagez, likez si ça vous plait !