Friday, May 18, 2018

Glass Museum, le clip de Wu sur le EP Deux


Glass Museum

1er Ep Deux

Sortie le 25 mai chez JauneOrange / [PIAS]

Basé à Tournai en Belgique, le duo instrumental Glass Museum se compose du pianiste Antoine Flipo (Uncle Waldo, Gustave Brass Band) et du batteur Martin Grégoire (Perils Of Penelope, Rince-Doigt). Ils sortent aujourd'hui un premier Ep qu'ils ont appelé Deux, comme l'alliance et la symbiose qui unit ces deux musiciens virtuoses.

Influencé par des artistes de jazz moderne comme GoGo Penguin, BadBadNotGood autant que par la musique électronique de Jon Hopkins et Floating Points, le duo Glass Museum tisse une musique à la fois dynamique, lyrique, et mélancolique, emmenant l’auditeur dans un univers fragile où piano et batterie s’entrechoquent avec autant de grâce que d'énergie.

Glass Museum redéfinit l’expérience live et démontre le pouvoir émotionnel de la musique instrumentale en associant maîtrise technique et plaisir pur du jeu. « Deux » pousse donc la dualité du combat piano-batterie dans ses retranchements. On peut découvrir la magie et l'originalité de Glass Museum avec l'extrait Wu extrait du Ep "Deux".


Glass Museum comprend deux musiciens miroirs l’un de l’autre, qui revisitent le couple piano/batterie… Une dualité parfaite où une rythmique, entre grâce et syncope, s’entrelace et bondit, s'ouvre à des éclosions mélodiques.

Glass Museum s'est développé dans la complémentarité et la confiance. A leurs débuts, ne comptant que sur eux-mêmes, Martin Grégoire et Antoine Flipo ont construit, avec force et singularité, un univers en combinaisons entre jazz et électronique.

Deux ans après leurs débuts, une cinquantaine de concerts, plusieurs prix et distinctions plus tard, Glass Museum écrit aujourd’hui une première page concrète et profonde avec un disque : « Deux ».

Enregistré au Rubens Studio, ces six titres retracent l’histoire musicale du groupe et ouvrent un sillon riche et prometteur. Infusé des influences du jazz moderne de Gogo Penguin et de BadBadnotGood, mais aussi des sonorités plus électroniques de Jon Hopkins ou Floating Points, "Deux" rend également hommage aux origines classiques d'Antoine et au passé rock de Martin.


Le duo transpose sur scène cet alliage rare de deux matières vivantes, élevant et révélant les titres précis et chirurgicaux de « Deux ». Soutenue par des improvisations dans la tradition jazz, leur interprétation captive.

Glass Museum redéfinit l’expérience live et démontre le pouvoir émotionnel de la musique instrumentale en associant maîtrise technique et plaisir pur du jeu. « Deux » pousse donc la dualité du combat piano-batterie dans ses retranchements.

Le disque est un objet vivant, solaire, brut, précis et rare. Convaincus qu’il y a au moins deux versions d’un même récit, les Glass Museum ont invités six remixeurs a prendre possession de leurs titres.

Epaulé par des producteurs tels que Haring, Sun Glitters, DC Salas ou Monolithe Noir, le duo a fait de "Deux" le mariage moderne ultime entre la plus pure tradition du jazz, un son orchestral et la mathématique de l'électronique.

NPR stream KAMAAL WILLIAMS’ debut album ahead of release on 25th May


Black Focus Records is proud to present the stunning new Kamaal Williams music video for ‘Salaam’. Filmed in Marrakech by Greg Barnes, the same director who has been working closely with Kamaal on all of the bands visuals and also made the music video for ‘Catch The Loop’, which is actually the sequel to this video. In the director's’ own words:

After working together on ‘Catch The Loop’, Kamaal and I knew we wanted it to be a part of a larger whole, and that the tracks on the album would become chapters, or scenes, from a bigger picture - that the upcoming album, ’The Return’, was in essence, the soundtrack to an unmade, and epic film.

It was almost without conversation that we decided Morocco should set the scene for ‘Salaam’, a place of real connection and meaning to Kamaal and his music. The rest, with the help of the people of Marrakech, fell into place very naturally.

Kamaal aka Henry Wu also adds:

"Marrakech is a special place for me, both spiritually and creatively. Every time I go, I feel alive again and it's a huge inspiration for my work. There is no art scene in Morocco without Hassan Hajjaj, so I couldn’t make this film without his blessing. He introduced me to Amine Bendriouich who introduced me to Yazid and we made the film in two days. Working with local people in the medina and sharing our story with the community made this experience real. Greg Barnes captured the essence of my relationship with the city as well as the colours and the energy of everything in it. The series will continue. A special thanks goes out to Yazid, Hassan Hajjaj, Amine Bendriouich, Ahlam Triki, Mouhcine Zoutina, Abdul Razzaq and the umma of Marrakech"


Whether re-defining experimental fusion sounds with the hugley acclaimed Yussef Kamaal, or his catalogue of 12”s for imprints such as MCDE, Eglo, and Rhythm Section as Henry Wu, South London’s Kamaal Williams has been a key figure in his thriving international scene for the past few years. The Return is a natural evolution from the Yussef Kamaal project, mining the influence of visionary jazz but blended with all kinds of texture, sounds and signals from the over-saturated London streets. 

At times the keyboard work evokes the classic 70s fusion work of Lonnie Liston Smith or Roy Ayers, but underpinned by rhythms more reminiscent of blunted hip-hop and arrangements subliminally laced with the cut-ups of pirate radio. Progressive, funky, cosmic, exploratory and effortlessly musical, this is the sound of a musician honing their craft into thrilling new shapes.

In the US the like of Kamasi Washington and Thundercat have made great strides in opening a whole new dialogue between jazz and hip-hop, drawing in a young, highly engaged new audience in the process. Kamaal Williams mine a similar seam on the other side of the Atlantic alongside other exciting London talents such as Ezra Collective, Ruby Rushton and Shabaka Hutchings.

The Return is exactly that: a return and refinement to the sound Yussef Kamaal were progenitors of, and first set the scene for one of the most exciting musical movements London has had in years.

Notable tracks for old and new listeners are ‘Salaam', 'Situations', 'Medina', 'LDN Shuffle' which features Mansur Brown (of Mansur's Message) and for those die hard Yussef Kamaal fans - they should hear the interpolated roots of 'Strings of Light' in the title track 'The Return’.
Kamaal Williams - Keys
Pete Martin - Bass
MckNasty - Drums
Richard Samuels - Engineer

1. Salaam
2. Broken Theme
3. The Return
4. High Roller
5. Situations (Live In Milan)
6. Catch The Loop
7. Rhythm Commission
8. Medina
9. LDN Shuffle
10. Aisha

Live dates:

Jul 15
London, UK

May 26
Oostzaan, Netherlands

Oct 28
Frankfurt, Germany

Bobby Sanabria West Side Story Reimagined for Puerto Rico Relief


West Side Story Reimagined

Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band
for Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief Fund
Release Date: July 20, 2018

Mark your calendars now

Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band live at

Jazzheads is proud to announce the release of West Side Story Reimagined by Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band on July 20, 2018. Proceeds from the project will be given to Jazz Foundation of America Puerto Rico Relief Fund.

West Side Story Reimagined is an ambitious interpretation of the entire score of Maestro Bernstein's masterpiece, all done with a Latin jazz approach. This double CD, celebrating the Maestro's Centennial, will include a 16 page booklet with detailed liner notes and rare photos.

We are currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to complete the production. Contributions through the Kickstarter campaign, as well as a percentage from the purchase of this commemorative package will go to the relief efforts in Puerto Rico which is still struggling to recover from    two devastating hurricanes last fall.


From Multi-Grammy Award nominated Bobby Sanabria:

Hi, Bobby Sanabria here!

Two years ago I came up with the idea of re-arranging the music from Leonard Bernstein'smasterpiece West Side Story and performing it with my Multiverse Big Band, but in a way that has never been done before: a complete Latin jazz reworking of the entire score in celebration of the show’s recent 60th anniversary and Maestro Bernstein’s centennial. However, besides paying tribute to the composer and the music, I saw this as an opportunity to give back and help my ancestral homeland Puerto Rico.

As most of us know, hurricanes Irma and Maria ravaged the island of Puerto Rico, leaving its residents unable to recover. Puerto Ricans have been American citizens since 1917, and the government's response has been unsatisfactory at best. Six months later, entire communities are still living without food, water, power, and other basic needs we take for granted. I realized the best way I could help was through my music. What better way to portray the struggles and hardships of the people of Puerto Rico than West Side Story? This is a cause many of us are passionate about and every bit of generosity helps. Recorded live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in NYC, this exciting new reworking is West Side Story like you’ve never heard it before, through the exciting lens of the Latin jazz continuum.


Media Contact
Jim Eigo
Jazz Promo Services
272 State Route 94 South #1
Warwick, NY 10990-3363
Ph: 845-986-1677 
Cell / text: 917-755-8960
Skype: jazzpromo
"Specializing in Media Campaigns for the music community, artists, labels, venues and events.”

Michael Moss Accidental Orchestra HELIX CD Release Show Friday, May 18th 7-10 PM Westbeth Community Room

CD Release Party for
Michael Moss / Accidental Orchestra:  
HELIX
Friday, May 18, 2018
7-10 PM
Westbeth Community Room
(between West St. and Washington St.)
New York, NY 10014

Tickets:  
$10 donation

New CD


Multi-instrumentalist/composer Michael Moss, a veteran of New York’s free jazz scene, has assembled a brand-new 22-piece band, the Accidental Orchestra, for Helix, the premiere recording of a pair of his latest extended compositions. Helix kicks off with “The Old One,” which gets its title from Einstein’s name for God. Moss describes this five-piece suite as “an initiation into sacred ground.” He views it as part of a musical tradition stretching from the earliest ritual over the dead to Bach’s Mass in B Minor, through Native American rites of passage into the spirit world, the Jewish mourner’s Kaddish, and Buddhist funeral rituals. 

Moss wrote "See Sharp or Be Flat/C# or Bb" while recovering from a fracture suffered in tripping over a curb. The composer brings a quirky sense of humor to the situation, right down to deciding to name his ensemble the Accidental Orchestra in memory of the incident. Moss aimed to let the band swing on this contrapuntal theme and variations mixing jazz, rhythm and blues, and the joy of dance. “Throughout I refer to 'Norwegian Wood'(The Beatles), 'I Feel Good' (James Brown), and 'Bags Groove' (the Modern Jazz Quartet), but do not resort to familiar big band tropes,” Moss explains.



“This is a type of string orchestra, but with lots of jazz musicians pushing the boundaries.” The Chicago-born, Madison, Wisconsin-educated Michael Moss has been an active member of the New York jazz scene for 50 years, earning recognition for his skill and imagination as a multi-reed player, and for the freshness and intensity of his writing. The self-described “farthest-out cat” was a mainstay of Manhattan’s famed loft jazz scene, playing with Sam Rivers, Dave Liebman, Paul Bley, Annette Peacock, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Richie Beirach and scores of others.

He’s equally at home from a duo setting to an orchestra of 50-plus players. His musical studies have taken him across the globe and through the centuries, absorbing the music of Thailand, the Middle East, Ireland, Europe, East Africa, and elsewhere, with Renaissance orchestras, folk melodies, chants, blues, Latin and other styles catching his ear.

With Helix, “I am extending an American musical heritage, stretching from Charles Ives, Scott Joplin, Fats Waller, and Louis Armstrong into the future,” Moss says. Listeners can’t help but be captivated by what they hear, as they accompany Moss and the Accidental Orchestra on this life-long journey.


1. I INCEPTION 09:32
2. II BRIDGE/DORJE 02:44
3. III QABBALA / TREE OF LIFE 03:32
4. IV BARDO THÖDOL // ANGELS AND DEVILS / WIZARDS AND DEATHEATERS 03:42
5. The Old One V THE MIND OF GOD _ STREAMING-->THRONE OF GOLD. 15:41
6. SEE SHARP OR BE FLAT/C# or Bb

Jason Kao Hwang, Rosi Hertlein, Fung Chern Hwei (violins)
Stephanie Griffin (viola)
Lenny Mims, Carol Buck (cellos)
Steve Swell (trombone) 
Vincent Chancey (French horn)
Waldron Mahdi Ricks (trumpet)
Richard Keene (oboe)
Elliott Levin (flute, tenor saxophone)
Ras Moshe Burnett (soprano and tenor saxophones)
Michael Lytle (bass clarinet)
Michael Moss (Bb clarinet)
Steve Cohn (piano)
Billy Stein (guitar)
Rick Iannacone (ambient guitar)
Larry Roland (string bass)
Warren Smith (percussion, vibraphones)
Badal Roy (tabla)
Chuck Fertal (drums)
Michael Wimberly (djembe, African bells and percussion)

Recorded: October 10, 2016 at Systems Two, Brooklyn, NY
Recording Engineer, Mixing, Mastering: Jon Rosenberg
Conductor, Music Copyist: John Shea
Graphic Design: Santry Studios and Oshiin Studio


Dave Sewelson Interviews
Michael Moss 
on Little Water Radio: Music for a Free World

Media Contact
Jazz Promo Services
272 State Route 94 South #1
Warwick, NY 10990-3363
Ph: 845-986-1677
Cell / text: 917-755-8960
Skype: jazzpromo
"Specializing in Media Campaigns for the music community, artists, labels, venues and events.”

Sean Noonan "The Aqua Diva" CD Release Shows ShapeShifter Lab 8/2 Barbes 8/9

Sean Noonan
"The Aqua Diva"
CD Release Shows
ShapeShifter Lab 8/2
Barbes 8/9

Sean Noonan The Aqua Diva
CD Release Show
Thursday, August 2nd 8pm
ShapeShifter Lab
Brooklyn, NY 11215 
(between 1st and Carroll Streets, off 4th Ave)
(646) 820-9452
Sean Noonan drums/vocals/compositions,
Alex Marcelo piano, Peter Bitenc bass
Music Charge $10

Sean Noonan The Aqua Diva
CD Release Show
Thursday, August 9th 10pm
Barbes 
(corner of 6th Ave.)
Park Slope, Brooklyn 
347 422 0248
Sean Noonan drums/vocals/compositions,
Alex Marcelo piano, Peter Bitenc bass
Music Charge $10


Noonan is a veteran of more than 20 albums, all of the un-classifiable variety. It might be accurate to state that the albums could be classified with a series of hyphens. The performer is influenced by a variety of sources, and his overall vision for the current project is that of a soap opera with characters named “Aqua Diva,” “Bubbles,” and Butterflies.” The songs on half the CD detail the relationship between the three characters that culminates in a jealous Butterflies murdering Bubbles and the title character. It is not clear that this is exactly what happens without some help from written documents about the album.


Still, the storyline is over-the-top, and audiences almost clamor for more about these strange characters, if for nothing else, a sense of continuity.

Other songs on the album include a track written about late actor Don Knotts, “Elijah Rocks,” and “Smoking Man” among others.

But at its core, the album is fun. The world music elements gives songs gravitas that might be pure whimsy otherwise. At times, jazz elements a moody and nimble bass line for example, reminds listeners that this is, in fact jazz.

The song, “When My Band Goes with Me on the Road,” goes so fast, it practically spins. Noonan’s singing is fast, too, and the instrumentation gives the feeling of a children’s song, as if the challenge is in how fast the song can be sung without messing up the words.

The first song, “A Sunny Day,” begins with a strident piano motif and drums that crash and get louder, more present with each measure until the half-spoken lyrics begin. The rhyming poetry of Noonan’s lyrics plus the instrumentation transports listeners to other places. The middle is marked by an aggrieved dragging of a bow across bass strings while off-kilter drum beats work their way into a shimmer of cymbals, and on top of that busy soundscape, a piano plays notes in its highest register. The end plays on the theme of that soundscape, but the actual sound is more lively, less strident.


The gentle ending of the first song can only be enjoyed for a handful of seconds, as the second song is the frenetic “When My Band Goes With Me on the Road.” Without preamble, Noonan sings loud and fast, seeming to blot out any instrumentation at first.

There is genius here. Noonan takes listeners on a wild ride, though those who are new to the performer’s work might not know how to take it. “The Aqua Diva” could require  multiple spins before the story(ies) of the CD  make themselves clear. The elements of jazz are present, but this isn’t smooth or classic jazz for dancing. It is art for consideration and perhaps on some level, boundary-pushing.


“The Aqua Diva” will be available June 1, 2018.

1. A Sunny Day 06:51
2. When My Band Goes With Me On The Road 03:15
3. As The World Spins Around Me 05:00
4. Butterflies Away 03:26
5. Don Knotts 04:52
6. Elijah Rocks 05:01
7. Smoking Man 05:52
8. The Aqua Diva 07:10
9. Where Would I Go 06:15
10. Make Her Great Again 03:23



Sean Noonan, drums / vocals / composition / producer
Alex Marcelo, piano
Peter Bitenc, bass


Media Contact
im Eigo
Jazz Promo Services
272 State Route 94 South #1
Warwick, NY 10990-3363
Ph: 845-986-1677 
Cell / text: 917-755-8960
Skype: jazzpromo
"Specializing in Media Campaigns for the music community, artists, labels, venues and events.”

Edison Awards 2018 nominees


The Jazz/World Edison Awards nominees have been announced! Among the nominees are 3 Challenge Records artists: Fay Claassen, Joost Lijbaart and the Yuri Honing Acoustic Quartet. Bram Stadhouders and Eric Ineke from Challenge Records sub labels BuzzMusic and Daybreak are also nominated.

Fay Claassen and her album Luck Child are nominated in the category “National Vocal Jazz”. In the category “National Jazz”, Joost Lijbaart’s Under the Surface and the Yuri Honing Acoustic Quartet’s Goldbrun are nominated. Eric Ineke is nominated in the “Document” category for his album Let There Be Life, Love and Laughter. The Edison Awards will be assigned by an independent and prominent committee of judges.

The audience can vote for their favorite as well. Fay Claassens, Yuri Honing and Bram Stadhouders are nominated for the public award. Fay Claassens is nominated for her interpretations of her favorite songs on her new album Luck Child. She performs them in a very successful manner, making them her own, stretching her musical boundaries.

Yuri Honing is nominated for the public award with his Acoustic Quartet, for their album Goldbrun. On this album, they focus on the West-European classical music tradition and apply this to jazz music. This way, they create a new view on jazz and the possibilities of this genre. The recording as well as the design are praised by the judges.

Bram Stadhouders and his album and accompanying project Big Barrel Organ are also nominated for the public award. The guitarist plays the Rhapsody dance-organ with his guitar, using MIDI as a communication medium. His album contains 8 pieces; some improvised, others composed. An astounding result, according to the judges.

The audience can vote on their favorite artists here. On Friday, July 6th, the awards will be presented as a part of North Sea Round Town, the North Sea Jazz fringe festival, in jazz venue LantarenVenster, Rotterdam.

Luck Child
Fay Claassen
€ 19.95     BUY

GOLDBRUN 
Yuri Honing Acoustic Quartet
€ 19.95     BUY

Big Barrel Organ 
Bram Stadhouders
€ 17.95     BUY

Under the Surface 
Joost Lijbaart / Sanne Rambags / Bram Stadhouders
€ 19.95     BUY

Let There Be Life, Love and Laughter 
Eric Ineke
€ 18.95     BUY

Thursday, May 17, 2018

June 15 – 16: Giant Step Arts presents Jason Palmer Quartet @ the Jazz Gallery


Giant Step Arts presents the Jason Palmer Quartet 
on Friday and Saturday, June 15-16 at the Jazz Gallery

Concert, which will be recorded live for release later this year, will feature Jason Palmer with saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Matt Brewer, and drummer Kendrick Scott


“Palmer is an exciting player—achieving pinpoint focus in his attack one minute, turning his concrete bebop lines into caramel, sliding through pitches and bending them to his will the next. If Palmer’s music stays close to home, he should go far.” — Jon Ross, DownBeat

Photographer/recording engineer Jimmy Katz’s artist-focused non-profit presents and records concerts by today’s modern jazz innovators

Acclaimed trumpeter and composer Jason Palmer and his quartet will perform as part of the Giant Step Arts series on Friday and Saturday, June 15-16 at The Jazz Gallery, 1160 Broadway, Fifth Floor, New York City. The concert will be recorded, videotaped and photographed by renowned photographer and recording engineer Jimmy Katz for release later this year. Joining Palmer will be saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Matt Brewer, and drummer Kendrick Scott. Sets at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. each night. Tickets $25-35, $10-20 members. For information call 212-242-1063 or visit jazzgallery.nyc/shows/. 

Jason Palmer has performed with Roy Haynes, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Smith, Wynton Marsalis, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ravi Coltrane, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Roy Hargrove, and many others. Awards include a 2014 French American Cultural Exchange Jazz Fellowship, and first place in the 2009 Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition. In 2007 DownBeat Magazine called Palmer one of the “Top 25 Trumpeters of the Future.” Currently a Steeplechase Records recording artist, Palmer has recorded eight albums under his own name and appeared as sideman on more than 40. He has taught at New England Conservatory, Berklee College of Music, and Harvard University. His latest release is the 2016 Beauty ‘n’ Numbers.

Giant Step Arts is a groundbreaking new non-profit founded by award winning photographer and recording engineer Jimmy Katz who has documented the world of jazz for nearly 30 years. In January 2018 Katz launched his series of live concerts with The Johnathan Blake Trio featuring Chris Potter and Linda Oh.  That recording will be released later this year. As with all Giant Step Arts project, the musicians are well compensated, own their own masters, and Katz provides them with 700 CDs as well as digital downloads to sell directly, bypassing the profit-sharing incurred in the record label model.  He also shoots photos and videos and provides them to the artists.  Instead of using these events for personal reward, he passes the recordings on to the musicians to sell themselves, an unprecedented deal that feels especially rare in today’s self-obsessed cultural climate. 

“Giant Step Arts will not be selling any music,” Katz says. “We have two goals: help the musicians and raise more money so we can help more musicians.”

Giant Step Arts was born from a generous gift by a group of anonymous donors, and Katz hopes that the stellar nature of the series’ initial offerings will entice additional contributions. Having been a keen observer of the jazz industry for so many years, he’s seen drastic changes in the nature of the record business and the political climate of the country and was moved to offer his own innovative solution. 

“I’ve seen the industry from lots of different angles: from the musician’s perspective, from the media perspective, and from the record label perspective,” Katz explains. “In the current political climate, I feel it’s really important to support positive ideas in the arts. As artists, it’s our role to stand for the greatest aspects of American culture. This, after all, is what has always made America great.”

The Leif - The Leif (SIMLAS 2018)



For a long time, they were merely two Oslo neighbours, each with an incurable guitar addiction. They had both played in bands all their lives, for almost 80 years put together. Tellef Øgrim mostly in jazz, rock and improvisational groups, while Magnus Tenge more solidly belonged in rock music. 

When they met they happily stuck to uncommitting small talk about music, guitars, amplifiers and effects. Maybe the occasional “do you prefer 0.10 or 0.09 gauge strings” question. 

In the end, there was no way around the unavoidable and they went down into Tellef’s basement with no greater commitment than to jam for a while. 


After months of intense experimenting and songwriting, it became clear that the two guitar players had more in common musically than they had thought. 

Several café concerts in Norway and Sweden and then half a year of intense work with the duo’s debut album have made the two electric guitarists into a closely interacted, poetic, melodic rock-jazz duo with their own instrumental compositions at the set list. 

Even if it sometimes can get loud, it is not an aim in itself. The Leifs ambition is to leave their listeners with the notion that an evening with the duo’s self-styled “Americana jazz music” or “wind-warped, instrumental rock-jazz” (both authentic stamps left by listeners) was worth leaving the couch for. 


In Mai 2018 Simlas produksjoner released the duo’s album digitally, on vinyl and on CD.



Magnus’s middle name is Leif. Tellef is an old combination of the names Tor and Leif. Hence the band name. Except also that the word Leif sounds almost as the English word for the period between birth and death of an organism. Somewhat. 

1 Notes From A Big Sleep (Øgrim)
2 Bromma (Tenge)
3 Juli (Tenge)
4 The Departure Of Mr D (Øgrim)
5 The Ladder (Øgrim)
6 Daniel (Øgrim)
7 (Hvis du skal av på) Darbu (Øgrim)
8 Lopskow (Tenge)
9 Laridae (Tenge)
10 Itsà




PORTA-JAZZ: Sábados Porta-Jazz - Hernán Merlo Quarteto - 19 Maio - 19:00


Hernán Merlo Quarteto (Argentina/Portugal)

Hernán Merlo é um conceituado e célebre contrabaixista/compositor de jazz argentino, que estará de passagem por Portugal para dois concertos únicos. Aluno em tempos, de Charlie Haden e Mark Helias, acompanhou grandes nomes do jazz, entre eles: Dave Kikoski, Joe Pass, Barry Altschul, Chris Cheek, Conrad Herwig, Ingrid Jensen, entre outros.

Para interpretar os seus temas, fará acompanhar-se de três músicos portugueses, que em conjunto irão propor uma música livre, intimista e de total procura.

Hernán Merlo - Contrabaixo e composição
José Pedro Coelho - Saxofone Tenor
Eurico Costa - Guitarra
Marcos Cavaleiro - Bateria


Próximos Sábados Porta-Jazz

26 Maio, 19:00
Luis Lapa & Pé de Cabra

5€ / 3€ Membros*

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

ANDREA BIONDI "Matching Àlea" (AUAND AU9074) out tomorrow May 18

Challenging fate through math
in Urban 5’s “Matching Àlea”

Destiny and research for Italian vibraphonist Andrea Biondi 
in his new album out now for Auand Records 
featuring Daniele Tittarelli (alto sax), Enrico Bracco (guitar)
Jacopo Ferrazza (double bass) and Valerio Vantaggio (drums)


After working in chamber, symphonic, contemporary music and jazz, vibraphonist Andrea Biondi wanted to find a new way. In doing so he decided to trust fate. This is what his new album, “Matching Àlea”, out now for Auand Records, actually is: the conscious use of chance as a starting point for his project. His Urban 5 quintet includes Daniele Tittarelli (alto sax), Enrico Bracco (guitar), Jacopo Ferrazza (double bass) and Valerio Vantaggio (drums) – all coming from common experiences in the Italian music scene.

Fate is a kind of deus ex machina here, driving a style that is made up of so many influences, as Biondi explains: «Having played music by the likes of John Cage, Stockhausen, Berio and Ligeti, it’s hard to think that my composition process hasn’t been influenced by them. Steve Reich, Philip Glass o La Monte Young’s American minimalism has been an inspiration for my writing.» His rock soul, devoted to giants like Led Zeppelin and Italian prog heroes Area, is also part of the big picture.

How do you connect such a vast music universe with randomness? Through an accurate procedure: «The main themes and part of both the harmonies and the formal structures come from a deliberate random plan – Biondi says – mixing dodecaphonic techniques with John Cage’s 1950 idea: he used the I Ching book to make compositional choices that would not involve his own will. It’s a way to organize chaos, to control what you can’t control. It helps you pick the notes you will play, their pitch and duration, though numeric combinations».

«In the dodecaphonic trilogy – Biondi adds – I have composed 3 tracks uninterruptedly, with only one dodecaphonic series generated by 12 pieces of paper, each of them containing one note. The main theme has literally been extracted. From that moment on, I have used all of the Schoenberg’s dodecaphonic techniques. And even the harmonic sequences arose from the vertical vision of the sequence. The jazz element, theme and variation, is what holds everything together, balancing composition and improvisation».

01 Sambasilio
02 Pigneto Uncompromissed
03 Piano Sequenza
04 TTTT
05 Brackland
06 Psicosi Inversa
07 Transizione al Doppio Salto
08 Doppio Salto Dodecafonico
09 Cicciococcò
10 Lament

Daniele Tittarelli alto sax
Enrico Bracco guitar
Jacopo Ferrazza double bass
Valerio Vantaggio drums
Adriano Lanzi live electronics on #3

Produced by Andrea Biondi
Executive Producer: Marco Valente
Recorded at Groovefarm, Rome – Italy
Engineer: Davide Abbruzzese
Cover Photo: Lorenzo Guidi