Curran / Schiaffini / C. Neto / Armaroli from The Alvin Curran Fakebook - The Out Off Session (DODICILUNE / IRD November 27, 2018)

Martedì 27 novembre, prodotto dall’etichetta Dodicilune e distribuito da Ird, esce “From The Alvin Curran Fakebook - The Out off session”. Si tratta del dvd contenente il video integrale del concerto di presentazione dell'omonimo disco del quartetto formato dal compositore Alvin Curran (piano, shofar, computer), dal trombonista Giancarlo Schiaffini, dal sassofonista Alipio Carvalho Neto e dal percussionista e vibrafonista Sergio Armaroli affiancati, in alcuni brani, dal contrabbassista Marcello Testa e dal batterista Nicola Stranieri. A un anno esatto di distanza dal concerto al Teatro Out Off di Milano, da quarant’anni al centro della scena sperimentale e di ricerca all’interno dell’innovazione dei linguaggi di espressione artistica, il quartetto propone questo video.

Il Fakebook rappresenta Alvin Curran nel suo modo peculiare di approcciare la musica; quello che il compositore conosce e può prevedere è la forma, non il contenuto. Nella musica di Curran coesistono la scrittura convenzionale, l’improvvisazione, la creazione estemporanea, e la sua principale caratteristica non è armonica, melodica o ritmica, bensì timbrica; è un personalissimo paesaggio sonoro di suoni strumentali e ambientali catturati in quasi sessanta anni di caccia m usicale. Democratico, irriverente e tradizionalmente sperimentale, Alvin Curran compone musica per qualsiasi occasione, con qualsiasi fenomeno sonoro – un volatile mix di lirismo e caos, struttura e indeterminazione. Come autore, ha dedicato la sua attività alla valorizzazione e alla dignità professionale del comporre musica non-commerciale come parte di una personale ricerca di future forme sociali, politiche e spirituali. Il processo compositivo di Curran abbraccia tutte le contraddizioni musicali (composta/improvvisata, tonale/atonale, massimale/minimale…) in una serena dialettica tesa all’incontro. Nei suoi più di 200 lavori troviamo registrati e campionati suoni naturali, pianoforti, sintetizzatori, computers, violini, percussioni, shofar, navi musicali, fisarmoniche e cori. Nell’intima forma delle sue più conosciute solo performance, musica da camera, radio works sperimentali o lavori su larga scala site specific (fino alle installazioni sonore), tutto forgia un li nguaggio decisamente personale quale sintesi mediata dalla ricerca e dalla combinazione. L’esperienza musicale di Alvin Curran da un lato ha saputo integrare il mezzo elettroacustico (inteso sia come medium che come utensile) nella prassi compositiva, dall’altro ha elaborato un singolare rapporto con il suono esistente così di incorporarlo nel senso complessivo delle sue operazioni come costituente poetico irrinunciabile. 

Compositore, trombonista e tubista, Giancarlo Schiaffini è nato a Roma nel 1942. Laureato in fisica, studia musica da autodidatta e partecipa alle prime esperienze di free jazz in Italia negli anni ’60. In quel periodo comincia la sua attività di compositore ed esecutore nel campo della musica contemporanea e del jazz. Ha studiato a Darmstadt con Stockhausen, Ligeti e Globokar e ha fondato il gruppo strumentale da camera Nuove Forme Sonore. Fa parte della Italian Instabile Orchestra. Ha tenuto corsi e seminari in Italia e all’estero e insegnato presso i conservatori “G. Rossini” di Pesaro, “A. Casella” dell’Aquila e nei corsi estivi di Siena Jazz (strumento, improvvisazione, composizione). Ha collaborato con John Cage, Karole Armitage, Luigi Nono e Giacinto Scelsi. Ha partecipato, come compositore ed esecutore, a stagioni concertistiche e festival tra i più importanti del mondo. Sono state a lui dedicate composizioni da numerosi autori come Scelsi, Nono, Alandia, Amman, Castagnoli, Dashow, Guaccero, Laneri, Mencherini, Renosto, Ricci, Villa-Rojo. Ha inciso dischi per BMG, Curci, Cramps, Edipan, Horo, Hat Records, Pentaflowers, Pentaphon, Red Records, Ricordi, Vedette. Gli è stata dedicata una voce dalla Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz (Oxford University Press) e dall’Enciclopedia della Musica (Utet/Garzanti).

Alípio Carvalho Neto è un sassofonista b rasiliano, compositore, poeta, docente e ricercatore in studi musicali interdisciplinari. Residente Rapolano Terme (Siena), il suo lavoro copre un ampio spettro di idiomi musicali. Ha conseguito il dottorato di ricerca in “Storia, Scienze e Tecniche della Musica”con il massimo dei voti presso l’Università di Roma 2 “Tor Vergata”. Ha realizzato numerosi album, nel ruolo di leader di varie formazioni o come sideman, elogiati dalla critica e dal pubblico internazionale. Raccolte delle sue poesie sono pubblicate dalle edizioni Jean-Fabien G. Phinera (Parigi) e da riviste e giornali letterari. 

La poetica di Sergio Armaroli abbraccia molteplici ambiti espressivi alla costante ricerca di un’unità dell'esperienza. Si dichiara pittore, percussionista concreto, poeta frammentario e artista sonoro oltre a fondare il proprio operare all'interno del "linguaggio del jazz" e dell'improvvisazione come "estensione del concetto di arte". Concentrato su una scrittura diffusa, consapevole di essere produttore "di-segni", dove l'invenzione verbale è "gesto poetico", nella vita è costretto ad uno sforzo pedagogico costante (www.sergioarmaroli.com). Svolge un’intensa attività artistica caratterizzata da un eclettismo stilistico accentuato con una tendenza alla dispersione linguistica come alla rinuncia e ad una forte predilizione per il "silenzio". Si è esibito in qualità di "attore musicale" e percussionista concreto in prestigiosi teatri e sale da concerto internazionali esponendo come artista in ambito off e sperimentale. Ha al proprio attivo numerose pubblicazioni in campo teorico musicale e poetico. 

L’etichetta Dodicilune, fondata e guidata da Gabriele Rampino (direttore artistico) e Maurizio Bizzochetti (label manager) è attiva dal 1996 e dispone di un catalogo di oltre 250 produzioni d i artisti italiani e stranieri. Distribuiti in Italia e all'estero da IRD in circa 400 punti vendita, i dischi Dodicilune possono essere acquistati anche online, ascoltati e scaricati su una cinquantina tra le maggiori piattaforme del mondo grazie a Believe Digital.

Alvin Curran - piano, shofar, computer

Giancarlo Schiaffini - trombone

Alipio Carvalho Neto - saxophones, brazilian whistles, percussions

Sergio Armaroli - vibraphone, tam tam, cup chimes, gong(s)

Marcello Testa - double bass

Nicola Stranieri - drums

1 - Under The Fig Tree

2 - The Answer is #1

3 - Sequence 1-5

4 - The Answer is #2 - Sequence 5

5 - The Answer is #3

6 - The Answer is #4

7 - Don't Throw That Book At Me

8 - Soft Shoes

9 - Field It

Compositions by Alvin Curran (1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9), 

Curran, Schiaffini, C. Neto, Armaroli (2, 4, 5, 6)

Produced by Sergio Armaroli and Gabriele Rampino per Dodicilune  Label manager Maurizio Bizzochetti (www.dodicilune.it)  Live Recorded on 27th November 2017 at Teatro Out Off, Milan, Italy  Editing by Fabio Selvafiorita  Paintings by Sergio Armaroli  Photos by Antonella Trevisan, Archivio Garghetti (www.archiviogarghetti.com)

www.giancarloschiaffini.com, www.sergioarmaroli.com, www.alvincurran.com, www.alipiocneto.com

George Burton Claims VICTORY! at Fall European Tour - SUCCESS! + Brand New "Yule Log Project" at Chris's Jazz Cafe 12/8 --- Just In Time for XMAS!

George is just back from his amazing Fall European Tour! BIG SUCCESS!

The George Burton Quintet was met with excited, welcoming crowds during its 2018 European Tour, leaving audience members eagerly awaiting the group’s next performances abroad.

Next item on the roster is George’s Christmas music project, the “Yule Log,” which features original arrangements of popular and lesser-known holiday songs written for piano trio + string trio and vocalist Nancy Harms. It’s a different type of holiday with George, and this project is just as exciting as his others! 

George Burton Yule Log Project

Chris’ Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia

December 8th

Sets at 8 pm and 10pm 

Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Džeraldas Bidva - Baltic Concerti (ODRADEK RECORDS 2018)

This CD is a testimony of my sincere attachment to my homeland and its people. And even more than this, it is intended to reflect the spirit of the whole Baltic region...The music of Julius Juzeliūnas is steeped in Lithuanian folklore; that of Pēteris Vasks has a strong sense of nature translated into sound; and that of Anatolijus Šenderovas not only reflects dramatic experiences in the whirlwinds of Lithuania’s turbulent history, but also reveals the richly multicoloured and polyethnic soundscape of our country.

Džeraldas Bidva

Starring exceptional violinist Džeraldas Bidva, three concerti by Vasks, Šenderovas and Juzeliūnas transport the listener to Lithuania in a release which coincides with the centenary of the country’s independence.

Džeraldas Bidva interprets three Baltic concerti: two for violin and orchestra, including Pēteris Vasks’ Vox amoris, and one featuring organ and violin, for which Bidva is joined by the young and talented organist Karolina Juodelytė. The Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra is conducted by Modestas Pitrėnas and Adrija Čepaitė.

The music of Julius Juzeliūnas is steeped in Lithuanian folklore; that of Pēteris Vasks has a strong sense of nature translated into sound; and that of Anatolijus Šenderovas not only reflects dramatic experiences in Lithuania’s turbulent history, but also reveals the richly multicoloured and polyethnic soundscape of the country.

This album appears in the year marking the centenary of Lithuania’s restored independence. It celebrates the continuing tradition of musical art in the Baltic countries within the broader context of centuries-old European traditions.

Lior Shambadal, Chief Conductor of the Berliner Symphoniker, said of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra: “Top level chamber orchestras have become such a rarity in today’s world, whereas you have one and can raise its international profile even higher by presenting projects that no one else has ventured before. The Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra has a glorious past, dynamic present and, I believe, will have a brilliant future”.

01 – Peteris Vasks – Vox amoris

02 – Julius Juzeliunas – Concerto per Organo Violino Orchestra d aschi – I Allegro sostenuto

03 – Julius Juzeliunas – Concerto per Organo Violino Orchestra d aschi – II Passacaglia – Andantino quieto

04 – Julius Juzeliunas – Concerto per Organo Violino Orchestra d aschi – III Finale – Allegro con brio

05 – Anatolijus Senderovas – Concerto for Violin and Chamber Orchestra

Black Friday Discount! - 30% off everything!*

It's Black Friday and we celebrate it with today only, a 30% discount on challengerecords.com! Order your holiday presents today with this special discount. 

The discount is valid until Saturday, November 24th 12PM (UTC)

* The discount is available on selected labels

Challenge Classics

Challenge Records

Challenge Jazz

Double Moon Records

Buzz

Epr-classic

Retrieval

Between the Lines

Lawo Classics

Fondamenta

Globe

V-Flow

Daybreak

Andrey Klemm Productions

Timeless Jazz Legacy

TCB The Montreux Jazz Label

A Records

JJ-Tracks

Piano 21

PineHill

Van Dyck Records

Signum Classics

Champs Hill Records

Supertracks Records

Drukplaten

Fineline

SunnyMoon Records

Antoine Marchand

€ 20.95    BUY

Ludwig van Beethoven

Complete Piano Trios Vol. 1

Van Baerle Trio

€ 22.95   BUY

GOLDBRUN (white vinyl)

Yuri Honing Acoustic Quartet

€ 19.95   BUY

Sergei Prokofiev, Yuri Shaporin, Nikolai Myaskovsky, Anatoly Lyadov

Russian works for cello and piano 

Laura van der Heijden | Petr Limonov

€ 19.95   BUY

Dutch Songbook

Fay Claassen

Alexander Scriabin: Complete Late Piano Music Vol. 1 and 2 James Kreiling (ODRADEK RECORDS 2018)

When I first became enamoured with Scriabin' s music, 18 years ago, his late works were still dismissed by many students and teachers (in the UK at least) as mere curiosities. Audiences would look back at me, perplexed. Some would even scoff when I explained his ideas regarding art and existence. Of course, this was not everyone’s reaction, but it has been a regular experience. I find this perception of his music unfair: for me, Scriabin’s late works are some of the most extraordinary, original, and beautiful music I know, and demand to be taken seriously...It is art’s transformative capacity which Scriabin develops. He wanted his art to unite people, to break down the barrier between audience and performer, just as music is able to cross social and cultural divides.

James Kreiling

Scriabin specialist James Kreiling invites us into the composer’s heady and intoxicating musical world as he performs Scriabin’s complete late piano music.

Scriabin was a master of the miniature, and these short works make up the majority of his musical output. To listen to Scriabin’s late music is to enter a different world, a realm of suggestion, seduction, delirium, dance, beauty, even terror. Within 20 years, his music had developed from the romantic miniature, influenced by Chopin, Schumann, and Liszt, to music which extended tonality to its limitations.

The late miniatures heard on this release are perhaps the best place to start if approaching this music for the first time. More than just musical experiments in preparation for the longer sonatas, they are perfectly contained musical worlds, each entirely different and unique from the others. They range from more extended works such as the dream-like, half-lit world of the Poème-Nocturne, to rarely-heard gems such as the Feuillet d’album, the Quatre Pièces, and Scriabin’s exploration of the intervals of the 9th, 7th, and 5th, in the Trois Études, Op. 65.

Most of Scriabin’s miniatures were published in contrasting pairs, emphasising a key element of his late style: opposites and contrast. The concept of opposing forces is found throughout Scriabin’s thinking, taking on many forms: impulsive, energised and fiery, versus languorous, beautiful, seductive; or as contrasting states – purity and terror, material and spiritual, good and evil, light and dark.

James Kreiling, who specialised in this repertoire for his Doctorate, brings a rare level of insight and inspiration to his performances of Scriabin’s late music. Every nuance is understood and communicated with subtlety and sensuality, the kaleidoscope of Scriabin’s palette of colours drawn out in Kreiling’s outstanding interpretations.

WØJT - Undreaming (SIMLAS November 2018)

Another mind-boggling release from the small Swedish-Norwegian Bandcamp-based label Simlas produksjoner. This time we serve you six tracks from two old friends; oboist Jan Wiese and guitarist Tellef Øgrim. These Oslo based musicians first met in the jazz band Bitihorn in 1976. 

Undreaming is their first purely improvised adventure. 

The tracks the album were played live in studio April 19th and August 22nd 2018. Guitar, oboe, softsynths and effects were performed in real time and recorded directly to file in Ableton Live. 

In the mix, some minutes of the original takes were cut and left out. Apart from stereo panning and some volume adjustments, nothing was added. 

WØJT honours the many great programmers of software, builders of instruments, coffee growers, bakers, vegetable farmers, philosophers and art operators who have made Undreaming possible.

1. Undreaming 04:31

2. Memories Heard 07:38

3. Diverted Linear 10:47

4. Barkåker 16:25

5. Thirty Nine Point Five 07:58

6. The Gone 06:56

Johnny Griffith Quintet - The Lion, Camel & Child (GB RECORDS December 7, 2018)

Wonderful new modern jazz album from Toronto saxophonist Johnny Griffith and his quintet, entitled The Lion, Camel & Child.  It's the second release from  Griffith’s all-star quintet - a band made up of of four of Toronto’s leading jazz lights, along with the legendary New York trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. 

For this release, Griffith drew inspiration from the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche - speci cally his book Three Metamorphoses. As Griffith explains, “Metamorphoses is concerned with what propels each new phase of human growth, so it seemed fitting to frame this as a suite – each track individual unto itself, yet when listened to as a whole representing the arc of the personal struggle to know more and be more.” 

Central to the album is the suite that illustrates these phases and the qualities that define them: The Lion, virtuous and rebelious; The Camel, courageous and dutiful; and The Child, playful and free of spirit.

Johnny Griffith is a multi-Juno Award nominated saxophonist, composer and producer who has played and recorded with numerous artists including Don Thompson, Hawksley Workman, Jeremy Pelt, Charlie Hunter, The Wailers, Alex Dean, Laila Biali, Al Henderson Quintet, Brandi Disterheft and Terra Hazelton to name a few, and is a member of the popular Canadian funk/hip hop group, the Pocket Dwellers. He has toured extensively across Canada, the United States, and Europe performing at all the major Canadian music festivals as well as several international venues including the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.  

The Johnny Griffith Quintet is the artist’s first solo venture and launched with “Dance with the Lady” in 2015. Featuring NYC’s Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, the album was the featured release on WBGO Jazz radio New Jersey. Johnny continues with the soon to be released “The Lion, Camel and Child”, again with Pelt, previewing at the TD Toronto Jazz Festival 2018.  

In 2015, Johnny created the non-profit independent jazz label G-B Records and has gone on to produce and engineer Nathan Hiltz’s “Songs Poetic”, Whitney Ross-Barris  “Bright Lunch Trio”, Graeme Stephen’s “Projector Trio”, Adrean Farrugia/Joel Frahm’s “Blued Dharma, and Chris Wallace’s “Many Names”.

Johnny is also an active film and television composer. He has composed the scores for the films Still to Go and The Recipe  - both films have appeared in Toronto Film Festival, the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, Montreal World Film Festival and the Vancouver International Film Festival. He also is a freelance composer for the Bell/CTV media group.

Johnny Griffith  will be releasing The Lion, Camel & Child on Friday, December 7th, 2018 on GB Records.

Sam Broverman – A Jewish Boy’s Christmas (November 30, 2018)

For almost ten years now, Winnipeg born, Toronto based singer Sam Broverman has been presenting his cabaret show A Jewish Boy’s Christmas every holiday season. Initially inspired by the fact that many of the best known Christmas songs were written by Jewish songwriters, the show has evolved into a well loved holiday revue driven by Sam’s love for comedy and novelty song. After almost ten years - and countless requests - it was time to record an album.

For A Jewish Boy’s Christmas - his fourth full length album - Sam enlisted the help of several of Toronto’s best musicians, including his working band with Peter Hill and Jordan O’Connor.  Featured as a guest soloist is Broverman’s regular special guest, Whitney Ross-Barris, the Toronto jazz and theatre scene stalwart whose wit is widely known. Ken Whitely - the multiple award-winning Canadian music legend- was invited onboard to produce the whole affair after his involvement in the inaugural show. 

Having celebrated the work of great songwriters like Johnny Mercer and Jimmy Van Heusen on his previous recordings, it was time for Sam to return to one of his first loves: parody songwriting.  In addition to working as a singer, Sam is also a professor of actuarial mathematics at the University of Toronto - he put himself through school singing, and has delivered his book of math based parody songs at academic conferences for years.  A Jewish Boy’s Christmas is a hilarious and irreverent take on the holiday season.

Sam Broverman is a Winnipeg-born, Toronto based jazz singer and songwriter. He has performed in venues across Canada, the US, Europe  and Asia. He began his professional singing career in Winnipeg as a teenager, appearing in theatre and cabaret productions and also on the nationally televised shows "Hymn Sing" and "The Doug Crosley Show". Sam regularly performs in the Summer Entertainment Series at Winnipeg’s Lyric Theatre.

Sam has PhD in mathematics from the University of Manitoba. He supported his studies by working as a professional singer throughout his university years. After graduating, he moved to Toronto, where he continues to be a professor of actuarial mathematics at U of Toronto, and continues singing. 

Sam has sung with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir for many years. In 2008 he recorded a five song EP, “Five Standards” and in the spring of 2011 he released his first full jazz album, “Dream Maker, Heartbreaker: Sam Broverman sings Johnny Mercer”. Sam's second jazz album, “Leftover Dreams”, was released in the fall of 2013. It is a collection of the songs of Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen on the occasion of their 100th birthday year.  His most recent album is “Feelings of Affection”, released in 2016. 

Sam performs regularly in jazz venues around Toronto, including the Home Smith Bar, Jazz Bistro, Lula Lounge, The Rex, 120 Diner, Hart House at the University of Toronto and The Reservoir Lounge. In 2012 Sam created the popular show “A Jewish Boy’s Christmas”, which he has performed to sold out audiences every December since. In 2013 he appeared on the TVO show The Agenda, hosted by Steve Paikin, where he talked about and sang songs of Johnny Mercer. 

One of Sam's favorite activities is songwriting, particularly parody and novelty songs. He has had the opportunity to perform some of his math-related parody songs for several math research conferences. In the summer of 2015 he was the local organizer for a conference in actuarial mathematics attended by about 250 people. Sam wrote several parody songs for that conference and recorded a CD of eight songs that conference participants received. Sam has performed these songs at various math conferences.

Sam Broverman will be releasing A Jewish Boy's Christmas on Friday, November 30th, 2018.

Sam Broverman - Vocals

Whitney Ross-Barris - Vocals

Drew Jurecka - Violin & Clarinet

Peter Hill - Piano

Ken Whiteley - Guitars & Organ

Jordan O’Connor - Bass

Ross MacIntyre - Bass

Ernesto Cervini - Drums

1. What’s a Jew to Do on Christmas 4:40

2. Hanukkah in Santa Monica 4:00

3. The Christmas Waltz 2:40

4. Coventry Carol 3:00

5. You’re Speaking Yiddish 2:00

6. The First Noel Parody 2:25

7. Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis 3:30

8. Christmas Carol Parodies 5:00

9. Swinging the Chicken 4:00

10. The Christmas Song 2:20

The Gravity Project - The Gravity Project (November 2018)

The Gravity Project, led by Paul Grabowsky, (+ Rob Burke) is a nine-piece ensemble presenting a contemporary cultural prism of musical experimentation in composition and improvisation. Artistically, the overarching aim for the Gravity Project is to create a transcultural musical dialogue through a carefully structured collaboration of Japanese musicians (who are leaders in the performance of traditional Japanese music and a rapper), performing with Australian improvising and electronic focused musicians playing original music of the now.

Growing from concerts in both Australia and Japan, the Gravity Project was developed in 2017, firstly in composition by Paul Grabowsky and then documented in a recording session in Tokyo. The recording was further developed through the addition of hip-hop beats, and a detailed re-structure and deconstruction through editing and mixing (Aaron Choulai and Joe Talia). The CD has been released in Japan through the prestigious label: Apollo Sounds (September 2018) 

The foundation of the performances (compositions) is informed by the performance of the Shakuhachi and Koto through the Fuke tradition of Zen music and the gestural influence in Noh Theatre. At the heart of the music making is experimentation and the exploration of potential possibilities through the creation of a sonic ecology: elite performers from diverse backgrounds, improvising, interacting, and discovering sounds both inside and outside their area of expertise and cultural habitat. 

With the freedom to question their respective musical identities within a structured and artistically sophisticated framework, the musicians produce a combination of musical styles and sounds which creates a unique musical experience for the listener, contributing to the development of an Australian and Japanese musical identity in the 21st century. 

Paul Grabowsky: piano, melodica

Robert Burke: tenor sax, soprano sax, alto clarinet

Aaron Choulai: Sp 404r

Joe Talia: drums and electronics

Narin Dasika: trumpet

Sam Anning: bass

Masaki Nakamura: shakuhachi

Kuniko Obina: koto

1. Tokyo Overpass 13:49

2. Beat Hayashi 12:07

3. Plum Rain 07:58

4. Now Breathe In 04:54

5. Vinegar 08:15

6. Psalm 08:38

Mocky - A Day At United (November 2018)

A Day at United. The name practically says it all. An album recorded in a single day. No rehearsals. No second takes. Just Mocky and friends. Some instruments. Some songs Mocky sketched in the week leading up. Oh yeah, and a recording studio. United Recording, in fact. The legendary independent studio, financed by Sinatra among others. A refuge for artists seeking more control. Or maybe ‘less interference’ is a better way to put it. Because this is not an album about control. It’s about putting certain conditions in place — creative limitations, even — then letting go. Letting the magic happen. Letting the human happen. In an age of computer-led precision, this is an album about the struggle for imperfection.

“I’ve always been inspired by the story of Miles recording Kind Of Blue,” says Mocky, “going into the studio with Coltrane and Bill Evans, bringing melodies jotted on scraps of paper, and making an album in real-time.” Other precedents come to mind, as well. The Art Blakey model, for example. Drummer as composer -bandleader. Not that Mocky, who led the session from his drum kit, compares himself to the jazz greats. He doesn’t even call himself a jazz musician (any more than he calls himself an electronic musician or whatever else). If this is his ‘jazz album’, it’s because of the process that yielded it. There are no solos here — none of that jazz.

Think of this as jazz composition. The process began with a recording date: “I was like, wow, we can get the studio in 10 days? The same studio Sinatra recorded in and the same room where Ray Charles recorded the epoch defining 'I can’t stop loving you'? Ok, let’s see who can make it. So I started calling around. And when someone like Miguel [Atwood-Ferguson] confirmed, I could start writing melodies that reflected, say, his lyrical way of playing.”

Mocky composed the songs in his head, mostly while strolling Lulu, his newborn, around Silver Lake. And to ensure a 'classic' quality of the record, Mocky got together with the legendary producer Justin Stanley (Prince, Beck Leonhard Cohen, Paul McCartney) who ended up recording and co-producing the album. Mocky finally ‘heard’ the songs the same time the others did. “When everyone was in position, the charts in front them, the sticks in my hand, it was the first time I actually considered what I was about to do on drums. It was free-styling. Hearing the songs as they were being recorded. Complete real-time.” 

Looking back on the origin of the album, Mocky sees it as an extension of his free-flowing Mocky and Friends nights. Picture a revolving cast of collaborators and co-creators, convening on the rooftop of the Ace Hotel in downtown LA, making music in the moment. “I wanted to attain a level of intention that was different from anything I had done on an album before,” Mocky says. “Rather than playing all the instruments, I just drummed and let the ideas filter through this group of artists in real-time. If you multi-track or edit, the intention becomes a conceptual thing, considered and refined. At United, it was about this creative urgency. For me, it was waking up one day and, at the end of it, having an album done. It seemed like such a preposterous idea. Until I just did it.”

Mocky - Drums and Compositions

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson - Viola

Randal Fisher - Tenor Sax and Flute

Joey Dosik - Alto Sax and Flute

Aponte Poro - Congas and Percussion

Nia Andrews - Vocals and Percussion

Lucky Paul - Percussion and Electronics

Deron Johnson - Piano and Rhodes*

Mark De Clive-Lowe – Keyboards and Synths**

Harry Foster - Nylon String Guitar and Vocals ***

Brandon Eugene Owens - Acoustic Bass

* except 7 + 8

**Piano on 5, 6, 8, Rhodes on 7

***Clavinet on 5

1. Eyebrow Wrestling 03:19

2. The Come Up 03:39

3. Space Strut 03:08

4. A Calm Promise 03:26

5. The Great Computer In The Sky 01:24

6. The Loneliest Monk 03:31

7. Sweet Beat 04:08

8. Lulu's Lullaby 03:50

9. Dorothea's Cue 03:44

Alan Pasqua - Soliloquy (2018)

Alan Pasqua is a piano legend who has performed and recorded with many of the top names in both jazz and pop. Pasqua was a member of The New Tony Williams Lifetime and appeared on the albums Believe It and Million Dollar Legs. He also performed with Jack DeJohnette, Paul Motian, Dave Holland, Michael Brecker, Randy Becker, Joe Henderson, Stanley Clarke, Gary Burton, James Moody, Gary Peacock, Gary Bartz, Reggie Workman, The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, Sheila Jordan, and Joe Williams, to name just a few.  

In the pop world, Pasqua recorded two albums with Dylan (Bob Dylan at Budokan and Street-Legal), with John Fogerty on the album Eye of the Zombie, with Starship on the album No Protection, and with Allan Holdsworth on the album Sand. He was also the keyboardist for Carlos Santana on his albums Marathon, Zebop! and Havana Moon.

Pasqua has also been the leader or co-leader on many critically acclaimed jazz recordings. In 2008, Pasqua joined forces with Peter Erskine and Dave Carpenter, arranging, co-producing and playing on the Grammy-nominated trio album Standards. His recent releases are Twin Bill, which features Pasqua playing the music of Bill Evans on two pianos, and Northern Lights features Pasqua’s original compositions exploring his roots in the classical, pop and jazz idioms.

Soliloquy, his newest project, was recorded in Pasqua’s Santa Monica studio on his Hamburg Steinway concert grand piano. The sound is exquisite and the performance invites the listener on an intimate personal journey. Included are nine of his favorite standards and one cover of a Bob Dylan song.

1. Hello Young Lovers 04:55

2. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good 04:10

3. Lotus Blossom 07:00

4. I See Your Face Before Me 05:06

5. In A Sentimental Mood 05:34

6. Embraceable You 04:57

7. Isn't It Romantic 04:55

8. Girl From The North Country 05:45

9. A Time For Love 04:35

10. There Are Such Things 05:55

The Odd Dogs - Beneath the Surface (MANASUS MUSIC 2018)

FUSION-BASED GROUP “THE ODD DOGS” RELEASES

BENEATH THE SURFACE

AVAILABLE ON MANASUS MUSIC

THE ODD DOGS is a group of A-list, Los Angeles jazz musicians. Their debut CD, BENEATH THE SURFACE, showcases their top-notch musicianship and compositional talents. The quintet includes bassist STEVE BILLMAN, guitarist JEFF MILEY, saxophonist and keyboardist ANDY SUZUKI, drum maestro RALPH HUMPHREY, and percussionist BILLY HULTING.

The genesis of the group goes back five years when Billman and Miley teamed up to write songs. Billman has been playing professionally for 40 years. He’s performed with Frank Gambale, Mike Stern, Billy Cobham, and Brian Bromberg, among others. He also performed with and wrote for the jazz/rock supergroup “Continuum,” recording three albums over his 15-year tenure with the band.

Besides leading his own modern jazz chamber quintet called “BUG,” Miley records and performs with popular jazz vocalist Inge Swearingen and is concurrently involved in several other projects as well. He’s been featured in jazz magazines around the world, and he’s received the Andres Segovia Performance Award from the American Guitar Society.

Billman and Miley have been friends since the 1980s. “Jeff is an old friend, and I thought it would be a blast to write with him,” says Billman. “We have different but complementary strengths, and when we started writing together, something clicked. It felt magical.”

After writing a few tunes, they wanted to hear their music in performance, so Ralph Humphrey was brought on board to play drums. Humphrey has a long and storied career. He’s worked with a Who’s Who of well-known jazz and mainstream artists, including acts as diverse as Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Barbra Streisand, and Bette Midler, Wayne Shorter, Al Jarreau, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Pete Christlieb, among many others. Billman, Humphrey and Miley teach at the Los Angeles College of Music in Pasadena.

Billman and Miley originally envisioned their group as a power trio, but not long after they started rehearsing their music, Billman got an email from Andy Suzuki, who had been living in Berlin for several years, where he performed with Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, Marcus Miller and Jan Garbarek. Suzuki was returning to the States, and Billman jumped at the opportunity to enlist him in the band. Suzuki is a double threat, playing both woodwinds and the piano, which he does on this CD, often overdubbing his performances on multiple instruments.

After more rehearsals, Billman and Miley thought there was still a missing element, so they called upon Billy Hulting, an acclaimed percussionist and mallet player who has recently been touring with Zappa Plays Zappa, a band led by Dweezil Zappa that performs the music of Frank Zappa.

Although Billman and Miley began composing these pieces several years ago, it took a while for the music and band to evolve. And because these musicians are so busy performing and teaching, it also took a while for everyone’s schedule to sync up to actually make this recording. The result is well worth the wait.

Billman and Miley both cut their musical teeth back in the ‘70s on progressive rock, a genre that merged high and low culture by employing instrumentation and compositional techniques usually associated with jazz, folk, or classical music. The genre also focused on highly developed technical skills. BENEATH THE SURFACE is a jazz project that strongly reflects the influence of the progressive rock era.

The compositions on this CD are deeply complex while also being melodic and engaging. When Suzuki was explaining the complicated structure of the title tune to his wife, she said that it didn’t sound that complicated to her. He responded that the complexity lay “beneath the surface,” which became the title of the tune and of the CD.

The music of The Odd Dogs is built on a rich tapestry of uncommon, constantly changing meters and surprising harmonic textures. “Presence Unknown,” the opener, starts off with a funky groove in 13/8 time and features a section reminiscent of Pink Floyd, with Suzuki playing different woodwinds to create layers of sound. “Failure to Authenticate” moves from 11/8 to 15/8 to 4/4 time and echoes everything from Tool to Rush to Jeff Beck. “Title 5,” which was written by Humphrey and Miley is an uptempo jazz-influenced number, while “The Beast” is a smoking Texas-style guitar blues with a broken meter. “Monkish” is a swinging tune with a melodic line that one could imagine being played by a Zappa band channeling Thelonious Monk.

The members of The Odd Dogs are all old friends who admire each other’s musical skills and enjoy each other’s company immensely… which is a good thing, since the compositions on BENEATH THE SURFACE require a very high level of skill and collaborative spirit to play convincingly. As Miley says, “Both the writing process and the act of performing these compositions are satisfying for me because they’re rhythmically advanced and harmonically rich. I get to do some rock-type playing while navigating jazz harmonies with people I hold in the highest regard.”

featuring

ANDY SUZUKI  keyboard & woodwinds  

JEFF MILEY   guitar  

STEVE BILLMAN   bass  

RALPH HUMPHREY   drums  

BILLY HULTING   percussion

Produced and Arranged by The Odd Dogs  

tracks

1. PRESENCE UNKNOWN  9:24

2. FAILURE TO AUTHENTICATE  8:45

3. BENEATH THE SURFACE  7:54

4. HAIRPIN  6:02

5. TITLE 5  8:28

6. A SIMPLE WORD  5:25

7. THE BEAST  7:12

8. MONKISH  6:43

9. ENIGMA  7:21

odddogsmusic.com

stevebillman.com

jeffmiley.com