Friday, July 15, 2016

Laszlo Gardony - Life In Real Time (2015) SUNNYSIDE RECORDS



present


Piano Master Laszlo Gardony Expands His Celebrated Trio With A Powerhouse Saxophone Triumvirate of Stan Strickland, Billy Pierce and Don Braden 

On Life In Real Time Coming July 7 on Sunnyside Records


Rather than an all-star blowing session, Life In Real Time introduces an ensemble that breathes, phrases and reacts as one, reveling in the knifepoint balance between structure and freedom afforded by Gardony’s arrangements and bandleading sensibility. Indeed, part of what makes the album so much more than the sum of its considerable parts is the rhythm section’s extraordinary rapport. Gardony’s long-running trio with bass master John Lockwood and drum maestro Yoron Israel has forged a soul-deep bandstand communion over the past 13 years, an almost telepathic bond captured on three critically acclaimed Sunnyside albums. The trio is directly responsible for the loose and limber feel of Life In Real Time, where three immediately recognizable saxophone stars “can feel free to be themselves in the music,” Gardony says.

And what horn players! Most conspicuously, the album marks the reemergence of the great Billy Pierce, a player who established himself as a commanding improviser during his years with drum legends Tony Williams and Art Blakey (who called Pierce “my best tenor player since Wayne Shorter.”) He sounds more formidable than ever with his thick, muscular sound and driving rhythmic attack. 

While Stan Strickland is best known as a startlingly inventive post-bop tenor saxophonist, he’s a polymathic creative force who also works as a singer, actor and art therapist. Gardony’s longtime friend and Berklee colleague, Strickland contributed memorably to the pianist’s 2011 Sunnyside album Signature Time with Lockwood and Israel. It was Israel who suggested adding Don Braden to the mix. The album’s only Berklee ringer (he’s the director of the Harvard Monday Night Jazz Band), Braden was in Wynton Marsalis’ band, has performed with Freddie Hubbard and Tony Williams, and is featured on some 20 albums as a leader.  


 “I hand-picked the musicians for this band,” Gardony explains. “Don was a great addition to the band, and it clicked so beautifully from the first. All of the bandmembers have had long careers and we’re committed to playing together as a beautiful and meaningful experience.”

Focusing on Gardony’s emotionally charged original compositions, the album opens with his rollicking “Bourbon Street Boogie,” which evokes the raucous, celebratory energy of New Orleans. Pierce takes the first solo, a rhythmic tour de force that makes a compelling case for him as one of jazz’s most under-documented masters. Israel introduces the relentlessly driving “Breakout” with a beautifully calibrated solo passage. The piece builds momentum through a series of tag-team solos until its ecstatically cathartic climax. 

Gardony puts on his arranger’s hat for a joyously funky version George Shearing’s standard “Lullaby of Birdland.” Braden takes a stutter-stepping solo that turns the melody inside out, and then Gardony gives a masterclass in groove, maintaining a rumbling ostinato throughout his solo with an undulating left-hand line doubled by Lockwood’s bass. Another highlight is the haunting version of the spiritual “Motherless Child,” a song he’s explored often as a member of violinist Matt Glaser’s celebrated jazz-meets-bluegrass band The Wayfaring Strangers. “After playing it with Matt many times I started to hear something, a reharmonization that’s partially inspired by the way that Richie Havens sang it at Woodstock,” Gardony says. “I thought it would be perfect for Stan’s bass clarinet. You can tell what song it is, but I wrote this long form and the melody crystallizes at the end.” 

Strickland’s bass clarinet is featured again on Gardony’s West African-derived ballad “New Song,” a tune introduced as a trio piece on the album Dig Deep. With its meditative, cyclical feel, the ravishing melody calls out for lyrics. The album closes with “Out On Top,” another piece from Dig Deep that gains momentum as it hurtles toward a deliriously celebratory all-horns-on-deck conclusion. This was one set that clearly left the audience wanting more (in fact, there’s a bonus track from the concert available on iTunes). 


Born in Hungary, Laszlo Gardony displayed an early aptitude for the piano. By five he had started improvising, devising little tunes inspired by the blues, pop and classical music he heard around the house. Immersed in the European classical tradition while growing up, he was drawn to progressive rock as a teenager, and spent countless hours improvising blues-based music at the piano. He investigated gospel and studied jazz, a passion that soon overshadowed his classical pursuits. “We had jazz and African music classes at the Conservatory,” Gardony recalls. “There were some very knowledgeable people and a lot of records. When it came to jazz it was a tiny community, but very inspiring.”    

After graduating from the Bela Bartok Conservatory and the Science University of Budapest, he became one of Europe’s most sought after accompanists and released his first albums as a leader. Possessing a powerful sense of swing, a strong feel for the blues and a firm command of post-bop vocabulary, he gained invaluable insight by sharing festival stages with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and Abdullah Ibrahim, among others. 

A full scholarship to Berklee brought him to America in 1983, and a faculty position at the school upon graduation kept him stateside. He made his US recording debut with the acclaimed 1988 album The Secret (Antilles) featuring Czech bass great Miroslav Vitous and drummer Ian Froman, but it was his 1st place win the following year at the Great American Jazz Piano Competition that catapulted him into the national spotlight. He seized the moment with 1989’s brilliant release The Legend of Tsumi (Antilles), a trio session with bassist Dave Holland and drummer Bob Moses. “Being with Dave and Miroslav was such an education,” Gardony says. “If you really immerse yourself in those moments, it can change you, whether it’s one concert or a week-long gig.”   

In many circles Gardony is best known as a master of the trio format. He introduced his present band with Israel and Lockwood on the 2003 Sunnyside album Ever Before Ever After, and it’s gained recognition as one of the finest working bands in jazz. But he’s equally impressive alone at the piano, the format he first explored on 1993’s acclaimed Changed Standards and returned to again on his last album, 2013’s Clarity (both on Sunnyside). After the probing introspection of a solo recital it seems fitting that Gardony returns with a bandstand bash that captures some of jazz’s most eloquent raconteurs inspiring each other to ever more vivid tales. In short, Life In Real Time is jazz that’s the real deal.  



BUY THIS ALBUM


Black Art Jazz Collective - Presented by the Side Door Jazz Club (2016)


Source & Label:http://sunnysidezone.com/album/presented-by-the-side-door-jazz-club
Genre: Post-bop
GAB's Rating: ★★★★★


It is easy to misconstrue a name, especially when it is so obviously tied to politics and racial identity. Born during an important period of Black identity in the arts in the early 2010s, Black Art Jazz Collective brings together an accomplished ensemble of young African American musicians who felt that it was necessary to celebrate Black culture in a positive way. The focus on camaraderie between members who grew up playing music together comes through in their music.

The Collective was co-founded by drummer Johnathan Blake, saxophonist Wayne Escoffery and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. All graduating from esteemed music programs in the Northeast at the same time, the three quickly became ingrained in the New York jazz scene as leaders and invaluable members of ensembles led by legends like Tom Harrell, Bobby Hutcherson, Wayne Shorter and Ron Carter.

The first addition the trio made was the great bassist Dwayne Burno, an individual who really espoused professionalism and dedication to his friends. Being older than the others, Burno’s influence and attention made an impact on all of them. The ensemble also featured trombonist James Burton III (an adherent of the school of Curtis Fuller and J.J. Johnson and another Jackie McLean alum) and the great pianist/composer Xavier Davis.

The Black Art Jazz Collective’s first performance was at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in April 2013 with Burno. His passing in the following December was a shock and upset the jazz world, not to mention the Collective. It would prove to be a challenge to find a replacement for Burno. It wasn’t until Pelt recommended Vincente Archer that the group found a perfect replacement, one who had connections to all the members and who was influenced by Burno. 


A great opportunity came by way of Ken Kitchings and Jan Mullen of The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme, Connecticut, namely a two-night gig and an opportunity to record with the venue’s new recording equipment. Kitchings and Mullen had expressed their love of the group and felt that it would be a perfect fit for their debut recording project. The resulting album Black Art Jazz Collective Presented By The Side Door Jazz Club is a tremendous example of the ensemble’s incredible drive, swagger and cohesiveness.

The program begins with Escoffery’s dedication to W.E.B. DuBois, “Double Consciousness,” an intriguingly varied piece with verve. Written during the 2012 election campaign of Barack Obama, Escoffery’s expertly written and arranged “Awaiting Change” is followed by Pelt’s lushly played ballad, “Essence of Beauty.” Davis’s “Salvador Da Bahia” is an energetic Latin piece with some incredible solo spots.

Burton’s “Going Somewhere” is a bright and powerful tribute to Sojourner Truth, while Davis’s “No Small Change” is a subtle but powerful tribute to President Obama. The ensemble’s ‘all killer, no filler’ take on Burno’s “Devil Eyes” will raise some heart rates. The set finishes with the lone live recording, Blake’s sparkling tribute to saxophone great Joe Henderson, “The Shadower.”

Black Art Jazz Collective came together during an interesting time, one of finding new strength and identity within America’s true art form, an African American art form, jazz. This allstar ensemble was able to come together as peers and brothers and, with the help of the wonderful leadership of The Side Door, was able to create a fantastic document of authentic and expertly wrought music on Black Art Jazz Collective Presented By The Side Door Jazz Club.


1. Double Consciousness (Inspired By W.E.B. DuBois) 07:31
2. Awaiting Change (Inspired By Barack Obama)
3. Essence of Beauty
4. Salvador Da Bahia
5. Going Somewhere (Inspired By Sojourner Truth) 08:25
6. No Small Change (Inspired By Barack Obama)
7. Devil Eyes
8. The Shadower (Inspired By Joe Henderson)



Wayne Escoffery - tenor saxophone
Jeremy Pelt - trumpet
James Burton III - trombone
Xavier Davis - piano
Vicente Archer - bass
Johnathan Blake - drums


BUY IT @ 

http://sunnysidezone.com/album/presented-by-the-side-door-jazz-club
 
https://www.amazon.com/Presented-Side-Door-Jazz-Club/dp/B01I285PJC/?tag=jazzfmwbgo-20

July–Dec 2016: Pianist Laszlo Gardony performs in NYC, Boston, Tokyo and more


Internationally Renowned Pianist Laszlo Gardony 
July–December Concert Schedule

Performances in NYC, Boston, Tokyo, and more

Gardony’s 2015 release Life In Real Time earned extensive critical acclaim, including One of the Ten Best Albums of 2015 in the Boston Globe:

“Gardony adds a vivacious live performance to his impressive discography with Life In Real Time… The album mixes inventive originals with fresh, exciting takes on standards, maintaining a thread of inspired improvisation and calibrated group interplay throughout.” DownBeat, Editors’ Picks

“...these eight tracks contain more than enough musical riches to keep the ears happy and keep the toes tapping.”  – Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz

“...varied, exuberant, post-bop heaven.” – Jon Garelick, Boston Globe



Internationally renowned pianist Laszlo Gardony is featured in an host of concerts in New York, Boston, Tokyo and beyond between July and December 2016.  The Hungarian-born, Boston-based pianist/arranger/composer will perform in duo concerts with saxophonist Marco Pignataro and with pianist Chihiro Yamanaka, as well as with his own trio, quartet and sextet.  The Laszlo Gardony Sextet is featured in his 2015 release, Life In Real Time, which garnered critical acclaim and was a DownBeat Editor’s Pick.  Concert details are listed below:

Saturday, July 16 – Berkshires Jazz Summer 2016, presented by the Pittsfield Jazz Festival 
8 p.m. – Taft Recital Hall, Berkshire Music School, 30 Wendell Ave., Pittsfield, MA
Tickets: $25 advance/$30 door
Laszlo Gardony Quartet, with Don Braden (sax); Yoron Israel (drums); John Lockwood (bass)

Saturday, September 24 – Beantown Jazz Festival, Boston, MA
Free and open to the public
The Laszlo Gardony Sextet with Bill Pierce (sax), Lance Bryant (sax), Stan Strickland (reeds, vocals), Yoron Israel (drums), John Lockwood (bass)

October 17-22 – Concerts in China, traveling with the Berklee Global Institute delegation
With saxophonist Marco Pignataro


Saturday, October 29 – Amazing Things Arts Center, 160 Hollis St., Framingham
8:00 p.m.
Tickets: $20; $18 student/senior; $17 member
The Laszlo Gardony Trio with John Lockwood (bass) and Yoron Israel (drums)
508-405-2787

Friday, November 18 – Bar Harbor Jazz Festival
8 p.m. – Criterion Theatre, 35 Cottage St., Bar Harbor, ME
Tickets: $15-20
(207) 288-0829
The Laszlo Gardony Trio with John Lockwood (bass) and Yoron Israel (drums)

Sunday, November 20 – Highland Jazz
2 p.m. – Newton South High School Auditorium, 140 Brandeis Rd., Newton Centre, MA
Tickets: $18 advance; $20 door; $17 senior; $10 student
The Laszlo Gardony Sextet with Bill Pierce (sax), Stan Strickland (reeds, vocals), Marco Pignataro (sax), Yoron Israel (drums), John Lockwood (bass)

December 17-22 – Tokyo, JAPAN
Further details TBA
Two-piano concert with pianist Chihiro Yamanaka


Over the past quarter century Gardony has gained widespread acclaim for a series of inspired albums documenting his trio and his riveting solo recitals. The most recent recording in his treasure-laden discography is 2015’s Life In Real Time, a thrilling live album recorded at the Berklee Performance Center at Boston’s Berklee College of Music (where most of the ensemble is on faculty). The CD was named by the Boston Globe as one the ten best jazz albums of 2015 and earned wide critical acclaim.

Born in Hungary, Laszlo Gardony displayed an early aptitude for the piano. By five he had started improvising, devising little tunes inspired by the blues, pop and classical music he heard around the house. Immersed in the European classical tradition while growing up, he was drawn to progressive rock as a teenager, and spent countless hours improvising blues-based music at the piano. He investigated gospel and studied jazz, a passion that soon overshadowed his classical pursuits. “We had jazz and African music classes at the Conservatory,” Gardony recalls. “There were some very knowledgeable people and a lot of records. When it came to jazz it was a tiny community, but very inspiring.”    

After graduating from the Béla Bartók Conservatory and the Science University of Budapest, he became one of Europe’s most sought after accompanists and released his first albums as a leader. Possessing a powerful sense of swing, a strong feel for the blues and a firm command of post-bop vocabulary, he gained invaluable insight by sharing festival stages with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and Abdullah Ibrahim, among others.

A full scholarship to Berklee brought him to America in 1983, and a faculty position at the school upon graduation kept him stateside. He made his US recording debut with the acclaimed 1988 album The Secret (Antilles) featuring Czech bass great Miroslav Vitous and drummer Ian Froman, but it was his 1st place win the following year at the Great American Jazz Piano Competition that catapulted him into the national spotlight. He seized the moment with 1989’s brilliant release The Legend of Tsumi (Antilles), a trio session with bassist Dave Holland and drummer Bob Moses. “Being with Dave and Miroslav was such an education,” Gardony says. “If you really immerse yourself in those moments, it can change you, whether it’s one concert or a week-long gig.”   

In many circles Gardony is best known as a master of the trio format. He introduced his present band with Israel and Lockwood on the 2003 Sunnyside album Ever Before Ever After, and it’s gained recognition as one of the finest working bands in jazz. But he’s equally impressive alone at the piano, the format he first explored on 1993’s acclaimed Changed Standards and returned to again on his last album, 2013’s Clarity (both on Sunnyside). After the probing introspection of a solo recital it seems fitting that Gardony returns with a bandstand bash that captures some of jazz’s most eloquent raconteurs inspiring each other to ever more vivid tales. In short, Life In Real Time is jazz that’s the real deal.