Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Three Pines Records launching in March!

In March of 2021, Three Pines Records (TPR) is proud to introduce their new label with the releases from TuneTown (the all-star combination of Kelly Jefferson, Artie Roth and Ernesto Cervini) and vocalist Sarah Jerrom’s Dream Logic (Harley Card, Rob McBride, Jeff Luciani).

The JUNO Award-winning, Grammy-nominated team of drummer Ernesto Cervini, vocalist Amy Cervini and composer/producer Oded Lev-Ari are combining to create a new media company dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Canadian music, with a specific focus on Jazz and improvised music. TPR is committed to creating a safe and supportive space where musicians can focus on creating and sharing their work with a growing fan base they help create. Between them, Cervini, Lev-Ari and…Cervini have extensive experience in the business of music not only as musicians but as entrepreneurs, label-owner, manager, publicist…the list is long. They are combining these unique skill sets to help artists find their fan base and create a sustainable career and mostly to share great music with fans across Canada and the world. TPR will be working with artists across Canada and across the spectrum of jazz…the focus will not be on a specific style of music, but rather on good music! 

First up is the March 19th release of Entering Utopia from celebrated jazz trio collective, TuneTown.  This is a follow up to their debut album, There From Here which came out in the fall of 2019 to rave reviews across the globe:  “Seamlessly assimilating elements from the avant-garde, funk and jazz worlds, There From Here is a stimulating addition to the saxophone trio canon” - Jazz Journal

On March 26th, Three Pines Records will be releasing Sarah Jerrom’s Dream Logic, an artsy folk-jazz album from the other end of the spectrum.  The ensemble consists of four highly-skilled Canadian musicians who each actively explore and play in a variety of musical projects and genres: Harley Card on guitar and vocals, Rob McBride on acoustic bass, Jeff Luciani on drums, with Jerrom on vocals and piano.
For more information please visit: www.threepinesrecords.ca

Sarah Jerrom and Dream Logic (March 26, 2021 Three Pines Records)

Dream Logic is a contemporary jazz quartet led by vocalist and composer Sarah Jerrom, performing a diverse collection of original music written and arranged for the group by Jerrom and other and members. Drawing from the jazz tradition, Dream Logic’s music merges creative improvisation and pop-sensibilities to introduce and develop an exciting cross-genre element. The ensemble consists of four highly-skilled Canadian musicians who each actively explore and play in a variety of musical projects and genres: Harley Card on guitar and vocals, Rob McBride on acoustic bass, Jeff Luciani on drums, with Jerrom on vocals and piano. Dream Logic has been performing in and around Toronto since 2017, with a steadily growing fan base. Notable performances include the 2018 Niagara Jazz Festival and the 2019 “In The Soil” Arts Festival. 

Dream Logic’s new album will be released on Mar. 26th, 2021.

More about the artists:

Sarah Jerrom is a Canadian vocalist and composer specializing in jazz and creative music, taking her inspiration from lyric-driven melodies, genre-defying instrumentation and experimental soundscapes. Sarah’s upcoming third album, a collection of original songs recorded by her contemporary jazz quartet, “Dream Logic,” will be released Mar 26th 2021 on Three Pines Records. “Dream Logic” follows up on her critically-acclaimed releases, “The Yeats Project” (2017), featuring W.B. Yeats’s poetry set to music and orchestrated for a nine-piece chamber jazz ensemble, achieving critical praise and international airplay, and “Illuminations” (2007), encompassing original compositions, jazz-inspired arrangements of contemporary songs and traditional jazz standards. A graduate of the University of Toronto jazz program (2005), Sarah has studied composition under renowned Canadian composers Christine Jensen, Christopher Smith, Andrew Downing and Rick Wilkins (O.C.).

“… Jerrom sounds best when she is free of traditional confines.” – Robert Rusch, Cadence Magazine

Harley Card is a Toronto based guitarist and composer. In addition to leading his own groups, Harley is a member of  and co-composer for the innovative Canadian bands; Hobson’s Choice, God’s Gift To Yoda, and Stoptime. As a contributor to the creative music scene in Toronto since 2003, Harley has played with many artists including; Richard Underhill, Alex Dean, Alex Samaras, David Virelles, William Carn, Michael Herring, Bernie Senensky, Michael Davidson, Don Scott, Matt Newton, Daniel Jamieson, Felicity Williams, Dave Clark, Carlie Howell, Jon Challoner, Sarah Jerrom, Colin Power, RJ Sachnanathan, Rebecca Hennessy, Dan Fortin,  Ben Dietschi, Dan Gaucher, Caitlin Smith, and Ernesto Cervini, among others. - www.harleycard.ca

Rob McBride is a highly in-demand bassist and bandleader who has been performing in the Toronto jazz scene for the last 25 years, playing at many of the city’s top jazz venues. While specializing in jazz, Rob is also influenced by solo classical and improvised bass music and has incorporated creative aspects of these elements into his sound through his five-string acoustic bass. Headliner performances includes the TD Niagara Jazz Festival (2014) and the Brampton World of Jazz Festival (2017). Rob has played with some of Canada’s finest musicians, including Pat LaBarbara, Don Thompson, Ted Warren, Sarah Jerrom, and Adrean Farrugia. He has played with the pit orchestra for the Shaw Festival and the Niagara Symphony Orchestra. Rob has played on many critically-acclaimed albums including recordings by Sarah Jerrom, Beverly Taft, Jeff King, and Barbara Mantini.

Jeff Luciani is a Canadian drummer and percussionist from St. Catharines, Ontario. After graduating from Mohawk College’s Applied Music Program in 2003, he began to work on establishing himself within the jazz, improvised music, singer-songwriter and Brazilian communities throughout the Niagara Region and city of Toronto. He then went on to perform throughout the world with celebrated Canadian artists: Sean Jones, The Dears, Derek Miller and Madison Violet. Jeff is currently an active member and collaborator with the groups/bands/artists; Batucada Carioca, SoundSound, Bankruptcy, Sarah Jerrom & Dream Logic, Colin Fisher, and The Dears. In addition, Jeff also works as an independent foley artist. He lives in Toronto, Canada. - www.jeffluciani.com

TuneTown - Entering Utopia (March 19, 2021 Three Pines Records)

TuneTown is an exciting collective featuring creative Toronto mainstays, Kelly Jefferson on Tenor Saxophone, Artie Roth on Bass and Ernesto Cervini on Drums. All three members are highly-respected Juno-nominated musicians with serious band leading chops, and the combination of the three leads to some breathtaking and powerful musical moments.   

The band plays imaginative re-arrangements of standards, and originals from all three members. They released their debut album, There From Here in September 2019 to rave reviews across the globe with Peter Hum from the Ottawa Citizen remarking, “TuneTown's debut disc makes a strong first impression with its rugged swinging, lucid improvising, sonic exploration and forthright teamwork.” 

TuneTown’s follow up album, Entering Utopia, will be released on March 19, 2021.

1. Hello, Today (Cervini) 5:07

2. Entering Utopia (Roth) 4:51

3. Layla Tov (Cervini) 5:16

4. Billyish (Cervini) 3:48

5. Flood, Deluge (Cervini, Jefferson, Roth) 3:34

6. Look Down (Cervini, Jefferson, Roth) 1:01

7. Sycamore (Roth) 6:36

8. Cheryl  (Charlie Parker, arr. Cervini, Jefferson, Roth) 5:45

9. Sgraffito (Cervini, Jefferson, Roth) 0:49

10. Memories Remain (Roth) 6:09

11. Looking Glass (Cervini, Jefferson, Roth) 0:30

12. Blue Gardenia (Bob Russel, Lester Lee, arr. Cervini, Jefferson, Roth) 3:18

Al Muirhead Quintet - Live From Frankie's & The Yardbird (February 19, 2021 Chronograph Records)

The first recording trumpeter Al Muirhead was ever involved in was recorded in 1953. He was 18 years old, playing in a small dance band at the Waterton Lakes Dance Hall in southern Alberta. A gentleman at the venue had just purchased a new direct to disc recording unit, and asked if he could record the concert.

Al still treasures that live recording experience to this day. Now here we are, 67 years later, as Muirhead releases his first vinyl LP as a bandleader – recorded live to disc at two of Canada’s finest jazz clubs. As Al recalls, LP’s were his preferred way to listen to music in his younger days, and he is happy to see them gaining in popularity again.

After such a long and storied career, it was high time to capture Muirhead’s playing – and the music he loves – live in concert. The idea was to plan a setlist of jazz standards ahead of time, while also allowing for organic, real-time improvisation and in-the-moment decision making – after all, some of jazz history’s best performances have been spontaneous, single takes! And with his 2020 JUNO-nominated quintet on hand, the sessions were sure to include more than a few magical moments.

This recording project speaks to the concept of legacy. It captures the organic nature of live jazz, where each performance is unique from one night to the next. This is a live on the bandstand recording that couldn’t be replicated in a studio. There is no option for overdubs or retakes here. It’s a pure representation of the musicianship that Al and his bandmates have brought to the Canadian cultural landscape for so many years. What you are hearing on this recording is the result of two evenings from that 2018 tour at the Yardbird Suite in Edmonton, Alberta and at Frankie’s Jazz Club in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Al Muirhead: bass trumpet & trumpet

Kelly Jefferson: tenor saxophone

Reg Schwager: guitar (2-4, 9)

Jim Head: guitar (1, 5-8)

Neil Swainson: bass

Jesse Cahill: drums (2-4, 9)

Ted Warren: drums (1, 5-8)


1. Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With (Al Muirhead Quintet: Live From Frankies & The Yardbird) 05:10

2. Joy Spring (Al Muirhead Quintet: Live From Frankies & The Yardbird) 05:34

3. Intermission Song (Al Muirhead Quintet: Live From Frankies & The Yardbird) 00:26

4. A Tune For Cal (Al Muirhead Quintet: Live From Frankies & The Yardbird) 07:38

5. Mona Lisa (Al Muirhead Quintet: Live From Frankies & The Yardbird) 06:05

6. Emily (Al Muirhead Quintet: Live From Frankies & The Yardbird) 06:19

7. Four Brothers (Al Muirhead Quintet: Live From Frankies & The Yardbird) 06:48

8. Tenor Madness (Al Muirhead Quintet: Live From Frankies & The Yardbird) 07:21

Dave Restivo - Arancina (Chronograph Records 2021)

 

Spanning a lifetime of travels and tribulations, this album explores the transitivity of home in all its forms. With each track, Restivo illustrates his journey through a diverse landscape of food, language, and culture, all the while discovering how these elements have come together to form his own sense of self. As expertly crafted as they are distinct, these works will have you flying over the Northumberland Strait one minute and dancing through the streets of Sicily the next.

“Train to Catania” pulls us in with soothing, rolling harmonies that blend together as seamlessly as pastels on a canvas. Down the tracks we go, through the spicy streets of Palermo and on to a moonlit Modica, rich with colours that lull the ear into a hypnotic tranquillity. We awake to the long-awaited taste of “Arancina”, a treat lush with joyful flavours. The sly modulations and energetic drive of “Raven’s Wing” take us in a refreshingly new direction, and are balanced out by a wandering, sultry take on Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”. Fawn Fritzen’s vocals lend a ray of sunshine to “Bittersweet Goodbye”, and the album closes with a reassuringly upbeat and sizzling finale, alive with the electricity of Bebop.
David Restivo – Piano, background vocals on Kintsugi
Jim Vivian – Bass
Alyssa Falk – Drums
Fawn Fritzen – Vocals

Sicilian Suite – 1. Train to Catania
Sicilian Suite – 2. Palermo Street Scenes
Sicilian Suite – 3. Moonlight in Modica
Sicilian Suite – 4. Arancina
Kintsugi
Buy Track
Raven’s Wing
Baby Steps
Bittersweet Goodbye
It’s You Or No One

Mike Freedman - Into The Daybreak (2021)

 

Into The Daybreak is Mike Freedman’s debut album as a jazz instrumentalist.

Inspired by 30 years of performing and writing in the Toronto music scene, as well as touring extensively in the US and Europe with other artists, Mike took to the studio to record some of his original songs and channel his creative energies.

The CD  features 9 of Mike’s tunes which blend his love of many different styles of music, ranging from jazz, latin, to blues and ambient music.  These 9 contrasting and colorful  tunes  glimmer with inspired performances and vibrancy.  The thread that runs through these contrasting tunes is the strong melodic content.  The tunes have a depth and feel that is both natural and familiar but also unique and memorable. 
Using a traditional jazz quartet lineup of piano (Jeremy Ledbetter), drums (Max Senitt), bass (Kobi Hass) and Mike on guitar, Mike and his band recorded the  bed tracks over two days, live off the floor at the world class Canterbury Studios in Toronto.  By recording live off the floor, the band was able to keep the performances interactive and inspired.  Additional instrumentation of Saxophone (Chris Gale), trumpet (Alexis Baros) and melodica (Jeremy Ledbetter) helped to add depth to the tunes and solos. 

With the assistance of Jeremy Darby’s masterful mixing and recording capabilities, Mike was able to capture a clear yet natural snapshot of these inspired tunes, filled with memorable melodies, beautiful solos, and heartfelt playing.  Into The Daybreak is a very listenable CD, with a radio friendly sound, stellar performances and a polished production.  Mike manages to walk the balance between accessibility and originality with this gem of an album, which shines brightly into the year 2021.
1. Day Of Change 4:31
2. May The 4th Be With You 6:01
3. Lamentation Revelation. 5:10
4. Samba On The Sand 4:51
5. Snake In The Grass 5:15
6. Into The Daybreak 4:23
7. Tomorrow Is Yesterday 5:02
8. Journey Beyond Seven 6:16
9. Resolve 4:21

Mike Freedman: Electric and nylon string guitar
Max Senitt: Drums and Percussion
Jeremy Ledbetter: Piano
Kobi Hass: Electric and acoustic bass
Chris Gale: Tenor Saxophone
Alexis Baro: Trumpet
Curtis Freeman: Electric Fretless on tracks 7 and 9
Louis Simao: Cuica on track 4

Richard Whiteman - Very Well & Good (Cornerstone Records)

Cornerstone Records proudly presents Very Well & Good, a new recording by bassist Richard Whiteman’s longstanding quartet, featuring master guitarist Reg Schwager, pianist Amanda Tosoff and drummer Morgan Childs. The quartet is joined on several tracks by tenor saxophone giants Pat LaBarbera and Mike Murley.

Richard considers this recording his finest and most personal to date because it successfully combines the directness and groove of straight ahead swinging jazz with the lyricism and textural beauty he loves in classical music and in the music of pianist Bill Evans.

The program includes nine striking Whiteman compositions, one standard, and one tune each from Amanda Tosoff and engineer/drummer/pianist André White.

 1. Very Well and Good (R. Whiteman) 5:20 

2. Not so Early (R. Whiteman)  4:38 

3. Re-enRe-entry (A. Tosoff) 6:06

4. Waltz for Zeke (R. Whiteman) 3:47

5. It Is What It Is - for John Sumners (R. Whiteman) 2:11

6. Selohssa (R. Whiteman) 7:05

7. Residue (André White)  5:32

8. Mangoes (D. Libbey, S. Wayne) 4:36

9. Pat and Mike (R. Whiteman) 7:26

10. La Belle Époche (R. Whiteman) 4:30

11. Right Here, Right Now, with You (R. Whiteman) 4:23

12. Dancing with Zeke (R. Whiteman) 6:18 


Richard Whiteman: bass

Reg Schwager: guitar

Amanda Tosoff: piano

Morgan Childs: drums

Griffith Hiltz Trio - Arcade (GB Records)

At an undisclosed location in a city somewhere in Canada, the highly guarded script for the greatest movie never made was born – featuring pirates, evil robot squids and a heroic one-armed football player. Long time friends and collaborators Nathan Hiltz and Johnny Griffith, spent many post-gig hours creating characters and worlds like the ones they lost themselves in as kids. They brought that sense of adventure into jam sessions and wasn’t long before the Griffith Hiltz Trio was born.

1. Movie Theme III: Transmogrification 00:30
2. Do Not Engage 05:21
3. W.C.W 06:11
4. Roberta's Quest 01:03
5. Ladies from the Eighties 06:49
6. Another Day in Paradise 00:39
7. Paper War (for Mike Post) 05:14
8. Kidnapped by Danger! 00:57
9. Rocket Surgeon 06:05
10. Space Hunter 00:27
11. Thunder Ninja 05:31
12. Play the Game 05:53
13. End of Line 01:17

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Joe Bowden / ROOTS - Tales of the Urban Yoda

"My original tracks influenced by my mentors, The Crusaders, James Brown, Steve Wonder, Parliament/Funkadelic and more." Joe Bowden

1. Doodlin' 03:49
2. Groovin' High 05:39
3. Sentimental 04:55
4. Second Skin 04:34
5. The Golden Rule 08:20
6. Jazz Dayz 04:12
7. The Seventies 06:56
8. All for You 06:13
9. Bustin' Loose 06:43

Michael Shand
Robi Botos
Andrew Stewart
Rich Brown
Calvin Beale
Andrew McAnsh
Luis Deniz
Gordon Hyland
Anthony Wright
Jeremy Darby
Peter Letros

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Amanda Tosoff - Earth Voices (Empress Music 2021)

Merging the deep, powerful messages of poetry with adventurous modern jazz, Toronto-based pianist/composer Amanda Tosoff leads a hybrid ensemble with strings and seven rotating vocalists on Earth Voices, the follow-up to her Juno Award-nominated 2016 release Words (“a grand achievement” – CBC Radio). The album is being released by Empress Music Group, a label and company founded by award-winning vocalist Emilie-Claire Barlow.

Earth Voices is Tosoff’s sixth album as a leader and the second to feature vocals. But whereas Words featured the marvelous singing of Felicity Williams straight through, Earth Voices adds six additional vocalists to the lineup in turn, each ideally suited to the song at hand. The compositions and orchestrations are sonorous, texturally rich, with a string quartet, guitarist Alex Goodman, and guest saxophonists Allison Au and Kelly Jefferson augmenting the lineup. The performances, full of eloquence and fire, are centered by Tosoff’s assured and lyrical pianism, revealing an artist at the peak of her powers.

Featuring the poetry of: Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, Rumi, Pablo Neruda and more; plus Tosoff’s arrangements of songs by: Joni Mitchell, Mike Ross (Soulpepper Theatre), and Yo-Yo Ma’s Goat Rodeo Session project.

"With Words, she's raised and broadened her game, and delivers lots of sonic beauty with an album that blurs pop, classical, folk and jazz. The disc's level of craft is very high, the music's very moving.”  – Peter Hum (Ottawa Citizen)

”Its very title warns jazz purists to expect they’re about to discover a whole lot more than jazz. That’s precisely what’s to be expected from emerging composers like Tosoff whose career, mostly lots of “straight ahead modern jazz” early on, has evolved. Words speaks vigorously about that evolution and about jazz’s evolution as well.” – Peter Goddard (Toronto Star)

Earth Voices will be released internationally on January 29th, 2021 by Empress Music.

ARTISTS:

Featuring the voices of:

Emilie-Claire Barlow, Laila Biali, Michelle Willis, Lydia Persaud, Robin Dann, Felicity Williams, and Alex Samaras


INSTRUMENTALISTS:

Kelly Jefferson (soprano sax)

Allison Au (alto sax)

Amanda Tosoff (piano)

Alex Goodman (guitar)

Jon Maharaj (bass)

Morgan Childs (drums)

Aline Homzy (violin)

Jeremy Potts (violin)

Laurence Schaufele (viola)

Beth Silver (cello)


POETRY:

Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, Rumi, Pablo Neruda and Marjorie Pickthall


COVERS:

Track 6 - Joni Mitchell

Track 5 - Mike Ross (Soulpepper Theatre)

Track 3 - Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer, Stuart Duncan, Aoife O'Donovan (from Yo-Yo Ma’s Goat Rodeo Sessions project)


All arrangements by Amanda Tosoff


1. Earth Voices Sample Clips (#1, 5 & 3) 02:01

2. A Dream Within a Dream (feat. Emilie-Claire Barlow) 05:04

3. Sonnet 49 (feat. Robin Dann) 05:25

4. Here and Heaven (feat. Michelle Willis and Alex Samaras) 05:20

5. Birdwings (feat. Alex Samaras) 05:27

6. Oh, Life (feat. Laila Biali & Alex Samaras) 06:14

7. The Fiddle and the Drum (feat. Lydia Persaud) 06:26

8. To a Stranger (feat. Felicity Williams) 05:59

9. Finis (feat. Emilie-Claire Barlow) 05:51