Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Bryan McCune & Brian Kooken - Spiral​.​.​.​let’s go out West (April 2021)

North Carolina Cornetist/composer Bryan McCune, and Baltimore guitarist/composer Brian Kooken released this adventurous album of free improvisations, original compositions, and the odd traditional song originally in 1998. North Carolina percussionist Francis Dyer also contributed to a number of the tracks

1. Joe D. 06:25
2. Malaig 07:55
3. On again, Off again 03:28
4. Wildwood Flower 08:19
5. Malaga 08:41
6. Free thing 08:02
7. Give Me Liberty Waltz 05:36
8. Chant 04:20
9. The Nice Song 02:52
10. Spiral...let's go out West 08:01
11. frere jacques 01:07

Giovanni Di Domenico - Musica Per Insiemi (April 2021)

If it were possible to relate images with Giovanni Di Domenico's music, the most plausible would be those of forms painted with perfect balance and purity. Absolutely versatile and eclectic, the Italian composer has long accustomed us to sounds full of ecstatic tension, but pervaded with a refined and cyclical harmony of the parts. Musica Per Insiemi is the result of three recordings with three different ensembles, two more varied in terms of orchestral tones, one for organ only and female voices. In their different physiognomy, the tracks retain a common denominator of beauty. Di Domenico has firmly established the frame of reference in his compositions, the spine of ethereal movements of the piano and fender rhodes.

The mood of the other instruments are attached by subtle stratifications, like a river from which its tributaries wind. In this way, the sound matter advances with the solemn calm and brilliance of the individual fragments. The variety of influences remains in the perennial expectation of minimalist whiteness, of contemporary arias with a Nordic flavor or scents of cosmic drones, but always results in a personal and mysterious overview.

1. Kyu-u-ri 15:22
2. Go-Bo 17:03
3. Slides 09:33

All music composed by Giovanni Di Domenico.

Mixing by Giovanni Di Domenico at The Nest Cellar, Brussels.
Master & lacquer cut by Frederic Alstadt at Angtrom Mastering, Brussels.

Kyu-u-ri was commissioned by Bruno Letort for Ars Musica Festival 2018 and premiered at BOZAR (Brussels) in November 2018.

Played by Giovanni Di Domenico (Fender Rhodes & electronics) and Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles: Jean Paul Dessy (conductor), Berten D’Hollander (alto flute), Charles Michiels (clarinet), Adrien Lambinet (trombone), André Ristic (piano), Pierre Quiriny (vibraphone/crotales), Hughes Kolp (electric guitar), Claire Bourdet (1st violin), Laurent Hoque (2nd violin), Karel Koninx (viola), Jean-Pol Zanutel (cello).
Recorded by Jarek Frankowski.

Go-bo was recorded by Giovanni Di Domenico during a residency at Theatre 140, Brussels, in April 2018.

Is played by: Ananta Roosens (viola stringed violin), Benoît Leseure (violin), Jean Philippe Feiss (cello), Manolo Cabras (double bass) and Giovanni Di Domenico (piano, Fender Rhodes, electronics).

Slides was also recorded by Giovanni Di Domenico during the same residency at Theatre 140, Brussels, in April 2018.

Is played by Giovanni Di Domenico (organs) and Patshiva CIE (voices): Charlotte Couturier, Dorothée Dassy, Céline De Vos, Dounia Depoorter, Manuela de Tervarent, Amélie Dieudonné, Bérengère Dupuis, Mathilde Henkinbrant, Roxane Lefebvre, Virginie Pierre, Fatou Traoré.

Àlex Cassanyes - Composició II (April 2021 UnderPool)

Composició II is a concept album that revolves around the idea of art as a refuge. Cassanyes has drawn inspiration from different art forms such as painting, literature and sculpture and each of the new compositions that make up the album, many of which were composed during the lockdown, have been inspired by works by artists such as Alfred Sisley, Enrique Vila Matas, Ernest Hemingway or Jaume Plensa, all of whom Cassanyes deeply admires.

The delicate melodies and the carefully constructed arrangements, written for a nonet made up of some of the most highly regarded local musicians, confirm that we are in the presence of one of the composers with greatest potential on the current scene.

Àlex Cassanyes describes life through music, using his art as a means of communication to transmit the emotions that are essential for our well being.

1. Organic John 07:23
2. La débacle de la Seine à Port-Marly 10:04
3. El Realismo Visceral 08:26
4. Shakespare & Company 04:55
5. D'ailleurs, c'est tojours les autres qui meurent 10:20
6. Els primers freds 08:38
7. Paisatge 06:35
8. Spiegel 03:25
9. Olhar nos meus sonhos, Awilda 08:07

Alba Careta – Trumpet
Alba Pujals – Trombone
Marcel·lí Bayer -Alto Sax, Clarinet
Sergi Felipe -Tenor Sax, Flute
Jordi Santanach – Tenor Sax, Bass Clarinet
Leo Tejedor – Guitar
Néstor Giménez – Piano
Manel Fortià – Bass
Ramon Prats – Drums

All music composed and arranged by Àlex Cassanyes

Recorded Live at Teatre de L’Aurora, Igualada 9 November 2020
Recorded by Adrià Serrano and Sergi Felipe
Mixed by Sergi Felipe. Master joan Hernàndez
Cover Draw by Àlex Cassanyes. Design Pepon Meneses
Produced by Estival de Jazz d’Igualada and UnderPool

Jonathan Butler Performs in South African Freedom Day Celebration

South African Singer Songwriter Jonathan Butler
Performs in Special Freedom Day Celebration

South African Embassy and
America's Voices Against Apartheid
Commemorate 27 Years of Freedom and Democracy

April 27 at 12:00PM ET
Join us for a virtual celebration, April 27 at 12:00PM ET/6:00PM SAST, in honor of Freedom Day in South Africa. This year we will pay special tribute to South African activist and advocate Charlotte Maxeke for her unwavering commitment to educate, inform and mobilize Americans and South Africans around the anti-apartheid movement.

Event highlights include civil rights activist and journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault as the moderator, panelist Elfred Anthony Pinkard, President of Wilberforce University, and a heartfelt tribute from South African singer-songwriter and guitarist Jonathan Butler.

Visit here for more information on America's Voices Against Apartheid Project.

For more information on Jonathan Butler, please visit: JonathanButler.com

ZmoodFellaZ - ZmoodFellaZ play Bud Powell (April 27, 2021)

This is the Debut album of the ZmoodFellaZ. This group was formed in late 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It consist of Jonah Cabral on Alto Saxophone, Mattia Matranga on Bass, Dmitri Tsvetkov on Drums and Kumar Roozen on Piano. The album is dedicated to one of the masters of bebop and the jazz tradition, Bud Powell. The tunes played on this album have a little twist that engages listeners but still salutes the genius mind of Bud and his creative compositions.

1. Glass Enclosure 05:53
2. The Fruit 05:16
3. Oblivion 05:11
4. Time Waits/Dusk in Sandi 06:05
5. Willow Grove 05:59
6. Tempus Fugit (Tempus Fugue-It) 03:18