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

Mike Freedman Website

Carlos Averhoff Jr. - Iqba: Jazz Meets Cuban Tima (INNER CIRCLE MUSIC 2018)

This album has a fresh, energetic and groovy sound. It melts music elements from modern Jazz with the groove of Afro Cuban rhythms and Timba, a modern Cuban dance genre which was born during 1990's. 

The name iQba (iQ-Cuba), was inspired on the economic crisis in Cuba in the 1990's. At that time, Cuban music evolved in response to the social anxiety and hardships in the island. Timba is a dance genre that gave voice to a historical moment in Cuba. The tittle iQba (iQ-Cuba), makes reference to those years in the island and speaks to the innate intellectual capacity of the Cuban people to reinvent themselves with creativity and by using unlikely resources. iQba is a musical representation of the years of Carlos Averhoff's youth listening to Timba music in a neighborhood influenced by the Yoruba religion, and from his learning experiences as a band member of Cuban Timba bands, performing the night away in front of large, dancing crowds.

www.averhoffjr.com