Luke Sellick: double bass
Benny Benack III: trumpet
Jordan Pettay: saxophone
Andrew Renfroe: guitar
Christopher Ziemba: piano
Billy Drummond: drums
The elusive “universal elixir” has resulted from the group’s impeccable swing on this album.
-Ron Carter
Bassist-of-choice for top-tier artists Russell Malone, Johnny O’Neal, Jimmy Greene and others, 26-year-old LUKE SELLICK is a compelling newcomer on the jazz scene. Raised in the rich and eclectic musical climate of Winnipeg, Canada, Luke’s musical journey lead him to New York where he attended The Juilliard School and was mentored by legendary bassist, Ron Carter. He apprenticed musically with pianist Johnny O’Neal, performing weekly in classic New York jazz clubs Smoke, Smalls and Mezzrow.
Having now traveled the world and performed at The Village Vanguard, Jazz Standard, Dizzy’s and other iconic venues, Luke presents his inaugural album as a bandleader and composer. Alchemist, (Cellar Live Records) is a 9-song exposition featuring some of the most prominent instrumentalists of New York’s next generation. It is an auspicious artistic statement combining themes relating to faith, upbringing, mentorship and an ongoing quest for knowledge, from the distant past to the present day.
Prelude and Hymn are reflective meditations on Sellick’s Christian faith, which was instilled in him during his Canadian upbringing. This upbringing is celebrated in the playful but relaxed Brothers (of which Sellick is the eldest of three), Dog Days, a tune that embodies the pace of that hottest time of year, and the R&B-tinged feel-good anthem, Home.
Q-Tippin, dedicated to drummer Quincy Davis, is an uptempo swing tune that features the unmistakable tone of another of Sellick's mentors, tenor saxophonist Jimmy Greene. This dedication acts as a metaphorical bridge between adolescence and the quest for knowledge that brought Sellick to his current community, Harlem, NYC; to which he pays swinging tribute here with Uptown!.
The timelessness of these themes is tied together by two compositions dedicated to ancient wisdom, the mysterious waltz Abacus and post-modern epic The Alchemist. Sellick likens the jazz composer to the medieval alchemist, who reworks common material to produce gold, something greater than the sum of its parts. Just as the alchemist concerns himself with immortality, so the artist aims to capture the eternal, and to create a work that becomes greater than the artist himself.
1. Prelude 1:01
2. Q-Tippin 6:45
3. Brothers 4:49
4. Hymn 6:02
5. The Alchemist 7:03
6. Dog Days 4:47
7. Abacus 4:00
8. Uptown! 4:52
9. Home 5:05
Jimmy Greene — tenor saxophone [2,4,6]
Jordan Pettay — alto saxophone [1,3,5,7,9]
Benny Benack III — trumpet [1,3,5,9]
Mat Jodrell — trumpet [2,7]
Adam Birnbaum — piano
Andrew Renfroe — guitar
Kush Abadey — drums [2,4,6,7,8]
Jimmy Macbride — drums [1,3,5,9]
Andrew Gutauskas — bass clarinet [1]
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