Barney McAll (ft. Gary Bartz) - Precious Energy (February 18, 2022 Extra Celestial Arts)

When I was a child, I used to swim for hours in the shallows at Mt Martha beach. Mask, snorkel, flippers amazement. I would chase the baby flathead that would skim the sand and, was fascinated by all the beautiful sea life and the essence of nature. Intermittent warm currents would wash over me and it would feel so comforting and sanguine. This ebb and flow was accepted without question. Can I continue to accept it?

I used to love the early morning after a king tide at Silverleaves when I would chase the thousand soldier crabs that would burrow under the sand to be reclusive within an instant. Does it matter where they went?

As I delve further into music I see that in many ways, I have been trying to recreate those tides, currents and crustaceans with sound. As every wave is unique - I wish to be relieved of the bondage of self.

Thank you to every earthling who contributed to this batch of sun rays and warm currents during dark times. Thank you especially to the artists on this album: I am so grateful to have this music made real. Thankyou; Gary Bartz, Billy Harper, Hiatus Kaiyote, Greg Sher, Allysha Joy, The Merri Creek, Wat Artists, Si Gould, Julie Vecera, Daniel Merriweather, Mike Gurrieri, Gilles Peterson, Mother Tongue Records, Fred Wesley and the JB's crew, Luna Blu, McAll tribe, Melbourne tribe, New York tribe.

Especially thanks to my beautiful family Jendhi, Elias and Julius. In memory of Jack and Yvonne McAll Spirit Eternal Life.

1. Precious Energy - Homage To Leon Thomas and Pharoah Sanders ft. Julien Wilson, Rita Satch

2. Sweet Water ft. - Homage To Oshun Rita Satch, Julien Wilson

3. Wild Horses In The Morning Sky ft. Laneous, Rita Satch

4. Sweet Sweet Spirit ft. Homage to Doris Akers ft. Gary Bartz, Rita Satch, Belle Bangard

5. Sun Rays ft. Jace XL, Laneous

6. Stevland ft. - Homage to Stevie Wonder Gary Bartz, Jace XL, Rita Satch, Belle Bangard

7. John Coltrane Homage to Strata East ft. Gary Bartz

8. Precious Energy (Bonus 'Lord's Garden' Remix)

"2020 and 2021 were tough - this music was made as a balm for me and can hopefully be one in some way for you too"

-Barney McAll

PRECIOUS ENERGY (Leon Thomas) Coburg Community Choir: Rita Satch, Angus Leslie, Grace Robinson, Barney McAll / Sax - Julien Wilson / Keys -Barney McAll / Drums - Ben Vanderwal / Drums recorded by Ben Vanderwal / Additional production by Theo Carbo /

Recorded at ExtraCelestial Arts by Barney McAll

SWEET WATER (Barney McAll) Lead Vocals - Rita Satch / Backing Vocals - Laneous / Drums - Perrin Moss / Guitar & Efx - Laneous / Bass - Paul Bender / Rhodes, Bul Bul Tarang, Percussion & Synth - Barney McAll / Saxophone- Julien Wilson / Bata and Percussion - Javier Fredes / Engineer- Ari Roze & Barney McAll /Mix Engineer- Nick Herrera / Mixed by Nick Herrera at The Grove, Coburg / Recorded at Plug Seven Studio, Collingwood /Additional recording by Barney McAll at ExtraCelestial Arts

WILD HORSES IN THE MORNING SKY (Barney McAll) Guitar & Lead Vocals - Laneous / Keys & BVs - Barney McAll / Keys - Simon Mavin / Guitars - Cameron Deyell / Bass - Paul Bender / Drums - Ben Vanderwal / Country Pickin’ Guitar - Theo Carbo / BVs -Rita Satch

Recorded by Nick Herrera at Headgap Studio / Vocals ,Guitar, Extra Keys Recorded at ExtraCelestial Arts by Barney McAll / Assistant Theo Carbo / Mixed By Gareth Thomson / Recorded at Headgap Studio

SWEET SWEET SPIRIT (Doris Akers arr. Barney McAll) Keys - Barney McAll / Alto and Soprano Sax - Gary Bartz / Bass - Paul Bender / Drums, Percussion - Hamish Stuart / Vocals - Belle Bangard / Vocals - Rita satch / Recorded at Extra Celestial Arts by Barney McAll / Drums Recorded Benjamin Rodgers at Apple Street Studios / Sax Recorded by Gary Bartz at OYO studios, San Francisco / Mixed by Theo Carbo / Additional production by Theo Carbo / Recorded at ExtraCelestial Arts

SUN RAYS (Barney McAll) Vocals - Jace XL / Keys, Talkbox - Barney McAll / Bass - Paul Bender / Drums - Perrin Moss / Guitar & Solo - Laneous / Vocals -Rita Satch / Cosmic Ventriloquist Choir: Rita Satch, Grace Robinson, Emma Volard, Matilda Abraham, Indigo King, Josh Kyle, Miro Lauritz, Damon Smith, Audrey Powne, Sylvie Evans, Isadora Lauritz / Mixed by Gareth Thomson / Rhythm Section Recorded by Ari Roze at Plug Seven Studios

STEVLAND (Barney McAll, Greta Gertler) Vocals - Jace XL / Keys - Barney McAll / Keys - Simon Mavin / Vocals - Rita Satch / Vocals -Bell Bangard / Alto and Soprano Sax -Gary Bartz / Bass -Paul Bender / Guitars -Cameron Deyell / Drums -Ben Vanderwal / Vocals and Additional Recording at ExtraCelestial Arts by Barney McAll / Mixed by Theo Carbo / Additional production by Theo Carbo / Recorded at Headgap Studio / Sax Recorded by Gary Bartz at OYO studios, San Francisco

JOHN COLTRANE (Bill Lee) Keys -Barney McAll / Keys - Simon Mavin / Alto and Soprano Sax - Gary Bartz / Bass -Paul Bender /Drums - Ben Vanderwal / Vocals - Gary Bartz with Rita Satch, Belle Bangard, Barney McAll // Vocals and Additional Recording at Extra Celestial Arts by Barney McAll / Mixed by Theo Carbo / Additional production by Theo Carbo / Recorded at Headgap Studio

Album mastered by Lachlan Carrick / Cover art by Tokio Aoyama / All songs Produced by Barney McAll

PRE-ORDER

Gary Bartz, Ali Shaheed & Adrian Younge - Gary Bartz JID006 (April 2, 2021 Jazz Is Dead Records)

The shadow that Gary Bartz casts over the last six decades of progressive Black music, and his continued dedication to the same, makes him a logical and very welcome contributor to the Jazz Is Dead label. An alto saxophonist steeped in the history and tradition of his instrument who is also restlessly experimental and not prone to purism of any kind, he enjoys both the respect and admiration of his peers and the hero worship of several generations after him – including Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge, which inevitably led to Gary Bartz JID006.

A look at his body of work reveals dalliances with bebop, hard bop, free jazz, spiritual jazz, soul jazz, jazz-funk, fusion and acid jazz, all while resolutely remaining unmistakably Gary Bartz. There’s early work with Eric Dolphy and McCoy Tyner in Charles Mingus’ Jazz Workshop, work with Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln, a stint in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, and also one with Miles. There’s his groundbreaking and highly influential Ntu Troop albums of the early ‘70s and his jazz-funk work including two classic albums with the Mizell Brothers, one of which supplied A Tribe Called Quest with a sample that was smooth like butter. And while on the subject of samples, the Bartz catalog has provided hip-hop and other genres with a rich source of them, and artists who have gone to his well when producing beats also include Black Sheep, Jurassic 5, Casual, RPM, Warren G, Photek, Statik Selektah, Chi-Ali, 3rd Bass, Showbiz, Z-Trip, Young Disciples, and many others.

The socio-political content of much of Bartz’s work, particularly during the early ‘70s, is another factor that has captured the attention of and influenced many. He was wide awake to the pressing issues of his day, which sadly haven’t changed much in a half-century—long before the term “woke” was ever coined—which adds continued relevance and resonance to albums like the two Harlem Bush Music LPs. Speaking his mind and expressing thoughts and feelings lyrically and vocally were a consistent aspect of his work during this era, but even with all this there’s always still a space within Gary’s oeuvre for the celebration of simple and beautiful basic truths.

“Working with Gary Bartz epitomizes the ethos behind Jazz Is Dead,” says Younge. “He’s a luminary that has contributed so much to music culture, for decades. His musical ability is expanding with age and we’re honored to be a part of his world.”

“Day By Day” brings Bartz full circle by placing him in a more modern context which he contributed to creating in the first place. It takes certain sonic cues from Muhammad’s old group, A Tribe Called Quest, while also calling to mind neo-soul a little bit. But the icing on the cake is the unexpected and gorgeous vocal chorus which is like the sun coming out and which once again harks back to an element familiar to Mizell fans.

With its propulsive bassline steadily prodding the track along, “The Message” is strongly rooted in classic ‘70s modal jazz and serves as the spiritual and emotional centerpiece of the album. The instrumental interplay and textures would have been perfectly at home on the Black Jazz label even though there’s also a certain almost intangible postmodern, 21st century approach to that style, perfectly in keeping with Bartz’s well-known tendency to look forward, not backwards.

The main thrust of “Black And Brown” is an immersion in classic jazz-funk, a short blast of vintage fusion riffing that ultimately feels like one of those classic extended ‘70s jams condensed down to its most intense just-under-three-minutes with Bartz blowing freely over very familiar musical territory and sounding like he’s having an amazing time doing it.

If “Spiritual Ideation” calls anything immediately to mind, it’s the overall vibe and atmosphere of the compositions on 1975’s classic Mizell-produced The Shadow Do album. Its chords seem to move along in similar fashion to a few of the tracks on that album, but they’re transposed on to what has quickly become the JID signature sound. Bartz’s tone and phrasing is instantly recognizable and sits on top of the Younge/Muhammad-produced backing as snugly as it did on the Mizells’ groove 45 years ago.

Bartz brought his historically busy touring and recording schedule into the new millennium, re-establishing his deep jazz credentials even as another generation of DJs and hip-hop producers discovered the untold riches contained in his back catalog. He remains spry, fit and energetic at age 80 and his new collaboration with Jazz Is Dead’s Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad is the glorious proof. This is what Gary Bartz brings to this Jazz Is Dead collaboration, and as can be expected, his questing spirit fits the Jazz Is Dead style like a glove and has produced an album that’s a cutting-edge addition to his immense canon as he effortlessly interfaces with the next generation.

1. Spiritual Ideation

2. Visions of Love

3. Black and Brown

4. Blue Jungles

5. Day By Day

6. Distant Mode

7. The Message

8. Soulsea

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Heads of State - Four in One (SMOKE SESSIONS RECORDS 2017)

HEADS OF STATE, FEATURING FOUR OF THE MOST RESPECTED and admired jazz artists of our time releases its first recording Search for Peace. A band over 50 years in the making, Gary Bartz, Larry Willis, Buster Williams, and Al Foster had performed together countless times in different combinations and contexts over their storied careers, but it wasn’t until September 2014 that they appeared as a quartet.

The occasion that night was a tribute to McCoy Tyner, and the results were so inspired and the response so overwhelming that they knew right away they had something worth keeping. As pianist Larry Willis puts it, “I don’t think there are any bands that are doing quite what we’re doing right now.” Now, their unique chemistry and musicianship is documented on Search for Peace. It features selections by John Coltrane (“Impressions”), Jackie McLean (“Capuchin Swing”), Benny Carter (“Summer Serenade”), Billy Strayhorn (“Lotus Blossom”) and, of course, the moving title track by Tyner (“Search for Peace”) Gary Bartz contributes two compositions (“Uncle Bubba” which Gary performed with McCoy and “Soulstice”) and there are two standards (“Crazy She Calls Me” and “I Wish I Knew” which Tyner famously recorded with Coltrane).

It is a well-chosen and balanced set, but the selections are somewhat beside the point; this all-star quartet makes everything sound like magic.

01. For in One 7:18

02. And He Called Himself a Messenger 4:26

03. Dance Cadaverous 10:02

04. Moose the Mooche 5:28

05. Aloysius 6:37

06. The Day You Said Goodbye 7:55

07. Milestones 4:48

08. Keep the Master in Mind 5:57

09. Someone to Watch Over Me 8:12

10. Sippin’ at Bells 3:56

11. Freedom Jazz Dance 6:39

Wallace Roney - A Place in Time (HIGHNOTE RECORDS 2016)

Wallace Roney's music is a tough, taut and intransigent continuation of the arcane forms and structured freedoms of Miles Davis' 1960s quintet. Listeners often associate Roney with Davis, thanks to Roney's work with the jazz legend early in Roney's career. 

But at this point, Davis' impact on Roney can be considered mostly historic, with Roney's playing larger in scope, firmer in tone and sharper in attack than Davis.' Today, Wallace's set lists feature easy-on-the-ear themes that mask harmonic complexities, while solos are fueled by strong moods and sustained rhythmic drive informed by the spectre of Davis but far from imitating him. Whether he performs up-tempo original compositions or mainstream ballads, Roney is always compelling in his idiosyncratic ways.

His tendency to produce smeared tones, bent pitches and jabbing rhythmic figures in the stratospheric range of the instrument distinguishes his playing, as does the volatile spirit and ever-changing direction of his phrases. With the Grammy-winning composer/pianist Patrice Rushen on hand with guest reedman Gary Bartz and Wallace's sidemen of choice, Ben Solomon, tenor sax, Buster Williams, bass and Lenny White, drums, the musicians deliver a blisteringly accomplished and creative session.

WALLACE RONEY, trumpet

Patrice Rushen, piano

Gary Bartz, alto sax

Ben Solomon, tenor & soprano sax

Buster Williams, bass

Lenny White, drums

01 Around and Through

02 Elegy

03 Air Dancing

04 Observance

05 Ardéche

06 L's Bop

07 0Clair de lune

08 My Ship