Harold Danko - Triple Play (SteepleChase Productions ApS 2017)

Harold Danko concludes his liner notes entitled “Arriving at The Unknown” on this “Triple Play” album, stating, “I hope … listeners of this CD are prepared to join us as we take off to undiscovered region.”

Ever subtle and transcendent pianist/composer Danko and his congenial co-players Jay Anderson and Jeff Hirshfield are unfolding a unique universe of improvising in and on the recognizable repertoire to pleasant surprises.

1 TOTAL OBSESSION 9:06

2 SKY BLUES 6:48

3 MADEMOISSELLE DREAMY 6:13

4 A QUIET DAWN 5:17

5 TRIPLE PLAY 10:49

6 SHALLOW WATERS 7:47

7 CLASSIFIED ATTACHMENT 4:12

8 ANCIENT AND DISTANT 7:13

9 STREAM OF TEARS 6:41

Harold Danko piano

Jay Anderson bass

Jeff Hirshfield drums

Vincent Hsu Trio (feat. Harold Danko & Billy Drummond) - Lullaby for the Youth (2016)

2016 sees the release of Hsu’s brand-new album, Lullaby for the Youth. For Hsu, youth isn’t about age; it’s what he calls “a state of mind.” Drawing upon his experiences during that courage-and hope-filled stage of life, he offers support—in the form of a lullaby—to those who are pursuing their own dreams. For the making of Lullaby for the Youth, Hsu assembled a lineup of jazz veterans who have been a part of the scene for nearly four decades, namely pianist Harold Danko and drummer Billy Drummond, who will also join the 2016 album release tour.

Vincent Hsu
Vincent Hsu is a jazz bassist and composer. Born in Changhua, Taiwan, and raised in Kaohsiung, he launched his musical career in New York City, where he lived for eight years. His debut album, Homeland, won Best Jazz Album at the 2014 Golden Indie Music Awards and was nominated for three Golden Melody Awards in 2015: Best Album, Best Composer, and Best Producer (Instrumental).

Hsu was awarded a master’s degree in Jazz Performance from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Performance from City College of New York, where he previously earned a master’s degree in TESOL. His musical styles cross between jazz and Afro-Cuban music. Outside of performing, he is committed to the outreach of jazz culture and original compositions, actively promoting jazz and Afro-Cuban music through projects in education and international exchange. He formed the Soy La Ley Afro-Cuban Jazz Band and serves as the musical director of the Clave de Cuba arts festival.

2016 sees the release of Hsu’s brand-new album, Lullaby for the Youth. For Hsu, youth isn’t about age; it’s what he calls “a state of mind.” Drawing upon his experiences during that courage-and hope-filled stage of life, he offers support—in the form of a lullaby—to those who are pursuing their own dreams. For the making of Lullaby for the Youth, Hsu assembled a lineup of jazz veterans who have been a part of the scene for nearly four decades, namely pianist Harold Danko and drummer Billy Drummond, who will also join the 2016 album release tour.

- Vincent Hsu, acclaimed by American jazz bassist Cecil McBee: “Now! —— is his time to be heard and realized that his music of high quality should, and will be appreciated the world over.”

- Homeland wins Best Jazz Album at the 2014 Golden Indie Music Awards.

-Homeland wins Best Instrumental Album at the 2015 Freshmusic Awards.

- Homeland is nominated for three Golden Melody Awards in 2015: Best Album, Best Composer, and Best Producer (Instrumental).

Harold Danko
Over the course of a career spanning more than 30 years, pianist Harold Danko is well recognized from long-term associations with countless legendary jazz ensembles and worked together with many luminaries in the world of jazz, including Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, Lee Konitz, and Woody Herman. In past two decades, he has proved himself as a composer in his own right and devoted himself to jazz education. From 2002 to 2011, he served as the chair of Jazz Studies at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he now teaches jazz piano and is the director of its jazz performance workshops. In recent years, he has regularly appeared at landmark venues and performed at major jazz festivals.

Billy Drummond
Hailed as "one of the hippest bandleaders now at work" by DownBeat magazine, Billy Drummond rose to prominence in the late ’80s while playing in the bands of jazz legends Horace Silver, J.J. Johnson, and Sonny Rollins. The New York Times has praised his work as both a drummer and a bandleader, calling it “fertile, exciting music.” He is one of the most highly sought-after sidemen in the jazz world today, having appeared on more than 300 albums. A professor at the Juilliard School as well as at New York University, he continues to maintain a busy touring schedule and travel around the globe teaching workshops.

01. Renaissance Hot

02. Vanilla Orchid

03. Slugs’

04. For Charlie

05. Lullaby for the Youth Hot

06. Dreaming New York Hot

07. Don’t Mess with Angels

08. Hugo

09. Waltz for Calice

10.The Awakening

11.After Sunshine 

Vincent Hsu - double bass

Harold Danko - piano

Bill Drummond - drums

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Vincent Hsu Website

Harold Danko - Lost In The Breeze (2016)

Label:

Source: Jazz Messengers

Genre: Piano Trio

GAB's Rating: ★★★★★

 Harold Danko is a perfect example of a veteran musician who might not be recognized by the average jazz listener but who is composing interesting originals and finding new approaches to others' songs. An underrated but consistently creative modern jazz pianist, Danko has been an asset to many sessions through the years. From the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, Lee Konitz, or as the pianist of choice for Chet Baker.

Many of his CDs have been for the Danish label Steeplechase and fans will discover on our website easy access to the wealth of great music that Danko has recorded for the label since the mid-'90s, which features fresh interpretations of familiar songs along with deserving but lesser-known works. This trio session with Jay Anderson on bass, who steps in replacing Michael Formanek – who is currently involved in his on projects like the fascinating Ensemble Kolossus  - and Jeff Hirsfield on drums perform eight original compositions plus two Duke Jordan tunes, "Paula" and "If I Did - Would You?", which Duke performed on his classic 1974 SteepleChase album 'Flight to Denmark'. This is not a typical piano-bass-drums session, but one where all three players are actively engaged in interplay, rather than just a "follow the leader" date.

01. Fall Splits
02. Homing Instinct
03. Big Squeeze
04. Lost in the Breeeze
05. Salt ‘n’ Sugar
06. Stumble Crush
07. Fish Road
08. Paula
09. If I Did - Would You?
10. Singularity

HAROLD DANKO, piano
JAY ANDERSON, bass
JEFF HIRSFIELD. drums

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