Azar Lawrence | "New Sky" | Trazar Records (February 4, 2022)

Legendary Saxophonist and Composer

Azar Lawrence Ushers in a Post-Pandemic Age

of Spiritual Renewal with the Scintillating New Sky

"The musical and the metaphysical have always converged in the work of

tenor and soprano saxophonist Azar Lawrence…”

— WBGO

"His multi-hued palette is by turns funky, melodic, spiced with

Brazilian and Afro-Caribbean touches, and is consistently

uplifting throughout.”

— Glide Magazine

"The exciting thing about this album is how effortlessly Lawrence adapts

to different styles with the same grandiose positivism. New Sky showcases the

leader’s eclectic writing and provides a smooth, pleasant listening that

comes right on time to appease minds and spirits."

— Jazz Trail

For those who've survived the Covid-19 pandemic, the last two years have been transformative. If we're fortunate, we have assessed our losses, which can range from personal loved ones, health, and financial securities as well as our gains, which can include a renewed sense of purpose, deeper appreciation for life, and a keen acknowledgment of self-resilience and spirituality. Veteran tenor and soprano saxophonist and composer, Azar Lawrence taps into the latter with his new album, New Sky, a defiantly optimistic musical soundtrack – co-produced by him, James Saez and Tracy Hannah – that focuses on the benefits that we've received since the pandemic began.

 

With an illustrious career that stretches more than half a century, Lawrence has performed with numerous jazz titans that include pianists Horace Tapscott and McCoy Tyner; trumpeters Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, and Woody Shaw; percussionist James Mtume; and drummers Elvin Jones and Billy Higgins. The Los Angeles-born Lawrence, however, has never been confined by conventional genre categories. His instrumental and songwriting work with iconic soul singers, Chuck Jackson, Roberta Flack, Marvin Gaye, and Phyllis Hyman; and the R&B/jazz juggernaut ensemble, Earth, Wind & Fire is just as indelible.

 

The culminating experiences from working with those artists as well as mapping out his impressive discography as a leader, particularly his fiery spiritual jazz LPs for Prestige Records in the 1970s – Bridge into the New Age (1974), Summer Solstice (1975), and People Moving (1976) – all inform what Lawrence brings to the table on New Sky.

 

"All of my skills that have been gathered throughout my career has been a journey, and all of those energies that have been acquired throughout that journey are coming together in a focused manner," Lawrence says. "This new album expresses that."

 

Joining Lawrence on New Sky is an illustrious cast of musicians that consists of pianists and keyboardists John Beasley and Nduduzo Makhathini; bassist Sekou Bunch; drummer Tony Austin; percussionist Munyungo Jackson; singers Calesha "Bre-Z" Murray, Oren Waters, and Lynne Fiddmont; harpist Destiny Muhammad; and guitarists James Saez, Greg Poree and Gregory 'GMOE' Moore. Together, they aim to usher in a new post-pandemic dawn, filled with universal love and global humanity.

 

Lawrence's coiling soprano saxophone rises triumphantly on the album's opening piece, "All in Love" as he's announcing a new age of enlightenment. The rest of the ensemble soon joins in to underscore Lawrence's declarative melody and commanding improvisation with a strident groove that sounds like angels marching down to earth.  

 

"The concept comes from one of the benefits of the Aquarian Age idea, in which society starts to embrace universal love," Lawrence explains of "All in Love." "We're becoming more of a global society in which all races and different religious ideas can be embraced."

 

Spiritual ebullience continues with the surging samba-inflected "Peace and Harmony" and the equally Brazilian flavored title track "New Sky," which features Fiddmont's caressing lead vocals sharing the frontline with Lawrence's soulful passages.

"New Sky'' refers to the cleansing that has occurred via this pandemic," Lawrence says. "Now many people are experiencing the freshness that comes after everything has been shut down. We think differently; there are so many new possibilities now. Everything is fresh and new as we start to rebuild after the initial shutdown for the pandemic."

 

The acknowledgment of this new sky and moments of transition are articulated in the percolating "Ain't No Doubt About It," featuring Calesha "Bre-Z" Murray's raspy, hip-hop-centric vocals sharing the lead with Lawrence's alluring melodic improvisations on tenor saxophone.

 

Lawrence pays respect to the Creator, All-Mighty on the enticing R&B-flavored "Just Because of You," featuring vocalist Oren Waters of the legendary The Waters singing group. Afterward, Lawrence spruces up one of his older compositions, "From the Point of Love," which was first recorded on his Summer Solstice album. The new version retains the haunting, samba-tinged spiritual vibe of the original as Lawrence's sensual soprano recalls some of John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders's seeking explorations, while John Beasley heightens the tranquil suspenseful with a joyous solo on electric piano.

 

The festive waltz, "Birds Are Singing," marked by Lawrence's soprano saxophone once again channeling Coltrane's hypnotic musing, touches upon the theme of how birds tend to sing loudly after many natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes. Rejuvenating energy of survival after life's calamities and having faith that brighter days are to come are wonderfully captured on the energetic "I Really Love You" and the groove-laden, "Let It Go."

 

"'Let It Go' comes from the standpoint of how we have started letting go of some of the lower thoughts as we tune ourselves to the higher energies that have been delivered during the pandemic," Lawrence explains. "During the shutdown, we had to let a lot of things go that we were clinging to. When we let go of a lot of these things, we got a chance to see what was necessary for our lives."

 

The album closes with Lawrence refurbishing another older composition, "Revelation" which was originally featured on his 2009 album, Speak the Word. The composition rumbles with Black American church fury as Lawrence unravels a haunting, sermon-like melody on soprano saxophone. The song also features a powerful Tyner-esque piano solo from critically acclaimed, South African-born pianist Nduduzo Makhathini and celestial harp accompaniment from Destiny Muhammad.

 

Lawrence composed and recorded most of the music on New Sky during the beginning of October 2020. As someone who practices Egyptian Ankh mediation, and breathing mediation techniques taught by Michael Beckwith's Agape International Spiritual Center, he used the first year of the pandemic to listen to his inner voice for musical inspiration.

 

"There was the lack of the outer movement – having to sustain oneself and staying out of the limelight," Lawrence says of that period. "It gave us a lot of time to focus our energies, go within, and listen to the inner call. Now, a new age is taking hold with some of the new ideas."

Azar Lawrence | New Sky

Trazar Records | Release Date: February 4, 2022

For more information on Azar Lawrence, please visit:

AzarLawrence.com | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

John Patitucci and Andy James | An Evening With John Patitucci & Andy James (November 5, 2021 Le Coq Records)

AVAILABLE NOW via LE COQ RECORDS



VOCALIST ANDY JAMES AND

BASS MASTER JOHN PATITUCCI TEAM UP TO CRAFT

AN INTIMATE EVENING OF JAZZ STANDARDS AND

POP CLASSICS BACKED BY AN ALL-STAR ENSEMBLE

AN EVENING WITH JOHN PATITUCCI & ANDY JAMES,

DUE OUT NOVEMBER 5 ON LE COQ RECORDS,

FEATURES ARRANGEMENTS BY

BILL CUNLIFFE AND CONTRIBUTIONS BY

CHRIS POTTER, RICK MARGITZA, TERELL STAFFORD,

JOHN BEASLEY, VINNIE COLAIUTA AND MORE

On An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James, two gifted performers join forces to conjure an intimate evening of captivating music. At a time when jazz aficionados around the world have been starved for musical experiences, the album recreates the sultry atmosphere of a candlelight nightclub as some of the most revered musicians in modern jazz perform classic standards.

Due out November 5 via Le Coq Records, An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James features nearly 90 minutes of scintillating music featuring an incomparable ensemble. In addition to James’ mesmerizing vocals and Patitucci’s bass mastery, the album boasts arrangements by piano great Bill Cunliffe for an ensemble that includes saxophonists Chris Potter and Rick Margitza, trumpeter Terell Stafford, guitarists Chico Pinheiro and Jake Langley, keyboardists John Beasley and Jon Cowherd, percussionist Alex Acuña, drummers Vinnie Colaiuta, Marcus Gilmore and Marvin “Smitty” Smith, along with powerful horn and string sections.

“I wanted people to just sit back and enjoy a listening experience of serene pleasure,” declares James. “John and I tried to create something easy to listen to that would leave people feeling good afterwards. I recorded the album in anticipation that people wouldn’t something too complicated at this time we all find ourselves in.”

Jazz singing and Flamenco dance have been parallel passions throughout Andy James’ life. Flamenco took prominence during what she now refers to as “act one” of her artistic life. She became renowned as a world-class Flamenco dancer, enjoying a successful career dancing with husband and partner Piero Pata in Madrid.

For “act two,” James relocated to the U.S. and focused on her singing career, renewing collaborations with the great jazz musicians who had crossed her path while they traveled through Europe. She and Pata launched Le Coq Records, releasing a series of albums ranging in style from the elegance of the female jazz swing tradition to vintage R&B to the post-bop urgency of the classic Blue Note era. 

An estimable professional family has quickly found a home at the label, with Patitucci, Acuña and Cunliffe playing key roles on a number of releases and several musicians making recurring appearances from one recording to the next. On An Evening With…, Patitucci proves an ideal partner for James, bringing his revered tone and musical vision to the project and convening the ideal musicians for each piece.

“When choosing personnel for any project,” Patitucci explains, “I try to find the greatest musicians that I have longstanding relationships with, in order to have the opportunity to get more deeply into the music at hand.”

Over the course of a career lasting four decades, Patitucci has forged essential collaborations with some of the most acclaimed artists in jazz and beyond, most notably long-lasting partnerships with iconic saxophonist Wayne Shorter and the late Chick Corea. 

Speaking of James, Patitucci says, “Andy is a very generous and flexible collaborator. She has a great love for the Great American Songbook. When she sings, her phrasing is reminiscent of so many of the great singers that I grew up listening to. The style that she sings in provides the opportunity to write arrangements for larger orchestrations.”

James returns the compliment. “John is very important to my whole performance. Without John’s playing I would have been restricted in the way I could sing and approach every song in the album. John Patitucci brings a deep sound that allows me the freedom to sing with a lot of mood or feeling in my voice. He gives me a lot of space to create a meaningful performance.”

From the intoxicatingly lush opener “Autumn in New York,” with Patitucci’s robust bass matched by a fervent tenor solo by Potter, to the last-call balladry of “Angel Eyes” that closes the set, An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James features countless classic songs along with a few surprises, including the smoldering James and Pata-penned love song “Burn for Love.”

As she did on her previous release, Tu Amor, James reaches into her Latin influences on “Besame Mucho.” In addition to a number of well-known jazz standards James stretches the American Songbook to encompass great pop and rock classics like The Beatles’ “Blackbird” and James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain.”

The choices certainly inspire passionate playing from James and Patitucci’s guests, with standouts including Rick Margitza’s soaring solo on “Fire and Rain,” Terell Stafford’s heart-wrenching take on “Moonlight in Vermont,” and the soulful playing of Potter and John Beasley on the Gerry Goffin/Carole King favorite “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.”

“The songs came naturally,” James explains. “I just wanted to sing some beautiful songs. The mood I had in mind when choosing these songs was one of love – I just wanted people to find love with each other again after the era of Covid!”

1. John Patitucci, Chris Potter, Vinnie Colaiuta - “Autumn In New York” feat. John Patitucci & Chris Potter 04:23

2. Marvin “Smitty” Smith, John Patitucci, Bill Cunliffe, John Beasley, Chris Potter - “Besame Mucho” feat. Chris Potter 07:07

3. Chris Potter, Vinnie Colaiuta, John Patitucci, Dan Higgins, Michael Dease, Alex Acuña - “I Love You And Don't You Forget It” feat. Chris Potter 03:08

4. Jon Cowherd, Chris Potter, Marcus Gilmore, Alex Acuña, John Patitucci, Chicho Pinero, Jon Cowherd, - “To Dream As One” - feat. Jon Cowherd & Chris Potter 05:07

5. Terell Stafford, Vinnie Coliauta, John Patitucci, Bill Cunliffe - “Moonlight In Vermont” feat. Terell Stafford 04:40

6. Vinnie Colaiuta, John Patitucci, Alex Acuña, Bill Cunliffe - “Day Dream” feat John Patitucci 05:09

7. John Patitucci, Marvin Smitty Smith, Alex Acuña, Bill Cunliffe, John Beasley, Charlie Bisharat - “Blackbird“ feat John Patitucci 05:46

8. Vinnie Coliauta,Terell Stafford, John Patitucci, John Beasley, Alex Acuña, Terell Stafford, - “When I'm With You” feat. Terell Stafford 03:19

9. Chris Potter, John Beasley, John Patitucci, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Alex Acuña, - “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” feat. Chris Potter & John Beasley 06:05

10. Terell Stafford, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, John Patitucci, Terell Stafford, Alex Acuña, Bill Cunliffe - “Unchain My Heart” feat. Terell Stafford 04:12

11. Rick Margitza, Vinnie Coliauta, John Patitucci, John Beasley, Alex Acuña, Jon Cowherd - “Fire & Rain” feat. Rick Margitza 06:22

12. Chris Porter, Vinnie Coliauta, John Patitucci - "Burn For Love” feat. Chris Porter 04:19

13. John Patitucci, John Beasley, Rick Margitza, Charles McNeal, Alex Acuña, Vinnie Colaiuta - “Some Other Time” feat. Rick Margitza & Charles McNeal 05:30

14. Vinnie Colaiuta, Bill Cunliffe, John Patitucci, - “Laura” feat. John Patitucci 04:26

15. “More Than You Know” feat. Chris Potter 04:00

16. John Beasley, John Patitucci, Bill Cunliffe, Jake Langley - “My Heart Belongs To Daddy” feat. John Patitucci & John Beasley 05:02

17. Vinnie Colaiuta, Alex Acuña, John Patitucci, Bill Cunliffe, Charlie Bisharat - “Angel Eyes” 04:03

PREORDER

SWR Big Band / Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley - Bird Lives (November 12, 2021 ACT Music)

2020 wasn’t just Beethoven’s year, it was also the centenary of Charlie Parker’s birth. And if it hadn’t been for the pandemic, the world would have seen notices of all kinds of major concerts to celebrate the legacy of Bird (as Charlie Parker was known), one of the giants of jazz; one of the great musical innovators of the 20th century; the co-inventor of bebop; and probably the most important and influential saxophonist in jazz.

The "Bird Lives" music on this new album was to have been recorded and premiered by the SWR Big Band a couple of months before Charlie Parker’s 100th anniversary, which was on August 29, 2020. The world premiere was scheduled at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles - which seats 18,000 people - with co-arranger and conductor, John Beasley and his six-time GRAMMY-award nominated MONK’estra Big Band with a string section during the week leading up to Bird’s centenary. Both of those dates were lost to Covid, but the recording, a commission from the SWR Big Band, and with a stellar roster of guest artists, was able to develop at a much more measured pace. When safety rules permitted, the musicians met to record in Stuttgart mid November 2020.

The extra time enabled the collaborative partnership of Swedish saxophonist Magnus Lindgren and American pianist John Beasley as co-arrangers to imagine further and dive deeper. Lindgren and Beasley met at the Jakarta Jazz Festival in Indonesia 5 years ago. That sparked an invitation to have Sweden’s Blue House Big Band to play MONK’estra’s music. A bond was formed because of the mutual admiration for each other’s unique style of arranging. Both musicians were keen to find a project to work seamlessly together in the unusual guise of co-arrangers. "For both of us it was our first time arranging as a team," Lindgren points out. "We sent ideas and drafts back and forth between Stockholm and Los Angeles. We actually didn’t have many suggestions about each other’s writing because it was so fresh and had the bang-on feel we aimed for." Five of the eight tracks on the album are co-arrangements. "It was a very creative way to make music, " says John Beasley. "Two was more magical than one for "Bird Lives". As we were all in lockdown, working so closely with Lindgren, who has such a ripe musical mind, it surely was more fun but kept me sane."

© Lena Semmelroggen

Magnus Lindgren was voted Sweden's best jazz musician in 2001, he has gone on to win many important prizes internationally. He says: "When I started playing the saxophone at 13, Charlie Parker was my ultimate hero, so this project really does bring me full circle." Lindgren has been Artist in Residence with the SWR Big Band since 2018, a post which has been renewed for him for another three years. He has overseen an ongoing development in the band’s sound both through reinforcing its engagement as a specialist ensemble in orchestral jazz, and also by exploring various projects involving modern reinterpretations and makeovers of works from the jazz/big band canon.

John Beasley’s work as composer-arranger and pianist extends beyond jazz into film and television, notably alongside Thomas Newman working on "1917", James Bond: "Skyfall" and "Spectre". Beasley has nine GRAMMY nominations and won Best Arrangement for Charlie Parker’s "Donna Lee" in 2021. Beasley is Music Director for International Jazz Day global gala concerts hosted by the Herbie Hancock Jazz Institute. His 2016 "Jazz in the White House" earned Beasley an Emmy nomination for Best Musical Direction.

Based in Stuttgart, the SWR Big Band was founded in 1951 and from its early days has been known as the "Daimler of the big bands" - a reference to the fact that Stuttgart is Motor City. The band has been ranked among the best jazz orchestras in the world for many years, with four Grammy nominations. It has attracted a roll call of stellar guests, from Miles Davis and Chet Baker in the early days to Dee Dee Bridgewater and Jacob Collier much more recently.

"Bird Lives" sits firmly in this tradition, of the SWR Band wanting – and making sure they present – the absolute best in music. The guest artists on "Bird Lives", speaks to getting the A-list of saxophonists to pay tribute to Charlie Parker. On the opening track, multiple Jazz Critics poll-winner Chris Potter makes a mark with his inimitable sound and his flawless technique. Tia Fuller was musical director for Esperanza Spalding and solo projects like "Angelic Warrior" contributes an amazingly laid-back modern version of "Summertime".

Then, two tracks on, we hear the great Joe Lovano letting his tenor sax hover over "I'll Remember April" with the particular warmth, softness, and expressive breadth that are uniquely his. Miguel Zenón brings a Latin touch and rhythm to Parker's "Donna Lee"; and sax-great Charles McPherson who toured with Mingus plays luminously and meltingly in "Laura", the song from the 1945 film with the same title. The French singer Camille Bertault is a new and rising vocalist. Her supreme craft and agility is heard here in a direct vocal transcribe of Charlie Parker's "Koko".

"Bird Lives" feels like a soundtrack for an imaginary film co-written by Lindgren and Beasley. The SWR Big Band performs with a string section of 10 players, but this recording is not a re-creation of Parker’s "Bird With Strings" albums. "We wanted to introduce new generations to Bird’s music, but we also wanted Bird fans to hear his music in a fresh and new approach," Beasley explains, noting that near the end of his life, Parker idolised Edgard Varese and was longing to bring more structure, depth and variety into the way he wrote for orchestra. "We didn't want to repeat what that has been done before, but rather create something different," adds Lindgren.

The choice of compositions is true to the duo’s aim: there are Parker originals such as "Scrapple from the Apple," bursting with bebop, there are also some of his favourite standards, such as the opening "Cherokee/Koko" mash-up and the grand finale "Overture to Bird". But above all the great arrangements suit the context: they not only play to the strengths of the classic big band and of Parker's endlessly inventive music, but also enhance them with newer stylistic elements, such as a joyous celebratory funk reading of "Confirmation".

Charlie Parker was still in the early stages of working with orchestras when he died at the tragical early age of 34. "Bird Lives" may chart territory fulfilled dreams that Parker was not able to explore in his short lifetime. This recording has nothing of the "museum-piece" about it: this is music both of and for our time.

1. SWR Big Band, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley with Camille Bertault feat. John Beasley with Chris Pot - Cherokee - Koko

2. SWR Big Band, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley with Tia Fuller feat. Klaus-Peter Schöpfer & Klaus-Pete - Summertime

3. SWR Big Band, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley feat. Martin Auer & Magnus Lindgren & Magnus Lindgren & - Scrapple from the Apple

4. SWR Big Band, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley with Joe Lovano - I'll Remember April

5. SWR Big Band, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley feat. Magnus Lindgren, Axel Kühn & Marc Godfroid & Magn - Confirmation

6. SWR Big Band, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley with Miguel Zenon feat. Decebal Badila, Magnus Lindgren - Donna Lee

7. SWR Big Band, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley with Charles McPherson - Laura

8. SWR Big Band, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley feat. Klaus Graf, Matthias Erlewein, Magnus Lindgren, J - Overture to Bird

SWR Big Band & Strings

co-arranged by Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley

Magnus Lindgren / music director, flute & tenor sax

John Beasley / piano & keys

Guests:

Chris Potter / tenor sax

Joe Lovano / tenor sax

Miguel Zenon / alto sax

Tia Fuller / alto sax

Charles McPherson / alto sax

Camille Bertault / vocal

Pedrito Martinez / percussion

Munyungo Jackson / percussion

Produced by Hans-Peter Zachary, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley

PREORDER

Pianist John Beasley Wins GRAMMY Award for Donna Lee from Mack Avenue album MONK'estra Plays John Beasley

Pianist John Beasley Wins GRAMMY® Award

From Mack Avenue Music Group Album

MONK'estra Plays John Beasley

Beasley's Afro-Cuban Treatment of "Donna Lee" Wins

"Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella"

at 63rd Annual GRAMMY® Awards

Watch Beasley's Acceptance Speech Giving Thanks

to Black American Music Community &

Music Education in Public Schools

Read Randall Roberts' Los Angeles Times Feature

on John Beasley: "On Sunday, a Local Jazz Polymath

Could Have a Grammys for the Ages"

Watch Beasley Perform "Mercy, Mercy Me" with

Afro-Peruvian Jazz Orchestra to Open GRAMMY Awards

Mack Avenue Music Group is proud to congratulate pianist John Beasley on his first ever GRAMMY® Award win for his track "Donna Lee" (from his recent album, MONK’estra Plays John Beasley) in the Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella category, as well as his astounding four nominations at the 63rd annual GRAMMY® Awards.

"Winning a Grammy this year is especially emotional because my album 'MONK’estra Plays John Beasley' was released in the year of the pandemic," says Beasley. "We are a 15-piece big band family used to playing, so lockdown was tough with no in-person concerts especially, to play this new music. Mack Avenue Records released our music in a three-album series, and I was very fortunate that its President, Denny Stilwell, had the foresight to see three records worth of music and the band’s evolution. Each of these albums went on to earn two nominations for a total of six. Now, we can add a trophy. This speaks volumes."

Beasley is one of the most nominated artists in this year's GRAMMY Awards, and the only jazz artist considered one of its top nominees. (Top nominees include Beyoncé, 9; Dua Lipa, 6; Roddy Ricch, 6; Taylor Swift, 6; Brittany Howard, 5; John Beasley, 4; Justin Bieber, 4; Phoebe Bridgers, 4; DaBaby, 4; Billie Eilish, 4; David Frost, 4; and Megan Thee Stallion, 4. Information sourced by NARAS.)

"As I said in my thank you speech, I owe my whole career to Black American Music, the heart and soul of all popular music as Quincy Jones says. I am also indebted to the Black community of musicians who have nurtured and continue to teach me," reflects Beasley. "And, let’s support music in the schools because I am the product of public school arts education."

His August release, MONK'estra Plays John Beasley, brings the MONK'estra cycle full circle with the big band's third release. With MONK’estra, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 garnering a pair of GRAMMY Award nominations apiece, alongside widespread critical acclaim, Beasley keeps in line with its namesake’s unpredictable nature on the new release as MONK’estra veers off in new directions. Additionally, besides casting the lens of his brilliant ensemble on his own music for the first time, the album also reunites Beasley with several now-formidable artists–including John Patitucci, Vinnie Colaiuta, Joey DeFrancesco, and Hubert Laws–with whom he performed in his formative years nearly three decades ago.

Additionally, Beasley has earned two other nominations for his significant roles in Maria Mendes feat. Metropole Orkest and John Beasley's Close To Me, which earned a nomination for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals, as well as Somi's Holy Room: Live At Alte Oper, which was nominated in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category. Beasley led the orchestra, wrote the arrangements, played keyboards on and produced the Maria Mendes album–which also earned a Latin GRAMMY nomination and the Edison’s “Best Jazz Vocal” album award–and conducted Frankfurt’s HR Radio Big Band playing his arrangements of Somi's music. Beasley also arranged some songs on blues great Ruthie Foster's Live At The Paramount, which received a nomination in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category, although this does not technically count as a nomination for him as the others do.

In addition to the highly productive year Beasley has had with album releases, he has expanded on an already prolific list of soundtrack credits and worked on film and television productions such as Emmy Award-winning Watchmen, Steven Soderbergh's film Let Them All Talk–which stars Meryl Streep–and Oscar and GRAMMY Award-nominated 1917, and will appear on screen with his MONK'estra Quintet in Amazon's Bosch Season 7's opening episode. Additionally, MONK'estra was presented on nearly 80 global stages pre-pandemic. His last in-person concert, in Covid-safe settings, was a special 80th birthday celebration for the iconic Pharoah Sanders with the maestro on his horn. Currently, he is finishing a new recording to mark Charlie Parker's centennial celebration "Bird" with Stuttgart's SWR Radio Big Band in a unique collaboration with respected Swedish conductor, arranger and saxophonist Magnus Lindgren. He is also preparing, as Music Director, UNESCO's 2021 International Jazz Day's global gala concert hosted by the Herbie Hancock Jazz Institute on April 30th and featuring an all-star list of performers.

Pre-order

Christine Hitt - Magical Kite (2018)

Vocalist Christine Hitt's "MAGICAL KITE" produced/arranged by Geoffrey Keezer featuring John Beasley, Jeff Hamilton and more

"She has an unpretentious approach while sharing her great musical sensibilities with others. She's a real joy to work with."

Jeff Hamilton, legendary jazz drummer

MAGICAL KITE, the newest CD from vocalist and multi-instrumentalist CHRISTINE HITT, comprises a range of styles, from standards to gospel to bebop. The selection of songs reflects Hitt’s eclectic tastes and influences, but it’s her innate musicality that elevates and personalizes these songs.  The CD was produced and arranged by GEOFFREY KEEZER, the prolific, Grammy nominated pianist, composer, and arranger, and features JOHN BEASLEY on piano. She’s also accompanied by some of the top jazz musicians in Southern California. MAGICAL KITE is the long-awaited follow-up to YOU’D BE SO NICE TOCOME HOME TO, her 1999 MaxJazz debut that featured Hitt on vocals and piano, along with several well-known jazz artists.

Hitt’s warm voice can express a rich tapestry of tones, and she sings ballads and swing tunes with equal facility. Keezer’s arrangements truly set this recording apart, but Hitt also wanted the experience of  Keezer as an accompanist; she closes the CD with a gentle but emotional duet with him on “Around The World.” With Hitt’s sophisticated lyric interpretations along with her musical chops, MAGICAL KITE is a showcase from an experienced artist with great depth and maturity.

Christine Hitt, vocals

John Beasley, piano, Fender Rhodes, melodica

Geoffrey Keezer, piano (9) 

Jeff Hamilton, drums (1,5,7,8)

Gene Coye, drums (2,3,4,6)

Leo Amuedo, guitar

Bob Sheppard, alto sax  

Walter Rodriguez, percussion

Eric Hitt, bass

Erin Bode, vocals (4,6)

Cory Hitt, vocals (2,3,4)

Arranged and produced by Geoffrey Keezer

Executive producer Christine Hitt

1. Wade in the Water  4:40

2. Magical Kite  4:00

3. Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing  5:39

4. Shower the People  5:09

5. Yardbird Suite  4:15

6. Believe in Me  4:26

7. Shine on Harvest Moon  6:23

8. Smile  4:17

9. Around the World  3:23

www.christinehittmusic.com

Peter Erkskine & the Dr. Um Band - On Call (FUZZY MUSIC April 6, 2018)

The Dr. Um Band's new double-album, release date April 6, 2018, featuring John Beasley, Bob Sheppard, Benjamin Shepherd and Peter Erskine with new compositions recorded in the studio plus a blistering 'live' set recorded in Italy this past summer. Dr. Um is On Call for you.

Proving that his return to fusion jazz was no one-off fling, Peter Erskine came back a mere thirteen months later with another such record. Second Opinion, now out from Fuzzy Music, is the hastily-recorded follow up to 2016’s well-received and Grammy-nominated Dr. Um, but don’t think for a moment that haste made waste. Making a record within such a tight window “reveal more of the musician’s mettle than longer production can,” advises one of the all-time drumming greats.

The Dr. Um Band reconvened a few months after their first album was released with Benjamin Shepherd being the lone change-up, replacing Janek Gwizdala at bass. He joins the returning John Beasley (keys), Bob Sheppard (reeds, flutes) and Erskine (drums, percussion) to deliver nine songs, six of them contributed by three of the band members.

To these ears, Second Opinion has the feel of a record made where the sheet music was laid out, the musicians assumed their stations and they simply let it flow as soon as the tape rolled. Starting with “Hipnotherapy;” it’s an easygoing funk-jazz tune where Beasley’s piano and Sheppard’s tenor sax are dancing more than soloing, the players probably not even caring so much about getting a magic lick than they are just exploiting the slow but firm beat meted out by Erskine.

“Not So Yes” is the type of crossover jazz that Don Grolnick could have cooked up but with a stronger funk kick thanks to the Erskine/Shepherd rhythm factory. Erskine is thumpin’ forcefully on his spotlight at the conclusion. “Did It Have To Be You?” is essentially a bop tune — and a fancy free one at that — dressed in soul-jazz duds; Sheppard’s sax, Beasley’s organ and Shepherd’s electric bass all take turns riding on Erskine’s masterly swing pulse. “Solar Steps” sports a slinky bass pattern that connects with both Erskine’s tangled swing and the modern electric piano motifs of Beasley. Sheppard summons up the ghost of Michael Brecker as he gets it going on his solo spot.

There are no songs from Erskine’s old band Weather Report this time, but a pair of Beasley compositions has that ol’ WR vibe. Erskine launches “Eleven Eleven” with an elite-level funk gait soon joined by Shepherd in a contrapuntally perfect groove. Beasley’s Rhodes and old school synths complete the reconstruction of that time when fusion was both heady and stimulating to the soul. A soulfully empyrean ballad in the Joe Zawinul way, “Lida Rose” is just enjoyable to listen to for the melody alone, but Shepherd’s introductory Jaco lead lines accentuates its virtues further.

The three cover tunes are all from before the rise of fusion, providing good opportunities for making something new out of old strains. The band takes on a Depression-era Victor Young tune “Street of Dreams” and by keeping the contemporary touches minimal the band retains the song’s pretty rhapsody while freshening it up. Harry Mancini’s gorgeous “Dreamsville” is given a celestial, subdued treatment, Erskine’s brushes and Shepherd’s appealing sashay on bass laying a lush foundation for Beasley’s electric piano and Sheppard’s tenor horn. A better-known cover, “Willow Weep For Me” ends the album with the same laid-back, funky finesse that kicked it off, with Beasley sticking strictly to acoustic piano.

It doesn’t necessarily need to take a long time to make a great record; Second Opinion is great because it’s made by a group of guys who need no forethought to make this kind of music. Not only is this second nature to Peter Erskine, he seems to be having more fun doing it than he ever did. The second opinion is every bit as good as the first one.

For The Time Being

Might As Well Be

If So Then

Uncle Don

Silver Linings

Two Paths

Hipnotherapy (live)

Hawaii Bathing Suit (live)

Dreamsville (live)

Eleven Eleven (live)

Northern Cross (live)

John Beasley,  piano & keyboards

Bob Sheppard, saxophones 

Benjamin Shepherd, electric bass

Peter Erskine, drums

Produced by Peter Erskine

Co-produced by Mark Hornsby

Recorded and mixed by Mark Hornsby at Sweetwater Studio, with Carlo Buson ('live' recording, Italy) and Aaron Walk ('live pre-mix)

Mastered by Ken Love

Executive Producer: Chuck Surack

Cover art designed by Connie Beecher

John Beasley – MONK’estra, Vol. 2 (MACK AVENUE RECORDS 2017)

If one were to have access to a time machine and could go back to see legendary bandleader Thelonious Monk in concert during the 1950s and ‘60s, you’d likely see him so compelled by the music that he would retreat from his piano mid-performance and conduct his band, no matter how small or large, through an impassioned dance. But behind the joyous dance that overtook the stage lay the societal struggles a jazz musician endured to present that 90 minutes of musical freedom – a tale of police harassment, systemic oppression and constant battles for equality. Fast forward to 2017 and composer-arranger-pianist John Beasley is using Monk’s spontaneous movements and experiences as the basis for conducting radically reconceived versions of the late composer’s music for his critically acclaimed big band project: MONK’estra.

Peter Erskine and the Dr. Um Band - Second Opinion (FUZZY MUSIC 2017)

The follow-up release to Peter Erskine’s Grammy-nominated “Dr. Um” album, reuniting the production team of Erskine with Grammy-nominated keyboardist and arranger John Beasley. “Second Opinion” is just that: a new look at songs and genres that are ripe and begging for expert musical attention.

From funky originals to Henry Mancini covers, the Dr. Um Band delivers. Featuring Peter Erskine, John Beasley, Bob Sheppard and Benjamin Shepherd. Recorded at Sweetwater Studios, engineered by Mark Hornsby and mixed by Talley Sherwood. Peter feels that this is his “best album yet!” The drum sound will blow you away.

1 – Hipnotherapy

2 – Eleven Eleven

3 – Street of Dreams

4 – Not so Yes

5 – Did It Have to Be You?

6 – Lida Rose

7 – Solar Steps

8 – Dreamsville

9 – Willow Weep for Me

John Beasley - MONK'estra Vol. 1 (MACK AVENUE RECORDS 2016)

Perfect! Who better than Monk Institute Music Director John Beasley to finally create something that might have been thought of years ago: the concept of a "Monk'estra," which is, of course, a full-fledged 15-man orchestra doing nothin' but the hard, complex, circuitous compositions by The High Priest Of Bebop, baby, Thelonious Monk [1917-1982]. He's been doing it for three years and now we have it on CD for the first time.

Beasley's been a bad-ass ever since he performed in the bands of Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard. As the main American Idol arranger for the show's last nine seasons...and as a hired-gun piano player who survived James Brown, Chick Corea, Steely Dan and Queen Latifah, the cat can do no wrong. Pianist/conductor/arranger, he's taken on the task of reinventing, reimagining and redoing Monk through an influencing filter of Gil Evans (who worked magic with Miles).

Since Monk (like Bach, Ellington or Gershwin) still sounds good at any tempo, Beasley has changed and rearranged like a mad man gone amok. He's a genius in getting just the right sound for his perambulations. Thus, he uses superstar vibes player Gary Burton on, arguably, Monk's hardest twisting turning composition of them all, "Epistrophy," to open. Beasley (in the liner notes): "what a virtuoso! One take, boom! He just nailed it." Plus, he uses European harmonica master Gregoire Maret on "Ask Me Now."

On "Skippy," saxophonist Bob Sheppard plays the role of John Coltrane ('Trane played a legendary gig with Monk for five months in 1957 at The Five Spot in New York). Or maybe he's aping Charlie Rouse, Monk's longtime tenor man, despite the fact that Sheppard wails exclusively on soprano and alto. (The tenor man here is Tom Leur and his big solo comes on "Little Rootie Tootie," accentuating its cha-cha roots.)

Not afraid to interpret Monk's most covered tune, "'Round Midnight," Beasley pulls out all the keyboard stops to focus on piano, Fender Rhodes and mini-moog synthesizer. Oddly enough, the leader doesn't play a whole lot of piano here, only soloing on two tracks. Obviously, this whole band is his palette and he plays it like Duke played his big-band...like an instrument.

1. Epistrophy

2. Skippy 8:03

3. Oska T 8:16

4. Monk's Processional (Medley) 2:50

5. 'Round Midnight 3:43

6. Ask Me Now 6:46

7. Gallop's Gallop 3:14

8. Little Rootie Tootie 9:13

9. Coming on the Hudson 5:47

MONKestra Musicians:  East Coast and West Coast bands

TRUMPET: Bijon Watson, Brian Lynch, Brian Swartz, Dontae Winslow, Rashawn Ross, Scott Wendholt, Shawn Edmonds, Jamie Hovorka, Brandyn Phillips, Gabriel Johnson

TROMBONE: Frank Lacy, Conrad Herwig, Steve Turre, Ryan Dragon, Lemar Guillary, Francisco Torres, Wendell Kelly, Steve Hughes, James Burton

SAX: Bob Sheppard, Greg Tardy, Tom Luer, Tommy Peterson, Dave Reikenberg, Adam Kolker, Oliver Santana,Steve Wilson, Danny Janklow, Justo Almario, Bob Malach,  Jeff Driskill

BASS: James Genus, Benjamin J. Shepherd, Ben Williams, Rickey Minor

DRUMS: Terreon Gully, Gene Coye, Gary Novak, Tony Austin

PIANO/SYNTHESIZERS/MELODICA: John Beasley

Guest Artists and other MONK’estras: Dianne Reeves, Gary Burton, Regina Carter, Gregoire Maret, Gretchen Perlato, Lee Ritenour