Flipped II is the next installment of the series that began with Flipped (2010) and continued with Vein Melter (2015), the Herbie Hancock/Head Hunters tribute collaboration with multi-instrumentalist/producer Sly5thAve. Picking up where Vein Melter left off, Flipped II is a love letter to the hard bop, soul jazz, and jazz fusion of the late 60’s/early 70’s, as seen thru the lens of golden era hip-hop beats and future jazz sounds of today.
About Jesse Fischer: Jesse Fischer is a Brooklyn-based pianist, producer and engineer, known for his warm, soulful touch and emphasis on melody, groove, storytelling and emotion, along with his affinity for combining elements of jazz, hip-hop, electronic, and traditional Jewish, African, and American roots music. His previous album, Day Dreamer (2015) featured special guests Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Takuya Kuroda, Zach Brock, and Leon “Foster” Thomas. He is also one-half of the Vein Melter project with saxophonist/arranger Sly5thAve, and is known for his inventive remixes of artists like Gregory Porter, Emily King, Takuya Kuroda, and Hiatus Kaiyote. Previous supporters include tastemakers like Gilles Peterson, Anthony Valadez, and Soulection. As an engineer, he has worked on recent and upcoming releases from Justin Brown, Samora Pinderhughes, and Christian Scott.
“Pianist/composer/producer Jesse Fischer is undoubtedly a man of many talents, but what truly makes him a standout musician is his uncanny ability to reinterpret some of our favorite songs.”
— SoulBounce
“Jesse Fischer plays with astounding energy; creative ideas seem to issue forth from his hands to his instruments at a geyser-like rate.”
Sly5thAve: flute, tenor and bari sax, Bb and bass clarinet (4)
Clynt Yerkes: trumpet and flugelhorn (4)
Keita Ogawa: percussion (5)
Mino Cinélu: percussion (3)
Kenneth An: auxiliary percussion (6)
"Intro" by Jesse Fischer (Soul Cycle Music, ASCAP). "Punjab" by Joe Henderson (EMI Unart Catalog Inc., BMI). "Creepin'" by Stevie Wonder (Jobete Music, Black Bull Music, ASCAP). "Fall" by Wayne Shorter (Miyako Music, BMI). "The Intrepid Fox" by Freddie Hubbard (Hubtones Music, BMI). "Naima" by John Coltrane (Jowcol Music, BMI). "Alone and I" by Herbie Hancock (Hancock Music, BMI).
Produced and arranged by Jesse Fischer for Soul Cycle Music.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Jesse Fischer at Electrik Indigo Sound, Brooklyn, NY.
Acoustic piano recorded at Big Orange Sheep, Brooklyn, NY.
Assistant engineers: Morgan Guerin, Kenneth An, Charlie Culbert
REBECCA ANGEL AT BARNES AND NOBLE IN EASTCHESTER, NY
September 26, 2018
@ Eastchester
680 White Plains Rd
Scarsdale NY 1058
Rebecca Angel's voice makes the difference. With her refined charm, she gives the songs on What We Had the overwhelming splendor.
- Hans-Bernd Hülsmann www.smooth-jazz.de
Jason Miles' work playing, producing, arranging, and guiding some terrific musicians in support of this must-hear chanteuse brings a real sense of warmth to the work. WHAT WE HAD is a real treat, and Rebecca Angel's voice and writing are superb evidence of an artist with a very bright future ahead of them.
- Chris Gibson Broadway World
Talented young singer Rebecca Angel has released her first EP the memorable “What We Had”, an innovative set of fresh and heartfelt music. The 22 year-old vocalist has an appealing and captivating voice. Using jazz as her base to explore different grooves, she collaborated with Grammy-winning Jason Miles, who produced recordings of celebrity artists including Miles Davis, Grover Washington Jr., Luther Vandross, etc. Jason is producer and arranger of “What We Had”, her debut EP, Miles and other top-notch musicians accompany her with a variety of backgrounds that showcase her soothing and distinctive voice at its very best. In addition to Miles’ keyboards, the six selections (plus two remixed performances) utilize such fine musicians as soprano-saxophonist Hailey Niswanger, guitarists Ricardo Silveira, Jonah Miles Prendergast and Christian Ver Halen, bassists James Genus, Reggie Washington and Adam Dorn, drummer Brian Dunne, percussionists Mino Cinelu and Cyro Baptista, cellist Sebastian Stoger, flugelhornist Dennis Angel and flutist Gottfred Stoger. Rebecca excels at singing heartfelt lyrics and showcases her innovative scatting. Rebecca’s version of the rarely performed Hoagy Carmichael gem “Winter Moon” features interplay between the singer and Niswanger on saxophone, catchy Latin rhythms and a haunting melody. Rebecca co-wrote the minor-toned and nostalgic “What We Had” with her father Dennis Angel and guitarist Prendergast, a celebratory look at the past. The Brazilian vocalese “Agora Sim” puts the focus on her instrumental ability in unison with Jonah’s guitar. “Feel Alive”, which was also co-written by Rebecca, is a superior pop tune that is both funky and infectious. Leiber and Stoller’s “Stand By Me”, heard in both radio and electro mixes, has a tight bass-drum rhythm, dynamic keyboards, a bluesy vocal by Rebecca and some natural and creative scat-singing. The program closes with the first-ever vocal recording of Marcos Valle’s 2005 instrumental hit “Jet Samba” which is given both a radio and an electronic Ipanema mix. Rebecca Angel has loved music all of her life. She remembers her father introducing her to the recordings of Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Elvis and the Beatles, Astrud Gilberto and Sade, all of whom became inspirations in her eclectic style. She graduated with a degree in Vocal Jazz Studies from Ithaca College and has performed at the Iridium, The Metropolitan Room and CaféNoctambulo in New York. Rebecca Angel creates consistently memorable musical statements throughout “What We Had”, with her substantial talents, a very impressive debut.
Joining Eubanks on this stellar outing are longtime collaborator and former Berklee College of Music schoolmate, drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith, who fuels the West Coast outfit alongside seasoned session bassist Rene Camacho, percussionist Mino Cinelu and saxophonist Bill Pierce.
Smith’s East Coast counterpart on this bi-coastal session is the irrepressibly swinging Jeff “Tain” Watts, a force of nature on the kit who combines with bassist Dave Holland, Philadelphia-based pianist Orrin Evans and New York trumpeter Nicholas Payton for a potent lineup. Together these great musicians bring out the best in Eubanks’ six-string prowess and ignite his searching instincts throughout the sessions in Los Angeles and New York.
Who is the greatest harmonica player in the world? Until recently, Toots Thielemans reigned as the most in-demand performer on the chromatic harp, but he announced his retirement in 2014. Let me introduce you to the new new champ: Grégoire Maret, son of a Harlem-born African-American mother and a Swiss jazz musician, and a genre-crossing harmonica hotshot. He has shared the stage with everyone from Sting to Herbie Hancock, but is increasingly finding a following for his own work as a bandleader. Be on the lookout for his Wanted album coming in April.
– Ted Gioia, The Daily Beast
There is a balance that must be struck when one is an expert at something. There is the pressure to share your gifts at the whim of others, which requires the ability to bend to their demands. Then there is the need to express one’s own substance with the talent that has been honed.
On his new recording and his second as a leader, Wanted, the exceptional chromatic harmonica player Grégoire Maret once again finds himself moving away from his complementary duties as a sideman, and focusing on his role as a leader with his own musical vision. Naturally, Maret finds collaborating an important part of developing as an artist, but he is especially aware of the pressures imposed by the needs of others, and the necessity of removing these outside influences in order to get to one’s core identity.
Over his career, Maret has found himself alongside many musical masters, including Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Cassandra Wilson and Steve Coleman, adapting to and absorbing many different styles, as many in his open-minded generation do. The challenges were exciting and educational.
Maret heard many kinds of music in his native Switzerland. His parents introduced him to soul, jazz and R&B. It was the music of masters Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Wayne Shorter, and Louis Armstrong that immediately struck home and inspired Maret. It was their example that shined brightest as he approached the creation of his own recording, as he looked to make a recording that he would have connected to when he was younger.
Going into the studio, Maret knew that he wanted to shape his music using all the tools at his disposal. He assembled a tight, core quartet of pianist Gerald Clayton, bassist James Genus and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. Maret wanted to treat the initial sessions like Miles Davis did the Kind of Blue sessions, namely to embrace the moment at hand with great musicians.
Maret was able to assemble a who’s who of the jazz world to appear as special guests on Wanted. First off, he approached the fantastic drummer Terri Lyne Carrington to play as a part of his core group band, and also to co-produce, with Maret, the recording. Maret also enlisted Chris Potter on bass clarinet, guitarists Ricardo Vogt, Marvin Sewell and Kevin Breit, pianist Jon Cowherd, organist Shedrick Mitchell, keyboardist Bobby Sparks, arranger Gil Goldstein, percussionist Mino Cinelu and Kofo the Wonderman on talking drum.
Maret has a deep connection to voice since the beginning of his musical life, as he began as a singer and later took up the chromatic harmonica, which he sees as an extension of, or the instrument closest, to the voice. So it should be no surprise that he brought in a number of fabulous vocalists to perform on Wanted, including Mark Kibble of Take 6, Frank McComb, Dianne Reeves, Luciana Souza, Ivan Lins and Maret’s early mentor, Jimmy Scott, who passed away shortly after the recording.
The recording begins with “2Beats,” a grooving love song featuring lyrical highlights from Maret, Terri Lyne Carrington and the rapper Kokayi, who he met through Steve Coleman. The title track is in the pocket, with an incredible vibe created by utilizing the voice of Maret’s friend Kibble, and Maret’s expressive harmonica. Miles Davis’s “Blue In Green” takes a page from Me’shell Ndegeocello’s book of soul and is a perfect choice for Chris Potter’s dynamic bass clarinet and Gerald Clayton’s tasteful piano. The soulful rendition of Onaje Allan Gumb’s “Diary of a Fool” features Frank McComb’s wonderful voice, while the amazing Dianne Reeves lends hers to “Heaven’s,” an emotive ballad written by Reeves and Maret
Luciana Souza delivers a lovely wordless vocal to “Groove,” a great ensemble workout with some dazzling solos. Maret turns Wayne Shorter’s classic “Footprints” into a slinky, bobbing vehicle for improvisation. The wistful “Voo Do Pássaro” features a dramatic wordless vocal turn from Brazilian legend Ivan Lins. Arranged by the great Gil Goldstein, “Talking Drums” is an epic piece in three movements inspired by Lins which focuses on the essence of music: namely voice and drums, the latter provided by master percussionists Mino Cinelu and Kofo the Wonderman. The recording concludes with “26th of May” which was written for and performed by the legendary vocalist Jimmy Scott, who hired Maret for his first gigs in New York, taught him to play a ballad and gave his last heartfelt performance to Maret.
Grégoire Maret’s Wanted shows a complete artist coming full circle. Maret utilizes all that he has learned from his life as a sideman and leader in this entrancing and highly listenable recording.
