Emile Parisien - Louise (2022 ACT Music)

“The best new thing that has happened in European jazz for a long time” (Le Monde), Emile Parisien has formed a top-flight American-European sextet for this album, his seventh as leader or co-leader on ACT. The band will be touring in 2022, the year which also marks the tenth anniversary of Parisien’s first appearance on an ACT album.

The saxophonist developed his strong sense of direction in music remarkably early: he was 10 years old when the news reached his family in Cahors that a new music school would be opening up roughly 200 kilometres away in Marciac. The young-ster told his parents that this was the school he wanted to go to as a boarder...and so, with their support and approval, off he went. And it was through the school and the festival in Marciac that he received mentorship from some of the greats of North American jazz: Wynton Marsalis (who appeared as a guest on the album Sfumato Live), Clark Terry, Bobby Hutcherson, Oscar Peterson…

The fact that three of the musicians in the sextet on "Louise or half of the band is American (Theo Croker (trumpet), Joe Martin (bass), and Nasheet Waits (drums) is important for Parisien: “It was time for me to return to the source that gave me the love for this music in the first place,” he explains. The idea of a ‘return to the source’ is especially true of Parisien’s choice to work alongside Theo Croker, the grandson of trumpeter Doc Cheatham (1905-97). Parisien describes their meeting on the “Jazz Animals” tour in 2018 as having been a ‘super-rencontre’, and a particularly strong musical connection and a personal friendship have developed since those meetings. On “Louise” Parisien has not only ensured that a huge emotional and stylistic range can be heard in Croker’s trumpet-playing, but has also enjoyed matching and intertwining his own melodic voice with Croker’s. Their interaction is something special, and provides some of the many joyous moments on this wide-ranging yet very coherent album. Parisien has also generously given Croker the chance to have last word on the album, with his solemnly evocative composition, “Prayer for Peace”.

Drummer Nasheet Waits is a vivid and energising presence throughout the album, and especially in the third part of “Memento”, the most substantial piece on "Louise", which Parisien dedicates to his mother. “I just love Nasheet’s playing, he’s unbelievable. It was a dream to play with him,” says Parisien who first admired Waits’ playing on record, before their paths started to cross at festivals. This is the first time they have worked together. Joe Martin is one of the first-call New York bassists; Parisien knows him from their time as fellow members of Yaron Herman’s quartet.

Manu Codjia and Robert Negro are two of Emile Parisien’s very closest musical colleagues. “We have played in so many contexts, explored so much music together,” says Parisien. Guitarist Codjia was one of the very first musicians whom he met when he first moved to Paris nearly two decades ago. “Manu has an amazing ability to be the ‘glue’ that holds a band together and creates a common sound.” Codjia has contributed the composition "Jungle Jig", an energetic piece in which an ideal balance has been struck between chaos and order. Roberto Negro has also played with Parisien regularly as a duo, in Sfumato and other contexts. “European music, classical, jazz, Roberto plays them all so well! He’s such a complete musician,” says Parisien. Roberto Negro’s composition “Il giorno della civetta” (civet) is elegantly paced and has a wonderfully natural flow.

The title track “Louise” is gentle, spacious and meditative. The title refers to the ‘spider’ sculptures of Louise Bourgeois. These sculptures have mostly been seen in public spaces, and that has caused Parisien to reflect on how confinement during lockdown has deprived us all of the joy of being out in the open. Bourgeois’ sculptures are also very strongly connected to themes of motherhood, and to the metaphors of spinning, weaving, caring and protecting. Parisien’s affection for and valuing of the unconditional love of mothers for their children is the emotional background to this evocative track, with its glorious solos from Theo Croker and Manu Codjia.

Two pieces bring to the fore European musicians from earlier generations who have been decisive influences on Parisien: “Jojo” is a happy reference to Joachim Kühn; the track is unmistakably, intentionally, and deeply ‘Ornette-ish’ in its inspiration. “Madagascar” by Weather Report recalls a time when Parisien played in The Syndicate, the band formed in 2007 to carry on Joe Zawinul’s legacy and to perform his music.

“Louise” is a remarkable album in which ferocious energy contrasts and co-exists happily with a much softer side. Its subtleties and joys emerge the more one listens. As a result, "Louise" gives us the closest insight yet into the character and the creative individuality of one of Europe’s leading jazz musicians.

1 Louise (Emile Parisien) 05:47

2 Madagascar (Joe Zawinul) 08:21

3 Memento Part I (Emile Parisien) 07:14

4 Memento Part II (Emile Parisien) 02:56

5 Memento Part III (Emile Parisien) 05:15

6 Il giorno della civetta (Roberto Negro) 05:35

7 Jojo (Emile Parisien) 05:23

8 Jungle Jig (Manu Codjia) 03:36

9 Prayer 4 Peace (Theo Croker) 05:51

Emile Parisien / soprano saxophone

Theo Croker / trumpet

Roberto Negro / piano

Manu Codjia / guitar

Joe Martin / bass

Nasheet Waits / drums

Recorded by Mathieu Pion at Studio Gil Evans de La Maison de la Culture, Amiens (France), June 2021

Mixed by Mathieu Pion in October 2021

Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann

Cover art by Helena Soubeyrand

ACT Music

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Ellery Eskelin - From the Archives: Trio New York - Live at Cornelia Street Cafe in NYC, 2010 (December 27, 2021)

Cornelia Street Cafe, NYC, 2010

Recorded by Jimmy Katz

1. Improvisation: Monk (Off Minor) & Rumination (Memories of You) 31:56

2. Improvisation: Conjuring (Witchcraft) 31:28

3. Improvisation / Desire (Lover Come Back) & Fortune (Just in Time) 01:06:23

Ellery Eskelin - tenor saxophone

Gary Versace - Hammond organ

Nasheet Waits - drums

PRE ORDER

Marc Cary - Trillium Live in NYC 2000 (May 2021 The Harlem Sessions)

1. Minor League 13:41

2. Voice of Ascension 02:56

3. King Tut's Strut 12:30

4. Titi Boom 11:28

5. Introductions 01:35

6. Pinnochio 05:47

7. Pinnochio 04:28

8. Melancholia 09:32

9. Minor League part 2 05:22

Performed by Marc Cary, Tarus Mateen and Nasheet Waits

Recorded live at Makor on the UWS NYC

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April 4 Kickoff for Giant Step Arts & KEYED UP!: Series of Jazz Concerts in Central Park

Artist-focused non-profit Giant Step Arts partners with Jazz Generation's KEYED UP! for new edition of acclaimed concert series Walk With The Wind

Free performances beginning April 4 in Central Park honor legacy of congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis

Featuring Wayne Escoffery/Jeremy Pelt Quartet, William Parker Trio, James Brandon Lewis Freed Style Free Trio, Melissa Aldana Trio, Chris Potter Trio, Antonio Sanchez Trio, Marquis Hill Quartet, Michael Thomas Quartet, Nasheet Waits, Mark Turner, Marika Hughes, and Immanuel Wilkins

"Sitting socially distanced on The Mall and listening to live jazz feels like an optimistic moment...Jimmy Katz and Giant Step Arts are plugging a gap with Walk With The Wind." - Dan Bergsagel, London Jazz News

Giant Step Arts in partnership with Jazz Generation’s KEYED UP! continues the acclaimed performance series Walk With The Wind honoring civil rights activist and congressman John Lewis. The concerts – curated by Jimmy Katz and Nasheet Waits – will take place at pop up locations in New York City’s Central Park.

Shows run from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. and feature at least two bands. They will be rescheduled in case of inclement weather.

CONCERT SCHEDULE

• Sunday, April 4 – Note new location at The South End of the Mall

11 a.m. – Alto saxophonist Sarah Hanahan, trumpeter Giveton Gelin, bassist Phil Norris, and drummer Robert Lotreck   

1 p.m. – The Wayne Escoffery/Jeremy Pelt Quartet with Dezron Douglas and Johnathan Blake  

• Saturday, April 10

11 a.m. – Alto saxophonist Sarah Hanahan, bassist Phil Norris, and drummer Robert Lotreck 

1 p.m. – William Parker Trio with Cooper Moore and Hamid Drake 

• Sunday, April 11 

11 a.m. – Alto saxophonist Sarah Hanahan, bassist Phil Norris, and drummer Robert Lotreck 

1 p.m. – Melissa Aldana Trio with Pablo Menares and Kush Abadey  

• Saturday, April 17 – Chris Potter Trio with Joe Martin and Nasheet Waits

• Sunday, April 18 – Antonio Sanchez Trio with Donny McCaslin and Matt Brewer

• Saturday, April 24 – Marquis Hill Quartet

• Sunday, April 25 – Michael Thomas Quartet with Michael Rodriguez, Edward Perez and Johnathan Blake

• Saturday, May 1 – James Brandon Lewis, Freed Style Free Trio with Rashaan Carter and Chad Taylor; Aaron Burnett Quartet with Peter Evans, Nick Jozwiak, and Tyshawn Sorey

• Saturday, May 8 – Marika Hughes: The New String Quartet with Hughes, Charlie Burnham, Marvin Sewell, and Rashaan Carter

Other upcoming dates will include bands led by Nasheet Waits, Mark Turner, and Immanuel Wilkins.

“The pandemic has been disastrous for musicians, many of whom normally earn a living through live performances and tours,” says Katz. “We wanted to find a way to continue supporting musicians, bring them together with audiences safely, and enable them to have a payday! Walk with the Wind, honoring the legacy of the great American John Lewis, is one way we are accomplishing this, and the response has been tremendous.”  

The well-received series, which began August 28, 2020 with Wayne Escoffery’s trio, has also featured The Marquis Hill Quartet, the Michael Thomas Trio, Marcus Strickland Trio, the Eric McPherson Trio, the Leap Day Trio and the Joel Ross Quartet. 

Founded by renowned photographers Jimmy and Dena Katz in January 2018, Giant Step Arts is an innovative, artist-focused non-profit organization dedicated to commissioning and showcasing the work of innovative modern jazz artists. Giant Step Arts offers musicians the artistic and financial resources to create bold, adventurous new music free of commercial pressure. Giant Step Arts provides promotional material and publicity services, presents premiere performances and compensates artists, records performances for independent release, provides artists with CDs and digital downloads to sell directly, conveys complete ownership of masters to artists, and provides PR support for the recordings. “Giant Step Arts does not sell any music,” Katz says. “Our goals are to help musicians make bold artistic statements and to advance their careers.”

Jazz Generation was founded in 1999 to emphasize the importance of live jazz as an art form and the performing arts as a cultural asset. The Jazz Discovery Program (JDP) and The Jazz Standard Youth Orchestra (JSYO), and since 2014 KEYED UP!, an anti-poverty program, has offered services that support professional jazz artists in their performing careers, revitalize local businesses, and develop a new generation of audiences and performers. KEYED UP! Has quickly become a favorite NYC entity for musicians, audiences, and venues. Operating simultaneously in over 25 partner venues spanning from Jersey City to Boston, KeyedUP! Is proud to keep hundreds of musicians working and thousands of jazz listeners happy at no extra cost to partner venues.

Florian Weber / Ralph Alessi / Linda May Han Oh / Nasheet Waits - Lucent Waters (ECM November 2018)

In his second ECM appearance (following a critically-acclaimed duo recording with Markus Stockhausen) pianist Florian Weber leads a strong cast through a programme of his compositions and sketches.  Whether paying tribute to mentor Lee Konitz on “Honestlee”, impressionistically conveying the glittering “Melody of a Waterfall” or generating impactful drama out of fragments of sound on “Butterfly Effect”, Weber continually draws fresh responses from his players.  “I wanted this project to be as open as possible”, he says. “It’s the idea of exploration that is important here, and the differences between the players.” The strong, grounded bass of Linda May Han Oh contrasts strikingly with Nasheet Waits’s fleet, fluid drumming, setting up new contexts for Ralph Alessi’s elegantly inventive trumpet and the leader’s highly creative piano playing.  Lucent Waters was recorded at Studios La Buissonne in the South of France in September 2017, and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Florian Weber   Piano

Ralph Alessi   Trumpet

Linda May Han Oh   Double Bass

Nasheet Waits   Drums

1 BRILLIANT WATERS (Florian Weber) 02:07

2 MELODY OF A WATERFALL (Florian Weber) 03:02

3 FROM COUSTEAU'S POINT OF VIEW (Florian Weber) 05:37

4 HONESTLEE (Florian Weber) 07:30

5 BUTTERFLY EFFECT (Florian Weber) 07:49

6 TIME HORIZON (Florian Weber) 04:01

7 FRAGILE COCOON (Florian Weber) 06:11

8 SCHIMMELREITER (Florian Weber) 06:01

Jamie Saft Quartet - Blue Dream (RareNoise Records 2018)

Jamie Saft continues his collaboration with eclectic UK-based label RareNoiseRecords in 2018. On a roll after releasing his first ever solo piano album in January, the aptly named ‘Solo A Genova’, the Upstate New York-based artist presents a further facet of his seemingly boundless talent for composition, performance, invention and in this case, for acting as master of ceremonies to a group of exciting and innovative musicians. His latest formation, the Jamie Saft Quartet sees repeated collaborators, celebrated saxophonists Bill McHenry and bassists Bradley Jones as well as in rising star of the drums Nasheet Waits. 

Recorded in the Autumn of 2017 in Jamie Saft’s Potterville International Sound studio Upstate New York, co-produced by Saft and Chris Castagno, mixed and mastered by Chris Castagno in Colombia, Blue Dream showcases nine new vibrant, spiritual and energetic compositions by Jamie Saft, as well as three mesmerizing standards. The album will be released on 29th June and will be available on CD, double vinyl and digital download. 

Plenty of connotations emerge in the album title, yet as soon as you start listening you will realize, that Blue Dream won’t allow you to think about connotations. This is direct. The muscle is shown straight away in “Vessels,” and not just in the playing but the tone: dark, with four musicians moving like ships in the night, a tenor sax echoing over the water between them. That’s saxman Bill McHenry, and stirring the water beneath him is drummer Nasheet Waits, splashing into the basswaves of Brad Jones bellowing up, heavy and low. On the piano, Jamie Saft both holds it down and works in new melodies, like clouds in a rotation of sunlight and darkness. Blue Dream moves. “Equanimity” keeps it fast - punk jazz fast. 

The drums lead it off, and you get the feeling the other musicians aren’t coming in until Waits lets them in. They know to hold off. The vibe into which Waits swings himself is a tunnel for one, only breaking daylight a minute and half into the song, when everybody explodes together at once in the record’s biggest and brightest moment yet. But “Sword’s Water” brings it back into the low light, opening with a hot flourish that swirls on for two minutes before Saft begins to follow the melody down one of his paths.

Saft can slide effortlessly over the keys, to be sure, but it is when he lingers, teasing out perhaps the same several notes, that we get a sense of the restraint in place. 

This sounds like a record of standards—yes, new standards—but there are only three oldies on here … and they’re goodies. Sinatra’s “Violets For Your Furs” is the first, setting the second of this album’s four sides alive with an interpretation that finds Saft digging into the melody as only its patent simplicity allows (there’s that restraint again). Following that, Brad Jones finds room cleared out for him in the title track to pluck his heaviest path, accelerating through the heart of the record while Saft drifts overhead, clouds over boiling water. “Infinite Compassion” shoulders its way back into those big dark movements on the piano, both sustaining and running away past the margins wherever it is needed. 

The second half of the album kicks off with Bill McHenry cooling it down, and he does it through “Sweet Lorraine,” Cliff Burwell’s 1928 standard recorded by the King Cole Trio in 1940, which is the version taught to Saft by the late Geri Allen. Some 90 years later it’s a vehicle strong enough to summon a breeze into the whole second half of the album, carving out abundant room for “Walls.” Building on the big air of “Sweet Lorraine,” Saft goes off into outer space without a care in the world, and all of them ride out the vibe. Saft can flourish and arpeggiate with the best of them, but it’s in his open spaces that he shows he can be sometimes shy, sometimes flirtatious, but always confident—quietly—and relaxed. That is the foundation on which the musicians around him can build, with Saft then almost pleading with them to follow him into uncharted territories. 

Then there’s the drums. Waits has both a shimer and a modern architecture to his playing, the latter of which has him building a chess board in “Decamping,” where the band can check one another, trading on, trading off. Who’s got the end game? We don’t need to know. We only know they enjoy the field. The music nourishes the life beneath their feet. “Words And Deeds” feels like something by which each of them is living, expressing it through this music, right now, while “Mysterious Arrangements” furthers the language created by this quartet, bringing it into a new conversation that is obviously holding some tension in its palms. 

You’ll be relieved to know that tension all gets worked out in the end. Closing out the record is the 1937 Mack Gordon and Harry Revel classic “There’s a Lull In My Life,” blissfully stretching out the last seven minutes of the album like a long holiday party full of old faces. Memories abound of the song’s place in jazz history, and the voices that interpreted it in years past: Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker, Tony Bennett, Alice Faye, and Nat King Cole. The standard torch song, love ballad, classic, becomes buoyant in their hands. It does not wallow, but revels in its ache. Shouldn’t we all?

Jamie Saft : piano

Bill McHenry : tenor saxophone

Bradley Christopher Jones : acoustic bass

Nasheet Waits : drums

1. Vessels

2. Equanimity

3. Sword’s Water

4. Violets For Your Furs

5. Blue Dream

6. Infinite Compassion

7. Sweet Lorraine

8. Walls

9. Decamping

10. Words and Deeds

11. Mysterious Arrangements

12. There’s a Lull In My Life

All Music written by Jamie Saft and published by RareNoisePublishing (PRS), except

‘Violets for Your Furs’ : music by Matt Dennis and lyrics by Tom Adair

‘Sweet Lorraine’ music by Cliff Burwell and lyrics by Mitchell Parish

‘There’s a Lull In My Life’ written by Mack Gordon and Harry Revel

Recorded by Jamie Saft and Brian Gunn at Potterville International Sound, NY, Fall 2017

Mixed and Mastered by Christian Castagno in Minca, Colombia

Art and Design by Steven Erdman

Additional Layout assistance by Graham Schreiner

Piano Tuned and prepared by Steve Greenstein R.P.T.

Executive Producer for RareNoiseRecords: Giacomo Bruzzo

Trio Exaltation - Marty Ehrlich (CLEAN FEED RECORDS 2018)

Marty Ehrlich has released his first trio recording in many years, entitled “Trio Exaltation.” For this new trio concept, Ehrlich has called on bassist John Hébert and drummer Nasheet Waits. All three were members together in the Andrew Hill Point of Departure Sextet, a group which brought Andrew Hill’s music strongly before the public in the last decade of Hill’s life.

This recording features eight new compositions by Marty Ehrlich, one of the most accomplished and celebrated composers and performers in the New Jazz. The one exception is the seminal composition of Andrew Hill entitled “Dusk”, which is also the title of the first Andrew Hill Sextet recording. Ehrlich writes that this is a work of “simple complexity which Andrew was a master of.”

This recording also includes a beautiful hymn in memory of Ornette Coleman, and a tribute to Pedro Costa of Clean Feed entitled “Senhor P.C.” Ehrlich uses his range of saxophone, clarinets, and flutes as the works on the recording moves from reflection to vigor and back. There is a great empathy between these three artists, as they explore “the exaltation of the moment.” Trio Exaltation is a new stage of Ehrlich’s ensembles, rich in urgency and sophistication.

1. Dusk 8:30

2. Yes Yes 5:11

3. Senhor P.C 5:07

4. Dance No. 5 6:15

5. Stone 4:15

6. June 11th, 2015-In Memorium: Ornette Coleman 7:19

7. Sometimes 6:08

8. The Arc of the Oar 4:26

9. Spirit of Jah No.2 3:31

10. Reading the River 5:17

Marty Ehrlich  alto sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, wooden flutes

John Hebert  bass

Nasheet Waits  drums

All compositions by Marty Ehrlich (Dark Sounds Music, BMI) except “Dusk” by Andrew Hill (Hendon Music, Inc. BMI)

Recorded at Namouche Studios Lisbon on April 28th by Joaquim Monte | Mixed and mastered by Brian Montgomery

Produced by Marty Ehrlich | Executive production by Pedro Costa for Trem Azul | Design by Travassos

Magnus Thuelund - Angel From the South (March 25, 2018)

Magnus Thuelund is a Danish saxophone player/composer and teacher currently, living in Copenhagen Denmark. He is a Rhythmic Music Conservatory (RMC) graduate from (2003-2008).  (2005-2006) At the New School of Music in New York. And later (2010-2012) where he did the highly esteemed 2 year programme “Advanced Post Degree Diploma” in composition with composer/keyboardist Django Bates.

Magnus Thuelund has studied and played with prominent Danish and international musicians such as: Thomas Franck, Lars Møller, Ole Kock Hansen, Peter Jensen,  Nikolaj Hess, Butch Lacy and the Danish Radio Big Band.  And Marc Mommaas, Reggie Workman, George Garzone, Dave Glasser,  Mark Turner, Jamire Williams and Armen Donelian.

“Magnus Thuelund is a talented young and hard-working alto saxophonist and composer. He has a strong sound, a good ear, is an excellent reader and loves a challenge.” Marc Mommaas tenor saxophonist/composer.

Thuelund has played in Carnegie Hall and all over Europe with own bands and bigbands i.e.  as part of a European/Canadian tour with “Swinging Europe” European Youth Jazz Orchestra among others.

1. Slower 09:41

2. Argentum 07:35

3. Reach 09:40

4. Angel from the south 07:21

5. Autumn in April 05:09

6. Illuminate 07:46

7. Aurum 10:24

8. Miss Lisa 05:11

Ralph Alessi trumpet

Magnus Thuelund alto saxophone

Marc Mommaas tenor saxophone

Nikolaj Hess piano

Graig Earle bass

Nasheet Waits drums

David Murray (feat. Saul Williams) - Blues for Memo (MOTEMA MUSIC 2018)

The new album from jazz innovator David Murray and acclaimed actor/poet Saul Williams ‘Blues for Memo’ is out now. This album is a  powerful, political expression of the blues, paying homage to a pioneer of Istanbul’s jazz scene, Mehmet “Memo” Uluğ, inspired further by the legendary conductor/cornetist Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris and poet Amiri Baraka.

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Jay Phelps - Free As The Birds (ROPEADOPE RECORDS March 23, 2018)

Born in Vancouver and transplanted to London, Trumpeter Jay Phelps is a unique cat. His gears are always turning, and his resume shows it - touring with Jazz Jamaica, taking Wynton's chair as the master conducted the band in the epic 'Congo Square, hosting the Late Show at Ronnie Scott's - Jay moves in a variety of roles and keeps the music flowing. Jay's second solo album, Free As The Birds, is cued up for release on March 23rd here at Ropeadope, and it is best described as an exploration in sound. One can hear the breadth of Jay's experience, with a definite theatrical feel, and the warm tone that is his signature shining throughout. To top it off, Jay returns again on April 27th with NBOC - a trumpet and trombone production duo that heads heavily into a new sound. 

1. Intro...Of the world

2. Everyone’s Ethnic

3. Amphitrite’s Bounty

4. Skit: Freedom in the Studio

5. Angel 03:49

6. Flash

7. Skit: Raoni and Cecilia

8. L.S.G (love so good)

9. Free as the Birds

10. FAB outro (Batata)

11. Spread

12. Chaos or Commerce

13. Skit: Common ground

14. Chomtalay Chill

15. Bonus: Dedication

Releases March 23, 2018

All compositions written and arranged by: Jay Phelps Except: 11 (Outkast)

Jay Phelps - Trumpet, Vocals, Producer / Rick Simpson - Piano - 2,3,4,5,8,11 / John Escreet - Piano - 6,9,12,14 / Mark Lewandowski - Bass - 2,3,4,8,11

Russell Hall - Bass - 9 / Barry Stephenson - Bass - 6,12,14 / Shane Forbes - Drums - 5,8,11 / Jon Scott - Drums - 2,3,4

Nasheet Waits - Drums - 6,12,14 / Kyle Poole - Drums - 9 / Rodrigo ‘Pantera’ Rigaud - Percussion - 2,3,14 / Nilson Batata - Percussion - 9,10

Jack Inglesias - Flute, Percussion - 2 / Emilia Martensson - Vocals - 6,14 / Martina DaSilva - Vocals - 2,9 / Cecilia Stalin - Vocals - 7

Luana Soares Harf - Intro Voice - 9 / David Binney - Alto Sax - 6,12,14 / Rachael Cohen - Alto Sax - 9 / Stacy Dillard - Tenor Sax, Soprano Sax - 9

Corey Wilcox - Trombone - 9 / Michela Lerman - Tap - 9 / Raoní Maciel - Composition, Guitar - 7

Production 

Neeyz - Production / Chris Benham (Big Orange Sheep Studios) - Mixing, Editing, Mastering / Ben Marc - Post Production - 5

Joe Chiari - Post Vocal Production - 6,9,14 / Bruce Hall - Engineer - 5,8,11 / Danielle White (Raestar Ventures) - Production management

Wanja Slavin Lotus Eaters - Salvation (WHY PLAY JAZZ 2018)

Wanja Slavin (BMW World Jazz Award, Echo Jazz Award) presents his new album, “Salvation” with music that dazzles like the iridescent layers of a rainbow, evoking a radiance and authority – seven compositional gems with an orchestral feeling, rich tonal colors and sophisticated arrangements.

It’s a given that he’s one of the best alto saxophonists in Germany – or anywhere else, for that matter. His play has earned him the commensurate awards – important waystations along Wanja Slavin’s musical journey rather than any sort of existential musical goal. 

The exceptional new album from Slavin and his Lotus Eaters is the best evidence that the bandleader wants more. It’s the reason why he is so meticulous about the music he releases and why he so scrupulously fine-tunes his arrangements; it’s why time and again he alters his band personnel in order to more conclusively encompass the overriding musical ideas.

The music on “Salvation” dazzles like the iridescent layers of a rainbow. Yet it does not intrude on or attempt to overwhelm the listener. It develops its radiant power and authority reflectively, with discipline, devoid of clichés. In listening, one witnesses the burgeoning of something beautiful. Known for his free play in diverse Avant-garde constellations, here Wanja commits to the melodics of song form. Wanja Slavin considers The Lotus Eaters to be his most important band.

Like a gourmet, he seeks out the musicians that best suit his intentions. Thus, this second Lotus Eaters album consists of three recording sessions with alternating lineups and seven musical gems. There is an orchestral feeling to the music, with rich tonal colors and sophisticated arrangements. The solos are delineated, and come quickly and precisely to the particular point, since totally free play would not serve the purpose. Less is more, with pieces that project the feel of thoroughly arranged pop songs, or a kinship to Alfred Schnittke, or they could be the heroes of an imaginary Shorter-Wheeler-Konitz lineup leaning towards a rare multi-dimensional quality. After listening to the music, it’s clear that the particular line-up is essential.

Wanja isn’t one to hide behind his music. In this postmodern period, he has to deal with everything that’s out there. With the Lotus Eaters, he has come a long way in the art of defining and refining the essential. He doesn’t copy and he stays clear of irony. He doesn’t need those crutches because he’s not afraid of standing on his own two feet. 

The music alludes to something precious that goes beyond the six individuals involved and towards a spiritual level in which everything is transformed.

1 Salvation  6:36

2 W.S. 1  6:54

3 Melancholia 1  6:25

4 Melancholia 2  3:51

5 W.S. 2  6:33

6 Moonlight Becomes You  4:48

7 Love Song  3:53

Tom Arthurs (tp)

Erik Kimestad Pedersen (tp)

Wanja Slavin (as, synth)

Philipp Gropper (ts)

Rainer Böhm (p, rhodes)

Andreas Lang (b)

Bernhard Meyer (eb)

Petter Eldh (b, eb, synth)

Ivars Arutyunyan (dr)

Tobias Backhaus (dr)

Nasheet Waits (dr)

Track 1 recorded March 24, 2016 by Falko Duczmal at Forest Studios Steinbeck, Germany. Track 2/3/4 recorded September 28/29, 2016 by Marco Birkner at Casa San Francesco Loft Studios, Italy. Track 5/6/7 recorded January 19, 2017 by Rainer Robben at AudioCue Tonstudios Berlin, Germany. Produced by Wanja Slavin for WhyPlayJazz. Mixed by Marck Fuck. Mastered by Katherine Miller. Photo by Dovile Sermokas. Design and artwork by Travassos. Supported by Initiative Musik gGmbH with project funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Germany.

Concerts 2018

Apr 17, 2018 - Mannheim, DE @ Klapsmühl

Apr 18, 2018 - Köln, DE @ LOFT

Apr 19, 2018 - Berlin, DE @ Orania

Apr 21, 2018 - Pohrsdorf, DE @ Saxstall

Michael Attias Quartet - Nerve Dance (CLEAN FEED RECORDS 2017)

Nerve Dance – saxophonist/composer/bandleader/conceptualist Michaël Attias’ sixth album (available on Clean Feed Records, March 10, 2017), which deals with the aesthetics of spontaneity, the theory of elasticity and the concept of equality in music, is an expansive, spirited debut from Michaël Attias’ new Quartet, featuring Aruán Ortiz (piano), John Hébert (bass) and Nasheet Waits (drums). OnNerve Dance, we are regaled with hearing four hearts, minds and bodies hooking up at an extremely high level on nine Attias compositions, and two from Hébert. Each piece exercises a different set of muscles and faculties for the band, and every member of the Quartet carries within them the historical knowledge and a fluency in the multitude of dialects of this music; consequently we hear them free within the compositions, deep into the zone of this collective creation, transcending their respective instruments and completely surrendering to the music.

Attias has been influenced by literature, film, painting, extensive travel, life in general, and of course, a wide spectrum of music, ranging from Moroccan Gnawa rhythms to Renaissance Polyphony, Ligeti, Debussy and the 2nd Viennese School; the AACM, Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor and Steve Lacy, but also Andrew Hill, Paul Motian,  Konitz & Marsh, plus the first and lasting loves, Ellington, Coltrane, Monk, Miles and Bird. Attias’ music, while dedicated to “creation” rather than “re-creation”, remains firmly rooted in the avant-garde, conceptualized as the true tradition of this music from its earliest recordings onward. Attias asserts that the revolutionary, adventurous spirit of the major figures of jazz, including his aforementioned influences, made bold strokes of genius that only seem inevitable in retrospect, and have paved the way for the audacious improvisers of today who remain singular and fearless in the face of mass conformity.

There exists an instinctual, visceral need in Attias and his cohorts to play music that is honest, that rejects inertness and fully embraces the meaning of creativity and evolution. This music is found on Nerve Dance.

Attias, a quietly fierce, improvising force on the international scene, has worked with Anthony Braxton and Paul Motian, and is a frequent collaborator/sideman for Kris Davis, Ralph Alessi, Tony Malaby, Oliver Lake, Anthony Coleman (and many others).

He also leads three bands, his new Quartet, Renku (featuring John Hébert and Satoshi Takeishi), and Spun Tree (featuring Ralph Alessi, Matt Mitchell, Sean Conly and Tom Rainey). He has also composed for theatre, film, big band, and orchestra. So why this new Quartet, and why Ortiz, Hébert andWaits? “There was a particular chemistry I was looking for and a kinship of approach that I can only describe as a fiery mathematics whose combustion is in the blowing itself, a group identity so strong that it becomes the overriding composition.

This band is big fun to play with. Everyone has in common a deep lyricism and a very personal way of bringing design to the turbulence and turbulence to the design. We all share a fearless commitment to every moment of the music, to making it breathe and dance – balancing the yins and yangs, fire and receptivity, mystery and clarity… Hébert, Nasheet and I have played together in countless situations over the last fifteen years, and, of course, those two for years played together with Andrew Hill whose music is a big inspiration to us all.

They bring a deeply singing quality and dance to everything they do. Aruán is the new agent in this chemistry; he has all the qualities I’ve mentioned and a kind of visionary approach to sound and time, order and chaos that I really appreciate.

Music demands of us, as players and listeners, that we put our emotions, minds, bodies, and nervous systems on the line and give it some attention, but the reward is that we can all share in the dance.

Dark Net

Nerve & Limbo

Scribble Job Yin Yang

Boca De Luna

Moonmmouth

La Part Maudite

Le Pese-Nerfs

Rodger Lodge

Dream In A Mirror

Ombilique

Nasheet

Michaël Attias: alto saxophone

Aruan Ortiz: piano

John Hébert: bass

Nasheet Waits: drums

Nasheet Waits Equality - Between Nothingness and Infinity (LABORIE JAZZ 2016)

Batteur parmi les plus influents du jazz actuel, Nasheet Waits s'inscrit dans l'évolution d'un jeu de batterie plein, subtil, fougueux, bien en dehors des codes d'accompagnement traditionnels. Il alimente le fl ux musical par un jeu reposant sur un usage complexe de la polyrythmie, une approche très particulière de l'instrument qui ouvre la voie à une expression plus libre et authentique, une musique communicative qui révèle un attachement profond aux racines du Jazz, de ses créateurs et compositeurs.

L’album « Equality » est né favorablement lors d’une tournée printanière en Italie en 2007. Le quartet était composé alors de Logan Richardson aux saxophones alto et soprano, de Jason Moran et de Tarus Mateen, tous deux musiciens également dans le groupe Jason Moran & The Bandwagon. « Equality » s’est vu enregistrer une première proposition en 2009 chez Fresh Sound Records, intitulé « Alive At MPI » et a entrainé des pianistes virtuoses tels que Stanley Cowell et James Hurt pour plusieurs tournées en Europe de 2007 à 2013.

Il a notamment enregistré et tourné fréquemment en Afrique, en Europe, au Japon, au Canada, en Amérique du Sud et aux Etats-Unis. En plus de ses prestations, de ses enregistrements et de ses tournées, Nasheet Waits enseigne la batterie et la musique avec une approche bien personnelle.

Tout en défendant la nécessité d’équilibrer entre le traditionnel et le modernisme, Nasheet Waits rencontrent de nombreux musiciens, aussi en Master class. Il est dévoué à explorer son rôle et son parcours artistique dans la musique.

1. Korean Bounce (10’20)

2. Story Line (8’05)

3. Between Nothingness and Infinity (4’54)

4. Snake Hip Waltz (5’43)

5. Unity (7’16)

6. Kush (6’14)

7. Koko (7’32)

8. Hesitation (8’14)

9. Unity Bonus Track* (2’17)

Nasheet Waits : Batterie

Mark Helias : Contrebasse

Darius Jones : Saxophone

Aruan Ortiz : Piano

Produced by Laborie Jazz

Executive producer : Jean-Michel Leygonie

Recorded by Boris Darley at Studio Laborie

Assistant : Fabien Lambré

Mixed by Boris Darley at Holy Oak Studio

Mastered by Pierre Vandewaeterat Studio Lakanal

Photos cover & back by Emra Islek

Photos by Lucie Sassiat

Artwork / Design by Martial Muller

Booking International : 3D Family

Worldwide Digital Distribution by IDOL

Distribution by SOCADISC

Ethan Iverson - The Purity of the Turf (2016) CRISS CROSS RECORDS

The Purity of the Turf is kind of a "bucket list" moment for Ethan Iverson, who has always wanted to make a record with famous bassist Ron Carter.

Iverson, pianist of the famous trio "The Bad Plus", chose drummer Nasheet Waits to fill out the trio, because Waits represents the avant-garde as well as swing.

Criss Cross records are level playing field, with everyone recording in the same studio in a single day: Thus the sporting title, "The Purity of the Turf".

The repertoire is mostly originals and jazz classics. A surprise highlight is the solo piano tribute to the late Paul Bley, "So Hard it Hurts" by Annette Peacock.

01. The Purity Of The Turf (Ethan Iverson)  4:31

02. Song For My Father (Horace Silver)  5:19

03. Darn That Dream (Jimmy Van Heusen / Edgar DeLange)  4:43

04. Along Came Betty (Benny Golson)  5:45

05. Graduation Day (Ethan Iverson)  3:33

06. Confirmation (Charlie Parker)  6:14

07. Kush (Nasheet Waits)  5:35

08. Sent For You Yesterday (Count Basie / Eddie Durham)  4:55

09. Strange Serenade (Andrew Hill)  4:23

10. Little Waltz (Ron Carter)  5:01

11. Einbahnstrasse (Ron Carter)  5:10

12. So Hard It Hurts (Annette Peacock)  3:18

Ethan Iverson, piano

Ron Carter, bass

Nasheet Waits, drums

Avishai Cohen - Into the Silence (2016) ECM RECORDS

Avishai Cohen impressed a lot of listeners with his soulful contributions to Mark Turner’s Lathe of Heaven album in 2014. Now the charismatic Tel Aviv-born trumpeter has his ECM leader debut in a programme of expansive and impressionistic compositions for jazz quartet (trumpet, piano, bass, drums), augmented by tenor saxophone on a few pieces. Into The Silence is dedicated to the memory of Avishai’s father David, reflecting upon the last days of his life with grace and restraint. Avishai’s tender muted trumpet sets the emotional tone of the music in the album’s opening moments and his gifted cast of musicians explore its implications. Israeli pianist Yonathan Avishai has played with Cohen in many settings and solos creatively inside the trumpeter’s haunting compositions, sometimes illuminating them with the phraseology of the blues. Cohen and drummer Nasheet Waits have a hypersensitive understanding and their interaction can, from moment to moment, recall the heyday of Miles Davis and Tony Williams or Don Cherry and Billy Higgins. Yet this music, while acknowledging inspirational sources, is very much of our time. Bassist Eric Revis, a cornerstone of the Branford Marsalis quartet for two decades, provides elegant support throughout. And saxophonist Bill McHenry, a subtle modernist who has worked with Paul Motian and Andrew Cyrille, shadows Cohen’s lines with feeling. Into The Silence was recorded at Studios La Buissonne in the South of France in July 2015 and produced by Manfred Eicher.

1. Life and Death 9:18 

2. Dream Like a Child 15:30 

3. Into the Silence 12:12 

4. Quiescence 5:10 

5. Behind the Broken Glass 8:12 

6. Life and Death (Epilogue) 2:43

Avishai Cohen, trumpet

Bill McHenry, tenor sax

Yonathan Avishai, piano 

Eric Revis, double bass

Nasheet Waits, drums

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