Misha Tsiganov, who lived in Leningrad in the former Soviet Union until he emigrated to the U.S. in 1991, at 25, has never shied away from a challenge. That’s apparent from the levels of complexity that Tsiganov embeds in the 18 arrangements and 9 originals on his three prior Criss Cross albums – The Artistry of the Standard (Criss 1367), Spring Feelings (Criss 1384), and Playing With The Wind (Criss 1401).
As written in the liner notes for Spring Feelings, Tsiganov has established “a signature blend of mixed meters, shifting tempos, changing keys and reharmonization that he deploys in order to insure ‘that something is happening always, so the listener doesn’t fall asleep.’”
Tsiganov’s latest, Misha’s Wishes, doesn’t eschew technical complexity. But the feel of this sophisticated, emotionally nuanced program – performed by old friends trumpeter Alex Sipiagin, tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Donald Edwards, themselves leaders of multiple Criss Cross dates, with whom Misha Tsiganov feels such simpatico that he once postponed a recording session until all were available – is different than its predecessors.
1. Fire Horse (Misha Tsiganov) 7:14
2. Strike Up The Band (George Gershwin) 8:32
3. Misha's Wishes (Misha Tsiganov) 5:35
4. There Was A Birch Tree In The Field, So What (Russian Folk Song) 6:10
5. Lost In Her Eyes (Misha Tsiganov) 2:18
6. Just A Scale (Misha Tsiganov) 6:08
7. Give Me Five (Misha Tsiganov) 8:21
8. Hope And Despair (Misha Tsiganov) 7:15
9. Comrade Conrad (Bill Evans) 7:21
10. Are You With Me (Misha Tsiganov) 7:51
Total Time: 66:47
Recorded September 9, 2021 in Astoria, NY, USA by Mike Marciano
Ubuntu Music is delighted to announce the release of The Kevin Brady Electric Quartets upcoming worldwide album release entitled PLAN B on the 8th of October.
The Kevin Brady Electric Quartet has a clear aim of creating and producing new contemporary jazz and the impact of this has been immediate. Their performances have been critically acclaimed for their dynamism and musicality. Touring regularly, they have consolidated their worldwide reputation as a compelling live act. As quoted by The Telegraph UK, “This group display an enviable poise and togetherness”, winning the appreciation of discerning jazz audiences in the USA, Europe, UK, China. Their music embraces imaginative creativity and contributes to the evolution of exciting and engaging improvised music.
Plan B is the latest studio album by acclaimed drummer and composer, Kevin Brady. It features the stellar musical talents of U.S. saxophonist Seamus Blake, Bill Carrothers on Fender Rhodes, and bassist Dave Redmond. Brady’s ambition was to record an album that consisted of new, original compositions that explore improvisation in an electric quartet format. While tipping their collective hat to the music of the 1970s Miles Davis Group, along with the groove and funk based music of Herbie Hancock, many of the musical themes deal with the impact of what is happening in the world as we know it now. The music is hypnotically insistent, all with a lasting story of experience and optimism.
1. Airbourne 06:25
2. Plan B 05:39
3. Short 'n' Sweet 08:55
4. Spindle Top 05:19
5. Suicide Squeeze 05:42
6. Quiet Beach 08:22
7. Out of the Blue 06:21
8. Wanderlust 09:02
Recorded & Mixed by Hally Music & Kevin Brady at Arthouse Studios, Naas, Co.Kildare,Ireland February 2020.
Assistant Engineer Fionn Shelley.
Mastered by Thomas Schmidt at Schmidt-Thon Studios,Munich,Germany.
Photography by Daragh Mc'Donagh www.daraghmcdonagh.com Art Direction and Design by Dseny www.dseny.es
New York guitar phenom Oz Noy is that rare artist -- one who has cultivated his own distinct voice within the context of classic structures. His latest album, Booga Looga Loo reawakens timeless Boogaloo meets Jazz meets R&B grooves with Noy’s extended, unpredictable harmonic sensibility, stinging phrasing, and deft musical economy. Helping to realize Noy’s concept of the boogaloo record is a cast of musicians equally versed in the backbeat and the beyond, including drummers Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Weckl and Steve Ferrone; bassists Will Lee, John Patitucci, and James Genus; and keyboardists Jerry Z and Brian Charette. Other contributors include Kevin Hays, Seamus Blake, and Anne Drummond.
On Booga Looga Loo, five taut, incisive Noy originals are joined by striking reinventions of material by the Beatles (“Eight Days a Week,” with Lee on vocals), the Beach Boys (an achingly delivered “God Only Knows”), Ray Charles (“I Got a Woman”), and Thelonious Monk (“Bemsha Swing”). The album follows Twisted Blues, Oz Noy’s acclaimed two-volume exploration of the limits of the blues, a searing live set recorded in Shanghai with Weckl and bassist Étienne M'Bappé (Asian Twistz), a Soul Funk R&B record “Who Give A Funk" and the debut of Ozone Squeeze, Noy’s versatile, accessible trio with drummer Darren Stanley and vocalist and keyboardist Rai Thistlethwayte.
DIAMOND Dedicated to a dear childhood friend, the pianist/keyboardist András Losó, who was nicknamed gyémánt (Diamond). Unfortunately he passed away very young due to heart disease. Many great memories...I learned a lot from him about playing & music in general. His presence & music brought a lot of joy to many. One of the funniest people ever, too… I incorporated grooves & chord changes that we used to jam on for hours & hours. R.I.P BUDAPEST A song that contains mixed feelings. A bittersweet tribute to one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Many different experiences there for the first 20 years of my life. Some of the best, but unfortunately some of the harshest ones too. OLD SOUL Somehow that’s how this tune felt like to me. That’s the title which came to me from the feeling of it. Musically, this track is all over the map. It has many old & soul-oriented influences from Romani, Folk, Baroque Classical to Jazz, Funk, Gospel, Fusion to Motown & more...it all just came out like that. It also paints a musical picture of my journey from old Europe to North America. PRAISE I used to play in Church a lot. I always try to play the same way I did when I was performing in Church, everytime I am on stage. This song is really a prayer. Praising the One who gave me all good things including music. As my former teacher Jim Blackley said to me: “you are not the doer, you are the instrument”. HOPE A Latin influenced tune, with a positive outlook. I wrote it shortly after winning the Montreux Jazz festival piano competition with a heart full of new hope. DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES One of my favourite standards, with a groovy twist. I love old standards & the joy in finding fresh ways of playing them without losing their meanings. CALHOUN SQUARE A tribute to the one & only Prince. One of the funkiest musicians, multi-instrumentalists & producers who ever lived. He was a musical chameleon. One of the few who knew his craft, kept & respected the tradition, but also brought a totally new thing to the scene.
Produced by Scott Morin and Robi Botos
All Compositions : Robi Botos
except Calhoun Square (Prince) and Days of Wine and Roses (Mancini/Mercer)
Recorded on Sunday, July 3rd at Planet Studios – Montreal, Canada
Engineered by Nicolas Roberge at Planet Studios
Recording Supervised by Dan Cinelli at Planet Studios
Piano Tuning : Oliver White
Mixed by John ‘Beetle’ Bailey at The Drive Shed
Percussion Overdubs Recorded at Sound Lens Studio, Markham, Ontario
Engineer : Ted Sevdalis // Studio Owner : Lenny Binder
All audio Mastered by Peter Letros for Wreckhouse Mastering
Photography : Tracey Nolan
Art Direction and Design : Simon Paul
Production Management : Geoff Lang for A440 Entertainment Inc.
Release Coordination : Celine Peterson and Scott Morin
Ice on the Hudson, Available October 12 via SMK Jazz
Ice on the Hudson features vocalists René Marie, Janis Siegel, Darius de Haas and Karen Oberlin and an all-star ensemble interpreting diverse songs about the emotional complexities of adult life in today’s world. There’s a special chemistry that’s found only in the rarest of songwriting partnerships, forever linking the names of composer and lyricist in the minds of listeners. The names Renee Rosnes and David Hajdu are already well known to music lovers: Rosnes as one of her generation’s most acclaimed jazz composers and pianists, Hajdu as an award-winning author and critic. With Ice on the Hudson, their first collaborative album of songs, the pair reveals a breathtaking synergy, crafting a collection of deeply felt and genre-defying songs that join words and music with alchemical results. Ice on the Hudson, due out October 12 via SMK Jazz (a newly launched imprint curated by Smoke Sessions Records), brings together four magnificent vocalists: revered, GRAMMY® Award-nominated jazz singer René Marie; Manhattan Transfer co-founder and nine-time GRAMMY® winner Janis Siegel, celebrated musical-theater actor and art-song interpreter Darius de Haas; and acclaimed jazz/pop performer Karen Oberlin. Their voices are matched by a stunning ensemble, featuring Rosnes at the piano along with cellist Erik Friedlander, saxophonists Steve Wilson and Seamus Blake, clarinetist Ken Peplowski, bassist Sean Smith, drummer Carl Allen, and percussionist Rogerio Boccato. While both Rosnes and Hajdu can boast considerable accomplishments in their respective fields, songwriting was a fairly new endeavor for both. Rosnes had had a handful of her instrumental compositions set to lyrics, and Hajdu had collaborated on a few songs with Fred Hersch and others. When Rosnes and Hajdu decided to try writing together, five years ago, “Everything clicked,” in Hajdu’s words.
“Renee is one of the most gifted, most sophisticated and most creative composers alive,” Hajdu says. “I consider myself the luckiest boy in the music world for getting to write with this flat-out genius. We both enjoy the exhilarating thrill of doing something that we care about, that draws on our professional and life experiences, but that provides a whole new set of challenges for us.” For Rosnes, who has long drawn inspiration for her own music from sources as diverse as the natural world and the visual arts, the partnership has given her rich depths of emotion and narrative to plumb. “David is a powerful and compelling storyteller,” she says, “and each of his lyrics has many layers and great substance. It’s been a fulfilling experience to take his words and search for melodies that truly allow the story to shine through.” Given the tantalizing complexity of Hajdu’s words, Rosnes found herself exploring a wide range of sensibilities, never concerned with genre. Ultimately, while some pieces fit comfortably into the jazz songwriting tradition of Jon Hendricks or Bob Dorough, others evoke the world of musical theater or such respected singer-songwriters as Joni Mitchell or Randy Newman. “When I embarked on this project with David, I put the idea of genre out of my mind,” she explains. “I was most interested in allowing the lyrics to inspire and move me in whatever direction that musically translated to.” “A Tiny Seed” opens the album with a parable both timeless and timely, about a wall-building king and the seemingly small detail that grows to topple his kingdom. Marie’s wry, soulful vocal offers inspiration to those hoping to turn such fairy tales into reality. Her serpentine lines bring an exotic mystery to “Little Pearl,” a reinterpretation of Rosnes’ instrumental “The Quiet Earth.” Siegel’s voice seems to float into a whimsical daydream on “I Used to Like to Draw,” a tender reminiscence of the childhood days when we all gave vent to our imaginations, before the supposed reality of adult life quashed such fancies. Siegel also sings “The Passage,” which takes the natural splendor that inspired Rosnes’ instrumental piece “Gabriola Passage” into the realm of transcendence. On the title track, “Ice on the Hudson,” she takes the bizarre fact that the Hudson River flows both upstream and downstream as a metaphor for the often contradictory aspects of grown-up reality – one of several instances of complex ideas that stem from the collaboration between two artists with a wealth of life experience.
Oberlin offers a bit of culinary respite from the world’s divisiveness on the playful “I Like Pie” and a bit of romantic perspective on “I Still Feel the Same.” The moving “All But You” builds from scraps of both songwriters’ biographies to paint a picture of living with a missing someone. Rosnes suggested a song based on her experience as an adopted child wondering about her birth parents, which Hajdu countered with his own background. “Renee said it felt strange growing up not knowing who her biological parents were, but my father sat at the dinner table with me every night my whole life, and I don’t know who my father was either. We share that feeling of a hole in your life, that there are people who could have been there who were not.” Hajdu based “To Meet My Brother” on the tragic loss of his sister and the feeling of wanting to be reunited, whatever the cost. Darius de Haas brings tender yearning to that piece and an urgent sensuality to “Confound Me.” His knack for theatrical drama illuminates “Trotsky in Mexico,” a Sondheim-like musing on the Russian revolutionary’s fling with Frida Kahlo. A five-time winner of the JUNO award, Renee Rosnes is one of the premier jazz composers and pianists of her generation. Upon moving to New York City from Vancouver, Canada, she quickly established her enduring reputation as a creative original and versatile collaborator, touring and recording with such masters as Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, BobbyHutcherson, J.J. Johnson, James Moody, and Ron Carter. With 16 recordings as a leader, Rosnes has grown ever more ambitious musically, as her most recent album, Beloved of the Sky (Smoke Sessions Records), attests. David Hajdu is an award-winning author, critic, and songwriter. A three-time winner of the ASCAP Deems Taylor/Virgil Thompson Award for Music Writing as well as a three-time finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, Hajdu is the author of five books, including Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn, Positively 4th Street, and Love for Sale: Pop Music in America.
BRIDGES is a modern, Nordic jazz project with a clear vision; a vision to create an expression that is highly unique by constructing new musical bridges between Norway and other parts of the world. The construction of these musical bridges will help to link different worlds of jazz together and ultimately lead to the creation new and exciting music. This digital release is a short documentation of BRIDGES with Seamus Blake´s European tour in Scandinavia, United Kingdom and France during September 2017. It was recorded live in concert at Nasjonal Jazzscene in Oslo, Norway and thereafter mixed by Jan Erik Kongshaug in legendary Rainbow Studio.
1. Step Song (feat. Seamus Blake, Hayden Powell, Espen Berg, Jesper Bodilsen & Anders Thorén) 4:39
2. Trust in You (feat. Seamus Blake, Hayden Powell, Espen Berg, Jesper Bodilsen & Anders Thorén) 13:07
3. Dear Old Stockholm (feat. Seamus Blake, Hayden Powell, Espen Berg, Jesper Bodilsen & Anders Thorén) 6:49
4. Song for Karla (feat. Seamus Blake, Hayden Powell, Espen Berg, Jesper Bodilsen & Anders Thorén) 7:29
Resonance was recorded in New York and Los Angeles in May 2016, and will be released via Los Angeles-based music label Ghost Note Records on July 7. It features the three stellar musicians from my first record, Live at the Baked Potato: Evan Marien (bass), Gene Coye (drums) and Deen Anbar (guitar). Additionally, I'm thrilled that a couple guest musicians make appearances on the record: bass clarinet legend Bennie Maupin, and saxophone virtuoso Seamus Blake. "At age 27, Isamu McGregor has established himself on a global scale as a highly sought-after pianist, keyboardist, musical director and arranger. Having toured the world over the last few years with an amazingly diverse group of artists (Richard Bona, Colbie Caillat, Virgil Donati, Sadao Watanabe), he has gradually been finding time between tours to work on his new album, Resonance, which will be released in May 2017 through LA-based Ghost Note Records. This will be his second album as a leader, following his 2012 debut Live at The Baked Potato, which received strong reviews from All About Jazz and other publications. While McGregor's first album was dominated by an electric/fusion sound that many characterized as a unique mix of Weather Report, Headhunters and Wayne Krantz, Resonance finds McGregor returning to a more acoustic setting. "I've always loved playing acoustic piano, but I found that people knew me mainly as a keyboard player, due to the nature of my first album. And while I love keyboards and electronics, it wouldn't be difficult for me to admit that acoustic piano is still my first passion."
1. The Dreamer 10:18
2. Relentless 07:22
3. Halfway There 06:28
4. Because 05:17
5. The Drifter 09:57
6. Thor vs James Brown 08:17
7. The Tao of Flying 08:17
The Dreamer. Evan Marien, Gene Coye
Relentless. Seamus Blake, Evan Marien, Gene Coye
Halfway There. Evan Marien, Gene Coye
Because (no credits, it's solo piano)
The Drifter. Bennie Maupin, Evan Marien, Gene Coye
Thor vs James Brown .Deen Anbar, Evan Marien, Gene Coye
A Name You Already Know, Now Releases His Debut Offering, A Regular Member of Poncho Sanchez' Esnemble, Trumpeter Ron Francis Blake
ASSIMILATION
Special Guests
Poncho Sanchez - congas and quijada on tracks #2, #5 Seamus Blake - tenor sax on tracks #1, #5 Walt Weiskopf - tenor sax on track #7 Andy Abad - guitars on track #6 Adonis Puentes - lead vocal on track #1
Musicians
Ron Francis Blake - trumpet & flugelhorn Rob Hardt - tenor sax, flute, bass clarinet Francisco Torres - trombone Andy Langham - piano Rene Camacho - bass Nick Mancini - vibraphone Jimmy Branly - drums Joey De Leon - timbales, percussion Steve Giraldo - vocals Joe Rotondi - piano on track #1 Dante Pascuzzo - bass on tracks #3, #6
Brass Ensemble on tracks #2, #5, #7
Wayne Bergeron - flugelhorn Javier Gonzales - flugelhorn Lisa McCormick - French horn Tawnee Lillo - French horn Andy Martin - trombone Francisco Torres - bass trombone
Ron’s debut album Assimilation is dedicated to his late father, Frank M. Blake, who continues to be a guiding light in Ron’s musical journey.
Perhaps the most accomplished UK-born improviser of his generation, bassist Orlando le Fleming returns with his new album Romantic Funk, the long awaited follow-up to 2010's From Brooklyn With Love.
The spirit of Romantic Funk falls somewhere between the serene, legato passages of early-Jaco-era Weather Report, and the spaced out electronica of late-70's Herbie Hancock; a unity distorted beautifully by Le Fleming's jedi-level command of complex rhythmic systems. Best known as a double bassist with jazz luminaries like Branford Marsalis, Joey Calderazzo, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jeff "Tain" Watts and Lage Lund, Le Fleming takes a left with his new release, electing to showcase his abilities on the electric bass this time against a backdrop of his own kaleidoscopic compositions. About the music, Le Fleming says: “The ‘romantic’ is personified by lush, classical harmony echoed by the nostalgic synth sounds of Pete Rende and Frank LoCrasto. The strong grooves and guitar lines are heavily influenced by Funk, although the complexities in rhythm stem from more contemporary forms of jazz.” The pithy irreverence of the album's tracklist reflects Le Fleming's wry wit and penchant for injecting irony into musical conversation. "Pretentious Brooklyn’s” combination of popular and esoteric elements finds its composer utilizing much the same crossover approach as Miles Davis did on Live - Evil, recalling Dave Holland as readily as David Axelrod. "Focustrate" is a whirling, polyrhythmic take on the Headhunters sound, a quieter contemporary analog to the gyrating hemiolas of Wayne Krantz's modern classic Two Drink Minimum. The sublime "Myth" finds a strong asset in guest drummer Lenny Reece (otherwise known for his work with DJ Premier and Gentei Kaijo), who helps Le Fleming & co. find common ground between the Dilla-inflected Robert Glasper aesthetic of this generation, and the electric jazz canon of decades prior.
Reece is not the only guest on the album. The core lineup of Le Fleming, drummer Ari Hoenig, guitarist Greg Tuohey and keyboardist Frank LoCrasto is augmented intermittently by saxophonists Seamus Blake and Will Vinson, keyboardists Sullivan Fortner and Pete Rende, and guitarist Ryan Scott. Le Fleming's veteran leadership finds a place for everyone, and everyone in their place. Turn off your TV and turn up the bass - Romantic Funk is out May 12th.
1. Brooklyn
2. And That Sort Of Thing
3. Focustrate
4. Myth
5. Mr Grumble
6. Ellington
7. Smirk
8. Melancholy
Orlando le Fleming (Bass)
Ari Hoenig & Lenny Reece (Drums)
Greg Tuohey & Ryan Scott (Guitars)
Frank LoCrasto, Sullivan Fortner & Pete Rende (Keyboards)
“True North,” is a sophisticated study of contrasts by Chicago-based, Canadian-born bassist and composer Ashley Summers. In her long-awaited debut album as a leader, Summers’s collection of originals crafts a love letter to icy air, shimmering city lights, and the capacious joys and tragedies of urban life. Above all, this is music about resiliency like the words of Albert Camus: the “invincible summer” found “deep within the midst of winter.”
Ever the nomad, Summers is a self-proclaimed 'city girl' that has spent her career exploring many corners of the world in pursuit of music scholarship and performance. From her childhood home in Canada to the cobblestone streets of Paris and humbling hills of Kentucky, this collection of compositions serves as a tribute to the people, experiences and values that keep her grounded regardless of locale or circumstance. “I became a ‘wanderer’ the moment I discovered jazz and creative improvised music,” Summers says in reference to the many different cities she has called home. “It’s embedded in the spirit of the music; you go where it takes you. Each move has been prompted solely by music coupled with either restlessness or a dream I was chasing.” In 2015, when a close family member was in the midst of a battle with cancer and two of her musical heroes died suddenly, Summers says: “I started to examine the significant attachments in my life that keep me grounded, which are not geographical or physical at all." "Every one of my compositions is a tribute to or reflection of a person in my life or an experience I’m trying to narrate, but this was different. I was trying to define what it is that ultimately guides my journey as an artist and an individual, and I realized that what I was searching for was an ‘anthem’ of sorts that would tie my work together.” The result of this revelation is the spirited, exultant melody in True North, which Summers acknowledges as “certainly a propos in light of the tremendous pride I have for my country and the intensity of the yearning I feel for my homeland as I wander the world, which is all reflected in the shifting metres and moods of my composition.” Having crafted her anthem, and after spending a significant portion of her career supporting other artists in the studio, she finally felt ready to release an album of her own. The album contains stories of patriotism, resilience, heartache, injustice, mysticism, hope and heroism, all told from the perspective of an artist perpetually guided by her "True North".
There is no better assemblage of musicians to help Summers in this storytelling endeavor than Seamus Blake, Daniel Bruce, Daniel Murphy and Chris Baker. While each have their own unique artistic voice, they have all had a profound presence in Summers's life for well over a decade. Saxophone powerhouse and fellow Vancouver native Seamus Blake has been a major influence on Summers from the moment she heard him in her teenaged years. His extraordinary sound and inimitable playing style has invariably inspired the sweeping melodies she writes. Here, his articulate improvisations charge the project with unbridled optimism and streetwise bravado. Pianist Daniel Murphy has been Summers's co-conspirator since a 2006 tour with Cleveland saxophonist Bobby Selvaggio that sparked their friendship and musical camaraderie. His talents blend seamlessly with her compositional style and his incisive, front-edged technique contributes a certain suave elegance to the project. Similarly, the spirited guitar playing of Summers's close friend and longtime collaborator Daniel Bruce adds a layer of intrigue and momentum that he executes effortlessly. The album glitters with the elegant playing of Summers's drummer and husband, Chris Baker, who deftly balances ferocity with subtlety to make her compositions come alive here.
Summers herself performs her eloquent compositions with stunning sincerity, balancing impetuous, razor-sharp rhythmic clarity with the introspection of an old soul who has stories to tell. Achingly long melodies drape gracefully over persistent rhythmic syncopations like walls of fog rolling over the clamoring streets of her native Vancouver. Summers’s world is one in which collaborators breezily finish each other’s musical sentences, and perpetually building intensity crests and falls as naturally as waves into foam. “My hope is that the album as a whole inspires a feeling of momentum”,Summers affirms. “It’s meant to stir and invigorate the listener, propelling them in whatever direction is true for them.”
