Hello Friends. This is a new video from a live show we played a few weeks ago in New York at Cornelia Street Cafe. The name of the tune is "Soul Talk". The opossite of "Small Talk". I hope you like the music. I also hope that people will find a way to live with each other in this world. Let's hug more.Arnan Raz
Arnan Raz Quintet - Soul Talk (Live at Cornelia Street Cafe - New York 01/18/2017)
There are trios, and there are trios: ‘power’ trios, ‘feel’ trios, piano, bass and drums trios. What’s especially distinctive about 1982 – the trio of Nils Økland, Sigbjørn Apeland and Øyvind Skarbø – apart from the unusual instrumentation of violin or Hardanger fiddle, harmonium and drums, is the empathy displayed by the group as a whole; the hyper-sensitivity with which each individual member appears to respond to the contributions of the others in the pursuit of a collective goal, however obscure or unknowable that goal might be. Such extreme alertness to subtle changes of mood and nuance, and to the evolving sound-world of each, totally improvised, performance is rare in music of any type. 1982 have made it their signature.
And because 1982 have so singularly created their own identity and sound, they can do anything they like. Normal conventions of style and genre, format and duration cease to matter: it is all 1982 music, anchored in the strong personalities of the three players and their respect for the primacy of the group as an entity in itself. Thus they can record as a trio – as on the group’s first two albums, ‘1982’ (from 2009) and ‘Pintura’ (their Hubro debut, from 2011) – or with guests, as in the acclaimed ’1982 + BJ Cole’ (from 2012), and the collaboration with composer Stian Omenås and a quintet of wind players for ‘1982: A/B’ (from 2014). There was also the unique ‘message in a bottle’ intervention of ‘The Bottlemail Project’, begun in 2011, whereby 15 copies of a new recording were ‘distributed’ via USB sticks enclosed in bottles and released into the open sea from Bergen and various worldwide locations.
The new album, ‘1982: Chromola’, as well as marking the group’s tenth anniversary, represents a return to the essential identity of the trio playing alone, without guests. Recorded at Sandviken church in Bergen on the day following an evening concert, the album uses material from both occasions, engineered once again by Davide Bertolini, who worked on the band’s four previous recordings. As an album it is remarkable for many things, but perhaps most notably for the role of Sigbjorn Apeland, who plays pipe organ on all buthu one of the seven tracks rather than harmonium, which features only in the closing, seventh, piece.
While one might have expected the use of the organ (or organs, for Sandviken has two resident instruments, both of which Apeland played) to create a more liturgical or contemplative feel to the overall sound, the effect is much closer to prog-rock than it is to the church. On the opening two pieces (titled, as is 1982’s custom, only by track number and duration), and intermittently elsewhere, Apeland’s ghostly wails, drones and ornamental flourishes may even carry echoes of early Pink Floyd, accentuated by drummer Skarbo’s occasional use of timpani-beaters, and heavy, unapologetically meaty pulse, or recall the proggish minimalism of Terry Riley and John Cale. Heard amidst the spacey sonic background of Apeland’s atmospheric burbling, squawky interjections and impassioned mini-cadenzas, together with Skarbo’s readiness to find a groove and stick to it, Nils Økland’s fiddling appears to take on a new, emphatically bluesy quality. At times, playing like a man possessed, his long, arabesque, Eastern-oriented lines can seem to go on and on, reaching peak after peak, as if to demonstrate his unequalled virtuosity as a soloist, whatever the musical setting.
Subsequent tracks return to what might seem a more conventionally experimental mode, before picking up the pace again a number of times. But what is perhaps most striking about ’1982: Chromola’, despite the variety of the music it contains, is that everything remains all of a piece. There’s a governing sense of intense exploration within self-imposed limits; of going further and further into a particular sonic palette whose colours derive from the individual instruments, the recording venue, and the countless combinations between them, and whose meanings deepen and deepen as the exploration continues. As improvised music goes, this is close to state-of-the-art.
Unter Jazzfreunden kann man herrlich darüber streiten, ob »Europäischer Jazz« ein nützlicher Gegenentwurf zur amerikanischen Tradition ist, eine originelle Ergänzung dazu oder »auf dem Markt weniger wert als amerikanischer«, wie es in einem Wikipedia-Forum nachzulesen ist. Außer Zweifel steht allerdings, dass es auch diesseits des Atlantiks begnadete Musiker gab und gibt, die den Jazz seit Jahrzehnten geprägt und geformt haben. Dabei haben sie ganz eigene Spielweisen entwickelt, indem sie europäische Musiktraditionen mit den amerikanischen Einflüssen zusammenbrachten. Diesen Pionieren des europäischen Jazz eine Bühne zu geben, das war die Idee zur Artikelserie »European Jazz Legends«, die im Magazin Jazz thing in seiner 100. Ausgabe im September 2013 startete – und die inzwischen auf mittlerweile 18 Folgen zurückblickt. Aus der symbolischen Bühne ist nun eine tatsächliche geworden – und sie steht in Gütersloh, mitten in Europa. Begleitend zu jeder Ausgabe des fünfmal jährlich erscheinenden Heftes findet in Kooperation mit unserem Label Intuition, der Stadt Gütersloh und WDR 3 ein eigens für diesen Anlass konzipiertes Konzert mit einem aktuellen Protagonisten der Serie statt, moderiert von Götz Bühler. Das Konzert inklusive Gesprächsrunde mit Götz Bühler wird aufgenommen und vom WDR 3 zeitversetzt gesendet; die musikalischen Highlights des Konzertes werden auf einer CD veröffentlicht. Für jedes Jahr bis Ende 2017 sind also fünf Konzerte und fünf CDs zur Serie »European Jazz Legends« geplant, am Ende wird ein Buch entstehen, für das die Artikel aus dem Magazin überarbeitet und ergänzt werden, u. a. um Eindrücke aus den Konzerten und Gesprächsrunden. Die CD von Günter »Baby« Sommer ist bereits die neunte Veröffentlichung der »European Jazz Legends«-Reihe. Wir von Intuition sind stolz darauf, unseren Beitrag leisten zu können und danken allen Partnern und insbesondere den Musikern – und hoffen, dass sie den Hörern, die nicht live dabei sein konnten, Freude bereitet. Und denen, die im Publikum saßen, eine schöne Erinnerung darstellt.
»Wir nennen uns »Günter Baby Sommer's Quarteto Trionfale«, betonte der 73-jährige Schlagzeuger aus Radebeul bei Dresden direkt vor dem Konzert, um sicherzustellen, dass die Band korrekt vorgestellt wird. »Du weißt ja: wie ›Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers‹«. Die Tatsache, dass sich Sommer mit den Afro-Amerikanischen Wurzeln tief verbunden fühlt, ist auch an seinem Spitznamen zu erkennen. Dieser kann zurück geführt werden auf den Schlagzeuger von Louis Armstrong: »Baby Dodds«. Das steht überhaupt nicht im Widerspruch dazu, dass dieses »Baby« zu der Generation ostdeutscher Musiker gehört, die vor ungefähr vierzig Jahren für reichlich Aufregung sorgten: mit ihrer weitgehend frei improvisierten Musik in und um die damalige DDR. Als Klangkünstler im Allgemeinen und Percussionist im Besonderen sowie als Solist oder Instrumentalist in einem Ensemble war und ist Sommer immer interessiert an der Ausdehnung des klanglichen Spektrums seines Schlagzeugs und an der Entdeckung neuen Repertoires. »Wenn man Afro-Amerikanische Kollegen fragt, woher sie kommen, antworten sie: ›von Mutter Afrika‹. Aber woher kommen wir? Diese Suche nach der Antwort begann mit dem Zentralquartett mit Uli Gumpert, und wir wurden fündig in den mittelalterlichen Liedern. Für westdeutsche Kollegen wie Brötzmann und andere war schon der Gedanke daran ausgeschlossen. Für uns aber stand das Wort ›frei‹ für die Freiheit, in jede Richtung zu denken.« Für dieses Konzert in der Reihe »European Jazz Legends« im Theater Gütersloh am 31. Oktober 2016 – präsentiert von WDR 3, Jazz in Gütersloh, Intuition und Jazz thing – hat Günter »Baby« Sommer (nahezu) eine Band wiedervereinigt, die erstmals 1979 in der Jazzwerkstatt Peitz spielte. Um den möglicherweise »kompromittierenden« Einfluss des westdeutschen Trompeters Manfred Schoof zu mindern, hat die Kulturbehörde der DDR verlangt, dass zu der Band auch Musiker anderer Länder eingeladen werden. So kamen dann der italienische Bassklarinettist und Altsaxophonist Gianluigi Trovesi und der amerikanische Bassist Barre Philips zum ersten Konzert des Quartetts nach Peitz. Schon seit einiger Zeit spielt nun statt Barre Philips der in Berlin lebende Italiener Antonio Borghini den Kontrabass – der übrigens auch in der Band Alexander von Schlippenbach's spielte, veröffentlicht als European Jazz Legends Vol. 4.
Po podróżach w głąb muzyki japońskiej („Haiku") i luzofońskiej („Sobremesa”) Anna Maria Jopek tym razem zaśpiewa po polsku z Kubańczykami. 14 lutego 2017 ukaże się płyta pt. „Minione”, którą Anna Maria Jopek nagrała z legendarnym pianistą kubańskim Gonzalo Rubalcabą i jego trio jazzowym. Wydaniu płyty towarzyszyć będzie trasa koncertowa w największych miastach Polski. Płyta „Minione”, która ukaże się w Święto Zakochanych to wskrzeszenie najpiękniejszych przedwojennych tang polskich. AMJ śpiewa je z kubańskim trio jednego z największych pianistów improwizujących naszych czasów - fenomenalnym Gonzalo Rubalcabą. Spośród setek starych tang i boler artyści wybrali te, które inspirują ich najbardziej (m.in. „To ostatnia niedziela", „Rebeka", „Twe usta kłamią”) i mogły stać się pomostem między tym co minione, światem lat 30-tych ubiegłego stulecia a współczesną muzyką wokalną. Pomostem między kulturami - polską, kubańską, żydowską, argentyńską i amerykańską.
„Kiedy pracuję z muzykami z różnych od mojej tradycji muzycznych, zawsze zachwyca mnie ich inność. To co wnoszą w nagrania staje się moim duchowym bogactwem. Zdumiewa ogrom piękną i prawdy na skrzyżowaniu kultur i ludzkich wrażliwości. Muzyka jest językiem jedności”- mówi AMJ. „Praca nad starymi tangami była magiczna. Rzadko zdarza się materiał takiej urody, nasycony i melancholią i tajemnicą i erotyką. Nagrywanie z Gonzalo to czysta mistyka. Obecność jaźni w każdej nucie uczy uważności i pokory”. „Minione" produkuje i aranżuje Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Album w najwyższym standardzie audiofilskim zrealizował wielokrotny laureat nagrody Grammy Carlos Alvarez w legendarnym studio nagraniowym The Hit Factory w Miami na Florydzie.
01. Twe Usta Kłamią
02. Kogo Nasza Miłość Obchodzi
03. Co Nam Zostało Z Tych Lat
04. Nie Wierzę Ci
05. Besame Mucho
06. Co Nam Zostało... Wybrzmienie
07. Pokoik Na Hożej
08. To Ostatnia Niedziela
09. Miasteczko Bełz
10. Nie Wierzę... Detal
11. Rebeka
Anna Maria Jopek, voice
Gonzalo Rubalcaba, piano
MINIONE - trasa koncertowa
Anna Maria Jopek & Gonzalo Rubalcaba Ernesto Simpson * Armando Gola
21/03/2017 - TORUŃ / Centrum Kulturalno-Kongresowe Jordanki
22/03/2017 - GDAŃSK / Polska Filharmonia Bałtycka
24/03/2017 - BIELSKO-BIAŁA / Bielskie Centrum Kultury
Derby Derby's debut album was recorded in Nantes last fall and entitled ¨Love Dance", a touch of humour for this unique track over 30 minutes long cut into two parts: “Love" slow and progressive and "Dance" rhythmic, charged and explosive. The album will be released on the Nantes-based label Ormo in February on serigraphied vinyl and cd. Biography : The 3 musicians met in spring 2016 to question themselves about time and space. Derby derby will release his debut album in February and has performed about 15 shows this year (festival Le Lac, Rendez Vous de l'Erdre, Lieu Unique...). Derby Derby: An instrumental Trio for a radical music, executed by a minimalist bass, a repetitive drum and an electrified trumpet. Beat obsession,drone and time dilatation ( or time stretching // le temps qui s'étire)...solid sound (or full sound), comfy( or snug:douillet) and rough. Derby Derby rushes into a circular and earthly dance (ou trance).
Musicians: Baron Tymas, guitar; Joshua Rager, piano; Sage Reynolds, bass; Jim Doxas, drums. Special guests: Jeri Brown, voice on “And Oui;” Charles Ellison, trumpet on “The Laval Syndicate”
Production, Compositions and Arrangements: Baron Tymas Recording and Mixing: Mark Corwin
This recording by Baron Tymas is inspired by the warm-hearted city of Montréal, with some of the most superb jazz musicians associated with it today: vocalist Jeri Brown, trumpeter Charles Ellison, pianist Josh Rager, bassist Sage Reynolds and drummer Jim Doxas. The project represents part of Baron’s experience as a Fulbright Fellow at Concordia University in Montréal in late 2015. During that time, he wrote most of the music here, based on the sights, sounds and people of the city.
The songs reflect travel on the metro and bus lines, the beautiful weather of an unusually warm fall, the incredible food of the place, the harmonious and generally celebratory ambience of that multicultural city and the styles and musical personas of the players on the recording. A few of the tunes were written for and in other places--such as Durham, NC, where Baron lives—and the beautiful island of Virgin Gorda.
It took my a little while to realise the background images on the album were of a radio telescope, so I returned to listening with a slightly different outlook. It is plain from the outset Peeter Uuskyla is an accomplished drummer and provides a driving force from the outset with the track “Disembark then Board”. The second, and title, track “Ullr” features some prominent bass work from Anders Berg. The third track “Lusk” is a little more laid back after the onslaught of the first two tracks, very introspective, perhaps like the operator of the radio telescope waiting to hear something significant.
“Shine Your Soul” (the only track featuring fretless guitar) is very sparse with hand claps and drumsticks on rims along with brush sounds, it progresses well, leaving you wondering where we are travelling, eventually the drums drive the whole thing to conclusion.
“By the Southward Verging Sun” is perhaps the most conventional track on the album, followed by “Wulƥuz” packed full of noises making you wonder just how far out these guys can go. Nothing appears double tracked so I think the trio would have no problem playing this album to a live audience, looking forward to hearing them soon.
A very enjoyable album and once again Tellef Øgrim & Anders Berg have their feet firmly planted in Experimental Avant-Garde Music. The addition of Peeter Uuskyla on drums has lifted their sound to an extra level. If you enjoy Scandinavian free jazz at the experimental level, this album is a real treat for you! Review – Jahloon – (January 2017)
1. Disembark then Board 04:00
2. Ullr 05:11
3. Lusk 06:27
4. Shine your Soul 12:11
5. By the Southward Verging Sun 03:05
6. Wulþuz 02:39
Peeter Uuskyla – Drums
Tellef Øgrim – Fretted and Fretless (normal and baritone) Guitars
A western Canadian jazz icon, Al recently came to wider prominence in North America with the release of his debut album Its About Time. Now at the age of 81 years old, Al is making up for lost time with his third release in just two years. Nominated trumpeter Al Muirhead’s most ambitious project to date, Northern Adventures - The Canada Sessions Vol. 1 is a collection of standards pairing him with many of Canadas jazz greats!
A western Canadian jazz icon, Al recently came to wider prominence in North America with the release of his debut album Its About Time. Now at the age of 81 years old, Al is making up for lost time with his third release in just two years. Featuring five different small ensembles of both old friends and new, Al harkens back to his youth, calling standards from the great American songbook live in the studio. Northern Adventures features jazz performed with spontaneity and joy, and with a command of the music that only players of the caliber of Al and his guests can. “Love Me Or Leave Me” became the title of a 1955 film “Makin' Whoopee” a jazz standard and a huge hit for Billie Holiday. Guido Basso on flugelhorn is reminiscent of Kay Winding and J.J. Johnson trombone styles while guitar solos are played effortlessly in synch with smooth piano.
“They Can’t Take That Away From Me”, the George and Ira Gershwin song, was made famous by Fred Astaire in the 1937 film Shall We Dance, and recorded by Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart and many others. Proof that a good song is a good song and can withstand the test of time. Muirhead’s offering is a classic 60’s style of trumpet, a trait well known in that era of jazz standards. The 1932 Cole Porter song “Night and Day” has a steamy, sensual vocal by Laila Biali, and the piano arrangement adds a new feel to a classic song with its walking chords and syncopated rhythms. “I’ve Never Been In Love Again” a Frank Loesser composition published in 1950, and made famous in the musical Guys and Dolls, has smooth interaction between the flugelhorn and sax, giving the song that great classic jazz sound. “Come Rain Or Come Shine” is another jazz standard song written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer written for the musical St. Louis Woman in 1946, capturing the unique combo sounds reminiscent of the Dave Brubeck era. "Emily" another popular song penned by Johnny Mandel and Johnny Mercer and was the title song to the 1964 film The Americanization of Emily. (The song wasn't sung in the movie, which is the reason that it couldn't be nominated for an Academy Award.) It has since been recorded by numerous artists, notably Bill Evans and Tony Bennett. Muirhead’s offering is particularly sweet and romantic, playing it effortlessly with trumpet and piano. "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" is a song with music by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II from the operetta The New Moon. More of a smooth, up tempo jazz tune, interspersed with tasteful guitar arrangements and improvised trumpet leads brings this classic song from 1928 up to today’s standards. "The Nearness of You" is a popular song written in 1938 by Hoagy Carmichael, with lyrics by Ned Washington. The song was performed in the Paramount film Romance in the Dark (1938). Listening to this vocal offering makes you feel like you are listening to a torch singer, surrounded by low lights in a smoke-filled room.
“Insensitive” jazz standard composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim and this version is a light up tempo bossa nova that lets your mind wander to a club in the Caribbean, and enjoying a night with great music and your favourite beverage. “You’ll Never Know” is produced here as a relaxing version while the piano, trumpet and flugelhorn really capture the true essence of this all time favorite made famous by Vera Lynn in 1943. “All The Things You Are” another Ella Fitzgerald song, shows off all the musicians’ improvisational styles, with the ‘back and forth’ point counterpoint. A truly great production value. The last song on the CD wraps it all together with “Nice Work If You Can Get It” written by George and Ira Gershwin, for the movie A Damsel in Distress, performed by Fred Astaire The song was published in 1937. This CD is a must for any jazz lover, and proves that age is not a deterrent when you are a talented musician like Al Muirhead who under the direction of Chronograph Records has put together a stellar studio session on this production. Northern Adventures The Canada Sessions Vol. 1 brings together a veritable who’s who of the Canadian jazz scene in five small groups. In order of appearance on the album performing with Al are award-winning musicians Don Thompson (piano/bass) and Reg Schwager (guitar), Guido Basso (trumpet/flugelhorn) and Tommy Banks (piano), Laila Biali (vocals), Ben Wittman (percussion) and Kodi Hutchinson (double bass), Mike Murley (saxophone) and Chris Andrew (piano), and finally Campbell Ryga (saxophone) and Mike Rud (guitar)
Only the very best groups have the ability to mould their music and their environment into what seems like a single organism. This was something that struck me very powerfully while listening to Plaistow in Bremen’s Weserburg art museum during the 2016 Jazzahead festival. On the face of it, the room was not the most helpful in acoustic terms. Anyone trying to play conventional piano-trio jazz would soon have been overwhelmed by unwanted reverberation. But that’s not what Plaistow do. And, quite characteristically, Johann Bourquenez, Vincent Ruiz and Cyril Bondi had given the matter some thought in advance. Without compromising the substance or reducing the essence of their music, and without limiting their creative freedom to pursue a three-way conversation, they found an adaptation that both made the room seem like a perfect space for their music and allowed their fans to hear it from a new perspective. By contrast Amsterdam’s Bimhuis is a venue tailored in every respect to a band such as Plaistow. One of the world’s best jazz clubs, it allows the musicians to worry about nothing other than their music. Clarity is guaranteed, along with an open-minded audience. This new album, their fifth since the group came together in its original form in Geneva in 2007, is their first to be recorded outside the studio, maintaining their approach to the pursuit of grooves that satisfy the mind and the body in full measure.
A group whose members take it for granted that each individual operates on an equal creative level, Plaistow – who took their name, which is that of a district of London, from a track on a Squarepusher LP – are among the most compelling of the many piano trios to have sprung up in the wake of Brad Mehldau, Esbjörn Svensson and the Necks. More than 300 concerts on tour in Europe, Russia, Japan and India have allowed them to develop an authentic and even stubborn individuality, using inspiration from many sources but focusing all their influences (including certain elements of jazz and minimalism) down to a clearly defined identity, one that is, in Duke Ellington’s phrase, beyond category. In these live performances they explore new dimensions of four pieces from Titan, their previous album, whose 14 tracks were inspired by and named after the moons of Saturn. Carefully calibrated but with no shortage of human emotion, the compositions range from the pulsating dynamism of “Hyperion” to the patient understatement of “Helene”, whose typically luminous ending sums up their gift for drama and surprise. This is a great time for piano trios, but there really isn’t another one quite like Plaistow. Sleeve Notes by Richard Williams
‘Hydraulics’ opens the CD with a strong, stomping drums and bass conversation into which the sax of Mike Casey inserts itself almost rudely but also exquisitely. Mike has that loose-reeded methodology which is at once laid back yet intense and his expression is rich and deeply textured. ‘Hydraulics’ , penned by the trio’s percussionist, Corey Garcia, is the perfect vehicle for the way Casey plays with loud bursts contrasting with quiet little interludes, sometimes sounding like he is off in his own world of wonder and at others coming back to engage and react to the musicians who support his playing so well. ‘Turnaround’ is crazy – in a good way. This lifts and brings smiles a plenty with the quirky interaction between the musicians. Mike’s sax takes the role of the go-between, creating linking passages for the musicians who offer dissonant sounds, chirrups, twitters, tweaks and scrapes before Mike sets a theme, restoring order and taking the piece into a bluesy solo under which the bass sets up a contrapuntal rhythm which gets its own clap from the intrigued audience at this live recording. The piece is clever and varied. Theoretically, it should challenge the listener because there is off-beat rhythm, odd inserts in the introduction and an eclectic gathering of subtleties, introduced by the individuals and yet it is so easy to listen to because it is held together both by the sax overplaying and the wonderful, strong bass lines imposed by Matt Dwonszyk. The sax introduces insistent themes this works to create harmony and colour. Excellent.
Casey’s self penned ‘Dagobah’ develops from a quiet and gentle introduction into a classy number with Casey’s strong, boppy sax overflowing with intonation and he shapes the piece like a potter at the wheel. Under the sax playing is a racy rhythm, almost impetuous at times, serving to emphasise the fluidity of Casey’s sax work with its off-beats and sheer cheek. Casey works the theme to include a change of emphasis which leads to an Eastern feel before a section with just the percussion of Corey Garcia before the bass and then the sax join him, the theme being developed once more. ’Heartbreak’ is a delicious number, set over a continual bass line. The sax flows up and down, pitching, rolling and generally painting colours with the tone and expression. Mike does his ‘set a theme and then change it’ thing- which is something of a trademark I am coming to understand and the whole thing chops and changes, first fast, then slow,slow,slow and then a change of pace before the theme alters again. And again, the band do that thing where on paper this should make listening difficult, it is not, it is absolutely fine and easy on the ear because the changes are slick and picked up so easily by the musicians and shared with the listener. The whole structure flows easily from one change to another glorious. The electric connections between the trio is very apparent and infectious. I am betting live ( as this was recorded) is very much an interactive experience with this trio. Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s ‘Mack The Knife’ is given the trio’s special treatment with some ludicrous soloing from Casey over the pounding, driving rhythm working around the theme, away, back and then straight – a really good interpretation and inclusive of some terrific bass and percussion background work along with solo bass and percussion. Casey soars in this familiar number, recreating the genius of the number but with his own incipient twists. ‘Miles Mode’ is well, modal, with some great scale changes and use of tones from all the musicians, each adding their own take on the theme. One section centres around a bass solo, this piece reflects a different style from the trio and one which suits them. The trio make this their own whilst retaining the respect due to Coltrane’s original and the drum solo is delivered with aplomb from Corey Garcia.
Jackie Mclean’s ‘ ‘Little Melonae’ brings the CD to a close and is a track filled with delights in all kinds of ways, from the intricate , delicate sax work to the impressive drums and keyboards. This album, as with most live recordings, has a certain feel, an atmosphere to it reflected often by the responsive audience but also down to the interaction and communication which emanates from the players. Enjoyable form first to last note, this trio certainly take the chordless saxophone trio format to a new level. Mike Casey has been a fixture on the jazz scene and sold out the legendary Minton’s , NYC in 2016. This is impressive jazz. The single,’ Hydraulics’ is out in February. On his influences Casey comments, ”I’ll never forget hearing Sonny Rollins for the first time in middle school. His sound, melody, the rhythm, hearing every idea connect so clearly in dozens of ways. Then I came across ‘Freedom Suite’ and my concept and goals changed drastically. I was inspired and challenged. The search was on. I wanted to see how much I could do without chords, instead focusing on rhythm and melody above all,” On the title, he says, “One of the musical concepts I love the most is the sound of surprise. We love to surprise our audiences and each other! We find that we create the best music when we reach beyond what we think we can do.” Well, I have to add a caveat this trio surprise in all the right ways, their music is sound, solid, has great references and yet is very strongly unique. A great CD and really good jazz music. Simples.
