Matthias Bröde's Oh! Kester Osloer 3 - Where Is Wedding (UNIT RECORDS 2017)

A sensational new trio coming from the Berlin Jazz and Improv scene: Never before the harmonica was celebrated so virtuosely and with such extraordinary sound-conceptions in a contemporary up-to-date stile as by Matthias Bröde in these recordings.

With Kalle Kalima und John Schröder are two of the most interesting musicians of the European Jazz-scene on board who are decisively shaping the music. In October 2015 the band won the „Studio Award Jazz“ from the Senate of Berlin and so was able to record new compositions by Bröde and Kalima especially writen for this ocasion. 

The legendary „Studio P4“ situated in the old Radio buildings of the former GDR in Berlin gave the right atmosphere and quality to put on record this pulsating and exciting urban music.

Matthias Bröde is the composer of the five part suite „Where is Wedding ?“ - named after this famous district of Berlin. The single parts are inspired by the atmosphere of certain walks and streets.

Kalle Kalima always was a great admiror of film influenced music and so he transcribed his impressions of „Shining“ and „Belle du Jour“ in a very personal way.

Now this music is also presented live and contains time-rooted playing and free-time feel, grooves and ruminant and quiet moods, strong melodies and improvisations with sounds.

Matthias Bröde – amplified harmonica

Kalle Kalima – electric guitar

John Schröder – drums

Omer Klein - Sleepwalkers (WARNER MUSIC 2017)

Omer Klein’s new album, Sleepwalkers, is due February 17, 2017, and marks Klein’s debut for Warner Music. Omer recorded his newest work with his world-touring trio feat. Haggai Cohen-Milo on bass and Amir Bresler on drums. The 13 original compositions explore themes of Internet-Age isolation, music’s relation to the mysterious, and the trio’s life on the road.

Omer Klein Website

Peter Erskine New Trio - In Praise of Shadows (FUZZY MUSIC 2017)

Multiple Grammy Award nominee and winner Peter Erskine leads his New Trio on their second CD outing, turning their collective self towards the Land of the Rising Sun for inspiration.

From the Tanizaki essay on esthetics titled “In Praise of Shadows,” to the 60s pop hit “Sukiyaki,” this is the perfect follow-up album to “Joy Luck.” Pianist/arranger Vardan Ovsepian has penned an impressive collection of originals, with Peter contributing one new world music/ acoustic fusion classic (“Each Breath”) — featuring guest cellist Artyom Manukyan (the song is a cross between acoustic Weather Report and the Roger Kellaway Cello Quartet). Electric bass phenom Damian Erskine shines on this recording. Engineered by Rich Breen, this is another Fuzzy Music classic.

Sukiyaki (Ue Wo Muite Arko”)

What If

Each Breath

Labyrinth

Marcheta (“A Love Song go Old Mexico”)

Silhouette Shadows

Begin Within

Distant Blue

Smile

All That Remains

VARDAN OVSEPIAN: KEYBOARDS

DAMIAN ERSKINE: ELECTRIC BASS

PETER ERSKINE: DRUMS, PERCUSSION & MARIMBA

WITH GUESTS

ARTYOM MANUKYAN, CELLO

JUDD MILLER, EVI (WHISTLE)

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

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

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

1 – Hipnotherapy

2 – Eleven Eleven

3 – Street of Dreams

4 – Not so Yes

5 – Did It Have to Be You?

6 – Lida Rose

7 – Solar Steps

8 – Dreamsville

9 – Willow Weep for Me

Maxime Fougères Trio - Guitar Reflections, Vol. 2 (GAYA MUSIC PRODUCTION 2017)

« Je suis à cette heure dans le pays des fougères, dans une ville qui devrait être pieusement visitée par les peintres, dans une ville qui a un vieux château flanqué de vieilles tours les plus superbes du monde, avec des moulins à eau, des ruisseaux vifs, des rochers, des jardins pleins de roses, des rues à pignons qui montent à pic, des églises hautes et basses, de vieux buffets de bois luisant dans les boutiques, toutes sortes de vieilles architectures rongées de lierre. J’ai vu tout cela au soleil, je l’ai vu au crépuscule, je l’ai revu au clair de lune, et je ne m’en lasse pas. C’est admirable. » (Victor Hugo, lettre à son épouse, 22 juin 1836).

Bien entendu, Victor Hugo parlait de Fougères, ville fortifiée aux marches de Bretagne, la plus grande forteresse médiévale d'Europe et la mieux conservée. Après lui, j'écrirai de Maxime Fougère: je ne m'en lasse pas. C'est admirable.

En effet, après un premier volume de ses Guitar reflections consacré à Duke Ellington, auteur d'un album fameux " Piano reflections " joué sans son orchestre, voici que Maxime Fougères se penche sur l'œuvre du plus grand compositeur de Jazz depuis la mort de Duke Ellington (Stan Getz dixit), Wayne Shorter.

Suivant le judicieux précepte d'Oscar Wilde, les goûts du citoyen Maxime Fougères sont très simples. Il se contente du meilleur.

Une des merveilles du commerce de la musique, c'est que, pour les enregistrements, une truffe noire vous est vendue au prix d'un champignon de Paris. C'est le cas de cet album qui n'est pas vendu plus cher que de la soupe ordinaire alors qu'il s'agit d'un mets de choix.

Compositions de Wayne Shorter, Maître en déséquilibres, interprétations sans saxophone par 3 jeunes musiciens fluides, gracieux, réfléchis. Même quand ils ne jouent pas du Wayne Shorter (" Havona " de Jaco Pastorius, n°4, " Heads up " et Wayne's way " de Maxime Fougères, n°5 et 7, " Barracudas" de Gil Evans, n°8), vous avez l'impression d'en entendre.

Pour autant, c'est bien la griffe de Maxime Fougères qui est posée sur cette musique.

" Les miroirs feraient bien de réfléchir avant de nous renvoyer notre image " (Jean Cocteau). C'est bien ce que font Maxime Fougères, Yoni Zelnik et Antoine Paganotti. Ils réfléchissent avant d'agir. Quant à l'image qu'ils nous renvoient, elle est superbe.

At the Fair

Juju

Deluge

Havona

Heads Up

Iris

Wayne's Way

Barracudas

Night Dreamer

Oriental Folk Song

Maxime Fougères: guitare électrique, compostions (5 & 7)

Yoni Zelnik: contrebasse

Antoine Paganotti: batterie

Stan Sulzmann & John Taylor - Double Exposure (INVERSION RECORDS 2017)

This previously unreleased album by two of Europe's finest jazz musicians, John Taylor and Stan Sulzmann, was recorded in 1990 and features the duo at its artistic peak. It is a testament to its quality that it's more than stood the test of time. The interaction between Stan and John, coupled with their precision and musicality is as listenable and exciting today as in the original performance.

Pure & Simple

Slow Loris

Stango

Free Ballad

Extracts

CD Smith

Country / Raindrops

Cartoon / Room for Improvement

Straight Man

'Q'

Ocean Deep

Spider

Haari

OK:KO - Land E. (AMP Music & Records 2017)

OK:KO is a Finnish jazz band led by drummer Okko Saastamoinen. Land E. is the band’s debut release. Depite the bands short lifespan, it has already won the Young Nordic Jazz Comets competition and was voted as the audience favourite. In the fall of 2016, OK:KO was also nominated as the We Jazz Rising Star of 2016. 

Okko, 21, has made a long journey from the active folk music scene in Haapavesi to the Sibelis Academy in Helsinki, where he was given the opportunity to immerse himself in the tradition of jazz. In order to bring his own vision of jazz alive, Okko founded his firstensemble as a leader in the fall of 2016 by asking some of Finlands most unique and reknown young jazzmusicians to join him in the quest to make his music come alive.

The music on Land E. is dominated by strong and beautiful melodies that clearly reflect Okko´s musical heritage. He puts an emphasis on leaving lots of room for improvisation by his open and spacious approach to songwriting. This helps to keep the music fresh and creates a multidimensional and high-spirited expression, ranging from fragile soundscapes to rough and flamboyant interaction. OK:KO always engages the listener with their personal sound and the evident trust that shines within the band. 

Recorded at Sonic Pump Studios 11-12 July, 2016 in Helsinki, Finland. Engineered and mixed by Olli Erik Keskinen. Mastered by Jaakko Viitalähde.

1. Kesäranta 3:38

2. Song of Bulls 10:32

3. Rälssi 2:58

4. Kottiin 8:39

5. To Rantsila by Tractor 9:57

Jarno Tikka - saxophone

Toomas Keski-Säntti - piano

Mikael Saastamoinen - bass

Okko Saastamoinen - drums

Benedettini / Montrone / Pache feat. Joe Magnarelli - Near and How (AMP Music & Records 2017)

«Near and How»  is an album documenting the long-standing musical partnership shared by bassist Paolo Benedettini, trumpeter Joe Magnarelli, pianist Bruno Montrone and drummer Adam Pache. The music recorded is a reflection of what they have come to achieve touring together: an aesthetic deeply rooted in the jazz tradition, filtered through the modern sound of New York today, with an emphasis on original compositions and a liberal take on tunes from the standard repertoire. 

The quartet first came together in Italy, though individually the members come from far and wide: Magnarelli and Benedettini are based in New York, while Montrone lives in his hometown, Bari, Italy, and the Australian born Pache now lives in Rome. The title of the album, «Near and How» refers to their separation geographically by land and sea and the way they always manage to come together with a feeling of unity and cohesion on the bandstand - and now in the studio. This musical empathy is evident as the members navigate their way through Magnarelli’s sublime composition, “Ballad For Barretto”, as well as on more energetic, explosive tracks such as the minor blues, “Simone”, where the drums take a lead role. The quartet enjoy taking risks and remaining open to where the music takes them while at the same time laying down some solid New York-style swing, as can be heard on Bill Evans’ “Show Type Tune”.

Joe Magnarelli, the featured soloist of the group, is without doubt one of the leading jazz artists on the trumpet today, having collaborated over the years with Harry Connick, Ray Barretto, Mulgrew Miller, the Carnegie Hall Orchestra and the Lincoln Center Orchestra, amongst many others. Paolo Benedettini, one of Sir Ron Carter’s prized bass students, has held stage with a staggering list of jazz greats and is a master of constructing melodic bass lines. Bruno Montrone, the youngest of the aggregation, is a gifted soloist and also a skilled accompanist, with a flexible comping style that embraces every era of the music, integral to the sound of the group. On the drums, Adam Pache exhibits that for which he has become known: taste and musicality with a warm sound and a cymbal beat that is consistently driving, providing a cushion which the band can lean on.

The album was recorded mid-tour during the summer of 2016 at MAST Recording Studios in Bari, and was engineered by Massimo Stano. The final stage of mastering took place in New York City in November 2016, with Michael Perez-Cisneros.

1. Mag Pie 6:31

2. Show-Type Tune 6:39

3. Ballad for Barretto 7:32

4. Nica's Tempo 5:49

5. Simone 8:37

6. Come Rain or Come Shine 8:26

7. Mulgrew The Great 7:53

Joe Magnarelli - trumpet

Bruno Montrone - piano

Paolo Benedettini - bass

Adam Pache - drums

Jazz musicians Markus Burger & Jan von Klewitz on Spiritual Standards (CHALLENGE RECORDS)

Spiritual Standards - Songs Inspired by Martin Luther

Critically acclaimed German jazz performers Markus Burger and Jan von Klewitz blend modern improvisation with the art of interpreting faith based Baroque music while preserving its integrity. Staying very near to the original melodies and canti firmi, the artists improvise in a linear manner returning to one of the root principles of jazz.

For the past 4 years Burger and von Klewitz have been traveling the US and Europe as musical Ambassadors of the Luther Decade. For these tours Burger has arranged most of Martin Luther’s hymns into his signature sounding arrangements for saxophone and piano.

Luther has written captivating melodies that withstood the test of time and have inspired the worlds greatest composer John Sebastian Bach to arrange them in some of the most beautiful four voice chorales known to mankind.

The new album ''Spiritual Standards - Songs Inspired by Martin Luther'' is available now

CONCERTOS PORTA-JAZZ: Sábado, 18 Fev. 19:00 + 22:00 - Octeto João Guimarães - ZERO

Sala Porta-Jazz 

Sábado, 18 fevereiro

19:00 + 22:00

OCTETO JOÃO GUIMARÃES - ZERO

João Guimarães - saxofone alto e composições

Nico Trico - flauta

Mário Santos - saxofone tenor e clarinetes

Daniel Dias - trombone

AP - guitarra

Eurico Costa - guitarra

Edu Silva - baixo eléctrico

José Marrucho - bateria

O octeto liderado por João Guimarães está a mostrar o seu novo trabalho em 2017, e vão começar pela Sala Porta-Jazz este sábado, pela primeira com dois sets, às 19:00 e às 22:00.

Este projeto surgiu a partir de uma encomenda feita pelo Festival de Jazz de Guimarães em conjunto com a editora TOAP em 2013, que resultou num concerto e no álbum - ZERO - que acabou por listado como um dos melhores discos de 2014 pelo Ipsilon.

João Guimarães é um músico portuense nascido em 1984. Terminou a licenciatura em jazz na ESMAE, ganhou uma bolsa de estudos Fulbright em 2009 que o levou até à Manhattan School of Music em Nova York para um mestrado, onde estudou com Steve Wilson, George Garzone, Dave Liebman, Phil Markowitz e Nils Vigeland.

Integra a Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos desde 2008 e tem participado em diversos projetos com Paula Sousa, Demian Cabaud, João Filipe Pais, Nuno Costa, Susana Santos Silva, Travis Reuter, Allan Mednard, Ohad Talmor, Sebastien Ammann, Jakob Sacks, entre outros.

PRÓXIMOS LANÇAMENTOS CARIMBO PORTA-JAZZ

Auditório da FEUP

- entrada livre - 

2 março, 21:30

MAP - "Guerra e Paz"

Paulo Gomes - piano

Miguel Moreira - guitarra

Miguel Ângelo - contrabaixo

Acácio Salero - bateria

27 março, 21:30 

Rui Filipe Freitas Sexteto - "Axis Mundi"

Rui Filipe Freitas - vibrafone

José Pedro Coelho - saxofone tenor e clarinete-baixo  

João Mortágua - saxofone alto e saxofone soprano

Mané Fernandes - guitarra

Filipe Teixeira - contrabaixo

João Martins - bateria

18 abril, 21:30

The Nada

João Guimarães - saxofone

Eurico Costa - guitarra

Simon Jermyn - baixo

José Marrucho - bateria

18 maio, 21:30

AP Quarteto

AP - guitarra

Carlos Azevedo - piano

Filipe Teixeira - contrabaixo

Acácio Salero - bateria

19 junho, 21:30

João Mortágua "AXES"

João Mortágua - saxofone alto e soprano

José Soares - saxofone alto

Hugo Ciríaco - saxofone tenor 

Rui Teixeira - saxofone barítono e clarinete baixo

Pedro Vasconcelos - bateria e percussões

Alex Lázaro - bateria e percussões

CICLO JAZZ DE SANTO TIRSO

Centro Cultural de Vila das Aves

- entrada livre -

25 fevereiro, 21:30 - João Paulo Rosado | Sinopse

João Paulo Rosado - contrabaixo / baixo eléctrico

João Guimarães - saxofone alto

AP - guitarra

Hugo Raro - piano

António Torres Pinto - bateria

1 abril, 21:30 - Renato Dias Trio

Renato Dias - guitarra

Filipe Teixeira - contrabaixo

Filipe Monteiro - bateria

16 junho, 21:30 - AP Quarteto

AP - guitarra

Carlos Azevedo - piano

Filipe Teixeira - contrabaixo

Acácio Salero - bateria

1 julho, 21:30 - Rui Filipe Freitas Sexteto

Rui Filipe Freitas - vibrafone

José Pedro Coelho - saxofone tenor e clarinete-baixo  

João Mortágua - saxofone alto e saxofone soprano

Mané Fernandes - guitarra

Filipe Teixeira - contrabaixo

João Martins - bateria

FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DE JAZZ DE MONTRÉAL: Ludovico Einaudi, RY X and Guy Bélanger added to Jazz All-Year Round!

November 1, Ludovico Einaudi

SALLE WILFRID-PELLETIER, PdA   TICKETS

April 29, Guy Bélanger
L'ASTRAL  TICKETS

May 13, Ry X
L'ASTRAL CINQUIÈME SALLE, PdA  TICKETS

CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE JAZZ ALL-YEAR ROUND PROGRAM

Kristóf Bacsó Triad & Lionel Loueke - Pannon Blue (Live) BMC RECORDS 2017

Saxophonist, composer Kristóf Bacsó is one of the key figures of the Hungarian jazz scene. He has put out a significant body of work including quintet, quartet and big band dates, live and studio recordings, almost exclusively on BMC Records. Visitors of the Opus Jazz Club and BMC’s Concert hall can meet him regularly as member or guest musician of various formations – let’s just mention that he is one of the leading soloists and composers of the Modern Art Orchestra led by Kornél Fekete-Kovács. His main vehicle over the last four years, Triad, has cut out a niche for itself, while all three members have collected various other credits on the scene. December 2015 was an important stage in this process when the material for the group’s first album was recorded live at the Opus Jazz Club. Bacsó has invited the guitarist-vocalist-composer Lionel Loueke to the concert and the preceding rehearsals. Bacsó and Loueke have first met in the nineties and have become friends in the States. The guitarist has been releasing his albums on Blue Note since 2008, and is a regular in the bands of, among others, Herbie Hancock and Joe Lovano, Robert Glasper and Wayne Shorter. Louke arrived to grace the session when Triad arrived at its peak, quite some time spent together but still loads of musical ideas in the bag to be realised.

“We founded TRIAD three years ago so that we could discover together the great musical unknown, places never seen before, places we could only get to with each other’s help. On this adventure we are joined by the brilliant guitarist Lionel Loueke, who with his openness, modesty, and special personality, made our journey even more beautiful and exciting. I feel that the music welcomed us, and we found a new home” writes Bacsó in his sleeves notes to the album Pannon Blue, released in December 2016 on BMC Records.

1. Ad Libitum No. 1

2. Angry Little Pig

3. Hanna Is Here

4. They Went Out And Never Came Back

5. Nu Blue

6. This Is For Ornette

7. Don'T Turn Back

8. Pannon Betyars On The Land Of The Pampas

9. Ad Libitum No. 2

Kristóf Bacsó - saxophones, effects

Árpád Oláh Tzumo - keyboards, Fender Rhodes, piano

Márton Juhász - drums

Lionel Loueke - guitar, voice (1-5, 7-9)

kristofbacso.com

lionelloueke.com