Or Bareket - Ob1 (FRESH SOUND NEW TALENT RECORDS 2017)

Born in Jerusalem and raised in Buenos-Aires and Tel-Aviv, Or Bareket is currently one of the most in-demand and versatile bassists on the NYC jazz scene Winner of the 1st prize at the International Society of Bassists' jazz competition in 2011, Or’s diverse heritage is clearly present in his playing.  His approach to improvisation is informed by Mediterranean, South American, and North African folklores, all interpreted through his deep knowledge and appreciation of the American Jazz tradition.

Since moving to New York in 2011, Or has performed, recorded, and toured with a wide array of artists all over the world. Notable collaborations include Ari Hoenig, Jean-Michel Pilc, Aaron Goldberg, Sam Yahel, Jacques Schwartz-Bart, Leon Parker,Chris Potter, Yotam Silberstein, Eli Degibri, Cyrille Aimee, Banda Magda, and Camila Meza among others.

Or's debut recording as a leader, "OB1",  is out this fall on Fresh Sound New Talent records.

01. Patience 6:01

02. Snooze 8:40

03. Shosh 6:14

04. Elefantes I 4:42

05. Elefantes II 3:13

06. Misdronoth 5:55

07. Joaquin 5:18

08. La Música y la Palabra 3:47

09. Shir elo Shem 3:13

All tracks composed by Or Bareket, except #8 by Carlos Aguirre, and #9 by Shalom Hanoch

Or Bareket (bass)

Shachar Elnatan (guitar)

Gadi Lehavi (piano)

Ziv Ravitz (drums)

Guests:

Vitor Gonçalves (accordion)

Keita Ogawa (percussion)

Recorded at Bacque Recording, Roselle, NJ, December 21 & 22, 2015

Carlos Saunier - Inminente (2017)

This album corresponds to a set of compositions of instrumental jazz with multiple contemporary influences. Contains elaborate and complex language in quartet format with tenor sax, guitar, electric bass and drums.

1 Inminente 06:52

2 28 05:26

3 El Espiritu de la Escalera 07:04

4 Franky 07:22

5 Z 05:27

6 Tocino 06:27

Carlos Saunier - Guitar and Composition

Maxi Alarcón - Tenor Sax

Francisco Barahona - Bass

Felix Lecaros - Drums

Nicolás Vera - Mitos del Sur (ACONCAGUA RECORDS 2017)

“En 'Mitos del Sur', el innovador trío Genovese, Vera y Lecaros se suscribe a la idea de que la música de vanguardia no necesita ser abrasiva, iconoclasta o frenética. De hecho, puede ser hasta hermosa. Nada satisface como una actuación musical bien ejecutada y, a lo largo de esta excursión, el trío crea con gusto y estilo. Vera y Genovese alternan en asumir la prominencia que tradicionalmente incumbe al pianista. Sin embargo, hay mucho espacio para que todos se expresen en su momento, tanto en acompañamiento como en solitario. Una serie de improvisaciones cortas del percusionista Lecaros en duetos con Genovese o Vera encajan perfectamente en la secuencia de las pistas, con vivos contrastes en la densidad, que agregan una capa de drama.” –Roberto Barahona

Mitos del sur es una confraternidad sonora chileno-argentina que desde la improvisación busca la verdad radioactiva, la luz mala y nuevas dimensiones en las leyendas de nuestros abuelos. Inspirados por el futuro presente, las realidades sociales, la música sin reglas, el barrio, las creencias de nuestro sur y el vuelo del condor, los poetas silenciosos son impulsados por la fuerza del mayor centinela continental, el Aconcagua, para compartir desde la nada un repertorio original que habla de sus ambientes de viajeros, bailadores y amantes de las artes ocultas. Algo así como una flor para los ciegos.

Nicolas Vera (37), is a guitarist and composer born in Concepción (Chile). 

Since 2003 he has published 5 albums as a leader as well as many collaborations: “Chile Finlandia Connection”, “La Resistencia” among others.

He has toured/played with Greg Osby, Aaron Parks, Drew Gress, Melissa Aldana, Leo Genovese, André Sumelius, Glenn Zaleski, Jure Pukl, Gianni Gagliardi, Rodrigo Recabarren...

1 Silent Poets 02:17

2 Mitos del Sur 02:44

3 Ella 07:01

4 Aguas Radioactivas 02:46

5 (anti) Law Writers 02:39

6 Nuevas Dimensiones 01:57

7 Luz Mala 12:37

8 Futuro Presente 02:46

9 Bichos Groove 02:22

10 Bellavista 01:53

Nicolás Vera, guitarra

Leo Genovese, piano & teclados

Félix Lecaros, batería

For Grammy Consideration: Best Vocal Jazz Album (and more) – Katie Thiroux "Off Beat"

For Grammy Consideration: Best Large Jazz Ensemble – Brian Landrus "Generations"

Saxophonist/composer Brian Landrus's new orchestra recording Generations has been submitted for the first round of Grammy voting.  It's in Field 10 – Jazz, Category 24 – Best Large Jazz Ensemble.

This stunning project features a 25-piece all-star orchestra. Far from a standard big band project and unlike any orchestral jazz ensemble that's come before it, The Brian Landrus Orchestra incorporates inspiration from classical music, hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, reggae and world music – with "inspiration" being the key word. In Landrus' inventive hands these diverse genres are deconstructed and absorbed, emerging in startling and unrecognizable ways to conjure a dramatic and thrilling sonic landscape.

“This is really like nothing I've ever heard before.  It's going to be amazing and I can't wait to hear the final product!” – Joe Locke

“To be part of Brian's vision is enlightening.  It causes me optimism." – Billy Hart

"With Generations...[Landrus] takes the jazz big band tradition into the mesosphere." – Giovanni Russonello, The New York Times

"★★★★★....a composer of great strength and substance... Generations brings together a twenty-five piece jazz orchestra to realize Landrus' broad-minded, wide-eyed compositions in stunning fashion. We use terms like 'breathtaking' and 'awe-inspiring' with far too much ease these days, but both tags truly fit here. And you can add 'brilliant' to the list....  It's an aural amalgam of incredible beauty, extensive thought, and intricate design, brought to life by a to-die-for cast with a skillful and charismatic leading man....  Landrus' next level thinking, strong writing chops, and instrumental prowess, coupled with the contributions of his all-star assemblage, put Generations into a category all its own. It's a nonpareil work of high art destined for many a 'best of' list." – Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz

"★★★★.  Ambitious in scope and vision....Generations is, no doubt, just the beginning for a player-composer who is well-versed and right at home painting on a big canvas." – John Ephland, DownBeat

Monumental in creative ambition, imaginative scope, and artistic achievement – not to mention sheer scale – Generations is the breathtaking debut of the Brian Landrus Orchestra, a 25-piece all-star ensemble stocked with a stunning array of the most inventive musicians in modern music. These adventurous virtuosos have congregated to realize the extraordinary, sweeping music of composer, baritone saxophonist and low woodwind master Brian Landrus, whose work combines a lifetime’s worth of wide-ranging listening and playing into an arrestingly bold, radiant and singular vision.

Far from a standard big band project and unlike any orchestral jazz ensemble that’s come before it, the Brian Landrus Orchestra incorporates inspiration from classical music, hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, reggae and world music – with “inspiration” being the key word. In Landrus’ inventive hands these diverse genres are deconstructed and absorbed, emerging in startling and unrecognizable ways to conjure a dramatic and thrilling sonic landscape.

The title Generations carries multiple meanings for Landrus – including influences that span centuries from Bach to Ellington to Motown to Led Zeppelin to J Dilla; the family members that inspired Landrus and his music, from his father to his children; and the generations of musicians who’ve come together to breathe life into these deeply personal compositions. The drum chair alone features a four-decade difference in age, from the legendary Billy Hart to rising star drummer Justin Brown.

The awe-inspiring ensemble also features Jamie Baum, Tom Christensen, Darryl Harper, Michael Rabinowitz, Alden Banta and Landrus himself on woodwinds; Debbie Schmidt, Ralph Alessi, Igmar Thomas, Alan Ferber and Marcus Rojas on brass; harpist Brandee Younger and a string section featuring Sara Caswell, Mark Feldman, Joyce Hammann, Meg Okura, Lois Martin, Nora Krohn, Jody Redhage and Maria Jeffers; vibraphonist Joe Locke; and bassists Jay Anderson and Lonnie Plaxico. The Orchestra is conducted by bandleader JC Sanford, who has also held the baton for the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble and the Alice Coltrane Orchestra. Landrus co-produced the album with fellow composers Robert Livingston Aldridge and Frank Carlberg.

Landrus comes to the project with a wealth of experience both as a leader and as a performer with some of the world’s most distinctive artists from a variety of genres: he’s toured the world in superstar Esperanza Spalding’s band and played in Ryan Truesdell’s prize-winning Gil Evans Project as well as working with the likes of Bob Brookmeyer, Rufus Reid, Danilo Perez, Frank Kimbrough, Gary Smulyan, Maria Schneider, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, George Garzone, Bob Moses, Louis Nash, Nicholas Urie, Jerry Bergonzi, Ayn Inserto, Alan Ferber, Uri Caine and Ralph Alessi, among others.

Generations is the culmination of a long-held dream for Landrus, whose previous releases – both with his Quartet and the aptly-named Kaleidoscope – were vibrant but necessarily scaled-down interpretations of the saxophonist’s formidable ambitions. “I’ve had these colors in my head for as far back as I can remember,” he says. “I would always have to strip down what I was hearing into its raw form to use what I had available to me.”

A full-scale orchestra project began to seem more within reach once Landrus, who holds two master’s degrees (in jazz composition and jazz saxophone) from New England Conservatory, entered a PhD program in classical composition at Rutgers University. Studying the scores of the world’s greatest composers, he was compelled to allow his vision free rein, leading to the multi-hued, densely inventive music of Generations. Of course, such a mammoth undertaking is easier to fantasize than to achieve, but a combination of passion, risk-taking and determination allowed Landrus to bring the orchestra to fruition.

Landrus’ compositions incorporate his encyclopedic influences in ground-breaking, original fashion. The merger of hip-hop and jazz for instance, has become a common one; but you’ll hear no easily identifiable grooves or beats in Landrus’ music. Instead, the composer spent years transcribing dozens of hip-hop tracks, with an especial concentration on the work of pioneering producer J Dilla, and then parceled those rhythms into the strings. The result is an unconventional but invitingly complex weave of sounds and textures that converge in deft, surprising forms.

“Growing up listening to Motown and hip-hop and everything else that I loved and played with, those influences were going to creep in regardless of what I did,” Landrus says. “I just had to try to put them together as well as I could and try to imagine how it could all work. It’s a puzzle to get it to fit together properly, but it gives the music a different color that I’ve never heard before, familiar but new.”

The centerpiece of the album, and its launching-off point, is the “Jeru Concerto,” a four-movement feature for the composer’s baritone named for and inspired by his son Jeru – the namesake of bari master Gerry “Jeru” Mulligan and not yet born when Landrus began writing the piece. Propelled by the throaty churn of the orchestra’s low voices, the first movement envelops Landrus’ sinuous lines in lushly wafting strings and buoyant percussion; a solo turn for the leader initiates the gentle second movement, while the third mingles tension and tenderness, perhaps an illustration of the nervous anticipation that ushers any newborn into the world. The final movement, penned after Jeru’s birth, explodes with an infectious joy unable to contain a father’s pride.

Landrus’ family is also at the core of several other pieces. His daughter lends her name to “Ruby,” who recognized her inquisitive spirit in the music as he was writing it. The haunting “Every Time I Dream” depicts a love that proved elusive for years until finally becoming embodied. Landrus pays tribute to his father with “The Warrior,” which depicts not a ferocious fighter but a man of gentle strength and stoic perseverance.

“Orchids” began as a dream, an atmosphere evocatively suggested by the combination of Brandee Younger’s harp and Joe Locke’s vibes. The love story gradually builds to an ecstatic crescendo, but ends on an ambiguous note – like many dreams and, sadly, many romances. “Arrow in the Night,” its title taken from a Buddhist saying regarding evil people who lurk in the shadows, came to Landrus fully formed, its mesmerizing, slow surges like broad, intense brush strokes. “Human Nature” evolves from the solitary to the communal, maintaining a spiritual urgency throughout as the unsung title lyrics are passed from instrument to instrument. The rhythmic intricacy of “Arise” was inspired by a dance collaboration and imbibes elements from Electronic Dance Music (EDM) and Latin jazz, though as always in transformative ways.

MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE: Ten new concerts added to the program!

Ross McHenry Trio - The Outsiders (out 10th Nov on FIRST WORD RECORDS 2017)

‘The Outsiders’ is the new album from “absurdly prolific” (Scenstr Magazine) multi-award winning composer, producer and bass player Ross McHenry. Known for his work as bandleader of The Shaolin Afronauts, Ross has collaborated with the likes of Mark de Clive Lowe, Corey King and Marcus Strickland, and been heralded as “The Future of Australian Jazz” (PBS FM). 

This is his third album release for us at First Word (following ‘Child of Somebody’ in 2016 and ‘Distant Oceans’ in 2013), but his first trio album. Joining McHenry on this new venture are long time collaborators, NZ drumming powerhouse and First Word label mate Myele Manzanza and NY based multi-award winning Australian pianist Matthew Sheens. ‘The Outsiders’ is dynamic trio jazz from the perspective of three forward thinking musicians who although steeped in the jazz tradition are not bound by jazz influences alone. 

The album’s concept is centered around the sense of belonging in the modern era; the way we view the world in the age of globalization. Particularly the unique identity of Antipodeans in the world of jazz music; rather than replicate American and British sounds, these compositions are derived from an exploration of geographical identity, embracing the uniqueness of their own cultural sonic qualities.

In Ross’ words, “we are connected to and understand the international history of jazz music, but we are outsiders. We belong in the grand and important lineage of artists, but our perspective is unique, because of where we are from, and as people from small, isolated cities and countries, we are outsiders. Even within the context of our own countries, we do not live or come from the most populous capitals of culture, we are outsiders. This is something we can rebel against, or it is something we can choose to own. I choose to own it, this group chooses to own it, but, most importantly, I feel it in the music.” 

These compositions are the result of this ethos and mindset, created with exceptional grace, and showcasing the exquisitely talented trio of Ross, Myele and Matthew. A six-track vinyl album (with two additional tracks on the digital release), this also includes extensive sleeve-notes written by Ross himself.

Ross McHenry, bass

Matthew Sheens piano

Myele Manzanza, drums

1 It's Not How I Remembered It

2 Us And Them

3 Those Lost Days

4 The Outsiders Part 1

5 The Outsiders Part 2

6 The Outsiders Part 3

7 I Can Be Better

8 Fear Not

Ross McHenry Trio - The Outsiders Album Trailer from Ross McHenry on Vimeo.

Dave Zinno Unisphere - River of January (WHALING CITY SOUND 2017)

The songs on Dave Zinno Unisphere’s River of January are lavish jazz adventures, rich with texture, ripe with melodicism, and simply joyful audio journeys. The band is spectacular: Unisphere includes the talents of sax man Mike Tucker (Arturo Sandoval), drummer Rafael Barata (Milton Nascimento, Marc Johnson), Leo Genovese (Joe Lovano, Esperanza Spaulding), and Crescent City trumpeter Benny Bloom. Zinno leads them the way a hopeless romantic treats a first love: gently, understanding and worshipful. He glorifies his accompanists and allows them to go on at length, indulging their considerable talents and making River of January a wall of glorious of sound.

This isn’t to say that it’s stodgy. Zinno infuses the work with progress. The band takes the vibe of traditional jazz and reverses the paradigm, so the songs, while familiar, certainly don’t remain the same. There are many highlights here, and while it wouldn’t be a waste of space to speak about them individually, it would be easier to say that these tunes all include rushes of adrenaline, sweetness of melody and serious elements of style. River of January is a work of forward thinking tradition and one that has much substance within it to discover.

1 Babycakes

2 Remember When

3 Petra Hippie

4 Inverno Sem Rio

5 Little Lilli

6 Recife Blues

7 Wichita Lineman

8 South End Blues

9 Rapanui

10 Um a Zero

Dave Zinno - double bass

Mike Tucker - tenor saxophone

Leo Genovese - piano melodica

Rafael Barata - drums

Eric " Benny" Bloom - trumpet

Brian Charette - Backup (SteeppleChase Productions ApS 2017)

One of New York’s (or rather World’s) top Hammond Organ players Brian Charette has kept us in anticipation of something new every time he goes into recording studios. His unique approach has deepened and expanded the boundaries of music that B-3 organ can create. Here again for his sixth release on SteepleChase Brian opted for a somewhat unusual Organ-Piano trio format with repertoire of traditional materials dotted with experimental treatments conjuring up a compelling middle ground between past and future.

“Brian Charette has emerged as one of the top organists of his generation because of a fresh approach to his instrument, drawing from musical influences around the world with often surprising results.” (Ken Dryden – New York City Jazz Records on “The Questions That Drives Us” 

1 TADD’S DELIGHT (Tadd Dameron) 5:51

2 CHELSEA BRIDGE (Billy Strayhorn) 7:45

3 A SHADE OF JADE (Joe Henderson) 7:24

4 BACKUP (Larry Young) 5:51

5 THE BLESSING (Ornette Coleman) 5:56

6 DANCE OF THE INFIDELS (Bud Powell) 5:48

7 SPRING IS HERE (Richard Rodgers) 6:43

8 DAHOUD (Clifford Brown) 6:26

9 THESE ARE SOULFUL DAYS (Don Patterson) 5:23

10 RITHA (Larry Young) 9:14

BRIAN CHARETTE B3 Hammond organ

HENRY HEY piano

Jochen Rueckert drums