Tomaga & Pierre Bastien - Live Ateliers Claus (June 2021 Les Albums Claus)

Live recording from the performance of Tomaga & Pierre Bastien, on 24th January 2020. 'Bandiera Di Carta’ is the collaboration between instrument builder and composer Pierre Bastien and the London based duo Valentina Magaletti and Tom Relleen who release music under the name Tomaga.

We're glad to be able to share this unique and historic audio recording.

1. Movement 1 22:39

2. Movement 2 06:35

3. Movement 3 11:24

4. Movement 4 10:45

5. Movement 5 07:36

All music performed live by

Valentina Magaletti

Tom Relleen

Pierre Bastien

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Alchemy Sound Project - Afrika Love (Artists Recording Collective)

Afrika Love, the breathtaking third album by Alchemy Sound Project,

traverses boundaries of genre and geography

An ode to the grandeur of nature, reflections on relationships, and a pair of musical tributes comprise

five eclectic, aurally compelling original works

Available via Artists Recording Collective

★ ★ ★ ★ “…a mesmerizing combination of chamber jazz, symphonic music, modern jazz and big band. You

might even hear strains of Charles Mingus in this aurally delicious mix.” – Bob Protzman, DownBeat Magazine

Alchemy is defined as “a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination” (Oxford English Dictionary). It’s hard to imagine a word that more aptly suits Alchemy Sound Project, a collective in which five esteemed composers and bandleaders — pianist Sumi Tonooka, woodwind players Salim Washington and Erica Lindsay, trumpeter Samantha Boshnack, and bassist David Arend — form a potent ensemble greater than the sum of its parts. A synergy that seems almost supernatural, especially given the farflung home bases from which these artists converge, is evident throughout Afrika Love, the band’s third album, due May 14, 2021 via Artists Recording Collective.

Alchemy Sound Project formed in 2014, two years after the group’s members met in Los Angeles at the Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute, where, over the course of a week, they learned to utilize Western classical music concepts and orchestration techniques. “We were five friends and colleagues who had all these similar connections,” Tonooka recalls, “and I wanted us to be able to extend what we do together musically, instead of leaning on other projects or other commissions — to set up our own small chamber group to play and record.” What resulted is a diverse, eclectic group that makes powerful, original music meant to blur the boundaries between notated composition and improvisation.

Sessions for Afrika Love took place in January 2018 in Conshohocken, PA. But the album’s title, borrowed from the composition that Washington contributed to the album, reflects the band’s keen awareness that this recording arrives in the wake of one of the most tumultuous years in recent U.S. history — a pivotal period in which race relations and social justice protests have taken center stage.

According to Tonooka, the band found the title “appropriate in terms of what’s happened with the Black Lives Matter movement, and with what the country still has to deal with in terms of conversations about racism and the aftermath of slavery, and the fact that we still haven’t gotten it together to really heal, because no one seems to talk about it in a way that is healing.” Seen in that light, the multi-gendered, multi-racial makeup of Alchemy Sound Project in itself offers an understated, buoyantly positive example of cooperation and mutual regard.

Given that each Alchemy member is so distinguished individually, it’s no surprise that their collective effort shines. Tonooka, who presently makes her home in Philadelphia, was a 2020 Painted Bride Composer Grant recipient, a 2019 Chamber Music America New Jazz Works Grant winner, and a 2018 Philadelphia Jazz Legacy awardee, among other accolades. Seattle resident Boshnack issued a debut album with her band, Seismic Belt, in 2019, and led the group in appearances at Winter Jazzfest, the Festival of New Trumpet Music, and Seattle’s Earshot Jazz Festival.

Arend settled in Los Angeles in 2018, just in time to see local screenings of Changyou’s Journey, a short film for which he served as composer and co-producer. After making his debut as acting principal bassist of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, he completed his first major orchestral score. Lindsay, based in upstate New York, is an artist-in-residence at Bard College, teaching jazz composition and arranging as well as leading a contemporary-music ensemble, and in 2019 she was an artist-in-residence at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center. Washington, based in Durban, South Africa, leads a busy performance career with several respected groups — the newest, a quartet he leads jointly with piano prodigy Afrika Mkhize, in whose honor Washington penned the album’s title track.

Completing the lineup on Afrika Love are two versatile colleagues, trombonist Michael Ventoso a student of Lindsay’s who plays in both classical and jazz settings, and drummer Chad Taylor, a dynamic solo artist and bandleader, and cofounder of the renowned Chicago Underground Duo. The group elected Arend, a seasoned studio hand, to produce the album, which showcases one original composition by each member.

“The title says it all,” Arend says of “The Fountain,” which opens the album. “I was inspired to depict in music the imagery of a huge fountain of water, both the larger scale of gushing energies as well as the smaller scale of individual water droplets. Tightly organized at the beginning and end, the piece contains a central section that is pure free improvisation.” On this track, the musicians’ cohesive free play is bookended by curve-hugging tightness at the start and finish.

Tonooka says that in writing “Dark Blue Residue,” she was thinking about the aftermath of any experience that brings people together. “A relationship, it could be a group, it could be any social type of situation — the quality of what’s left behind is a sort of residue. People move on, people move forward, but there’s a residue that’s left. And dark blue has to do with the bittersweetness of that, when you’re left to reflect on what you have, and what you’ve done.” Throughout the piece, Arend slips seamlessly from classical arco playing with and among the winds and horns to a woody pizzicato throb beneath, lending nuance and dimension.

“Afrika Love” is Washington’s tribute to his South African compatriot, pianist Afrika Mkhize, son of renowned pianist-composer Themba Mkhize. “One day he called me up out of the blue, simply to say, ‘I love you,’” Washington relates. During their conversation, Mkhize talked about a distinctive pitch system native to Zulu musical tradition. “I began experimenting with this system, and decided to write a composition with it,” Washington says. An unaccompanied horn establishes the tone dramatically from the start, and the composer’s oboe soliloquy is a highlight of this rich, original conception.

“The Cadillac of Mountains” is about feeling awestruck in the face of nature’s grandeur, says Boshnack. “As a hiking enthusiast living in the dramatic environs of the Pacific Northwest, this composition conveys the inspiration I feel when enjoying the overwhelming beauty in the outside world.” The composer’s sky-scraping trumpet lines evoke heavenly expanses, which Washington’s plummy bass clarinet counters with elemental earthiness. Lindsay’s tenor sax solo conveys the composer’s passionate vision, while a contrasting section anchored by Tonooka and Arend evokes nature’s tendency toward unpredictable shifts. And not to be overlooked is Chad Taylor’s subtle and varied accompaniment.

A different sort of marvel animates “Kesii,” Lindsay’s sly, earthy closer. “I named this piece after a friend of mine who passed away this year at the age of 107,” she says. “The journey of life and the path it takes us on holds so much wonder and unexpected gifts.” The piece, she explains, is meant to evoke all the twists and turns a life can hold with a constantly changing series of moods, tones, and colors. “I took a 5/4 repeating clarinet phrase as a starting point, and let the music tell its own story,” Lindsay notes.

Each of these five compositions tells a story worth hearing. Together, they serve to remind the listener that, for all of its unanimity of spirit and intent, Alchemy Sound Project showcases five compelling individuals, each with their own powerful creative vision. The genuine magic in the band’s work is that artists so individually strong and distinctive can fold themselves into one another’s visions so completely and sympathetically. The result is alchemy at its finest.

alchemysoundproject.com

KODIAN TRIO on tour 2022!

KODIAN TRIO

ANDREW LISLE: drums / DIRK SERRIES: electric guitar / COLIN WEBSTER: alto sax

Improvising power unit KODIAN TRIO rose from the ashes of a scorching concert at London’s Café Oto in 2015. Three albums and multiple live appearances later, the trio are swiftly becoming major contenders on the fertile and outward-looking European scene. The uniquely voiced trio is formed of saxophonist Colin Webster using aggressive techniques and unusual approaches to his horn, electric guitarist Dirk Serries throwing spiky lines in forceful and unorthodox dialog, and in-demand UK drummer Andrew Lisle providing underpinning and punctuation.

In 2020 KODIAN TRIO only managed to play one date of their proposed 5th anniversary tour, before global events brought everything to a halt. Luckily the concert was recorded and released by OEM records, and Kodian Trio will be back on the road in 2022.

"II , more than the trio previous releases, defines Kodian Trio as an outfit that operates in the lines of a classic free jazz unit, opting for an intense, uncompromising interplay, with some degrees of playfulness. Webster, Lisle and Serries form tough and dense dynamics, never lose their restless momentum." Freejazz blog

“4 out of 5. Europe’s free jazz scene continues to race forward, to the delight of its small but ardent fan base. The self-described “improvising power unit” Kodian Trio is doing its part to keep things hopping. " Free Form Free Jazz 

AVAILABLE : one-offs, fly-ins, festivals and on tour throughout Europe 2022.

GET IN TOUCH : newwaveofjazz@gmail.com / colinwebster@gmail.com

Discography :

I (CD/LP, A New Wave Of Jazz 2015)

Live At Paradox (CD, Raw Tonk Records 2016)

Volt/Pletterij (TAPE, Raw Tonk Records 2017)

II (LP, Trost Records 2017)

III (CD, Trost Records 2019)

Live in Leeds (CD, Raw Tonk Records 2020)

Live at BRAKfest (CD, OEM Records 2021)

www.newwaveofjazz.com

Kodian Trio Live at BRÅKFEST (2021 oem records)

1. Live at BRÅKFEST 00:00 / 24:20

Colin Webster saxophone

Dirk Serries guitar

Andrew Lisle drums

Recorded at BRÅK Festival of Improvised Music, Hundred Years Gallery, 29 February 2020.

Produced by Martin Clarke

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Marco Scarassatti and Abdul Moimême - Zero Out (2021 oem records)

"This might be the first post-Bolsonaro symphony, the values of a wild, threatened by industrial detritus, which has turned that ruined landscape into the material of a personal and collective triumph, an improvisation so focussed that it includes extended introspective listening, dialogue and achieved form."

Stuart Broomer, Ezz-thetics

1. Desolation 20:29

2. Silence 02:28

3. Breathe 16:20

Marco Scarassatti viola do cocho, tromp Kirk Roland

Abdul Moimême two electric guitars (played simultaneously) & objects

Joaquim Monte recording

Mixed and mastered by Abdul Moimême

Photo by Nuno Martins

Design by Carlos Santos

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Alan Wilkinson & Dirk Serries - One in the Eye (2021 A New Wave of Jazz)

Journalist Guy Peters imagines the free-improvised meeting of British reeds master Alan Wilkinson and Belgian guitarist Dirk Serries to action painting, «an arena in which to act – rather than as a space in which to reproduce, redesign, analyze or ‘express’ an object, actual or imagined». Likewise, according to Peters’ liner notes for «One in the Eye», the sound is abstract, so why not embrace it, and focus on the range of sounds, extended techniques, density, dynamics and the here and now. «One in the Eye» is a double album. The first disc was recorded at the Sunny Side Inc. Studio in Anderlecht in Belgium in November 2019. The second disc was recorded live two months later during A New Wave Of Jazz festival at the Hundred Years Gallery in London in January 2020.

Serries plays on both discs on acoustic guitars and this choice of instrument forced Wilkinson to adapt his sonic palette-  on the bass clarinet, baritone and alto saxes, to the sonic spectrum of the guitar. The pieces in the studio recording are urgent and dense, explore an array of extended techniques and different modes of energy and intensity, sometimes quite playful («In The Long Run») and at other times even abrasive, but all flow naturally and stress the immediate affinity between Wilkinson and Serries. «In The Here and Now» surprises with its lyrical melody and its quiet contemplative spirit and «The Stings Of The Flesh» relies totally on Wilisnson and Serries extended techniques and on «Pull The Other One» Wilkinson employs his voice (alongside the baritone sax) as an exotic and passionate instrument, matches beautifully by Serries’ rhythmic guitar playing.

All these pieces are remarkably cohesive. The two live improvisations are, as expected, are longer. Despite the time that has passed since the studio recording, these improvisations still highlight the immediate, organically flowing interplay. «HYG 1» is quite playful and rhythmic even in its most abstract and tense segments. «HYG 2» introduces first a mysterious vein when Serries explores Far-Eastern sonorities while Wilkinson suggests gentle, meditative lines, but soon Serries and Wilkinson settle again on loose and inventive rhythmic games. Adventurous, insightful but highly engaging.” Salt Peanuts – Denmark/Norway

1. Upshot 05:45

2. One In The Eye 02:03

3. In The Here And Now 08:09

4. Hobson's Choice 03:29

5. The Stings Of The Flesh 09:58

6. In The Long Run 11:30

7. Hand Over Fist 08:55

8. Pull The Other One 08:48

9. HYG 1 19:32

10. HYG 2 13:17

Alan Wilkinson : bass clarinet, baritone and also saxophones, voice

Dirk Serries : acoustic guitars

Disc 1 : performed, recorded, mixed and mastered at the Sunny Side Inc. Studio, Anderlecht (Belgium) on November 29th 2019.

Disc 2 : live in concert at A New Wave Of Jazz festival, Hundred Years Gallery (London, UK) on January 22nd 2020, recorded and mixed by Martin Clarke. Mastered at the Sunny Side Inc. Studio, Anderlecht (Belgium)

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Pierre Gerard - Pieces of Apparatus (2021 A New Wave of Jazz)

My first encounter with the music of Pierre Gerard wasn’t something I enjoyed very much (see Vital Weekly 1243), as I have very little interest in the super silent approach to music (Lopez’ early work, Bernard Günther et al), so I was a little reluctant to play his latest work. I am not sure, but this might be the first time that a release by this label doesn’t mention any instruments. The previous one used “guitar, electronics, object, abstract voice with _ into environment”, so who knows, maybe here too? There are five pieces here, of which four are over eleven minutes and the longest fifteen, with in the middle a brief piece of three and a half minute.

The role of silence on this release is a lot smaller than on the first one I heard (Gerard has more releases, but mostly in very small editions). Also, I would think he just plays acoustic guitar here. Gerard plays what I would call ‘small music’. Up close to the microphone, he plays the strings individually, most of the time and very occasionally there is a small strum. This is music that is akin to that of Taku Sugimoto, but, oddly enough, with less silence (!) between the notes and fits what could be perceived as Wandelweiser music.

Small, individual sounds, seemingly randomly played on the guitar, without any hurry, without much drama, and very minimal, without being repetitive. I have no idea if Gerard plays his music with some Zen-like notion, even when the silent approach of before seemed to hint at such a thing, this release too is best be enjoyed with the mind being as empty as possible, sit back and let it all just happen, not in the ambient sense, full-immersive drone sound, but as quiet events taking place and enjoy this with a general sense of quietness.” Vital Weekly – The Netherlands

1. Formé Sur Un Bois De Rose Pâle 15:33

2. Spécimen Dans Les Tons Proches 11:38

3. Miniature En Poudre Pratique 03:26

4. En Plein Rose D'un Bois Lisse 11:08

5. Emprunté A La Transparence D'une Forêt Sans Rose 11:04

Improvised & recorded in January 2019 by Pierre Gerard. Mastered at the Sunny Side Inc. Studio, Anderlecht (Belgium)

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Arvind Ganga & Riccardo Marogna - Ballads from the Wrecked Ship (2021 A New Wave of Jazz)

Keeping things small this time, with only three new releases by A New Wave Of Jazz from Belgium and on the first one, there is electric guitar player Arvind Ganga, of whom I heard before and Riccardo Marogna, on tenor saxophone, bass clarinet and electronics. He is one half of Sho Shin Duo (Vital Weekly 1019), but I didn’t review that one. I do vaguely remember being present at an event where Ganga and Marogna were also playing, but did I see that? I honestly don’t remember. They are from the city of The Hague and have been active in the city’s improvised music scene with some occasional release.

They have seven tracks here, recorded in The Hague in 2018, use T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land’ as a “touchstone”, whatever that may constitute, and the interaction between both players is great. While the music is all improvised, and there is no escaping that fact, there is an interaction between them that results, at times, in some mysterious music. In ‘Oed’ und leer das Meer’ (“a phrase borrowed by Eliot from Wagner’s ‘Tristan Und Isolde'”) there are a few of these moments, and that’s just opening tracks.

The electronics used doesn’t take the sound of the instruments into something entirely different, but add another layer of sound to the existing sound. Both players aren’t afraid to employ a more traditional tune, chord or melody in their work together and, right next to uses metallic brushes upon snares and pieces of tin foil rattling against the wind instruments. It is that mixture of what we know and the venture into the unknown that makes this a very fine release.” Vital Weekly – The Netherlands

1. Oed' und lees das Meer 08:51

2. Chozodia 03:41

3. The Limp Leaves Waited For Rain, While The Black Clouds Gathered far distant, over Himavant 08:43

4. Phantoon 05:54

5. Zeelas 04:57

6. Kzans 06:14

7. These Fragments I Have Shored Against My Ruins 02:59

Arvind Ganga : Electric guitar, objects

Riccardo Marogna : Tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, electronics

Recorded at Helicopter, The Hague (NL) on November 9th - 10th 2018. Mastered at the Sunny Side Inc. Studio, Anderlecht (Belgium)

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Gonçalo Almeida - Monólogos a Dois (2021 A New Wave of Jazz)

I am not sure if with the double bass there are various types, like with the guitar, but none is mentioned on the cover or the fact if this is a mono recording. The latter probably not. It was recorded in the spacious surrounding of the old church in Oud-Charlois, which is a part of Rotterdam and home to a few great concerts, some of these involving the church organ housed there. Goncalo Almeida stuck to his bass. We know him for his one-off collaboration with Rutger Zuydervelt (see Vital Weekly 1000) and various releases with the Spinifex Quartet. The liner notes inform me of a whole world I probably knew existed, but someone I don’t know much about.

The world of free jazz, solo bass players and so on. It makes an interesting read, as it was done with Guy Peters, but after I was done with it, I didn’t return to it any more and decided to play the record again, no longer disturbed by historical information. I found the music quite refreshing. Almeida uses various techniques, the bow, plucking the strings, maybe a bit of the body of the instrument, but in all twelve of these pieces, the double bass remains a recognizable constant presence. It is within these pieces that he shows a great variety of approaches, from melodic, to abstract, from melancholically inclined to a menacing drone. 

From a very big sound (and I don’t mean spacious in the sense that the church plays a role in that; just a massive sound by itself, not too difficult one could think with this low humming instrument) to very small and delicate. It is never aggressive or noisy, Almeida remains a respectful player, with a fine ear for the smaller things happening between the notes, yet not overplaying the whole of silence. Far from it, actually. Like the Serries record, one of delicate beauty; a different kind of delicacy, however. Vital Weekly – The Netherlands

1. Monólogos a Dois I 08:30

2. Monólogos a Dois II 02:21

3. Monólogos a Dois III 01:35

4. Monólogos a Dois IV 03:06

5. Monólogos a Dois V 03:08

6. Monólogos a Dois VI 03:24

7. Monólogos a Dois VII 05:20

8. Monólogos a Dois VIII 02:22

9. Monólogos a Dois IX 03:21

10. Monólogos a Dois X 03:16

11. Monólogos a Dois XI 05:41

12. Monólogos a Dois XII 01:59

Gonçalo Almeida - Double bass

Performed & recorded at the Old Church in Oud-Charlois, Rotterdam (The Netherlands) on 11th July 2020

All music by Gonçalo Almeida

Recorded & mixed by Gonçalo Almeida

Mastered at the Sunny Side Inc. Studio, Anderlecht (Belgium)

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Dirk Serries - Solo Acoustic Guitar Improvisations I (2021 A New Wave of Jazz)

Following some forty CD releases on his imprint New Wave Of Jazz, Dirk Serries thinks the time is right to expand to the world of vinyl with these two LPs, of which the first one contains music by the man himself. He plays a 1957 Hoffner archtop guitar, and recorded with a single microphone, some 50 centimetres from the guitar and there has been no other audio processing.

The liner notes, as always by Guy Peters, are on the front cover, and he uses the extra space the format allows him, to talk some more on the history of free jazz and connects that to punk and self-taught musicians, of which Serries is one. His direct approach to both the guitar and the recording (mono! Phil Spector would have been proud if still alive) makes that you sit up close to the music. It is almost as if Serries is in your living room, playing his guitar. As we know from his recent playing within the field of free improvisation, Serries is a skilful and varied player, not just within the context of playing with others, but also solo.

The guitar is all ten of these improvisations easily recognized and yet nowhere it sounds like some conventional. Maybe it sounds to the uninitiated as if somebody plays it without any knowledge as to how to play the damn thing, but to the trained ear (and, hold on, I am not saying I am an expert in this field; not when it comes to guitar playing, nor when it comes to knowing something freely improvised music) of unusual music, I’d say, he knows what he is doing. He plays odd little motifs, but seemingly hitting just strings or notes, but sometimes he repeats them and makes little differences within these and here’s when you recognize someone clueless and someone who sure knows what has to be done. No bowing, no drones, no lengthy spacious journeys, all of his trademarks from his long career, but immediate, direct music. Vital Weekly – The Netherlands

This is a mono recording, using the AEA R44 Anniversary Edition ribbon microphone placed 50cm away from the body of the guitar. One band eq and variable-mu compression was subtly applied across the spectrum to smooth out dynamics. No other audio processing was used.

1. Axis 02:11

2. Grid 05:23

3. Cluster 02:53

4. Overlap 04:45

5. Kinetic 02:53

6. Factor 05:07

7. Rhetoric 01:46

8. Sketch 06:04

9. Exertion 02:33

10. Areal 03:46

Dirk Serries played a 1957 Höfner archtop guitar

Performed, recorded, mixed and mastered at the Sunny Side Inc. Studio, Anderlecht (Belgium) on July 31st 2020

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BuJazzO / A Tribute To The Clarke - Boland Big Band (2021 Challenge Records)

The Federal Jazz Orchestra, abbreviated and affectionately named BuJazzO by many, pays tribute to the legendary Clarke-Boland Big Band on its new CD. The legendary international ensemble existed from 1961 to 1972 in Cologne and was led by American drummer Kenny Clarke and Belgian pianist, composer and arranger Francy Boland.

The Clarke-Boland Big Band was formed on the initiative of Pierluigi “Gigi” Campi, who was born in Italy and lived in Cologne as well as promoted and produced the band. Campi's estate contained several boxes full of original notes from the Clarke-Boland Big Band, which Campi's family bequeathed to the Federal Jazz Orchestra. Two years ago, the orchestra devoted itself to this treasure. Trombonist Jiggs Whigham, who led the Federal Jazz Orchestra from 2011 to 2020 together with saxophonist Niels Klein, chose the repertoire. After an intensive rehearsal phase, the Federal Jazz Orchestra gave twelve concerts in Germany, from whose recordings the CD is composed.

“The Clarke-Boland Big Band was an international jazz orchestra at its best,” Jiggs Whigham said who is still enthusiastic about the orchestra. He lived in Cologne at the time and played with the band several times. “The mood in the band was always full of optimism, which was also due to the fact that most of the musicians were friends. There was a party atmosphere in this band every day.”

Providing a testimonial to this ensemble makes sense, because the Clarke-Boland Big Band was not only a gathering of exquisite soloists, but also thrived thanks to its leaders. American drummer Kenny Clarke, who was a founding member of the Modern Jazz Quartet and had played in various bands of Miles Davis, had lived in France since 1956. With his characteristic drumming, for which a penetrating beat on a large cymbal was indispensable, he relentlessly drove the band forward. Belgian pianist Francy Boland, who worked as an arranger in Paris and wrote for Count Basie and Benny Goodman in New York, was responsible for the Clarke-Boland Big Band's repertoire. He tended to compose songs extremely carefully, and consequently his style shaped the sound of the band.

Since the members of the Federal Jazz Orchestra are constantly changing, despite it already existing for more than 30 years, the band can be attested a kind of eternal youth. It is fascinating to hear how this ensemble of young musicians, who are between 17 and 24 years old, appropriates the musical cosmos of the Clarke-Boland Big Band and skillfully brings this music, which is now almost 60 years old, into the present. The multi-award-winning ensemble sets a vital and pulsating monument to the Clarke-Boland Big Band.

1. You Stepped Out Of a Dream 02:57

2. Lieben Sie Jazz? 00:59

3. Lullaby Of the Leaves 03:51

4. Das Kleine Örtchen Köln 00:45

5. Love For Sale 02:53

6. BuJazzo-Voices 00:35

7. The Song Is You 05:49

8. Ein Pariser Briefkasten 00:37

9. Box 703 08:33

10. Einfach Nur Applaus 00:24

11. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes 04:44

12. Nach Der Ruhe Kommt Der Sturm 00:49

13. Dancing In The Dark 04:17

14. We Need some Beat 00:25

15. Griff's Groove 06:25

16. Ein Feature Für Alto 00:29

17. November Girl 04:53

18. Because It's Swinging 01:16

19. The Jamfs Are Coming 08:30

20. Wunderbar, Aber Schrecklich 00:42

21. African Seeds 05:08

22. I Love The Music Too 01:02

23. Johnny One Note 02:46

24. Vielen Dank 01:26

25. Sax No End 07:28

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Michel Meis 4Tet - Kaboom (2021 Challenge Records)

“Kaboom” Behind this picturesque title lies the explosive mixture created by the 4tet of the Luxembourg drummer Michel Meis on his second album. This time the band has a guest on some of the songs: the French violinist Théo Ceccaldi. “Théo Ceccaldi was brought to my attention by our pianist Cédric Hanriot,” Meis said. “His music and attitude really appealed to me. There is a lot of space between the violin and the trombone in terms of sound, which was a very experimental approach. Musically, it fit very well, because both are very flexible.”

Alisa Klein on the trombone merges as casually as unpredictably with the violin tone of Ceccaldi, and band leader Meis knows very well how much she is worth for the band. “Alisa Klein is the soul of the band,” a fact of which he is very aware. “Her sound is very warm and emotional and has a lot of space, but it still sounds very intimate. Such a deep-sounding wind instrument sound totally appeals to me.”

The well-structured pieces of the band leader have exactly the right mix of eclectic modern jazz and improvisational desire for experimenting. Meis can rely on his 4tet, which has grown into an unbeatable unity since the debut album “Lost in Translation”, which received excellent reviews. “No member of the band can be replaced and it would significantly affect the sound if one were missing,” Michel Meis stated. Stephan Goldbach is on the bass, and he also plays in the Trio Village Zone of pianist Georg Ruby, for example. “Stephan also plays a lot of experimental music,” Meis knows. “For me, he's the punk attitude in the band. He is the base of the band. But he brings a lot of physical strength to the band and plays in a very solo-like manner.”

The 4tet is held together by the French pianist Cédric Hanriot. “Cédric Hanriot is a pianist the kind of which I haven’t heard many times in my life,” Meis said. “He has his Cédric moments, during which I recognize him immediately, but his solos are always surprising because he doesn't hesitate to leave his comfort zone. He always takes substantial risks, and we adapt to them.” Between the longer pieces, Meis has included small miniatures on “Kaboom” where two musicians usually ester into conversation. However, the album is opened by the impetuous “Full Pedal Jacket”, which explores the abundance of possibilities in just under nine minutes that the 4tet and its guest have at their disposal. “’Full Pedal Jacket’ tends to go in the pop direction,” Meis believes. “It’s based on a riff that I experimented with.”

The whole band joined together to play “State of Uncertainty” which shifts between edgy rhythms and small melodic treats. “I wrote the piece during the first lockdown,” Meis recounted. “The beat is repeatedly broken up, whereby the piece is intended to describe the prevailing uncertainty.”

The white cat on the cover also has some significance, because it illustrates what is also the hallmark of the Michel Meis 4tet: “Cats do what they want and have a mind of their own,” Meis knows.

1. Full Pedal Jacket 08:44

2. [hanriot] 01:15

3. State of Uncertainty 08:20

4. [ceccaldi / goldbach] 01:01

5. Kaboom 06:53

6. Coming Together 02:00

7. She 07:09

8. [goldbach / hanriot] 01:04

9. Red Desert Air 04:34

10. [klein / meis] 00:56

11. Re:Build 08:25

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African carrot farmer makes album during pandemic: Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble

The Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble collaborates across countries, continents, and cultures to release its self-titled fifth album and deliver a message about staying strong through uncertain times.

With recent world events spurring the new evolution of their signature Finn funk-meets – Voodoo rhythms sound, Finnish-Beninese-Tanzanian afrobeat funk band The Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble is sending a message to listeners about the importance of maintaining one’s self-respect and dignity, and staying strong through difficult and uncertain times.

Led by Finnish guitarist Janne Halonen and Beninese Singer/Percussionist Noël Saïzonou, the 8-piece Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble is set to release its self-titled, fifth album (out May 21, 2021 on Flowfish Records). The album’s nine tracks draw inspiration from West African Voodoo traditions, Afrobeat, Jazz, Soul, and conscious Hip-Hop, with all songs being sung in Saïzonou’s native Goun language.  

Due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, the new album was entirely imagined, written, and recorded remotely from Helsinki, Cotonou, and Lisbon without any of the band members coming together physically once in during the entire process. The first song sketches were put down in May of 2020, and from there, circumstances necessitated that the band embark on an entirely new kind of music song-writing process, which involved bouncing ideas in Zoom sessions and sending demos between Finland and Africa. 

“For this album, we wanted to return back to the 70’s-influenced sound of our first record,” says Halonen, “and the plan was for the whole album to be written and recorded over the summer during a few massive studio sessions. But then everything was cancelled all of a sudden.  After a few months of total shut down, we gathered ourselves, and began learning how to work remotely.” 

Through the month of July of last year, Halonen spent long hours teaching Benin-based Noël how to use entirely unfamiliar recording software by sharing his screen over Zoom. It was a unique challenge, reflects Halonen, “when I’ve worked with Finnish partners and colleagues, it’s very easy to write things down or just demonstrate stuff. But when somebody is like 6 million miles away, and he doesn’t speak the same language as you, everything needs to be demoed very carefully.”

Eventually, the two were able to begin exchanging ideas with one another and the album’s unique sound started to take shape as those initial challenges evolved into musical nuances.

Fans can get a taste of those nuances ahead of the album’s release and a preview of what’s to come on the single,  “Min He Mon Ébgé – The One Who Sees Today” (available across all streaming platforms worldwide on May 7th, 2021). The single, which will also be the first track on the new album, imparts the message that it’s important to take care of one’s craft and general well-being, since nobody knows what tomorrow brings. 

The track will also feature a stunning video shot in Cotonou. “We came up with the idea that it would be really nice to shoot a video that would show the side of Cotonou that we have known and come to love,” says Halonen. “We wanted to counter the dark narrative and those tropes in which Africa is always shown in a negative light. You always get the bad news, the disease and the hunger, and the guerillas kidnapping, and this and that. But it’s easy to overlook the fact that there are almost a billion people there, living about their daily lives and also experiencing a lot of joy and beauty.”

The second track of the album entitled “The Craft” features guest rapper from Zimbabwe Synik, who currently lives in Lisbon. Synik’s lyrics narrate his own personal story as an example of the importance of maintaining one’s self-respect and dignity, honing one’s craft, and treating other people as equals. While Halonen and Synik had not met in person prior to the collaboration,  Synik’s words proved strangely synchronistic with the message of the ensemble’s full album and quickly led to talk of further collaboration, with Halonen agreeing to produce several songs for the rapper’s upcoming projects.

Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble was formed in the winter of 2012, when guitarist Janne Halonen, bassist Sampo Riskilä, and drummer Juha Räsänen travelled to Benin, West Africa to study local music and collaborate with singer/percussionist Noël Saïzonou.  During the record making process, the quartet extended into an octet and the group’s first full album was released in May of 2013.  

The group has since released several albums including Fire, Sweat and Pastis in 2014, The Road Is Long: Live at Savoy Theater in 2016, and ja We Are Together in 2018.Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble has performed in 17 countries and received lots of critical acclaim.  

Their self-titled fifth album will be released worldwide by flowfish records and distributed by Broken Silence.

MIN HE MON ÉGBÉ - The one who sees today (Halonen, Saïzonou) 05:37

THE CRAFT (Halonen, Mertanen, Mugwenhi) 03:51

ALÔGÔ KPÈVIDÉ - A Little Support (Halonen, Saïzonou, Berghäll) 04:36

THE TRANSITION (Halonen, Mertanen) 01:22

AYA DJIDJÈ NA MINKPO - Happiness For All (Halonen, Saïzonou). 03:37

MIN HE YÔLÔ MI - For the One Who Invited Me (Halonen, Saïzonou) 03:51

HOU HETO ALÔKPA HOMIN - The Palm Lines (Halonen, Saïzonou) 04:56

DJOGBÉ ANA ZON - You'll Return Without a Thing (Halonen, Saïzonou, Pettinen) 05:05

DO AKON KPIKPAN - Stay Strong (Halonen, Saïzonou, Makena) 06:27

Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble:

Noël Saïzonou - Lead Vocals, Percussion,

Janne Halonen - Guitars, Background Vocals, Additional Keyboards and Percussion

Visa Oscar - Keyboards

Sampo Riskilä - Bass

Juha Räsänen - Drums

Kasheshi Makena - Percussion, Background Vocals

Mikko Pettinen - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Background Vocals

Joakim Berghäll - Saxophone

Additional Musicians:

Synik - Rap

Abdissa ”Mamba” Assefa - Percussion

Janne Toivonen - Trumpet

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Martedì 1 giugno - in uscita "La Mar", nuovo progetto discografico del trio pugliese La Cantiga de la Serena (Dodicilune / Ird) - Sabato 5 giugno presentazione ufficiale a Lecce

"LA MAR" È IL NUOVO PROGETTO DISCOGRAFICO DELL'ENSEMBLE PUGLIESE LA CANTIGA DE LA SERENA IN USCITA MARTEDÌ 1 GIUGNO PER L’ETICHETTA DODICILUNE. SABATO 5 GIUGNO LA PRESENTAZIONE DEL DISCO AL CONVITTO PALMIERI DI LECCE.

Sabato 5 giugno (ore 20:30 - ingresso gratuito con prenotazione obbligatoria WApp 0832373576) nel Chiostro del Convitto Palmieri nella Biblioteca Bernardini di Lecce si terrà la presentazione ufficiale di “La Mar”, nuovo progetto discografico del trio La Cantiga de la Serena, in uscita martedì 1 giugno per l'etichetta Dodicilune nella collana Fonosfere, distribuito in Italia e all’estero da Ird e nei migliori store on line da Believe Digital. L’ensemble, composto da musicisti e ricercatori pugliesi, da anni si dedica al recupero e alla rielaborazione della musica antica e tradizionale del bacino del Mediterraneo, promuovendo il dialogo culturale tra Occidente e Oriente. Fabrizio Piepoli (voce, chitarra battente, daff), Giorgia Santoro (flauto, ottavino, flauto basso, flauto contrabbasso, bansuri, tin whistle, arpa celtica, banjo indiano, cimbali), Adolfo La Volpe (oud, chitarra classica, chitarra portoghese, bouzouki irlandese) affiancati in alcuni brani da Francesco D’Orazio (violino) e Roberto Chiga (riqq, pandeiro quadrado e tamburello) propongono una raccolta di dieci canti appartenenti a diverse tradizioni musicali che hanno come motivo conduttore il mare, “la mar” in ladino.

Dopo questa presentazione, che rientra nel programma di Extra Convitto, promosso da Polo Biblio-Museale della Regione Puglia a cura di Mauro Marino e dello staff della Biblioteca Bernardini, con il patrocinio della Provincia di Lecce, il trio si esibirà domenica 13 giugno (ore 21 - ingresso gratuito - info e prenotazioni 3348655865 - prenotazioni@evergreenfest.it), per l’Evergreen Fest nel Parco della Tesoreria a Torino, grazie al tour a cura di Zero Nove Nove, partito giovedì 27 maggio, in anteprima per la seconda edizione della rassegna "I Zimbra Music Fest" a Napoli, che rientra nella Programmazione Puglia Sounds Tour Italia 2020/2021 della Regione Puglia (FSC 2014/2020 Patto per la Puglia - Investiamo nel vostro futuro).

Il terzo lavoro discografico insieme ai precedenti - “La serena” (Workin’ Label – 2016) e “La Fortuna” (Dodicilune – 2019) - forma una trilogia del mare e delinea un viaggio immaginario lungo il quale antiche cantighe sefardite (espressione della cultura degli ebrei spagnoli) si intrecciano a canti tradizionali pugliesi (canti narrativi, tarantelle), un syrto greco si fonde con un canto della Grecìa salentina, le sonorità ammalianti di una melodia siriana incrociano il vigore solenne di una villanella napoletana, fino a sciogliersi nel ritmo travolgente di un horo macedone. Un dialogo d’amore sospirato tra il mare e il femminile, il canto della sirena che continua ad ammaliare i viandanti di ogni tempo. La Cantiga de la Serena esegue questo repertorio utilizzando strumenti che appartengono a diverse culture musicali, lasciando ampio spazio alla libera espressione del proprio modo di sentire e filtrare questi antichi canti di amore, preghiera e gioia.

Prodotto da Zero Nove Nove nella Programmazione Puglia Sounds Producers 2020/2021, su YouTube è ancora disponibile il breve documentario La mar, diretto dal videomaker Giuseppe Rutigliano e girato a Lecce, tra il Fondo Verri e alcune vie del centro storico, che racconta la genesi di questo nuovo progetto discografico. Nel video la musica del trio (con la presenza del percussionista Roberto Chiga) è arricchita dalle coreografie del danzatore Andrea De Siena.

L’etichetta Dodicilune, fondata da Gabriele Rampino e Maurizio Bizzochetti è attiva dal 1996 e dispone di un catalogo di quasi 300 produzioni di artisti italiani e stranieri. Distribuiti nei negozi in Italia e all'estero da IRD, i dischi Dodicilune possono essere acquistati anche online, ascoltati e scaricati sulle maggiori piattaforme del mondo grazie a Believe Digital.

Info e contatti

Facebook.com/dodicilune

Instagram.com/dodicilune

Youtube.com (DodiciluneRecords)

www.dodiciluneshop.it

www.ijm.it

Patrick Noland / John Tate / Charles Rumback - When I Look To Sky (May 2021 Ears & Eyes Records)

1. Once In Our Lives 10:42

2. Sense of Being 06:45

3. All The Things You Do (Mother) 10:09

4. Pat at Play 03:18

5. Duke 09:04

6. Blues 07:28

7. When I Look to Sky 04:58

8. Time Heals All 09:36

9. Peace 06:35

10. Ash Wednesday 05:24

11. Dancing On The Inside 08:03

Patrick Noland - piano & guitar

John Tate - acoustic bass

Charles Rumback - drums

All compositions by Patrick Noland (Windvale Music BMI) except ‘Pat at Play’ by John Tate (EADG440 ASCAP) and ‘Ash Wednesday’, ‘Dancing on the Inside’ by Charles Rumback (In the New Year ASCAP). ‘Blues’ arranged by John Tate

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João Madeira / Mário Rua / Luís Vicente - Trio (May 2021)

"A majestic free jazz/free improvisation session recorded at a home studio in December 2020. The Trio plays four wonderful tracks, starting with "amor supremo", clearly having association s to John Coltrane's "Love Supreme". "até un fim" is a 10 and a half minute long peaceful ballad, while "grão" is a seven minutes long exploration of abstract free improvisation. But, the highlight is the closing "desassossego", lasting nearly 17 minutes, and including the most beautiful echoed solos of Luís. Last minute contribution to Book.v1, but a truly great one!!!\\ " Maciej Lewenstein

1. amor supremo 08:08

2. até um fim 10:32

3. grão 07:04

4. desassossego 16:38

João Madeira - double bass

Mário Rua - drums

Luís Vicente - trumpet

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Dennis Mitcheltree - Union (May 2021)

Recorded while on tour in 1999, with the quartet at the height of it's power in the 1990s, Union features evolving compositions that are still fresh and relevant today.

1. The Rebbe 07:31

2. Snowbound 07:14

3. Union at 723 07:59

4. Waiting for Oyarsa 09:48

5. Flatbush Blues 04:36

6. Mosinee Mayhem 04:09

7. Sans Souci 07:20

8. Set Me As... 04:21

9. Union 00:36

Dennis Mitcheltree - tenor saxophone, composer

Johannes Wallmann - piano

Jesse Crawford - bass

Bill McClellan - drums

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Dennis Mitcheltree - Transformation (May 2021)

Sophomore release by jazz saxophonist and composer Dennis Mitcheltree. Recorded in Mosinee WI in 1996 while on tour - the band is tight!

1. Absentikate 06:09

2. Saddam's Caravan 05:22

3. Suppressions 06:43

4. Gumbo 04:37

5. Perspective 07:47

6. Transformation 05:55

7. Modus Operandi 06:17

Dennis Mitcheltree - tenor saxophone, composer

Johannes Wallmann - piano

Jesse Crawford - bass

Bill McClellan - drums

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Miguel de Armas Quartet - Continuous (May 2021 on Three Pines Records)

Internationally renowned Cuban pianist Miguel de Armas moved to Canada in 2011, bringing with him a rich and sophisticated musical heritage gleaned over many years of study, performance and composition. As a co-founder of N.G. La Banda — one of Cuba’s most legendary timba bands — de Armas packed concert halls around the world.

Under the leadership of de Armas - and featuring Marc Decho on bass, Michel Medrano on drums and Diomer González on congas - The Miguel de Armas Quartet was created in 2013. Since then, they have rocked the National Capital Region with their astounding musicianship and thrilling fusion of Jazz and Afro Cuban music.

With Continuous, de Armas reveals his heart and soul. It is an eclectic, inventive, and truly global album that demonstrates de Armas’ versatility not only as a player, but as a composer as well. These boundary defying songs defy categorization, with the rich melodic and rhythmic feel of songo, the fusion of Afro Cuban music with pop, Latin jazz, calypso, and classical influences.

Continuous represents the continuation of de Armas’ musical journey that began almost a decade ago when he moved to Canada. This album is a compelling collection of songs about love, immigration, long winters, and how to stay happy throughout. De Armas is a story-teller, and his medium is his music.

Continuous will be released on May 21st, 2021 on Three Pines Records

1. Continuous 6:10

2. Couscous 5:14

3. Angelique 4:29

4. Welcome Back from Varadero 6:31

5. Muñuñi 4:54

6. Eva Luna 3:01

7. Song for Bebo 5:32

8. It Meant Something Else 5:03

9. Gone Too Soon 5:35

All songs by Miguel de Armas, except 7 by Marc Decho

Miguel de Armas - Piano, Keyboards, Compositions

Marc Decho - Bass

Michel Medrano Brindis - Drums

Diomer González - Congas

Featuring:

Yasmina Proveyer - Voice (1); Roberto Riverón - Bass (1, 3);

Elmer Ferrer - Guitar (3); Petr Cancura - Tenor Saxophone (5);

Elizabeth Rodriguez - Violin (6); Gabriela Ruiz - Cello (6);

René Lavoie - Flute (7); Tyler Harris - Alto Sax (8);

José Alberto Alvarez Batista - Güiro (1);

Yaima Caballero - Güiro (7)

With Special Guests:

Samuel Formell (Los Van Van) - Drums, Timbales (1);

Joel Cuesta (Los Van Van) - Congas (1); Eliel Lazo - Congas (4)

Miguel de Armas Website

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L’abîme - L’abîme (2021 Multiple Chord Music)

L’abîme (The Abysm) is the first album by an exciting new Québec based quintet of the same name. Conceived over the past two years, this brilliant debut will be released in April of 2021 on the Montreal based label Multiple Chord Music, in both physical (vinyl + cd) and digital form. The album unveils a dreamlike universe, a cinematic adventure suspended in time, like a dive through the abysm.

The group displays a bold, unique sound rooted in modern jazz with strong rock and contemporary classical influences (the music of Olivier Messiaen being a particularly important touchstone.) Pianist Jonathan Turgeon’s compelling compositions are bolstered by strong arrangements devised by the whole group. This project is a particularly compelling showcase for the group’s woodwind players, who explore a wide range of textures and timbres. Faithful to its jazz heritage, L’abîme expres ses i t sel f through deep, engaging improvisations by Hugo Blouin (upright bass), Jean-Philippe Godbout (drums), Alex Dodier (saxophones, flute) and Gabriel Genest (tenor saxophone, clarinets).

1. Requiem 4:32

2. Perdu dans les bois 5:58

3. L’abîme 8:12

4. Le Culte I 4:14

5. Le Culte II 5:10

6. Le Culte III 4:49

7. L’étang au crépuscule 6:17

Hugo Blouin - Upright Bass

Alex Dodier - Flute, Saxophones (1-3, 5-6)

Gabriel Genest - Tenor Saxophone (3, 6), Clarinets

Jean-Philippe Godbout - Drums

Jonathan Turgeon - Piano, Compositions

L’abîme will be released on April 30th, 2021 by Multiple Chord Music

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