Enrique Haneine - Instants of Time (2016)

KARI-ON PRODUCTIONS IS PROUD TO INTRODUCE 

ENRIQUE HANEINE

Artist: Enrique Haneine

CD Title: Instants of Time

Label: Elegant Walk Records

Add Date: January 11, 2016

Street Date: January 8, 2016

Artist Website

CD DESCRIPTION

Elegant Walk Records is proud to present Instants of Time the latest offering from Enrique Haneine. Reflective of the lineage of his life, an influence of Jazz, Lebanese and Latin flavors is expressed through 13 original compositions where Enrique’s touch and approach on the drums create a unique tone that is joined and embellished by a group of incredible musicians with free spirited energy.

We can hear how Haneine’s intense and complex structure of the compositions, which serve as a point of departure for free improvisation, is the defining character of the work and how the delicate balance can be felt with the total freedom of expression of the improvisers. The compositions are the main characters, an important framework that the band goes to work with and how this relates to people, places and another time.

Instants of Time is about experiencing music as a direct expression and reflection of the heritage and lineage of the living syncretism grounded on the natural musical influences and traditions of Middle Eastern, Latin and Jazz languages. Through his journey, Enrique has been brewing in his heart free improvisations founded on these traditions, linking the dots from the Cedars of Lebanon, through the open veins of Latin America, to the melting-pot of New York City.

Through the elements of improvisation, spontaneity and supreme expression of freedom found in free jazz, Haneine’s work aims to wrap these cultures with the texture of music with no barriers, transcending both space and time. This is achieved fully with his original compositions. A personal touch on the compositions is felt because the music comes from the heart, years of study and exploration of a Lebanese descent, born and raised in Mexico City and established in New York City as a jazz world musician, brings forth the proposed elements of unification and evolution.

The title Instants of Time relates to the different levels and dimensions of the illusion of time, how breath equals time, the use of rhythms and odd meters, the afro-Cuban clave and time signatures like 17/4, 21/4, 29/8, and beyond, which may seem unusual but are so familiar to the universe, the different stages of life, other generations and its transcendence. The coincidences and synchronicities, like those moments that make you feel so connected through those invisible strings of inner journeys that unite humans and that only become visible in the instant when they occur.

What makes this offering so uniquely special is the use of varied rhythms, the space, the timing, the unusual meters but so familiar to the universe, the coincidence and synchronicity, those moments, the story. The present moment, which is now past and future defining. Precious vulnerability, the angular cohesiveness, the lineage, the effortless energy, the sounds, the symphony of silence, the never ending journey with no beginning. The current time transcending with elegant successiveness...... Enjoy!

Jazz World Musician, Composer, Pianist, Drummer, Improviser, Educator. Currently living in New York City and born in Mexico City from Lebanese descent.

Haneine was raised in Mexico, immersed in Latin groove, and heavily underpinned with classical and jazz studies, is why his music extends from the soul with influences from his heritage. It is a powerful sound, the lineage traces its way into the ancient world, a history of music that he carries of his life story.

He is known for his versatile performances and leadership in the music scene, Haneine has grown as both a soloist, band leader, and member of numerous bands, his superb mastery of multiple styles has afforded him the pleasure and honor of performing and collaborating alongside numerous great musicians, which has influenced and informed his unique personal style, that blends innovative technique with uninhibited, yet intelligent improvisation.

Haneine’s incredible energy, dedication and love for life and music can be felt by the way he expresses the influence of the different cultures and his vast education, his academic achievements include holding four degrees, including the life experiences he has been exposed to by giving back and continuing the constant search which is exhibited by the sound achieved in his music.

Immediately recognized for his ability and presence, Haneine has won international jazz competitions and received multiple music awards, his reputation as a brilliant artist and talented arranger are well deserved, his repertoire has evolved and matured into the realm of free jazz, standards and Latin jazz forays. Ranging from his past role as music director for Ricky Martin and for numerous productions, performing and collaborating with some of the greatest jazz musicians, a winner of the Jane Jarvis Jazz Competition, voted All About Jazz New York’s Best of 2005 Albums of the Year, Grammy Nominated for his performance on Best Latin Jazz Album 2013 are just a few of the accomplishments Haneine enjoys.

Though his experiences are vast Haneine has had a desire and pull to explore upon free improvisations, founded in Jazz, Latin, and Lebanese traditions, linking the dots from the Cedars of Lebanon, through the open veins of the beloved Latin America, to the melting-pot of New York City.

His most recent recording entitled INSTANTS OF TIME will be released at the beginning of January of 2016 and will include 13 original compositions that take you through a journey with free improvisations founded on the Jazz, Latin and middle eastern flavors, innovating with extended rhythmic groupings, odd meters, fascinating intervallic melodies and contemporary harmonies serving as a point of departure and creating a setting where free-jazz is welcomed and nurtured.

Track, Time (All Tracks by Enrique Haneine)

01. Bordeaux 7:08

02. Angularity Within 5:09

03. If You Know What I Mean 5:50

04. Houston 4:17

05. Esperanza 4:21

06. Slippery When Dry 4:09

07. Inside the Journey 6:32

08. Color and Space 6:10

09. By Choice 7:01

10.The East Side of Lloyd 5:25

11.The Tear and Smile of an Angel 6:09

12.Let the Cedar Tell the Story 6:24

13.Who’s Willing 6:03

Player and instrument:

Lori Cotler - Voice (1,5 & 7)

Lex Samu - Trumpet

Catherine Sikora - Tenor and Soprano Saxophones

Michael Rorby - Trombone

Carlo de Rosa - Acoustic Bass

Enrique Haneine - Drums, Cymbals, Udu Drum & Tambourine

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ROJ TEAM

Chico Freeman 4-tet - Spoken Into Existence (2015)

Label: Rens Newland / Jive Music Austria

Source: Cdbaby 

Jive Music Austria is honored to present the third album in a row of the great Chico Freeman! He’s a legend, but is at the same time not laying back and resting on the
laurels of his history. Far from it: He’s always on the move, making new projects with new and interesting musicians and with the newest recording tools and technics as well! For this CD he brought some of the finest musicians together that work and live in Europe; with them he can also tour Europe more easily, without so much time lost on long overseas flights. These guys each are splendid on
their instruments and well known with their groups and projects, together they are tight and sound as a unit with Mr. Freeman as the crown jewel on this royal swingin’ and groovin’ group! The repertoire is mainly original pieces of Chico’s and some of the other members
of the quartet. The cd is completed with
some special versions of great and special standards like “Seven Steps to Heaven”
and “Soft Pedal Blues”. The Bandleader is also very proud to present an anthology of songs, each dedicated to, and inspired by
his daughters: Erika, Luani, N’tiana, Nia and Lara! These songs are very special and with the others that are composed and played with warm-hearted sensitivity you feel the positive, expressive power of this unique artist!

01.Seven Steps to Heaven
02.Free Man
03.India Blue
04.Black Inside
05.Dance of Light for Luani
06.Nia’s Quest
07.N’tiana’s Dream
08.Lara’s Lullaby
09.Erika’s Reverie
10.Soft Pedal Blues
11.Niskayuna
12.The Crossing
13.Ballad for Hakima

Chico Freeman - saxophones
Antonio Faraò - piano
Heiri Känzig - bass
Michael Baker - drums

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Doug Webb - Home For Christmas (2015)

Label: Rhombus

Source: Doug Webb

Doug Webb was born in Chicago and moved to California at the age of 3. He is a graduate of Edison high school in Huntington Beach, CA and received a Bachelor of Music from Boston’s Berklee College of Music. He began playing the clarinet at the age of 8 and added saxophone and flute at 15. He lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful wife Alex and his son, Ryan. Over his career Webb has played and recorded with such notable talents as Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Sal Marquez, Stanley Clarke, Quincy Jones, Mat Marucci, Kyle Eastwood, Billy Childs, Rod Stewart, Carly Simon, Art Davis, Kenny Rogers, Bonnie Raitt, Pancho Sanchez and Vikki Carr. He played with the house band for the Dennis Miller TV show, the Jimmy Cleveland orchestra and continues to tour with the Doc Severinsen big band. He has recorded music for hundreds of movies and television programs. He solos on the sound track for Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and Jersey Boys. Webb has been featured on hundreds of recordings. 

01. The Christmas Song*
02. Let It Snow
03. Toyland
04. I'LL Be Home For Christmas*
05. Christmas Time Is Here
06. Merry Christmas Darling
07. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
08. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas*
09. The Christmas Waltz
10. O Christmas Tree
11. Greensleeves
12. White Christmas*
 

Doug Webb / Saxophone
Corey Allen / Piano
Kevin Axt / Bass
Roy McCurdy / Drums

*Orchestra (1/4/8/12) 

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Hans Ulrik - Suite of Time (2015)

Stunt Records

The internationally renowned Grundtvig’s Church, an architectural

pearl on top of Bispebjerg in Copenhagen’s northwest, celebrates

its 75th anniversary this year. The church was built to commemorate

priest, poet and politician N.F.S. Grundtvig (1783-1872), whose

thoughts on Christianity, the Age of Enlightenment and democracy

have been extremely influential in Danish culture. The idea of a

church honoring Grundtvig originated from architect Peder Vilhelm

Jensen Klint (1853-1930). The foundation stone was laid in 1921, and

the church was inaugurated in 1940. Klint’s design was inspired by the

typical Danish village church, for – in the architect’s own words – “the

town church is the mother of Grundtvig’s Church”. Using five million

yellow bricks, he combined the typical medieval village church

with the market town’s gothic church and its great European ancestor,

the cathedral.

In perfect, harmonious dimensions and clean-cut, lucid

lines he created the unique architectural vision of a crystal. The pillars,

the rounded arches and the reflective light, produce a welcoming

sanctuary mirroring Grundtvig’s interpretation of Christianity. The

church houses no images. It is in itself an image uniting the unassuming

common life on earth with enlightenment and divinity in the

friendly exchange, which is the very core of Grundtvig’s ideas.

As part of the celebration of Grundtvig’s Church’s anniversary, saxophonist

and composer Hans Ulrik was invited to compose music to

be performed in the church and on CD – a jazz mass. Historian Henrik

Jensen’s highly personal cultural critique was likewise written for the

occasion.

He examines history from 1940 to our time, zooming in on

defining years – 1945, 1967, 1989 and 2001 – in a poetic framework.

His entire text is included in the album notes paired with Ole Meyer’s

beautiful photos of the church. Hans Ulrik’s contemporary historical

jazz suite is composed in four movements plus prelude, sacrament

and postlude and inspired by Henrik Jensen’s words as an expression

of the mood of each period. THE SUITE OF TIME characterizes the

period from 1940-2015, in which the 75-year old church has seen the

development of the late modern society from the German occupation

in the ‘40s through the reflective ‘50s, the youth rebellion of the ‘60s,

the silent generation of the ‘80s to the IT boom and financial crisis.

Henrik Jensen states that the chaos of two world wars shrouds the

period in a shadow of latent cultural pessimism, challenging hope and

political vision.

Hans Ulrik is one of Denmark’s most popular and dedicated jazz
musicians. He is renowned not only for his Scandinavian sound but
also for his versatility. Born in 1965, he began playing saxophone at
an early age. He studied at Berklee College of Music 1984-86, and a
year after his return to Denmark he started playing professionally. All
through his career he has led his own bands, but his focus enables
him to contribute to other’s projects without losing his own identity.

His exquisite and solid playing is in great demand, leading him
through a long list of freelance assignments and session jobs. These
abilities combined with a genuinely professional attitude have made
him one of the great saxophonists in his generation. He has proven
that it is possible to make jazz albums that are modern, artistically
important and inviting. In other words: Hans Ulrik has reached a
broad audience without compromising his artistic integrity. Over the
years he has released a string of influential albums in collaboration
with John Scofield, Peter Erskine, Eliane Elias, Lars Danielsson, Lars
Jansson, Gary Peacock, Eiving Aarset, Steve Swallow, as a member of
Emborg/Larsen Group in the ‘90s, with Marilyn Mazur Future Song,
the Danish Radio Big Band and many others.

SUITE OIF TIME is a grave work in a unique Danish mood, written
by a mature and lucid artist of international format. He chose his
musicians for this unusual and challenging project among the best of
the best. Everyone in the band behind SUITE OF TIME is an outstanding
artist in his own right, and each has made their mark – also as
bandleaders.

Hans Ulrik, sax

Henrik Gunde, Fender Rhodes

Peter Rosendal, flugabone and Wurlitzer

Kaspar Vadsholt, bass

Anders Mogensen, drums

Marilyn Mazur, percussion

Præludium

Suite Of Time Part 1 [1945]

Suite Of Time Part 2 [1967]

Suite Of Time Part 3 [1989]

Suite Of Time Part 4 [2001 And After]

Min Jesus, Lad Mit Hjerte Få

The Sacrament

O Du Guds Lam

Postludium

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Domi

Scott Hamilton & Karin Krog - The Best Things in Life (2016)

Stunt Records fourth installment of the American figures, Scott Hamilton's and Norway's world famous diva, Carlin, Krogh's co-star!

So far as well as the program celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Billie Holiday sings the great American Songbook such as Ray Henderson, Jimmy McHugh, Matt Dennis, Harry M Woods, and Errol Garner, Jan Lundgren and Nordic champion who pick up the rhythm section. Tenor Scott Hamilton Carlin Krogh and increase the depth of the warm shell enveloping as well familiar with the ethereal piano Jan Lundgren gets dumb. Is the emergence of Nice played by the great artist of the two men have created the history of jazz.

Karin Krog, vocals

Scott Hamilton, tenor sax

Jan Lundgren, piano

Hans Backenroth, bass

Kristian Leth, drums

01. The Best Things In Life Are Free

02.I Must Have That Man

03.Will You Still Be Mine

04.How Am I To Know

05.Don't Get Scared

06.Ain't Nobody's Business

07.We Will Be Together Again

08.Sometimes I'm Happy

09.What A Little Moonlight Can Do

10.Shake It, But Don't Break It!

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Domi

The Stryker / Slagle Band - Routes (2016)

Label: Strykezone Records

Source: Cdbaby

On their latest recording, guitarist Dave Stryker and saxophonist Steve Slagle explore the Routes they've travelled, and the musical Roots they've explored in their creative collaboration of several decades. The Stryker / Slagle Band is expanded to include some imaginative and innovative 4-horn writing by Steve Slagle in an all-original program by Dave and Steve, as well as a Mingus masterpiece.

Some good things go right on, others change but are still wonderful. This terrific album by the Stryker/Slagle Band is great news on both counts.
What stays in place is that Stryker and Slagle remain the soul-satisfying, deep-groove, superchops players they've been across decades, and they continue to manifest their extraordinary collaborative powers. These guys get each other, and you hear it phrase by phrase over their careers. They've often been on each other's many projects, and all the more to the point is the magnificent series of quartet albums under the heading The Stryker/Slagle Band that has produced some of the hardest driving, most musically adventurous, and outright joyous music on the planet. Stryker and Slagle hate bogus sentimentality but deliver authentic, intense feeling even in the million-note virtuoso stretches they can unleash. They're also masters of the ballad. Like one of their most important influences, Charles Mingus, they couldn't care less about Cheap Pretty but have always known whole worlds about Beautiful.
What does change electrifyingly in this new project is that the Stryker/Slagle Band's classic quartet format goes to an expanded lineup with keyboard and three additional horns. On six tracks the full octet plays, on another there's a sextet, then a quintet, and finally one track, "Extensity," that has the original quartet format as a reminder of the marvelous earlier projects by SSB. Slagle has written brilliant, multi-textured, engaging, flavorful horn arrangements that repay repeated listening. You keep hearing new things. Superb keyboardist Bill O'Connell is present on acoustic piano or Fender Rhodes on all but one track, and three ace horn players join the mix: Billy Drewes on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet, John Clark on French horn, and Clark Gayton on trombone and tuba. Since Stryker is often a single-line voice in the ensemble and Slagle doubles on alto and soprano saxophone and flute, the tonal colors multiply. Woven throughout are sizzling solos by Stryker, Slagle, and O'Connell; in several places Gayton, Drewes, and Clark add their own splendid solo efforts. Driving the band with constant, ripping energy are bassist Gerald Cannon and drummer McClenty Hunter, who also weigh in with riveting solos. Cannon has also contributed the striking painting "Columbus Circle" from which the album cover was taken.
Stryker and Slagle have frequently recorded with horns. Slagle has worked with superlative bands like Carla Bley's, the Mingus Big Band (where he has been a major contributor as leader, arranger, and incendiary soloist), Joe Lovano's Nonet, and Bill O'Connell's Latin Jazz All-Stars. Stryker--after two years with Jack McDuff and ten with Stanley Turrentine--has, for example, an outstanding big-band album on Steeplechase, Nomad, and four juicy multi-horn projects on the same label collectively titled Blue to the Bone. But none of the work by either player has had exactly the fresh, tartly gorgeous sound this album possesses, the bloodlines here going back most directly to two of Slagle's heroes of orchestration, Gil Evans and Thad Jones, as well as to Birth of the Cool, Hall Overton's uncanny writing on Monk Big Band and Quartet in Concert, and the glorious arranging of Charles Mingus. That said, Duke Ellington inevitably is everywhere.
Increasing the richness of this dazzling project is that Stryker and Slagle have written songs they associate with the complex geographical and personal routes they've traveled to arrive in their present lives. Touchingly, then, this album is also all about roots. Both coasts and the Midwest come directly into focus, and the album's song titles and music movingly and impressively turn all of that power loose. 

1. City of Angels
2. Nothin’ Wrong With It
3. Self-Portrait in Three Colors
4. Routes
5. Ft. Greene Scene
6. Great Plains
7. Extensity
8. Gardena
9. Lickety Split Lounge

Dave Stryker - guitar
Steve Slagle - alto sax (soprano sax #2, flute #3, #6)
John Clark - french horn
Billy Drewes - tenor sax and bass clarinet (#2, #3)
Clark Gayton - trombone and tuba (#3, #6)
Bill O'Connell - piano and fender rhodes (#2, #5, #6)
Gerald Cannon - bass
McClenty Hunter - drums

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Ken Fowser - Standing Tall (2016)

Source & Label: Posi-tone

Talented tenor man Ken Fowser rises to the occasion and steps into the spotlight with steadfast earnestness on his latest release "Standing Tall." Prepare to be delighted, as Fowser unveils an exciting musical program of brilliant original compositions presented by his working group of pianist Rick Germanson, bassist Paul Gill, Jason Tiemann on drums and Josh Bruneau on trumpet. Throughout the new record, Fowser continues to announce his commanding presence as a first-rate soloist, but more importantly, he ably demonstrates a strong and well refined artistic vision for his own music as a leader that is both emotionally engaging, uplifting, and entertaining. With a delicate balance of modernity and classic aesthetics, "Standing Tall" is insightfully straight forward, steadily swinging, and refreshingly melodic. "
 

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Alfredo Dias Gomes - Atmosfera (2016)

Label: Self Released

Source: Alfredo Dias Gomes

Alfredo Dias Gomes was born in 1960, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the age ten he began to study drums.
INSTRUMENTAL:
At eighteen years old, Alfredo used for the first time as professional in the band of Hermeto Pascoal, recorded the album "Cérebro Magnético" and he played in many shows, highlighting II Festival of Jazz of São Paulo and Rio Monterrey Festival.
After that, he played and recorded with:
Márcio Montarroyos (highlighting Sala Funarte's shows), Ricardo Silveira, Torcuato Mariano, Arthur Maia, Nico Assumpção, Guilherme Dias Gomes, Luizão Maia, and many others.
MPB and ROCK:
He played from 1988 to 1993 with Ivan Lins. He traveled for Brazil, Europe, USA and Japan and recorded the albums "Amar Assim" and "Ivan Lins 20 Anos" (live).
He was part of the group Heróis da Resistência, played and recorded with Lulu Santos, Ritchie, Kid Abelha, Sergio Dias, Moraes Moreira, Erasmo Carlos, among others.
WORKS SOLO:
"LOOKING BACK" (2015), with covers of artists who influenced his musical education.
"CORONA BOREALIS" (2010).
"GROOVE" (2005).
"ATMOSFERA" (1996), with super special participation of Frank Gambale and Dominic Miller (Sting).
"ALFREDO DIAS GOMES" (1991), with Ivan Lins's special appearence.
"SERVIÇO SECRETO" (1985).
EDUCATIONAL WORKS:
In 1994 he released in Europe and United States a diskette with midi files about the main brazilian rhythms, "TWIDDLY BEATS / BRAZILIAN RHYTHMS AS MIDI FILES", played by Alfredo and produced by singer Ritchie for english company Keifax Software.
In 1998 recorded a "VIDEO DRUM CLASS" with exercises, brazilian rhythms, grooves, solos and songs of cd "Atmosphere".

1. Jungle
2. O Gnomo
3. Atmosfera
4. Celebração
5. Ladeira da Fonte
6. Steps
7. Terra Do Sol
8. Solo
9. Arábica

Alfredo Dias Gomes - Drums and Keyboards
Frank Gambale - Guitar
Nico Assumpção - Bass
Widor Santiago - Sax
Guilherme Gomes Dias - Trumpet
Marcelo Salazar - Percussion

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Tsunami Trio (Carlo Uboldi, Valerio Della Fonte & Massimo Manzi) - Tsunamici (2015)

Un disco godibile ed impeccabile nella collaudatissima formula del piano trio, forse prevedibile nelle scelte compositive ed interpretative ma ricco di quello swing che spesso fa la gioia di chi ascolta il jazz. Le stesse undici tracce suonate in questo Tsunamici sono indicative degli intenti di questo lavoro: otto composizioni vengono dal pianista Carlo Uboldi e dal contrabbassista Valerio Della Fonte e tre standard ritornano a compositori assolutamente classici nella storia del jazz e del "songbook" jazzistico (Jerome Kern, George Gershwin e Michel Legrand). A completare il trio, pur non fornendo apporto alle composizioni, la magnifica presenza di Massimo Manzi, eccellente ed inventivo batterista che come al solito fornisce un apporto determinante ai lavori in cui siede dietro i tamburi. Questo Tsunami Trio scorre così piacevole, tutt'altro che impetuoso. Piuttosto molto classico, ammiccante, suadente, un lavoro da intrattenitori di alto livello probabilmente molto piacevole anche dal vivo. Frutto dell'opera di tre musicisti esperti e nell'occasione molto ispirati.

Carlo Uboldi, piano

Valerio Della Fonte, double bass

Massimo Manzi, drums

01. Swinging Viviana

02. Rules of the Game

03. Bossa Vegia

04. So Stupid to Believe in Love

05. I'm Old Fashioned

06. Loving Oscar

07. Mary Forever

08. You Must Believe in Spring

09. Tavel

10. Four Elisa

11. S Wonderful

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JAVI

Dave Douglas Quintet - Brazen Heart (2015)

Dave's longstanding quintet, one of the best bands working in jazz today, featuring Jon Irabagon (saxophones), Matt Mitchell (piano), Linda Oh (bass) and Rudy Royston (drums). Brazen Heart is a heart-felt remembrance of Douglas' brother, featuring a batch of great new original compositions, as well as two spirituals, Deep River and There Is A Balm In Gilead. This new material grew out of the band's extensive travels around the United State and Europe in Douglas' 50th birthday year.

Dave Douglas - trumpet and compositions 

Jon Irabagon - saxophones 

Matt Mitchell - piano 

Linda Oh - bass 

Rudy Royston - drums

Released October 2, 2015

01. Brazen Heart 07:23

02. Deep River 03:58

03. Hawaiian Punch 07:31

04. Inure Phase 05:38

05. Lone Wolf 02:55

06. Miracle Gro 08:16

07. Ocean Spray 05:23

08. Pyrrhic Apology 07:34

09. There is a Balm in Gilead 06:23

10. Variable Current 04:21

11. Wake Up Claire 05:33

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JAVI

Rich Perry - Organique (2015)

As Rich Perry’s previous release “Nocturne” deviated the standard quartet configuration by replacing piano with guitar, on this his 22nd album Rich tries something new again: an organ trio. With his two long-time creative partners (Gary Versace at the keyboard and Jeff Hirshfield on drums) Rich Perry opens a new chapter of the art of jazz improvisation.

Rich Perry, tenor sax

Gary Versace, organ [Hammond B-3 Organ]

Jeff Hirshfield, drums 

1. Toys

Composed By – Herbie Hancock

2. I Didn't Know What Time It Was

Composed By – Rodgers & Hart

3. Afternoon In Paris

Composed By – John Lewis (2)

4. Without A Song

Composed By – Billy Rose, Edward Eliscu, Vincent Youmans

5. Thad's Pad

Composed By – Thad Jones

6. Dance Of The Infidels

Composed By – Bud Powell

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JAVI

The Derek Nash Acoustic Quartet - You've Got to Dig It to Dig It, You Dig? (2015)

If you’ve heard Jools Holland’s Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, you’ll have heard Derek Nash. He’s a prominent member. But to get some idea of the sheer breadth of his accomplishment as a saxophonist, composer and bandleader, you should hear this. From smooth cool to groovy funk, to ingeniously recast standards, to one quite gorgeous ballad, the music fizzes with energy, even at its most restrained. Pianist David Newton, bassist Geoff Gascoyne and drummer Sebastiaan de Krom complete the band, along with guest trumpeter Martin Shaw, and it all goes to show what five brilliant jazz musicians can do when left to get on with it. The album title, in case you wondered, is a quotation from the collected wit and wisdom of Thelonious Monk.

Secret Love

Let Some Things Go By

You've Got To Dig It To Dig It, You Dig?

Time Lag

Swing Thing

Homecoming

Vertigo

I'm Getting Temperamental Over You

Winter Solstice

Keep It To Yourself

Morning Glory

Derek Nash: saxophones

David Newton: piano

Geoff Gascoyne: bass

Sebastiaan De Krom: drums

Martin Shaw: trumpet (3, 5, 8, 10)

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JAVI

Haxholm / Schmidt (feat. Seamus Blake & John Escreet) - Moras (2015)

Morten Haxholm: bass

Rasmus Schmidt: drums

Seamus Blake: saxophone

John Escreet: piano

Prometheus

Brazen

Umber

Deepsea Explorer

Cognitive Dissonance

Miyagi

Subtle Drift

Happy Ever After Is So Once Upon A Time

BY PETER BACON / thejazzbreakfast

Haxholm Schmidt is the bassist’s co-led group with drummer Rasmus Schmidt. For Moras (it’s both a wordplay of Morton and Rasmus, but also means messy or entangled in Danish. Haxholm stresses the delights of a mess – in a good pawn shop, for example – rather than suggesting the music is insufficiently thought through) the rhythm pair wanted to play with two players they admired and so booked a studio in Brooklyn and made sure saxophonist Seamus Blake and pianist John Escreet could be there.

Made in the old classic jazz style of a single session (in this case an intense five hours in the studio) the chief bonus is the fresh feel of the encounter. But clearly with musicians of this calibre, a quick in-and-out doesn’t have to mean the material or the results are simple.

Brazen has a fast and tricky theme but minimal chords so the improvisations need to be highly inventive – and Blake and Escreet make damned sure they are, with the latter’s solo in particular being a highlight, both for its developing drive and the support Haxholm and Schmidt bring to it. Blake’s marvellous, almost vocal tone is highlighted in the increasingly impassioned ballad Umber, and the Haxholm gets a few moments in the limelight in Cognitive Dissonance which is in fact far less dissonant than one might expect, and a particularly impressive, fleet-fingered solo on Miyagi.

If Morten Haxholm has a fault it is that, taking both albums together, he stays in the background quite a lot of the time, but that is probably the result of his clear enjoyment and value as a vital support player as well as his admiration for all his fellow musicians, and players like Lund, Blake and Escreet in particular. And generosity is never really a fault, is it?

Two strong and rewarding albums.

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Domi

Morten Haxholm Quartet - Viridian (2015)

Morten Haxholm: bass

Lage Lund: guitar

William Larsson: piano

Morten Lund: drums

Eldritch

CNTDWN

Stella by Starlight

Frantic

Birthday Waltz

Umber

Gloria

Along Came Betty

BY PETER BACON / thejazzbreakfast

Morton Haxholm is a Danish double bass player. One of these albums was recorded in Copenhagen and the other in Brooklyn; both were released on 29 May 2015.

For Haxholm it’s his third Quartet album, though each has had a different personnel. On Viridian he has guitarist Lage Lund, drummer Morten Lund and pianist William Larsson. It’s a beautifully balanced band so although Lage Lund is the obvious star name – Haxholm first heard him on a trip to New York back in 2012 and has having him in his band ever since – the other three are equally impressive.

Most of the material is the leader’s with two standards – Stella By Starlight and Along Came Betty – included because Haxholm loves Lage’s playing on well-known tunes, and a particularly tricky Larsson piece called Cntdwn (a highly-adapted arrangement of Coltrane’s Countdown).

The moods vary but the playing is uniformly impeccable. Haxholm said he wanted to give this music a more European feel, and that’s inevitable I suppose with all the players being Scandinavian, but also retain a New York inspiration which is important to him and was more obvious on his first two quartet discs. I think he’s achieved that, though in a blind listening test I might have identified it as an American unit.

Try Birthday Waltz for a satisfying and representative morsel of the whole. Read more.

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Terri Lyne Carrington - The Mosaic Project: Love and Soul (2015)

A few years ago, the drummer, bandleader, composer and producer Terri Lyne Carrington won her first Grammy, for best jazz vocal album. The album was “The Mosaic Project” (Concord Jazz), which highlighted a regal procession of guest talent — heavy-gauge jazz singers like Carmen Lundy, Cassandra Wilson and Dianne Reeves — along with an estimable all-female band.

Conditions have changed a bit for Ms. Carrington since then: She now stands dead-center on the Grammy radar, having also won the award for best jazz instrumental album last year. (She was the first woman ever to win in that category, a fact worth chewing on for a moment.) So Ms. Carrington’s new album, “The Mosaic Project: Love and Soul,” comes preloaded with a proven format and a set of expectations.

The subtitle can be taken more or less at face value: to the extent that “The Mosaic Project” was a jazz-vocal album, its sequel delves into romantic, quiet-storm R&B. Here, then, is Oleta Adams, purring her way through the Luther Vandross hit “For You to Love.” Here, too, is Chaka Khan, drawing out her smoky phrases in a slow-funk take on Frank Sinatra’s “I’m a Fool to Want You.” And Natalie Cole, striking a pop-gospel tone on a buoyant drum-and-bass revision of Duke Ellington’s spiritual “Come Sunday.”

Ms. Carrington is a seasoned adept in the studio, and her production sounds lush and crisp. Where she pushes herself is in the songwriting: Half of the tracks bear her credit, either alone or with partners like the soignée jazz singer Nancy Wilson, who contributed to “Imagine This,” a persuasive argument for rekindling distant youthful passions. (“And if we dare go back again,” Ms. Wilson proposes, in a sensuous half-whisper, “our finest years are still ahead.”)

Most of Ms. Carrington’s other tunes are well-made vehicles for their assigned singers: Lalah Hathaway, Ledisi, Jaguar Wright, Chanté Moore. A samba-inflected track called “Can’t Resist” finds Ms. Carrington doing the singing herself, more than passably; it also has a smart wah-wah flute solo by Elena Pinderhughes.

It’s no longer necessary (if it ever was) for Ms. Carrington to explain her reasons for stocking these albums with female musicians. But it’s hard to understand fully her motive for bringing in the actor Billy Dee Williams as a kind of masculine counterweight, a smoldering yang to the music’s yin.

“Women have always been very much a part of my life,” he intones at the top of one track, “and I don’t mean just from a sexual point of view, but in a very beautiful, wonderful way, actually.” You don’t say. By NATE CHINEN / The New York Times

Then comes the romantic side of jazz. Drummer Terri Lyne Carrington dives deep into the realm of charm, affection and personal relationships with The Mosaic Project: Love and Soul (Concord Records, 2015).

Each of the 12 songs is fronted by a different vocalist. Carrington and the singers are accompanied by a variable lineup of all-female musicians. They are: Amy Bellamy, piano, keyboards, organ, Rhodes, Elin Sandberg, bass on “Come Sunday”; Angie Swan, guitar and acoustic guitar; Tia Fuller, alto saxophone and flute; Negah Santos and Zayra Pola, percussion; TLC, drums, programming, “additional” guitar and backing vocals; Rhonda Smith, Linda Oh and Meshell Ndegeocello, bass; Linda Taylor and Felicia Collins, guitar; Tineke Postma, soprano sax; Paulette McWilliams, background vocals on “For You to Love”; Valerie Simpson, piano on “For You to Love”; Rachel Z, Rhodes, keyboards and piano; Melissa Aldana, tenor sax on “For You to Love”; Elena Pinderhughes, flute; Tanya Darby, Arnetta Johnson and Ingrid Jensen, trumpet; Netta Ranaan, tenor sax; Geri Allen, piano on “Somebody Told a Lie”; Lalah Hathaway, background vocals on “Imagine This”; Lauren Fuller, keyboards, piano, Rhodes; Merissa Magdael-Lauron, trombone; Alyson Williams, background vocals; Patrice Rushen, piano and Rhodes; Helen Sung, Rhodes on “Can’t Resist”; Regina Carter, violin on “You Just Can’t Smile It Away”; Grace Kelly, soprano sax solo on “When I Found You”; DJ Val Jeanty, turntable on “When I Found You.”

The singers, in order of appearance, are Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, Oleta Adams, Jaguar Wright, Valerie Simpson, Nancy Wilson, Chante Moore, Lalah Hathaway, Carrington, Paula Cole, Ledisi and Lizz Wright.

The lone male listed is actor Billy Dee Williams, who narrates some tracks. Star power is the selling point for this set. The singers are immensely popular, and the song selections pay homage to several songwriters whom Carrington counts among her influences. Among them are Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Marcus Miller, Luther Vandross, and the team of Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Carrington also composed six songs for the album, partnering with Wilson and Simpson for the songs they lead.

“Come Sunday,” one of the songs narrated by Williams, is one of the jazzier pieces. Fuller and Bellamy get a moment out front during the instrumental break, and Cole shifts from lyrics to scat during the fade.

Khan leads “I’m a Fool to Love You” and complements Postma’s solo with vocal fills. Carrington’s background drumming is superb. Smith’s bass line adds a bit of funk. Other standout titles include “Imagine This,” “This Too Shall Pass” and “Get to Know You.”

Love and Soul has a strong R&B lean. But if you listen to R&B or “urban” radio, you haven’t heard music like this since the 1970s. It’s not jazzy from the perspective of extended instrumental breaks, but unlike contemporary R&B over the past 25 years, the musicians all play significant roles in supporting the vocalists. Every player gets noticed without necessarily having a solo. This is the kind of album that’s perfect for the listener who wants to hear everything, from the congas to the rhythm guitar to the subtle changes employed by the bassist or the drummer.

Carrington won a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal album for 2011’s The Mosaic Project.

Born in 1965 in Medford, Massachusetts, she spent 20 years touring with artists such as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Al Jarreau, Stan Getz, David Sanborn, Joe Sample, Cassandra Wilson, Clark Terry, Dianne Reeves and more. She gained widespread recognitions as drummer with the house band for late night television’s Arsenio Hall Show and later on Vibe, hosted by comedian Sinbad. Other associations include George Duke, Everette Harp, Kirk Whalum, Jimmy Haslip, Greg Phillanganes, Christian McBride, Danilo Perez, Chuck Loeb, Dwight Stills, DeeDee Bridgewater and Esperanza Spalding.

01. "Come Sunday" (feat Natalie Cole)

02. "I'm A Fool To Want You" (feat Chaka Khan)

03. "For You To Love" (feat Oleta Adams)

04. "So Good (Amazing)" (feat Jaguar Wright)

05. "Somebody Told A Lie" (feat Valerie Simpson)

06. "Imagine This" (feat Nancy Wilson)

07. "Best Of The Best" (feat Chante Moore)

08. "This Too Will Pass" (feat Lalah Hathaway)

09. "Can't Resist" (feat Terri Lyne Carrington)

10. "You Just Can't Smile It Away" (feat Paula Cole)

11. "Get To Know You" (feat Ledisi)

12. "When I Found You" (feat Lizz Wright)

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