It’s not surprising that nowadays everyone and anyone has a usually quite strong opinion about NYC’s Mostly Other People Do the Killing, the ensemble led and directed by bassist Matthew "Moppa" Elliott. By crafting their style around honest and loving (a fact that many seem to miss!) deconstructions and pseudohomages to almost every genre from the history of jazz (which includes some sacred cows), they pushed themselves into the spotlight of mainstream crowds and, at the same time, raised some eyebrows between (free) jazz connoisseurs and aficionados. Just by perusing the reviews published on this blog, their mission is made simultaneously clear and unclear by the array of conflicting and dissenting opinions. Revered by some, despised and misunderstood by others, Mostly Other People Do the Killing’s approach and attitude puzzles and freaks out, revealing post-modern tendencies behind their superficial facets of mere entertainers.
That’s why Mauch Chunk is exactly the unexpected type of release that we’ve come to expect from a band that continues to surprise even when they, like this time around, go exploring one of the most rehashed and tired of jazz subgenres: post- and hard-bop. It's largely thanks to the musicians' varied playing styles and approaches and Elliott’s intricate compositions that the band's well-known M.O. hasn't become stale even after ten years. The recipe that they follow appears to be so deceivingly simple. Take a page from the book of (classic) jazz and rewrite it with great care to follow some new, fresh narrative brimming with improvisations and quirky playing. Of course, remember to add a healthy serving of spontaneous and sincere humour (a fact that many seem to be irked by!) which is obviously (to me, at least) never a result of attempts at pandering to audiences. Mauch Chunk thus feels both like a return to roots for the band, revisiting stylistic locations in which their experimentations began, and a new beginning with pianist Ron Stabinsky taking the place of trumpeter Peter Evans as one of the four core members. This change, in turn, also resulted in a shift of Elliott’s compositions towards relatively piano-centered pieces.
Because of that, at first glance Mauch Chunk might appear as a display of the band taking a safer road than on some of their previous records, staying closer to those original hard-bop idioms and tropes, but the flow found just beneath the surface is as inspiring and joyful as ever. The seven short, compact compositions, named as usual after towns in Pennsylvania, are all carefully, intelligently thought out, each bearing a dedication to the individuals that influenced them, yet never feeling overwrought or unoriginal. Elevating the already solid compositions, Jon Irabagon, Kevin Shea, Ron Stabinsky, and Moppa Elliott all contribute their own sparks to the music with short quotations and wild, unpredictable references (I won’t spoil these), improvisational dialogues, and mutedly outrageous piano and saxophone solos.
There are as many variations in group dynamics as there are songs on the record. Jon Irabagon leads the way and veers on the edge of extended techniques on opening “Mauch Chunk Is Jim Thorpe” (dedicated to Henry Threadgill) before things completely fall apart and reassemble themselves. Jon Stabinsky flexes his fingers and counterpoints Irabagon’s licks on the ever accelerating and rolling, dissonant “Obelisk” (inspired by Dave Holland’s music). The whole group, lead by Shea’s drumming, toys with rhythms and time signatures on the bossa nova-infused “West Bolivar” (to Caetano Veloso), while the final “Mehoopany” tries to close the record on a dreamy, contemplative note, only to have Shea’s drumming, the single constantly disruptive element, foretell and introduce the ensuing chaos. In all of these cases, the music underlined by masterful playing never fails to captivate and reward, tickling the mind with the possibility of the material developing even further when performed live.
While Stabinsky’s first proper introduction also brings about an air of change for the group, with Evans’ furious playing replaced by more structured, toned down piano phrases, this is still the Mostly Other People Do the Killing we all know and enjoy. A hint of hidden, unrevealed potential within Stabinsky’s playing and Elliott’s evolving and expanding compositional methods are sure signs that we’ll yet be seeing lots of great stuff from these guys.
Recorded at Bayerische Rundfunk Studio in Nürnberg, Germany in co-production with BR KLASSIK.
With their newest recording Of Mystery And Beauty alto saxophonist
Karolina Strassmayer and drummer Drori Mondlak continue their creative
collaboration that began in New York City in 2000.
In their seventh recording together their vision has crystallized into an original and deeply personal sound.
Strassmayer and Mondlak consider this collection of original
compositions and solo improvisations to be their most powerful recording
to date.
KLARO! fuses the romanticism of European classical and folk music with
the rhythmic fire and swing of American jazz and the harmonic
sophistication of contemporary improvised music.
Pianist Rainer Böhm and bassist John Goldsby complete the quartet.
“Beauty means different things to different people. But there is a
universal truth about it, regardless of taste and aesthetic; beauty has
the power to move the heart,” says Karolina Strassmayer.
Internationally renowned journalist Hrayr Attarian writes….
“Simultaneously unconventional and accessible Of Mystery and Beauty is
an imaginative work. With charm and intelligence it eschews both
abstruseness and banality. It engrosses with its diversity yet remains
conceptually cohesive. It stimulates and moves with its ingenious
complexity and fascinating fluidity. In short it is, to date,
Strassmayer and Mondlak's finest disc and one that surely will stand the
test of time..”
01. From Her Pale Blue Home (7:46) 02. Of Mystery And Beauty (9:05) 03. Postcard From A Quiet Place (6:25) 04. Fanfare From Another World (7:27) 05. Wandering (7:18) 06. Gently Spoke The Mermaid (6:43) 07. Four Us All (4:08) 08. Of Space And Rest (6:38) 09. Side To Side (5:00) 10. Cascades (3:54) 11. Still In Her Ears (5:22)
Karolina Strassmayer: alto saxophone, flute Drori Mondlak: drums John Goldsby: bass Rainer Böhm: piano
As many have noted during the years, Mostly Other People Do the Killing are a band that, while really enjoyable to listen through the medium of recorded music, come fully into their own during concerts. It’s on these occasions, in small clubs and intimate venues, that the listeners get to experience the unfiltered and unhinged impact of Moppa Elliott’s idiosyncratic vision, his often ingenious compositions, and the improvisations that Peter Evans (trumpet), Jon Irabagon (saxophone), Kevin Shea (drums, electronic effects), and Elliott himself (double bass) twist and twirl around the composed guidelines. Their approach is rooted in the past but open to the present and sometimes childishly anxious to explore the future.
Hannover captures one of the quartet’s performances from early 2014 in Hannover, Germany. It’s a recording, rich in tone and with well-placed auditive cues, that both provides a snapshot of the group’s live performances and sublimates their whole career. Because of that, to talk about Hannover is to talk about this band’s entire output. In that regard, Hannover once again demonstrates how Mostly Other People Do the Killing are an ensemble that feels and understands jazz, a collective of musicians that insist on imbuing their music with a jovial and contemporary sense, dismissing mainstream ideas of jazz as evergreen-laden, immutable, and dust covered music. Not an echo of an age long gone nor a relict of the past, but a live and alive music that simultaneously questions and cherishes its traditions and heritage.
Hannover works as a fairly good approximation of the group’s live energy, as much as realistically possible for a static representation of music. The feeling of authenticity is augmented by the arrangements of the tracks which are, as is customary for Mostly Other People Do the Killing’s shows, segmented into sets and suites that flow from one composition to another, interrupted, broken into pieces, and punctuated by solo escapades and amusing detours. The result? A record that feels fragmented by the very nature of the band, yet cohesive despite the apparent disregard for structure. One segment might begin with the musicians indulging in pure swing, hard-bop or even cool jazz, but will then, on a whim, start breaking under the stress of subtly invasive anachronisms - electronic effects, solos, and improvisations akin to the aesthetics of contemporary jazz and electroacoustic music. It takes but a few beats for the musicians to jump from the honest enthusiasm of exploring jazz’s standard phrases to the deconstruction and subversion of those same licks. Yet, in all of this apparent chaos, with the group not afraid to visit pop and rock idioms, purposefulness and new structures emerge.
Between the uncharacteristically characteristic groove and melody on “Pen Argyl / Ulysses At Troy / Andover / Blue Ball / Effort, Patience, Diligence” and the sparkly climax on “My Delightful Muse / Hideaway / A Night In Tunisia”, Hannover gives us a chance to experience time and again the mischievous attitude exposed through Mostly Other People Do the Killing’s individual and collective explorations and the constant dichotomies of modern jazz, improvised music, and well-known jazz traditions.
Peter Evans: trumpet and piccolo trumpet
Jon Irabagon: tenor and sopranino sax
Moppa Elliott: double bass
Kevin Shea: drums and electronics
1. Pen Argyl / Ulysses at Troy / Andover / Blue Ball / Effort, Patience, Diligence 30:13
2. Is Granny Spry? / Dunkelbergers / Baden / Little Hope 19:36
3. President Polk 7:18
4. My Delightful Muse / Hideaway / A Night in Tunisia 21:38
Craig is a native of Michigan, born into a musical family (mother and
grandfather were musicians). He has worked and recorded in New York City
since 1994. Became a regular sub at Augies jazz bar in the late
nighties, playing w/ Cecil Payne, Eddie Henderson, Eric Alexander, David
Hazeltine, Mike Ledonne, Mike Dirubbo. Around 2000, began a musical
project featuring David Schnitter, Harry Whitaker and Pat O'Leary which
recorded and had limited public performances. His first two recording
projects were immediately released commercially. The Returnsman,
released on Double-Time records in 2001. A trio effort, The Sound of
Harry Whitaker, was released on Fresh Sound records in 2002. Also
performed professionally w/ John Hicks, Bob Cranshaw, Ralph Lalama,
Barry Harris, Jerry Weldon, "Preacher" Robbins during this period. In
2004-2005 Craig dissappeared briefly and moved to Portland, Oregon to
practice and reexamine his musical path. In 2005, Craig was drawn back
to the city as a member of the the Cedar Walton quartet/quintet
featuring Vincent Herring and Steve Turre, peforming at Lincoln Center's
Dizzy's Club Cola. Most recently, Craig is back home in New York
playing around NYC w/Earsight, a jazz quartet featuring pianist Paul
Odeh and bassist Essiet Essiet, w either Josh Evans, David Schinitter or
Mike Dirubbo on horn. His second record as a leader, "Leaps and
Bounds" was released in 3/2013 on the Cellar Live label. "Storytelling"
featuring Harry Whitaker will be released May 13 also on the Cellar
Live label.
1. The Children and the Warlock
2. Snapshot
3. A Little Monkish Music, Please!
4. Angilalanga
5. Samson
6. Song for Joe
7. Blues for the Piano Players
8. For All We Know
9. The Children and the Warlock (Narrated Version)
CRAIG WUEPPER - drums
HARRY WHITTAKER - piano/prepared piano/spoken word
DAVID SCHNITTER - tenor saxophone/vocals
PAT O’LEARY - bass
Never-before-released recording of legendary guitarist Wes Montgomery playing with jazz pianist Eddie Higgins. An exclusive 1959 performance recorded live in Indianapolis.
Resonance Records is proud to release the CD edition of Wes Montgomery One Night In Indy, an exclusive 1959 live recording of the jazz-guitar great playing with the legendary jazz pianist Eddie Higgins and his trio in Indianapolis, Indiana. Available on January 15, 2016, the CD edition follows the release of the 12" LP limited-edition pressing for Record Store Day’s Black Friday event on November 27, 2015 (originally scheduled for last April’s Record Store Day event, but was held up due to a production snafu). Early in 2015, Resonance Records released the acclaimed In the Beginning, newly discovered recordings of Montgomery from 1949-1958.
In 2013, producer Zev Feldman was approached by the late, great Indiana photojournalist Duncan Schiedt with an enticing musical proposition (the two had become friends while working on the Wes Montgomery Echoes of Indiana 2012 Resonance release). Schiedt asked if Resonance would be interested in a prized recording he had in his possession — a 7" tape reel featuring a January 18, 1959 performance by Montgomery and the Eddie Higgins Trio, the only known documentation of any date featuring the guitarist and the pianist.
According to producer Feldman, Duncan and few of his friends ran a jazz club in Indianapolis known as the Indianapolis Jazz Club (or the I.J.C. known to locals). As Feldman describes in his essay included in the release, “The club was described to me as a group of people who had a common interest in jazz and who gathered to listen to records and host concerts.” Members of this club recorded this one-night-only performance of Wes Montgomery playing with the Eddie Higgins Trio. Feldman notes that Duncan “explained that this tape had been passed down to him by other members of the club, though no one had actually listened to it. Duncan was one of the last original members and hoped this tape would, one day, be released in partnership with the artists’ families.”
Resonance Records is pleased to honor this request and release One Night In Indy with the blessings of the Wes Montgomery Estate and Eddie Higgins’s widow, Meredith D’Ambrosio, whom Feldman found via Sunnyside Records president François Zalacain. This recording is a gift from Duncan Schiedt to Wes Montgomery fans, decades after the memorable performance.
The specially priced CD features just over 40 minutes of music. Accompanying these notable headliners is Chicago drum legend Walter Perkins (a former drummer for Ahmad Jamal’s trio before Vernell Fournier) and an unidentified bassist (to identify this musician Resonance consulted Higgins alumni Bob Cranshaw and John Bany, along with fellow Chicago bass legends from that era, to no avail).
Feldman notes, “I'm grateful to Duncan for his lasting friendship and for sharing this with the world to hear. It is nothing short of incredible that after decades of no new Montgomery music, Resonance has brought to light new documents that will help Wes's legacy live on — In the Beginning (2015), Echoes of Indiana Avenue (2012), and, thanks to Duncan, One Night In Indy.” Since releasing Echoes of Indiana Ave, Resonance has located additional of unreleased 1950’s archival Montgomery recordings and plans to release more music in late 2016/2017.
With his artistic sensibility of an Indianapolis cityscape view, Burton Yount designed the album cover. Mixing and sound restoration is by Fran Gala and executive producer George Klabin at the Resonance Records Studios.
Le parcours de Médéric est à l’image de son talent immense, dense ...
boulimique ! On a le tournis en énumérant les formations, les
expériences, les projets, les compositions… auxquels il a participé. Ce
musicien à l’imagination débordante est passé par quasiment tous les
styles possibles depuis le début de sa carrière : Salsa, Bal, Jazz
60’-70’, Funk, Trash, New Orleans, R’n’B, Jazz contemporain, Jazz
moderne, Ethno-Funk, Électronique… Alors comment présenter ce musicien
"extra" ordinaire ?
Ce qui impressionne d’abord chez lui c’est son énergie … une masse
d’énergie qui semble être inépuisable. Il suffit de l’avoir vu en
concert où d’avoir écouté un de ses albums pour le savoir.
Sur
scène, il semble être partout : il décoche son cornet de poche pour
envoyer très haut un phrasé tranchant, qu’il continue en vocalise pour
soudain glisser un groove maîtrisé où sa voix accompagnée d’effets fait
rouler une basse bien sentie et quand le rythme s’énerve ses doigts
retombent alors sur un clavier korg avec des airs de voltigeur… Comme un
maître marionnettiste, il manipule les instruments et les sons pour les
pousser toujours plus loin. Médéric parle souvent de "montrécouter" sa
musique, car il s’agit avant tout de "physique" : d’ondes, de
collisions, de musiciens en action, de corps en mouvement… Et lorsque
l’on s’approche un peu, on aperçoit les mécanismes qui régissent cette
impressionnante "machine" : un regard, une main tendue, de petits gestes
d’ici et de là. Toujours à l’écoute des autres, Médo, en chef
d’orchestre discret, dirige ses musiciens à la manière d’un Miles Davis.
Devant une telle maîtrise du jeu rythmique, de harmonique et de la
direction, on a peu de peine à se rendre compte que Médéric est aussi un
brillant compositeur. Il a (adapté et) réécrit avec talent "Porgy and
Bess" pour son "Jus de Bocse", quartet survitaminé, en y apportant
beaucoup de fraicheur et de liberté. Le résultat est désarmant, sorte
d’opéra artificiel et multicolore, dense et puissant. Avec ce projet,
Médéric a remporté le prix de la révélation Française de l’année (prix
Frank Ténot) aux Victoires du Jazz 2007. Avec le même quartet, il sort
un nouvel album "Shangri-Tunkashi-La" (autour de Bitches Brew) en
février 2010 : un hommage aux années 1968-75 de Miles. Le groupe est
récompensé en juillet 2010 par la Victoire du Jazz du meilleur Artiste
ou Groupe de l’Année. Read more...
01. Snow Creatures 12:01
02. Harry's Creed 05:30
03. Scorpio's Theme (feat. Eutépé) 06:29
04. Brubaker Adagio's And Coda (feat. Eutépé) 3:50
05. Taking Of Pelham 1, 2, 3 2:55
06. The Pelham's-moving-again blues 05:10
07. The Way to San Mateo (feat. Eutépé) 06:57
08. Robbery Suspect 04:36
09. Money Runner 03:50
10. End Titles 04:01
11. Money Montage 05:02
12. Up Again The Wall (feat. Eutépé) 08:36
Hidden track : Magnum Force Theme (feat. Eutépé)
About a year and a half ago, German-born pianist/composer Florian
Hoefner did what few up-and-coming jazz musicians would dare to do, and
that was to pull out of the bustling scene of New Your City to relocate
to a far-away place that shared an ocean but little else with his
former home. But from the relative solitude of St. John’s, Newfoundland,
Hoefner found the right environment to raise his game, and for his
third album Luminosity (released January 16, 2016 by Origin Records),
Hoefner constructed a set of pieces that more than ever for him,
exemplifies the dynamism of modern jazz in the 21st century Big Apple.
The secret sauce to Luminosity lies in the compositions — all
Hoefner originals — that mine Hoefner’s familiarity with his rhythm
section: he’s performed with bassist Sam Anning and drummer Peter
Kronreif for scores of gigs going back to 2010, and he wrote those songs
with them and saxophonist Seamus Blake firmly in mind. Accordingly, Luminosity puts everyone in their best light, leader included.
These extended forms keep you engaged by not giving away the plot too
quickly; “In Circles” elucidates that with its twenty-four beat cycle
and a dancing long, harmonic line topped by a melodic line that dances
in a difference direction. Hoefner solos on feel and exploits subtle
cues coming from his rhythm section, and when he’s done, the music
engages in another motif for Blake’s tenor sax turn, whose soaring howls
has the full band behind him. The creativity with rhythmic patterns
continues with “New Found Jig,” a 12/8 signature the forms the
foundation for a Corea-esque melodic density. Blake does his best
Michael Brecker while Kronreif causes a commotion right behind him.
Hoefner invests a lot of craftsmanship in that piano solo that’s funky
with a tinge of blues. And “Elements” is a high-motion tune with a
catchy, three-beat riff that sets the whole thing up. Kronreif is
working overtime to navigate the melody through the mood changes,
Anning’s solo spotlight is right in that elusive pocket and Blake
grounds the whole thing by pouring on the soul.
The lighter tempo tunes also possess a dancing quality to them. The
title track is a smoothly flowing melodic progression belying its
sashaying rhythm from Kronreif’s brushes. Hoefner puts in right measure
of emotion in his solo and once again, he devises a new section for
Blake, who switches to the lilting soprano sax for this song. “The
Narrows” (along with “”North Country”) is the slowest song of this
collection, but it’s situated right at the front of the album, probably
to showcase Hoefner’s emotive rhapsodies that stand up to being exposed
more with a slower pace, and Blake’s mournful sax illuminates the
feeling so well.
“The Bottom Line” is the closest Hoefner gets to jazz tradition, a
swing tune that has the motion of a bop tune but nonetheless mixes
modern jazz chords with blues. That doesn’t keep Blake from contributing
cool bop-inspired tenor sax lines, however.
They say the third time is the charm, and Florian Hoefner’s third album Luminosity has charm, freshness, dynamism and more. Evidently, heading up to far-eastern Canada was a good move for him.
1 The Narrows 6:12 2 In Circles 7:06 3 Luminosity 5:56 4 Newfound Jig 6:44 5 Elements 8:53 6 Reminiscence 5:10 7 Eleven 8:32 8 The Bottom Line 6:28 9 North Country 8:05
Seamus Blake - tenor and soprano saxophone Florian Hoefner - piano Sam Anning - bass Peter Kronreif - drums
Life isn’t a consistent and stable thing, as I’ve come to find that
after years trying to find some form of happiness, belonging and clear
path to a successful life, was always met with internal struggles,
failure, and the pain of losing the loved ones around me. The feeling
you have when you just want to give up because of all the pain and
despair can be devastating. But, I have realized the importance of
experiencing that these feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, fear and
grief are such beautiful parts of your life. You’ll never learn from
your mistakes without failure, will never know what hope is without
being hopeless and devastated, and you will never know how much you
truly love someone until you lose them...
Perhaps I haven’t found a clear path in my life yet, but I know I want
to keep experiencing life in every way possible, embracing all the
hopelessness, failures, love and success life has to offer.
To all my friends who have experienced a seemingly hopeless side of
life, continue to bathe in its beautify and potential to make you
stronger.
To all my friends in music, film, arts, please continue to create and inspire me and everyone in our community.
Here is my first album “Precious Days 珍贵日” to ALL those beautiful experiences in every single precious day of our life.
1. Precious Days 09:04 2. Black Rose 05:11 3. Things To Come 07:07 4. Portrait of Her 01:14 5. My Escape 08:15 6. Free 02:17 7. The Spotlight 05:06 8. At What End 05:17 9. Midnight In Beijing 05:32 10.Old Memory 08:13 11.Love Forgotten 04:18
David (Su) Diao - Saxophones, Flute & Compositions Jessica MingJia Chen- Vocals (Tracks 1, 2, 6, 9, 11) Mjaa Danielson- Vocals (Track 5) Youngchan Na- Guitar Ewen Farcombe- Piano James Hill- Piano (Tracks 7, 10, 11) Ethan Tilbury- Bass Jared Goldman- Drums
Magnus Thuelund er en intelligent, og dog følsom, reflekteret, og dog
ekspressiv, altsaxofonist og komponist. Hans musikalske univers er
raffineret, men altid båret af en melodisk kerne. Thuelund har studeret
hos prominente musikere som Reggie Workman, George Garzone og Mark
Turner på New School of New York.
Som et vovet og kompromisløst valg har Thuelund dannet en trio med det
mangeårige medlem af DR Big Band, Jonas Johansen, foruden
kontrabassisten, Graig Earle. Jonas Johansen er i international klasse
og kendt for sit ekspressive og levende spil. Johansens meritter er
uomtvistelige og det alenlange CV toppes af hans mangeårige samarbejde
med Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen, samt Enrico Pieranunzi Trio.
1. Karl Special 07:21 2. Search 05:40 3. M 09:17 4. 55 07:22 5. Low 07:22 6. Hightech II 08:49 7. First Song 05:58 8. C4 06:06
Magnus Thuelund - saxofon Graig Earle - bas Jonas Johansen - trommer
This
project contains a variety of pieces that I’ve written over the last few
years. I wasn’t sure what compositions I wanted to record. Luckily I
got some of my favorite players (who are also my dearest friends)
involved, and that made choosing easy. I knew that I wanted to showcase
their talents more than anything else. But also, I wanted to create
frameworks for the sounds and shapes that I find interesting, so I
created structures for the melodies, harmonies, and rhythms that I enjoy
- that would also hopefully inspire my fellow bandmates/friends.
1. Weaving 2. Second Thoughts 3. Before the Wind 4. It Seems to Be 5. In My Slumber 6. In Flux 7. Holiday Offering 8. Waver
The Players: Jonathan Wires – bass/composition Josh Hunt – drums/percussion Jeff Coffin – tenor sax/soprano sax/clarinet/bass clarinet Matt Endahl – wurlitzer
guests: Don Aliquo – bass clarinet Lindsey Miller – guitar James Westfall – vibraphone Jamey Simmons – trumpet Jon Estes - Mixes
How on earth do you successfully bind the music of Duke Ellington, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Fats Waller, Herbie Nichols, Bernard Herrmann, Peter Erskine,
and Noël Coward into one coherent statement? The answer is simple: You
don't, unless you're Ken Peplowski. Over the course of ten tracks from
the aforementioned composers and other well-known tunesmiths, Peplowski
manages to simultaneously express his love of myriad sounds and styles, a
fondness for days gone by, and an ability to move ever onward. This
much-heralded reed man wears his eclecticism like a badge of honor on Enrapture, an album that speaks to his ability to dig into the past while also addressing his outlook on the present.
In his liner essay for this project, Peplowski remarks on the
true-to-self nature of this quartet recording, noting that "this is us,
in as close to a live setting as one could ask for in a recording
environment." In keeping with that statement, the majority of the
performances captured here are first takes. The decision to work that
way proves to be a smart play, as the band is able to capitalize on the
energy, spontaneity, and attentiveness that can only exist on the first
pass of a song. Peplowski also shows himself to be practiced in the art
of sequencing songs, shrewdly playing to diverse tastes and the constant
need for mood change-ups.
In lesser hands, the idea of
knocking out a slew of songs in short order and moving all over the map
could be disastrous, but it's a winning formula for this
foursome—Peplowski's working quartet, with pianist Ehud Asherie, bassist Martin Wind, and drummer Matt Wilson.
This band sounds like a million bucks all the way through, from the
reveille-like kick-off at the top of "The Flaming Sword"—an
adrenaline-fueled slice of tropically-infused Ellingtonian exotica—to
the easy-does-it, bluesy send-off of "Willow Tree." And rest assured,
there's plenty to enjoy and admire in between those bookends.
Peplowski's inviting tenor pleasantly glides along on "An Affair To
Remember," Wind's bass and Peplowski's clarinet engage in a slow and
revealing pas de deux on "Oh, My Love," Erskine's "Twelve" gives the
band a chance to pull at the threads of convention and take a looser and
more interactive approach to group (inter)play, and the slowly
unfolding beauty and drama of "Vertigo Scene D'Amour/Madeleine (Love
Music From "Vertigo")" highlights the emotional experiences of the
protagonist in Hitchcock's classic film. All the in-studio discussions,
extra takes, and edits in the world couldn't produce a better outcome
than what these four did in the heat of the moment(s) to create Enrapture. Dan Bilawski
01. The Flaming Sword (6:35) 02. An Affair To Remember (5:15) 03. Oh, My Love (2:25) 04. Cheer Up Charlie (5:15) 05. I'll Follow My Secret Heart (4:02) 06. Enrapture (4:43) 07. Twelve (5:38) 08. Vertigo Scene D'amour (6:51) 09. When October Goes (4:40) 10. Willow Tree (7:35)
Dieci anni che racchiudono tre dischi all’attivo, centinaia di concerti e la ricerca di un linguaggio e di una poetica musicale personali. Il percorso fatto finora ci fa capire che l’evoluzione del nostro linguaggio è stata naturale.
Come la metafora di chi cammina da anni e, quando si volta indietro, osserva la strada già fatta scoprendo con soddisfazione che i passi sono stati diversi uno dall’altro;e questo per il semplice piacere di andare avanti, di provare nuovi sentieri, di respirare l’aria di nuove geografie. “Viandante non c’è cammino, la via si fa con l’andare”, cantava Antonio Machado:così questo nostro “andare” tra alfabeti ai confini di un nuovo spazio ci ha regalato continuamente momenti di stupore e di scoperta, gli stessi che speriamo possano vivere i nostri ascoltatori seguendoci attraverso questo spazio musicale reinventato ibridando gli stili che più amiamo.
Rispetto a Escaleras prima e Aire Libre poi, possiamo dire che la proposta di Evolución è un passo ulteriore, non ripropone gli stessi stilemi dei lavori precedenti perché neanche noi siamo gli stessi.
Tanto le nostre composizioni quanto gli arrangiamenti degli “standard” sono impregnati del nostro “essere” in questo momento. Il tentativo di classificare stile e genere della musica che fa il nostro duo è un impresa che alcuni definiscono “difficile”; noi preferiamo dire che è non necessario classificare, meglio lasciarsi trasportare dal libero flusso dell’ascolto.
L’amicizia che ci unisce da tanti anni lascia qui la sua testimonianza.” Felice Clemente, Javier Pérez Forte
Felice Clemente, sassofonista, clarinettista e compositore, è stato definito da Enzo Siciliano ( Repubblica ) «il miglior giovane sassofonista italiano» e dal Cadence magazine (USA) «un talento destinato a fare la storia del jazz». È promotore di numerosi progetti per la diffusione della cultura del jazz e dal 2007 viene segnalato e votato nelle riviste jazz Musica Jazz e Jazzit magazine tra i migliori sassofonisti in assoluto. I sui Disco “Nuvole di Carta” e “6:35 AM” hanno ricevuto 4 stelle dalla celebre rivista americana DOWNBEAT “bibbia del jazz” (novembre 2011 e giugno 2015). La sua produzione discografica può vantare 11 dischi come leader e co-leader e 15 come invitato. Svolge un’intensa attività concertistica in Italia e all’estero, collaborando con musicisti tra i più noti della scena internazionale.
Javier Pérez Forte, chitarrista, compositore e arrangiatore “argentino d’origine e italiano d’adozione, sfoggia la sua profonda conoscenza del linguaggio e un’ammirevole tecnica strumentale, cesellando una performance da virtuoso del genere” come scrive Valentino Casali su Jazzit. Sia nell’esecuzione che nella composizione, il musicista coltiva l’ambito classico accanto a quello della musica argentina, tango e folklore, e del jazz. “Bravissimo chitarrista, espressivo e pittorico” (Il Corriere) “Javier Pérez Forte suona la sua chitarra in maniera davvero straordinaria” (Badische Zeitung, Freiburg am Breisgau). Il suo catalogo comprende più di un centinaio di pezzi (dalla musica da camera a opere sinfoniche) oltre ai numerosi arrangiamenti. Compone per cinema, tv e teatro e dal 1993 si dedica alla diffusione della Musica argentina con concerti e spettacoli, masterclass, saggi e trasmissioni radio-televisive.
Liner notes by Felice Clemente, Javier Pérez Forte
Evolución is a disc that celebrates ten years of our duo.
Ten years, three CDs, hundreds of concerts and the search for our musical language and poetry. Until now, our journey has led us to understand that evolution of our language is natural. As the metaphor of the person who walks for years, and, looking back, notices with satisfaction that each step is different from the next; moving on for the simple pleasure of going forwards, finding new paths, breathing in the air in fresh new places.
“Wanderer, there is no path. Make your way by walking” sang Antonio Machado. Our path has led us to the edges of a new space which has continuously given us moments of wonder and discovery, and we hope that our listeners can live the same experience whilst crossing our new space, in our mixing of the musical styles that we love the most.
In respect to our other titles – Escaleras and Aire Libre; Evolución is different. We are not the same so our music is different. Our own compositions along with our arrangements of standards are impregnated with our soul in this moment. The attempt to classify styles and genres of music means that our duo is considered “difficult” to classify. We prefer not to classify, but to leave the listener the freedom to travel with the music.
This is the testimony to a friendship that has lasted for years.
Moppa Elliott, bassist and leader of the jazz ensemble, "Mostly Other People Do the Killing" presents his first solo double-bass album. The pieces presented in this recording were recorded on February 16, 2015 at St. Stephen's Pro Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Each improvisation is a series of disparate musical ideas that transition rapidly in an attempt to disrupt the linear progression of thematic developmen.
