Saturday, May 21, 2016
Friday, May 20, 2016
Emil Brandqvist Trio - Falling Crystals (2016) SKIP RECORDS
PRESENT
Over the last few years drummer Emil Brandqvist from Gothenburg, Sweden, played his way into the intimate upper ranks of European Jazz; his trio stands for low-key, picturesque, touching melodies and sounds that remain with listeners.
Together with pianist Tuomas Turunen from Finland and Max Thornberg from Stockholm on double bass, one of the trademarks for this multinational Scandinavian ensemble has been that the trio eagerly brings in guests to the studio to put the finishing brushstrokes on their audiophonic paintings. Much like designing a portrait, their music builds to reveal more and more layers.
On “Breathe Out” (SKP 9115), their first album for SKIP in 2013, it was the Sjöströmska String Quartet from Gothenburg that set gem-like accents. For the following album entitled “Seascapes” (SKP 9128), Emil Brandqvist and his trio invited a number of woodwinds and horns to add greater density to the atmospheric settings: flutes, clarinets, bass clarinets and flugelhorns.
“Falling Crystals” (SKP 9135) enhances the listeners’ range via moods and compositional structures that underscore just how exceptional these three ‘northern lights’ are. The aura and music were sensitively captured by Åke Linton, a Swedish studio legend whose credentials already include work with Bobo Stenson, Lars Danielsson and the Esbjörn Svensson Trio.
“The Sea Begins To Freeze” reveals an opening theme reminiscent of film noir in which Emil Brandqvist has revived his collaboration with the Sjöströmstra String Quartet. On the composition by Tuomas Turunen named “A Day In Memories”, synthesizer inserts turn the tables to astonishing effect. On “Longing”, bass-player Max Thornberg lets his bowing display a North African coloring to match the desire in the track’s name. “Shine” is equally surprising: Despite all the Nordic roots, here the trio shows that it too was raised on the kind of Jazz made famous by great trios ‘way back when’ in the USA. The whole album sparkles with solid compositions, a lasting sound where the trio definitively ‘shows its stuff’. In 2016 concert-goers in our latitudes will be able to look forward to more concerts from the Emil Brandqvist Trio than ever before; delightful evenings that may very well close with the bouncy lilt heard on “Through The Forest”.
ABOUT US
EMIL BRANDQVIST Drums
Emil Brandqvist is a drummer,a composer and bandleader. He is living in Gothenburg/Sweden and is educated at the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg. He is involved in many different projects both as drummer and composer. Inspiration to his composing often comes as a soundtrack to the nature of Sweden. And the titles of the compositions often comes only when the music is performed for the first time and the pictures are starting to move in the mind. The music is often fully arranged but there is a big open window for the trio musicians to make the music live to its full. Emil is also composing music for films and has worked with the score for many different film-projects. Emil is always seeking new ways to express his music and is very interested in exploring the possibilities in new collaborations for his composing and playing.
TUOMAS A. TURUNEN Piano
Tuomas A. Turunen is an award-winning Finnish jazz pianist, known as a solo artist and as a member of several Nordic jazz groups, especially Emil Brandqvist Trio, Skalle & Sharon and Kauhukakara. He is a frequent performer at the top jazz events in Finland as well as at other European festivals. Outside of Europe Tuomas has performed notably on the African continent, e.g. at Jazz à Dakar -festival and at the legendary Rainbow Jazz Club in South Africa. Tuomas lived in Sweden from 2004 until 2009 and studied jazz piano at the Music Academy of Gothenburg with Lars Jansson and Anders Jormin as his teachers. Since obtaining his Master of Music degree in 2009, he has been based in France, working as a freelance musician, composer, entrepreneur and educator. Tuomas was awarded the Jazz Scholarship of Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 2009. In 2010 he won the Jury’s Special Price at Montreux Jazz Festival’s piano competition.
MAX THORNBERG Bass
Max Thornberg was born in Halmstad, Sweden, in 1985. He is a freelance double bass player and composer, and has performed with some of Swedens finest jazz musicians.He plays regularly all over Sweden, but also in Denmark and Germany. Max Thornberg is educated in the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, and resides in Stockholm since 2007.
01. While We Are Here
02. Soaring
03. Crystals
04. Through the Forest
05. The Sea Begins to Freeze
06. Longing
07. A Day Inmemories
08. Across the Waters
09. Early Spring
10. Shine
11. Guds Gröna Ängar
12. The Oak Trees
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Klaus Doldinger's Passport - Doldinger (2016)
01. How It Started (0:44)
02. Abracadabra (6:33)
03. Jungle Song (feat. Dominic Miller) (6:20)
04. Happy Landing (6:53)
05. Green Lagoon (6:16)
06. Soul Town (feat. Nils Landgren) (5:05)
07. Inner City Blues (feat. Max Mutzke) (5:10)
08. Ovation (4:03)
09. Will-O'The-Wisp (5:30)
10. Jadoo (5:05)
11. New Moon (feat. Sasha) (4:29)
12. Auryn (feat. Dominic Miller) (5:03)
13. St. James Infirmary (feat. Helge Schneider) (3:21)
14. Der Greis Ist HeiB (feat. Udo Lindenberg) (4:44)
Feat. Helge Schneider, Udo Lindenberg, Sasha, Max Mutzke, Nils Landgren & Dominic Miller
Passport: Martin Scales, Michael Hornek, Patrick Scales, Ernst Ströer, Biboul Darouiche, Christian
Lettner. Passport Classic: Curt Cress, Roberto Di Gioia, Wolfgang Schmid
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Henrik Pultz Melbye - Henrik Pultz Melbye Trio (2016)
Den danske saksofonisten Henrik Pultz Melbye er her ute med sin flunkende nye trio på LP (og download). Ved siden av Pultz Melbye består trioen av bassisten Casper Nyvang Rask og trommeslageren Anders Vestergaard. De tre spiller til daglig i en rekke forskjellige konstellasjoner, men sier selv at de som trio utgjør en sterk enhet som brobyggere mellom mainstream, jazzens tradisjoner og avantgardens eksperimenter.
Jeg vil vel hevde at den som kommer til å gå til innkjøp av denne LPen, med tanke på å få en mainstream-plate kanskje vil bli en smule skuffet, for dette er reinspikka avantgarde på den litt publikumsvennlige og ettertenksomme måte.
Dette er Pultz Melbyes debut som bandleder på plate, men tidligere har vi hørt han, blant annet i bandet SVIN. Han har også spilt med trompeteren Herb Robertson, perkusjonisten Adam Rudolph og bandet Frisk Frugt, mens medmusikantene er å finne i samarbeid med blant andre Yes Deer, Busk, Klimaforandringer og danskenes nye pianohelt, Jeppe Zeeberg.
Musikken går temmelig stille for seg, og åpningssporet «Dagliglivets oase», er en komposisjon som både er dyster og moderne, men innimellom svært vakker.
Andresporet, «Du over stepperne»åpner med et langt strekk med Pultz Melbye alene. Jeg vet ikke helt hvor godt jeg liker tonen han har i hornet, men det må jeg bare leve med. Den blir litt anonym, den mangler litt fylde og trøkk, men blir personlig nok. Etter hvert utvikler låta seg, og vi er et godt stykke inn i frijazz-verdenen, med fint bass- og trommespill av Nyvang Rask og Vestergaard.
Sistelåta på side A er en fin ballade, med tittelen «Bal». Her går alt stille og fredelig for seg, i en sangbar melodi, som utvikler seg til friere partier ettersom tiden går.
Side B starter med «Mitä», som kunne vært hentet fra New York på begynnelsen av 60-tallet. Men også her savnes ett eller annet. Kanskje er det lyden i saksofonen som nesten forlanger en slags motvekt, for eksempel i form av for eksempel plateprodusenten Kasper Tranberg og hans ekspressive trompetspill.
Og Kasper Tranberg, eller en annet krafttrompeter kunne ha gjort furore på de fleste sporene på denne plata. I balladen «Tungt» klarer Pultz Melbye og de to andre seg godt på egen hånd, i en klagende låt som fungerer, og som kanskje er platas fineste spor, mens «Halli Hallo», hvor man er tilbake til loftene i New York på 60-tallet nærmest roper etter en trompeter. Jeg tror det ville ha spritet opp innspillingen en hel del, men da hadde også blitt en helt annen plate.
Siste låt ut er «Marskandiser», en stillegående ballade som er sår og vakker, og jeg innser at det kanskje passer bra med denne musikken som trio. Det er noe med sårheten i saksofonen som gir plata en helt spesiell personlighet som jeg ikke kan noe for at jeg liker.
Pultz Melbye har mange gode ideer, og han får god plass og tid til å presentere dem på denne innspillingen. Han er en dyktig saksofonist, som sikkert vil skuffe noen med sin helt spesielle saksofonlyd, som andre bare vil elske. Det blir litt som med altsaksofonlyden til Jesper Zeuthen, som isolert sett kan virke frastøtende på en del lyttere, men som i den rette sammenhengen bare er den perfekte lyden.
Og både Casper Nyvang Rask og Anders Vestergaard er med på å gjøre denne innspillingen til en slags vinner, avhengig av hvilket humør du er i når du setter deg ned med platen.
01. Dagliglivets Oase 05:06
02. Ud over stepperne 09:55
03. Bal 05:34
04. Mitä 02:55
05. Tungt 04:35
06. Halli Hallo 07:19
07. Marskandiser 04:38
Released April 25, 2016
Henrik Pultz Melbye: sax
Casper Nyvang Rask: bass
Anders Vestergaard: drums
Engineered by Bjørn Gjessing
Mixed and mastered by Teis Frandsen
Produced by Kasper Tranberg
Cover art by Adi Zukanovic
Recorded in Vanløse, November 2015
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Jesper Thörn - Big Bodies of Water (2016)
The music on "Big Bodies of Water" is electro/acoustic, minimalistic and impressionistic jazz where electronic noise, real sounds and percussive samples are mixed with trumpet, piano and double bass and merged into a three-dimensional universe with elements of Debussy-inspired soundscapes, free improvisation and crackling electronics.
01. Prae//Entré//B.O.L.O 06:38
02. The Steppe 06:06
03. Jump Into//Big Bodies of Water 06:21
04. HalfSpeed//FullSpeedAhead 06:45
05. Wobble 05:27
06. Suburbia 01:54
07. Raindeer 06:34
08. Fine 01:50
Jesper Thorn (DK): Double Bass, Cello
Marc Méan (CH): Piano
Tobias Wiklund (SE/DK): Flugelhorn
Mads Emil Nielsen (DK): Electronics
Enginered and recorded by: August Wanngren@TheVillage (SE/DK)
Mastered by Kassian Troyer (DE)
All Compositions by Jesper Thorn except "Raindeer" by Marc Méan
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Thursday, May 19, 2016
Adam O'Farrill - Stranger Days (2016) SUNNYSIDE RECORDS
PRESENT
Adam O'Farrill - Stranger Days (2016)
Though he has only been at it for a short time, Adam O'Farrill has displayed maturity in his music beyond his 21 years. The young trumpeter/composer was introduced to the music world early on and quickly ascertained the importance of history, hard work and collaboration to realize his voice as an artist. On his debut recording as a leader, Stranger Days, O'Farrill introduces his fantastic and highly interactive quartet of the same name, showcasing distinctive and subtly programmatic original pieces.
The Brooklyn born and raised O'Farrill comes from a celebrated musical lineage: his grandfather, the Cuban composer/arranger Chico O'Farrill; his father, pianist and composer Arturo O'Farrill; and his mother Alison Deane, a classical pianist. Growing up in a musically rich environment, his parents showing him everything from Oscar Peterson to Steely Dan to Olivier Messiaen, it was only natural that he fell into it, first with piano lessons and then to the trumpet when he was 8 years old.
It was the influence of many, including his father and his bandmates, that led O'Farrill to appreciate the aspects of community within music, but it was the influence of his older brother and drummer Zack that really helped him deepen his studying and listening. Together they shared their love of jazz, traded recordings and played together on a daily basis. To this day, they have a deep musical connection that is apparent when they are on the bandstand.
O'Farrill's evolution has been a fast one and much of that is due to the teachers he has had. His first trumpet teacher was the great Jim Seeley, followed by studies with the likes of Nathan Warner, Thomas Smith, Cecil Bridgewater, and Laurie Frink. The latter he briefly studied with at Manhattan School of Music, where he is in his final semester and where he met his first composition instructor, Reiko Füting, who had a profound impact on O'Farrill's approach to composition.
It wasn't long before listeners began to take note of O'Farrill's talent. He has performed extensively with his father, most often in his sextet, Boss Level, and in the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, including on the Grammy nominated Cuba: The Conversation Continues. It is O'Farrill's recent association with saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa that has garnered him the most attention, as he has placed himself alongside one of the most important musical conceptualists of the past decade, on the highly lauded Bird Calls. Other creative artists that Adam has worked with include Gabriel Zucker, Stephan Crump, JIL, Sister Helen, Fred Ho, Onyx Collective, and Samora Pinderhughes.
Stranger Days was originally assembled in February 2014 as a quick addition to a triple bill. O'Farrill naturally chose his coconspirator and brother for the drum chair and then a couple of his longtime musical friends (he sees them as older brothers) to join the mix, tenor saxophonist Chad Lefkowitz-Brown and bassist Walter Stinson.
Along with music, O'Farrill loves films. His appreciation of cinema has strengthened his view of narrative and character within his music. His intention in his music is to permit a balance between the individual identities of the musicians and the direction of the music, in many cases to tell a story, carried by the overall band sound. Therefore, he needed musicians who he could trust to bring authenticity to the compositions, along with their distinctive personalities (and humor). O'Farrill has that in his friends, the crew of Stranger Days.
The recording begins with “A&R Italian Eatery,” a laid back introductory waltz that allows a playful dialogue between the band members. The piece depicts 'those old New York Italian restaurants where all the regulars are sitting around shooting the shit' (as Adam says). Named after the Camus novel, “The Stranger” is a Mingus inspired study of the story's main character's psychological murkiness, the solo trumpet intro interpreting the waves of an Algerian beach. “Survival Instincts” is a real challenge, as this ensemble piece presents a variety of difficult sequences that the musicians have to survive, like bosses that must be defeated before moving on to the next level of a video game.
A Lefkowitz-Brown sax 'monologue' introduces Stinson's “Why She Loves,” an enigmatic, yet moving piece that truly showcases everyone's musical character. “Alligator Got The Blues” is swampy and lurking, a slightly elegiac piece that picks up pace under a striking sax solo. Stinson also penned “Forget Everything You've Learned At School,” a tough piece that wittily represents a teacher and a poor student throwing all they learned out the window.
“The Cows and Their Farmer Walt” was written with the imagination of Stinson as a disgruntled farmer. This piece was deeply inspired by the classic Mickey Mouse cartoon, The Band Concert (1935), but in this case the tornado is Zack's thunderous drums, which inspired Adam to dub him 'Brother Nature.’ Following this tremendous drum solo, “The Courtroom” continues the story as a judge (bass), a politician (sax), and an environmental scientist (trumpet) try to come to terms with what happened after this natural disaster, not to mention what happened to the cows and their farmer.
The grooving and pointillistic “Building the Metamorphosen Bridge” utilizes a system of improvising where certain bass positions signal certain harmonic intervals that the horns can solo on. This is the final piece in a trilogy of sorts that began with “The Cows,” as the building of the bridge is a sign towards progress and development. Closing in a more traditional vein, “Lower Brooklyn Botanical Union” is a contrafact of Billy Strayhorn's “U.M.M.G.” and also contains a hip salute to O'Farrill's grandfather, utilizing a piece of the flute melody from his masterwork, The Second Afro Cuban Jazz Suite. The piece concludes the album in a way that shows how modernist the ensemble is, but also has a deep respect and understanding of what came before.
The mightily talented Adam O'Farrill has assembled a singular group in Stranger Days. Together, they have created a quiet, intense, at times humorous, and at all times entertaining debut album.
01. A & R Italian Eatery 03:29
02. The Stranger 10:17
03. Survival Instincts 06:50
04. Why She Loves 08:52
05. Alligator Got The Blues 05:51
06. Forget Everything You've Learned At School 05:44
07. The Cows and Their Farmer Walt 07:40
08. The Courtroom 03:16
09. Building The Metamorphosen Bridge 05:16
10. Lower Brooklyn Botanical Union 06:15
Released April 29, 2016
Adam O'Farrill - trumpet
Chad Lefkowitz-Brown - tenor sax
Walter Stinson - bass
Zack O'Farrill - drums
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IN
Michael Dease - Father Figure (2016)
Label:
Source: Allboutjazz - Dan Bilawsky
Style: Modern Jazz
GAB's Rating: ★★★★☆
Paying it forward is simply a given in jazz. Long before the music was
welcomed in ivory tower institutions and codified for classroom
consumption at all levels, seasoned musicians were sharing their
hard-earned knowledge with aspiring youngsters on bandstands and in
basements, serving as guides, exemplars, nurturers, and teachers all at
once. Those experienced players were musical father figures, helping the
next generation(s) along on their quest to join them, and that's a role
that trombonist Michael Dease aspires to on this, his third date for
Posi-Tone and his seventh release in total.
Dease's paternal instincts have, no doubt, grown by leaps and bounds since he took on a larger role in jazz education at Michigan State University and became a father himself. Both experiences feed into Dease's need to do his part to bridge the gap between generations and bolster the ranks of those on the rise. Or at least that's what this album seems to say. Rather than build a band solely around known quantities for this date, Dease decided to tap into the youthful stream of musicians out there who are ready and eager to make their move. All of his choices in that department prove wise. Bassist Endea Owens is the biggest revelation here, possessing a wonderfully wide beat, an incredibly fine-tuned internal compass, pitch-perfect intonation, and solid technique. Then there's drummer Luther Allison, a player fully capable of working well in mellow and molten environments, and alto saxophonists Markus Howell and Immanuel Wilkins, strong-minded horn men who work well together and apart. Add to that list two established musicians—vibraphonist and label mate Behn Gillece and pianist Glenn Zaleski—and you have a solid band ready for action.
Dease's paternal instincts have, no doubt, grown by leaps and bounds since he took on a larger role in jazz education at Michigan State University and became a father himself. Both experiences feed into Dease's need to do his part to bridge the gap between generations and bolster the ranks of those on the rise. Or at least that's what this album seems to say. Rather than build a band solely around known quantities for this date, Dease decided to tap into the youthful stream of musicians out there who are ready and eager to make their move. All of his choices in that department prove wise. Bassist Endea Owens is the biggest revelation here, possessing a wonderfully wide beat, an incredibly fine-tuned internal compass, pitch-perfect intonation, and solid technique. Then there's drummer Luther Allison, a player fully capable of working well in mellow and molten environments, and alto saxophonists Markus Howell and Immanuel Wilkins, strong-minded horn men who work well together and apart. Add to that list two established musicians—vibraphonist and label mate Behn Gillece and pianist Glenn Zaleski—and you have a solid band ready for action.
The eleven tracks presented by that band touch on the old and new. There are originals, songs from The Music Man, winners from the likes of trumpeter Claudio Roditi and the late pianist-educator Mulgrew Miller, and classics from the respective books of saxophonist Charlie Parker and trombonist Grachan Moncur III.
This crew proves adept at handling all of it. They mine bluesy veins
("Church Of The Good Hustler," Moncur's "Riff Raff"), bop along with the
best of them (Parker's "Confirmation"), swim in strong Brazilian
currents (Roditi's "Annette's For Sure"), and capture the pure beauty
embedded in the music ("Till There Was You"). Everybody gets a chance to
shine, but it's Dease who shines brightest. His buttery tone, monster
chops, and impeccable sense of musicality lead the way. He sets the bar
high here, as any father figure would, and his bandmates rise to the
challenge.
Marutyri - Inner Movements (2016)
Marutyri is a Rotterdam based, instrumental fusion band. The band got off to a flying start since their founding in September 2014. Marutyri played on the prestigious North Sea Jazz Festival in 2015, were several times invited to the popular Dutch TV-show De Wereld Draait Door and they won the NPO Radio 6 Soul & Jazz Award for Best Talent. The deep and solid grooves, intense harmonies, story telling solo’s, and well arranged parts make Marutyri unique in the tougher-than-ever music business. How did this band become successful on such short notice? Well, delivering hard work on not only their compositions, but also making stunning live video’s and putting thought in a deadline based strategy, turned out to be highly effective. Most of the compositions, arrangements and project planning come from band leader and bass player Rik van der Ouw. The band shares artistic ideas, works hard and focussed and then sends their music off to the world.
With Inner Movements the band introduces the listener to a new chapter. It has brand new pieces that sound more orchestral, heavier and darker at some points. The compositions contain deeper grooves, odd meter signatures and solo’s, which take the music to a new level. A lot of effort was put into creating an integrated whole. For more magic, string players were invited. Classical percussion was added by as well. But don’t worry, there’s still time to dance! The record gives enough funky freshness.
1 Intro
2 Inner Movements
3 Stellar Kid
4 Kale
5 Grump
6 The Feeling of Unity
7 Last Minute
8 City Streets
2 Inner Movements
3 Stellar Kid
4 Kale
5 Grump
6 The Feeling of Unity
7 Last Minute
8 City Streets
Rik van der Ouw - bass
Ruud van Halder - guitars
Thijmen Oberink - keyboards
Maurice Slot - drums
Roy Gielesen - percussion
Floris Windey - trumpet, flügelhorn
Dennis te Woerd - saxophone
Yiannis Marinos - trombone
Ruud van Halder - guitars
Thijmen Oberink - keyboards
Maurice Slot - drums
Roy Gielesen - percussion
Floris Windey - trumpet, flügelhorn
Dennis te Woerd - saxophone
Yiannis Marinos - trombone
Tullia Morand Quintet - Betibop' (2016)
Label: Plaza Mayor
Source: Sunset-Sunside
L'album Betibop réunit les meilleurs moments de trois séances d'enregistrement en studio. Il s'agit de compositions et d'arrangements signés Tullia Morand, saxophoniste et jeune artiste de la scène jazz parisienne. Elle s'est entourée de grands musiciens de jazz français pour réaliser ses titres dans une atmosphère à la fois instinctive et fidèle aux racines du jazz dit "classique" mais aussi contemporaine et épurée. Une découverte made in Sunset.
Betibop takes the best of three studios recording sessions, featuring both original works and re-arrangements by Tullia Morand, saxophonist and young jazz artist of the parisian scene. She's surrounded with great french jazzmen to realise this tracks both faithful to the classic jazz tradition and modern, pure and subtle tones.
Betibop takes the best of three studios recording sessions, featuring both original works and re-arrangements by Tullia Morand, saxophonist and young jazz artist of the parisian scene. She's surrounded with great french jazzmen to realise this tracks both faithful to the classic jazz tradition and modern, pure and subtle tones.
1 26-2
2 Betibop
3 Montalivet's blues
4 Contine nue
5 L'ornithorynque
6 Nakyia
7 Chichi
8 To Faust In
9 Last Years Game
10 This Way
2 Betibop
3 Montalivet's blues
4 Contine nue
5 L'ornithorynque
6 Nakyia
7 Chichi
8 To Faust In
9 Last Years Game
10 This Way
Tullia Morand – sax baryton
Pierre Mimran – sax ténor
Serge Merlaud – guitare
Jean-Pierre Rebillard – c.basse
François Laudet – batterie
Pierre Mimran – sax ténor
Serge Merlaud – guitare
Jean-Pierre Rebillard – c.basse
François Laudet – batterie
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