Aaron Parks, Thomas Fonnesbaek, Karsten Bogge - Groovements (2016)

Label:  

Source:  

 Genre: Modern-Piano-Trio-Jazz

GAB's Rating: ★★★★★

In the summer of 2014 two outstanding Danish musicians, bassist Thomas Fonnesbæk and drummer Karsten Bagge, met with the American pianist Aaron Parks, who had spent a long visit in Denmark as “Artist In Residence”. A recording session was arranged, and tunes written especially with this release in mind, were combined with new interpretations and original arrangements of well-known compositions by a collection of very different composers: Carl Nielsen (Tit er jeg glad), Cedar Walton (Bolivia), Arthur Schwartz (You And The Night And The Music), and rock legend Bruce Springsteen (I’m On Fire).
The musical kinship is apparent. Three artists obviously tuned in to the same wavelength. The natural focus and intensity is there from the very first note.
The Russian writer and philosopher Leo Tolstoy defined art as “… the ability to create fellowship between people, uniting them in a mutual experience of the emotions that are indispensable to life and progress, and contributing to the well-being of individuals and humanity”. High ambitions indeed, but this was none the less the trio’s goal for their musical endeavors together.
This is a modern trio jazz recording with interaction driven by dynamic flow and a high level of creativity. The scope, the swing, the harmonic insight, the elegant plasticity of this trio, are boggling.
Aaron Parks (b.1983) is one of the important young innovators to come out of the New York jazz scene the last ten years. When he was 18, he caught the attention of larger audiences when joining trumpeter Terry Blanchard’s band. He recorded four albums with Blanchard including the 2007 Grammy-awarded A TALE OF GOD’S WILL. Since then Aaron Parks has played and recorded with many great artists such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kendrick Scott and Gretchen Parlato. His intense playing is also an attraction in the musical collective “James Farm” with Joshua Redman and Eric Harland. So far, he has released two acclaimed albums in his own name: INVISIBLE CINEMA (Blue Note, 2008) and ABOERESCENCE (ECM, 2013). He collaborated with Danish bassist Anders Christensen and legendary drummer Paul Motian on DEAR SOMEONE, recorded for Stunt Records in New York in 2009. Read more...

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Will Goble - Consider The Blues (2016)

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Genre: Post-Bop

GAB's Rating: ★★★★☆ 

“Mr. Goble delivers a gem...original and fresh...”  JazzTimes

For his second recording as a leader, bassist Will Goble is joined by drummer Dave Potter, his long-time rhythm section mate in Jason Marsalis' Quartet, master saxophonist Greg Tardy and the Atlanta-based pianist Louis Heriveaux. Through arrangements of compositions by Mary Lou Williams and George Gershwin, and originals inspired by the 2015 Nepali earthquakes, racial injustice, and other emotion-charged events, Goble presents the blues as an aesthetic through which all people can make their stories known. From the opening "Another Man Gone Down," a traditional chain gang song with guest vocalist Tabreeca Woodside, to Goble's uptempo "The Ants Went Marching One By One But They Didn’t Come Back," the blues are captured with a variety of outlooks, but always through the infinitely variable lens of swing.

1. Another Man Done Gone 4:52
2. Johnson's Magic Umbrella 4:19
3. Dirge Blues 6:22
4. It Ain't Necessarily So 6:10
5. Just Think For A Moment 5:23
6. Belle Isle 5:43
7. The Ants Went Marching One By One But They Didn't Come Back 5:37
8. Hold Tight 6:09
9. Uncertainty 7:02
10. Hopefully 6:22
11. Three Little Words 4:28

Gregory Tardy - Tenor Saxophone
Louis Heriveaux - Piano
Will Goble - Bass
Dave Potter - Drums
Tabreeca Woodside - Vocals (1)  

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Atma Mundi Ensemble - The Road to Skitacha (2016)

Source & Label:

Genre: World Fusion

GAB's RATING:

★★★☆☆  

World music capturing musical heritage from different areas and cultures of our planet and combining it with modern jazz using vast instrumentation.It is meant to be a project not only confined to music but expanded to all means of art.

All songs were written as a musical statement which clearly denotes the uniqueness and importance of traditional music, both as a point of departure in a compositional process which has led to these songs and also as a part of  human cultural heritage . These compositions are original works but all of them are rooted into various musical traditions and are representing an idea of musical bonding between different areas and cultures of our planet.

Bonus track is a recording we all became very emotionally attached to, being the last recording of such a great artist like Arsen Dedic was. This version of  “1947” was taken from the project “Sergio Endrigo – Momenti di jazz” produced by Alberto Zeppieri for “Musica Jazz – Italy” (MJ 1298).

Big thanks to Simone,Borko, Mirko, Matija and Francesco for giving their energy into my music.Another big thanks to all the people who were a part of the making process of this album.This music is dedicated to bringing more peace and love to our planet, Earth.  Zoran Majstorovic

 

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Horace Bray - Dreamstate (2016)

Label: Self Released

Source: The Dentonite

Genre: Modern Creative Jazz

GAB's RATING: ★★★★☆ 

  

Bray is inspired by Ambrose Akinmusire, The Bad Plus, Gilad Hekselman, Lage Lund, and  Kurt Rosenwinkel, “but mostly the people I play with,” Bray says, “like Matt Young, Mike Luzecky, and Connor Kent,” really inspire the young musician.

More than jazz, Bray says he listens to a lot of different music when he is not playing (or listening to) jazz. Neo-soul, Gospel, folk, prog-metal, old school country, ambient, and singer-songwriter genres top his list, although he says the list could go on.

A master of his craft, Bray graduated from the University of North Texas last fall, earning his Bachelor's in Jazz Guitar Performance and Music Theory. Although not originally from Texas, Bray moved around a bit as a child, hitting two major U.S. coasts and the Midwest in states like California, Maryland, and Ohio. Bray ended up in Webster Groves, Missouri for middle & high school, venturing to Denton shortly after for college.

“I think Denton definitely has a good scene,” Bray says, “but we need more places to play and get together.” With the news of Rubber Gloves set to close later this year, Hailey’s and Banter saying bye-bye last year, Denton musicians seem to venture to Dallas for more frequent shows to play.

In fact, you can catch this Texas-transplant strumming his guitar every Tuesday evening (starting in June) with the Southpaw Preachers who have a residency at Vetted Well in Dallas.

Despite the music venues slowly diminishing, there is a wealth of talent residing in Denton. “The musicians are amazing and really into being great at a bunch of different styles,” Bray says. “I can be on an old-school soul gig on a Friday, then play a jazz standards gig the next night with the same musicians, then a few days after that we may all be playing hip hop and neo-soul. It’s rare to be in a place where there are so many musicians proficient in so many different styles. It also feels like a big family which I think is really important for a musical scene.”

1. Laumeier 05:24
2. Laumeier Outro 05:09
3. Living With Imperfection 05:10
4. Sooth 07:37
5. Dreamstate 06:26
6. 3 4 5 02:56
7. Mellifluous 07:25
8. Dirge For Mary Mallon 04:22
9. The Mind as a Brittle Object 05:19
10.Semantic Satiation 06:53
    

Horace Bray - Guitar, Vocals
Colin Campbell - Keyboard
Mike Luzecky - Bass
Matt Young - Drums (1, 2, 3, 5, 8), Post-production (6, 9)
Connor Kent - Drums (4, 7, 9, 10)
Hale Baskin - Vocals (1)
Allison Pontier - Vocals (1)
Josue Alan - Vocals (1)

Drew Zaremba - String Arrangements

Jesus Saenz - Violin
Amy Wang - Violin
Karina Sim - Violin
Channing Hooper - Violin
Usman Peguergo - Violin
Ethan Rouse - Viola
Sabrina Mackenzie - Viola

 

 

 
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Max Ionata - Rewind (2016)

Source & Label:

Genre: Modern Jazz/Hammond

GAB's RATING: ★★★★☆

Italian saxophonist Max Ionata, among the leading players in the contemporary jazz scene and one of the most demanded worldwide, will be releasing his thirteenth album “rewind” in May; his fourth recording produced by Jando Music | Via Veneto Jazz.  

With “rewind” Max Ionata marks a turning point and repositions himself at the head of an entirely different formation: a Hammond trio. The group features an exceptional array of talents, comprised of master musicians of international stature with whom he established a remarkable synergy during the numerous concerts in the past few years; namely the organist Alberto Gurrisi and the premier Dutch drummer Frits Landesbergen - also considered one of the best vibraphonists in Europe.  

This album truly represents a “rewind” - a transition veering from his traditional path - where Ionata starts anew with an abundance of creativity and bold stylistic innovations.  An energetic swerve following an intense artistic career during which Max Ionata performed both as leader and as special guest at the world’s most important jazz festivals and clubs, collaborating with the greatest musicians in the world.  

The album contains two jazz standards, one song composed by Frits Landesbergen and arranged by Max Ionata, six original songs Ionata composed at the piano in August 2015, at his house in Abruzzo. A time during which he intensified his musical research, starting with his great passion for American jazz, particularly modern hard bop, unveiling new layers of that musical genius and intuitive melodic sense that distinguishes his music.  

Of the nine songs in the album, six are autobiographical: “Drum” is a tribute to the great Italian trumpeter Marco Tamburini, with whom Max shared key moments in his musical career; “Bob’s Mood” is inspired by Bob Mintzer and his unique style of composing; “Mr G.T.” is dedicated to his friend and colleague Gege’ Telesforo, who inspired Max with his unique way of experiencing the stage and with his passion for funk. “North Sea” is a ballad, played on the soprano sax, enthused by the coastal landscapes seen during their tour of Northern Europe; “Sunflower” stems from the effect of the intense colors of Van Gogh’s sunflowers, which had impressed Max during his visit to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

The track list ends with Antonio Carlos Jobim’s pulsing and rhythmic “Chovendo Na Roseira” followed by George Coleman’s  “Amsterdam After Dark” and concludes with the loping swing of “At Vic's” written by Frits Landerbergen and dedicated to one of the greatest musicians in jazz, Victor Feldman.

01 At vic's (Frits Landesbergen)
02 Drum (Max Ionata) 
03 The black hole (Max Ionata)
04 North sea  (Max Ionata)
05 Sunflower (Max Ionata)
06 Bob's mood (Max Ionata)
07 Chovendo na roseira (Antonio Carlos Jobim)
08 Amsterdam after dark (George Coleman)
09 Mr G.T. (Max Ionata)

Max Ionata - saxophones
Frits Landesbergen - drums and vibraphone
Alberto Gurrisi - hammond organ 
Amedeo Ariano - drums (on #9)  

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Rempis / Morris / Reid / Baker - Nettles (2016) AEROPHONIC RECORDS

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Rempis / Morris / Reid / Baker - Nettles (2016)

Released May 3, 2016 

In the summer of 2013, guitarist Joe Morris decided to thoroughly acquaint himself with the vibrant Chicago creative music scene. Although he’d worked with plenty of Chicago musicians over the years, including regular collaborations with percussionist Hamid Drake and reedist Ken Vandermark, it had been many years since Morris had spent any significant time in the city. So he undertook a series of concerts, organized by Vandermark, which placed him in a number of different contexts alongside many of his Chicago-based counterparts, including this string-heavy date at Elastic Arts. 

From the start, this ad-hoc quartet took advantage of an unusual instrumentation to produce some austere and starkly beautiful music. Each member contributes quickly interweaving lines that occasionally burst to the fore, but tend more often to wrap themselves into one other, hiding in plain sight amongst the unified whole. Cloaking their individual timbres into a sinewy mass, the result is a tight and fascinating exploration of contrapuntal improvisation.

1. White Dead 23:14

2. Yellow Dead 09:31

3. Purple Dead 09:41

4. Spotted Dead 05:22

Dave Rempis, alto sax, baritone sax

Joe Morris, guitar

Tomeka Reid, cello

Jim Baker, piano

Recorded live at Elastic Arts in Chicago, IL 

August 8th, 2013 

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Dave Zuchowski 

Produced by Dave Rempis 

Special thanks to Ken Vandermark for his help in organizing this concert.

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Rempis / Johnston / Ochs - Neutral Nation (2016) AEROPHONIC RECORDS

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Rempis / Johnston / Ochs - Neutral Nation (2016)

Recorded live May 21st, 2015 at Hallwalls in Buffalo, NY

Dave Rempis, alto, baritone saxophone 

Darren Johnston, trumpet 

Larry Ochs, sopranino, tenor saxophone 

1. Pierce Arrow 28:42

2. Seven Little Buffaloes 20:24

2016 Aerophonic Records

This live recording finds the collaborative trio of Rempis, Johnston, and Ochs hard at work in the middle of their first full-on North American tour in May of 2015. Documenting a concert from the landmark venue Hallwalls in Buffalo, NY, the trio follows up on their previous release, 2014’s Spectral, having taken their unique approach to spontaneous composition to the next level through the crucible that only touring can provide. On this new recording they tackle two pieces that are significantly more extended than the ones documented on their earlier release, while still employing the same core strategy that made that recording so compelling; an ability to look far down the road in order to anticipate the larger structures that can emerge from even the slightest gesture. The trio moves with patience, and capitalizes on space, waiting for the appropriate moments to strike, always at the service of the ensemble motion. 

As this process unfolds, they employ a seemingly endless wealth of musical approaches, in which lush harmonies dissolve into breathy overtones and tea kettle whispers, which then shift into snarls and smears of sound built up thick and chunky on the canvas. At other times, all three show the ability to swoop in like so many vultures, pile onto a phrase, and then drop off individually as if falling off their own respective cliff. Meanwhile the rough and tumble timbres of Ochs’ gruff but tender tenor sound mix with Johnston’s seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of the myriad mute techniques of the early-Ellington trumpet sections, to create a pallet of unbelievable breadth. This live document truly shows a band at a creative and developmental peak.

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Ron Stabinsky - Free for One (2016) Debut Solo Album (HOT CUP RECORDS)

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Ron Stabinsky - Free for One (2016) Debut Solo Album

Free for One, featuring Stabinsky on solo piano, available June 10 on Hot Cup Records

"[Peter] Evans described Ron Stabinsky (piano & prepared piano), the one line-up change to Ghosts, as a 'secret weapon, watch out!' Indeed he seems the perfect pianist for Evans, equally as comfortable in the liminal zone between Jazz and Contemporary Classical music as the leader himself. The interplay between Stabinsky and drummer Jim Black is first rate and a feature throughout."

- Matthew Grigg, The Free Jazz Blog

Mostly Other People Do the Killing pianist Ron Stabinsky's debut recording Free for One is a seamless collection of eight adventurous, genre-hopping solo piano improvisations showcasing the artist's technical virtuosity and unerring musicality. The recording will be released June 10, 2016 on Hot Cup Records, home of MOPDtK.

A 44 1/2-minute program comprising eight contrasting solo piano improvisations recorded on a single day in January 2015, Free for One documents a critical point in the evolution of Stabinsky's improvised solo work which he began in 2002 under the mentorship of Bill Dixon. After more than a decade of experimentation and constant reassessment, Stabinsky entered the studio with no preconceived musical framework, allowing his keen instinct, intuition and past musical experience to converge.

The result is a technically impressive and deeply artistic program of music from which new layers of meaning unfold with each hearing. The simple, looping notes of the ironically-named first track "After It's Over" quickly lead to more complicated, animated patterns that display Stabinsky's pianistic expertise. In tracks like "Viral Inflection," "Gone Song," and "Rapture," he demonstrates the intelligence of his musical ideas and his ability to convey them in stirring ways. From the crystalline, almost danceable trills of "For Reel," to the keyboard mastery in "31," to the improvisational tour de force of "Not Long Now / Long Now" (the record's longest track), and the jazzy feel of "Once, But Again," Free For One is the rare work of a rare pianist, one who cares little for labels and deeply for music, one whose love and command of his instrument shines through in every note.

Stabinsky's passionate interest in the quality of sound recordings and equipment made finding a sensitive, responsive instrument a necessity. Recorded with vacuum tube microphones to 2-inch analog tape on the Hamburg Steinway D at Oktaven Audio in Yonkers, New York by Ryan Streber, with mastering by Seth Foster at Sterling Sound in New York City, Free for One utilizes the best of analog and digital technologies. The uninterrupted performance in the Compact Disc and 96kHz/24-bit download formats closely mirrors the feeling captured by the original analog tape recording.                              

Pianist Ron Stabinsky first started playing with MOPDtK in 2011 as part of a project at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam commemorating the anniversary of Eric Dolphy and Booker Little's Live at the Five Spot.  After collaborating on this and the subsequent Blue project, Stabinsky's presence in the group was solidified. He performs in both the quartet and septet versions of the band and is featured on MOPDtK's three most recent albums Red Hot, Blue, and Mauch Chunk. Stabinsky fits into the aesthetic of the group perfectly, contributing virtuosic solos packed with the irreverence that MOPDtK is known for, as well as musical non-sequiturs, quotations, and references to everything from Philip Glass and Conlon Nancarrow to Billy Joel and earlier MOPDtK material.

In addition to his work with MOPDtK, Stabinsky is an accompanist in virtually every possible context from classical recitals, to community choirs, to improvised music, jazz, pop and everything in between.  Since 2013, Stabinsky has been the pianist for the Peter Evans Quintet, appearing on Destination:Void, the group's epic sci-fi adventure of an album based on the Frank Herbert novel of the same name.  Stabinsky also performs in projects with the Philadelphia New Music Ensemble Relâche, the Charles Evans Quartet with NEA Jazz Master David Liebman, and his collaboration with Cris Kirkwood, bassist of the Meat Puppets.  Stabinsky lives in Plains, PA.

www.hotcuprecords.com

Available June 10 on Hot Cup Records