SKNAIL: New Album

NEW ALBUM

"Mutation" 

released on the 21st of September

with :

SKNAIL (production, electronics)

Billie Bird (vocals)

Nya (vocals)

Yannick Barman (trumpet)

Stéphane Chapuis (bandoneon)

Philippe Ehinger (bass clarinet)

Guy-François Leuenberger (piano)

Alain Dessauges (double bass)

Special guest : Cyril Regamey (drums on 1 track)

For their third album "Mutation", SKNAIL continues the exploration of their pioneering avant-garde glitch jazz by integrating into the band female vocalist Billie Bird, a bandoneon player, and a guest drummer on one of the tracks. This time, more than ever with the fusion of timbres and styles of the past and future, they are taking jazz to unexplored territories. These musical mutations will be part of the new 10 track album. The artwork and video is realized by visionary Turkish artist Can Pekdemir.

Artwork and video by Can Pekdemir

"I've mutated ... but I still don't know what I have become ... !"

Randy Weston's Homegoing Service Information :: Sun & Mon 9/9 + 9/10

Matthias Lindermayr - New Born (September 14, 2018)

The dawning of something new, something big. Something which will have an impact on an indefinite scale. The first Guitar chord hovers, the cymbal lingers, while the first sound of the trumpet occurs. From nothingness to epic proportions. From easy wind to tempest. 

„Newborn“ is the title cut of the new record by Matthias Lindermayr which is a mesmerizing body of work. The album was conceived in an important transitional period of the artist who relocated back to his hometown after a long stint in Berlin honing his compositional skills, due to the birth of his „Newborn“ child. The initial work began before this private Milestone, with the majority of the music being completed afterwards. Lindermayr states being dominated by two themes at the time: Newborn child and record.

The focus was on the important and essential elements residing within the compositions. On „Newborn“ Matthias Lindermayr processes the essential aspects of life musically. Together with producer and guitar player Azhar Kamal who was also his partner on the production of his debut on Enja „Lang Tang“ they followed a more jazz oriented approach with more freedom of interpretation for the involved musicians than on the debut. The music you experience is extremely dynamic, free flowing at times, lots of space for the bass and the letting loose of the reins for the trumpet which has been somewhat relieved of its vocalesque duties, which it had on Matthias first offering. The line up at this concert is more or less identical to the debut with Andreas Haberl, Drums, Andreas Kurz, Bass, Azhar Kamal, Guitar. The only new addition would be Chris Gallon Piano. The production team of Lindermayr/Kamal worked well with their skills in sonic dramaturgy which surpass the limits of what may be broadly perceived as classic „Jazz“. On „Newborn“ you hear the epitome of Jazz in the 3rd millennium with brilliantly, concise melodies and trumpet which has a lot to express without being overwhelming. A voice that will be heard. Rejoice! Expect something GRAND

- Ulrich Habersetzer(Bavarian Radio)

Matthias Lindermayr (trp)

Chris Gall (piano)

Azhar Kamal (guitar)

Andreas Kurz (bass)

Andi Haberl (drums)

Composition by Matthias Lindermayr

Produced by Azhar Kamal

Mixed by Mario Thaler

Mastered by Guido Hieronymus

1. New Born

2. Massave 04:21

3. Daydreaming

4. Pattern

5. Oktober

6. Matilda

7. Khmerish

8. On the Wall

Philip Zoubek Trio - Outside (WHY PLAY JAZZ October 26, 2018)

Philip Zoubek (piano, compositions)

David Helm (bass)

Dominik Mahnig (drums)

1. Scanning 07:33

2. Rhetorics 05:21

3. Now Then 02:44

4. Sketch 04:55

5. Spaces in Between 05:26

6. Der König 04:21

7. Gambit 04:49

8. The Clearing 04:35

9. The Long Fade 06:02

10. Distorted Chants 05:02

11. Outside (Album Teaser) 05:00

All compositions by Philip Zoubek. Produced by Philip Zoubek for WhyPlayJazz.

Recorded December 2017 by Stefan Deistler at Loft, Cologne, Germany. Mixed by Markus Braun.

Design by Markus Dorninger, based on illustrations by Ernst Haeckel.

The Invisible Party - Shumankind (September 17, 2018)

Shuman Kind is the debut record by The Invisible Party, an improvising trio that plays hard and takes no prisoners. The three-pronged attack of guitar, bass and drums creates splatters of spontaneity, off-kilter phrases and distorted shrieks and scrapes, all done with merciless joy and abandon. Shuman Kind rewards repeated listening as new shapes and colors take form to reveal a truly one-of-a-kind musical universe. Guitarist Jon Lipscomb is based in Malmö, Sweden and has worked with Brandon Lopez, Jarrett Gilgore, Anders Lindsjö, Ole Mofjell, Jaimie Branch and others. Brooklyn-based bassist Kurt Kotheimer has worked with Bobby Previte, Chris Cohen (Deerhoof), Michael Coleman (Michael Rocketship), Ava Mendoza, Matt Nelson (Tune-Yards) and others. Also based in Brooklyn, drummer and multi-instrumentalist Dave Treut has worked with Crystal Fighters, Kaki King, Chris Taylor (Grizzlybear), Wild Yaks, Brandon Seabrook and others.

Jon Lipscomb

Jon Lipscomb - Guitar

Kurt Kotheimer - Bass

Dave Treut - Drums

Engineered and mixed by Kurt Kotheimer at Figure 8 in Brooklyn, NY summer of 2017

Mastered by Jon Lipscomb

Cover art by Alexandra Costin

1. Invisible Party

2. Eye Forms

3. Plain Words

4. Conquest of Bread

5. Book Chin

6. Thirteenth Cone

7. Sleep Ship

8. Perpetuate the Fuzz

The Grays - Pachakuti (September 5, 2018)

Original jazz-funk exo-music project:

Justin Vood Good (guitar), Hans Lohse (percussion, accordion and vocals), Tracey Kroll (drums and electronica), Pat Pollen (bass) and Steve Fava (acoustic sculpting and sound production), Chris Thompson (trumpet), Shanhji (poetics).

All recording and production by Tracey Kroll Studios.

1. Pachakuti 05:00

2. Sanandu 06:08

3. Agartha 06:27

4. Evansixths 11:47

5. September Song 04:05

6. Cydonia 05:04

7. Finca Mia 06:56

8. Lovinjection 05:18

9. Jan Jan 06:42

10. Draco 18:28

Playlist for Tom Ossana – The Thin Edge – September 5, 2018 MST 7:00 to 9:00p.m.

http://www.kzmu.org/listen.m3u ~ Use this link to access the show online.

Ayn Inserto's Down a Rabbit Hole with Sean Jones, John Fedchock, George Garzone and Inserto's Jazz Orchestra (SUMMIT RECORDS September 21, 2108)

Boston's creatively charged Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra rematerializes

with its first new album in a decade

Down a Rabbit Hole, featuring guest stars Sean Jones, George Garzone and John Fedchock, to be released September 21 via Summit Records

“'...recording with her jazz orchestra is grand and sophisticated to a degree as to immediately elevate her status alongside acknowledged influences, and well known, experienced chart makers like Maria Schneider, Bob Belden, and Mark Masters...Inserto directs and conducts her charges...Inserto is impressive as a writer of modern jazz...' ”

— Michael G. Nastos, AllMusic.com/MUSE

“'There's an energetic creative force on the horizon named Ayn Inserto, and based on this debut album, she's Maria Schneider on steroids ...'”

— Harvey Siders,Jazz Times/ Clairvoyance

“'Ayn Inserto is in the forefront of a new generation of jazz composers who are accomplished, ambitious and truly personal.' ”

— Fred Hersch

“'A New Star on the Horizon - The big band tradition is alive and well... ”

— John Greenspan,KSFR 90.7 FM Santa Fe

The trick about falling down rabbit holes is knowing how to get back out. The insistently inventive composer, arranger, bandleader and educator Ayn Inserto has built a brilliant career around her gift for designing fantastical but slyly logical musical landscapes and crafting sonic adventures marked by sinuously surprising melodies, Technicolor harmonies, and arrestingly vivid voicings. Due for release on Summit Records on September 21, 2018, the Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra's first new album in a decade, Down a Rabbit Hole, reintroduces her sly and imaginative musical world, a realm populated by some of jazz's most expressive improvisers.

In many ways Inserto conceived Rabbit Hole to showcase her three special guests - trumpet star Sean Jones, tenor sax great George Garzone, and trombonist John Fedchock - along with her exceptional cast of players many of whom have been with her since she launched the group in 2001. "I saw the album as an opportunity to feature these three amazing musicians, people I consider good friends and musical influences," says Inserto. "They're three artists who don't necessarily play together so it was really fun to bring them together."

A protégé of legendary trombonist/arranger/composer Bob Brookmeyer, Inserto has ascended to jazz's top ranks over the past two decades, earning numerous awards and commissions. Her last release, 2015's Home Away From Home (Neuklang Records), documented her collaboration with Italy's acclaimed Colours Jazz Orchestra. With Rabbit Hole, she's landed back on home turf. From the first track "Three and Me," her bespoke sensibility provides her guest triumvirate with passages tailored to their musical personalities.  

She arranged "BJ's Tune" as a vehicle for Jones' gorgeous trumpet, a sound as rich and glorious as any on the scene. His poised solo is a case study in melodic development as the band gently churns underneath his ascending lines. Inserto doesn't really write programmatic music, but the briskly swinging "Mister and Dudley" does capture the frisky energy and quotidian pleasures of spending time with the tune's sources of inspiration. Inspired by Fedchock and bass trombonist Jennifer Wharton's two namesake dogs, the piece evokes the pooches with affable affection. 

Inserto recorded the title track, which was commissioned by the Amherst Jazz Ensemble, on her last album with Colours Jazz Orchestra, but that sojourn underground was a relatively calm excursion. Unleashing Garzone on the tempestuous chart results in a whirlwind adventure with his Mad Hatter saxophone inciting the band's tea party rumpus. The album's centerpiece is Inserto's two-part suite pairing of "Ze Teach" with "And Me," a commission by Madison Technical College. The first piece is inspired by Brookmeyer (who signed off on notes to Inserto as "Ze Teach") while the second movement is a powerhouse statement driven by her sensational rhythm section with guitarist Eric Hofbauer, pianist Jason Yeager, bassist Sean Farias, and drummer Austin McMahon (whose supple touch and architectural sense of form always elevates her music).

There are any number of ways to run and maintain a jazz orchestra. Duke Ellington's ornery crew was famous for its long-running feuds and disputations, a bumptious environment that clearly didn't impede his unprecedented creative output. Inserto has taken the opposite tack, fostering a familial vibe that encompasses her special guests. She met Jones during his tenure as chair of the Berklee College of Music's brass department. "We started collaborating early on," she says. "I've gotten to know him really well and was so excited he was into recording."

Garzone, who has mentored several generations of improvisers and is the subject of a new documentary Let Be What Is, has appeared on every album by Inserto's orchestra. Though not an official member, he has played an essential role in shaping the group's sound. Fedchock has intersected with Inserto in various ways over the years, from hiring her as a copyist way back when to marrying her longtime friend, the orchestra's able bass trombonist Jennifer Wharton.

Inserto worked assiduously to foster an environment in which exceptional musicians like trumpeter Dan Rosenthal, saxophonist Allan Chase, and reed expert/flutist Rick Stone can thrive. "I always cook for my band," she says. "Any time we have a gig I make sure they have food. I consider lot of the players close friends. My husband Jeff Claassen plays lead trumpet. There's a trombone and bass trombone duet in 'Mr. and Dudley,' featuring Jen and John. Randy Pingrey (trombone) and Kathy Olson (bari sax) are another married couple. There's not a single person in the band who I couldn't call on or hang out with."

Born in Singapore, Inserto was 14 when her family relocated to California. Within a year had settled in the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay, where Inserto was well prepared to take advantage of the region's extensive jazz educational resources. She had started taking piano lessons as a child and jumped into music at her Catholic church where she became "very active in the church choir. They had this one band that had a little more modern sound," Inserto recalls. "I was playing the organ, and there was lot of improvising that would go on before the service started. A lot of our music only had lead sheets, and I'd make up stuff to go with them."

Introduced to jazz via the Manhattan Transfer, she learned to read chords from a book of Disney tunes and soon started substituting her own chord choices to make the songs sound more interesting. By the time she entered Clayton Valley High School in the East Bay city of Concord, Inserto was obsessed with music, playing piano in various school ensembles including the jazz band. She discovered Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner and other piano giants while continuing to study classical piano. She was also an avid member of the award-winning Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps, playing mallet percussion. A weeklong Berklee camp in Los Angeles expanded her jazz vocabulary exponentially, she says. "Around that time," she says,  "I also got hired to write for the Blue Devils corps, writing all these mallet percussion ensemble pieces."

She attended Los Medanos College's respected jazz program for several years and then transferred to Cal State Hayward (now Cal State East Bay), where she thrived under the tutelage of trombonist/arranger Dave Eshelman, a revered educator and bandleader who has mentored several generations of exceptional Bay Area jazz musicians (he provides Rabbit Hole's spot-on liner notes in verse). Encouraged to apply to New England Conservatory by saxophonist and NEC professor Allan Chase, Inserto was drawn to the school by Brookmeyer. "I studied two full years with him," says Inserto, now a long-time associate professor of jazz composition at Berklee College of Music. "I was writing from a piano player's point of view, and he got me into more melodic writing, developing these long lines. After NEC he really took me on as a mentor."

While Brookmeyer's influence is laced throughout Inserto's music she has honed an independent musical identity writing and arranging for her orchestra as well numerous other ensembles that come calling with commissions. Her orchestra's 2006 debut album Clairvoyance earned rave reviews hailing her vivid writing and seemingly boundless well of ideas. The project featured Brookmeyer, Garzone, and many of the key players who are still part of the 17-piece ensemble. Her second album, 2009's Muse, cemented her reputation as a composer and arranger of exceptional acuity.   

The various connections manifesting in Down a Rabbit Hole are captured in the album's cover art by Kendall Eddy (a former bassist for the band). Inserto commissioned him to create the artwork, which features various layers of symbolism - like Boston's skyline in the background - readily discernible to a sharp-eyed observer. "There's the brook running through the field, which stands for Brookmeyer," Inserto says. "There are the three giants who drank the potion, like Alice, and became the big artists. I'm running around amidst all the madness."


Crazy like a fox, Inserto has created her own musical Wonderland with her orchestra, a sensational aural universe easily accessible with a little step down a rabbit hole.

Personnel:

Ayn Inserto, conductor/composer/arranger

Guests:

John Fedchock, trombone

George Garzone, tenor sax

Sean Jones, trumpet

Allan Chase, soprano/alto sax

Rick Stone, alto sax/flute/clarinet

Kelly Roberge, tenor sax/clarinet

Mark Zaleski, tenor sax/clarinet

Kathy Olson, bari sax/bass clarinet

Trumpets: Jeff Claassen, Bijon Watson, Dan Rosenthal, Matthew Small

Trombones: Randy Pingrey, Chris Gagne, Garo Saraydarian; Bass Trombone: Jennifer Wharton

Eric Hofbauer, guitar

Jason Yeager, piano

Sean Farias, bass

Austin McMahon, drums

Mike Tomasiak, tenor sax on track 5

Jerry Sabatini, trumpet, on track 5

Jamie Kember, bass trombone, on track 5

www.ayninserto.com

new wave of jazz: SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER, MUSIC and CONCERTS

"After some three or more hours of Tonus music on a succession of days I believe this is an ensemble with much potential." Vital Weekly 

- The Netherlands

A New Wave Of Jazz profiles itself more than ever as a label that not only materializes curator Dirk Serries immense passion for the wilful in music, whether free impro or minimal music, but also tries to tie/bridge those specific genres.  The label towards the future will expand its catalogue with a series of excellent albums by prominant and exciting artists.

This Fall however the label focuses on the realization of the first three TONUS albums.  TONUS as an ensemble grew out of Dirk Serries' jazzcase residency in 2017 for which he brought together a sextet to work around a slow piano motif by Martina Verhoeven. The literal translation of Tonus is muscle strength, but in this context defines a musical system that places equal importance on the space between notes. Both definitions apply here as the music is an exercise in discipline and anticipation while controlling the clarity, sustain and effect of each single note played.

The birth of the TONUS happened when Serries realised that he needed a vehicle to explore and perform these exercises, as well as a general classification for his ongoing study in minimalism and free improvisation.

These albums are officially out on October 13th 2018 !

TONUS - INTERMEDIATE OBSCURITIES I-IV (2CD)

disc one : I (performed and recorded at Jazzcase, Neerpelt Belgium November 16th 2017) personnel : colin webster (alto sax), nils vermeulen (double bass), martina verhoeven (piano), dirk serries (acoustic guitar), george hadow (drums), jan daelman (flute)

disc two : IV (performed and recorded at Hundred Years Gallery, London UK January 14th 2018) personnel : otto willberg (double bass), colin webster (alto sax), tom ward (bass clarinet), benedict taylor (viola), dirk serries (acoustic guitar), cath roberts (baritone sax)

TONUS - TEXTURE POINT (CD)

performed and recorded at the Sunny Side Inc. studio, Anderlecht Belgium December 9th 2017. Personnel : Dirk Serries (acoustic guitars), Benedict Taylor (viola), Martina Verhoeven (piano)

TONUS - CAGEAN MORPHOLOGY (CD)

performed and recorded at Sunny Side Inc. studio, Anderlecht Belgium March 10th 2018. Personnel : Dirk Serries (acoustic guitar), Martina Verhoeven (piano)

CONCERTS :

Celebrating Dirk Serries' 50th birthday in par with the release of three TONUS albums,  the TONUS ensemble (in varying line-ups) will play five special events.  

Friday, October 12th 2018 - Pletterij, Haarlem (Netherlands)

ensemble : Dirk Serries (accordion, acoustic guitar), Benedict Taylor (viola), Martina Verhoeven (piano), Colin Webster (alto sax)

Buy tickets here

Saturday, October 13th 2018 - De Singer, Rijkevorsel (Belgium) 

OFFICIAL RELEASE SHOW

ensemble : Patrick De Groote (trumpet), Dirk Serries (accordion, acoustic guitar), Benedict Taylor (viola), Martina Verhoeven (piano), Nils Vermeulen (double bass), Colin Webster (alto sax)

Buy tickets here

Sunday, October 14th 2018 - AB salon, Brussels (Belgium)

ensemble : Dirk Serries (accordion, acoustic guitar), Benedict Taylor (viola), Martina Verhoeven (piano), Nils Vermeulen (double bass), Colin Webster (alto sax)

Info here

Friday, October 19th 2018 - Oratoriënhof, Leuven (Belgium)

ensemble : Dirk Serries (accordion/melodica, acoustic guitar), Martina Verhoeven (piano)

Info here

Saturday, October 27th 2018 - Cafe OTO, London (UK)

ensemble : Graham Dunning (snare drum, objects), Kristoffer Lo (flugabone), Cath Roberts (baritone sax), Dirk Serries (accordion, acoustic guitar), Benedict Taylor (viola), Martina Verhoeven (piano), Tom Ward (bass clarinet), Colin Webster (alto sax), Otto Willberg (double bass) 

Buy tickets here