Itiberê Zwarg is an award-winning Brazilian bassist and the longest-serving member of Hermeto Pascoal’s ground-breaking ensemble ‘O Grupo’. Since their first meeting in 1977, the two have been closely collaborating to create a unique musical language: a genre-defying polyharmonic, polyrhythmic music, now widely studied by musicians and musicologists alike, known as ‘Universal Music’. Back in 1999, Itiberê led a workshop at Villa Lobos School of Music, with twenty-nine of Rio de Janeiro’s most exceptionally talented young musicians. Employing the principles of Universal Music alongside his long-held belief in the powers of listening and intuition, over the course of many months, with regular intensive 7 hour rehearsal sessions, Itiberê composed and arranged in real time, transcribing the improvisations of the prodigious orchestra while allowing the players freedom to experiment. The result was Pedra do Espia, an Amazonian orchestral masterpiece which is as difficult to categorise as it is fun to listen to.
Itiberê Zwarg
Named after the beachside viewing point which translates as ‘Spy’s Rock’, where Itiberê would sit as a child, daydreaming and gazing out over the Brazilian coast, the record harnesses the pure creativity of youth and nature, creating a magical sense of innocence amongst the striking compositions and astonishing musicianship. On the original liner notes from the 2001 CD release, Itiberê guarantees the record to be “surprising in its uniqueness, it’s harmonic richness, it’s exuberant melodies and rhythmic variations like nothing heard before.” Bringing the album to vinyl for the first time, alongside a full 16 track CD and digital release, Far Out Recordings are honoured to present this overlooked masterpiece from one of the greatest minds in Brazilian instrumental music.
In the sweltering North-Eastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco lies the coastal city of Recife, where Amaro Freitas is pioneering the new sound of Brazilian jazz. For the prodigious young pianist, the spirit of his hometown runs deep. From the Afro-Brazilian maracatu born on the sugar plantations of slavery, to the high intensity carnival rhythms of frevo and baião, Amaro’s heavily percussive approach to jazz is as indebted to these Pernambuco traditions as it is to Coltrane, Parker and Monk. As with many of the greats before him, Amaro began playing piano in church aged 12, under the instruction of his father, leader of the church band. As his natural talents became obvious, the young prodigy quickly outgrew his father’s instruction. He won a place at the prestigious Conservatório Pernambucano de Música but had to drop out as his family could not spare the money for the bus fare. Undeterred, Amaro gigged in bands at weddings and worked in a call centre to fund his tuition. The transformative moment came at age 15 when Amaro stumbled across a DVD of Chick Corea concert, “he completely blew my mind, I’d never seen anything like it but I knew that’s what I wanted to do with a piano”. Despite not actually owning a piano, Amaro devoted himself to studying day and night – he would practice on imaginary keys in his bedroom, until eventually striking a deal with a local restaurant to practice before opening hours. By the age of 22 Amaro was one of the most sought-after musicians in Recife and resident pianist at the legendary jazz bar Mingus. It was during this time he met and begun collaborating with bassist Jean Elton and the pair went in search of a drummer. “We kept hearing about this crazy kid who was playing in 7/8 or 6/4, we knew we had to meet him”. Hugo Medeiros joined, and the Amaro Freitas Trio was born. “I want to show the simplicity of music, to break the stigma that the piano is for a particular social class. Yes, it’s a difficult instrument, which many people do not have access to, but with it you can express everything.” Following his critically acclaimed debut album Sangue Negro (black blood), the title of his sophomore release Rasif is a colloquial spelling of Amaro’s hometown. A love letter to his native northeast, Amaro explores its traditional rhythms through the jazz idiom, employing complex mathematical patterns reminiscent of some of the most challenging works by fellow Brazilian masters Hermeto Pascoal, Egberto Gismonti and Moacir Santos.
Azymuth's career-defining LP Light As A Feather returns. Home to their worldwide disco/fusion hit single ‘Jazz Carnival’, the samba-doido staple 'Partido Alto', and the proto-deep house masterpiece ‘Avenida Das Mangueiras’, this album typifies the trio’s tireless innovation in the fields of jazz, funk, samba and cosmic music perhaps more so than any of their other ground-breaking records from its era. Their first release on Milestone Records in 1979, it quickly became one of the best-selling LPs of the year, staying in the UK Top 20 for eight straight weeks with more than half a million copies sold. An incredibly well thought out album both in pace, song selection and musicality, ‘Light As A Feather’ marked a maturing of the band as they began to rightfully utilise the studio as an instrument itself, embracing numerous mixing and recording techniques not yet common for the time as well as pioneering the use of the Big Muff and Dolby System to great effect. The result is an album that endures to this day as a samba/jazz-funk masterpiece. First reissued in 2012, the Far Out edition of this seminal recording was remixed and re-mastered from the original 16-track tapes, which were given to Joe Davis by Azymuth. This latest version is the first ever issue to be complete with a download card that that gives access to previously unreleased tracks, including the incredible full length version of 'Jazz Carnival', as well as remixes from house stalwarts Theo Parrish, Ashley Beedle, and Mark E.
Tracklist:
1. Partido Alto
2. Avenida Das Mangueiras
3. Light As A Feather
4. Fly Over The Horizon (Voo Sobre O Horizonte)
5. Amazonia
6. Jazz Carnival
7. Young Embrace (Um Abraco Da Mocidade)
8. Dona Olimpia
9. This Exists (Existe Isto)
10. O Pescador
CD & digital edition
11. Jazz Carnival (Full original mix)
12. Avenida Das Mangueiras (SS translation by Theo Parrish)
13. Endless Flight (Mark E Remix)
14. Jazz Carnival - Yambee Rework (Ashley Beedle and Yam Who? Remix)
Marking sixty years of Bossa Nova, and twenty years since Marcos Valle’s first release for Far Out Recordings, what better time to bring back this era-defining classic from the Brazilian master composer? Throughout his astounding six-decade career, infiltrating pop, bossa nova, samba, delicate psychedelia, jazz and funk, Marcos Valle has consistently shown a dogged determination to transcend the traditions and structures of bossa nova, whilst never veering away from the movement’s inherent, fundamental spirit. To some extent, his epithet ‘the original Rio beach boy’ is a handy one: it reflects the origin and character of his often sun-soaked sound, but expounding his importance in the lineage of Brazilian music, he is more discerningly known as ‘the renaissance man of Brazilian pop’. He is indeed one the very greatest and most important composers, arrangers, writers and performers in Brazil. Up until Nova Bossa Nova, Marcos Valle hadn’t released an album for well over a decade. After 1983, he resented the way the music industry had changed with commercialisation and new demands curtailing his creative freedom. This was until 1994 when Marcos met Far Out boss Joe Davis and they recorded a track for Far Out’s first Friends From Rio album. This new collaborative partnership resulted in a new solo album, which commenced recording in 1996. Nova Bossa Nova brought Marcos bouncing back into the 90s, slotting nicely in place alongside the acid jazz movement as well as a voracious new demand for Brazilian music on dancefloors from London to Tokyo. It was witnessing the London club scene’s growing appetite for Brazilian music, as well as a lack of new sounds coming out of Brazil at the time, that a young Joe Davis put in a proposal to record a new album with one of his musical idols. Joe wanted to facilitate an album which would combine the latest technologies and production techniques, with live to analogue tape recording: a Marcos Valle album tailor-made for London’s clubs. Always open to modern influences and possibilities, Marcos agreed to the project, and Joe and his production partner Roc Hunter flew to Rio in ‘96. The record wasn’t released until ’98, as the original ½ inch tapes were stolen from Far Out’s London studio, meaning parts of the album had to be re-recorded.
Nova Bossa Nova was unveiled at the peak of the of the Brazilian movement, the record would also prove to be something of a revolution, inspiring a new generation of artists like Bebel Gilberto, Sabrina Malheiros, Da Lata and Bossacucanova, who continued to fuse Brazilian influences with modern electronic sounds. The album takes a panoramic view of Valle’s career, which was so fundamental in defining the standard of bossa back in the Sixties and continues to do so to this day. Nova Bossa Nova, the album’s title track is an update on Marcos’s trademark style, developing a more modern, funkier sound. Other gems include the dance-floor ready re-work of his 1970 hit ‘Freio Aerodynamico’, and the smooth instrumentals ‘Bar Ingles’, a jazz fusion looper, and the sun-soaked samba ‘Nordeste’. Twenty years since the original release, the album remains a landmark release for Far Out Recordings and Brazilian music in general. It is yet another example of Marcos Valle’s ability to transcend musical limitations and explore new musical ground, as he has done so passionately for the last sixty years.
The life and work of Roy Hargrove will be honored at a musical celebration on Tuesday, January 8, in Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, on Broadway at 60th Street, New York, New York. Doors will open at 6:30pm and the event will begin promptly at 7pm. Originally scheduled to take place at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the festivities will take place at Jazz at Lincoln Center after the conclusion of the 2019 Jazz Congress. The celebration will be open to the public and the general seating area will become available on a first come first serve basis. Seating in Rose Theater is limited, and Jazz at Lincoln Center reserves the right to close admission based on capacity. Additional seating will be available for simulcast viewing in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s The Appel Room, Mica and Ahmet Ertegun Atrium and Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame. Roy Anthony Hargrove, one of the most respected and loved musicians in the New York City community and the world at large, was a trailblazing multiple Grammy Award winning trumpeter. He was known just as intensely for his brimming fire and fury as he was for his gorgeous, signature balladry. Over and over, his sound attested to and sanctified his deep love for music. His unselfish timbre covered the waterfront of every musical landscape. Owning his music, his sound, Roy inspired generations of musicians. He was a game changer.
Those who wish to make a tax-deductible contribution to offset production costs, please click here.
All songs composed by Jake Cleveland/Alex Arnold except "Eric's Groove" composed by Eric Arnold.
Recorded and mixed at Timeghost Studios by Alex Arnold.
Mastered by Aaron Marshall.
1. Sketches 05:46
2. Bat Country 06:08
3. Eric's Groove 05:04
4. Blue Mesa 04:35
5. Ethereum 05:45
6. Black Reef 05:36
Textures such as effected trumpet, blistering sax solos, virtuosic bass lines, prog-rock guitar licks, classic rhodes keys and digital sampling all come together to create the other-worldly sound of Black Acid Arkestra's debut album Sketches, which showcases a concise presentation of the weirder sides of jazz, simultaneously an homage to the past and a step into the future. The idea for Black Acid Arkestra formed in the winter of 2016 when Alex Arnold and Jake Cleveland decided to create a fusion project encompassing the darker sides of jazz harmony and the more exciting sides of progressive rock. After a few shows and practice sessions, the tunes that became Sketches were written and recorded at Timeghost Studios, a cabin on the outskirts of the southern Indiana town of Bloomington.
An Unruly Manifesto is an album dedicated to Charlie Haden & Ornette Coleman and Surrealism. Lewis describes this album as a call to action. “ Everyday is a chance to discover the truest version of your self and charge after that relentlessly”.
Featured on the list “10 Rising Female Instrumentalists You Should
Know”
- Rusty Aceves, SF Jazz
Wander Wonder opens with ‘The Valley,’ a lush sonic amuse-bouche that features keyboardist Todd Pentney front and center on the Prophet Rev2 while the other band mates attentively weave in and out of the background. The following track, ‘Future Self,’ begins with a hypnotic vamp that eventually blossoms into Au’s angular melodic statements on the saxophone. ‘The Rest Is Up To You’ is an amalgamation of influences; a sort of Wayne Shorter-esque composition that also draws much inspiration from Brazilian pop music of the ‘70s. ‘Looking Up’ showcases some of Au’s strongest penmanship as a composer as it highlights the ensemble’s ability to transition seamlessly between rich contrasting sections. The pensive ballad, ‘Morning,’ establishes an atmosphere of repose and calm as the instruments are slowly, yet thoughtfully layered in. The album continues with ‘The Lie That Saves Us All’, a contemporary swing tune of changing meter and harmonic textures. ‘Red Herring’ emerges as an exploration of asymmetric melodies and equally jagged counter parts deftly executed by the rhythm section. ‘Grounds’ serves as an eloquent interlude to the robust exposition ‘Force Majeure’ that showcases Ragnelli’s apt drumming sensibility in a concluding solo. ‘A Trick of the Moonlight’ is a fitting finale; a introspective ballad that draws inspiration from a novel by British author Zadie Smith. Juno-award winning Jazz Saxophonist, Composer and Arranger, Allison Au refuses to be defined. Born to a Chinese father and Jewish mother, and raised in the multicultural metropolis of Toronto, Allison found music as a young child. Exposed to a wide array of musical styles, she was captivated by the unhinged freedom of Jazz. Jazz became Allison’s lab for self-expression, exploration, and musical experimentation. Her work weaves a mosaic of influences into a seamless and soulful sound, a concoction steeped in the tradition of Jazz but skillfully laced with elements of Classical, Pop, R&B/hip hop, Latin, and world music.
Au’s music transports you to a place where instrumentals ring bold and emotions run free. Melodies cascade and collide, highlighting Au’s gift for layering voices and rhythms. Her writing showcases the color and character of each instrument, while providing ample room for her band mates to push her compositions to new heights. Au earned her first Juno nomination for her debut album, “The Sky Was Pale Blue, then Grey” in 2013, and in 2016 seized the Juno for "Best Jazz Album of The Year: Group" for “Forest Grove.” Formed in 2009, the Allison Au Quartet has toured extensively in Canada and the US. The group was awarded the TD Jazz Fellowship Scholarship (2011), The Alfred and Phyllis Balm Scholarship (2012), and The Margareta and Benno Nigg Scholarship (2013) for three consecutive artist residencies at the Banff Centre.
Most recently the Allison Au Quartet has won the 2017 Montreal Jazz Festival TD Grand Prix de Jazz, received the 2017 Halifax Jazz Festival Sting Ray Rising Star Award, and was named a 2017 Finalist for Toronto Arts Foundation Emerging Jazz Artist Award.
Allison Au will be releasing Wander Wonder on Friday, January 11th, 2019.
Composer-pianist Satoko Fujii Unearths Hidden Gems from Her Daily Composition Diary
Classical Pianist Yuko Yamaoka Brings Fujii’s Compositional Musings to Life
The pianist’s compositional talents certainly match her improvisational ones…”
― Andy Hamilton, Jazz Review (UK)
“Fujii is simply one of the most important composers of our time: she gives new meaning to the term ‘panstylistic.”
― Alan Young, Lucid Culture
Jazz critics voted Fujii into four categories of the 66th Annual DownBeat International Critics Poll in 2018 as one of the world’s top pianists, composers, arrangers and big band leaders
Writer Mike Chamberlain once said of pianist-composer Satoko Fujii, “The woman is bursting with musical ideas.” After over 100 albums as a leader or co-leader, if any further evidence of her rich imagination is needed, Diary 2005–2015: Yuko Yamaoka plays the music of Satoko Fujii provides it. Available November 30, 2018 via Libra Records, the double album overflows with musical ideas—118 of them to be exact. Selected by Fujii from a decade’s worth of composition notebooks, this collection of more than 100 very short pieces offers a unique and fascinating window into the creative process of one of the most fertile minds in modern jazz. Classical pianist Yuko Yamaoka’s vivid performance brings every facet of these little compositional jewels to sparkling life. Every time Fujii sits down to practice piano, she begins by practicing composing for 15 minutes. She’s done this since 2005. Some of these exercises grew into compositions that she recorded. For example, “052013” became “Ichigo Ichie,” the title track of her 2015 Orchestra Berlin CD. “012707” evolved into “Tokyo Rush Hour,” recorded on her 2008 duet CD with Natsuki Tamura, Chun. But the vast majority of these hundreds of short pieces simply accumulated on her piano top and in boxes. At the urging of her husband, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, Fujii sat down and reviewed the first ten years of her diary compositions, each one identified by the date on which it was written. From this vast trove of music she selected highlights for classical pianist Yuko Yamaoka to perform. Fujii has known Yamaoka since her student days at New England Conservatory and enlisted her to perform on Fujii’s New York Orchestra debut South Wind.
Many of the pieces are constructed using a single idea, upon which Fujii elaborates. For instance, “062605” is a melody made using only the interval of the perfect 5th. On “020505,” the left hand plays only on the black keys of the piano, the right hand only on the white keys. Of course it’s what she does with the initial idea that makes the music so intriguing and attractive. The clarity of Yamaoka phrasing lets Fujii’s creativity shine through. She highlights the tensions created by the unusual bass note rhythm of “091209,” and the smooth, almost classical, counterpoint of “091309.” She effortlessly follows the flowing logic of the single line in “032313” and the unexpected melodic turns of the lovely “123106.” Her bright, nuanced touch gives shades of feeling to each miniature, whether it’s the wistful lilt of a waltz in “050509” or the sensual slink of the tango in “041514.” The longest of the compositions lasts a mere two minutes, which makes the album something like a book of aphorisms—the compositions’ brevity is actually the soul of their appeal. “I still continue composing like this everyday,” Fujii says. “It is now more like my life! I think doing it has helped me expand my ideas. I don’t want to repeat myself; I don’t want to make the same music over and over. Writing everyday makes me push myself to think of new ideas. But at the same time, I have found I do have a style, I discovered that even new ideas have something in them that makes them sound like mine. Sometimes I don’t know if this is good or bad. But Natsuki thinks this is good because it shows I have some originality.”
After 11 months and 11 releases, Fujii’s remarkable and unprecedented kanreki year concludes in December with Kikoeru: Tribute to Masaya Kimura, the explosive sixth release from the Satoko Fujii Orchestra Tokyo. Critics and fans alike hail pianist and composer Satoko Fujii as one of the most original voices in jazz today. She’s “a virtuoso piano improviser, an original composer and a bandleader who gets the best collaborators to deliver," says John Fordham in The Guardian. In concert and on more than 80 albums as a leader or co-leader, she synthesizes jazz, contemporary classical, avant-rock, and Japanese folk music into an innovative music instantly recognizable as hers alone. Over the years, Fujii has led some of the most consistently creative ensembles in modern improvised music, including her trio with bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Jim Black, the Min-Yoh Ensemble, and an electrifying avant-rock quartet featuring drummer Tatsuya Yoshida of The Ruins. Her ongoing duet project with husband Natsuki Tamura released their sixth recording, Kisaragi, in 2017. “The duo's commitment to producing new sounds based on fresh ideas is second only to their musicianship,” says Karl Ackermann in All About Jazz. Aspiration, a CD by an ad hoc band featuring Wadada Leo Smith, Tamura, and Ikue Mori, was released in 2017 to wide acclaim. “Four musicians who regularly aspire for greater heights with each venture reach the summit together on Aspiration,” writes S. Victor Aaron in Something Else. She records infrequently as an unaccompanied soloist, but Solo (Libra), the first of her 12 birthday-year albums, led Dan McClenaghan to enthuse in All About Jazz, that the album “more so than her other solo affairs—or any of her numerous ensembles for that matter—deals in beauty, delicacy of touch, graceful melodicism.” As the leader of no less than five orchestras in the U.S., Germany, and Japan, Fujii has also established herself as one of the world’s leading composers for large jazz ensembles, leading Cadence magazine to call her, “the Ellington of free jazz.”
