SKNAIL - Newsletter July 2017

minimal electronica ... maximal jazz

N E W S L E T T E R

SKNAIL in concert at 7.30 p.m. on Friday,

14 July 2017 at the Festival ARCADES in Sion (Switzerland)

Nya : vocals
Yannick Barman : trumpet
Guy-François Leuenberger : piano
Alain Dessauges : double bass

SKNAIL : electro, programming, glitch

Click on the Festival Arcades poster for more information !

CONCERTOS PORTA-JAZZ: Sábado - Quarteto José Pedro Coelho

Sábado, 8 julho

19:00 & 22:00 

Sala Porta-Jazz

QUARTETO JOSÉ PEDRO COELHO

José Pedro Coelho - saxofone tenor

João Grilo - piano

Demian Cabaud - contrabaixo

Marcos Cavaleiro - bateria

Música Original de José Pedro Coelho, levada a cabo por músicos que procuram entre si um diálogo permanente e sempre novo, tomando a improvisação como o principal ponto de partida para as suas formas de expressão.

PRÓXIMOS CONCERTOS SALA PORTA-JAZZ

15 de Julho, 19:00 + 22:00

Weird Beard

Florian Egli - saxofone

Dave Gisler - guitarra

Martina Berther - baixo eléctrico

Rico Baumann - bateria

22 de Julho, 19:00 + 22:00

André Santos "Vitamina D"

André Santos - Guitarra

Tristan Renfrow - Bateria

Matt Adomeit - Contrabaixo

29 de Julho, 19:00 + 22:00

João Guimarães / Travis Reuter / Simon Jermyn / Allan Mednard

João Guimarães - saxofone

Travis Reuter - guitarra

Simon Jermyn - baixo eléctrico

Allan Mednard - bateria

The Skatalites inicia hoy en Ibiza su gira por España, presentando su último trabajo "Platinum Ska" (ROOTSOUND MUSIC)

THE SKATALITES

Presenta "Platinum Ska”

SPANISH SUMMER TOUR 2017

06 JUL | IBIZA | ROTOTOM LAUNCH PARTY, LAS DALIAS

07 JUL | ELORRIO (Vizkaya) | MUSIKAIRE

08 JUL | MADRID | FIESTAS DE SAN BLAS

09 JUL | TERUEL | EL AJO

13 JUL | PAMPLONA | FIESTAS DE SAN FERMIN

La histórica banda The Skatalites inicia hoy una nueva gira por 5 festivales de España presentando su nuevo disco “Platinum Ska”.

Los padres y fundadores de la música Ska & Reggae, editaron el pasado mes de septiembre PLATINUM  SKA, un nuevo trabajo con el sello y el gran nivel que siempre les ha caracterizado. Ritmos ska con la elegancia habitual, la imponente sección de metales, solos inspirados, versiones instrumentales, dub de alto voltaje e inéditos rescatados con el original Lloyd Knibb (RIP) a la batería. Como es costumbre, la reina del ska Doreen Shaffer, brilla en los números vocales. El disco ha sido mezclado en el estudio clave de la música moderna africana, el Humble Ark en Bamako, Mali.

Kevin Norton - KN's Breakfast of Champignon​(​s) Live at Roulette: "Staten Island: All that is solid melts into air" (2017)

Kevin Norton was born in Brooklyn and raised in Staten Island, NY. Studies at Hunter College introduced Kevin to Milt Hinton and after a short period, Kevin began to perform with Milt Hinton, eventually recording The Judge's Decision with a quartet led by Milt. After getting his Masters Degree from Manhattan School of Music, he became very active as a percussionist in New York, especially taking part in the blossoming downtown New York City scene. This lead to him playing with Fred Frith's band Keep the Dog, which also included harpist Zeena Parkins and saxophonist John Zorn. However, he longed to return to his jazz roots and began to play with downtown outsiders Phillip Johnston and Joel Forrester and their co-led band, the Microscopic Septet (and later Johnston's Big Trouble, with two CDs on Black Saint). In 2006 Mr. Norton premiered Water and Fire Suite, commissioned as part of the national series of works from Meet The Composer Commissioning Music/USA.

He has led and/or co-led about 20 critically acclaimed recordings, many of them making year-end "Best of" lists. His recording, Time-Space Modulator, integrates intricate, notated composition work with the deep improvisatory skills of Kevin, Tony Malaby, Dave Ballou and John Lindberg. Norton has also played with many highly esteemed European improvisers such as Paul Rogers, Joëlle Léandre, John Tilbury, Paul Dunmall and Frode Gjerstad. (Gjerstad and Norton formed TiPPLE with guitarist David Watson: a cooperative, free improvising trio that has released 3 CDs as of 2015) For about ten years, Mr. Norton was Anthony Braxton's main percussionist in both the "ghost trance" phase and the "standards" phase, plotting out the course for all percussionists who followed him. Other great American masters Kevin has performed and/or recorded with include John Lindberg, Connie Crothers, James Emery, Scott Robinson, Nick Didkovsky, Marshall Allen, Kazzrie Jaxen and Henry Grimes. In June of 2002, Kevin Norton was a resident composer at the prestigious MacDowell Colony.

Norton composed the original soundtrack for the movie Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words (2013). He has served on the faculty of several schools including the University of Maryland and is currently on the faculty of William Paterson University. www.kevinnorton.com

01.  All that is Solid ... 1:47

02.  Staten Island 1:36

03.  The Light 3:37

04.  The Faustian Bargain 2:58

05.  Potlatch 2:39

06.  Dorothy Day vs. Complacency 3:36

07.  Milt's Forward Looking Tradition 4:50

08.  No Compelling Moral Ballast 1:32

09.  Peacock (by Jenna Snyder) 2:40

10.  Deep Tanks 5:18

11.  Yeti or Radio Present 4:12

12.  Difficulty 5:05

Recorded live (no overdubs) at Roulette (NYC) as part of the Interpretations Series on September 22, 2016

All compositions (words & music) by Kevin Norton (except for "Peacock" by Jenna Snyder) and recorded live at Roulette (NYC) as part of the Interpretations Series on September 22, 2016. Totally live, no overdubs or edits. (Program notes in "bonus items")

Kevin Norton - composer, drums, vibraphone, marimba, percussion

Esther Noh - violin

Angelica Sanchez - piano

Julia Simoniello - vocals & electric guitar

Steve LaSpina - bass

Penguin Cafe - The Imperfect Sea (ERASED TAPES RECORDS 2017)

The iconic Penguin Cafe join the Erased Tapes family and open a brand new chapter to their unique world with new album The Imperfect Sea – out on Erased Tapes 5th May 2017. 

A penguin stands in the middle of a scorching desert, far away from its natural habitat. This mirrors composer Arthur Jeffes’ journey and exploration into a new musical territory. Penguin Cafe have evolved into something of their own at the hands of Arthur who started the band in 2009 with the continuation and homage to his father’s legacy, to the late Simon Jeffes’ Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Now, their upcoming album echoes reminiscent sounds that embrace the new. 

The album title refers to a saying by his father that “we wade in a sea of imperfections…”, reflecting upon the idea that beauty can be found amongst the chaos. “If there is a narrative to the album it’s coming to the acceptance of the imperfections in all aspects of life; moreover, the recognition that these imperfections and tiny randomnesses are in fact what make up the best parts”, Arthur explains. This has also been highlighted by the striking cover artwork designed by FELD under the art direction of label founder Robert Raths, resembling a lone figure adapting to and accepting its surrounding environment. 

Predominantly self-composed, the new album also features covers of electronic works by Simian Mobile Disco and Kraftwerk, along with a re-working of Simon's 'Now Nothing'. Arthur has developed from the traditional folk and jazz heritage Penguin Cafe Orchestra is known for into another realm of blissful ambience and dance music, recreated using strictly acoustic elements. 

“For this album I wanted to effect a departure from where we’d been up to now. The idea was to create a musical world that would feel familiar to an audience more used to dance records but stay true to our own values. So we replaced electronic layers with real instruments: pads with real string sections, synths with heavily-effected pianos, and atmospheric analogue drones with real feedback loops ringing through a stone and a piano soundboard.” 

On the day of release, the band will play a headline show at New York’s Le Poisson Rouge, commencing the beginning of this new adventure for Penguin Cafe.

1. Ricercar 04:34

2. Cantorum 07:22

3. Control 1 (Interlude) 06:56

4. Franz Schubert 05:46

5. Half Certainty 02:31

6. Protection 05:22

7. Rescue 06:29

8. Now Nothing (Rock Music) 04:38

9. Wheels Within Wheels 06:19

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - On the Echoing Green (MEXICAN SUMMER 2017)

On the Echoing Green is an elegant work of shimmering sound, rendered by eternal electric romantic Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. Conceived as an experiment in collaboration, On Echoing Green is eight rapturous and melodic slow dives of swirling guitar, bass, synthesizer, piano, and drum machines, accented by heavenly vocal arcs from Argentinian musician Sobrenadar and contributions from Alexis Georgopoulous and Byron Westbrook. This is music of growth and grandeur, of ascent and exploration; in tune with the beauty of sound and the harmony of light.

1. In A Copse 01:27

2. A Song Of Summer 10:07

3. Echoing Green 02:17

4. The Faun 06:43

5. Tenderness 05:01

6. Vulgar Latin 03:14

7. Autumn 01:28

8. Dancers At The Spring 06:00

9. Door To Night 02:05

Xavi Torres Trio - Unknown Past (BERTHOLD RECORDS 2017)

Unknown Past, the new intriguing CD by the Xavi Torres Trio is released by BERTHOLD records in June 2017. The line up is: Xavi Torres on piano, Joan Terol on drums and Vic Moliner on bass. All Catalonians, Xavi and Joan are now based in Amsterdam. Vic still lives in Barcelona.

Xavi Torres, the driving force behind the trio, composed all the music. It is dynamic and adventurous, with strong attention to detail and played with virtuoso precision and verve. “My composing changes a lot depending on the situation,” explains Xavi. “I wrote Hope at a specific moment in my life, it just kind of appeared by itself, out of nowhere. The feeling of hope gives you energy. I was writing during a stormy moment of my life. This track has an intimate vibe.”

Unknown, by contrast, as with most of the tracks on the CD, is more driving and experimental. Xavi says, “I was trying to bring us to where we had never been before. With the whole album I tried to move on, to write and approach the music in a way that was not what we were used to, not natural, bringing us into the unknown. I was forcing myself and the band into an uncomfortable place, musically speaking, so that something new and exciting would appear.”

This “uncomfortable musical place” makes for great listening and is forward looking. Xavi though is fascinated by history. “Unknown Past is a dual concept that inspires me a lot,” he says. “It’s what happened in the past that we don’t know, that’s been lost. The other meaning is more dreamy. The known past, but what would have been if something had been different.” Xavi’s career path indeed could have been taken another turn. He was an outstanding tennis player as well as a brilliant young pianist. He felt he had to make a choice. He chose music.

“I was kind of obliged to get into music,” he recalls. “I don’t come from a musical family but they are very culturally oriented. My older sister played the piano, so I said, I can also play the piano and eventually I loved it. I started playing classical music, and when I was ten or eleven, blues. Then I was attracted to jazz.” Influenced by amongst others, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and John Lee Hooker, Xavi explored jazz together with the trio’s drummer Joan Terol. They knew each other as teenagers. “Joan comes from my home town,” explains Xavi. “I learnt with him the rhythmic approach to jazz, the swing, the language.”

01. Benko 2:02

02. The Unknown 5:27

03. Hesitació 5:18

04. Mèlt 5:34

05. Scipio 6:01

06. Our Freedom 3:54

07. Madiba 4:57

08. Hope 3:23

09. DT 3:45

10. Overcome 4:31

11. The Barco 5:13

12. Benko Ends 1:35

Xavi Torres Piano

Vic Moliner Double Bass

Joan Terol Drums

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal: Four more days of Festival!

Nils Landgren Funk Unit - Unbreakable (ACT MUSIC 2017)

Mr Redhorn, Nils Landgren would never, ever mess with a good recipe.

Unbreakable opens with the title song, Nils Landgren’s own composition. It  begins with an unmistakeable guitar intro by Detroit funk legend Ray Parker Jr. (for the occasion an “Honorary Funk Unit member”) a funky riff that sets the pace for what’s to follow; a nonstop funk blowout. The Funk Unit rhythm section is tighter than ever before and lays down a groove like no other band. The horn arrangements (by band member Jonas Wall) are exquisitely precise and the process of arranging, mixing and performing they have developed over the years is unique and totally their own. If you add to that an outstanding trombone player/lead vocalist you have one of the most dynamic groups of musicians ever to hit the stage in Europe. Some funk, some jazz and some straight-out party music, and when the likes of Ray Parker Jr., Randy Brecker and Tim Hagans are willing to come along for the ride, it’s bound to keep the recipe going and some good music playing. The title is important to Nils and marks something of a turning point in the history of his band: “Throughout all our years together, there have been countless moments of great joy and laughter, but also times when we had to fight to stay on the right track. Remembering the highs always helped us to face the lows and to get back up on our feet. The love for the music and for each other has always won and always will. We are unbreakable”.

Nils Landgren, one of the most successful European jazz musicians ever, has received a plethora of jazz awards and other honours, including the Swedish Grammy for “lifetime achievement” and the Royal Swedish medal ”Litteris et Artibus” from the hands of H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, for his outstanding achievements.

When ACT Music founder Siggi Loch, first heard Landgren play in 1994, the band was called Unit. ”Why don’t you call it what it is?", Loch said, and from that moment Funk Unit was born.

The first album on the - then young - ACT label would be Live in Stockholm, recorded in summer 1994 with Maceo Parker as special guest, and that would soon be followed by a string of Funk Unit records released on ACT. Some of the notable highlights are the Cannonball Adderley tribute Paint It Blue (1996) featuring Bernhard Purdie, Michael and Randy Brecker. Funky Abba (2004) and Funk For Life (2010) supported, together with Doctors without Borders, a project to support children and teenagers with their music in Kibera, one of the biggest slums in Nairobi, Kenya.

Ray Parker Jr., guitarist, singer-songwriter and producer. Previously lead guitarist with Stevie Wonder. Parker wrote songs and did session work for Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Diana Ross and many others. Parker has scored six Top 40 hits as a solo artist; including the million selling hit single Ghostbusters in 1984.

Randy Brecker, trumpet player. Six-time Grammy award winner. Started his career as a member of Blood Sweat and Tears, and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. His collaboration with younger brother Michael led to some of the most notable albums in the fusion genre, Brecker Brothers.

Tim Hagans, jazz trumpeter, arranger, and composer from Dayton, Ohio. USA. Three-time Grammy Nominee. In his early years he toured with Stan Kenton and Woody Herman. Among other artists Tim has recorded with Steps Ahead, Maria Schneider, Joe Lovano.

Unbreakable was recorded in November 2016 in the legendary Atlantis Studios in Stockholm, also the recording site for artists like ABBA, Scorpions, Elvis Costello and Esbjörn Svensson.

1 Unbreakable with Ray Parker Jr.

2 Just a Kiss Away

3 Get Down on the Funk with Ray Parker Jr.

4 Friday Night

5 Stars in Your Eyes with Ray Parker Jr.

6 Rockin’ After Midnight with Ray Parker Jr. feat. Randy Brecker

7 Soulchild

8 Old School

9 Nlfu Funk feat. Tim Hagans

10 Bow Down with Ray Parker Jr.

Nils Landgren Funk Unit:

Nils Landgren / trombone & vocals

Magnum Coltrane Price / bass & vocals

Andy Pfeiler / guitar & vocals

Jonas Wall / saxes

Petter Bergander / keyboards

Robert Ikiz / drums

Honorary Funk Unit Member - Ray Parker Jr :

Guitar on Unbreakable,

Rockin’ After Midnight (& vocals),

Just A Kiss Away, Stars In Your Eyes

& Bow Down

Randy Brecker / trumpet on 06

Tim Hagans / trumpet on 09

The Four Corners Quartet - The Four Corners Quartet (2017)

Originating from Jordan, USA, UK and Palestine, The Four Corners Quartet will take you somewhere you will have never been before. Shattering the traditional impression of a string quartet, they are a self-composing and improvising ensemble with an energy unheard to the jazz, world, or contemporary classical scene.
 

On 4/4 they release their debut EP - The Four Corners; four new works from their four corners of the world. The EP explores Arabic improvisations, Palestinian folk, Native American Choctaw hymnals, to a jazz cover arranged by the UK’s Mercury Nominated trio GoGo Penguin. 

Formed in 2014 at Berklee College of Music, their first recording of Eugene Friesen’s “Maracaibo” quickly became a YouTube sensation worldwide. Now they step out across boarders with their first record, promising to be an new evolution to their own traditions.

1. Shock and Awe arr. for String Quartet by GoGo Penguin 03:08

2. Zainab 07:00

3. Al Dal'Ona 05:18

4. I've Just Seen the Rock of Ages 04:28

Shock and Awe 

Composed by GoGo Penguin 

Arranged by Chris Illingworth, 2014 

From ‘V2.0’, on Gondwana Records, a Mercury Nominated Album of The Year 

Zainab 

Composed by Layth Sidiq, 2014 

Al Dal’ona 

Composed by Naseem Alatrash, 2014 

I've Just Seen the Rock of Ages 

Arranged by Ellen Melissa Story, 2014 

A Songololo Music Production: 

Mixing/Recording by Vicente Espi, Songololo Music 

Recording Assistants Pablo San Martin & Travis Karpak 

Mastered by Jonathan Wyner, M Works Mastering

Special thanks to Chris Illingworth, GoGo Penguin, Qattan Foundation, Berklee College of Music, Melissa Howe, Eugene Friesen, Sandy Kott, Jacques Cohen, Nathalie Botbol, and all other encouraging voices.

Dimitar Liolev - Eastern Shadows (SLAM PRODUCTIONS 2017)

Young Bulgarian composer and saxophonist Dimitar Liolev mixes rhythms and ornaments of Balkan folk and jazz, with an impressive avantgarde and creative aproach. 

The strong rhythmic Bulgarian heritage and the creative and collective jazz improvisation together create an outstanding and quite unique band on the modern european jazz. 

Liolev's album 'Eastern Shadows' following his first album 'The Other Side' (BlueArt, 2012) and the second one 'Rhodopology' (Music Clinic Records, 2015), presents original compositions performed by some of the most well-known musicians of Balkan area, trumpeter Martin Tashev and drummer Dimitar Semov. With the international jazz experience of Italian bassist Massimiliano Rolff the music is a constant flow of energy.

Four talkers – (Liolev, Tashev,  Rolff, Semov) - 04'14"

Day One (Liolev) –  05'08"

Filipopolis (Liolev) - 07'20"

New song (Liolev) - 04'50"

Still wondering (Liolev) - 05'56"

Night hope – (Rolff) – 05'55"

At this moment (Liolev) - 06'16"

Jazz me (Liolev) - 05'09"

Eastern shadows - (Liolev, Tashev,  Rolff, Semov) - 05'52"

Dimitar Liolev – Alto Sax

Martin Tashev – Trumpet, Flugehorn, Vocals on track 9

Massimiliano Rolff – DoubleBass

Dimitar Semov - Drums

Recorded and mixed by Konstantin Katsarski at Blubabox Studio, Sofia, Bulgaria on 31 May 2015

Mastered Misjah van der Heiden at 24mastering Studio, Holland

Playlist for Tom Ossana – The Thin Edge – July 5, 2017 MST 7:00 to 9:00p.m.

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