Chicken-Like Birds: Wild Returns (May 2, 2018)

Who we are:  Chicken-Like Birds

Most of you who are reading this will know us as that quirky roots duo that acts like a married couple, might as well be siblings but in the end are really just the best of friends.  We play a mix of genres such as swing, rag, blues, country and throw in some elements you wouldn't always expect in those genres.  Essentially our music is a mix of the past meeting the present.  We tip our hats to country blues legends like Mississippi John Hurt, swing aficionados such as Cab Calloway, western swingers like Bob Wills, ragtime rollers, stride champions and country crooners.  We keep one foot planted in the past and one in the present, holding in high regard those that are pushing boundaries today, writing damn good songs and touring like addicts.  Our goal with music is to create songs that have something a bit unexpected in them yet to remain musical and engaging. Our live shows are never the same twice, full of fun stories, a wee bit of dancing, crisp vocals, poignant harmonies, relatable lyrics  and entertaining on-stage banter.

Our Album:  Wild Returns

This will be our third official recording project during the three years we've been a duo.  Once it was decided to make a new album and utilize Patrick Alexandre as a producer (you might know him as the bass player in the F-Holes or from his solo career or from playing with and co-producing Little Miss Higgins and the Winnipeg Five's Juno nominated album Bison Ranch Recording Sessions) we turned to our fans for guidance in naming our new album.  We asked our email list if they had any ideas what the album name should be and Katie Liebault replied back with the suggestion of Wild Returns.  Needless to say it hit us in just the right spot and soon Ari wrote a song with the title.  It works on a few levels, one where we are expecting wild returns from this album in the form of fame and fortune (haha, kidding!) and also where we are constantly hoping to connect back to that more animal way of being.  Since we have recently made the plunge and moved out to the country we feel like Wild Returns reflects the transition we've recently undergone.

1 Nice Feeling Blues 4:08

2 Willy Nilly 3:24

3 Chicken Coop 3:32

4 Underneath the Apple Tree 2:21

5 Dancing on a Cloud 3:57

6 Bury the Dog 3:44

7 Wild Returns 5:14

8 Ratbug Rock 2:42

9 Lonely Lullaby 4:02

10 Ragtime Cowboy Joe 3:52

Michael Musillami Trio +2 - Life Anthem (PLAYSCAPE RECORDINGS 2018)

Playscape Recordings is proud to release Life Anthem (PSR#091717), featuring veteran guitarist/composer Michael Musillami with his flagship trio. Life Anthem is Musillami's ninth Playscape Recordings release with the trio, featuring bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller. As he has done in the past, for this latest release Musillami augmented the trio with the addition of cornetist Kirk Knuffke and Jason Robinson on saxophones and flute.

"The MM Trio as been creating music since 2002, with our first release, Beijing being released in 2003," writes Musillami in his liner notes. "It has been, and continues to be, a wonderful journey filled with multiple tours to Canada and Europe, as well as our home in America. Life Anthem offers the trio in full bloom, fearless and on fire. The addition of Jason Robinson and Kirk Knuffke punctuates our message in all CAPS!!!”

Life Anthem documents Musillami's journey back from sudden illness followed by a months-long recovery during which this music was composed. On June 8th, 2016 Musillami woke up with what he termed as a "crashing headache." After waiting two days with what he thought was a migraine, he found himself in a life or death situation after an ambulance ride to the ER followed by a flurry of tests which revealed not only a brain hemorrhage, but (oddly) an unrelated brain tumor.

"I opened and closed this record with the title tune Life Anthem, because it is an optimistic melody," writes Musillami. "For the opening track I asked each player to play this melody alone, their own way, as they think it should be played. All renditions were beautiful. The simplicity and warm tone Kirk achieved on his horn made for a perfect opener. The most beautiful things in life can be the most simple. We closed the set out with the full ensemble in a spirited, open and free reading of the melody, Life Anthem."

"The music contained on this CD was written during late June, July and August of 2016 as I slowly recovered from my ordeal," writes Musillami. "I am happy to report that I am fine and better than ever."

1. Life Anthem (solo cornet)

2. I Hear Sirens In The Distance

3. MRI Countdown

4. Slow Bleed

5. Dr. Mohamad Khaled, Neurosurgeon

6. I'm Beginning To Feel Life's Pulse Again

7. June Recovery

8. Nurse Roe

9. ICU Blues

10. Visions

11. Night Walker

12. Renewed Focus

13. Family

14. Think Of Something Beautiful

15. Life Anthem (full ensemble)

Michael Musillami- guitar, composer

George Schuller- drums, bells

Joe Fonda- bass

Jason Robinson- tenor sax, soprano sax, alto flute

Kirk Knuffke- cornet

Yelena Eckemoff - Desert (L & H PRODUCTION May 4, 2018)

In addition to establishing a dialog between American and European musicians, canceling the presumed differences between their respective jazz styles, this album combines poetry, refined technique and interpretive intensity. A rare example of the balance between intellectual complexity and emotional immediacy.

The Recyclers - Davout (dStream 2018)

The idea of the ‘piano trio’ perhaps suggests centrality for the pianist, but at least since the ground-breaking work of Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian this is not so – in such trios at their best, the piano, bass and drums are equal points of a triangle, three voices in ‘trialogue’. There is a radical spirit inherent in The Recyclers’ approach that celebrates the tradition of the piano trio, but sidesteps and offers inventive alternatives to it, setting up situations and ideas that push and pull it in new directions, recognising that music can be about ‘playing’ in every sense of the word.

The Recyclers formed in Paris in 1992, with Benoît Delbecq on piano, Steve Argüelles on drums and percussion, originally alongside the guitarist Noël Akchoté, who was replaced in 1999 by ‘Disco’ Christophe Minck on bass. On this album Minck enriches the sound by supplementing his bass guitar playing with the addition of moog, ngoni and harp. (The atmospheric saxophone of Antonin Tri Hoang adds further colour on one track too.) Anchored in a primarily acoustic sound world, the trio’s deft use of electronic effects provides an unobtrusive lift, countering, highlighting or elongating the natural acoustics of their instruments, or sometimes emphasising the open spaces of the music. 

The piano trio constitutes a contained space, but one within which Delbecq, Minck and Argüelles can still be relatively boundless in form and format. Like the best artists in any creative form, they carve out new pathways through traditional forms, re-making and multiplying their rhythmic relationship to them; deflecting, unravelling and rebuilding them melodically as they go. Their mutual understanding is based on generosity and alert listening so that their intertwined lines undulate like Möbius strips in ever-changing shadings. Their music possesses a rhythmic presence and melodic invention that eludes categorisation, as well as an undercurrent of pleasurable tension through the trio’s ability to change direction at any given moment.

We often speak of ‘making’ music, and this trio reveal how physical that act of making is. They confront us with their bodily reality through their interaction with their instruments and our own bodily reality as we engage with and respond to their music. The process of its construction is audible in its melodic flow, in the interruption to that flow by rhythmic twists and turns, and in the interlocking warp and weft of its textures. Defined by incessant motion, for its makers and its listeners, this music fires the imagination, takes you off on tangents, but keeps your (dancing) feet on the ground. It makes listening and hearing feel palpably fresh and vital. 

After repeated listening to this album I have found myself each time able to hear different sounds, rhythms, tones, or thoughts. It’s not too fanciful to think that there are ghosts in this music too – it was recorded in the legendary (and sadly recently closed) Studio Davout. Visual imagery of all kinds is conjured by these sounds, something that becomes more resonant with the knowledge that Studio Davout was housed in a former Paris cinema. And the legendary artists who recorded at the studios since their creation in 1965 range from Michel Legrand to Karlheinz Stockhausen, from Serge Gainsbourg to Archie Shepp, Nico to Keith Jarrett, Nina Simone and Abbey Lincoln to The Skatalites, Dexter Gordon to Yo-Yo Ma, and from Talking Heads to Herbie Hancock. Recorded in such a mythic location, and paying tribute to it in the album’s title, the eclectic influences of this genre-defying music might have seeped through the studio walls as well as being ingrained in The Recyclers’ consciousness. 

Derek Horton

1. Whammy 05:53

2. Nouvettes 06:14

3. Caboose 08:20

4. Kitchen 02:17

5. Minaret 10:21

6. +X 08:23

Steve Argüelles - drums, percussion

Benoît Delbecq - piano

Christophe `Disco’ Minck - bass, moog, ngoni, harp

(#6 Antonin Tri-Hoang - tenor saxophone)

All compositions by Steve Argüelles

Recorded at Davout studios in Paris, France

Recorded by students of the ESIS `école supérieur de l’image et du son’ Matthieu Lefevre & Louis Roueche Rossi mentored by Samuel Navel

Mixed and edited by Steve Argüelles at Plushspace

Mastered by Philippe Teissier du Cros

Session photos by Igor Juget

Production déléguée pour dStream/ Bureau de Son - Charlène Pré

Bureau de son est soutenu par la DRAC île de france - Ministère de la culture

The Recyclers - Studio Davout - Teaser from Igor Juget on Vimeo.

Alex Oliverio's Sunshine Ensemble - Sunshine Ensemble (2018)

This excellent folk-jazz recording is as inviting as a warm smile. Alex Oliverio’s homage to the Phoenix apartment complexes of his youth rolls out thick melodies a mile wide. His acoustic guitar is nicely balanced out by trumpet, saxophones, and bass clarinet. A pedal steel adds a little extra dose of twang, and a Fender Rhodes brings some welcome fuzziness. Of special interest is the way Oliverio’s septet is able to maintain a contemplative quality with music that often keeps to a gallop and expresses itself boldly. Folk-jazz has long since been a curiosity on the modern scene, and it has branched out into all kinds of directions. Want an idea of how Sunshine Ensemble shakes out? Think Kenny Warren’s 2014 recording Laila and Smitty.

1. Tana Lea

2. Silver Oaks

3. La Vita

4. the Mogollon March

Ray Larsen - Trumpet

Levi Gillis - Tenor Saxophone

Neil Welch - Tenor Saxophone / Bass Clarinet

Alex Oliverio - Acoustic Guitar

Cameron Sharif - Fender Rhodes / Synthesizer

Luke Bergman - Bass / Pedal Steel

Thomas Campbell - Drums

Mixed by Luke Bergman

Mastered by Nicholas Wilbur

Trialogue - First Flight (SPARK 2018)

First Flight features compositions from all three members, drawing on specific inspirations. For example, Bhaskar's Wheel describes the fruitless quest to develop a perpetual motion machine, whilst the blues number Mother Tongue is a transcription of our own genome: the gene FOXP2, which was central to humans evolving speech and language.

1. Ground State 08:12

2. My Favourite Things 08:00

3. Petrichor 08:54

4. Mother Tongue 04:31

5. First Flight 09:27

6. Seven Sounds 02:51

7. Lunar 05:48

8. Bhaskara's Wheel 08:40

Chris McMurran - Piano

Arvin Vaghela - Double Bass

Alexander Blackwell - Drums

Produced by Trialogue

Recorded, Mixed and Mastered at Red Gables Studio by Dick Hammett, 2016

Copyright & Publishing 2018 SPARK Label

Zach Sanders - "ONE MORE, ONCE​!​": Zach & Peter's Senior Recital (2018)

Join Zach & Peter for their farewell to the GW music community: an evening of jazz, classical repertoire, and original compositions spanning the entire breadth of their GW music careers! The recital will conclude with a very special performance by the award-winning GW Jazz Orchestra, Zach & Peter’s penultimate performance after four incredible years with this incomparable ensemble.

1. Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! 09:24

2. Overextension 07:32

3. Donna Lee 07:56

4. Sonata Vox Gabrieli 08:55

5. Creston Sonata for Eb Alto Saxophone and Piano 14:50

6. Brass Quintet No. 1, Op. 5 05:40

7. The Birth of GWJO 03:50

8. Caravan 07:43

9. Count Bubba's Revenge 08:43

10. Fables of Faubus 11:37

11. Spirit in the Night 11:37

12. One More Trip to Birdland 06:38

13. Birdland 08:47

Steve Davis with Ben Wheeler and Nathan Jatcko - The New Trio (2018)

This was a really fun CD to do with Ben and Nathan. We chose these tunes to explore and I am very pleased with the end product. It is my hope that you enjoy this music as much as we enjoyed getting it to you!

1. Green Dolphin 05:38

2. Steepian Faith 06:07

3. But Not For Me 06:10

4. Maiden Voyage 07:08

5. Peacocks 05:48

6. Write A Book 05:32

7. Elm 06:50

8. I Mean You 05:24

9. Nefertiti 05:20

Steve Davis, drums

Ben Wheeler, bass

Nathan Jatcko, piano

Matt Penman - Good Question (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS June 8, 2018)

"The music on this recording is a series of musical questions I posed to my bandmates over two days, that I might get their input on a range of subjects that interest me. Much like having prescribed topics for conversation, I wrote these tunes in the hope of starting a dialogue that could provoke reactions, new angles and corollaries that were unforeseen, yet welcome. In fact all of the musicians on this album have their own points of view and a strong opinion, as well as a natural inclination to collaborate, and these are the reasons why I wanted to record with them. This is also why the musical discussion proved to be so rich and wide-ranging." – Matt Penman 

Bassist/composer Matt Penman has spent much of the past decade developing and presenting music for the illustrious SFJazz Collective and the fantastic James Farm collective. That had left a gap between solo recordings that he felt it was time to abate. The result of his efforts are presented here on Good Question, a poignant recording of pieces meant to challenge, engage and entertain both its listeners and the musicians involved in its creation. 

Originally from New Zealand, Penman, since his arrival in 1995, has been an essential voice in the musical landscape of New York. His experience in the States has provided him with both inspiration and exasperation. He has chosen to address his feelings as a part of his new music: 

"There are a variety of musical moods and spaces, some written with these exact musicians in mind, some not; some written as a response to the cultural and political climate in the country I have chosen to make my home, and some as purely musical excavations. Overall, you could say that the album represents a general delight, bemusement, indictment and celebration of the American experiment through the eyes of a foreigner who has now lived more than half his life in the States." 

The ensemble that Penman assembled features not only the top musicians in jazz but also his regular collaborators and friends, including saxophonist Mark Turner, pianist Aaron Parks and drummer Obed Calvaire. There are also guest appearances by guitarist Nir Felder, saxophonist Will Vinson and percussionist Rogerio Boccato. 

Penman’s compositions are meant to stimulate the ensemble into reactions and conversations within their framework. The pieces either present musical puzzles or are think pieces for reflection on topics, mainly natural or political. The ensemble handled the task with aplomb over three days of recording at Brooklyn Recording during the spring and summer of 2017. 

The recording begins with the shimmering “Mr. Right,” which poses questions of how much freedom is too much and do the boundaries of a closed song form encourage creativity? The challenge behind the deceptively difficult yet beautiful “Small Famous” is to make the tune’s complex harmonic form sound easily formulated. The quietly insistent “Fifths and Bayou” presents the players with defined phrase lengths and a set form with the hopes that they would transcend them, as does the soaring soprano saxophone of Will Vinson. A moving excursion on “Blues and the Alternative Truth” explores the many possibilities of the open space allowed by paring down the ensemble to a trio of piano, bass and drums. The exploratory “Cave Life” is about portraying a scene and creating a story about it, in this case spelunking. 

“Ride the Paper Tiger” is an adventurous piece that provides ample opportunity to highlight the talents of the ensemble, including guest guitar slinger Nir Felder. On “Copeland,” Penman asks the ensemble to create an aural safe haven from the traumas of modern life, “a place for political refugees, PTSD sufferers, ex-White House staffers and anyone undergoing a tax audit.” The impressively wrought “Meats” is through composed with a little solo wriggle room given to drummer Calvaire. The concluding piece, “Big Tent, Little Tent,” is a grooving, easygoing composition that frees the ensemble as it closes out the set. 

After posing his questions and framing his scenarios to his open-minded ensemble, Matt Penman has been awarded with a fascinating and moving recording in Good Question, knowing all along that there might not be any answers to his queries at all. 

"'Good question' becomes a response when we don’t actually know the answer, but are willing to ponder further."

1. Mr. Right

2. Small Famous

3. Fifths and Bayou

4. Blues and The Alternative Truth

5. Cave Life

6. Ride the Paper Tiger

7. Copeland

8. Meats

9. Big Tent, Little Tent

Matt Penman - bass

Mark Turner - tenor sax (1, 2, 5, 7-9)

Aaron Parks - piano, Rhodes, organ, vibraphone

Oded Calvaire - drums

Nir Felder - guitar (6 & 9)

Will Vinson - soprano sax (3)

Rogerio Boccato - percussion (3)

Javier Colina & Chano Dominguez - Chano & Colina (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS June 1, 2018)

There are bonds that cannot be broken. Brotherhood and musical understanding are two such bonds. Pianist Chano Dominguez and bassist Javier Colina grew up together exploring musical genres that moved them like no other, namely jazz and flamenco (a music that is inherently tied to their Spanish identities and heritage). Their new recording, Chano & Colina, reunites the two after 15 years of pursuing differing musical courses. 

It was in 1986 that the Cádiz born Dominguez met the Pamplona native Colina at Spain’s National Jazz Young Talents Contest, where the pianist won first prize. The two had much in common as they were both self taught and they were both fascinated by the possibilities of combining flamenco and jazz. Flamenco was engrained in their consciousness from early on. Dominguez hailed from the capitol of flamenco music and Colina’s northern Pamplona was the home of one of the masters of the form, the incredible guitarist Sabicas. 

The two were able to develop their own, very unique language blending jazz and flamenco, thus developing a simpatico relationship in a short time. Soon thereafter, they formed the NeoBop ensemble in Madrid, which performed standards and original jazz material. Dominguez and Colina continued to play together regularly through the next decade. Their popular trio made its first recording, entitled Chano in 1992. 

In 2002, Dominguez moved to Barcelona and the distance made collaboration between the two more difficult;i they stopped playing together. Both musicians went on to accomplish some incredible things. Dominguez has led ensembles of all sizes, effectively establishing the flamenco jazz genre and even releasing two recordings on the illustrious Blue Note jazz record label. Colina has worked with some of the most highly regarded musicians in jazz and flamenco, including Bebo Valdés, Tete Montoliu, Al Foster, Chucho Valdés, Agustín Carbonell, Silvia Pérez Cruz and Diego El Cigala, among many others. 

The two had not played together in 15 years when they decided to meet up and perform with a trio at the Clamores Jazz Club in Madrid in November 2015. The intimate connection that they had fused years before was undiminished. Plans to play together more regularly were quickly made. 

The recording Chano & Colina was culled from the duo’s live performance at Sala de Camara del Auditorio Nacional de Musica in Madrid on January 19, 2017. The performance captured the musicians’ incredible musical breadth and skill, not to mention their fascinating rapport as musicians and friends. 

The program begins with Colina’s “Luces De La Fragua,” a festive tribute to the region where Dominguez was born . The track contains some intriguingly nuanced playing from both musicians. The Schwartz and Dietz standard “You the Night and the Music” receives a flamenco treatment with a rhythm straight from the tanguillos of Cádiz. Dominguez’s lovely “Habanera De La Habanera” was originally written for the WDR Big Band but is reduced here for a hypnotic duo treatment. The Wood and Mellin standard “My One and Only Love” is performed movingly in a waltz- time signature, while Dominguez’s tribute to Chick Corea, “Para Chick,” is an aggressive rumba that the duo had honed for years. 

Under the aural influence of piano great Bill Evans, the duo’s take on Parker and Charles’ “We Will Meet Again” is done in a slow-flamenco rhythm that goes into double time upon each chord change. Michel Legrand’s haunting “You Must Believe In Spring” follows and fits their setting as a flamenco tango. The great guitarist and composer Paco de Lucia remains a huge influence on Dominguez and Colina. They perform the maestro’s wonderful ballad “Canción De Amor” to perfection and create some tremendous moments on his “Ziryab.” The program concludes with a spontaneous (and very fast) rendition of Miles Davis’s “Serpent’s Tooth.” 

Building on a history and style they championed for decades, Chano Dominguez and Javier Colina have reunited to create a truly stunning recording that will stand as a perfect consolidation of their craft and influence on Chano & Colina. 

1. Luces De La Fragua

2. You The Night and The Music

3. Habanera De La Habanera

4. My One and Only Love

5. Para Chick

6. We Will Meet Again

7. You Must Believe In Spring

8. Canción De Amor

9. Ziryab

10. Serpent's Tooth

Javier Colina - acoustic bass

Chano Dominguez - piano

Christian Artmann - Our Story (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS May 25, 2018)

Flutist and composer Christian Artmann (“a composer with great vision,” allaboutjazz.com and a performer of “stunning virtuosity,” jazztimes.com) is proud to announce the release of Our Story, his third album as a leader and his second for Sunnyside after the well-received 2015 release Fields of Pannonia. One of the most compelling flute specialists to emerge on the jazz scene in recent years, Artmann has assembled a cast of long-term musical associates for the recording of Our Story: the formidable Laszlo Gardony on piano, whom Artmann cites as an important musical and spiritual teacher; the tight and responsive rhythm section of bassist Johannes Weidenmueller and drummer Jeff Hirshfield, both of whom played on his previous album as well as his 2011 debut Uneasy Dreams; and special guest Elena McEntire who substantially enhances the uniqueness of the band’s sound with her versatile and expressive vocals. 

After growing up in Germany and Austria immersed in classical music, Artmann discovered a natural affinity for the jazz tradition and ethnic music when he moved to the U.S. as a teenager. Drawn to expansive sonorities and rich harmony, he has a modern rhythmic sense that is at home equally in straight ahead jazz as well as grooves redolent of funk, hip-hop and Brazilian music. Compositionally, Artmann cites Wayne Shorter, Claude Debussy, Miles Davis and Johannes Brahms among his most important influences, and his music seems to transcend genres effortlessly. His instruments of choice are both the concert flute and alto flute — the latter having grown increasingly central to his music since 2009. 

The title track of Our Story, and Artmann’s conception of the album as a whole, are a reflection of his Buddhist faith. “The idea that we all interrelate, that whatever I do has an effect on you and vice versa, that’s a powerful concept that I really believe in. The music on Our Story isn’t so much about me as it is about us as a band and as comrades in challenging times, and about all of us as eternal beings living together on this precious planet.” 

1. The Noctambulist

2. Earthling

3. Quixote

4. Our Story

5. Amazing Grace

6. Tropic of Capricorn

7. Resilience

8. Elena

9. Pan's Blues 05:41

10. Always Here

Christian Artmann - flute, alto flute

Laszlo Gardony - piano

Johannes Weidenmueller - acoustic and electric bass

Jeff Hirshfield - drums

Elena McEntire - voice

Bob Reynolds - Quartet (May 15, 2018)

Tenor-saxophonist Bob Reynolds has uplifted many sessions through the years including working with Snarky Puppy (with whom he recently won a Grammy), John Mayer, and as the leader of eight previous CDs. However he considers the ensemble featured on Quartet to be his first regular band. “It’s not just a few guys playing a gig or an all-star group. This four-piece unit has played together for a couple of years—including a monthly residency at Los Angeles’ famed Baked Potato jazz club—and we’ll soon be touring Europe and the UK. “Things have been really progressing and I wanted to capture our chemistry on recording. This is the first time I’ve led a group that reached this level.”

Bob first met bassist Janek Gwizdala 20 years ago when they both attended the Berklee College Of Music. “He’s long been one of my closest friends. Regardless of who else might be in a group, when he is on bass, I’m not the slightest bit worried. Janek is not only an incredible player but our conceptions match up very well and he really knows my music.” Reynolds met drummer Chaun Horton ten years ago after moving to Los Angeles. “I love Chaun’s dynamic range, enthusiasm and ideas. He can be a ferocious drummer but also be extremely sensitive and quiet.” The saxophonist has often worked with pianist-keyboardist Ruslan Sirota during the past five years. “Ruslan is also a very sensitive player, giving the music whatever it calls for. These three guys can practically read my mind and always seem to know what I want out of the music.” 

Proof of that statement can be seen in the fact that all of the performances on Quartet were recorded in one day, partly before a live studio audience. The program begins with “Crush,” a melodic tune that seems simple but packs a lot of power as it builds. Note how Reynolds’ final solo phrase is joined spontaneously by Sirota, creating a gentle transition into his piano solo. The music is both thoughtful and full of inner tension. 

“Down South” has a catchy melody, an infectious groove that one could imagine Stanley Turrentine enjoying, a surprise quote of “Eleanor Rigby,” and an adventurous piano solo by Sirota that reminds Reynolds a bit of Lyle Mays’ playing with the Pat Metheny Group. 

“Hollywood Startup” could be a soundtrack to a silent film about a hopeful moving to Los Angeles with the dream of becoming a star. “It has hope, struggle, and a quiet acceptance at its end, as if things do not work out as one had hoped...but it’s okay.” The tenor’s heartfelt long tones and the active rhythm section combine together to create an atmospheric work about a journey through life. 

“Sway” is a medium-slow soulful strut that has Sirota creating an organ sound from his keyboard that adds to the sensuality of this rendition. “This one is what we call an adult tempo. It’s not easy to pull off a groove at this tempo because it’s easy to overplay. But these guys nail it.” 

“Hush” received its name because it was originally a ballad but, ironically, this rendition recasts it as a medium-tempo high-energy piece. Reynolds takes one of his most expressive and swinging solos of the set. 

“Stray Voltage” is a real change-of-pace, a free improvisation performed live in the studio before an audience. It blends together electronic sounds with acoustic instruments; Reynolds uses a delay pedal, and Gwizdala employs a slide to make his electric bass sound like a guitar. The quartet is so attuned to each other that it sounds as if it were worked out in advance even though the musicians had no idea what they were going to play beforehand. 

“Resistance,” a ballad worthy of John Coltrane, builds in intensity while it progresses. Quartet concludes with “Closer,” a performance that begins as a whisper before building to a final climax. 

Bob Reynolds, who grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, started on the alto before switching to tenor three years later. Early on he discovered Joshua Redman and Chris Potter who he still considers his biggest influences. After earning a degree from Berklee College of Music, he moved to New York and gained important experience working five years with singer-songwriter Jonah Smith and six with John Mayer. “That is some of my favorite work I’ve done. I love finding ways to fit into a band without being just the soloist, but using the saxophone in a supportive way.” He has also been an important part of Snarky Puppy during the past five years while developing his solo career. 

Beyond his playing and composing, Reynolds is continually busy. He has been happily married for 12 years and has a six-year old daughter and a two-year old son. He runs an online school with hundreds of students around the world, produces recordings, classes and coaching through his Virtual Studio and has created over 140 vlog episodes on his YouTube channel, which has over 40,000 subscribers. 

“It’s my never-ending goal to continue growing as an instrumentalist and a composer, and to create meaningful music that will reach and move listeners.” Quartet shows he is succeeding. 

Scott Yanow, jazz journalist/historian and author of 11 books including The Great Jazz Guitarists, Jazz On Film and Jazz On Record 1917-76

1. Crush

2. Down South

3. Hollywood Startup

4. Sway

5. Hush

6. Stray Voltage

7. Resistance

8. Closer

Bob Reynolds - tenor saxophone

Ruslan Sirota - piano, keyboard

Janek Gwizdala - bass

Chaun Horton - drums

Florian Pellissier Quintet - Bijou Voyou Caillou (HEAVENLY SWEETNESS 2018)

Le pianiste revient en quintet pour un 4ème album et trempe son groove dans une transe vaudou libératrice célébrée avec Anthony Joseph et Roger Raspail.

Figure emblématique du renouveau jazz français, Florian Pellissier n'en a pas fini de jouer avec ses codes, exportant toujours un peu plus loin son swing hard bop et son groove sur des terres protéiformes. Après la sortie de l'excellent Cap de bonne espérance en 2016, le pianiste globe-trotteur a laissé son quintet, le temps d'un voyage au Togo et au Bénin, pour y découvrir les cérémonies vaudou dont les vibrations nourrissent les rythmes de ses diverses aventures musicales; latin Funk avec Setenta, jazz funk avec Cotonete, brésilien avec Camarao Orkestra ou encore hip hop avec Guts.

C'est sur cette découverte et ce désir de transe rythmique universelle que sont nés les onze titres de Bijou Voyou Caillou, un quatrième album aussi divers qu'exaltant à l'instar du titre homonyme où le quintet est rejoint par Arthur H, sublime narrateur de cette suite digne des grandes BO de nos films noirs.

"Arthur H avait en fait le refrain en tête depuis des années. Le matin de l'enregistrement, il s'est bloqué sur l'histoire de Kim Kardashian qui a été cambriolée lors de son passage à Paris il y a quelques mois et a mélangé son idée de départ et cette histoire dingue, ce qui a donné le morceau que l'on a enregistré. De mon côté, j'étais très fan déjà du morceau Cool Jazz d'Arthur, sorti en 1990 . Je voulais faire de ce Bijou Voyou Caillou une suite spirituelle, presque 30 ans après, une suite de l'histoire aussi. On l'a joué très cool jazz donc, ce qui donne un bon contrepoint à l'histoire de ce prisonnier que raconte Arthur sur notre morceau."  Florian Pellissier

Que les adeptes du son et de l'énergie hard bop et soul jazz des années 60 se rassurent, les intrépides Yoni Zelnik (contrebasse), David Georgelet (batterie), Christophe Panzani (saxophones) et Yoann Loustalot (trompette & bugle) et Florian Pellissier vous réservent quelques pépites du genre (Colosses de Rhodes, Fuck The Police, South Beach). Une poignée de ballades au swing subtil comme Espions sont autant de respirations rêveuses, avant une envolée de spiritual jazz avec une version puissante de Colchiques dans les prés digne de celle d'Eddy louiss.

Le quintet nous embarque dans une virée caribéenne enflammée avec la complicité du percussionniste guadeloupéen Roger Raspail. Le maître des tambours Ka est rejoint aux percussions par Erwan Loeffel pour une tempête rythmique sur Jazz Carnival, une reprise à couper le souffle du groupe brésilien Azymuth. Le slam percutant du poète britanno-trinidadien Anthony Joseph associé aux vibrations caribéennes sur Boca vient compléter ce tableau au groove universel qu'on a hâte de découvrir sur scène.

1. Fuck with the police 09:27

2. South Beach 06:50

3. Bijou voyou Caillou (feat. Arthur H) 05:35

4. Hibou bleu (feat. Arthur H) 04:46

5. Coup de foudre à Thessalonique 04:22

6. Colchiques dans les prés 02:54

7. Boca feat. Anthony Joseph 07:51

8. Colosse de Rhodes 06:06

9. Interlude chou 03:20

10. Espions 07:41

11. Jazz carnival 09:21