Amanda Monaco's Deathblow Amanda Monaco, guitar,
compositions / Michael Attias, alto and baritone saxophones / Sean Conly, bass
/ Satoshi Takeishi, drums
Playing guitar has led Amanda Monaco to perform at the Blue Note, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Birdland, Tonic, Joe's Pub, and the JVC Jazz Festival, as well as other venues in the United States and Europe. Amanda's quartet, Deathblow (featuring Michaël Attias alto and baritone saxophones; Sean Conly bass; Satoshi Takeishi drums) combines free-bop sensibilities with through-composed pieces equal parts textural, adventurous, and whimsical. Monaco’s latest CD, I Think I'll Keep You, was released by LateSet Records in October 2009 and is available for download from iTunes, eMusic, and amazon.com. As an educator, Amanda has served on the faculty of Berklee College of Music, New School University, and the National Guitar Workshop and is the author of Jazz Guitar for the Absolute Beginner (Alfred Publishing). A former student of Ted Dunbar, Amanda graduated in 2008 with a M.A. from The City College of New York.
Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet
Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet Ambrose Akinmusire, trumpet / Walter Smith III, tenor sax / Taylor Eigsti, piano / Harish Raghavon, bass / Justin Brown, drums
Ambrose's conceptual extension into a new musical language is never to the exclusion of beauty. As one who listens intently, he values the fertility of a pause, of communication, of tension. Ambrose began conceptualizing early as a musician, theorizing and experimenting as a catalyst for development. He seeks other genres of music to analyze and expose, drawing inspiration from such musicians as Bjork and Chopin. Ambrose’s music restructures accepted notions of jazz in a way that reflects his ability to recognize nuances, multiplicities, and patterns. First playing piano at the age of three, his familiarity with music began long before putting his mouth to a trumpet. He is relentlessly opposed to stagnation, seeking movement in both his music and his life. Before he was eighteen, Ambrose had already performed with such famed musicians as Joe Henderson, Joshua Redman, Steve Coleman, and Billy Higgins. After graduating Berkeley High School, he moved to New York to begin a scholarship at the Manhattan School of Music, studying with Vincent Pinzerella from the New York Philharmonic, Dick Oatts, Lew Soloff, and Laurie Frink. Throughout his studies, Ambrose continued to tether audiences to his concepts and his sound, performing publicly with Lonnie Plaxico, Stefon Harris, Josh Roseman, Vijay Iyer, Charlie Persip, the Mingus Big Band, and the San Francisco Jazz Collective, to name only a few. His exposure to dynamic modes of playing and to musicians with accumulated experiences only promoted the development of his own distinct musical style. Ambrose is a recent graduate of the Masters program at USC, and also the Monk Institute, Ambrose’s instructors include Terence Blanchard, Billy Childs and Gary Grant. In the past year, he has worked with such artists as Jimmy Heath, Jason Moran, Hal Crook, Bob Hurst, Terri Lynne Carrington, Ron Carter, and Wallace Roney, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. Most recently Ambrose is the winner of both the 2007 Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition and 2007 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. As for a conclusion, there is none. Ambrose’s musical trajectory continues to grow in more than one direction, drawing from the most unconventional sources, unraveling the most comfortable conceptions of limitation. His persistent reevaluations and his aspirations to evolution and beauty carry it to an entirely new space within itself. His debut recording as a leader, “Prelude to Cora” was released in 2008 on Fresh Sounds.
Baptiste Trotignon
Baptiste Trotignon Baptiste Trotignon,
piano / Eric
Harland, drums / Matt Penman, bass
Born near Paris in 1974, Baptiste Trotignon grew up in the Loire region, outside Saumur. His parents started him on the violin when he was six, but two years later he gave it up in favor of (what else? ) the piano! His classical training began at the age of nine, and a few years later he joined the Nantes Conservatory, where he won prizes for piano and composition. In his teenage years, he discovered and taught himself jazz and improvisation, performing his first concerts at the age of sixteen. In 1994 he appeared as actor and musician in Alain Corneau’s film “Le Nouveau Monde”, deciding to move to Paris the following year. In 1998 he formed his trio with Clovis Nicolas (double bass) and Tony Rabeson (drums), a development that provided invaluable experience as a bandleader. Released in June 2000, his debut album Fluide revealed him as one of the most spectacular, broad-ranging and fascinating pianists of his generation. The album won a Django d’Or for Best First Record in March 2001. Still with the same musicians, he released his second album Sightseeing later that same year: Jazzman declared it «the shock of the year» and in December 2001 the Jazz Academy awarded Baptiste the Prix Django Reinhardt, an annual award given to the jazz musician of the year. He began to make fewer and fewer appearances as a sideman, performing instead with increasing frequency both with his trio and as a solo artist at international jazz festivals, including: Jazz in Marciac, Montréal, La Villette Jazz Festival, Vienna, Nice, Montreux, Vancouver, Toronto, Ramatuelle, Parc Floral de Paris and Nancy Jazz Pulsations. He won the Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris in October 2002 at the Martial Solal Interna- tional Jazz Competition, and a few months later he also received the French Newcomer of the Year award at the Victoires du Jazz 2003. Spring 2003 saw Baptiste Trotignon release a new recording, this time as a solo pianist performing his original compositions; it was a disc widely praised by the press («ffff» in Télérama, «shock of the year» in Jazz- man, «top choice» in Jazz Magazine), by the buying public (over 15,000 copies sold) and concert-goers ( La Roque d’Anthéron Festival, Piano aux Jacobins in Toulouse, Salle Pleyel in Paris, and many others). Whilst simultaneously working on an extremely broad range of projects (concerts as a duo with top-flight improvisers such as Tom Harrell or Brad Mehldau, as well as with the classical pianist Nicholas Angelich; artistic direction of musical tribute evenings at Montreux in memory of Edith Piaf and Claude Nougaro; Gershwin’s Rhap- sody in Blue performed with the Orchestres Lamoureux; music for Claude Goretta’s film “Sartre”, and so on), he continues to develop a musical style that is resolutely open- minded and richly fertile, in collaboration with the quartet he co-leads with David El-Malek; their musical journey has now produced a second album, Fool Time, released in September 2007.
Ben Allison
Ben Allison Jenny Scheinman, violin / Shane Endsley, trumpet / Steve Cardenas, guitar / Ben Allison, bass / Rudy Royston, drums
Ben Allison is a “visionary composer, adventurous improviser, and strong organizational force on the New York City jazz scene, [and] has emerged as a rising star over the past decade” (JazzTimes). For the past decade Ben has toured extensively throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and Brazil with his groups Man Size Safe, Peace Pipe, and Medicine Wheel winning fans and building new audiences with an adventurous yet accessible sound and a flair for the unexpected. Called “one of today’s best young jazz musicians” by the Boston Globe, Ben has released eight albums of original music — Little Things Run the World (2008), Cowboy Justice (2006), Buzz (2004), Peace Pipe (2002), Riding the Nuclear Tiger (2001), Third Eye (1999), and Medicine Wheel (1998) on Palmetto Records, and his 1996 debut Seven Arrows on the Koch Jazz label — all of which showcase Ben's forward-thinking vision as a producer, composer, arranger, and bassist, and his hands-on approach to his craft. Cited in the “Bassist” category of the 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005 Downbeat Readers’ Poll, Ben’s work has not gone unnoticed by the press. Since 2003 Ben has been routinely listed in the Downbeat Critics Poll in an extremely wide variety of categories including "Bassist,” “Composer,” “Rising Star Bassist,” (ranking #1 in 2005, 2006 and 2007), "Rising Star Album," "Rising Star Acoustic Group," "Rising Star Arranger," and "Rising Star Jazz Artist," all of which is a testament to his dedication as a musician. “I see the the whole process — from assembling a band, writing and work-shopping the music, recording and mastering the album, doing the artwork and writing the notes, and then touring the project — to be all part of the process of musical expression.” says Ben. “I enjoy every step as they all demand a certain kind of positive energy. And I get to collaborate with a wide range of very creative people.” Ben’s most recent album Little Things Run the World, reached #1 on the CMJ National Jazz radio charts and remained in the top 20 for over four months. His previous five albums, achieved similar radio success, being among the most played albums of the years in which they were released, garnering him 6 SESAC National Performance Awards, and have been named as among the best of the year by publications such as Billboard, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Village Voice, Jazz Times, Jazz Journalists Association,Downbeat Critics Poll, All About Jazz, Coda (Canada), and Jazz Review (UK), among many others.
Ben Williams, bass / Jamire Williams, drums / Jaleel Shaw, alto /
Dave Bryant, piano
On October 11, 2009,
Ben won the most prestigious award in the world for aspiring jazz musicians by
winning first place at the 2009 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition
held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He was awarded a $20,000
Scholarship and a recording contract with Concord Records. The competition was
judged by iconic bassists Ron Carter, Dave Holland and Christian McBride.
Since the Monk competition, he debuted his band at the Jazz Gallery in New
York, which receieved a (See October 30, 2009 NY Times Review, “Leading
from the Bottom Notes” by Nate Chinen).
He is now balancing
school and touring with two-time Grammy Nominee, Stefon Harris, to promote
Harris’ newly released album, “Urbanus”. He can also be heard on the
newly released album by the Marcus Strickland trio entitled “Idiosyncrasies,”
and will also be featured on the upcoming release by the Jacky Terrasson trio.
At the 2010 WinterJazz Fest he will be introducing his group, Ben
Willams & Sound Effect.
The Bitches Brew Revisited
Bitches Brew Revisited
Graham Haynes, coronet / James Blood Ulmer,
guitar / Marco Benevento, keys / DJ Logic, turntables & samples / Antoine
Roney, bass clarinet & saxophone Lonnie Plaxico, bass / Cindy Blackman,
drums / Adam Rudolph, percussion
40 years after Bitches Brew was recorded Winter Jazz salutes Miles Davis' seminal recording with a group of several generations of musicians who embody the spirit, history and future of this music. Bitches Brew marked a turning point in modern jazz -------and gained recognition as one of jazz's greatest albums; and was a progenitor of the jazz rock genre as well as a major influence on rock and funk musicians. Some of the musicians who will be participating in this concert include Graham Haynes, James Blood Ulmer, Marco Benevento, Cindy Blackman, and DJ Logic. All have made unique contributions to music being performed today, as well as adding unique and sometimes groundbreaking additions to the spirit that Bitches Brew created. Other guests to be announced closed to the date. Produced in association with Soul Station LLC.
Bobby Previte's New Bump Quartet
Bobby Previte's New Bump Quartet Ellery Eskelin, tenor saxophone / Bill Ware, vibraphone / Brad Jones, bass / Bobby Previte, drums
Bobby Previte began his life in music as a great way to meet girls, but then fell in love with the drums instead. At thirteen, he fashioned his first set out of a rusted iron garbage can turned on its side (the bass drum), four upside-down rubber trash bins (the toms), a box with loose junk rattling around inside (the snare), three plungers with aluminum pie plates nailed on top, (the cymbals), and two pieces of linoleum crimped together, stuck through with a wire coat hanger wound into a spring, crowned with a rubber ball on top (the kick pedal) - and for hours on end would play to records in his dark basement with a lone spotlight shining on him. Eventually hired by a band, he rehearsed with them for a year, only to get fired the day of the first booking for not having "real" drums. After this experience he decided to strike out on his own, and has been doing so ever since. Brought up playing soul and rock music in the old bars,clubs, and bordellos of Niagara Falls, NY, he later studied formally at the University of Buffalo, which boasted musicians John Cage, Lucas Foss, Morton Feldman, and Jan Williams. He then ran head on into Miles Davis, Edgard Varese, Charles Mingus, Terry Reilly, Abstract Expressionism, Igor Stravinsky, Frank Lloyd Wright, George Balanchine and William Faulkner. That was that. He moved to New York City in 1979, with great fortune quickly met the leading lights of the ãDowntownä scene, settled in, and never looked back. For twenty-five years he has remained a leader, widely hailed for his electrifying drumming and his stunning, unclassifiable compositions. He has played an astonishing range of genres and venues, from the Palace Burlesque House in Buffalo, NY to country music at Gloriaâs Corral Club in the Kentucky backwoods (complete with, yes, a real corral surrounding the bandstand) to Carnegie Hall, and has presented his music at the major festivals around the world, from Europe to Russia, Japan to South America, and back. The subject of articles in the world's major publications as well as in many books on music, Previte leads more bands than he probably should, and has added the electronic drums to his ever widening arsenal.
Briggan Krauss' Trio Coordinate
Briggan Krauss' Trio Coordinate Briggan Krauss, saxophone / Kenny Wollesen, drums /
Skulli
Sverrisson, bass Saxophonist, composer, and sound artist Briggan Krauss received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Cornish College of the Arts (Seattle, Washington), where he studied electronic music and advanced theory with the composer Jarrad Powell. While in Seattle, Briggan met many amazing musicians with whom he continues to collaborate. He also joined the legendary avant-electric group Pig Pen, which was the beginning of an ongoing association with Pig Pen leader Wayne Horvitz. In 1994, he moved to Brooklyn, New York where he lives today. Over the past fifteen years, Briggan has performed and recorded with John Zorn, Wayne Horvitz, Bill Frisell, Skerik, Eyvind Kang, Robin Holcomb, Anthony Coleman, Steven Bernstein's Sex Mob, Medeski, Martin, and Wood, Skuli Sverrisson, Jim Black, Ikue Mori, Joey Baron, Kato Hideki, Satoko Fuji, The New York Composer's Orchestra, and many others. As a studio musician, he can be heard on recordings by artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Trey Anastasio, Joan Wasser, and Antony. He has also participated in several shows produced by Hal Willner, including tributes to Neil Young, Doc Pomus, and Leonard Cohen, playing alongside artists such as Lou Reed, Nick Cave, Laurie Anderson, Beth Orton, and Cat Power, among many others.
Carmen Consoli Elettra
Carmen
Consoli Elettra vocals, guitar, accordion, traditional Sicilian strings/percussion
The Sicilian-born Carmen
Consoli is the most successful female singer-songwriter Italy has ever
produced. The 35 year-old musician is known for her unflinching emotional live
performances of songs that examine broad themes of love, illness, solitude and friendship
from a feminine -- and feminist -- perspective. Her innovative mixture of
Italian song with indie-rock influences, bossa nova rhythms and jazz and
blues-inspired riffs have engendered a sound unique on the Italian music scene.
Consoli has seven studio albums and two live albums to her credit, all platinum
albums in Italy that have sold cumulatively over 1 million copies.
Elettra,” the Sicilian
singer-songwriter’s seventh studio set, debuted at number two on Italy’s
national charts this month (right behind Michael Jackson's posthumous album
release). Written and recorded in Sicily during the summer of 2009
following the tragic death of her father, “Elettra” is the most personal
collection of songs in Carmen’s career employing Italian, Sicilian, Arabic and
French languages and including a special guest appearance by friend and mentor Franco Battiato. “Elettra” will
be released in the US in 2010 on leading world music label Wrasse Records.
Consoli‘s previous studio CD
effort “Eva Contro Eva” (Eve Against Eve), debuted at Number One on the Italian
charts in May 2006. The album was released in the US on Universal Music Latino
marking the iconic singer-songwriter’s first US release. Recorded in her home
town of Catania, Sicily, and featuring guest appearances by the Beninese
singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo
and Balkan composer Goran Bregovic,
“Eva Contro Eva” is a set of musical tales depicting Consoli’s reflections on
the wide range of contradictions -- the beauties and hardships -- encountered
in contemporary life on the Mediterranean island.
Consoli has been honored with
numerous awards including the MTV Italian Music Award for Best Video (Parole di
Burro) in 2001; Best Female Artist at the Italian Music Awards in both 2002 and
2003 and Best Song at the Taormina Film Festival for the soundtrack of the
international hit film “L’Ultimo Bacio” (The Last Kiss). Zach Braff’s recent
film The Last Kiss is an adaptation of the Italian film, whose title was
inspired by Consoli’s song.
Consoli served as Artistic
Director of the summer 2008 Etna Music World Festival in Sicily. In May 2006
Consoli was named a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF representing Italy then went
on to headline the MTV Europe Foundation’s Exit concert in Vlore Albania, to
benefit NGOs working against human trafficking in the European Union. In
February 2005 Consoli was chosen to represent Italy at the Africa Unite concert
in Ethiopia celebrating the 60th anniversary of Bob Marley's birth. She
participated in Quincy Jones' "We Are The Future" project, a live
concert held at the Circus Maximus in Rome in May 2004, which was a fund-raiser
to support children in war-torn cities. The resulting benefit CD was sold in
Starbucks in the US. Consoli’s debut New York City and Austin, TX appearances
at Joe’s Pub and the SXSW Festival in March 2004 were aired in Italy as an MTV
Rockumentary.
Chelsea Baratz
Chelsea Baratz Chelsea Baratz, saxophone / Orrin Evans, Piano / John Davis, Drums / Corey Wilkes, trumpet
Upon moving to New York,
Chelsea met trumpeter & producer Maurice Brown and they teamed up to
complete her debut album In Faith. In addition, Chelsea played on Aretha
Franklin's album, "Jewels in the Crown", and is featured as an artist
& composer on Corey Wilkes' debut release, "Drop It" (Delmark
Records). Chelsea also played with the 2007 IAJE Sisters in Jazz collegiate
all-stars, performed at the 2007 IAJE conference in New York, the Mary Lou
Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and the
Costa Rica International Jazz Festival in San Jose, Costa Rica. Chelsea has
also performed with such esteemed artists as Louis Hayes, Christian McBride,
The Roots, DJ Logic, Roy Hargrove, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Vincent
Herring, Eric Lewis, Rob Glasper, and Robert Irving III.
Chelsea's debut record
"In Faith" features eight original compositions and a Fela Kuti
tribute that show this young artist's strong roots in the jazz tradition as a
player & composer, while revealing influences from R&B, hip-hop,
gospel, contemporary jazz, and blues music. Produced by trumpet player &
producer Maurice Brown, the album boasts a roster of himself & Corey Wilkes
on trumpet & flugel horn; Orrin Evans & Mike Murray on piano; Richie
Goods & Luques Curtis on bass; Obed Calvaire, Joe Blaxx & Jevon Rushton
on drums, and special guests Renee Nuefville (vocals), Chris Rob (vocals &
keys), Raymond Angry (keys) and Craig Handy (flute).
Chris Dave Trio
Chris Dave Trio Chris Dave, drums / Kebbi Williams, tenor saxophone / Derrick Hodge, bass
"Definition of a
Drummer" - Modern Drummer
Currently touring with
6-time Grammy Nominee, Maxwell along with bassist Derrick Hodge who will be
featured in Chris Dave's Trio for the 2010 WinterJazz Fest. Joining the trio is
tenor saxaphonist Kebbi Williams hailing from Atlanta, GA who has been featured
with artists like Russell Gunn & Andre Hayward.
More in Chris "Daddy"
Dave: Having blessed the
scene for over 10 years with his unique musical styling, Chris Dave's
musicianship defies classification and places him among the drum-world's best.
His articulated beats, intrinsic rhythms and innovative inflections have gained
him recognition as one of the most influential and prototypical drummers in the
industry today. Chris has been around the world and back playing for and
recording with some of music's most established and iconic artists including:
Kenny Garrett, Terrence Blanchard, Dolly Parton, Wynton Marsalis, Pat Metheny,
Me'shell N'Degeocello, Robert Glasper Trio, Nicolas Payton, TLC, Toni Braxton,
Kevin Mahogany, Kim Burrell, Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Common, Maxwell, Talib
Kweli, Jill Scott, A Tribe Called Quest, Vicente Archer, Mint Condition (Janet
Jackson World Tour), Vernel Brown, Munyungo Jackson, Romero Lubambo, Dianne
Reeves, Otmaro Ruiz, Michelle Williams, Sa Ra, Geri Allen, Yolanda Adams,
Robert Hurst Trio, Donald Brown Trio, Soulful Symphony and Reginald Veal, just
to name a few. Chris is currently touring with Maxwell and special dates
with Mos Def, Robert Glasper Trio and The Experiment band. The release of his
first album is set for 2010.
The Claudia Quintet
The Claudia Quintet John Hollenbeck, drums / Ted Reichman, accordion / Chris Speed, reeds / Matt Moran, vibraphone / Trevor Dunn, bass / guest: Gary Versace, piano
"For" is the new CD by the Claudia Quintet, the genre-defying band led by Grammy-nominated composer John Hollenbeck. "For" is a positive message. "For" is driving rhythms, beautiful melodies, and passionate virtuosity. "For" is for all music lovers. "For" is also their fourth CD. Since Hollenbeck first presented the band in an internet cafe on Avenue A in Manhattan in 1997, the Claudia Quintet has amazed audiences from Alabama to the Amazon. Their unique sound has inspired dancing hippie girls at a New Mexico noise festival, the avant-garde cognoscenti in the concert halls of Vienna and Sao Paolo, and a generation of young musicians worldwide. In the course of the thousands of miles they have traveled together and hundreds of concerts they've played, the Claudia Quintet has evolved and grown, developing a dynamic live sound based on trust and spontaneity. They bring this powerful energy into the studio, where they record the old-fashioned way, live, playing as a band. The legions of people who have been won over by the music of the Claudia Quintet live and on CD attest to the fact that genre-defying new music need not be "inaccessible." "For" is for everyone.
Darcey James Argue's Secret Society
Darcy James Argue's Secret Society Wind Section: Erica vonKleist / Rob Wilkerson / Sam Sadigursky / Seneca Black / Josh Sinton Trumpet Section: Seneca Black / Tom Goehring / Matt Holman / Nadje Noorhuis /Ingrid Jensen Trombone Section: Mike Fahie / Alan Ferber / James Hirschfeld / Jennifer Wharton Rhythm Section: Sebastian Noelle, guitar / TBD, piano / Matt Clohesy, bass / Jon Wikan, drums
A rising bandleader on the New York jazz scene, Darcy James Argue directs Secret Society, a dynamic 18-piece band featuring his original works. The group includes fiery soloists like trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, saxophonist Erica vonKleist, and trombonist Ryan Keberle. Secret Society is a cutting-edge group, in the lineage of the Maria Schneider Orchestra and the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, but also evoking the cinematic sweep of indie bands like Tortoise and TV On The Radio, and the rogue spirit of DIY new music groups like Anti-Social Music. Secret Society have performed at a variety of NYC venues including The Jazz Gallery, Makor, Union Hall, Flux Factory, Bowery Poetry Club, and the late CBGB. In January 2008, Argue led the band’s Canadian splinter cell, Secret Society North, in a tour which included a showcase at the prestigious IAJE Conference and performances in Montreal and Toronto. In October of 2006, he made his European debut, leading the Cologne Contemporary Jazz Orchestra in a concert of his music at the jazz.cologne festival. He is also a founding member of the New York composers’ federation Pulse, who have presented projects featuring John Abercrombie, John McNeil, and Pete McCann. The Los Angeles-based Symphonic Jazz Orchestra commissioned and premiered The Golden Age and recently recorded the work. Last year, Argue was selected for the Brooklyn Philharmonic Composer Mentorship Program, and composed Dean St. for the orchestra. His Body Double, for string quartet and tapan, will be premiered this April at the Music Off The Walls series at the Brooklyn Museum. He created the arrangements for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s concerts with jazz-soul songstress Lizz Wright, alt-country artist Shelby Lynne, and the Klezmer Conservatory Band. Argue’s awards include the BMI Charlie Parker Composition Prize/Manny Albam Commission, the SOCAN Award for Composition, the Down Beat Student Music Award, and grants from Meet The Composer, the American Music Center, and the Canada Council for the Arts. In addition to his own groups, Argue’s music has been performed by the BMI New York Jazz Orchestra, the Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, the University of North Texas Jazz Repertory Ensemble, the NEC Jazz Composers’ Orchestra, the McGill Jazz Orchestra, and others. Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, Argue was mentored by legendary jazz composer Bob Brookmeyer. He has also studied with Lee Hyla, Randall Woolf, Maria Schneider, and John Hollenbeck. He maintains a lively blog, which features commentary, photos, and live recordings.
Dr. Lonnie Smith
Dr. Lonnie Smith Lonnie Smith, the b3 organ / Jamire Williams, drums / Jonathan Kresiberg, guitar
Dr. Lonnie Smith is an authentic Master of the Hammond B3 organ. For over five decades he has furthered the sound of Jazz Organ, created a worldwide fan-base, and revealed his musical talents on over seventy albums. Today, his name is truly synonymous with the instrument. Jazz Times magazine recently described him as “a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a turban!” This kind of description suggests the level of complexity that he exhibits in his music and the pure amazement that it elicits. Much has been written about his music…but just who is Dr. Lonnie Smith? Lonnie Smith has consistently been a leading force in jazz since 1969 when critics for Downbeat magazine hailed him as ‘Top Organist of 1969.’ More recently he has been selected as ‘Organ Keyboardist of the Year’ by The Jazz Journalist Association in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009. Born in Buffalo, New York, Lonnie was blessed with the gift of music and gained an exposure to gospel, blues and jazz through his mother at an early age. In his teens, he went on to sing in several vocal groups including his own, “The Supremes,” formed long before Diana Ross used the name. Lonnie has recorded and performed with Randy Brecker, John Abercrombie, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Ronnie Cuber, Kenny Garrett, Lenny White, Reuben Wilson, Lee Morgan, David ‘Fat Head’ Newman, King Curtis, Blue Mitchell, Joe Lovano, Jimmy McGriff, Frank Foster, Ron Carter, Grover Washington, Jr., Dizzy Gillespie and virtually anyone else you care to name. A prolific creative force and innovator, his musical evolution has included recording everything from tribute albums to Jimi Hendrix and John Coltrane to straight-ahead jazz, funk and acid-jazz recordings. During the past decade there has been a resurgence of interest in the Hammond B3 and Dr. Smith has been amused to find himself sampled in rap, dance and house grooves while being credited as a forefather of Acid Jazz. His recent critically acclaimed recording of pop star Beck’s tunes, including “Loser,” has secured his relevance with yet another generation of music fans. When questioned about his consistent interest in music some consider outside the jazz mainstream, Lonnie says, “Jazz is American Classical, and this music is a reflection of what’s happening at the time.” His inspired interpretation of an eclectic sampling of musical types explains in part his broad appeal and why he has been in constant demand from his earliest gigs to his most recent club appearances. Revered throughout the world and popular among many disparate groups, his unique stylings and prolific output have elevated him to the status of living musical icon. Lonnie's irrepressible energy infuses his music and audience with the joy that he has always found in creating and performing. “The organ is like sunlight, rain and thunder—it’s all the worldly sounds to me!”
Elliott Sharp's Terraplane
Elliott Sharp's Terraplane Elliott Sharp, guitar and tenor saxophone / Eric Mingus, vocals / Reut Regev, trombone / Alex Harding, baritone saxophone / Dave Hofstra, bass / John Mc. Kenzie, drums
There is hardly another artist who is active
in so many areas of music than ELLIOTT
SHARP. He has written works for orchestras and
string quartets, which have been performed by the Kronos Quartet and the
Soldier String Quartet; with his Band Carbon he redefined the Jazzcore;
together with Ned Rothenberg and Samm Bennett he formed the avant-garde Trio,
Semantics; he has improvised with John Zorn, Zeena Parkins, Christian Marclay,
Marc Ribot, Joey Baron, DJ Soulslinger and many others; with his Tectonics project
he brought the triumphs of Techno and Drum ‘n’ Bass together with experiences
in free improvisation; he has celebrated pure rock power with such bands as the
Boodlers, Bootstrappers or most recently Raw Meat; formed the guitar trio,
Guitar Oblique, with Vernon Reid and David Torn; and his State Of The Union
compilations he regularly takes stock of the New York scene – just to name a
few of his activities. In addition to all of these innovative bands and
projects Sharp also occasionally returns to the traditional. His folk-rock
band, Mofungo, is legendary. With his band TERRAPLANE he has been piloting the abyss of the
Blues for some years now. When Elliott Sharp speaks about the Blues, he
does not mean translating the Blues into futuristic corset, regardless of how
it is defined. He looks for authenticity, continuity and stability in his
Blues. His songs are of archaic beauty. Yet, he does not copy the alleged
Romanticism of the pre-modern cotton fields. His Blues aren’t playing in the
Mississippi Delta or on Chicago’s South side, but in the witch’s cauldron of
the Hudson Delta, the most famous island of which is named Manhattan. TERRAPLANE
is more than just a vehicle for Elliott Sharp. It is a New
York all-star band. Alex Harding (Roy Hargrove, Aretha Franklin,
Sun Ra All-Star Project) plays baritone saxophone, and Sharp
himself takes over the tenor sax. Rounding off the horn arrangements is Curtis
Fowlkes (Lounge Lizards, Jazz Passengers) on trombone. Tony Lewis is on drums.
Bass is played by the avant-garde legend, Dave Hofstra, known from such bands
as The President and the Microscopic Septet. Behind the microphone is Charlie
Mingus’ heavyweight son, Eric Mingus, one of the greatest blues singers of our
day. Sharp allows his fellow musicians every bit of freedom to move their own
ways within the songs without breaking out of the context of the band. The
spectrum reaches from minimalist soli to explosive Electro-Blues.
Emile Parisien
Emile Parisiene Julien Touéry, piano / Ivan Gélugne, bass / Sylvain Darrifourcq,
drums / Emile Parisien, saxophone
The Emile
Parisien Quartet is one of the most exciting band on the modern scene. Since 2004,
these young musicians have amazed their audience with spirit and maturity.
Their performances, in great festivals such as Marciac, Tououse, Chateauvallon,
in Paris: Duc des Lombards, Sunset, La Fontaine, Les Disquaires, but also in
Budapest, Zurich, London, Dublin and more recently Recife, have been applauded
by both audience and critics, delighted by the commitment and energy showed on
stage. Originality
is neither artificial nor demonstrative here, but emerges from the intense
exploration of familiar musical trends; that of Coltrane and Wayne Shorter of
course, but also Hector Berlioz, Igor Stravinsky and Arnold Schoenberg. If their
rereading of this musical heritage is so fascinating, it has to do with the
implication and the artistic rigour which nourishes the four musicians. Every
note, every bar is played with the expressiveness of those urged to transmit
their passion. These four musicians are one single voice, and though they all
possess great individual skills, the audience is never disturbed from the
emotional course of their collective compositions.” For the issue
of their first record in 2006 Au revoir
porc-épic ( Laborie Jazz / Naïve) , France Musique devoted several programs
to promote the band: Jazz de Coeur, jazz
de pique ( Alex Dutilh ) Le jazz club
( Claude Carrière et Jean Delmas) et Jazz
sur le vif ( Xavier Prevost ). National press ( Télérama, Libération, l’Humanité, Jazzman…) also welcomed this
first album. Their second
CD was an even greater succes since the record was elected " Choc Jazzman
" by the french jazz magazine Jazzman
, and they were rewarded with a 2009 Jazz Award as Revelation of the Year ( broadcasted on national television )
.
A modern day pop artist and musical revolutionary, piano
iconoclast ELEW is making a substantial impression on the music world
with a thunderous new style of playing: an inspired melding of ragtime, rock,
pop & hip-hop that he calls Rockjazz. ELEW has toured the world, recorded,
and performed continuously with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center
Orchestra, Elvin Jones, Roy Hargrove, and Cassandra Wilson, among others. He won the 1999 Thelonious Monk International Piano
Competition, his mesmerizing piano theatrics even then hinting at the new
musical paradigm he would one day create. Now, as he continues to gain
notoriety with his blistering renditions of rock and pop hits by today’s top
artists, he has broken free of the rigidly defined boundaries of the
traditional jazz world and ultimately given birth to something wholly original. His relentless innovation and disregard for the musical
status quo has attracted the rapt attention and following of political,
artistic, and cultural leaders across the globe, including Michelle Obama (for
whom he played at the White House), Donna Karan, Robert F. Kennedy III, and
Judith Jamison. For Jamison, he has recently composed the original music for a
brand new dance piece entitled “Among Us,” in honor of her 20th anniversary as
Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Artistic Director. While on an eight week European tour during the summer of
2009, ELEW took some time in Milan to record his highly anticipated debut album
of Rockjazz covers, entitled Rockjazz: Vol. 1—to be released in
Fall/Winter 2009. In addition to a characteristically busy touring schedule, he
is currently working on a slew of film and television scoring projects,
including an animated series, several Hollywood features and an upcoming
project with the Walt Disney Company. See ELEW in action at www.elewtube.com.
Jason Miles,
keys / DJ Logic / Falu, vocals / Josh Dion, drums / Will Bernard, guitar /
Casey Benjamin, saxophone / James Genus, bass
Keyboardist extraordinaire Jason Miles, who has
worked with everyone from Miles Davis and Luther Vandross to Ivan Lins, and
turntable guru DJ Logic, who has collaborated with such diverse artists as
Phish, Vernon Reid, ?uestlove and Don Byron, join forces on Global Noize, to
create free-wheeling tracks that take listeners on a wide-ranging journey with
innovative guests such as Meshell Ndegeocello, Billy Martin (Medeski, Marin
& Wood), Vernon Reid (Living Color), John Popper (Blues Traveler), Cyro Baptista,
Bernie Worrell (Talking Heads, Parliament-Funkadelic) and Karl Denson. Global Noize is a project that has long been brewing in
Miles' mind but the idea was solidified when he got a call from his friend DJ
Logic to join him for a performance at the Blue Note in NY. "On that day I
had a horrible root canal and was mourning the loss of a close relative. I
thought that this could be just the tonic I needed to pick myself up,"
recalls Miles. The night was exactly what Miles had hoped and from this experience
he knew that he and Logic had a special connection. The duo later worked
together in Morocco at The Casablanca Jazz Festival and had the opportunity to
venture off to Marrakech. Miles shares, "We went through life-altering
experiences. It was so new to us - mysterious, crazy and another view of the
world. We both knew we had to make this project happen. The picture on the CD
over of the both of us with the camel in the desert says it all!" Global Noize, which DJ Logic describes as "a hip and
eclectic musical journey crossing all boundaries," is an organic,
free-spirited sonic brew of some of the best elements of jazz, funk,
electronica and world fusion – it is music without borders. Miles says,
"We started with Cyro Baptista and Billy Martin jamming in the studio and
built up the tracks from there. Logic and I pooled our musical resources and
had some of the best cutting-edge artists play on the record." From the
album's opening track, "A Jam 4 Joe" (dedicated to the late
piano/keyboard wizard Joe Zawinul) to its concluding statements on "What I
Know," Global Noize takes listeners on a mind-bending, global adventure
featuring all original compositions. Miles concludes "When I hear music I love I want to be
involved with it. It would be boring for me to stay in one place musically so I
love to explore different music. I know Miles Davis felt that way and I'm just
trying to keep the grooves hot, the melodies great and collaborate with the
best artists I know. Hopefully Logic and I will be bringing Global Noize to the
world and show people our musical vision."
Gretchen Parlato
Gretchen Parlato Gretchen Parlato, vocals / Taylor Eigsti, piano / Alan Hampton, bass / Kendrick Scott, drums
Gretchen Parlato’s voice is a
thing of wonder. Striking the ideal balance between precision and flexibility,
she is never predictable, blurring the lines between singer and instrumentalist
as she takes a lyric to places it’s never before been. As evidenced on her CD In A Dream which Jazz Times calls “utterly, unfailingly mesmerizing”, Parlato
displays what Herbie Hancock describes as a
"deep, almost magical connection to the music".Billboard Magazine has announced the CD
as “The most
alluring jazz vocal album of 2009 and NPR counts it as among “The Years Best
New Jazz” releases. Both Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter became fans when
Parlato was studying at The Thelonious Monk Institute for Jazz Studies. Shorter has said "in an inconspicuous way,
Gretchen plays the same instrument as Frank Sinatra."Since winning the 2004 Thelonious
Monk International Competition for Jazz Vocals, Parlato has recorded and
performed with Terence Blanchard, Kenny Barron, Esperanza Spalding, Lionel
Loueké, Sean Jones, DJ Khalil, and Cut Chemist among others. She tours
regularly with her band in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Ibrahim Maalouf
Ibrahim Maalouf Ibrahim Maalouf, trumpet / Eric Groleau, drums / Franck Woeste, keys / Nenad Gajin, guitar / Benjamin Molinaro, bass
In 1980, with the majestic columns of the temples of Baal beck suffering from the relentless bombings of a civil war that had been going on for many years, the entire world was wondering how it was possible for such wonders to be destroyed by the very hands of those who had erected them. It was not the best time to come into the world in Lebanon, and as soon as he was born, Ibrahim Maalouf was uprooted from his motherland. He kept the music of his childhood buried inside for many years, and later this homesickness helped him to develop his musical world, urging him to share it and introduce it to other people. Ibrahim grew up and lived his exile in France in a family that had become well-known after several generations in different fields such as music, painting, journalism, poetry, literature and teaching. Ibrahim discovered trumpet with his father Nassim Maalouf - a former student of Maurice André and the first Arabic trumpeter to play Western classical music. He studied modern, classical, baroque and contemporary concertos, and at the same time was surrounded by Arabic classical, ethnic and traditional music. All those types of music were based on makams (Arabic modes) and Ibrahim could reproduce them thanks to his father’s invention in the late sixties – the quarter-tone trumpet (with a fourth valve). The monotonous and insistent music that comes out of this particular trumpet is the expression of an age-old culture. Nobody before his father had thought of paying tribute to it by adapting the Arabic musical language to the trumpet. Ibrahim as a boy used to dream of becoming an architect in order to rebuild Lebanon. Instead he built his life around that rich and mixed heritage which he can communicate through his music. Ibrahim has received numerous prestigious diplomas, honorary awards and international prizes. It is impossible to classify him in a single genre since he finds as much interest in classical music as he does in jazz, light music, ethnic music, or even in modern electronic music. Ibrahim doesn’t relate to one specific genre, but integrates several into his own music. The extremely talented musicians and singers with whom he collaborates allow him to express himself freely, but Ibrahim is now looking for something more personal. Ibrahim’s meeting with Vincent Ségal, and then with Lhasa de Sela, was seminal in the conception and development of this first album. Ibrahim lives in a world that looks like his own career as a musical wanderer. He doesn’t like to pigeonhole nor to create a hierarchy between the numerous musical influences that inspired him and listens likewise to Oum Kalsoum and Fairuz; or Bach, Mahler and Mozart; or Dizzie Gillespie, Miles Davis, pop music, hip hop, electronic and alternative music, French popular songs, and contemporary classical music. Ibrahim thought of this album as a place where Eastern hues naturally mingle with the Western urban sounds in which they were created. It is a musical mix that is both open to the modern world and profoundly respectful of age-old traditions. It is the acoustic rendition of a world in movement, a world that displaces peoples among cries – sometimes of pain and sometimes of joy – but always creates new encounters that transform human beings and give them the urge to explore new possible paths.
J. Viewz
J.Viewz Jonathan Dagan, turntables and guitar / Noa Lembersky, vocals / Urijah, trumpet, guitar, vocals /
Eran Asia, drums / Alon Leventon, keyboards
The
electro-acoustic project J.Viewz arrives
for a late night party at Le Poisson
Rouge as a part of 2010's Winter Jazz Festival.
With its 5-piece band,featuring vocalistNoa Lembersky & MC Urijah, J.Viewz Live seamlessly shifts from
Nu-Jazz to Reggae, from
Electro to live Trip-Hop.
Founded by
Brooklyn-based Israeli producer Jonathan Dagan, J.Viewz is known for its distinctive electronic processing
of live sound that creates an organic feel within the
digital music world. J.Viewz is also known for numerous remixes
and cover versions such as the latest single - a cover version of Michael
Jackson's Smooth Criminal, which has
been topping playlists worldwide including the UK's prestigious Jazz FM as well as being remixed
by Bugz in the Attic and
picked up by Tru Thoughts Records, BBE records and others.
Jaleel Shaw
Jaleel Shaw Jaleel
Shaw, saxophone / Ben Williams, bass / Johnathan Blake, drums / Aaron Goldberg, piano
In the beginning of
2008, Jaleel launched his on record label - Changu Records, on which he
released his second CD - Optimism. In the Summer of 2008, Jaleel was nominated
as one of the Up and Coming Jazz Musicians of the year by the Jazz Journalist
Association. Today Jaleel continues to perform primarily in 3 groups - The Roy
Haynes Quartet, the Mingus Big Band, and his own Quartet and Quintet.
Jamie Leonhart,
vocals / Michael Leonhart, piano & trumpet / Gary Wang, acoustic bass / TBA,
drums / TBA, horns and reeds
Leonhart's songs can be smart, whimsical or atmospheric,
and her strong melodic sense and soulful feel can handle jazzy downtempo or
folk-pop (imagine Feist, Laura Nyro and Corinne Bailey Rae on a bicycle
built for three)." Nick Dedina, Rhapsody.com
Drawing comparisons to the likes of Norah Jones, Feist,
Madeleine Peyroux and even Sarah Vaughan, the sharp-witted chanteuse Jamie
Leonhart is an artist who refuses to be categorized, dynamic in emotional range
and diverse in genre-crossing ability.
Jamie Saft's Whoopie Pie
Jamie Saft's Whoopie Pie Bill McHenry, saxophone / Jamie Saft, bass and keys / Mike Pride, drums
Jamie Saft is a producer,
composer, and multi-instrumentalist from New York. Saft’s stylistic
versatility, multi-instrumentalist capabilities, and production skills have
been featured with The Beastie Boys, Bad Brains, The B-52’s, Laurie Anderson,
John Zorn, John Adams, Antony and the Johnsons, and scores of other artists.
Saft is a mainstay of the downtown scene and a member of bands such as The Beta
Popes, Whoopie Pie, Swami LatePlate, The Shakers and Bakers, The Dreamers, and
Electric Masada. Saft has recently composed a number of original film scores
and music for television. Recent films scored include the Oscar nominated film
“Murderball”, Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner “God Grew Tired Of Us”, and
currently airing HBO documentary “Dear Talula”. Saft has also contributed score
music for Nickelodeon, MTV, and A&E. Saft has released a number of records,
including “Breadcrumb Sins” (Tzadik), “Trouble- The Jamie Saft Trio Plays Bob
Dylan” (Tzadik), “Sovlanut” (Tzadik), and Swami LatePlate’s “Doom Jazz” (Veal).
for a complete discography, please see www.jamiesaft.com
Jayme Stone presents Africa to Appalachia
Jayme Stone presents Africa to Appalachia Jayme Stone, banjo / Yacouba Sissoko, kora and vocals / Mike Barnett, fiddle / Brandi Disterheft, bass / Nick Fraser, percussion
Two-time
Juno Award winning banjoist Jayme Stone and Malian kora master Yacouba Sissoko build
a boundary-crossing musical bridge from Africa to Appalachia in their new
collaboration. Jayme Stone keeps an ear to the ground. His curiosity and
unlikely set of reference points started early with the quirky physics of the
banjo, led to a mysterious librarian who stocked his local public library with
a vast trove of banjo recordings, and landed him long-lasting lessons with a
series of maestros, from Béla Fleck to Bill Frisell. Influenced by Japanese
poetry and Brazilian literature and featuring what he calls a “tiny symphony
that takes place inside an imaginary light bulb”, Stone’s album, The Utmost,
won the 2008 Juno Award for Instrumental Album of the Year.The most recent chapter in Stone’s
musical travelogue takes place in Africa. He went knowing what’s still news to
most: that the hide-covered instrument with an “extra” drone string we call the
banjo actually comes from West Africa. He became particularly curious about the
music that may not have made it across the ocean on slave ships headed west
from Senegal and Mali in the 1700-1800’s. An eight-week trip to Mali was supported
by a prestigious Chalmers Arts Fellowship and found Stone sitting in with
Toumani Diabate and the Symmetric Orchestra in downtown Bamako, lost in circles
of Wassoulou polyrhythms and in a rural Dogon village with no electricity where
he inadvertently discovered a banjo predecessor unheard of in the West. The
resulting album, Africa to Appalachia, featuring kora player Mansa Sissoko,
ngoni master Bassekou Kouyate and fiddle pioneer Casey Driessen, won the 2009
Juno Award for World Music Album of the Year.
Hailed by
the New York Times as "a tenor saxophonist with an enigmatic, elegant and
hard-driving
style," J.D. Allen is a bright rising light on today’s international jazz
scene.His unique and compelling
voice on the instrument – the result of a patient and painstaking confrontation
with the fundamentals of the art - has recently earned Allen a blaze of
critical attention signaling his ascension to the upper ranks of the
contemporary jazz world.
Originally
from Detroit, Allen’s apprenticeship, anchored by his lengthy tenure with Betty
Carter,occurred largely in New York, where he worked with
legends Lester Bowie, George Cables, Ron Carter, Louis Hayes, Frank Foster Big
Band, Winard Harper, Butch Morris, David Murray, Wallace Roney.He added his voice to that of his
contemporaries as well; Cindy Blackman, Orrin Evans, Meshell Ndegeocello, Dave
Douglas, Jeremy Pelt, Gerald Cleaver and Nigel Kennedy continue to call upon
him to augment their musical visions.
J.D.'s
debut album, IN SEARCH OF... (Criss Cross, 1999), won him the Best New
Artist award in Italy, and reviewers praised him for his compositions and
conceptual boldness.
His
second release, PHAROAH’S CHILDREN (Criss Cross, 2002), again won him accoladesfor its
thoughtfulness, maturity, and adventurousness. One of Jazziz Magazine's CriticsPicks Top
10 Albums of the Year, the album was widely praised in the U.S. and Europe.
In 2008
Allen began an association with Sunnyside records, which released I AM –
I AM featuring Gregg August (bass) and Rudy Royston (drums), which
garnered rave reviews from the New York Times (Ben Ratliff’s Playlist), Time Out NY (music cover),
All About
Jazz, Jazzman, Jazz Wise and Downbeat. That year
Allen was awarded Rising Star Tenor
Saxophone in the 56th Annual Downbeat
Critics Poll and appeared on NPR'sJazz
Perspectives, WNYC's Soundcheck and WKCR's Musician's Show.
In 2009,
Allen released his follow-up Sunnyside recording, “SHINE!” which seems to
have detonated the trail of musical gunpowder he had long been putting
down.Word-of-mouth praise for the
album led Lorraine Gordon, owner of the famed and historic Village Vanguard to
invite him and his trio for a weeklong stint.The engagement was met with relentless coverage from the
cultural press:Time Out New York
selected his engagement as its top musical attraction for that week; he
appeared on WNYC’s Leonard Lopate Show; his work was again discussed by Ben
Ratliff on jazz journalist Josh Jackson’s radio show; and the New York Times
reviewed his residency, commending Allen for his trio’s “fearless
approach to a formidable tradition.”
Jenny Scheinman is a singer, violin player, composer and arranger. She grew up in the sticks playing folk music with her family, went on to study at Oberlin Conservatory, and has been performing as a violinist/fiddler since she was a teenager. She has taken the #1 Rising Star Violinist title in the Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll and has been listed as one of their Top Ten Overall Violinists for the last five years. In addition, she has garnered numerous high-profile arranging credits with artists such as Lucinda Williams, Bono, Lou Reed and Sean Lennon, and has toured and recorded with Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, Madeleine Peyroux, Nels Cline, Vinicius Cantuaria, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Mark Ribot. She has four releases of original music under her belt, the last of which, 12 Songs, was named by the New York Times (Ben Ratliff) as one of the Top Ten Albums of 2005. She will be releasing her next two on May 27, 2008 on Koch. The eponymous Jenny Scheinman, produced by Tony Scherr, is her debut recording as a singer and it focuses on the American folk/country/rock music of her childhood. Crossing The Field is her fifth instrumental release and features Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Ron Miles, Doug Weiselman, Tim Luntzel and Kenny Wollesen (who also appear on Jenny Scheinman), plus a string orchestra led by Eyvind Kang and Brooklyn Rider.
Jeremy Udden's Plainville
Jeremy Udden's Plainville Jeremy Udden, saxophones / Brandon Seabrook, banjo and guitar / Pete Rende, pump organ and Fender Rhodes / Eivind Opsvik, bass / RJ Miller, drums
Supporting their new album
on Fresh Sound New Talent, the Brooklyn based, banjo and pump organ
driven Plainville combines "rock, free, and folk built upon the
underlying jazz" (JAZZMAN, FRANCE), and has been labeled "Jazz for
Wilco fans—a rural vibe that has a dash of a New England starkness to it, even
when the aggression takes over" (VILLAGE VOICE).
Joel Harrison Sextet Joel Harrison, acoustic guitar / Donny McCaslin, sax / Christian Howes, violin / Dan Tepfer, keys / Stephan Crump, bass / Ted Poor, drums Guitarist,
composer, and vocalist Joel Harrison resists categorization: his music
is informed by western and non-western traditions, notated and
improvised music. His foundation is Jazz, but he is at home writing
songs and complex chamber music as well. Harrison has released ten cds
of his own compositions and arrangements on six different record labels
since 1995.Acclaimed NYC critic Bill Milkowski called his 2008 release, The Wheel, � a staggering work of indescribable beauty.�
Harrison graduated from Bard College with a bachelors degree in
composition in 1980, studying with Joan Tower. He went on to study
privately with numerous composers and performers, including Ali Akbar
Khan, Abubakari Lunna, William Mathieu, Charlie Banacos, and Mick
Goodrick, and has himself taught music to adults and children for many
years. While living in the San Francisco area in the 1990�s Harrison
organized tribute concerts to a number of great jazz artists including
Jim Pepper and Jimmy Guiffre and released three cd�s of his own
compositions. Since moving to New York City in 1999, his projects have included: Free Country (radical renditions of old country and Appalachian music); Harrison on Harrison
(re-composed improvisations of the music of George Harrison), String
Choir (string quartet and two guitars play music of Paul Motian); Harbor with renowned guitarist Nguyen Le; �The Wheel�, an extended suite for String quartet and jazz quartet plus guitar, and Passing Train, a
collection of original songs. A new Highnote cd, Urban Myths, was
released in Spring 2009 and features David Binney, Christian Howes,
Ambrose Akinmusire and others.
Harrison is best known for his composing and arranging skills. He has
twice been selected as the winner of the Jazz Composer�s Alliance
Julius Hemphill Composition Competition, and has been the recipient of
3 three commissions from Chamber Music America,as
well as Meet the Composer, the Cary Trust, NYSCA, Jerome Foundation,
and others. His solo for marimba recently took first prize in the
Percussive Arts Society�s worldwide competition. Other recent chamber
works include a twenty minute solo for cello written for Wendy Sutter.
Harrison is a four- time MacDowell Colony fellow. His allies in his
various projects have included Dave Liebman, Norah Jones, David Binney,
Uri Caine, Jamey Haddad, Dan Weiss, Daniel Kelly, Dewey Redman, Uri
Caine, Todd Reynolds, Christian Howes, and Caleb Burhans. He continues
to tour worldwide with his various ensembles.
Ken Thomson's Slow/Fast
Ken Thomson's Slow/Fast Ken Thomson, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, and compositions / Russ Johnson, trumpet / Nir Felder, guitar / Adam Armstrong, bass / John Hollenbeck, drums
Brooklyn-based saxophonist,
clarinetist, and composer Ken Thomson, “the hardest-working saxophonist in new
music” (Time Out NY), co-leader of GUTBUCKET and ASPHALT ORCHESTRA, performer
in SIGNAL, WORLD/INFERNO FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY, FIRE IN JULY, and acclaimed
emerging composer commissioned by BANG ON A CAN and the AMERICAN COMPOSERS
ORCHESTRA, unveils his new project.
SLOW/FAST aims to connect
the heavily-composed work Thomson has written for new music ensembles Bang on a
Can All-Stars, American Composers Orchestra, Ethel, Anti-Social Music, etc.,
and connect it with small ensemble jazz. The music is long-form and
through-composed, yet requires the personality of the musicians to succeed: He
calls it “21st Century Third Stream Music.”
He has recorded for
Knitting Factory, Enja, NRW, Cantaloupe, Nonesuch, and Cuneiform Records; and
toured to 19 countries and 32 US States with a variety of groups in the jazz,
rock, and avant-classical scenes. The San Francisco Weekly writes, “Thomson’s
compositions are as complex as a beehive, filled with amber-hued nooks and
crannies that bear traces of jazz, world music, and classical, without
succumbing to any of them.”
Linda Oh
Linda Oh Linda Oh, bass / Adam Niewood, saxophone / Greg Ritchie, drums / Fabian Almazan, keys and samples
Born in Malaysia, raised in Western Australia and now living in New York City, Linda began playing piano, bassoon and electric bass before starting upright-bass in 2002 at the W.A Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) where she graduated with first-class honours. Linda was a James Morrison Scholarship Finalist in 2003 and in 2004 was an IAJE Sister in Jazz and received the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer’s award in 2008. She also received an honorary mention at the 2009 Thelonious Monk Bass Competition. Linda completed her Masters at the Manhattan School of Music in 2008 studying with Jay Anderson, John Riley, Phil Markowitz, Dave Liebman and Rodney Jones. She now teaches the precollege division there and conducts jazz videoconference master-classes for high-schools around the US. She is an active double bassist, electric bassist and composer, composing music for short films including the Student Academy Award nominated film “Wian Bu.” Linda has performed with the likes of Slide Hampton, TS Monk, Nathan Davis, George Cables, James Morrison, Tony Gould, George Cables, Nasheet Waits, Max Sharam, JD Walter, Joel Frahm, Billy Kilson, Steve Wilson and Billy Childs.She has just released her debut trio album "Entry" with Obed Calvaire and Ambrose Akinmusire which has received rave reviews and is one of Vijay Iyer’s top ten albums of 2009.
Lionel Loueke
Lionel Loueke Lionel Loueke, guitar and vocals / Massimo Biolcati, bass / Ferenc Nemeth, drums
On
February 9, 2010, Blue Note Records will release Mwaliko, the new album
from acclaimed vocalist/guitarist Lionel Loueke. Mwalian (pronounced
mwah-LEE-koh) is Swahili for “invitation,” and the album comprises a series of
searching, innovative, intimate duets with special guests vocalist Angelique
Kidjo, vocalist/bassist Esperanza Spalding, vocalist/bassist Richard Bona and
drummer Marcus Gilmore, as well as three new tracks featuring his longtime trio
with Massimo Biolcati on bass and Ferenc Nemeth on drums. Originally
from the small West African nation of Benin, Loueke has enjoyed a meteoric rise
over the past several years. Praised by his mentor Herbie Hancock as “a musical
painter,” he has appeared on numerous standout recordings such as Hancock’s
Grammy-winning River: The Joni Letters (2008) and Terence Blanchard’s
Grammy-nominated Flow (2005). Loueke’s 2007 Blue Note debut, Karibu,
established him as a one of the brightest new stars on the scene, and prompted The
New York Times to declare him “a startlingly original voice” and “one of
the most striking jazz artists to emerge is some time.” TIME called Karibu “a
jamboree of sprung rhythms, splashed with African and Brazilian flavors, in
which Loueke scat-sings, drums on his guitar, mouth-clicks and plays some
wicked jazz.” JazzTimes wrote “Loueke’s lines are smartly formed and
deftly executed. His ear-friendly melodicism draws both from traditional
African sources and a lifetime of closely studying the likes of Jim Hall and
George Benson, and his rhythmic shifts come quickly and packed with surprises.”
In 2008 and 2009, Loueke was picked as top Rising Star guitarist in Down
Beat magazine’s annual Critics Poll.
Marco Benevento
Marco Benevento Marco Benevento, piano / Reed Mathis, bass / Andrew Barr, drums
Marco Benevento career as a solo artist began almost unintentionally. During downtime from touring with The Benevento/Russo Duo in '06, his manager suggested he set up a residency at the late great NYC venue Tonic with some of his musical friends, such as Mike Gordon, Steven Bernstein, Claude Coleman, and Mike Dillon. Ropeadope documented the residency, releasing it as the 3-CD set Live At Tonic. This led Marco to form his own trio for a string of sold out U.S. shows and the recording of Invisible Baby. The 30-year old keyboardist’s debut studio album, proves Benevento Trio a sonic innovator in peak form, defying boundaries and genres to carve out his own universe. In contrast to his work with The Duo, Benevento utilizes acoustic piano as his main voice. His instinct for arranging acoustics in fresh ways remains intact as Marco runs his piano through projector amps and Leslie speakers, coloring tracks with Mellotron, Speak-N-Spell, banjo, a vintage church pump organ and circuit-bent toys.
Mark Guiliana's BEAT MUSIC
Mark Guiliana's BEAT MUSIC Mark Guiliana, drums / Jason Fraticelli, bass / Nir Felder, guitar / Aaron Dugan, guitar Still in his twenties, Mark Guiliana has consistently attracted international acclaim for his unique and un-compromised approach to music making. According to Modern Drummer magazine, he “may well be at the forefront of an exciting new style of drumming.” Mark’s current solo project, 'BEAT MUSIC’, delivers a beat-driven, guitar-heavy sound, derived from elements of electronic music, noise rock, and jazz. The project’s debut album, which is being co-produced by Meshell Ndegeocello, is due out in early 2010.
For more information please visit www.markguiliana.com.
Mary Halvorson
Mary Halvorson Mary Halvorson, guitar / John Hebert, bass / Tomas Fujiwara, drums Guitarist/composer
Mary Halvorson has been active in New York since 2002, following jazz studies
at Wesleyan University and the New School. In addition to her own band, The
Mary Halvorson Trio, she co-leads a chamber music duo with violist Jessica
Pavone and the avant-rock band, People, with drummer Kevin Shea. A veteran of
the ensembles of esteemed saxophonist/composer Anthony Braxton, she has also
performed with groups led by Tim Berne, Taylor Ho Bynum, Trevor Dunn, Tomas
Fujiwara, Curtis Hasselbring, Tony Malaby, Myra Melford, Nicole Mitchell, Jason
Moran, Marc Ribot, Matana Roberts, Elliott Sharp, John Tchicai and Matthew
Welch among many others. In 2008, the success of her trio’s debut, Dragon’s
Head (Firehouse 12 Records), led critics to call Ms. Halvorson “probably the
most original jazz guitarist to emerge this decade” (Peter Margasak, Chicago
Reader) and “the freshest, busiest, most critically acclaimed guitar- slinger
out of downtown Manhattan/Brooklyn right now” (Howard Mandel, Jazz Beyond
Jazz). “A singular talent,” adds AllAboutJazz.com’s Troy Collins, “Brooklyn-based
guitarist Mary Halvorson has come into her own as a composer and improviser
with her trio debut, Dragon’s Head…light years ahead of her peers, she is the
most impressive guitarist of her generation. The future of jazz guitar starts
here.”
TEACHING
Mary is available to teach guitar and composition lessons for students of all
ages and skill levels based in (or willing to travel to) Brooklyn, New York.
She has taught students through the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music,
workshops at the School for Improvised Music (SIM), and private lessons for
both adults and children.
Matt Wilson Quartet
Matt Wilson Quartet Matt Wilson, drums / Jeff Lederer, tenor & soprano saxophone, clarinet / Kirk Knuffke, clarinet / Chris Lightcap, bass
“There are a few more emphatically dazzling drummers
working today, but almost nobody in Wilson’s peer group with a broader sense of
jazz history, or a more natural sense of time, or a stronger signature as a
bandleader, or more goodwill among his fellow players.” Nate Chinen, JazzTimes Matt Wilson is one of jazz’s most celebrated spirits. He
exudes a playful sense of joy and well-being that inspires all who are around
him. Wilson’s musicianship and imagination defies category and his devout
dedication has helped establish him as a treasured jazz ambassador, on and off
the bandstand. Wilson was recently featured on the covers of both
Downbeat and JazzTimes magazines. He has garnered numerous awards including the
Downbeat Critic’s Poll for five consecutive years along with the Jazz
Journalists Associations Drummer of the Year award in 2003. He leads the Matt
Wilson Quartet and Arts and Crafts along with being a member of the Joe Lovano/
John Scofield Quartet, Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, Lee Konitz
Quartet and many other fine ensembles.Wilson has made 8 critically acclaimed recordings as a leader for
Palmetto Records and has appeared on 210 recordings as a sideman. Matt is proud to present the Matt Wilson Quartet at this
years Winter Jazz Festival. The band features his friends Jeff Lederer, Kirk
Knuffke and Chris Lightcap who are all extraordinary sonic communicators. In
June, they will present “What is Free Jazz?” at a Jazz at Lincoln Center Young
People’s Concert as part of their National Jazz Stimulus Project. “Whereas many jazz musicians and even more jazz fans tend
to align themselves with a particular school of thought (uptown vs. downtown,
bebop vs. fusion, etc.) this composer and drummer goes out of his way to prove
that it's all valid and can all come together in one set. Beyond that, he and
his band have a good time doing it, which makes perfect sense: People play
music because it's supposed to be fun. Some tend to forget this lesson, but
thankfully we have the Matt Wilson Quartet to remind us when we lose our way.” Tad Hendrickson AOL Spinner
Metta Quintet Marcus Strickland, tenor saxophone / Mark Gross, alto saxophone / David
Bryant, piano / Joshua Ginsburg, bass / Hans Schuman, drums
Metta Quintet is the official resident ensemble of
JazzReach Performing Arts & Education Association, Inc.
Since premiering its pilot program in 1997, JazzReach is one of our nation's
leading arts-education organizations. Its highly acclaimed programs have served
over 80,000 young people and have been presented by some of America's most
prestigious performing arts venues.
In addition to fulfilling the organization's endeavors in arts education, Metta
Quintet is dedicated exclusively to commissioning, recording and performing all
new works.
A highly creative unit comprised of some of today's fastest emerging jazz
artists, Metta Quintet aims to establish itself in the vanguard of contemporary
music ensembles as a unique, dynamic voice committed to exploring exciting new
artistic territory and the infinite boundaries of the live jazz experience.
“GENERATION
NEXT!” – Billboard
Magazine. The AS-IS Ensemble is the musical home of
composer/keyboardist Michael Bellar. This highly excitable, alt-jazz group
has opened for John Scofield, Tea
Leaf Green, Medeski, Martin and Wood, JFJO and Grant
Green Jr. The group has formerly been the house band at the world-famous Blue
Note jazz club in New York City and performed at such venues as Avery Fischer
Hall at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and
the JVC and Bell Atlantic Jazz Festivals in NYC. In a review of their
first ever performance in New York
City, Billboard Magazine hailed them as "Generation
Next." As a sideman, Michael currently tours with Amos
Lee and has also toured or recorded with Art Garfunkel, Howie
Day, Wheatus, Teddy Geiger, Jump Little Children and Italian pop star Giorgia.
His national TV appearances include Late Night with David Letterman, the
Late Show with Conan O’Brien Show, the Tonight Show with Jay
Leno, the Ellen Degeneres Show, TRL, Good Morning America, Regis and Kelly and
the CBS Morning Show. You can find more info
Mike Reed is a musician, composer and presenter based in Chicago. As a drummer, Reed has been part of the vibrant Chicago jazz and improvised music community since 1997. He has performed regularly with local luminaries such as Fred Anderson, David Boykin, Nicole Mitchell, Jeff Parker, Josh Abrams, Jim Baker, and Rob Mazurek, as well as Chicago Jazz legends Ira Sullivan, Julian Priester and Art Hoyle. As a performer he tours extensively in Europe and South America. While performing in a variety of projects locally, nationally and internationally, Reed also leads two widely acclaimed groups, Loose Assembly and People, Places & Things. Reed was named Chicagoan of the Year for Jazz (2008) by the Chicago Tribune and in the 57th annual Downbeat critics poll was distinguished as "Rising Jazz Star". (People, Places & Things also named as "Rising Jazz Group".) Over the course of a decade Reed has also established himself as a leading producer of musical performances and advocate for the performing arts. He is one of the main organizers for Umbrella Music, a five member team presenting weekly Jazz and Improvised music at various Chicago venues (approximating 280 sets of music per year as well as an accompanying festival). As a fresh addition to the historical collective known as the AACM, Reed was named Vice Chairmen in the spring of 2009. In other areas Reed works with the City of Chicago as a member of the Chicago Jazz Festival planning committee, programing partner for the Downtown Sound series at Millennium Park. Most notably Reed is the Director of the internationally renown Pitchfork Music Festival, drawing over 50,000 attendees to Chicago over 3 days and featuring today's most cutting edge rock and pop artists.
Nicholas Payton, trumpet and vocals / Taylor Eigsti,
piano & rhodes / Vicente Archer, bass / Marcus Gilmore, drums / Daniel
Sadownick, percussion / Johnaye
Kendrick, vocals
Since 1994 when Nicholas Payton made his recording debut as a leader with From This Moment, the trumpeter has been lauded as a significant, top-tier voice in music. Payton consistently committed himself to discovering his voice outside of the strict confines of a “rearview mirror approach” to the music. A true leader, Nicholas continues to push the envelope and move the music forward by meshing contemporary influences into his unique and distinctive sound. Born into a musical family (he remembers sitting under the piano while his father, bassist Walter Payton, rehearsed with his band) and mentored by two Crescent City jazz masters (Clyde Kerr Jr. at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and Ellis Marsalis at the University of New Orleans), Payton was well-prepared to leap into the fray when he emerged on the New York scene in the early 1990s. While his journey has taken him down many roads, including the red carpet for his Grammy winning recording with Doc Cheatham (1997)—the 35-year-old trumpeter has blossomed into his own musical maturity in a relatively short period of time. A testament to his prolific abilities, Nicholas Payton is also an accomplished musician on a multitude of instruments including piano, bass, saxophone, trombone, tuba, clarinet, and drums. Nicholas will be releasing his latest recording for Concord Records expected in the Spring of 2010.
Occidental Brothers Dance Band International feat Samba Mapangala
Chicago's Occidental Brothers Dance Band Int'l are pleased
to announce a new collaboration with Congolese music legend, the great Samba
Mapangala! Playing the best-loved songs from both repertoires, the
group will also perform new songs which fuse their strengths.
OBDBI's blend of high-energy soukous, Ghananian Highlife and African Jazz
conjures sounds of the golden age of the African guitar band, and has made
them favorites of music critics and devotees of the style. Their sound
has seduced an audience of listeners as diverse as the members of this
multi-racial band. OBDBI is led by guitarist Nathaniel Braddock, an
instructor at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music, twice profiled in
Guitar Player magazine. Braddock is joined by jazz phenom Greg Ward
on alto, Joshua Ramos on bass and Makaya McCraven on drums. The OBDBI
enjoyed a meteoric rise last year - after playing the Pitchfork Festival
in 2008, and GlobalFest in January 2009, they found themselves on the stages of
Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and with prime slots at both the Montreal
and Vancouver Jazz Festivals.
Born in Kinshasa, Congo, Samba Mapangala traveled with his ensemble "Les
Kinois" to Kampala, Uganda, and eventually to the Kenyan capital of
Nairobi, where he rebuilt the group as Virunga. At the center of the East
African music scene, Mapangala and Virunga recorded "Virunga
Volcano", recognized in "World Music: 100 Essential CDs" by
Simon Broughton. Samba sings in the melifluous, but rhythmically
complex style of the Congolese singers, blending both Swahili and Lingala.
The first OBDBI/Mapangala collaboration was the acclaimed tribute "Obama
Ubarikiwe" in celebration of our aspiring presidential candidate, and a
favorite son of Chicagoans and Africans alike. Plans for 2010 include an
East African residency in March, and extensive North American touring in the
Summer.
Oran Etkin
Oran Etkin Oran Etkin, clarinet, bass-clarinet, saxophone / Balla Kouyate, balafon / Makane Kouyate, clabash, djembe and vocals / Joe Sanders, bass
Oran Ektin has been described as a "great clarinet player" and "an excellent improviser" by the New York Times' jazz critic Ben Ratliff and a "woodwind maestro" by PRI's internationally syndicated show, Afropop Worldwide. He has performed around the world with musicians ranging from jazz guitarist Mike Stern to rapper Wyclef Jean. His latest album, Kelenia (Motema Music), fuses traditional Malian and Jewish music with modern jazz creating what the Boston Globe dubbed a "hypnotic balance between straight-ahead jazz and world music". The CD features Oran's working group with Malian griot musicians Balla Kouyate, Makane Kouyate and bassist Joe Sanders as well as guests including vocalist Abdoulaye Diabate, Grammy Award Winning artists Lionel Loueke and John Benitez and even a string quartet on one track. The resulting sound is a reflection of Oran's musical personality rooted in jazz but shaped by the many musical worlds that Oran is a part of in New York, including African, Jewish, Haitian and New Orleans music. Even before its release, Kelenia debuted at # 10 on the nationwide radio charts and All Music Guide has declared that Oran "sets a new standard for world music in the decade of the 2000s". Oran built his foundations studying with George Garzone starting at age 14 and later with Yusef Lateef. He studied classical clarinet and composition as an undergraduate and received a Masters in Jazz Performance at the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Dave Liebman and Dave Krakauer among others. Oran continues the tradition of music education as a faculty member of the Brooklyn Conservatory and through the unique new method that he developed for teaching music to 2-6 year olds that has been implemented with over 500 young students in New York. Oran is in the process of adapting this method into a set of children's books and writing a book for adults on how children learn music. Oran has performed at the Blue Note, Central Park SummerStage, Joe's Pub, the United Nations and numerous other venues in the US, Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and the Middle East with musicians including Jason Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Lionel Loueke, Mike Stern, Airto Moreira, Toumani Diabate, Killah Priest (of the Wu-Tang Clan) and Wyclef Jean.
Peter Apfelbaum and the New York Hieroglyphics
Peter Apfelbaum and the New York Hieroglyphics Peter Apfelbaum, saxophone, piano, percussion / Peck Allmond, trumpet, reeds / Jessica Jones, saxophone / Tony Jones, saxophone / Josh Roseman, trombone / Natalie Cressman, trombone / Charlie Burnham, violin / Dave Phelps, guitar / Viva DeConcini, guitar / Patrice Blanchard, bass / Dafnis Prieto, drums
Originally from Berkeley, California,
multi-instrumentalist/composer Peter Apfelbaum has been an influential figure
in new jazz for two decades. He is best known as the leader of the San
Francisco-based world music big band, the Hieroglyphics Ensemble, which he
formed with fellow Berkeley High School classmates in 1977. The ensemble, which
began to attract international attention for its unique fusing of elements of
world music with the aesthetics of the jazz avant-garde, received a Grammy
nomination in 1991 for the album "Signs Of Life" (Antilles) and
helped launch the careers of fellow Berkleyans Joshua Redman, Benny Green,
Craig Handy and Steven Bernstein. The band was championed by the legendary
trumpeter Don Cherry, who appeared frequently as a guest with the ensemble in
the late 80's and early 90's, and the Grateful Dead, who invited the group to
open several of their shows during the same period. The current version
of the ensemble, the New York Hieroglyphics, released their debut album, “It Is
Written” (ACT/High Note) in August 2005. In 2007 Apfelbaum received the
Chamber Music America/Doris Duke Foundation New Works and Presentation award,
resulting in the composition "Aural Histories", featuring Malian
vocalist Abdoulaye Diabate. In addition to serving as musical director for Don
Cherry's Multikulti group from 1988-1995, Apfelbaum has also worked with Cecil
Taylor, Harry Belafonte, Nana Vasconcelos, Phish, Muhal Richard Abrams, Charlie
Hunter, Steve Kimock, Joseph Jarman, Joseph Bowie, Ben Allison, Jai Uttal,
Michael Ray, Don Buchla and Bill Summers, among others. He currently performs
with Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra, Dafnis Prieto's
Quartet and Sextet, the Josh Roseman Unit, and the Kamikaze Ground
Crew. His music has been performed by the Kronos Quartet, the National
Swedish Radio Orchestra and the Trey Anastasio Band. Apfelbaum has lived in
Brooklyn, New York since 1998.
Making
New York home for the past 18 years, Rez Abbasi is considered one of the
foremost modern jazz guitar players on today’s scene. He has developed a unique
sound both as a composer and an instrumentalist and has honed his skills with
performances through out the world including multiple tours in Europe, Canada,
the U.S., Mexico and India.
With six albums of original compositions under his belt, Abbasi continues to
garner new groups of musicians to help his musical vision come to life. His
2005 recording Snake Charmer, created
a stir in the music world partly due to his organic, original approach of
blending two complex musical genres together, namely jazz and Indian music.
20th Century Guitar reviewed the CD as, "One of the best examples yet of
how to merge Indian Classical music with jazz...Snake Charmer really breaks new
ground." In 2007, Rez achieved even greater heights with the follow up to Snake Charmer, Bazaar, on the Zoho
label. Bazaar received 41/2 stars in
the All Music Guide.
Rez
recently finished his newest work, Things
To Come (2009), which is yet another leap into unchartered musical
territory and his most intriguing. It includes a star-studded group of Vijay
Iyer, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Kiran Ahluwalia, Johannes Weidenmueller and Dan
Weiss and is on the prestigious Sunnyside Record label. Aside from receiving a
raving 41/2 star review in Down Beat magazine, Rez was awarded the Chamber
Music America grant to write more material for this group.
Most
recently, Rez formed his new acoustic quartet RAAQ, which features him
exclusively playing acoustic guitar along with Steely Dan alumni, Bill Ware on
Vibraphone. Also in the group is bassist, Stephan Crump, best known for his
work with the Vijay Iyer trio and Eric McPherson, drummer with the late
visionary pianist, Andrew Hill. For more details please visit: www.reztone.com
The Randy Newman Project
The Randy Newman Project Steve Cardenas, guitar / Dean Johnson, bass / drums TBA / Roseanna Vitro, vocals / Mark Soskin, piano / Sara
Caswell, violin
The Randy Newman Project is a musical escapade, drawn from
a special partnership between vocalist Roseanna Vitro and pianist-arranger Mark
Soskin. Together, they lead a group that re-imagines the works of this
brilliant songwriter, with music that marries elements of jazz, blues and
country – a rich brew of influences illuminating the edgy landscape of Newman’s
Americana.
Few interpretive artist travel Newman’s terrain as smartly
as Vitro. She is a soulful storyteller whose passion informs all.She breathes life into these richly
evocative songs, aided by Soskin’s vivid arrangements and a band of stellar
instrumentalists.Among them is
newcomer Sara Caswell, a violinist whose lyricism matches the power and
authority of Vitro’s adventurous flights.Adding to the group sound is guitarist Steve Cardenas, bassist Dean
Johnson and drummer-percussionist Jamey Haddad.
Rudder
Rudder Chris Cheek, saxophone / Henry Hey, keys / Tim Lefebvre, bass / Keith Carlock, drums
Rudder is an
instrumental jazz-jam quartet based on long-term musical relationships and
friendships. Rudder is equally led by it's four members. Launching from a
strong New York following, the band released their
first album on Nineteen-Eight records (http://nineteen-eight.com)
"Rudder" and proceeded to hit the road.The next couple years saw them playing dates across the US
and Canada, and continuing on to appear at Japan's 'Sense of Wonder' festival
(mt.Fuji) and the Monterey Jazz Festival. After some time
of playing to hungry crowds, Rudder went into the studio and created their
second release - "Matorning", which has received nothing short of
rave reviews. Rudder is scheduled to tour Europe in March
2010 as well as in the fall of 2010, with selected festival appearances in
between.
Synthesizing
jazz with the astutely improvised musical forms of South Asia, the Indo-Pak
Coalition transcends any preconception of Indo-jazz fusion. Led by
Indian-American saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, this trio with
Pakistani-American guitarist Rez Abbasi and rising tabla star Dan Weiss is
turning heads internationally in both the jazz and world music scenes. Their
debut album Apti (Innova, 2008) reached #1 on the JazzWeek World Music radio
charts and enjoyed long stints in the top ten of the JazzWeek Jazz, CMJ Jazz,
and ChartAttack radio charts. Rolling Stone, the New York Times, and
Downbeat among others have raved about both the ensemble and the album. Jazz
Journalist Association’s 2009 Alto Saxophonist of the Year and Guggenheim
fellow Rudresh Mahanthappa is one of the most innovative young musicians and
composers in jazz today. Winner of the 2009 Downbeat International
Critics Poll in both the “Rising Star-Jazz Artist” and “Rising Star-Alto
Saxophone” categories, Rudresh has incorporated the culture of his Indian
ancestry and has fused myriad influences to create a truly groundbreaking
artistic vision. As a composer, Rudresh has received commission grants from the
Rockefeller Foundation MAP Fund, American Composers Forum, Chamber Music
America, and the New York State Council on the Arts to develop new work. Mahanthappa
holds a Bachelors of Music Degree in jazz performance from Berklee College of
Music and a Masters of Music degree in jazz composition from Chicago's DePaul
University. He now teaches at The New School University.
Mahanthappa is also a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow.
Sachal Vasandani
Sachal Vasandani Sachal Vasandani, vocals / Jeb Patton, piano / Quincy Davis, drums / David Wong, bass One of the most startling artistic revelations of 2007 is New York-based vocalist-songwriter-bandleader Sachal Vasandani who makes his Mack Avenue Records debut with the exceptional CD, Eyes Wide Open. Indeed, the title says it all: This 12-song collection of stirring originals and smart covers is an eye-opener to a fresh, young talent who displays a singular, deep-brewed voice and possesses an uncanny sensibility to straddle the fine line between jazz and pop. Vasandani is in the company of his established trio (performing together since 2001) comprised of pianist Jeb Patton, bassist David Wong and drummer Quincy Davis. Guests on the CD include vibraphonist Stefon Harris, trumpeter Marcus Printup and guitarist Doug Wamble. The album is produced by esteemed bassist-bandleader John Clayton and veteran staff producer Al Pryor, engineered by Joe Ferla and mastered by Bob Ludwig. In an era where young male singers believe that trying to channel Frank Sinatra is the play-it-safe road to success, Vasandani instead strikes a chord as an original that evokes integrity as a songwriter and song stylist. As a result, there's a rare depth of emotion to the lyrics in many of these songs. “With the tunes I wrote and the songs I cover, I wanted to share feelings of both hope and loss,” says Vasandani, who was a semi-finalist in the 2004 Thelonious Monk Institute Competition. “Songs often express sentiments in black-and-white; I wanted to get to a 'gray' area of mixed emotions. Overall, I believe the album has a positive outlook, but acknowledges the struggle you go through to stay positive. That's the binding glue.” Vasandani was born in Chicago and grew up in a household where all kinds of music was appreciated, from western and Indian classical to the pop of the day including Michael Jackson and the Beatles. His parents also listened to jazz “from Ellington to Keith Jarrett” which piqued Vasandani's curiosity about the music. At the University of Michigan, in addition to majoring in economics, he earned degrees in jazz and classical music. He was named Collegiate Jazz Vocalist of the year by DownBeat in 1999, after which he moved to New York to pursue a career as a singer. While he first took a job as an investment banker on Wall Street, essentially subsidizing his passion, Vasandani later quit to devote himself to music full time, hustling gigs at such venues as Cleopatra's Needle and later the Zinc Bar. One of his big breaks came when he had the opportunity to display his talent at the Monk Competition; another break was being enlisted by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra in 2005 to perform trombonist Ron Westray's “Chivalrous Misdemeanors,” which was jazz inspired by the fictional character Don Quixote, at Rose Theater. “There wasn't any one turning point,” says Vasandani, who was signed to Mack Avenue Records in 2006. “It was a process with a lot more refining than defining moments.” As for his home base in New York, Vasandani says it's the perfect place for him to be. “I'm connected to a bit of the jazz scene, but there's also such a cross-pollination of different kinds of music here. I'm looking forward to expanding my reach” to establish myself and my voice as well as explore all the different scenes here. There are so many fantastic elements of New York that I want to put through my own filter.”
Somi
Somi Somi, vocals / Michael Olatuja, bass / Toru Dodo, piano / David Gilmore, guitar / Steve Belvilus, drums
When Somi was growing up, her mother told her that the rain, ever unpredictable, could be as much a blessing as a challenge. That notion has stayed with the charismatic singer and songwriter all her life and now provides a metaphorical focus for her third album, If The Rains Come First. (ObliqSound), a stunning collection of self-penned story-based songs, a meditation on opening ourselves up to life’s blessings and challenges much in the way that we accept the rain and all that it brings. As The Boston Globe recently put it, Somi’s new album “glistens with the sheen of an almost impossibly perfect cosmopolitanism." Somi’s vocal delivery is subtle yet the power she exerts is enormous. Her artistic evolution is indisputable. Born in Illinois to immigrants from Rwanda and Uganda, the African and Jazz legacies are always crucial to her sound. Often compared to the likes of Miriam Makeba, Sarah Vaughn, Cassandra Wilson, and Cesaria Evora, her new album also features the legendary trumpeter Hugh Masekela, a longtime Somi fan and mentor. JazzTimes magazine describes her live performance as “the earthy gutsiness of Nina Simone blended with the vocal beauty of Dianne Reeves,” Billboard calls it “all elegance and awe…utterly captivating,” and Vogue simply calls her voice “superb.” As her career has taken off, Somi’s talents have been called upon for collaborations and live performances alongside John Legend, Cassandra Wilson, Mos Def and Paul Simon. Most recently, internationally renowned Israeli artist Idan Raichel featured Somi on his latest platinum-selling album Within My Walls (Cumbancha), on the track “Maisha,” which Somi also co-wrote. Somi and her band have performed globally at venues like the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and The Apollo Theater, to name a few.
Soul Cycle
Soul Cycle Jesse Fischer, keyboards / Louis Fouché, alto sax / Josh David, bass / Corey Rawls, drums / Shawn Banks, percussion Soul Cycle brings an infectious blend of jazz, funk, and world music to Mosaic, their eagerly awaited third release. Featuring guest vocals from Rogiérs (Alicia Keys, Platinum Pied Pipers), as well as the core lineup of keyboardist Jesse Fischer (Laura Izibor), saxophonist Brian Hogans (Sean Jones), bassist Josh David (Q-Tip), drummer Corey Rawls (Kenny Garrett), and percussionist Shawn Banks, Mosaic presents seven fresh compositions by bandmembers, as well as captivating renditions of the jazz standard “Blue in Green” and Al Green’s classic “Simply Beautiful.”
Todd Sickafoose's Tiny Resistors
Todd Sickafoose Tiny Resistors John Ellis, clarinet & tenor saxophone / Alan Ferber, trombone / Steve Cardenas, guitar / Mike Gamble, guitar / Rudy Royston, drums and percussion / Todd Sickafoose, bass
Part one-for-all jazz band, part indie rock mini-orchestra, Tiny Resistors whispers and wails through Todd Sickafoose’s music with conviction, humor, and a free-jazz spirit. Their sound has been called “earthy and elegant” (San Diego Tribune), “endlessly creative” (JazzTimes), full of “rigorously focused imagination” (NY Times), and the San Francisco Chronicle says “Sickafoose - like his mentor Charlie Haden - packs more musical punch into a single note than 90 percent of the field.” The Brooklyn-based band has performed in front of diverse audiences since 2000 and has released 3 records: “Dogs Outside”, “Blood Orange”, and their newest, “Tiny Resistors”.
Tyshawn Sorey: Koan
Tyshawn Sorey: Koan Tyshawn Sorey,
drums, percussion, & compositions / Todd Neufeld, nylon string guitar / Chris
Tordini, acoustic bass & nylon string guitar Koan (482 Music) is the latest release from
Newark-born, New York-based composer, drummer and musical maverick Tyshawn
Sorey. Like-minded musical explorers Todd Neufeld, on electric and
classical guitars, and Thomas Morgan, on double bass and classical
guitar, join him. The album continues along the radically unconventional
trails blazed by his Firehouse 12 debut, That/Not, but Sorey’s
adventurous spirit is not content merely to rehash successful formulae.
On these six new compositions, rigor and open-form improvisation blend to
create sound worlds of intense power and hauntingly spare beauty. While it
exudes an air of gentleness, this is not music for the faint of heart. It
is also not to be absorbed in one sitting. Each listening exposes fresh
details, both musical and timbral, and these lead to new appreciation of the
larger canvases on which these sound paintings reside. Only works from
the finest composers reference their own pasts while pointing the way forward
to a future full of uncertainty and promise; Tyshawn Sorey’s is such a voice,
and Koan should establish him even more completely as one of
improvised music’s most creative and innovative practitioners.
Vijay Iyer Trio
Vijay Iyer Trio Vijay Iyer, piano / Marcus Gilmore, drums / Stephan Crump, acoustic bass
"By now, there can be no doubt that pianist-composer VIJAY IYER stands among the most daringly original jazz artists of the under-40 generation," writes critic Howard Reich in the Chicago Tribune. Vijay Iyer has been described by the The Village Voice as "the most commanding pianist and composer to emerge in recent years," by The Boston Globe as "one of the most challenging and satisfying talents in jazz today," and by the L.A. Weekly as "a boundless and deeply important young star." Iyer's discography includes some of the most acclaimed recordings of the past decade. His latest, Historicity (ACT) featuring his trio, is widely considered one of 2009's best albums. His previous discs include Tragicomic (2008) and Reimagining (2005) with his celebrated quartet, Door (2008) with the trio Fieldwork, Raw Materials (2006) in duo with saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, and Still Life with Commentator (2007) and In What Language? (2003) with poet Mike Ladd. Iyer recently won the Downbeat Magazine International Critics' Poll in the Rising Star Jazz Artist, Composer, and Pianist categories. He was also named Up & Coming Musician of the Year in the JJA Jazz Awards, and has graced the covers of five international music magazines. He received the CalArts Alpert Award in the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, and numerous composer commissions. In addition to his work as a bandleader, Iyer has collaborated with Steve Coleman, Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Amiri Baraka, Butch Morris, Oliver Lake, Ethel, dead prez, Burnt Sugar, Karsh Kale, Talvin Singh, Imani Uzuri, George Lewis, DJ Spooky, John Zorn, High Priest, Imani Winds, and many others. Iyer teaches at New York University, The New School, and School for Improvisational Music. His writings appear in Music Perception, Journal of Consciousness Studies, Current Musicology, and the anthologies Uptown Conversation, Sound Unbound, and Arcana IV.
William Parker Quartet
William Parker Quartet William Parker, bass / Hamid Drake, drums / Rob Brown, sax / Lewis Barnes, trumpet William Parker is a master musician, improviser, and composer. He plays the bass, shakuhachi, double reeds, tuba, donso ngoni and gembri. He was born in 1952 in the Bronx, New York. He studied bass with Richard Davis, Art Davis, Milt Hinton, Wilber Ware, and Jimmy Garrison. He entered the music scene in 1971 playing at Studio We, Studio Rivbea, Hilly’s on The Bowery and The Baby Grand, playing with many musicians on the avant-garde school Bill Dixon, Sunny Murray, Charles Tyler, Billy Higgins, Charles Brackeem, Alan Silva, Frank Wright, Frank Lowe, Rashid Ali, Donald Ayler, Don Cherry, Cecil Taylor, Jimmy Lyons, Milford Graves and with traditionalists like Walter Bishop, Sr. and Maxine Sullivan. Early projects with dancer and choreographer Patricia Nicholson created a huge repertoire of composed music for multiple ensembles ranging from solo works to big band projects. Parker played in the Cecil Taylor unit from 1980 through 1991. He also developed a strong relationship with the European Improvised Music scene playing with musicians such as Peter Kowald, Peter Brotzmann, Han Bennink, Tony Oxley, Derek Bailey, Louis Sclavis, and Louis Moholo. He began recording in 1994 and leading his own bands on a regular basis founding two ensembles, In Order To Survive, and The Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra. In 2001, Parker released O’Neal’s Porch, which marked a turn toward a more universal sound working with drummer Hamid Drake. The Raining on the Moon Quintet followed, adding vocalist Leena Conquest and the Quartet from O’Neal’s Porch. Most notable among many recent projects is the Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield. He has taught at Bennington College, NYU, The New England Conservatory of Music, Cal Arts, New School University and Rotterdam Conservatory of Music. He has also taught music workshops throughout the world including Paris, Berlin and Tokyo and the Lower East Side. Parker is also a theorist and author of several books including the Sound Journal, Document Humanum, Music and the Shadow People and The Mayor of Punkville.
Zim Ngqawana
Zim Ngqawana(cancelled, replaced by William Parker Quartet) Zim Ngqawana, saxophone and flute / Matthew Shipp, piano / William Parker, bass / Nasheet Waits on drums.
South African saxophonist Zim Ngqawana was born in New Brighton Township, Port Elizabeth, in Eastern Cape Province. Port Elizabeth is a major Indian Ocean seaport, and home to the country’s auto industry. Alongside other cities of the Eastern Cape, it has a special place in the social history of resistance to apartheid, and it has a rich jazz heritage that Ngqawana imbibed like mother’s milk. Nowhere do the strikingly parallel cultural identities of South Africa and the United States (embodied in our parallel racial ethos) speak to us more intriguingly than through jazz. If, following the New Orleanian Alvin Batiste, we allow that “hipness is a profound colloquialism that expresses an abstract truth,” it becomes clear that the jazz vernacular has thrived in both countries thanks to a visceral connection to some common abstract truths and colloquial realities. This connection has been nourished, for more than a century now, by a more or less constant exchange among musicians, fans, critics, and other enthusiasts. Since the birth of jazz in America, South Africans have been loquacious, self-respecting partners in a spirited dialogue with the American head office. For a thirty-year period or so, however, framed first by the self-imposed exile of a significant part of the country’s jazz talent in the early 1960s, later by the restrictions of the anti-apartheid movement’s “cultural boycott” through the1970s and 1980s, the nerve centers of South African jazz were displaced to London, the most popular exile destination, and to New York’s Chelsea Hotel, where, in secluded effervescence, Abdullah Ibrahim spun improbable beauty inspired by Ellington, Monk, Ornette Coleman, and John Coltrane. More than a decade into post-apartheid South Africa, South Africa’s jazz has awakened from the slumber of that period, yet is still finding its footing in the new political, social, and cultural terrain. Helping it find that footing is the inimitable Zim Ngqawana, who is many musicians in one. An inheritor – and extender – of the idiomatic particularities of South African jazz, Ngqawana is also an erudite listener who has absorbed the American saxophone luminaries, yet crafted a highly personal sound. That sound can be, by turns, mannered and meditative, or robustly lyrical in a Traneian or Pharaonic vein. It can be faithful to the township gutbucket of Dudu Pukwana, or to that “South African crying sound” of the legendary Kippie Moeketsi. Free or straight-ahead – for he engages with both those vocabularies – all of Ngqawana’s performances are the outgrowth of a personality exemplified in these words spoken recently to South African jazz critic Gwen Ansell: “Music isn’t just notes. Every note has a social meaning. I’m singing my mother’s knowledge of the plants that grew around her, my father’s religion, the African transformation we need.” In Zim Ngqawana, modernism meets historicity. Intimism meets collective song. New York meets Sophiatown and the tributary fervor of the Eastern Cape. An important figure in jazz has emerged from Africa to launch a program, to rekindle a sorely missed colloquy. South African jazz is reconnecting to its present tense.
