Wednesday, July 11, 2018

George Clinton Brings the Funk to Newport Jazz Festival on Sunday, August 5


On Sunday, August 5, a Mothership commander will land on the Fort Adams stage when the 76-year old vocalist, songwriter, producer, bandleader, icon and Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame Inductee George Clinton and his supergroup, the Grammy Award winning Parliament Funkadelic, perform for the first time at the Newport Jazz Festival® presented by Natixis Investment Managers. In support of his latest CD, Medicaid Fraud Dogg, and part of a landmark, worldwide tour that will end with his retirement from touring in 2019, Clinton is sure to bring the funk and more to Narragansett Bay.

"I had to get this music out there," Clinton said in an interview posted on the website www.consequenceofsound.net. "I felt real creative urgency to give the world this, right now."

Simply put: With the exception of James Brown, Clinton has done more than anyone to elevate and expand the African-American music genre known as funk, first with his R&B vocal group, The Parliaments with their 1967 hit, "(I Wanna) Testify." In the next decade, Clinton - who first formed the band as a doo-wop group in his hometown of Plainfield, New Jersey where he worked in a barbershop - expanded the group, moved to Detroit, where he briefly worked for Motown and with some independent local labels. As a songwriter, he augmented the group's music, with a funkier edge, drawing from Brown and Sly Stone, with touches of Afro-psychedelic, talismanic iconography. Parliament featured colorful characters like the square, non-dancing Sir Nose D'Voidaffunk, who was the nemesis of Starchild, his polar opposite who always knew where "The One" was. And, there was the Mothership - an Afro-American version of the Apollo Moon Module that literally landed onstage, where Clinton as "Dr. Funkenstein" would emerge from the ship, exhorting his funketeers to "give up the funk."

Throughout the 70s, Parliament produced a number of R&B hits, including "Up for the Downstroke," "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off The Sucker)," "Aquaboogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)" and "Flash Light," from their equally impactful albums including Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome, The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein, Mothership Connection, and The Motor-Booty Affair. With the jazzy horn lines supplied by saxophonist Maceo Parker and Pee Wee Ellis and trombonist Fred Wesley - all from James Brown's groups - Parliament set the bar high as one of the most influential ensembles in 20th century music.

As Parliament was to funk, Clinton's other equally influential ensemble Funkadelic was the Black answer to rock. The group's roots go back to 1964, when it was a touring band created to back The Parliaments. The band, which was named by the group's original bassist Billy Bass Nelson, came into its own as a distinct entity from Parliament, even though there was some overlap and interchange between groups with the same musicians. And though both groups were next to none in terms of dance grooves, Funkadelic was more guitar-oriented, abstract, and daringly political.

Its classic albums including Maggot Brain, America Eats Its Young, Hardcore Jollies, Uncle Jam Wants You, and One Nation Under a Groove, yielded several singles including "(Not Just) Knee Deep," "Standing on the Verge of Getting It On," "Comin' Round the Mountain," and "Cosmic Slop." Guitarists Garry Shider and Glenn Goins, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, and vocalists Walter "Junie" Morrison (who also played keyboards) and Philippé Wynne of The Spinners, were some of the stars that made Funkadelic the premier band that it was. With Clinton at the helm, his groups sang and riffed on a number of subjects that included extraterrestrial life, The Bermuda Triangle, Egyptology, drugs, Atlantis and the inner city, drawing from any musical source he deemed worthy.

"I'd bite off the Beatles, or anybody else," Clinton told Rolling Stone. "It's all one world, one planet and one groove."

Parliament and Funkadelic were but two of Clinton's ever-growing cadre of groups, which included Maceo Parker Horny Horns, the all-female outfits Parlet and the Brides of Funkentstein, bassist Bootsy Collins and his Rubber Band and The P-Funk All-Stars. In the early 80s, after long, legal battles with record companies, Clinton became a solo artist, with his most successful single, "Atomic Dog" becoming one of the most iconic videos of all time. Clinton was also a force beyond touring and recording. He wrote the theme song to The Tracey Ullman Show, hosted the HBO series Cosmic Slop, and he appeared in several films including Prince's Graffiti Bridge, and House Party. Clinton's influence on pop music and hip-hop is massive. Prince, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur and Digital Underground have sampled, and have been inspired by his music, and Clinton was a major influence on the rock group, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Brit-rocker Thomas Dolby, among many others. Clinton also guest stars on the track, "Wesley's Theory," from Kendrick Lamar's rap masterpiece, To Pimp a Butterfly, and in 2014 published his memoir, Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard On You?

When Clinton steps on the Newport stage, he'll do so, with six decades of funk and Black rock under his belt, with a new generation of funkateers, poised to carry "The One" onward and upward. "This is to let them know that "Atomic Dog" and "Mothership Connection" are not the end of the story, Clinton told Consequence of Sound. "So when you see Medicaid Fraud Dogg, you'll see Sir Nose is still out there ... and Dr. Funkenstein is out here inoculating people with the funk." Newport, get ready.

The 2018 Newport Jazz Festival presented by Natixis Investment Managers takes place August 3 - 5 at Fort Adams State Park and the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino. Artists include Charles Lloyd's 80th Birthday Celebration with three different bands; Pat Metheny with Antonio Sanchez, Linda May Han Oh, & Gwilym Simcock; Andra Day; George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic; Jon Batiste; R+R=NOW; Alicia Olatuja; Michel Camilo; Grace Kelly; Laurie Anderson & Christian McBride Improvisations with special guest Rubin Kodheli; and Roy Hargrove.



Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Philippe Petit Trio - A Beautiful Friendship


Born in Bordeaux, France, Philippe Petit established himself in Paris in 1977 and worked for the Barclay Studios (now Universal) as a pianist and composer. In 1980, he met the saxophonist Francis Bourrec with whom he played until 1987 in clubs and festivals (Jazz aux Ulis, Printemps de Bourges and Salon de la Musique amongst others.)

A sought-after accompanist, Philippe performed with various singers both in France and abroad, and was a special guest at the Memphis in May Festival in Memphis, Tennessee (USA). He has also accompanied respected American soloists such as Arnett Cobb, Bud Shank, Benny Bailey and French artists such as Sylvain Beuf and Jean- Claude Fohrenbach.

In the 90’s, Philippe Petit developed an interest in the Hammond Organ, and was initially influenced by musicians such as Jimmy Smith and Mel Rhyne (organist of guitarist Wes Montgomery). The discovery of an instrument with so many stylistic possibilities allowed Philippe to explore a huge range of styles, from traditional swing and bebop, to blues, rock and jazz fusion. Sharing the stage with varied artists such as Scott Hamilton, Eric Alexander, Houston Person, Sophia Nelson, Hervé Meschinet, André Villeger, Christian Escoude, Marc Fosset, Marcel Azzola, Rhoda Scott and Dany Doriz, Philippe has developed his own personal style and is now considered one of the top specialists of the Hammond Organ in France.

Having a penchant for combining adventure and music, Philippe has toured extensively throughout Europe, Africa, South America and Asia. His passion for sharing music has led him to far off places such as the Himalayas and the Amazonian forest. In 2012, he was featured in the documentary “Venez Jouer Là” which followed the Venezuelan tour of the “Equatorial Jazz Groove” group, The Jazz Runners.

Over the years, Philippe has collaborated on numerous projects and recordings, both as sideman, composer and arranger. He currently tours with renowned vibraphonist Dany Doriz, (also owner of the famous Parisian jazz club Le Caveau de La Huchette, featured in the 2016 film La La Land)

Other organ projects include the “Men in Bop” Quartet with Olivier Defays (sax tenor), Philippe Chagne (tenor sax) and Yves Nahon (drums), the LSP Trio with Sylvain Sourdeix (soprano sax) and Jean-Luc Lopez (drums).

Recent recordings find Philippe back on the piano with long-time comrades Eric Dervieu (drums) and Pierre Maingourd (double bass), and include a collaboration with Australian singer & tap dancer Wendy Lee Taylor: “Remembering Fred Astaire” as well as “A beautiful Friendship” (Release June 2018), an album resulting in the trio’s spontaneous decision to go into the recording studio after more than 25 years of live performance together.

Philippe Petit is one of France’s most respected masters of the Hammond organ & pianist. First influenced by organists Jimmy Smith and Mel Rhyne, who played with Wes Montgomery, he progressively developed his own funky and jazzy style and a unique sound: rich, percussive, fast, accurate and always full of energy and swing.


Saxophonist Jeff Ryan's debut single, “Up and Up,” from his upcoming debut album, “Embrace,” flies to No. 1


Saxman Jeff Ryan is excited and for good reason. The contemporary pop instrumentalist’s debut single, “Up and Up,” flew to No.1 on the Billboard chart as well as on three other charts in the US and UK. Even before his debut album, “Embrace,” drops Friday (July 13) on Woodward Avenue Records, the buzz surrounding Ryan helped him score the final performance spot in the all-star lineup for the venerable Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival, a confirmation that the Bay Area native is the genre’s breakout new artist at the midyear point. 

Ryan’s producer and writing partner on “Embrace” is noted keyboardist and chart-topper Greg Manning. One of the saxophonist’s primary goals is connecting through music and performance, and “Up and Up” is an upbeat tune celebrating the winning chemistry and connection he shares with Manning.

“‘Up and Up’ is the first song we wrote together. It’s a relevant track that captures our great connection. It was two positive people, and the music flowed naturally and easily,” said Ryan about the single that also vaulted into the No. 1 position on the Mediabase, Smooth Jazz Network and British Smooth Jazz charts.
  
“Embrace” is a magnetic ten-tracker – nine Ryan originals and a honeyed reading of Bruno Mars’ “Versace on the Floor” – bonding lustrous and lyrical pop harmonies to meaty urban beats, refined contemporary jazz vamps and soul grooves. Joining Ryan and Manning are two first-call sidemen who have transitioned in recent years into hit-making solo artists: guitarist Adam Hawley and drummer Eric Valentine. A pair of veteran guitarists add significant contributions as well. Darrell Crooks dispenses slick and soulful R&B licks throughout the session while Terry Wollman strums temperate acoustic guitar melodies on the set’s gentle closer, “Tenderly.”

Music has been Ryan’s voice ever since he began playing the sax when he was ten and it’s what he turns to when life gets difficult. It’s his chosen form of communication and connectivity, thus it’s important that his music be honest and relatable.

“Music is so personal to me. It’s important to me to connect with people beyond just superficial playing. Music is the only thing that ever spoke to me on a deeper level and I want to give listeners that experience. I’d love for my music to resonate in a meaningful way with people. Even if you don’t like jazz, I hope that the audience listens, takes it in and finds it relevant to them,” said Ryan, who primarily plays tenor sax on “Embrace.” “An album is a snapshot of who an artist is at a particular time. I’m pleased with where ‘Embrace’ went. It became really special as it emerged from my soul as I tried to be as sincere and genuine as possible.”
  
According to Ryan, the album is only half the story. The breakthrough artist who will take the stage at Sax on the River in Sacramento on October 13 before making his Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival premiere on October 21 said, “The performances are where you get the full message of this music and what I’m bringing to the genre. It’s really about the music and the soul of what’s being expressed up there.” 

“Embrace” contains the following songs:
“Up and Up”
“Blue Wave”
“Dusk to Dawn”
“Sweet Spot”
“Versace on the Floor”
“Edge of Tomorrow”
“J-Factor” featuring Greg Manning
“Embrace”
“Matter of Fact”
“Tenderly”



Friday, June 29, 2018

Bob Marley & The Wailers 'Kaya' New Full-Album Mix By Stephen Marley


On August 24, The Marley Family, Island Records, and UMe will collectively proclaim the sun is shining in celebration of 40 years of Kaya, Bob Marley & The Wailers’ historic March 1978 release. This most special anniversary edition will feature Stephen “Ragga” Marley’s exciting and vibrant new “Kaya 40” mixes of all ten tracks from the original album alongside its original mixes in 2CD and 180-gram 2LP configurations.

 Recorded in London concurrently with the material that ultimately comprised 1977's Exodus — a record proclaimed by Time Magazine in 1999 to be the Best Album of the 20th Century — Kaya is the perfect sonic-sibling bookend that shares all the joy, spirit, and literal DNA of some of Marley's most groundbreaking material. Kaya contains a number of the most enduring, heartfelt songs in the entire Marley canon, including "Is This Love," "Easy Skanking," and "Sun Is Shining."

Kaya was initially released just one month ahead of Bob Marley & The Wailers headlining the legendary One Love Peace Concert at The National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica on April 22, 1978, an event that featured 16 of reggae's biggest acts. One Love Peace was heralded as Marley's triumphant return to his native soil, following his long exile in London after having fled the country as a result of a December 1976 assassination attempt at his Kingston homestead.

The album was recorded with the then-new configuration of The Wailers that comprised brothers Carlton and Aston "Family Man" Barrett on drums and bass, Tyrone Downie on keyboards, Alvin "Seeco" Patterson on percussion, and the I Threes — Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths, and Judy Mowatt — on backing vocals, along with newest member Julian (Junior) Marvin on guitar. Two of Kaya's songs had previously appeared in different arrangements on 1971's Soul Revolution — the title track, and "Sun Is Shining."

Stephen's goal in mixing Kaya 40 was to create a balance that drew heavily from the original versions. Using Bob's vocals from demos from original Kaya sessions that were recorded at different tempos, Stephen synched the vocals with alternate takes and layered it over different instrumental arrangements. Stephen tried to keep the flavor as authentic as possible. To mix the album, he used a similar minimal approach, basing his version heavily off the classic analog concepts they used in the 1970s. 

Bob Marley's artistic legacy forever endures, and the 40th anniversary edition of Kaya only serves to reinforce just how much we all share the shelter of this special music.

Bob Marley & The Wailers KAYA 40 [2CD & 2LP & Digital**]
1.Easy Skanking
2.Kaya
3.Is This Love
4.Sun Is Shining
5.Satisfy My Soul
6.She's Gone
7.Misty Morning
8.Crisis
9.Running Away
10.Time Will Tell
11.Easy Skanking (Stephen Marley "Kaya 40" Mix)
12.Kaya (Stephen Marley "Kaya 40" Mix)
13.Is This Love (Stephen Marley "Kaya 40" Mix)
14.Sun Is Shining (Stephen Marley "Kaya 40" Mix)
15.Satisfy My Soul (Stephen Marley "Kaya 40" Mix)
16.She's Gone (Stephen Marley "Kaya 40" Mix)
17.Misty Morning (Stephen Marley "Kaya 40" Mix)
18.Crisis (Stephen Marley "Kaya 40" Mix)
19.Running Away (Stephen Marley "Kaya 40" Mix)
20.Time Will Tell (Stephen Marley "Kaya 40" Mix)


GUITARIST GILAD HEKSELMAN DEBUTS TWO TRIO LINEUPS ON THE ROUSING, MELODIC AND COMPLEX ASK FOR CHAOS


With Ask for Chaos, acclaimed guitarist Gilad Hekselman (who claimed the #1 spot in the Rising Star-Guitar Category in the 2017 DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll) takes a bold new turn, inspired by two new and quite disparate trio configurations. "The album title is not necessarily a description of the music," he says, "but the environment in which the music was made. In these bands we don't look for one way to do something, we always look for new ways. We like the instability and chaotic feeling of that. Also, with my becoming a father in 2017, it's affected my music and life in very intense ways. And of course politically, what's going on right now is chaotic. Ask for Chaos says that from chaos can come new things, in music and in life. You ask for chaos in order to make progress."

From the dawn of his career, Hekselman has nourished deep relationships with bandmates and strived to keep his music fresh and unexpected. His long-running work with bassist Joe Martin, from his debut SplitLife to his output with Martin and drummer Marcus Gilmore on Words Unspoken, Hearts Wide Open, This Just In and most recently Homes (2015), revealed a guitarist with tremendous facility, a rich sound and boundless imagination as a composer. The New York Times hailed him as an artist "who favors clarity of tone and purpose, and who surrounds himself with strong talent."

Ask for Chaos
is the first release from the guitarist's new label, Hexophonic Music, in collaboration with Motema Music. "I look at my favorite artists from the '60s and '70s and see how many records they made," Hekselman marvels. "Having my own outlet for recordings couldn't be more liberating. I've always had more ideas than time and means to put them on records. This move will allow me to dream beyond the limitation of what I am expected to do, and when I am expected to do it." 
  
Hekselman sequenced the new album with the two trios interspersed, resulting in sonic surprise but also a seamless aesthetic unity. Of the gHex Trio, with Rick Rosato on bass and Jonathan Pinson on drums, Hekselman says: "Rick and Jonathan are giving a whole new dimension to my music. I tell them they have to keep me on my toes. I don't want to find a way to play a tune - to me, the way to play a tune is to not have a way, to find a new one every time. They're amazing at that and they love it too."

About ZuperOctave, featuring pianist/keyboardist Aaron Parks and drummer Kush Abadey in a charged, edgy electric setting, the guitarist remarks: "I've played in a lot of bands without bass and I've noticed that it has become a part of my sound that I still haven't documented under my own name. When I got a grant from the Jazz Gallery, I wrote a bunch of music for that instrumentation. I wanted Aaron because he understood that I wasn't trying to do a fusion band, I didn't want something too rigid. I wanted it to go places. Kush was very open to that as well and they both bring a lot of openness and breath into the music"

Ask for Chaos marks Hekselman's first use of piano on record, and Parks' vibrant mix of acoustic, electric and synthesizer makes for an uncommonly textured and adventurous result. "Aaron and I share the bass duties," he points out. "It's either nobody plays bass, or I have this octave pedal, the Boss OC3 Super Octave, that I use behind Parks' solos, and he has keyboards that he uses to play bass lines." Abadey's blend of drum kit and electronic pads also gives ZuperOctave a thoroughly modern sound, perfectly suited to the complex and rhythmically cutting-edge music Hekselman brings to the table.

Following an ethereal and effects-heavy guitar "Prologu00001101" we hear ZuperOctave launch into "VBlues," with its asymmetrical rhythms and McCoy Tyner-esque modern blues harmony. Parks, with a distorted Fender Rhodes sound, stretches over the form before yielding to Hekselman's heated yet lyrical turn. ZuperOctave returns on four additional tracks: "Tokyo Cookie," in deeply grooving 5/4, with involved melodic parts that take time to unfold, intersect and combine; "Stumble," a dreamy even-eighth piece based on Wayne Shorter's "Fall"; "Home to You," with solos trading back and forth in a dazzling spiral between guitar and piano; and the vivacious "Clap Clap," spurred by Hekselman's desire "to write something with two claps like those summer hits on the radio."

The gHex Trio appears on four tracks, beginning with "It Will Get Better," a slightly sad theme with folk-like harmonies and a pure, lilting melody. "It was written when my wife was still pregnant with our son," Hekselman says. "The thought of bringing a child into the world at the time of Trump's inauguration was heavy on me. The title is a promise I don't know if I have the power to fulfill, but part of my duty as a musician is to help things go in that direction. I wrote this to express my wish for what the world could be."

The bright, Brazilian-influenced "Milton" reflects Hekselman's deep appreciation for Milton Nascimento, while the brief yet impactful "Little Song for You" has a loosely phrased melodic construction reminiscent of Ornette Coleman. "Do Re Mi Fa Sol," which Hekselman calls "a love song to music," closes the album in a lyrical, almost country-ish vein, with a whistled refrain and a sumptuous overdubbed string arrangement performed by Duncan Wickeland arranged by Petros Klampanis.

With Ask for Chaos, Hekselman makes radical departures while holding true to the core of the sound he's been refining for years. Exhibiting his "unusual command of touch and dynamics" and his fluency "in a diverse, enthralling jazz vocabulary" (JazzTimes), he juxtaposes two trios with starkly contrasting tonal characters and derives from them a unity of artistic purpose.


ON TOUR

gHex Trio 
(feat. Rick Rosato, Jonathan Pinson)

JULY 2 @ Montreal Jazz Festival, Montreal, QB, Canada (feat. Mark Turner)
JULY 8 @ Brosella Jazz Festival, Brussels, Belgium
JULY 10 @ Sunside, Paris, France (USE DISCOUNT CODE: 20GH107)
JULY 11 @ Sunside, Paris, France (USE DISCOUNT CODE: 20GH117)
JULY 13 @ North Sea Jazz Festival, Rotterdam, Netherlands
JULY 14 @ Cowbell Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Valby, Denmark
JULY 15 @ Aarhus Jazz Festival, Aarhus, Denmark
JULY 17 @ Chiostro San Francesco, Andria, Italy
JULY 18 @ Peperoncino Jazz Festival, Castrovillari, Italy
JULY 19 @ Canaria Islands Festilal, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
JULY 20 @ Canaria Islands Festival, Arrecife, Spain
JULY 21 @ Canaira Islands Festival, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
AUG 4 @ Jazz at the Maverick, Woodstock, NY duet with Fred Hersch USA
AUG 20 @ Smalls, New York, USA
AUG 21@ Smalls, New York, USA

ZuperOctave
*** (feat. Aaron Parks & Kendrick Scott) 

SEPT 11 @ Budapest Jazz Club, Budapest, Hungary ***
SEPT 12 @ Berlin Berlin-Friedrichshain, 16, Germany ***
SEPT 13 @ Jazz Dock, Prague, Czech Republic ***
SEPT 14 @ Dexter Jazz Club, Odense, Denmark ***
SEPT 16 @ Unity Jazz, Gothenburg, Sweden ***
SEPT 17 @ Unity Jazz, Gothenburg, Sweden *** 
SEPT 18 @ Fasching Jazz Club, Stockholm, Sweden ***
SEPT 19 @ Concert House, Fosnavag, Norway ***
SEPT 20 @ Victoria Nasjonal, Oslo, 12, Norway ***
SEPT 21 @ Paradox Jazz, Tilburg, Netherlands ***
SEPT 22 @ Jazz in Wageningen, Wageningen, Netherlands ***
NOV 13 @ Le Petit Faucheux, Tours-sur-Marne, France ***
NOV 14 @ Tonnère de Jazz, Pau, France ***
NOV 16 @ Lugo Jazz Festival, Lugo, Spain ***
NOV 17 @ Lleido Jazz Festival, Lleida, Spain ***
NOV 19 @ Stage Club, Hamburg-Nord, Germany ***
NOV 20 @ Stage Club, Hamburg-Nord, Germany ***
NOV 21 @ Clamores Jazz Club, Madrid, Spain ***
NOV 22 @ Zaragoza Jazz Festival, Zaragoza, Spain ***
NOV 23 @ Domicil, Dortmund, Germany ***
NOV 24 @ 12on14, Warsaw, Poland ***
NOV 25 @ Stadtgarden, Cologne, Germany ***
NOV 26 @ Royal Welsch College of Music & Drama, Cardiff, UK ***
NOV 28 @ Vortex, London, UK ***


You Funky Devil: GRAMMY-winning drummer Henry Cole’s Bomba-Powered Reinvention of Salsa Classic, “El Diablo”


Exuberantly inventive drummer Henry Cole was listening to a favorite album one day, when a whole new arrangement for a classic song leaped into his head. The result was “El Diablo (Espiritu Burlon),” the first song from SIMPLE, the long-awaited follow up his 2012 debut, Roots Before Branches.

The new song, like a lost Latin track off Maggot Brain, embraces Cole’s vision for 21st-century Puerto Rican music, encompassing a wide range of global influences from folkloric rhythms to jazz, rock, and funk. These influences are second nature to Cole, who’s played with jazz (luminaries Miguel Zenón, Ben Wendel, and Gary Burton, as well as Chambao, Residente/Calle 13, and Draco Rosa.

“El Diablo” was written by the iconic Puerto Rican songwriter Rafael Hernández nearly 80 years ago and was made famous by legendary percussionist Ray Barretto on his 1973 Fania Records album Indestructible. Singer Tito Allen was the lead singer in Barretto’s band at the time, and he repeats that role here, despite declaring he would never do another version. Some songs find the perfect recorded form, something so good it makes covers feel impossible. That’s what Tito Allen felt about “El Diablo,” and he swore was the only version the world needed.

Cole’s arrangement swayed him in the end. “I did that song with Ray and it made no sense to do it again without him, though lots of people asked,” says Allen. “Then Henry told me he wanted to record it. The group he had was so different. I was still thinking I might want to turn it down but then I heard the tunes a couple of times, and heard a lot of different stuff here. So I said yes. We did it and whoa, it sounded good. The guys he had were amazing, I felt so good there with them.”

The track shows how firmly Cole is pushing Puerto Rican forms forward. “‘El Diablo’ was purposely chosen as the first song I wanted people to hear from this new project,“ says Cole, who was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. “Rafael Hernández is the most beloved songwriter ever to emerge from Puerto Rico, and Ray Barretto is easily one of the greatest Latin jazz and salsa percussionists of all time. These are my roots, my heroes. So ‘El Diablo’ is my tribute to them.” Cole had a chance to play with Barretto several years ago as part of a jazz project Barretto spearheaded.

Cole burrows into the heart and pulse of the folkloric Puerto Rican bomba rhythm and rebuilds the track from there. Cole and his band Villa Locura freely wed a deeply churning polyrhythmic base to big band horns, rock guitars, electric piano and chanted call-and-response choruses. Tito Allen’s singing rides over all of it like a wicked master of ceremonies, egging the musicians on.

“Having Tito Allen on this song was a dream come true,” says Cole. “He told me that he’d turned down all requests since 1973 to re-record the song because the original was the unbeatable standard, but he thought my arrangement was different, so he agreed to join us.”

The musicians on El Diablo are a veritable who’s who of international artists who either call New York City home or are part of the constant Nuyorican/Puerto Rican back and forth. Bassist Panagiotis Andreou was born in Greece while guitarist Guilherme Monteiro hails from Brazil and pianist Luis Perdomo from Venezuela. Percussionist Mauricio Herrara is from Cuba, while Obanilu Allende, Beto Torrens, and Bryant Huffman are from Puerto Rico, as are the singers joining Allen on vocals, Jeremy Bosch and Cheito Quinõnes. Rounding out the band are American trumpeter Jonathan Powell, guitarist Adam Rogers, and saxophonists Chris Creek and Mario Castro (also from Puerto Rico).

“El Diablo and all the songs I wrote for SIMPLE are inspired by my land and the things I miss when I’m away from my roots, away from the coast of Puerto Rico, the feeling of not having to rush and not feeling stress at all, just joy,” says Cole. “I wanted to keep it simple. My focus was on feeling good, on how the musical parts worked together, and how I danced to it. I wanted people to enjoy it and make them feel like dancing and I wanted musicians in the band to enjoy themselves playing it.”

What critics, scholars, and Puerto Rican master musicians are saying about “El Diablo:”

“By removing ‘El Diablo’ from the Cuban Son Montuno, also known as ‘Salsa,’ and placing it on top of one of the many variations of the old Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba rhythm, Cole open his mind to a whole new world of possibilities and he goes to them without fear. You get strong sound of the “Bomba Barriles” ( Puerto Rico’s version, if you will, of the congas, but with a much bigger and richer sound, used to play bomba rhythms.), full rock and jazz sounding guitars, full brass section playing counterpoint and rhythmic melodies and of course, there’s Cole’s beautiful drumming driving the whole band. This is a definitely new look to Afro-Puerto Rican rhythms. You will dig this!” --Gary Nunez, founder of GRAMMY-winning ensemble Plena Libre.

 


Electrifying Eight-Piece Wonder-Band The Suffers Serve Up Their Delicious Blend Of Gulf Coast Soul on Everything Here


There is a contagious and combustible energy every time the eight-piece wonder-band The Suffers steps on the scene. NPR's Bob Boilen attributes the band's allure to their "Soul, straight from horn to heart." He adds, "This band is on fire when it's in front of an audience...but the intensity of their shows are also captured in the studio." Following The Suffers' electrifying late night TV debut on Letterman in 2015, David Letterman exclaimed, "If you can't do this, get out of the business!" There is something undeniable about The Suffers (whose name is a reference to the 1978 Jamaican film Rockers starring Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Jacob Miller and Burning Spear, among others), that instantly hits home with their audiences. "We make music for all people," says lead vocalist Kam Franklin. "At this point, we've played all over the world and one thing is certain - if the music is good, the people will enjoy it." Since 2011, the H-Town heroes have been on a steady grind and have no plans of stopping. It seems the secret to their success is simple. Keyboardist Patrick Kelly confides, "There is a universal groove in the music that we play," while bass guitarist Adam Castaneda adds, "I don't think any of us are trying to impress anyone with our technical abilities, we just want to make them dance."

July 13, 2018, Shanachie Entertainment will release The Suffers' highly anticipated label debut Everything Here. Guitarist Kevin Bernier says, "Everything Here, as a whole, explores the many aspects of who we are as people through songs. We've had crushes on people, we've had our hearts broken, and we've moved through all the difficult times so that we can experience the joyful moments."  The Suffers have got everything you need and there's no need to look further - a heaping dose of soul, a dash of reggae, a splash of jazz, a pinch of salsa, a hint of rock 'n' roll and a dollop of hip hop and funk - and that is just a few ingredients simmering inside their magical Gulf Coast soul. Percussionist Jose Luna says, "The glue that holds us together is our experience. We have all played with so many bands and musicians through the years that we have learned how not to step on each others toes."  The Suffers however will get your feet moving on Everything Here, a riveting collection of 15 originals that shows mad love for Houston (there are even cameos from Houston rappers Paul Wall and Bun B), explores the many sides of love, celebrates the virtues of individuality, reminds us of the destruction of Harvey and resilience of the human spirit  and declares love for their mothers.  All of these themes coalesce into one soulful soundtrack.   The band co-produced the album with John Allen Stephens and Zeke Listenbee co-produced on several tracks.   Trombonist Michael Razo explains, "One of our goals was to have the songs on the album flow or tie into each other. Like creating an album where you just press play and let it go without having to skip to the next song."  The album's new single is "Do Whatever," opens with tight and soul-stirring horns, thumping bass lines and Kam laying down the law singing "Full on disclosure, I'm not here for exposure. I came to have a good time so let me shine....Do whatever feels right all night, alright, alright!"

The Suffers' drive coupled with their can't lose attitude and serious chops have taken them from their beloved Houston to the world stage (they are the first band to break nationally out of Houston in a long time). "We're a testament to teamwork and camaraderie resulting in things working out even when the odds are against a positive outcome," says drummer Nick Zamora. "The wonderful thing about music is that it is ultimate universal communication," reflects trumpeter Jon Durbin.  The Suffers have played sold out shows in Japan and Latin America, turned out audiences at the Newport Folk Festival and Afropunk Festival and made believers of just about anyone who has experienced their live shows.  With the release of Everything Here, The Suffers are bound to further endear die-hard fans and make believers of new ones. "I'm most proud that we are still here going at it," concludes Kam Franklin. "All the travels, new friends, and fans we've gained along the way are just an added bonus to a much bigger dream."


Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band Returns with Raucous Live Recording, Presence


The influence of the late playwright and educator Donald Evans has always loomed large over the Captain Black Big Band. Pianist and bandleader Orrin Evans named the band for his father’s brand of pipe tobacco, the aroma of which always announced his father’s presence in the house. The big band’s third album, Presence, is a celebration of the warmth and spirit of the elder Evans, but more importantly it’s quite simply a celebration – an approach to not only music but life that Evans inherited directly from his parents.

Presence, due out September 21 via Smoke Sessions Records, features a scaled-down 11-piece version of Evans’ long-running big band, recorded live at a pair of venues in his hometown of Philadelphia: Chris’ Jazz Café (where the band made its debut in late 2008) and South Jazz Parlor. The line-up features a core group of collaborators that the pianist tends to refer to as “a family” or “a village” more than a band. Most of the musicians on this recording have played with Captain Black for years, while many of them have contributed compositions and arrangements to the ensemble’s ever-growing book.

The album’s cover art, drawn by a close friend, depicts the face of Donald Evans gazing upon the band, his enlivening spirit embodied by the diversity and raucous sense of joy that Captain Black always brings to the stage. “There was always a party in my household,” Evans says. “I always looked forward to events at the house, where guests would gather around the piano in our living room. That leads into how I approach the Captain Black Big Band. I try to create that party and to have people in the band that are fun seekers.”

That pervasive sense of familial camaraderie shines through the music on Presence, especially in the band’s smaller, tighter incarnation. The band’s downsizing can be explained in part by practical considerations: it makes an easier fit for their long-running stint on the intimate stage of Smoke Jazz & Supper Club, for one. It’s also been easier to manage as Evans’ schedule has become more crowded since joining The Bad Plus in January.

But the 11-piece band also represents a distillation of the larger ensemble, pared down to a close-knit core of players that know each other very well, can navigate the music with the spontaneity of a small band, and simply enjoy the experience of sharing the stage together.

“I look for something different in the Captain Black Big Band,” Evans says. “I look for the ability and desire to be part of a family. I actually get disappointed sometimes when other people don’t see the appeal of that. You have to be ready and down to be a part of this. That all stems from what I saw growing up in my household.”

The Captain Black Big Band’s taut, boisterous energy bursts out of the gate with trombonist David Gibson’s aptly-named “The Scythe.” The tune’s keen-edged theme evokes a ferocious round of soloing from the composer as well as saxophonist Troy Roberts, trumpeter Josh Lawrence and the leader, recently name “Rising Star Pianist” in the 2018 DownBeat Critics’ Poll.

Robert’s vigorous tenor leads the way into Eric Revis’ bracing “Question,” originally recorded by Tarbaby, the collective trio that Revis and Evans share with drummer Nasheet Waits. Evans opens John Raymond’s “Onward” with a meditative intro that lends a spiritual overtone to the piece’s sense of inspirational uplift, answered by the composer’s swelling trumpet solo, which soars ever higher as it draws strength from the band’s powerful backing.

Evans’ own “When It Comes” finds the band teasing out its raw edges, enjoying a playfully tempestuous give and take. Raymond’s blustery solo rides the avalanche of Anwar Marshall’s roiling rhythms, while Evans adds incisive interjections. Another Evans original, the spring-loaded “Flip the Script” prompts a spirited dialogue between Roberts and alto saxophonist Caleb Curtis. The surging groove of Roberts’ “Trams” is established with an audience participation clap-along, parrying the roaring horn thrusts of the tune.

Evans tenderly establishes the mood for his own “The Answer,” while Lawrence’s explosive title track, originally recorded on his own album Color Theory with Evans in the band, ends the set on a characteristically vibrant note. All that’s left is a brief, ramshackle reprise of “When It Comes” that sends listeners off with the band’s rambunctious clamor in their ears.

“In all the bands I lead, my concept is allowing for the unknown to happen,” Evans concludes. “This is a real, raw and honest representation of what happened on stage on those nights.”

Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band · Presence
Smoke Sessions Records · Release Date: September 21, 2018


Thursday, June 28, 2018

Louie Vega – NYC Disco


The mighty Louie Vega pays tribute to the New York scene that gave him a start – and which he helped transform with his classic club work of the past few decades! The set's a fantastic celebration of the spirit of disco, but is delivered with a very contemporary vibe – not straight house, but that warmer blend of the music that first started hitting the Paradise scene in the second half of the 80s – when folks weren't afraid to go back and borrow some of the best moments of the 70s, and work them into leaner grooves for the new generation. 

Vega was a key part of that generation – and there's a spirit here that's very much in keeping with his early Masters At Work material, especially when it got collaborative – as the record features work from guests, and a lot of classic tracks that are transformed in Vega's hands. 

Louie mixes lots of new music with his remixes – so the album is quite different than a remix record – and new guests include Josh Milan, The Martinez Brothers, Patrick Adams, Anane, Rochelle Fleming, Barbara Tucker, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Tony Touch – amidst older work by John Davis, Sylvester, Luther Vandross, Rhyze, Greg Henderson, and Klassique. 27 tracks in all – including "Rebel Nation" by Louie Vega with Patrick Adams & Cloud Two, "He Promised Me" by Bebe Winans, "Love Having You Around" by Louie Vega, "Get Myself Together (Louie Vega rmx)" by Luther Vandross, "Dreamin (Louie Vega rmx)" by Greg Henderson, "This Beat Is Mine" by Vicky D, "Cosmic Disco" by Dub Disco Band, "Get With The Funk" by Louie Vega, "Dance (Disco Heat) (Louie Vega rmx)" by Sylvester", "Somebody's Loving You (Ray Reid 12" mix)" by Klassique, "Let's Do It (Louie Vega interpretation)" by Leroy Burgess & Convention, and "Gotta Get Outta Here" by Lucy Hawkins.  ~ Dusty Groove

VOCALIST ARIANNA NEIKRUG, WINNER OF THE 2015 SARAH VAUGHAN INTERNATIONAL VOCAL COMPETITION, MAKES HER CONCORD JAZZ DEBUT


After winning the 2015 Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition then performing at the Montreal International Jazz Festival the following year, 25-year-old singer and songwriter Arianna Neikrug makes her grander introduction to the music world with the August 24, 2018 release of Changes on Concord Jazz.

Produced by the Grammy-winning pianist and arranger Laurence Hobgood, Changes displays Neikrug’s gift for interpreting tunes from the Great American Songbook and more recent pop and R&B classics from the ’70s. The disc also contains two originals that reveal some of Neikrug’s journey from her hometown of Los Angeles to New York City, where she argues she truly belongs.

Hobgood, who recruited his regular trio mates – drummer Jared Schonig and bassist Matt Clohesy – for Changes, describes Neikrug as “an intellectual and complex person.” “I can honestly say that she’s the most theoretically informed singer that I’ve ever worked with – in terms of just knowing music,” Hobgood says. “She understands the basic structures of music and how to talk about it. She has a healthy combination of being strong-willed with being totally open-minded to suggestions. Those are attributes of a singer with a long career.”

Changes begins with a hypnotic reading of “No Moon at All” on which Neikrug initiates by pairing her comely soprano with Hobgood’s economical piano accompaniment. Soon after the rhythm section enters the fray and buoys her along as she demonstrates her assured sense of swing, bluesy phrasing and remarkable scatting acumen.

Neikrug’s graceful rendition of “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most” is the second of the Great American Songbook compositions to appear on Changes. Neikrug says that she started singing the Fran Landesman and Tommy Wolf tune when she was only 17, but with little understanding of its emotional subtext. “How could I? First of all, living in Los Angeles, I only had summer my whole life. So, what is spring?” Neikrug laughs. “After I first moved to New York, I finally understood what spring was all about. I found out why so many songs are written about the weather and the seasons, because they make a huge difference in your mental and emotional state.”

The disc shift gears with Neikrug’s divine makeover of Al Green’s R&B staple, “Let’s Stay Together” on which she sings the pleading lyrics and succinct melody atop Hobgood’s beguiling arrangement. Hobgood suggested the song to Neikrug during one of their first think-tank sessions while they were scanning Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Best Songs.”

Neikrug’s burgeoning songwriting talent gets the spotlight with “Changes,” the disc’s title track. Spurred by a lithe samba rhythm, the song touches on the difficult period between graduating from Frost School of Music at the University of Miami with a bachelor of music degree in studio music and jazz vocal performance and applying for the Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition. “I was going through my first major depressive episode,” she recalls. “I was experiencing a rough time because I didn’t have any structure or job yet. It was weird for me to be out in the real world and think, ‘Okay? What do I do?  How do I make a schedule? Where do I go?’”

Now in hindsight, Neikrug sees that struggling, transitional period as a blessing because it afforded her some of life’s big lows and highs, which enabled her to write more convincing life-based songs and interpret emotionally gripping standards. “Having to build yourself up when you’re down is not an easy thing to do” she says. “But how else are you going to write music from the heart and emote these big experiences that you can put into your art? In the worst way, it’s kind of cool.”

Changes continues with the first of two intriguing mash-ups, “Never Let Me Go/I’ll Be There.” Neikrug and Hobgood delve into Ray Evans and Jay Livingston’s 1956 standard as a sparkling duet before the rhythm section slides in for a sumptuous rendition of the Jackson Five’s Motown gem. “I’ve been pitching ‘I’ll Be There’ as just a lush jazz ballad to a number of singers for about 15 years. Nobody has bit until now,” Hobgood says.

Neikrug returns to jazz standards with a blistering version of “The Song Is You,” on which she flaunts her rhythmic and tonal agility before delivering her second original “New York Song,” articulating her long desire to move to the Big Apple then returning to standard repertoire again by digging deep into the jazz canon for her bewitching, R&B-laden refurbishing of “After You’ve Gone,” a Henry Creamer and Turner Layton classic that’s 100-years-old. At the Sarah Vaughan International Competition, she’d performed a vastly different, more up-tempo treatment of “After You’ve Gone” during the final round.

Neikrug then performs what she argues is the song that sealed her win at that aforementioned competition – Bob Dorough and Terrell Kirk’s “Devil May Care.” Again, she explains that Hobgood’s mesmeric arrangement differs from the one she performed at the competition, which she described as “sassier and more down-home blues.

Changes concludes with its second mash-up – two Joni Mitchell songs “Help Me/Be Cool.” After college graduation, Neikrug went on a Joni Mitchell binge, beginning with the 1971 landmark LP, Blue. “[‘Help Me’] sounds almost as if it were written for my voice,” Neikrug says. “The key is perfect; the melody is perfect. The song is challenging enough that I had a desire to learn it.  But it was also about storytelling and being young and full of angst.”

After agreeing on “Help Me,” Hobgood suggested intertwining it with “Be Cool.” Neikrug had her reservations though. “To be honest, the first time I heard it, I said, ‘OK, could you give me something a little bit harder to sing?’” Neikrug laughs. “But Laurence wanted to do a mash-up. It almost resembles how I wish pop music sounded. It still sounds really hip but it’s challenging, eye-opening and re-imaginative.”

Blending the right amount of reverence for the jazz tradition with a knowing glance to modern pop and R&B classics, sprinkled with two inviting originals, Changes will delight both jazz purists and novices without making any unwise artistic compromises as she superbly negotiates the glories of jazz’s past with a wide-eyed optimism that betrays her tender age. “When you’re recording your debut album, fresh out of college, you’re not exactly sure how you want to present yourself,” Neikrug explains. “It was easier figuring that out by discovering who I didn’t want to be. I’m just trying to take the jazz tradition and move it in my direction.”


 




 

Pat Metheny Elected into the Prestigious Royal Swedish Academy of Music


Founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. The academy's purpose is to promote art music and musical life. It shall thus follow developments within Swedish and international music circles, take initiatives to advance musical culture as well as support education, research and artistic development in music's various fields.

The news comes just months after the guitarist, composer, and bandleader received the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award (the United States’ highest national award for a jazz artist) as well Jazz FM’s “PRS For Music Gold Award” for lifetime achievement.

Additionally, the 20-time GRAMMY® Award winner kicks off a 24-city European tour this week with Antonio Sanchez, Linda May Han Oh, and Gwilym Simcock, followed by a U.S. tour this fall. Complete tour schedule listed below.

Royal Swedish Academy of Music Voting Board:
“The American Guitarist and Composer Pat Metheny is one of the world's most significant living jazz musicians. He has an unmistakable sound and is an improviser with what appears to be an infinite flow of ideas. He has collaborated with most of the biggest names in the jazz, but also with composers and artists like Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Joni Mitchell and David Bowie. His discography is extensive. Metheny has driven many types of projects in the course of his career, both traditionally and experimentally. Some with a wide, inclusive appeal, others with a narrower, more searching side. Pat Metheny is also a diligent writer in all topics that appeal to music.”

With his addition to the Academy, Metheny will join a select group of the most renowned and influential musicians/composers in the world, including, but not limited to: Marilyn Mazur (Composer, Musician), Palle Mikkelborg (Jazz musician, composer), Lars-Ulrik Mortensen (Cembalist, Conductor), Riccardo Muti (Conductor), Paul Mega (Conductor), Susanna Mälkki (Conductor), Truls Dark (Cellist), Jon Nordal (composer), Per Nørgård (composer), Sakari Oramo (Conductor), Roger Parker (Musician), Krzysztof Penderecki (composer), Arvo Pärt (composer), Steve Reich (composer), Wolfgang Rihm (composer), Gennady Rozhdestvensky (Conductor), Poul Ruders (composer), Kaija Saariaho (composer), Aulis Sallinen (composer), Esa-Pekka Salonen (Conductor), Peter Schreier (Chamberlain), Heinrich W. Schwab (Prof., Dr. Phil), Leif Segerstam (Chief Captain), Grigory Sokolov (Pianist), Leon Spierer (Concertmaster), Simon Steen-Andersen (Tonsettare), Atli Heimir Sveinsson (Tonsettare), Bent Sørensen (composer), Olav Anton Thommessen (composer), Péteris Vasks (composer), Christian Zacharias (Conductor).

PAT METHENY TOUR DATES:
Jun 28 Figueira de Foz, Portugal
Jun 29 Lisbon, Portugal
Jun 30 Castelo Branco, Portugal
Jul 1 Porto, Portugal
Jul 2 Madrid, Spain
Jul 4 Valencia, Spain
Jul 5 Cordoba, Spain
Jul 6 San Javier, Spain
Jul 7 Barcelona, Spain
Jul 8 Vitroles, France
Jul 10 Merano, Italy
Jul 12 Kiel, Germany
Jul 13 Dusseldorf, Germany
Jul 14 Rotterdam, Netherlands
Jul 16 Stuttgart, Germany
Jul 17 Gardone Riviera, Italy
Jul 19 Perugia, Italy
Jul 20 Rome, Italy
Jul 21 Borgia, Italy
Jul 22 Molfetta, Italy
Jul 24 Pescara, Italy
Jul 25 Arona, Italy
Jul 26 Aosta, Italy
Jul 28 Marciac, France
Aug 2 Great Barrington, MA
Aug 3 Newport, RI
Aug 4 Newport, RI
Aug 5 Portsmouth, NH
Sep 26 Lebanon, NH
Sep 27 Ridgefield, CT
Sep 28 Morristown, NJ
Sep 29 Stony Brook, NY
Sep 30 Beverly, MA
Oct 2 Burlington, VT
Oct 3 Portland, ME
Oct 5 Philadelphia, PA
Oct 6 N Bethesda, MD
Oct 7 Red Bank, NJ
Oct 9 Toronto, CAN
Oct 10 Ann Arbor, MI
Oct 11 Carmel, IN
Oct 12 Chicago, IL
Oct 13 Brookfield, WI
Oct 14 Madison, WI
Oct 16 Boulder, CO
Oct 17 Denver, CO
Oct 19 Portland, OR
Oct 20 Vancouver, Canada
Oct 21 Bremerton, WA
Oct 22 Eugene, OR
Oct 24 Sacramento, CA
Oct 25 Oakland, CA
Oct 26 Los Angeles, CA
Oct 27 San Diego, CA
Oct 28 Santa Barbara, CA


New Releases: Gerald Alston; Jason Palmer – Jason Palmer At Wally’s Volume 1; Skymark - Vitrual Stars


Gerald Alston

Brilliant solo work from Gerald Alston – the first album issued under his own name, after a strong legacy of work with The Manhattans! Alston's vocals are wonderful here – beautifully crafted, with a sense of maturity and feeling that most of his younger soul contemporaries couldn't match – polished with the kind of class that kept The Manhattans strong well into the 80s – but updated nicely with some of the more adult soul modes of the latter part of the decade. Production is by Stan Sheppard and James Varner, who know to keep things laidback to keep Alston at his best – and titles include "Stay A Little While", "You Laid Your Love On Me", "I've Waited All Night", "Activated", "We've Only Just Begun", and "I Come Alive When I'm With You". (Part of the Disco Fever 40 series!)  ~ Dusty Groove


Jason Palmer – Jason Palmer At Wally’s Volume 1

Trumpeter Jason Palmer has given us some great creative projects in recent years – but this time around, he's in a wonderfully back-to-basics mode – working with an excellent combo in a small club in Boston – on long tracks that really stretch out and let us hear his imaginative skill on solos! The core group is a quintet – with the excellent Noah Preminger on tenor, and Max Light ringing out nicely on guitar – driven by rhythms from Simon Willson on bass and Lee Fish on drums – players who keep a nice sense of structure in the tunes, even while things are open enough to really let the solos expand! Chris McCarthy plays Fender Rhodes on one track on each volume – and all titles are great originals by Palmer – really showing his dynamic vision as a leader. Titles on this first volume include "Gabby", "Kemerovo", "Preservation Of The Lower 9th Ward", "Be Aware", and "Stop Drop & Roll". ~ Dusty Groove

Skymark - Vitrual Stars

Skymark is Marc Friedli – a European keyboardist with a real love of vintage instruments – Arp, Moog, Prophet, Roland, and more – all of which he brings to bear nicely in this very groovy set! As with his previous record, the vibe here is kind of late 70s/early 80s – some warmer keyboard modes, some a bit more electro – as are the vocals on the album, which are slightly more prominent than before, but often highly processed – so that they're maybe a lot more down in the mix than the keyboards, with deeper tones that are more likely to slide into the basslines and rhythms. Yet although understated, the vocals also maybe give the album more of a spiritual core than ever before – on titles that include "Yesterday's Flame", "The First Special Feeling", "Insomnia", "Our Shelter", "The Center Of My Joy", and "The Power Of A Positive Smile". ~ Dusty Groove

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