Resonance Records is releasing The Quest, the third recording from twenty-year old
guitar virtuoso, Andreas Varady. With the release of Questions (2010) and his
eponymous CD in 2014, the native of Slovakia, and resident of Ireland, emerged
from thin air and put the guitar playing world on notice that there was a new
force on the instrument to be reckoned with. On The Quest, Varady's artistry
has reached new heights, and it's staggering to behold. His unadulterated
command of the guitar, his highly-developed skills as a composer, his rhythmic
facility (which speaks volumes about his roots in Gypsy music), and his ability
to craft an astonishing flow of single-note lines while traversing chord
changes, all by ear, has attracted the attention of many legends of this music,
not the least of which is Varady's mentor, manager, producer and friend, the
esteemed Quincy Jones. The Quest, available on April 6, 2018, features Varady
in the company of his father Bandi on bass, younger brother Adrian on drums,
fellow Slovak Radovan Tariska on alto saxophone, and Venezuelan native (and
current New York City resident) Benito Gonzalez on piano.
At just twenty, Varady has already performed at major
festivals and venues around the world. The next exciting new chapter in the
journey of this uber-talented musician begins with the release of The Quest.
Varady has expressed that this album, comprised of all original music, feels
very much like his first fully realized artistic statement, and indeed it
showcases Varady's evolution from child prodigy to consummate artist, one with
an abundance of fresh, bold energy. "I feel like I'm giving you a piece of
me on this album," said Varady. The album title, which also reads like a
mission statement is, "about this whole quest that I'm on in music -
seeking cool things, playing cool music in cool places, enjoying it all and
having fun and doing what you wanna do," said Varady. The album is also
his debut release on the boutique non-profit jazz label, Resonance Records,
which signals a departure from his self-titled major label debut on Verve in
2014. Two other Quincy Jones protégés, Justin Kauflin and Alfredo Rodriguez,
will also be releasing new albums in 2018.
Resonance EVP/GM (and executive producer on The Quest) Zev
Feldman said about first hearing Varady, "Upon first listen, I was struck
by his talent and artistry. Then getting a chance to meet him in Ireland, and
spending some time talking with him, he just fits the mold of what Resonance is
all about in terms of promoting younger artists and sharing their music. We're
very happy to have him on the label. It's also a great honor to work with
Quincy Jones and his team, and partnering with them to get Andreas' music out
there is something we're very proud of. Resonance believes strongly in living
artists also, not just those from a bygone era, and it's going to be very
exciting to continue to watch him develop and we're thrilled to be able to add
a chapter to his legacy on our label."
Varady has many influences. As expected, guitarists such as
George Benson, Django Reinhardt, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Peter Bernstein have
greatly impacted his playing, but Varady explains, "I've always been
obsessed with saxophone players. I get as much influence listening to John
Coltrane as I get from guitar players. But at the end of the day, I could list
every musician that I've ever listened to as an influence. I act like a sponge
that way. Whatever I listen to I always pick up some things, no matter if it's
Radiohead or A Tribe Called Quest or Trane. It can be from hip-hop to rock and
jazz...everything kind of all inspires me and influences me."
A child prodigy of Hungarian Roma descent, Varady picked up
guitar at age four and quickly revealed his uncommon gift, learning Kenny
Dorham's "Blue Bossa" by ear. At age nine, he moved with his family
to Ireland and by age 11, having already absorbed the influences of George
Benson and Django Reinhardt, he began busking with his father on the streets of
Limerick and Cork. Gigs around Ireland soon followed, mainly with
drummer-producer David Lyttle, who produced Varady's first album, 2010's Questions. In 2011, at age 13, Andreas appeared with guitar
master Martin Taylor at the Inishowen International Guitar Festival in Culdaff
and later that year became the youngest headlining artist at Ronnie Scott's
Jazz Club in London. Invited to play at the 2012 Montreux Jazz Festival by
founder Claude Nobs, he performed for and met Quincy Jones, who signed him to
his management company. He was signed to Verve Records in 2013 and his
stateside debut, executive produced by David Foster and Quincy Jones and
produced by Toto's David Paich, featured guest appearances from singer Gregory
Porter and trumpeter Roy Hargrove.
More about the music on The Quest: (with excerpts from the album's liner notes by Bill
Milkowski) The opener on The Quest, "Lost Memories," serves
as a kind of mini-overture as Varady unleashes a fusillade of notes over the
engaging theme. Up next is the dynamic
"Radio Joint" establishing the flexible group
chemistry while also showcasing urgent solos from Varady and Tariska over a
driving 12/8 groove. Gonzalez pushes the envelope in his harmonically probing
solo here, which is fueled by Adrian's intense, whirlwind attack around the
kit. "He's in a huge growing place right now," says Varady of his
younger brother. "He has this kind of ballsy playing style that I felt was
the right thing for the tunes on this album." The 15-year-old further
showcases his considerable drumming skills on the modal "Follow Me,"
which culminates in a kinetic call-and-response between the brothers. (By the
way, that's Andreas playing double bass on the hip-hop flavored tag).
Varady combines speed and finesse combine on the driving 6/8
composition,
"The Time Is Now" and utilizes some Frisellian
backwards guitar effects on the evocative interlude "Patience." The
adventurous title track is a centerpiece for this compelling album. Opening
with a rubato free section that has Gonzalez playing inside the piano while his
band mates add provocative colors and textures, it resolves to a buoyant theme
with Andreas and Radovan tied together in tight unisons while navigating a
tricky time-shifting terrain. "He's a great player," says Varady of
the Slovakian saxophonist, "and I like his strong, darker sound."
The guitarist shows his urbane side on "Story" and
the uplifting, melodic number
"Her Dream." Then he swings unabashedly on the
up-tempo "Radiska," a burner that also turns Tariska loose and has
Gonzalez channeling his inner McCoy Tyner. "His soloing is swinging and
very interactive," says Varady of the gifted pianist, who turns in a
monstrous solo here. "That's the thing with all of us...we're very
interactive on the album. No one is told, 'You do this, you do that.' It's more
of a sketch and then see where it goes from there. So it was a natural process.
This album was really open, like pure jazz...straight in the moment. That's
what I was going for."
The closer, "Outro," featuring more backwards
effects over a simple, serene melody, serves as a bridge to what Varady plans
to explore in more depth on his next recording. "I thought it would be
interesting to just add some of the elements that would be for my upcoming
music," he explains. "I'm into a lot of electronic music, I'm into a
lot of hip-hop. That's also a part of me, and I thought it would be cool to add
that color to the album. It's almost like my one foot is solidly in jazz and on
my other foot, my toes are in something else. And it's not like I'm crossing
genres, it's more of like going from one of my styles to this other style and
merging it all together to create this ultimate thing."
The Quest Track Listing:
1. Lost Memories
2. Radio Joint
3. Follow Me
4. The Time Is Now
5. Patience
6. The Quest
7. Story
8. Her Dream
9. Radiska
10. Outro
Resonance Records is a multi-GRAMMY® Award-winning label
(most recently for John Coltrane's Offering: Live at Temple University for
"Best Album Notes") that prides itself in creating beautifully
designed, informative packaging to accompany previously unreleased recordings
by the jazz icons who grace Resonance's catalog. Headquartered in Beverly
Hills, CA, Resonance Records is a division of Rising Jazz Stars, Inc. a
California 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation created to discover the next jazz
stars and advance the cause of jazz. Current Resonance Artists include Richard
Galliano, Polly Gibbons, Tamir Hendelman, Christian Howes, Donald Vega and
Andreas Varady. www.ResonanceRecords.org
For more information on Andreas Varady & The Quest
please contact:
Jason Paul Harman Byrne at Red Cat Publicity
Tel: 646-259-2105, Email: Redcatjazz@mac.com
www.redcatontheloose.blogspot.com
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