Swedish-born and longtime Boston resident bassist and composer Bruno Raberg is releasing his tenth CD as a leader, Tailwind

Swedish-born and longtime Boston resident bassist and composer Bruno Raberg is releasing his tenth CD as a leader, Tailwind. The music consists of mainly original compositions by Raberg along with interpretations of the jazz repertoire. Raberg says, "It's been a dream of mine for a long time to be able to play with both Bruce and Adam. Bruce and I used to play with the Boston based large ensemble, Orange Then Blue, and it's been really great to reconnect with him. Adam is a new acquaintance and the way he completes the trio is just amazing." The music on Tailwind moves freely from hard swinging to the more lyrical and atmospheric, always with heart and soul. 

Tailwind - for me this is the feeling of being gently pushed ahead, having my intentions and dreams amplified by a collective effort, in this case making music together as a group. When playing with great musicians such as Bruce and Adam I get the sense of being lifted and carried along; the music flowing effortlessly, yet deeply.

The embryo of the opening track was written between classes while teaching at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. I recorded it on my phone, e-mailed it to myself, and it came through as Message XII. This song was very much written for this trio with Bruce and Adam and was, like most of the songs on this CD, premiered during the recording sessions.

I've had a melodic fragment stuck in my head for years not knowing where it came from until I recently heard Eric Dolphy's "Outward Bound" and the composition "245". My Song for Dolphy came out of that melodic fragment.

A Closer Look is a ballad that was written for Melissa, my future wife, back in 1985. Bruce and I were sharing an apartment at the time and we used to play this song in those early days.

Le Candide II (and Le Candide I - bonus track) are two quite different takes of the same composition. For take two Adam suggested that we start with an explosion and work our way from there. Le Candide is one of my very first compositions and was written during my first year at the New England Conservatory. Bruce and I used to play it with Orange Then Blue, which included George Schuller, Adam Kolker, Matt Darriau, among others. It was with the encouragement of Bruce that I got to record both this and "A Closer Look". The song has a very strong sense of forward motion as well.

Paris Window was also written in part between classes while teaching at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. Being engulfed in this highly creative environment helps me to live in the moment. It was finished at home where I have a picture that I took of my wife Melissa sitting in a window in Paris.

I often drive by a small plot of conservation land in Belmont, MA called Lone Tree Hill. On this particular day I started hearing music that would go with that title.

Swedish trombonist Eje Thelin first introduced me to Jimmy Van Heusen's, Here's That Rainy Day, when playing in his group. It has stayed with me and I much enjoy listening to all the different interpretations of the song. This is my arrangement and I choose to play the melody with Arco bass since that's the closest I can get to the human voice without actually singing. The into vamp ended up being the foundation for an original, Rainy Day Farewell, which is the closer of this program.

Bruno Råberg is an internationally renowned bass player and composer and a mainstay on the Boston music scene. Since coming to the US from his native Sweden he has created 10 recordings as a leader, has appeared on more than 30 as a sideman, and has performed with numerous world-class artists, including Donny McCaslin, Chris Cheek, Kenny Werner, George Garzone, Bob Moses, Mick Goodrick, Ben Monder, Bruce Barth, Jim Black, Matt Wilson, Ted Poor and Mike Mainieri. Tours have taken Råberg throughout Europe, Scandinavia, USA, Japan, India, Africa, and Central America, and to jazz festivals such as Pori, Umbria, Monterey, Nancy, Bologna, Graz, Stockholm, Boston, and Cape Town. As an educator, Råberg stands out. He is a professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston where he teaches in the prestigious Berklee Global Jazz Institute's Masters Program, lead by the legendary Danilo Perez. He has traveled to Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Japan and Costa Rica as a clinician and performer for Berklee.

Jazz pianist and composer Bruce Barth has been sharing his music with listeners the world over for more than two decades. Deeply rooted in the jazz tradition, his music reflects both the depth and breadth of his life and musical experiences.Barth arrived on the New York jazz scene in 1988, and soon joined the great tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine; their musical collaboration spanned a decade. Barth has since been a member of the Terence Blanchard Quintet, touring extensively, recording six CDs and numerous movie soundtracks including Spike Lee's, "Malcolm X". He has toured and recorded with Nat Adderley, Steve Wilson, Terell Stafford, David Sanchez, and has performed with James Moody, Tony Bennett, Phil Woods, Freddie Hubbard, Tom Harrell, Branford Marsalis, Art Farmer, John Patitucci and the Mingus Big Band.

Drummer, composer, and educator Adam Cruz was born in New York City and has been a vital creative force on the international jazz scene for the last three decades. He leads his own group, and regularly works with artists such as Tom Harrell, The Mingus Big Band, Joey Calderazzo, Chris Potter, Steve Wilson and Edward Simon. Cruz currently teaches at CCNY and the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. The drummer first emerged professionally in the early 1990's, performing and recording extensively with saxophonist David Sanchez and the Charles Mingus Big Band. He toured with pianist Chick Corea with whom he recorded "Origin - A Week at the Blue Note". Since 2000 Cruz has been an integral part of renowned pianist Danilo Perez's trio alongside bassist Ben Street.