Denson’s trio recording features a collaboration with French
guitarist Romain Pilon and celebrated U.S. drummer Brian Blade, available October
25, 2019 via Ridgeway Records.
Between Two Worlds features ten original compositions: five
each by Denson and Pilon, most of them written especially for this album. The
music’s sound is consistent across the album: complex but highly expressive
post-bop, guitar-trio jazz. Yet for the most part, it’s apparent at a glance
which composer wrote which tune. Pilon’s titles are in French (“Sucrée,” “En
Trois Temps,” “Azur,” “Génération”); “Madrid,” whose language is neither of the
above, is also by Pilon. “Song of a Solitary Crow,” “Nostalgic Farewell,” “Listen
Up,” “Lost and Found” and “Between Two Worlds” are Denson’s.
The album’s title has poetic dimensions. “As musicians we
float between two worlds,” writes Denson in the album’s liner notes. “One, a
physical plane and the other a powerful reality that can only be found with the
most open of ears, hearts and minds.”
Part of that intuitive reality is the chemistry between the
three musicians, which all of them agreed was strong. “Romain is inspiring, his
playing and compositions,” Blade says. “And Jeff as well. Who they are comes
through in the music, and the joy.”
“Playing music with Jeff and Brian was like discovering new
paths to creativity,” Pilon adds. “I felt like everything was possible. I just
had to keep my ears open.”
“It’s one thing to make everything work and have everybody
sound good, but there’s an unexplainable magic that can happen between
players,” Denson finishes. “That was very clearly there for us. It was a
totally magical, exciting experience to do this trio album.”
Internationally renowned bassist, vocalist, composer, and
educator Jeff Denson was born on December 20, 1976 in Arlington, Virginia, and
grew up in the Washington, DC area. He
began playing alto saxophone in the third grade, switching in high school to
bass and vocals. He studied at Virginia Commonwealth University and Northern
Virginia Community College, all the while freelancing heavily on the DC jazz
scene, before transferring to Boston’s Berklee College of Music to complete his
degree. At Berklee, Denson co-founded the trio Minsarah, touring and recording
with the band for fifteen years and becoming the accompanist for the legendary
saxophonist Lee Konitz for over twelve years. In the meantime, Denson completed
a master’s degree at Florida State University and a DMA at the University of
California at San Diego.
Denson relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2011 to
become a professor at the California Jazz Conservatory where he now serves as
Dean of Instruction. He released his
first solo project, Secret World, in 2012 and has earned wide critical acclaim
for his performances and recordings. DownBeat Magazine has cited Denson’s
“considerable gifts as an improviser, interpreter and sonic
trailblazer..." earning him a spot on the DownBeat International Critics
Poll. Germany’s Jazz Podium Magazine
noted that “Denson is breaking new ground…(he is) one of the leading bassists
of contemporary jazz.” Denson has released fourteen albums as a leader or co-leader
and performs in some 60 concerts annually with his own groups as well as with
the San Francisco String Trio (Denson, guitarist Mimi Fox and violinist Mads
Tolling), among others.
He also spearheads Ridgeway Arts, a nonprofit designed to
enhance and fortify the Bay Area scene with educational initiatives, concert
presentations and recordings released on Denson’s Ridgeway Records label. In
addition to Between Two Worlds, Denson released Jeff Denson Live, a digital
album, in May 2019.
Romain Pilon
Described by Jazzwise as "a brilliant improviser,"
French guitarist and composer Romain Pilon has, over the years, earned a solid
reputation among the jazz guitar world. He started playing guitar at age 10,
exploring all kinds of music throughout high school and eventually going to
Conservatory in his native France before gaining a scholarship from the famed
Berklee College of Music in Boston. After his US sojourn (where his won three
awards and was chosen with his group to open for Pat Metheny out of 1,000
guitar students) he lived between Paris and NYC, performing with some of the
world’s greatest improvising musicians.
Romain has recorded three albums as a co-leader and four as
a leader: NY3, Colorfield, The Magic Eye, and most recently, Copper. His talent
both as an improviser and composer has earned him kudos in the international
press as one of the standout musicians currently living in Paris. Jazz
journalist and curator Vincent Bessieres wrote: "Romain is a guitarist
whose flow of imagination sets high standards, and whose guitar tone is one of
the most elegant around…" Jazz Podium (Germany) calls him "a wonder
of taste and style." His ability to play all forms of jazz, from swing and
bebop to modern and avant-garde, makes him an in-demand sideman. Recent performances have included tours as a
leader in France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, and the US in clubs and festivals
such King’s Place (London), Duc des Lombards (Paris), Crescent Jazz Festival,
Malta Jazz Festival (Malta), Jazz Station (Belgium),Saint Omer Jazz Festival,
Vitoria Jazz Festival (Spain), La Londe Jazz Festival, and many more.
Besides his career as a performing musician, Pilon is a
renowned pedagogue. He has given masterclasses in France, the US, Portugal,
Italy, Spain, Japan, Germany, and Malta. In 2016 he started a series of “Mini
Lessons" videos on YouTube. With over 200,000 views on the playlist and
close to 7,000 downloads of pdfs from all over the world, it has been a big
success. Over the years he has taught over 200 private students, many of them
now renowned musicians in their own right.
Brian Blade
Brian Blade was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The first music he experienced was the Gospel and songs of praise at the Zion
Baptist Church where his father, Brady L. Blade, Sr., has been Pastor since
1961. In elementary school, music appreciation classes were an important part
of his development, and at age nine he began playing the violin. Inspired by
his older brother, Brady L. Blade, Jr., who had been the drummer at Zion
Baptist Church, Brian shifted his focus to the drums throughout middle and high
school. During high school, while studying with Dorsey Summerfield, Jr., Brian
began listening to the music of John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Art
Blakey, Thelonious Monk, Elvin Jones and Joni Mitchell. In 1988, at the age of
eighteen, he moved to New Orleans to attend Loyola University. Over the next
five years, he was able to study and play with most of the master musicians
living in New Orleans, including John Vidacovich, Ellis Marsalis, Steve
Masakowski, Bill Huntington, Mike Pellera, John Mahoney, George French, Emile
Vinette, Germaine Bazzle, David Lee, Jr., Alvin Red Tyler, Tony Dagradi and
Harold Battiste.
In 1997, Brian Blade formed The Fellowship Band with pianist
Jon Cowherd. The band members are bassist Chris Thomas and saxophonists Myron
Walden and Melvin Butler. The Fellowship Band released their self-titled debut
album in 1998, Perceptual in 2000, Season of Changes in 2008, Landmarks in 2014
and Body and Shadow in 2017, all on Blue Note Records. While continuing to work
with The Fellowship Band, Blade has been a member of the Wayne Shorter quartet
since 2000. He has recorded with Daniel Lanois, Joni Mitchell, Kenny Garrett,
Ellis Marsalis, Marianne Faithfull, Norah Jones, Emmylou Harris and Bob Dylan.
In 2009, Blade released his first album as a singer-songwriter, Mama Rosa,
featuring songs dedicated to his grandmother and family, written from
experiences about his life so far. The album features Daniel Lanois, vocalist
Kelly Jones, bassist Chris Thomas, guitarist Goffrey Moore and pianists Aaron
Embry and Jon Cowherd.
