THE AFRO LATIN JAZZ ALLIANCE ANNOUNCES GRAMMY® WINNERS ARTURO O'FARRILL AND THE AFRO LATIN JAZZ ORCHESTRA'S 2012/13 SEASON AT SYMPHONY SPACE

The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance is pleased to announce the 11th season of the GRAMMY® Award-winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO), directed by Arturo O'Farrill, in 2012/13 at Symphony Space on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The Orchestra's sixth season at Symphony Space exemplifies the Alliance's commitment to reflecting a diverse and larger picture of Afro Latin jazz, one that acknowledges and celebrates the past while embracing innovation and experimentation that propels the music forward. Symphony Space is located at 2537 Broadway at 95th Street.

"In 2002 we introduced 'Afro Latin' into the lexicon, and now with the Orchestra's 11th year we're just beginning the adventure, we've just started the party, the exploration," remarks Arturo O'Farrill. "This year, the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra embraces the West Coast, Israel, the Catskills, Mexico, Colombia, and even the Harlem Renaissance. Don't miss this season, it's one to watch."

General Admission is $50/$40/$30, Students/Seniors/Children $15, Symphony Space Members $40/$32/$24. Take advantage of this special subscription offer: purchase tickets for two concerts and get admission to the third concert for free! For tickets go to: www.symphonyspace.org, call 212.864.5400, or visit the box office. For subscriptions, call or visit the box office.

2012/13 Performances at Symphony Space
November 2 & 3, 2012: Falafel, Freilach, and Frijoles: From Mambo to Borscht
Falafel, Freilach, and Frijoles: From Mambo to Borscht will examine the long and venerable relationship between the Puerto Rican and Jewish communities as evidenced by the history of mambo and salsa bands performing for avid dancers called "mamboniks" in the predominantly Jewish resort area of the Catskills known as the Borscht Belt. The ALJO will also be exploring the themes common to the larger Jewish and Latino communities including a journey to the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and North Africa. Loosely based on the famous albums by Irving Fields such as Bagels & Bongos, as well as the recording Mazel Tov, Mis Amigos, the evening will cast Jewish and Yiddish classics in Afro Latin big band versions and also set Latin classics in traditional Klezmer settings. Guest artist Steven Bernstein will co-host, perform, and be a part of the pre-performance discussion.

February 1 & 2, 2013: East Meets West
East Meets West will explore the development of West Coast Latin jazz with featured guest artists. There has been an unspoken rivalry between the East and West Coast Latin jazz movements. The "scene" California has given birth to, if not quite as old, is just as complex and profound, spawning incredible artists. To extinguish the rivalry and give heartfelt recognition to our West Coast brethren, guest artist John Santos, a significant artist from California, will guest curate, perform, and be a part of the pre-performance discussion.

May 3 & 4, 2013: Música Nueva 6
The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance's traditional new music concert in which the ALJO explores new directions in Afro Latin big band jazz will examine several tangents. The evening will feature the brass band traditions in the New World, including the Banda music of Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and other Latin American countries. The program will also explore lesser known sub-genres of Spanish music. In addition, in partnership with Symphony Space, the Orchestra will present a new co-commissioned work that focuses on the Latino contribution to the Harlem Renaissance.

ARTURO O'FARRILL
Pianist, composer, educator, and founder of the nonprofit Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, was born in Mexico, grew up in New York, and was educated at the Manhattan School of Music, Brooklyn College Conservatory, and the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. O'Farrill played piano with the Carla Bley Big Band from 1979 through 1983. He then went on to develop as a solo performer with a wide spectrum of artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Steve Turre, Freddy Cole, The Fort Apache Band, Lester Bowie, Wynton Marsalis, and Harry Belafonte. In 1995 Mr. O'Farrill agreed to direct the band that preserved much of his father's music, the Chico O'Farrill Afro Cuban Jazz Orchestra, which concluded a 15-year residency at Birdland. In 2002 Mr. O'Farrill created the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) for Jazz at Lincoln Center due to a large body of music in the genre of Latin and Afro Cuban jazz that deserves to be much more widely appreciated. His debut album with the Orchestra, Una Noche Inolvidable, earned a GRAMMY® Award nomination in 2006 and the Orchestra's second album, Song for Chico, earned a GRAMMY® Award for Best Latin Jazz Album in 2009. The ALJO's new album, 40 Acres and a Burro, was released to critical acclaim and was nominated for a 2012 GRAMMY® Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. Arturo O'Farrill recently released his first solo piano recording, The Noguchi Sessions. Arturo O'Farrill is a Steinway artist.

THE AFRO LATIN JAZZ ORCHESTRA (ALJO)
The GRAMMY® Award-winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, soon to start its 11th season, was founded in 2002 by musician, composer, and educator Arturo O'Farrill to perform the full repertory of big band Afro Latin jazz, and to commission new works to advance this culturally rich genre. The ALJO was a resident orchestra at Jazz at Lincoln Center from 2002 to 2007. In 2007 the ALJO left Lincoln Center to pursue the twin goals of developing new audiences for big band Afro Latin jazz and creating a robust educational program for young performers. O'Farrill founded the nonprofit Afro Latin Jazz Alliance that same year to pursue both the performance and educational aspects of this uniquely pan-American art form. The ALJO performs an annual season at Symphony Space on Manhattan's Upper West Side, plays at the famed jazz club Birdland every Sunday evening as part of an ongoing residency, and continues to tour nationally and internationally to critical acclaim.

THE AFRO LATIN JAZZ ALLIANCE (ALJA)
Founded in 2007, the nonprofit Afro Latin Jazz Alliance is dedicated to preserving the music and heritage of Afro Latin jazz, supporting its performance for new audiences, commissioning new work, and educating young people in the understanding and performance of this important cultural treasure. The Alliance maintains a world-class collection of Latin jazz musical scores and recordings and provides institutional support for the GRAMMY® Award winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. As the ALJO celebrates its 11th season, the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance's educational and community outreach programs continue to flourish. For more information on the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, and Education Programs, visit: www.afrolatinjazz.org.

The work of the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance is made possible with support from: Foundations: Arnhold Foundation, Leonard Bernstein Family Foundation, BMI Foundation, Brenner Family Foundation, D'Addario Music Foundation, Fund for the City of New York, New Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Fund, New York Community Trust/Lila Acheson Wallace Fund for the Arts, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation; Corporate: Capital One, Colgate/Palmolive, Con Edison, Goya, WABC-TV; Public: City Council Member Gale Brewer, 1199/SEIU, and other generous individual donors.For more information, please contact:

Afro Latin Jazz Alliance· Nina Olson
(212) 866-6634· nolson@afrolatinjazz.org

NEW RELEASES - JANIS JOPLIN, SELAH SUE, MY & THE MIGHTY MIGHTY MAGOO ORCHESTRA

JANIS JOPLIN – I GOT DEM OL’ KOZMIC BLUES AGAIN MAMA!

The stellar solo debut of Janis Joplin – fronting her own Kozmic Blues Band after the break from Big Brother! The raw emotion of her voice is as impressive as ever here – and there is more of a rockin' blues vibe here than on her earlier records – thanks the killer horn section in this new band. There's some stripped down numbers, too, giving this record a pretty balanced feel. A classic! Titles include "Try", "Maybe", "As Good As You've Been To This World", "Kozmic Blues", "To Love Somebody", "Little Girl Blue", and "One Good Man". (180 gram vinyl remaster – with the restored original artwork!) ~ Dusty Groove

SELAH SUE - RAGGAMUFFIN

Having already garnered multiple platinum certifications in France, The Netherlands, and her home nation of Belgium, Selah Sue brings her distinctive blend of pop, soul, funk and reggae to the US. Her style is exemplified on the vivacious first single, "Raggamuffin," which was produced by Patrice and has garnered the coveted iTunes Single of the Week. Rap superstar J.Cole features on the remix of "Raggamuffin" (an iTunes bonus track), and Cee-Lo Green joins in on a duet in "Please." Selah also partnered with producer Jerry Wonda (longtime collaborator of Wyclef Jean and producer of Fugees' classic, The Score) on "Fade Away" and co-wrote the emotional ballad "Mommy" withMeshell Ndegeocello. The U.S. version of the full-length includes three exclusive tracks: "On the Run," "Break," and "Fade Away." Beginning September 17th, catch Selah as she takes her thrilling debut album on anextensive tour this Fall across North America, performing alongside Ed Sheeran, Emeli Sandé, and Allen Stone. ~ GiantStep

MY & THE MIGHTY MIGHTY MAGOO ORCHESTRA  - GORGEOUS I AM

Too much is never enough! My & the Mighty Mighty Magoo Orchestra has one and only one noble task - to entertain the public with bombastic, raw energy and swinging arrangements. Ok? It might sound a little bit lit: John Lennon, Joni Mitchell and James Bond visiting Mardi Gras. Looking further below the surface we're going to meet Nina Hagen, Kate Bush, Frank Zappa and Freddie Mercury. Avantgarde-soul resting on a singer songwriters bluesy bed. The band can perform on a pile of crushed piano if that's what you prefer! My Engström Renman, the bands core soul is also known for her work with Gothenburg based lounge metal outfit Hellsongs. www.birdswillsingforyou.com

THE WARM AND INVITING SOUND OF SONY HOLLAND

Minnesota born Sony Holland is a performer with the talent and charisma that personifies the golden age of American music. As Richard Connema of Talking Broadway wrote, “Her calling cards are flawless phrasing, sultry tonality and bright energy. Her vocals shine on the slower and languorous ballads. She is the quintessential artist who keeps getting better and better...” Scott Yanow of the Los Angeles Jazz Scene adds, "One of the most talented jazz singers in town, Sony Holland has the potential to sing a wide variety of music and improvise creatively in every idiom. This continually evolving artist is well worth seeing live.”

Though many fans are initially drawn in by her classic beauty, they soon find that Sony is a very talented artist. Leaving behind her early classical vocal training, Sony began to find her own voice by singing on the streets of Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. That led to countless festivals and nightclub performances across the U.S. and three extended tours of Asia. Along the way she has become a true band leader. “On the road you need to earn the respect of the musicians or you’ll never get the sound you want,” Sony confides. She has emerged as a distinctive performer who exudes the confidence and charm that comes from knowing who she is, excelling at her craft and loving it!

As for her genre of choice she says, “I fell in love… that’s the best way to put it. I fell in love with Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Anita O’Day, Peggy Lee and the lyrics and music of Cole Porter, Harry Warren, Rodgers & Hart, etc…” She continues, “They have been my idols and my teachers. They cared about their craft and got better with time."

Sony is at home on stage whether accompanied by her guitarist/husband, Jerry Holland, a swinging jazz quartet or a 17-piece big band. KCSM DJ Pete Fallico says, “Sony gives a vocal experience not to be missed… with smooth delivery, lyrical pleasure and heartfelt emotion.” Sony continues on her steady path to artistic and popular success. Sony Holland is one of those big talents that seem to burst on the scene from nowhere… but in reality she has been building her career the old fashioned way, one sweet note at a time.

Upcoming appearances:
8/23: Levitt Pavilion - Music Under The Stars, Memorial Park, Pasadena
8/30: Sony Holland Duo @ the Left Coast Wine Bar

www.sonyholland.com

GUITARIST ERIC ESSIX RELEASES SELF-TITLED ALBUM

Eric Essix began his career as a recording artist in 1988 with his debut recording, First Impressions followed by Second Thoughts in 1989 on the Los Angeles based contemporary jazz label, Nova Records. While pursuing a degree at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Nova Records folded leaving Eric without a outlet for the amazing new band he had just assembled called Modern Man made up of longtime bassist, Sean Michael Ray and new classmates Matt Rohde on keyboards, Melvin Butler on sax and a young, up and coming phenom, Lil’ John Roberts on drums. So he financed and produced Eric Essix & Modern Man, Third Degree Burn, releasing it nationally on his own S6 Records label in 1993.

Five years of nearly constant touring and three albums later (Eric Essix and Modern Man, LIVE! and two more on Ben Tankard’s , Spirit Jazz Label ; Just Like You and Beautiful Music: Guitar), Eric got the break that had eluded him for more than a decade. He was signed by legendary Warner Brothers Vice President Ricky Schultz who formed the careers of artists like Pat Metheny, Al Jarreau, David Sanborn, Larry Carlton, Fourplay, Boney James, Joshua Redman and the Yellowjackets. Ricky liked the guitarist’s latest self produced CD, Small Talk and released it on his new Warner distributed indie label, Zebra Records.

Soon after, Eric had his his first taste of real success on a national playing field with the single, For Real which maintained a steady chart presence all the way up to the top five for more than 25 weeks establishing him as a solid artist in the heyday of the very popular “smooth jazz” genre. The second release on Zebra, Southbound, saw Eric making a shift towards the southern roots music he grew up playing and listening to living in his native Alabama. He also recorded 6 cover songs – something he had never done before – and the album’s instrumental interpretation of the classic, soul ballad, Rainy Night In Georgia became Eric’s next big hit also enjoying an extended run on the charts.

Eric left Zebra in 2002 to restart his own indie label with a new name; Essential Recordings, and in April 2004, he celebrated his first release on the label (distributed nationally by Selectohits), Somewhere In Alabama, which continued his exploration of southern themes. The single, Sweet Tea, spent some time on the charts and Eric continued to tour and maintain a presence in the industry. Everything came to a screeching halt, however, when in October of that same year, he lost his Mother, Imogene Essix, to heart failure.

Music and his faith were the only things that would help him navigate through this darkest period of his life and 6 months later he emerged from the studio with a moving musical tribute to her of spirituals and hymns called, Abide With Me. Eric released a handful of side projects and compilations after that on the Essential Records label (Blue, The Modern Man Recordings double CD set; Retrospective: Volume One; a CD by longtime friend and vocalist Cece Phillips called Long Time Coming on which he played and produced and an unlikely record fronting an 18 piece big band called Eric Essix featuring the Night Flight Band: Superblue). For the first time in his career, Eric began to explore the role of sideman and this led to a string of tour dates and performances with some of the biggest names in the contemporary jazz world such as Jeff Lorber, Gerald Albright, Ronnie Laws, Phil Perry, Boney James, Everret Harp, Peabo Bryson, Chuck Loeb, Marcus Miller, Eric Darius, Alex Bugnon, Marcus Johnson, Rick Braun, Peter White, Mindi Abair and others. His travels increased dramatically and Eric began to tour many countries abroad teaching, performing and talking about music in Hungary, Israel, Ukraine, India and the Caribbean.

One of Eric’s longtime dreams was to bring a world class jazz festival to his hometown and in 2007 he founded the Preserve Jazz Festival. The event became an instant hit and now, in its 6th season, draws attendees from all over the nation and A-list jazz artists (many of those mentioned above) to the beautiful Preserve community in Hoover, AL for an incredible day of food, fellowship and great music in a one of a kind outdoor venue!

After much touring and a host of side recording projects for other artists, in 2009, Eric decided it was time to take a shot at another national release and began working on what he later decided would be the last of a trilogy of recordings about his beloved southland. That record brought him full circle and closer to home than ever before. It was called Birmingham and his song Shuttlesworth Drive from the album, a musical tribute to the great civil rights pioneer, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, became his biggest radio hit ever as an independent smooth jazz artist spending 7 consecutive weeks at #1, and over 20 weeks in the top 10! When the courageous leader, passed away in 2011, Eric was honored by his wife’s request for him to play at the funeral where he performed a moving rendition of the spiritual, “Precious Lord” from his Abide With Me album.

2010 saw Eric headed in a direction he never saw coming when he was offered and accepted a position as Artist Coordinator and Programming Consultant at the University of Alabama Birmingham’s prestigious Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. It was a great opportunity to expand on his skills as a businessman in the music industry and led to organizing shows with his staff at the Center for artists like Al Pacino and Liza Minelli; to Pat Metheny, Ricky Skaggs and Wynton Marsalis.

That same year, Eric completed his first ever Christmas album of traditional selections performed mostly with just him on guitar, and in 2011 he released Volume 2 of his Retrospective series consisting of all Ballads from his catalog. Now Essential Recordings presents the new self titled release by Eric Essix, his first set of brand new music and arrangements following the success of 2009's "Birmingham"!

It's a new sound and a new direction for this southern styled guitarist whose soulful licks and phrasings are drenched in gospel and blues, but tinged with a generous portion of rock and neck bobbing funk. On this outing, those core characteristics of his sound remain, but compositionally he has broadened his horizons and embraced some country and folk music textures that happen to blend nicely with his southern sensibility and laid back approach. It is a natural progression for him as a writer after songs like Brother Bryan, Miles Away, Big Valley and his very “churchy” rendition of the civil rights anthem, We Shall Overcome from the Birmingham album. The record definitely seems to further define his identity for his listeners and even for himself.

“I have never personally considered myself to be a jazz artist in the truest sense of the word as it relates to the tradition of the music. But, I think because my music is predominately instrumental, I have been labeled a jazz guitarist; which is fine…I get it. However, I also understand that jazz requires a certain amount of study and discipline and, for guitarists, there is a very distinct vocabulary and sound that I have not put in the time to master like so many of my contemporaries -Russell Malone, Mark Whitfield and others. From my first album to this newest one, the voice that has been the most expressive for me on the guitar has always had an edgy, overdriven crunchiness which is the sound I love more than any other. I have not used that voice as much as I would have liked over the past several years in the studio and it’s exciting to explore it a bit more on this new project.”

Eric does not waste any time going there on the album’s opener, his cover of the Tom Petty hit, Free Fallin which ends with wailing Strat tones soaring over a bubbly organ pad and soaring background vocals. Except for the angular B-3 solo on the next song by the records producer and keyboardist Kelvin Wooten, on a funky Essix composition called Gravitate, the album contains nothing but extended guitar solos with Eric taking his time to make a clear statement on all of the albums ten tracks. “I got a lot of encouragement from Kelvin to ‘just play’ and even the songs we had originally planned to fade, ended up rolling out to the very end of the track with guitar solos.” A lot of listeners who have followed Eric since his debut recording in 1988 will probably say, “It’s about time!”

As a performing artist, composer, teacher and businessman, Eric is more active and productive than ever and continues to strive for excellence in everything he is involved with. Already having produced his own self tiled new album and a project for guitarist and tenor banjo player, Tony Lombardo, Eric has already begun planning an early 2013 release tentatively entitled "4" which will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 16th Street Church bombing with songs of healing, reconciliation and hope . ~ ericessix.net

PHIL DENNY - CROSSOVER

A shift in the genre labeled “smooth jazz” is happening now and saxophonist Phil Denny enters with a new sound and energy to launch a solo career.

Although no stranger to the stage, emerging recording artist Phil Denny is on track to elevate his music career to the next level. Denny, a Lansing, MI native has found that music is his true calling. A former vice president for a mortgage brokerage firm of 7 years and part-time performer, tossed in the towel to pursue his passion for music; a full-time journey that has already presented some incredible opportunities.

After spending most of 2011 in-studio with producer Nate Harasim, the much-anticipated debut CD labeled Crossover is now in the final stages of production and promises to deliver a contagious blend of infectious music. Denny teamed up with a great cast of musician friends on this ten track CD to bring you a full-length music experience. Inspired by a variety of musical stylings, this will be the new identity of this passionate and soulful talent.

2012 started off on a high note with the completion of Crossover and an International debut at the Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival in February. The journey included a sixty-minute show on the jazz garden stage which lured in a diverse crowd of hundreds of jazz fans from around the globe as well as collaborative appearances with Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm Records artists Cindy Bradley, Nate Harasim, Oli Silk, Julian Vaughn Althea Rene and Elizabeth Mis.

A unique style and personality on the saxophone has helped to cultivate a loyal, diverse fan base while building an impressive resume. Having performed with or along side notable artist like Kirk Whalum, Gerald Albright, Darren Rahn, Randy Scott, Tim Bowman, Lalah Hathaway, Howard Hewitt, Nate Harasim, Oli Silk, Gail Jhonson, Julian Vaughn, Cindy Bradley, Lin Rountree, Althea Rene, Al McKenzie, Terrance Palmer, Orrick Ewing and even had an impromptu jam session with Stevie Wonder. Many of these artists being some of Denny’s most impressionable influences.

Be on the look out for this up and coming saxophonist known for his engaging live performance that takes you on a captivating musical journey every time. Stay tuned for the debut of “Crossover” expected to be released Summer 2012. ~ philonsax.com

LEE RITENOUR - RHYTHM SESSIONS

Ritenour Embarks on Innovative Musical Journey with All-Star Rhythm Sections Including Chick Corea, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Dave Grusin, Christian McBride, Marcus Miller and Winners of his Annual Six String Theory International Competition

“I always thought it’s a very cool model to combine very well-known, almost legendary players with completely new talent on the same record. I love that scenario. It’s not a format that many people have followed before, but I’ve always considered it a fascinating experiment, and a way to create some great sounds.”……..Lee Ritenour

In a career that spans five decades and more than 40 albums, guitarist Lee Ritenour has developed a keen understanding of the symbiotic balance between the frontman and the supporting players, between the wisdom of experience and the enthusiasm of youth. On Rhythm Sessions, Ritenour’s new album set for release on Concord Records, September 25, 2012 (international release dates may vary) he surrounds himself with a cadre of high-profile veterans and promising newcomers – all of whom reaffirm the vital role played by the rhythm section in any worthwhile musical endeavor.

Included on the Rhythm Sessions roster are luminaries like Chick Corea, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Dave Grusin, Marcus Miller and many others. Also appearing throughout the record are the winners of Ritenour’s 2012 Rhythm Section Competition, an international event he launched in 2009 as a guitar competition and later expanded to include aspiring keyboardists, bassists and percussionists. The competition winners appearing on the album include keyboardist Hans de Wild (Holland), pianist Demetrius Nabors (Michigan), bassist Michael Feinberg (New York) and drummer Selim Munir (Turkey). The album also features Ritenour’s 19-year-old son Wesley, an aspiring drummer in his own right on one of the tracks.

The most recent result of that ongoing experiment is an album that embraces a variety of sounds and grooves, all rooted in jazz, but also layered with shades of funk, R&B, Latin, world music and more. The album’s sense of variety stems from the eclectic source material. Some songs were penned by Ritenour, while others come from heavyweights like Herbie Hancock, Dave Grusin, Chick Corea, EST and Nick Drake. “I wanted the various rhythm sections assembled for this album – the guitar, keyboards, bass and drums – to be very organic,” says Ritenour. “The songs I wrote for this project were written with these different musicians in mind, and the songs I picked by other songwriters brought to mind certain players as well. So while my name may be on this record, it’s as much about these other players as it is about me.”

Ritenour’s previous recording, 6 String Theory, had focused primarily on guitar by featuring the international winners of his 2009 guitar competition. However, in keeping with his ongoing commitment to discovering and mentoring new talent, he quickly realized that there was so much ground yet to be covered. “There are just so many great piano players and bass players and drummers out there, so when it came time to make Rhythm Sessions, I thought, ‘Why not make a record featuring some of those great players, and then extend the contest to include the rhythm section, and let the young rhythm section winners make an appearance on the record?’”

This mix of seasoned players with newcomers results in a multi-layered, multi-textural and extremely engaging recording. “I’m at a point in my career where I’m marshalling all of my skills and experience over 40 years and really putting it all into an album like Rhythm Sessions,” he says. “I’ve always loved working with great talent, and at the same time finding new young talent and opening doors for them. I want to take as many opportunities as I can to give something back as a way of expressing my thanks for all that’s been given to me.”

EYDIE GORME – DON’T GO TO STRANGERS / SOFTLY AS I LEAVE YOU

A great double-header – especially since both albums are top-shelf! Don't Go To Strangers is a 60s classic from Eydie Gorme – and a set that showed the world that she had a lot more to offer than just some peppy duets with Steve Lawrence! Sure, Eydie had sung on her own before – and often did a pretty darn great job – but this album really takes off with a new sort of maturity – one that comes through in the title, and in Gorme's all-adult readings of the tunes – with a poise, care, and class that we're not sure we'd heard on records from her before. Don Costa handles the arrangements superbly – and titles include "What Did I Have That I Don't Have", "If He Walked Into My Life", "Don't Go To Strangers", "How Did He Look", "When He Leaves You", and "Tell Him I Said Hello".

Softly As I Leave You is great second-period work from Eydie Gorme – one of the wonderfully mature 60s albums when she was really developing herself as a singer! The album's got a careful sort of poise – emotive, but never overdone – and arranged to perfection by Don Costa, in ways that are even more sensitive to Eydie's strengths than his previous work with the singer. Titles include "Every Time We Say Goodbye", "What's Good About Goodbye", "Guess I Should Have Loved Him More", "Softly As I Leave You", and "All Alone". ~ Dusty Groove

REGGIE QUINERLY - MUSIC INSPIRED BY FREEDMAN TOWN

On his forthcoming debut CD, jazz drummer and composer Reggie Quinerly taps a rich vein of cultural history from his native Houston to produce an ambitious, soulful, and uniquely resonant work -- Music Inspired by Freedmantown. The disc will be released September 18 by Quinerly's Redefinition Music label.

Although Quinerly attended grammar school in the heart of the historic African-American district once known as Freedmantown (now the Fourth Ward), he knew little of the significance of the area. But a melody he composed while in his second year at Juilliard opened the door to memories of his hometown and, soon, an obsession with learning everything he could about the neighborhood and its past.

"Over time I began to discover how this area became home to Houston's largest population of African-American homeowners immediately following the Emancipation Proclamation," says Quinerly, 31. "I learned how its history has played a significant role in the advancement of racial and economic equality, impacting the lives of all Texans from then on."

The streets of Freedmantown, he says, "were becoming the backdrop for this project. I wanted to capture the very soulful essence of Freedmantown's voice."

With the exception of the standards "I'm Old Fashioned" and "Sentimental Journey" (the latter his mother's favorite song), all of the songs on the CD were composed by Quinerly and most relate directly to Freedmantown. A world-class cast of players was on hand to help the leader breathe life into his evocative sound portraits: tenor saxophonist Tim Warfield, pianist Gerald Clayton, guitarist Mike Moreno (a classmate of the drummer's at Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts), and bassist Vicente Archer.

Also featured, on two selections, are trumpeter Antoine Drye, tenor saxophonist Matt Parker, and trombonist Corey King, as well as vocalist Sarah Elizabeth Charles (on "Victoria") and pianist/organist Enoch Smith Jr., who sings his own lyrics on the church-influenced track "Freedmantown" (The soul of this place / is written on every citizen's face).

Reggie Quinerly started playing drums at age 8 after hearing Lester Grant playing at the church Quinerly attended with his family. "Many people, including myself, come to jazz through church, with the latter helping to shape the way we hear and play the former. In my mind, he was a jazz drummer first," Quinerly says of Grant, with whom he studied for a year. "Much later I discovered he had been a top session drummer in the '50s for many traveling blues and jazz acts, which explained why the way he played wasn't necessarily from the gospel tradition. It wasn't shoutin' music. Sitting at his side, I developed my sensibility for hearing the drums a little bit differently. It was definitely more low-key."

Quinerly subsequently studied with Sam Dinkins, who "knew how to play all the percussion instruments -- not just drums, not just the drum set, but all of the world percussion. I was exposed to all kinds of music and all kinds of styles. He was also the consummate professional. Being a drummer, even a great one, was never enough. He stressed the importance of building businesses and creating opportunities for other artists to thrive. Those lessons have stayed with me."

After high school, Quinerly went straight to New York City and enrolled at the Mannes School of Music at New School University, studying with Jimmy Cobb, Lewis Nash, and Kenny Washington. He earned his Master's in Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School. Since leaving Texas, Quinerly has worked with such notable musicians as Von Freeman, Vincent Herring, John Hicks, Joe Lovano, Branford Marsalis, Christian McBride, Wynton Marsalis, and Greg Osby. With saxophonist Marcus Strickland, he also played and lectured in New York City schools as part of Lincoln Center's Jazz in the Schools program. For the last six years, Quinerly has played drums every Sunday at Paterson, New Jersey's Calvary Baptist Church (where Enoch Smith Jr. serves as musical director).

Quinerly is looking forward to bringing Music Inspired by Freedmantown to the stage. He will perform a CD release show at Smoke in New York City on 12/5, and a very special concert is planned for 12/29 at Houston's African American Museum at The Gregory School. "I feel extremely privileged," he says, "for the opportunity to present this music at The Gregory School, a special venue that celebrates the collective achievements of all people, past, present, and future."

www.reggiequinerly.com

JESSE FISCHER & SOUL CYCLE - RETRO FUTURE

Ambitious Project Ties Together Jazz, Electronic, Soul, Classical, Psychedelia, and World Music

What did the future used to look like? The space-age exploration of the Mad Men era? The free love and flower power of the hippies? The technological utopia of the early Internet pioneers? The promise of today's era of global interconnectedness? With each new generation of dreamers, a new future is imagined, and when the future actually arrives, it ends up both stranger and more interesting than we could have imagined.

On his new album Retro Future, Brooklyn-based keyboardist, composer, and producer Jesse Fischer weaves together many different strands of futuristic sounds from the past to create a brand new sound that is ahead of its time yet incredibly cemented in the present.

"I love the music of the late 60's and early 70's, but the fact of the matter is that I was born in 1980 and have been influenced by so much music and culture of the past three decades," explains Fischer. "I wanted to make a record that goes beyond paying homage to the styles of the past, and create something new that resonates with where we are today as a society -- we're still organic beings but increasingly living in an electronic world -- and at the same time give you an intimate view of what I'm going through in my life."

Following up 2011's independent release, Homebrew (which featured turns from Gretchen Parlato, Stefon Harris, and Sean Jones), Retro Future marks Fischer's label debut with ObliqSound, and features his tight-knit working group Soul Cycle, consisting of alto saxophonist and flautist Brian Hogans, trumpeter and flugelhornist Jean Caze, trombonist Corey King, guitarist David Linaburg, bassist Solomon Dorsey, percussionist Shawn Banks, and drummer Gabriel Wallace. Emerging vocalists Rachel Eckroth and Chris Turner are also featured on one song each. The album includes seven originals along with compelling new takes on The 5th Dimension's "Aquarius", Jimi Hendrix's "Electric Ladyland", and Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide".

Retro Future is an offbeat, curious blend of jazz-funk, electro, hip-hop, psychedelic soul, various African influences, as well as classical, romantic and impressionistic music. Once again commanding a rich arsenal of textures, Fischer expands his palette to include kalimba, glockenspiel, a variety of analog synths, sweeping electronic pads, 8-bit video-game sounds, vocoder, movie samples, cavernous echoes mixed with flutes, blistering horns, kinetic world percussion, as well as piano, Rhodes, and organ.

Regarding the broader concept of Retro Future, Fischer explains his goals: "I wanted to explore themes of technology and change. How does technology change us? How can we keep up with the way the world is changing? How can we use technology to change ourselves and the world for the better?" Born only months after the Apple II came on the market, Fischer is old enough to remember life before computers and the Internet, but young enough to consider them an integral part of his life. Throughout the album, his experiences with technology and change are portrayed musically, lyrically, and texturally in various ways.

Culturally omnivorous, Fischer takes inspiration from an unlikely array of sources with Retro Future: "I've been influenced by so much new music - artists like Hudson Mohawke, YMCK, King, Evan Marien, Mister Barrington, Thundercat, and Snarky Puppy, who are finding new and exciting ways of integrating electronic and jazz sounds - as well as going back and listening to a lot of Chopin, Beethoven, Debussy, and Ravel." He also cites William Gibson's seminal cyberpunk novels, Philip K. Dick's sci-fi stories, as well as cult films like WarGames, Sneakers, and Pi as setting the philosophical, cinematic tone of Retro Future.

"With my new tunes, I was really looking for a way to combine the precision of electronic time with the exhilaration of human imperfections." Throughout the album, Fischer explores various methods of balancing the spontaneity of organic group improvisation with meticulously constructed digital pre and post-production. On some songs, the band performed live over a pre-programmed electronic track aligned to the computer grid. On other songs, software was used in post-production to digitally alter and enhance certain human elements. The result is a scintillating symbiosis of man and machine.

Religiously D.I.Y., Fischer not only composes, arranges, and plays on Retro Future, but the polymath also produced, engineered, and mixed the record. "I grew up around the punk-rock D.I.Y. ethos which is still deeply ingrained in me," Fischer says. "Best way to make something happen is to learn how to do it yourself. Not only do you save money and time while educating yourself, but the fewer people that are involved in a piece of art, the more authentic, coherent, and intimate it can be."
Three years ago, while subletting a medium-sized studio to record his own projects, Fischer found himself becoming an in-demand engineer and producer. "I found all my contacts who knew me as a musician suddenly started calling me to record their projects! It was a no-brainer. They knew that I understood music and they were finding out quickly that I knew the sound they wanted and could get it for them with no stress." Since then, Fischer produced and engineered Atlantic Records soul songstress Laura Izibor's latest EP, The Brooklyn Sessions: Vol.1, at Electrik Indigo Studios, his own recording space. Izibor is best known for her Billboard R&B Top 40 hit "From My Heart to Yours" as well as writing "What More Can They Do" for Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls.

Retro Future is as much a showcase for Fischer's producing and engineering chops as it is a vehicle for his composition, arranging, and keyboard playing. "I love engineering and producing just as much as I love composing and performing," enthuses Fischer. "They're just two different sides of the same musical coin." While previous albums saw him shying away from the front man role, Fischer steps out into the spotlight on Retro Future, featuring himself prominently on searing synth solos as well as his deft classically influenced touch on acoustic piano.

From the video game strut of "Cyberphunk" to the dubbed-out Afrobeat of "Digital Savanna" to the psychedelic soul of "Aquarius" to the summertime house-party funk of "Tanqueray & Tonic", Retro Future is definitely not for the faint of heart. Fischer admits, "There's a lot to take in - so I always made sure to have some type of hook, either a simple melodic figure or some type of repeating rhythm - to make sure you don't get lost. Then if you come back a second and third time, you discover all the intricate layers below the surface." What holds the project together is Fischer's unwavering sense of groove and timeless devotion to melody.
The child of a math teacher and a science teacher who both loved music, Fischer ended up developing strong passions for both the sciences and the arts. At Rutgers College, he was a computer science and linguistics double major with minors in math and cognitive science, while still finding time to study piano with Stanley Cowell. After school, Fischer dabbled in web design, construction, and restaurant jobs before moving to New York in 2005 and quickly establishing himself on the scene.

Since then, he has performed with Stevie Wonder, Freddie Jackson, Black Moon, Laura Izibor, Ryan Shaw, and Lakecia Benjamin, and self-produced and independently released five albums with his group Soul Cycle. His television credits include Conan O'Brien, Craig Ferguson, The Mo'Nique Show, Good Day New York, BET's Rising Icons, Jools Holland, 90210, and One Tree Hill, and his compositions have been heard on Centric's Model City as well as the independent film Hush.

With Retro Future, Fischer offers up a cinematic vision of the not-too-distant times to come that are both inspirational and cautionary.

Retro Future Personnel & Track Listing:
Jesse Fischer / piano, Moog, Rhodes, vocoder, organ
Brian Hogans / alto saxophone and flute
Jean Caze / trumpet, flugelhorn
Corey King / trombone
David Linaburg / guitar
Soloman Dorsey / bass
Shawn Banks / percussion
Gabriel Wallace / drums
Rachel Eckroth / vocals (track 3)
Chris Turner / vocals (track 6)

1. Tanqueray & Tonic (Jesse Fischer) - 5:59
2. Moon Ship (Jesse Fischer) - 5:42
3. Aquarius (Galt MacDermot, James Rado, Gerome Ragni) - 4:39
4. Digital Savanna (Jesse Fischer) - 6:15
5. Cyberphunk (Jesse Fischer) - 5:55
6. Electric Ladyland (Jimi Hendrix) - 3:55
7. Gotham Underground (Jesse Fischer) - 5:16
8. Midnight Dancer (Jesse Fischer & Josh David) - 6:07
9. Keep the Faith (Jesse Fischer, Gabriel Wallace, Brian Hogans, Jean Caze) - 6:44
10. Landslide (Stevie Nicks) - 4:30

JesseFischer.com

NEW RELEASES – SHAWN LEE, JOE MORRIS/WILLIAM PARKER/GERALD CLEAVER, DON CHERRY

SHAWN LEE – SYNTHESIZERS IN SPACE

A fresh new sound from the Shawn Lee universe – one that's every bit as funky as before, but which has some great twists and turns too! The album definitely lives up to its title – and offers up plenty of keyboards soaring off into space – but there's also some unexpectedly gritty rhythms at the bottom, making for a nice degree of acoustic funk – and not just the drum machine bits you might expect! And in fact, there's even some sweet congas and other percussion at points – bringing in a deeper, rootsy quality that's a great contrast to the moogy moments – almost as if Jean Jacques Perry was sitting in some some lost combo from the funky 45 years! Titles include "Black Hole", "Galactica", "Celestial Waltz", "AJ's Mood", "Low Riders In Space", "Jupiter's Jam", and "Tiger Style". (Includes download card.) ~ Dusty Groove

JOE MORRIS / WILLIAM PARKER / GERALD CLEAVER - ALTITUDE

A strong trio set from guitarist Joe Morris, bassist William Parker and drummer Gerald Cleaver – their first together – and it's an exciting one! Recorded live at The Stone, in NYC , it includes a pair of great 25+ minute pieces – "Exosphere" and "Thermosphere – plus the shorter, but plenty spacious Troposphere" and "Mesosphere". It's great stuff! It's all about the free trio dynamic here. Each player asserts himself throughout – in an energetic, but never too far out manner. ~ Dusty Groove .

DON CHERRY – ORGANIC MUSIC SOCIETY

Early 70s greatness from Don Cherry – a double album's worth of profoundly spiritual soundscapes paired with lots of weird effects – and a very laidback groove overall! Tracks are written by Cherry, Terry Riley, Pharoah Sanders, and Nana Vasconcelos – and include performances by Don on trumpet, voice, and harmonium. Lots of cool percussion elements by the group, with some tabla and other Indian instrumentation. Titles include "Elixir", "Relativity Suite (Parts 1 & 2)", "Terry's Tune", "Hope", "The Creator Has a Master Plan", and "Resa". In a cool, trippy gatefold, too! ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES – DELMONTIS, ASTRAKAN, CHERRY BOPPERS

DELMONTIS – STRAIGHTFORWARD FASCINATION

Funky soul, but with a touch of jazz – almost a mod soul undercurrent that really sets these guys apart from the rest! The blend is great – nice and tight, yet never too slick – almost the sort of direction Georgie Fame should have gone in the early 70s, had he stayed on the right track – with lots of lead vocals from songwriter Frank Montis, who's got this raspy sound that's perfect for his hip lyrics! Frank also plays Fender Rhodes and Hammond as well – amidst some great horns, and backing vocals from Laura Vane on a number of cuts too. Tracks include "Make It Right", "Fading", "Right From Wrong", "Façade", "Life Is Short", "We'll Meet Again", "Sunny", "Straightforward Fascination", and "Live My Life". ~ Dusty Groove

ASTRAKAN – COMETS & MONSTERS

A really cool British group – one who work here with plenty of echoes of the 70s progressive jazz years – yet in a more stripped-down way too! The set's got lots of great sharp reeds over complex grooves – of the sort you might have heard from Elton Dean, yet handled here by contemporary player Raymond Hardy – who turns in great work on tenor, soprano sax, and flute. Celia Lu sings a bit on the record – often in this cool wordless mode that's quite musical – and almost a bit like the great Norma Winstone in her early years. Rhythms are never too overdone – really preserving the right sort of space between the sounds – and titles include "Overflooded", "The Giver You Get", "Blink & Miss", "Soapstrop", "Broadbanned", and "Comets & Monsters". ~ Dusty Groove

CHERRY BOPPERS – SHAKIN’ THE HOOD

Great grooves from The Cherry Boppers – way more than you'd expect from the cover! We'll be honest in saying that these guys have a name and look that sometimes puts us off at first glance – but digging into their music, the sound is totally great – a tight blend of Hammond and horns, handled with equal parts jazz and soul – and a bad-stepping set of rhythms that lie somewhere between mod soul and 60s soul jazz! The sound is funky, but not in the usual deep funk way – more a London late 60s mode – and titles include "Flyin High", "Hey", "The Harvest", "Two Sides Of The Groove", "Deep Down Inside", and "Humo En El Ambiente". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES – STEIN & MARI’S COMMUNITY, ROB MAZUREK PULSAR QUARTET, LOS FULANOS

STEIN & MARI’S DAYDREAM – STEIN & MARI’S DAYDREAM COMMUNITY

Moodier music than you might guess from the lush image on the cover – a really evocative mix of acoustic and electronic elements – filtered together in ways that lie somewhere between the world/jazz experiments of 70s Sweden, and some of the more creative moments at ECM! The music's performed by the duo of Mari Kvien Brunvoll and Stein Urheim – who each sing a bit, play various percussion instruments, and work some cool tape effects to kind of flesh out the sound – yet often in ways that preserve the acoustic core of the instrumentation. Stein uses some extra-cool "fretless bouzouki" – and Mari plays a kalimba quite nicely, too – and titles include "Voss", "We're So Many", "I Don't Wanna Go", "Paradoxes", "Don't Mind", and "Sleeping In The Bush". ~ Dusty Groove

ROB MAZUREK PULSAR QUARTET – STELLAR PULSATIONS

One of the most striking records so far from the mighty Rob Mazurek – a set that makes us more than glad we've been following his musical journey for the past two decades! The set's got a nicely compressed feel – one that takes some of the looser energy that's been bubbling up in recent Mazurek records, and delivers it in a tight quartet format – with Rob's sparkling cornet in the lead, amidst great piano from Angelica Sanchez, bass from Matt Lux, and drums from John Herndon! Given the wide resumes of all players, there's a really shifting sense of sound here – one that's bold one minute, introspective the next – and never falls into too-familiar jazz phrasing modes. Yet Mazurek's also really matured as a player, too – working here with a sensitivity we never would have expected years ago – captured with great clarity in the recording. Titles include "Magic Saturn", "Spiritual Mars", "Twister Uranus", "Spanish Venus", "Folk Song Neptune", and "Spiral Mercury". ~ Dusty Groove

LOS FULANOS – SI ESTO SE ACABA QUE SIGA EL BOOGALOO

Latin funk, soul and boogaloo from Los Fulanos – a modern Barcelona combo whose Lovemonk singles have done a terrific job of showing some love for diverse old school styles – and they do that even better on this solid full length! It's got rave-up boogaloo, slower-cooking Latin soul, raw rhythms and some spacier disco touches. They're known for being a great live band – but it seems like they made a wise choice to use the studio to experiment a bit – and without ever compromising on the live-ready group dynamic. Good stuff! Includes "Prelude", "Why Don't We Do Some Boogaloo?", "The End Of The World", "Kind Of Guy", "Sobran Cueros", "You Know What I Mean", "El Que No Esta Se Lo Pierde" (parts 1 & 2), "Manny", "Hold On (Baby Hold Me)" and a great curveball for a closer – their great Latin dancefloor cover of New Order's "Blue Monday". (Includes a bonus 7-inch with "End Of The Dub" and "Gentle Dub" featuring The Pepper Pots – plus album download.) ~ Dusty Groove

TEDDY PANTELAS TRIO W/MICHAEL GRAPPO - TOGETHER AGAIN

Teddy Pantelas is a self taught guitarist since the age of 6. A private instructor, he has also been on the faculty of the Allegheny Music Festival and Montessori School System and has been the Musician in Residence at Trumbull Memorial Hospital in Warren, Ohio and North side Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio for the last five years using the Healing Art of Music for the patients and their families.

Pantelas has performed extensively throughout the greater Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania region with such artists as Jack McDuff, Snooky Young, Vanessa Rubin, Jeri Brown, Steve Wilson, Jim Walker, Jimmy Ponder, Greg Bandy, Eddie Baccus, Sean Jones, Jamey Haddad, John Fedshock, Phil Keaggy, In Time, and Kenny Blake.

He has recorded CDs with Glass Harp "Strings Attached", drummer Darrell Alexander, Damian Knapp "Will You Cry When I Die", Jim Jeffery "So Cold, and vocalist Siri Pursey. He also has recorded his own CD "Teddy Pantelas Trio" with bassist Jeff Grubbs and drummer Olivia Sci which features his own music. An accomplished composer, his originals set him apart from any other contemporary jazz guitarist.

His Release It Makes Me Glad Teddy Pantelas Trio was released April 1, 2006 on Tatsou Records. Joining him on this CD are a cast of masterful musicians, the phenomenal bassist Jeff Grubbs, drummer extraordinaire Darryl Pelligrini and Special Guest the truly gifted Sean Jones on trumpet! The collective of theses musicians really brings Pantelas' 8 originals to life which explains the title of the CD It Makes Me Glad.

His newest Together Again (Teddy Pantelas Trio W/Michael Grappo) was released on  July 24, 2012 on Tatsou Records .This is his “Standards CD“. A collection of standards from the heroes of jazz that have inspired him and many other jazz musicians. Joining the trio is guitarist Michael Grappo. It is refreshing hearing these two guitarists play together with their own unique sound and voice, that’s what makes this CD special. Jeff Grubbs is back with his expertise as the bassist and the new addition drummer Nathan Douds. Douds has had a long history playing with Pantelas which can be heard here. This is definitely a feel good CD and one to be enjoyed for a long time.

Teddy feels it is important as an artist to share music that "comes from the heart" and in this way make a contribution to the art of jazz.

One of Teddy’s favorite quotes: "Freedom from hate unconditionally; Freedom from self pity; Freedom from fear of possibly doing something that may help someone else more than it would him, and Freedom from the kind of pride that could make a man feel he is better than his brother" ~ Duke Ellington

Visit THE JAZZ NETWORK WORLDWIDE "A GREAT PLACE TO HANG" at: http://www.thejazznetworkworldwide.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

QUADRO NUEVO - GRAND VOYAGE

Since forming in 1996, the music of Quadro Nuevo has transported listeners to exotic locales around the world. These four intrepid adventurers, who hail from the South of Germany and Austria, have boldly sought out new sounds to incorporate into their distinctly European-flavored brand of music, venturing out to far away places from Mexico to the Balkans, Turkey to Tunis, Korea to Kuala Lumpur to soak up the local culture. To date, they have performed over 2500 concerts and on every continent.

Grand Voyage the group's 12th recording, documents their potent collective sound from Munich to London, across the Crimean peninsula and the Mediterranean, in New York City and Paris, then on to Transylvania and Malaysia. It's an exuberant, inspiring musical travelogue marked by instrumental virtuosity and an unpredictable air of discovery. Recorded over a three-year period (2008-2011), Grand Voyage includes the last contributions of guitarist and Quadro Nuevo charter member Robert Wolf, who was paralyzed in a tragic car accident in 2008. His gentle guitar work can be heard on a tango rendition of the moody jazz standard "Nature Boy" (recorded after a gala performance at New York's Carnegie Hall and featuring a guest appearance from American harmonica ace William Galison) and on the tender waltz "Lethe." Wolf also plays Turkish bouzouki on the exotic track "Antakya." The group's resident saxophonist and bass clarinetist, Mulo Francel, plays guitar on one track, a moving rendition of the standard "In the Still of the Night," in tribute to his fallen comrade. "I tried to imitate him on that song," says Mulo of Wolf. "He loves to play and to compose very quiet songs. Every time we play a ballad I think of him because he was a very quiet guy and this was his world, to play quiet songs with a very nice sound on the guitar. We all miss him."

Harpist Evelyn Huber, who replaced Wolf in the Quadro Nuevo lineup, brings a new musical dimension to the group with her unique virtuosity on tunes like the tango flavored tone poem, "Die Reise Nach Batumi," the dreamy Portuguese ballad "Cancao Do Mar," the bristling "Samba Para Parapente" and the popular Mexican tune from the 1940s, "Cien Años." She also plays dulcimer on the Turkish flavored "Meteora." Francel, who was originally a guitarist before switching over to tenor saxophone, brings a warm, Stan Getzian quality to the bouncy ditty "Die Abenteurer (The Adventurer)" and the lovely "Cien Años." His impeccable bass clarinet work is also featured on "Samba Para Parapente" and the sublime ballad "Dopo lo Spettacolo," and he offers some soaring clarinet work on the Turkish flavored number "Antakya." Accordionist Andreas Hinterseher provides the harmonic glue throughout this ambitious recording, also playing piano on "Dopo lo Spettacolo," while D.D. Lowka switches nimbly from assorted hand percussion to upright bass, giving Quadro Nuevo rare flexibility to morph into a myriad of colors and textures, which is evident on the richly-appointed three-movement suite, "Mosaique Tunisienne."

Several of the pieces on Grand Voyage were recorded in exotic locales. The restful "Secret Garden" was recorded in an open terrace in Kuala Lumpur. As Francel explains, "This was recorded in the middle of a very loud, very busy metropolis in Malaysia where there was a lot of construction going on during the day on new houses and big skyscrapers. Then in the nighttime, around 11 o'clock in the evening, we had a time where it was really quiet there. It was really hot and really humid and we went out on this terrace with our sound engineer and recorded this piece. And we named it 'Secret Garden' because it was like an oasis in this loud, big city."

"Goaz boq Muzik," a challenging fast-paced number recalling Ivo Papasov's Bulgarian Wedding Band, was recorded at an old castle in Transylvania. "We played a tour of the Balkan countries - Greece, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania," Francel recalls. "We were on tour for several weeks where we'd play one night then have five days off. So we had time to travel and learn about the people there. Traveling in the middle of Romania is like traveling 100 years ago. We encountered Gypsies on their wagons with horses, collecting old metal that they sell in the next village. We were invited to play with them over in the Gypsy village, which was musically a very deep experience for us because they live in very poor conditions, but have a very interesting musical culture. Django Reinhardt came from that culture. He was a Gypsy too, touring around in wagons like that. So this tune 'Goz boq Muzik' was inspired by this area."

The beautiful Mexican folkloric number "Cien Años" was recorded in a mountain hut in the Austrian Alps while the three-movement "Mosaique Tunisienne" suite ("Morning," "Afternoon," "Night") was recorded in an old theater in Tunis. The final stirring track on Grand Voyage is an orchestral version of the album's opener, "Die Reise Nach Batumi," recorded with the NDR Radio Symphony Orchestra of Hannover.

Says Francel of Quadro Nuevo's mission: "In the beginning, we were four guys coming from different directions. I'm coming more from jazz direction and I very much like bossa nova. The Stan Getz-Charlie Byrd album (1962's pivotal Jazz Samba) was a big inspiration for me when I was just starting out. The bass player D.D. Lowka comes from Latin music. Robert Wolf comes from flamenco music and had toured with the great flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia. Our accordion player Andreas Hinterseher is very much into tango music and French musette waltz. And we put all of those elements together in our program. We played a tango, a French musette waltz, a jazz tune, a Latin tune, so everybody was represented. For years, that was our formula. Then we started to travel a lot and our experiences in other countries with other musicians and other music cultures began to influence our music. So in our music now there is a strong influence from Asian music, Oriental music, Middle Eastern music, Russian music and even Mexican music. And this all came with the years traveling in these areas."

Quadro Nuevo  offer a cornucopia of refreshing world music on their aptly titled release, Grand Voyage.

Grand Voyage - Track Listing/Personnel:
1. Die Reise nach Batumi (Mulo Francel) - 5:57
2. Cançao do Mar (Francisco Ferrer Trindade) - 2:30
3. Cien Años (Cervantes Gonzalez & Fuentes Gasson) - 3:16
4. Krim (Mulo Francel) - 5:35
5. Samba papa Parapente (Andreas Hinterseher) - 5:14

6. Aus der Stille der Nacht (Andreas Hinterseher) - 4:55

7. Nature Boy (Eden Ahbez) - 5:06

8. Die Abenteurer (Philipp Sterzer & Mulo Francel) - 4:12

9. Lethe (Robert Wolf) - 6:34
10. Antakya (Mulo Francel & Andreas Hinterseher) - 6:35

11. Meteora (Mulo Francel) - 4:33

12. Secret Garden (Mulo Francel) - 2:25

13. Mosaique Tunisienne (Morning) (Andreas Hinterseher, D.D. Lowka, & Mulo Francel) - 2:31

14. Mosaique Tunisienne (Afternoon) (Andreas Hinterseher, D.D. Lowka, & Mulo Francel) - 2:23

15. Mosaique Tunisienne (Night) (Andreas Hinterseher, D.D. Lowka, & Mulo Francel) - 3:29 16.Goaz boq Muzik (Andreas Hinterseher) - 3:52

17. Dopo lo Spettacolo (Robert Wolf) - 4:01

18. Die Reise nach Batumi (Orchestral Version) (Mulo Francel) - 5:33

Mulo Fancel: saxophone, clarinets

Robert Wolf: guitar, bouzouki, piano, steel drum
Andreas Hinterseher: accordion, vibrandoneon, bandoneon
D.D. Lowka: acoustic bass, percussion
Evelyn Huber: concert grand harp, hammered dulcimer

Also available on Justin Time Records from Quadro Nuevo:
Cine Passion, Tango Bitter Sweet, Luna Rosa, Mocca Flor, and Canzone Della Strada

For more information on Quadro Nuevo, visit quadronuevo.de

 

HOT CLUB OF DETROIT - JUNCTION

Following up It's About That Time, Night Town and the eponymous 2006 debut Hot Club of Detroit - Hot Club of Detroit expands its sonic and compositional horizons with Junction. Retaining its original lineup of reeds, two guitars, accordion, upright bass and no drums, this is the band's fourth release for Mack Avenue Records. There are personnel changes, however, and for the first time, the Hot Club of Detroit is joined (on three tracks) by a vocalist: French musician Cyrille Aimée, a native of Django Reinhardt's hometown and third-place winner of the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Vocal Competition.

Junction's sound is at once vintage and boldly new, rooted in the legacy of Django Reinhardt but also the sensibilities of Ornette Coleman, Pat Metheny, John Zorn and even the rock band Phish. Far from a traditional gypsy jazz ensemble, Hot Club of Detroit (HCOD) proves itself a versatile modern jazz group, with a unique acoustic-electric sound that surges past expectations and genre boundaries.

"A lot of bands that model themselves after the Hot Club of France are now working with drummers, or percussion of some sort," says HCOD rhythm guitarist Paul Brady. "We never have. And by doing that it forces us to think creatively about what we can do without it. How can we approach odd meter, how can we approach certain grooves? Regardless of what a drummer can add, that absence to me is interesting and different."

Unfortunately, Junction comes at a difficult time. HCOD bassist Andrew Kratzat and his fiancée were both seriously injured in an auto accident in July 2011, and are currently on a long road to recovery. "This album is a dedication to both of them," declares Brady. "It's been tough for us, musically but also emotionally," adds HCOD accordionist Julien Labro. "Andrew is like a brother, a family member. But we're still hopeful, and one day I'm sure he'll be back to playing."

Honoring Kratzat's example, bassist Shawn Conley brings stellar musicianship to Junction. Another new face is saxophonist Jon Irabagon, winner of the 2008 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition and member of the acclaimed punk-jazz quartet Mostly Other People Do the Killing. Andrew Bishop, also on reeds, makes appearances on three tracks, increasing the band's power and timbral variation. (Family obligations required Carl Cafagna, the group's original saxophonist, to step aside.)

Irabagon is assertive from the start, contributing his own "Goodbye Mr. Anderson" as the album opener. (The title comes from The Matrix, the chords to an extent from Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" and John Coltrane.) The writing partnership of Labro and lead guitarist Evan Perri is also central to the album's sound. From their rich creative exchange comes the flowing soprano sax/accordina melody of "Song For Gabriel" (named for pop legend Peter Gabriel); the Pat Metheny-esque 6/8 time of "Junction"; and the French-style waltz "Midnight in Detroit" (a parallel to Stephane Wrembel's "Midnight in Paris," used in the Woody Allen film). "The openings of 'Song For Gabriel,' and 'Junction' are very idiomatic to the guitar, which makes them feel like pop tunes to me," adds Perri.

Perri and Labro also co-arranged "Rift," by Phish's Trey Anastasio, to close the album, adding a foundation of brisk la pompe rhythm guitar, even a hint of Western swing, to a 1993 rock song of fairly epic (and very electric) proportions, though without abandoning the tune's structure. "I considered it sacrilegious, and refused to shorten the original form of 'Rift' during rehearsals!" Perri laughs.

Labro's pieces make clear his rigorous attention to craft and his wide-ranging influences. "The thing with 'Hey!'" he explains, "is that it was not supposed to be two tenors at first. When we knew Andrew was able to participate, I started thinking I could hear a dialogue and absolutely wanted to include his voice." John Zorn is the inspiration behind "Chutzpah," with a blasting free-form intro that gives way to precise ensemble passages and a riot of changing tempos and feels. The darker and calmer "Goodbye Mr. Shearing" honors the late piano master George Shearing, who in fact started out on accordion. "There are just a few recordings where he plays accordion and his language was great, so ahead of its time for the instrument."

Another Labro composition, "Django Mort," was inspired by a Jean Cocteau poem that was read at Reinhardt's funeral. Aimée sings the French text as the band plays in a laid-back shuffle feel with a romantic flair. "I tried to imagine when those words were first recited, perhaps with an organ playing in the background," Labro says. "So the accordion starts by itself, and the counterpoint is very Baroque. I also thought about Django being a jazz musician, and why not have a procession like they do in New Orleans. So I opened that up into a bluesy vibe, thinking about guitarists like Howlin' Wolf."

Just before "Django Mort" is Labro's arrangement of an unfinished Django Reinhardt mass, "Messe Gitane." While researching Django's death, Labro came upon the only recording of this remarkable work-in-progress, a roughly 10-minute fragment for solo organ. "Django never orchestrated any of it," Labro reports, "but you can tell that something bigger was supposed to arrive." Irabagon and Bishop both play clarinet on the piece, enhancing its chamber-like beauty.

Aimée also offers "a nice bit of vocal athleticism," in Brady's words, on the Angel Cabral tune "La Foule" ("the crowd"), a Parisian standard associated with Edith Piaf. "The lyrics are about two people who meet in a crowd and they dance," Brady offers, "and the party gets more and more crowded and they lose each other." Labro resets the popular waltz in a tricky but natural-sounding mixed meter. "The song is actually Peruvian in origin," he says, "so I wanted to bring that Latin back in. It was already in Cyrille's repertoire, but to sing it that fast with the different meters was a challenge, and she hung in there. She's really willing to take risks."

No less challenging was Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman," also arranged by Labro, featuring Irabagon on alto saxophone and Aimée singing a lyric written by Margo Guryan. Labro explains: "In the original, the time and the harmony are there but they're so loose. We needed to find a way to capture what the words are about, without destroying what Ornette intended."

Labro and Brady share composer credit on "Puck Bunny," which is slang for a female hockey fan. "A critic once called us 'puckish'," Brady explains, "so I was originally going to call this 'Puck,' as in the Shakespeare character." Brady also cites the free-spirited influences of Mostly Other People Do the Killing as well as Jason Moran's Bandwagon. Labro scored the piece for bass clarinet (Bishop) and sopranino saxophone (Irabagon), creating the widest possible sonic range. "What's great about having Jon and Andrew together," Labro says, "is that they can play so many woodwinds, so it gives you a lot to work with. You can mix and match and get totally different sounds."

Different sounds coming together, band members collaborating from different cities: all of this makes Junction the perfect album title. "It's a nice mix of pop-oriented material and also rather avant-garde stuff," Brady concludes. "I remember an interview with Marc Ribot, my favorite guitarist in the world, talking about how avant-garde and pop have a lot of crossover, and even some of the musicians are the same people, like Marc himself. It made total sense to me, and it came into my mind while preparing this record." Perri concurs: "We've always believed that if Django Reinhardt were alive today, he wouldn't play the same way he always did. In his short lifespan you can see how much evolution and vision he had. To pay tribute to him is to continue pursuing our own ideas."

ALEKS GIRSHEVICH TRIO - TOMORROW

Gifted jazz combo fronted by a prodigious 11-year-old drummer garners airplay and positive reviews

Already nearly 50 radio stations are playing tracks from the promising debut disc, Tomorrow, by the Aleks Girshevich Trio, which was released today by Dapper Music and welcomed with critical praise along with airplay on 16 new radio stations including Santa Monica’s influential NPR broadcaster KCRW.

There are two unique elements that make the Aleks Girshevich Trio intriguing. A glimpse at the artsy black & white photo adorning the Tomorrow cover depicts two men and an 11-year-old boy. The kid is Aleks for whom the chamber jazz trio is named. He’s a prodigious drummer who astounds by innately dispensing complex drum beats and advanced Cuban and Brazilian-influenced percussion polyrhythms that confound and impress jazz masters.

Aleks’ father is Vlad Girshevich, a conservatory trained pianist and composer who emigrated from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Vlad crafts evocative melodies, classically tinged jazz that is intimate and inviting. He can lure you with a beautiful melody, provoke pondering with contemplative noodling, or captivate with a scholarly musical exploration spanning an expansive array of art and culture. Rooted in Russian classical, Vlad has found a home in jazz where he has performed with Wayne Shorter, Arturo Sandoval and legendary drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez. He penned seven compositions for Tomorrow and collaborated with his cohorts to write the closing cut (“Dithering”).

Bridging the two exceptional players is Juilliard trained bassist David Arend, who produced Tomorrow during the two-day recording process in San Francisco. Capable of making classical riffs swing with his upright bass, the award-winning Arend is remarkably diverse having played jazz, modern chamber music, electronica, opera, and extensive orchestra gigs with the San Francisco Symphony and world-renown film composers (John Williams, Tan Dun, George Crumb) in addition to collaborating with Ornette Coleman, Bela Fleck, Bobby McFerrin and Carlos Santana.

The Denver-based Girshevichs’ are being shadowed by a documentary film crew focused on the extraordinary relationship and apprenticeship between father and son. The trio hopes to record their sophomore collection this fall.

Below are excerpts from some of the early reviews of the Aleks Girshevich Trio’s Tomorrow:

“Pianist and composer Vlad Girshevich is a thrilling and adventurous talent, whilst bassist (and producer) David Arend is an engaging player with a great warm tone. His bass work on Tomorrow, with its slippery, sliding groove, and his Ron Carter flavored solo on the stand-out track ‘Broken Promises’ are both fabulous. He accredits himself well throughout the album and his playing is a pleasure to listen to.” – Bass Players United

“The ‘Piano Trio’ is usually led by the …drumroll…PIANIST! Aleks Girshevich, however, leads from behind, which might not work for Middle East politics, but definitely is successful here. Along with Vlad Girshevich/p and David Arend/b, he creates some flying sparks on originals such as ‘Strange Memories’ or ‘Broken Promises.’ The leader cajoles his band mates through an exciting and varied display of rolls, paradiddles, hi hats, ride cymbals and changing of meters throughout, keeping everyone alive and alert throughout. A real workshop of being adept at every part of the percussive traps.” – Jazz Weekly

NEW RELEASES - DONALD FAGEN, FOURPLAY, CESAR'S SALAD

DONALD FAGEN - SUNKEN CONDOS

Donald Fagen's fourth solo album for Reprise Records, Sunken Condos, will be released on Tuesday, October 16, 2012. His first three solo albums, The Nightfly, Kamakiriad and Morph the Cat, comprised the project known as the Nightfly Trilogy. Sunken Condos begins a new chapter in the creative evolution of this innovative artist, whose career is still going strong after forty years. The nine tracks on Sunken Condos were co-produced by Michael Leonhart and Donald. All but one track, an Ashkenazi recasting of Isaac Hayes' Out of the Ghetto, are new Fagen originals. Some familiar names from the Steely Dan family of players are on hand (Jon Herington, the Steely Dan horns, Freddie Washington) plus some new faces. The word is that, from now on, everything Donald does has got to be funky. Release date is October 6, 2012. www.donaldfagen.com

FOURPLAY - ESPIRIT DE FOUR

For two decades, the contemporary jazz quartet known as Fourplay has enjoyed consistent artistic and commercial success by grafting elements of R&B, pop and a variety of other sounds to their unwavering jazz foundations. In the course of a dozen recordings – six of which have climbed to the top of Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Album charts – the supergroup has continued to explore the limitless dimensions and permutations of jazz while at the same time appealing to a broad mainstream audience. “All four of us have been in this business long enough to know that there’s always pressure to compromise, and we don’t want to do that,” says Bob James. “We don’t want to end up in the middle of the pack. We always aim to be leaders, and take the music to another level and raise the standards higher. I think the music on this new record, thanks in large part to Chuck’s early contributions – and to the ongoing team spirit of the band as a whole – is very much a reflection of that philosophy." Espirit De Four will be released on September 16, 2012.

CESAR'S SALAD - THE LATIN BEAT VOL. 2

A second helping of Latin Beat from Cesar's Salad – and a feverish, funky and tight set on Perfect Toy that's easily as strong its predecessor! Led by percussionist Cesar Granados – who really knocks us out on the congas – the group is a quartet with a raw approach and a live feel. Rooted in 60s and 70s Afro-Cuban jazz, soul and funk, they do it with a modern, hard-grooving immediacy. Hajo Von Hadeln is on drums, Jo Junghanss on the piano, and Jerker Kluge on bass – and we really love the big sound from this small combo! Titles include "Jenjere", "El Dynamico", "Watermelon Man", "Song For My Father", "Pushing Spaces", "Bahamas", "Recordame", "On Broadway" and more. ~ Dusty Groove