Iconic Band SPAIN, Featuring JOSH HADEN, Announce 6-Week East Coast / European Tour; New Album SARGENT PLACE Dubbed “Dark Swagger” by Los Angeles Times

Iconic band Spain, featuring singer/bassist Josh Haden, have announced a 6-week tour from January 28 - March 10. Kicking off in Boston, MA, the band then plays Lincoln Center in NYC, before club shows in Philly, D.C. and Brooklyn. The brief Northeast swing will see the band perform as a trio (bass, guitar, drums) and will mark the band’s first East coast shows in 15 years.

The multi-continent tour, which includes thirty shows in Europe, will support Spain’s latest release, 2014’s Sargent Place, which achieved glowing 4-star reviews from Rolling Stone, All Music, and Blurt Magazine while also notching accolades from LA Times, LA Weekly, Brooklyn Vegan, Q, Uncut and NPR tastemaker station WXPN. From the opener, “Love At First Sight,” detailing the initial spark of a romance to the the stately and elegiac “The Fighter,” which features sister Petra on violin, to the contemplative closer, “Waking Song,” the album falls solidly in line with the highly regarded 20-year discography of the band.

A clear inspiration on Sargent Place is the music and life of Haden’s father, jazz legend Charlie Haden. “To Be A Man” and “You And I” were songs written with the elder Haden in mind, with “You And I” featuring the final studio recording from the lauded and beloved musician, who passed away in July.

Renowned NPR show Jazz Night In America, featuring host Christian McBride, recently invited Josh, along with his triplet sisters Petra, Rachel, and Tanya, to take part in a loving tribute to celebrate Charlie's extraordinary career as one of the most innovative and influential bassists in jazz history. An archived podcast of the December 18, 2014 show can be streamed at http://www.npr.org/event/music/371558827/in-memory-of-2014-jazz-night-looks-back

In further celebration of Mr. Haden’s distinguished 50-year career that saw him anchor the Ornette Coleman Quartet, and accompany the likes of Keith Jarrett, John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, Michael Brecker, Stan Getz, Chet Baker, and Abbey Lincoln, among countless others, the Haden siblings will join esteemed musical guests Geri Allen, Kenny Barron, Carla Bley, Jack DeJohnette, Ravi Coltrane, Bill Frisell, Ruth Cameron-Haden, Lee Konitz, Pat Metheny, Josh Redman, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba at Town Hall in NYC on Tuesday January 13 at 6:00 PM. The Memorial celebration is a free all ages event with tax deductible donations being accepted to benefit the Charlie Haden CalArts Scholarship Fund to assist jazz students in need. For more info, please visit: http://thetownhall.org/event/624-celebrating-charlie-haden-19372014

SPAIN

Tour Dates

01.28.15 - US-Boston, MA, Great Scott

01.29.15 - US-New York, NY, Lincoln Center (David Rubenstein Atrium)

02.01.15 - US-Philadelphia, PA, Tin Angel

02.02.15 - US-Vienna, VA Jammin’ Java

02.03.15 - US-Brooklyn, NY, Rough Trade

02.07.15 - GR-Athens, Gazarte

02.08.15 - DE-Köln, Studio 672

02.09.15 - NL-Nijmegen, Doornrosje

02.10.15 - BE-Bruxelles, Le Botanique

02.11.15 - NL-Maastricht, Muziekgieterij

02.12.15 - FR-Paris, Petit Bain

02.13.15 - CH-Thun, Cafe Bar Mokka

02.14.15 - FR-Marseille, A Poste à Galène

02.15.15 - IT-Florence, Sala Vanni

02.16.15 - IT-Cantù, All’1 e 35 circa

02.17.15 - IT-Ravenna, Madonna dell'Albero

02.18.15 - IT-Turin, Folk Club

02.19.15 - CH-Zürich, Bogen F

02.20.15 - DE-Nürnberg, K4

02.21.15 - DE-Schorndorf, Manufaktur

02.22.15 - AT-Wien, Chelsea

02.23.15 - RS-Belgrad, Dom Omladir

02.25.15 - HU-Budapest, A38

02.27.15 - AT-Ebensee, Kino Ebensee

02.28.15 - AT-Wörgl, Astner Saal

03.01.15 - DE-Dresden, JazzClub Tonne

03.02.15 - DE-Berlin, Privatclub

03.03.15 - DK-Aarhus, VoxHall

03.04.15 - NO-Oslo, Buckleys

03.06.15 - DK-Kopenhagen, Beta

03.07.14 - DE-Wredenhagen, Scheune

03.08.15 - DE-Hamburg, Nachtasyl

03.09.15 - BE-Liège, Reflektor

03.10.15 - DE-Bielefeld, Forum

03.11.15 - NL-Amsterdam, Paradiso

REGGIE WATTS Returns to Blue Note Jazz Club on Friday, January 9 - 12:30AM

Reggie Watts will return to Blue Note Jazz Club for a special late night club show on Friday, January 9 at 12:30am (Friday night/Saturday morning). This marks Watts' first official NYC show since being named bandleader of the new CBS "Late Late Show with James Corden" last month. The internationally renowned vocalist/ beatboxer/ musician/ comedian/ improvisor made his Blue Note Jazz Club debut in November 2014, with a sold-out late night performance. He also headlined the 2014 Blue Note Jazz Festival last June with a show at The Town Hall.

Reggie Watts, internationally renowned vocalist/ beatboxer/ musician/ comedian/ improvisor, amazes audiences with his unpredictable performances, which are created on-the-spot using only his formidable voice and looping pedals. Blending and blurring the lines between comedy and music with his unique lyrical style, LA Weekly calls Reggie "the most wildly inventive new talent of the past five years." 

As a solo performer, Reggie was handpicked by Conan O'Brien to open nightly on Conan's sold out North American "Prohibited From Being Funny on Television" tour. Reggie was crowned "Hot Comedian" by Rolling Stone, named SPIN Magazine's "Best New Comedian" and "Best of CMJ" 2010, and a featured profile in GQ's Man Of The Year issue 2010. Reggie released his debut comedy cd/dvd 'Why $#!+ So Crazy?' on Comedy Central Records in May 2010. He also released 'Reggie Watts Live at Third Man Records' in limited edition vinyl on Jack White's Third Man Records label. Reggie's most recent release 'A Live at Central Park' is currently available on CD/DVD through Comedy Central Records and on iTunes.

As a musician, Reggie was invited to join LCD Soundsystem as guest onstage at the final NY shows Spring 2011. He also sang on Regina Spektor's "Dance Anthem of the 80s" and contributed two tracks to DFA Records' Spaghetti Circus. As the frontman for Seattle rock outfit Maktub, Reggie and his band released five albums. Reggie recorded original music featured on FX's Louie and performed the theme song for Kristin Schaal's Penelope Princess of Pets. In the Spring of 2011 he recorded an original session for the hugely popular Daytrotter series. 

On screen, Reggie has appeared on Conan, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, HBO's The Yes Men Save The World, Comedy Central's Michael and Michael Have Issues, Iceland TV, UK's Funny Or Die, PBS' Electric Company, and currently stars as house band leader on the IFC original series Comedy Bang Bang with Scott Aukerman. 

In December 2014, Watts was named the bandleader of CBS' new "Late Late Show with James Corden."

  

Friday, January 9 - 12:30am (Friday night/Saturday morning) / Doors open at 12:00am

Blue Note Jazz Club

131 W. 3rd Street (between 6th Ave and MacDougal St.)

New York City

 

NEW RELEASES: THE CHICO BUARQUE EXPERIENCE – VERSIONS BY O.J. CASTRO; BARRY GUY – FIVE FIZZLES FOR SAMUEL BECKETT; GAZZARA - PLAY ME MY SONG: GAZZARA PLAYS GENESIS

THE CHICO BUARQUE EXPERIENCE – VERSIONS BY O.J. CASTRO

A really great tribute to the legendary Brazilian singer/songwriter Chico Buarque – a set that presents some of his best songs ever, with English lyrics exclusive to the recording – at a level that only makes us love Chico's music even more than before! The project was put together by OJ Castro, and the choice of instrumentation and singers is very sensitive, and very true to Buarque's original intention – with just the right traces of samba and jazz at times, and interpretation of the English lyrics by Brazilian singers who are still quite familiar with Chico's original words. Singers include Ze Renato, Cris Delanno, Clarisse Grova, Claudia Vieira, Vanessa Pinheiro, Ithamara Koorax, Altay Veloso, and Cely Curado – and titles include English versions of "O Que Sera", "Olhos Nos Olhos", "As Vitrines", "Soneto", "Sem Fantasia", "De Tosas As Maneiras", "Ate Pensei", and "Folhetim".  ~ Dusty Groove

BARRY GUY – FIVE FIZZLES FOR SAMUEL BECKETT

Sublime solo bass from Barry Guy – one of the first musicians to really set the instrument free in improvised music, and still one of the best! The album presents a live performance done in a church in Vilnius in 2009 – and has Guy's incredible sounds echoing out wonderfully throughout – a range of sounds that are very well-captured by the recording quality – from close, careful moments on the surface of the strings – to boldly resonant passages that have a real sense of majesty! (Wonderful limited edition 10" LP pressing too!)  ~ Dusty Groove

GAZZARA - PLAY ME MY SONG: GAZZARA PLAYS GENESIS

An album we never thought we'd see from Francesco Gazzara – but one that still pleases us a heck of a lot! Gazzara's a name we've trusted for funk and other groovy styles from the Italian scene for almost 20 years now – but here, he moves away from his previous jazzy modes into a completely different instrumental realm – as his ensemble takes on the classic sounds of Genesis from the Peter Gabriel era and beyond! Turns out, Gazzara's a hell of a pianist – and often plays a Bosendorfer grand here, along with his more familiar Fender Rhodes and Hammond – in a group that features two violins, cello, and sax and flute from Dario Cecchini – instrumentation that's often used sparingly, so that Gazzara's keyboards are up front and almost solo throughout. We're huge fans of Genesis from this time – and Gazzara really reminds us of the musicianship that went into their famous recordings – as he takes on titles that include "Watcher Of The Skies", "The Cinema Show", "For Absent Friends", "The Lamia", "Firth Of Fifth", "Duke's Travels", "Blood On The Rooftops", "Seven Stones", "The Knife", and "Mad Man Moon".  ~ Dusty Groove

Trombonist MARSHALL GILKES To Release KÖLN FEATURING THE WDR BIG BAND

On February 10, 2015, trombonist/composer MARSHALL GILKES proudly releases his fourth album as a leader, simply titled for the home base of The WDR Big Band, KÖLN. This set of stunning compositions marks Gilkes first recording fronting a big band, but he is no stranger to this setting, being a regular member of Maria Schneider's Grammy Award-winning orchestra, (Schneider describes him as, "one of those musicians who continually just drops my jaw and leaves me shaking my head in disbelief"), and also due to his four years (2010 - 2013) as a full-time member of the Grammy Award-winning ensemble featured on Köln, The WDR Big Band.

Köln (to be released on Gilkes' label, Alternate Side Records, marking the label's eighth release) features seven original compositions from Gilkes that exhibits the artist's astounding ability to blend his many influences and experiences into a singular, distinctive voice. The compositions, and Gilkes arrangement of the standard, "My Shining Hour", combines the spontaneous invention of jazz with the elegant architecture of classical composition; straight-ahead swing with adventurous modernism; and virtuosic technique with passionate emotion. It's a rare combination that has made Gilkes an in-demand performer, composer, sideman, and clinician since his arrival in New York City in the late 1990s.

The origins of this album started with Gilkes joining The WDR Big Band (he has since resigned to engage in leading his own bands and high profile sideman work). After a long audition process that included several weeks of performances, Gilkes received an invitation to be a full-time member - a rare opportunity that he accepted immediately. In addition to first-class musicianship, Gilkes explains, "the WDR Big Band rehearses in a fully operational recording studio with full-time engineers and copyists - a truly unique operation. When the band plays in the Kölner Philharmonie, it is generally sold out, all 2,000 seats, with enthusiastic fans." As a WDR band member, he performed his final concert in December 2013, but, at the request of the band's producer, he returned the following month for a farewell concert of the material heard on Köln. Calling the experience "one of the highlights of my career," Gilkes eventually titled the album after the city where he lived during his four-year tenure with the WDR. "It is a vibrant city," he notes, "with an incredible music scene for such a small town. The jazz scene is booming, and young jazz musicians can be heard playing music at a very high level almost every night of the week."

"My Shining Hour" is a tune that Gilkes would often practice, up-tempo, in all 12 keys as well. "I decided to write a big band arrangement of it that sort of ended up being a bit of a 'theme and variations on My Shining Hour'", said Gilkes. Solo: Marshall Gilkes (trombone). 

"Vesper" was written during a period of Gilkes having to make difficult decisions. He elaborates, "I would come home and write in the evening during this period and find it to be good therapy. I decided to call it 'Vesper' which is an evening prayer", said the artist. Solos: Frank Chastenier (piano), John Marshall (flugelhorn).

Gilkes composed "4711 Special" specifically with the WDR Big Band in mind. The piece was originally titled "Gill-kiz". Gilkes explains, "German is a language that is written like it sounds and sounds like it is written. I used to tell German people my name Gilkes (correct pronunciation is "jilx") and they would correct me on the pronunciation. It happened so often that people started calling me Gill-kiz as a joke. However, I thought the tune deserved a better title and finally changed it to "4711 Special", which is a number one sees all over Cologne, representing the number of the famous perfume that comes from Cologne. Solos: Ludwig Nuss (trombone), Johan Hörlen (alto saxophone). 

"Edenderry" is the title track from Gilkes debut release as a leader, which he decided to expand and turn it into a brass chorale, creating quite a breathtaking variation on the original. "I was inspired by the pandiatonic harmonies of Aaron Copland. The intro begins with flugelhorns and trombones. The woodwinds enter later, and the chorale enters again before the closing vamp. Solo: Marshall Gilkes (trombone). 

Gilkes composed "Plant Bassed" for the great WDR bassist John Goldsby, who happens to be a vegan. Gilkes explains, "my mom is also a vegan and is always talking about plant based diets. I tried to take some ideas that John uses in his improvisations and use them as a basis for the melody." Solos: John Goldsby (bass), and special guest Michael Rodriguez (trumpet). 

"Mary Louise" was written for Gilkes' mom. "When I was a kid my mom was a piano and voice teacher and there was one particular exercise that she would work on with her students that has stuck with me all these years. I recall playing video games and hearing her practice this exercise with the syllables 'Zee-ee', singingbetween root and third, root and fourth, and root and fifth. I decided to try harmonizing that exercise and that serves as the intro to the composition, and reoccurs throughout the piece", said Gilkes. Solos: Special guest Michael Rodriguez (flugelhorn), Frank Chastenier (piano). 

"End in Sight" is a tune from Gilkes second album Lost Words. The first half is very much an expansion of the original, however, the second half (tenor solo) floats over the same groove, but with brand new harmonies. Solos: Karolina Strassmayer (alto saxophone), Paul Heller (tenor saxophone). 

"Downtime" is a composition from Gilkes' third album Sound Stories. This arrangement was written in 2012 for the WDR Big Band project featuring members of the band called "Very Personal". It is an expansion on the original that has an alternate introduction, and a new interlude as well. Solo: Marshall Gilkes (trombone). 

Personnel on Köln: Marshall Gilkes: composer, arranger, conductor, trombone, special guest Michael Rodriguez: trumpet/flugelhorn, Johan Hörlen & Karolina Strassmayer-alto saxophone/flute/clarinet, Olivier Peters-tenor saxophone/clarinet, Paul Heller-tenor saxophone/clarinet/bass clarinet, Jens Neufang-baritone saxophone/bass clarinet, Ludwig Nuss, Shannon Barnett & Andy Hunter-trombones, Mattis Cederberg-bass trombone, Wim Both, Rob Bruynen, Andy Haderer & John Marshall-trumpet/flugelhorn, Frank Chastenier-piano, Paul Shigihara-guitar, John Goldsby-bass, Hans Dekker-drums.

Drummer Dylan Howe To Release Subterranean - New Designs On Bowie’s Berlin

London, UK - Drummer Dylan Howe, son of YES guitar legend Steve Howe, has recorded a radical new take on the instrumental cuts from David Bowie's 1977 albums 'Low' and 'Heroes'. 'Subterranean' is Dylan Howe’s first studio album in ten years. It is made up of his arrangements of Bowie’s influential music from his ‘Berlin Trilogy’ and has been seven years in the making. Some of the music featured on this album was previewed live at the London Jazz festival in October 2007. This is the completed album and is universally accepted as Howe’s strongest to date. It features some of the best musicians in the UK with special guest Steve Howe playing koto (‘Moss Garden’).

The response to 'Subterranean' has been simply phenomenal; it has garnered universal critical and popular acclaim from all corners of the globe with sales to match. The CD is already in its third pressing with the double vinyl well into its second.

David Bowie recently sent a message to Dylan saying; 'That's a top-notch album you've got there. Really.’ He requested a vinyl copy the following day.

Dylan Howe: “This is the first of my albums on which I’ve really utilized the potential of the recording studio, with multiple sessions and overdubs, really thinking about production, I was making a record this time, not just recording an album. In the past I would be in the studio for a day or two at the most, or just bring a mobile studio to a gig; this time however, the process and result has been a little like the music, kind of cinematic, a feeling of scale and intensity; think the John Coltrane Quartet produced by Neu! mixed by Brian Eno in an air-raid shelter.”

The Guardian: ‘A superb player, inspiring and invigorating.’

London Metro: ‘The thrilling, incisive drumming of Dylan Howe.’

Ronnie Scott’s: ‘Rightly acclaimed as one of the best drummers of his generation.’

Shaun Keaveny, BBC6 Music: ‘Dylan Howe on drums - just superb.’

Ian Dury: ‘A funky little bastard.’

Jimmy Page: ‘You’re playing beautifully.’

Dylan Howe is a British drummer (born in 1969) best known for leading his quintet and other jazz groups since 2002 and his tenures with Ian Dury and the Blockheads, Steve Howe and Wilko Johnson, coupled with extensive session work since 1990, playing with Nick Cave, Damon Albarn, Ray Davies, Paul McCartney, David Gilmour, Beth Gibbons, Gabrielle, Hugh Cornwell and Andy Sheppard amongst others.

Recently Dylan played on the no.1 album 'Going Back Home' by Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey, with sell-out shows at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire and Royal Albert Hall.

This new album (his sixth) is the natural progression from his acclaimed 2010 Stravinsky adaptation 'The Rite Of Spring' for piano and drums and Blue Note styled hard bop quintet albums Translation - Volumes 1 and 2.

Album track list:

Subterraneans / Weeping Wall / All Saints / Some Are / Neuköln / Art Decade / Warszawa / Moss Garden

Album personnel:

Dylan Howe – drums / synths

Ross Stanley – piano / synths

Mark Hodgson – double bass

Brandon Allen – tenor saxophone

Julian Siegel – tenor saxophone

Nick Pini – bass

Adrian Utley - guitar

Steve Howe – koto

http://dylanhowe.com/

Ernest Ranglin, Legendary Ska/Reggae Guitarist and Avila Street Records Announce Bless Up; New Album Showcases 11 New Ranglin Compositions That Blend Ska, Swing, Jazz, Rock and World Music to Explore the Entire Range of his Musical Expertise

When Ernest Ranglin played the High Sierra Music Festival in July of 2011, producer Tony Mindel put together a backing trio of players able to shift between genres as easily as the master. The band included drummer Inx Herman (Vusi Mahlasla, Hugh Masekela, Paul Simon, Sting, Hamsa Lila), bassist Yossi Fine (Gil Evans, John Scofield, Rubén Blades, Stanley Jordan, Me’shell Ndegeocello, Ex-Centric Sound System) and keyboard ace Jonathan Korty (Vinyl, Electric Apricot). After the Festival, Ranglin and the band went into the studio. In three days of feverish creativity, they emerged with Avila, a record that won international kudos for its creative fusion of styles. During the sessions, the band forged a deep musical and personal bond. When Ranglin mentioned to Mindel that he had enough new songs for another album, Mindel made some calls and reassembled the band.*

This time around, Ranglin and the band had time to experiment with different rhythms, textures and flavors; they brewed up one of the finest albums Ranglin’s ever made. “This is an international band,” Mindel says. “Ernest is from Jamaica, Inx from South Africa, Yossi from Israel and Jonathan is a Californian. As they worked together, the interplay became instinctive. He had meticulously written charts for all the songs he brought in, but he was open to the band’s interpretations of the tunes. He’s a generous soul, musically and otherwise, with an amazing sense of humor and a work ethic and stamina that blew away the other musicians. He is a gentleman and one of the world’s greatest living guitar players.”*

Ranglin met the band at In the Pocket, a studio in the woods of Sonoma County. Most of the basic tracks were cut live, in one room, in glorious analogue sound, with Eric Levy (Garaj Mahal, Night Ranger) adding his keyboard expertise on several tunes, most notably the free flowing arrangement of Abdullah Ibrahim’s “Blues for a Hip King.” As the session unfolded, Ranglin and the band members urged each other on to new levels of creative discovery.*

The international mash up of “Bond Street Express” opens with Levy’s sustained keyboard notes suggesting the droning of an Indian tanpura, before Fine and Herman come in with a slow one drop reggae rhythm to support a Ranglin solo full of shimmering, Arabic flavored single notes and Wes Montgomery-like chord clusters. Herman’s subtle percussion accents and a bluesy horn section add a comforting density to the track. Levy’s measured bass notes on piano also play off of Ranglin’s sustained mid-range tones for a meditative take on Abdullah Ibrahim’s “Bra Joe From Kilimanjaro.” Ibrahim’s music has always inspired the musicians in this band and, with their help, Ranglin channels the essence of Ibrahim with his own unique interpretation. As was evident from their take on Ibrahim’s “Manenberg” featured on Avila, the first album Ranglin cut with this group, Ibrahim’s music brings out something deeply spiritual in this band.*

If Duke Ellington ever heard reggae, he might have written a song like “Bless Up.” Korty tickles the ivories and plays Hammond B3 organ, while Ranglin flutters through the mix, weaving in and out of the counter melodies played by a swinging horn section. “Follow On” and “You Too” are sultry, laid back reggae tunes, while Korty’s “El Mescalero” blends Latin rhythms that suggest tango, son, calypso and Tex-Mex, giving Ranglin an opportunity for a breathtaking display of jazzy flamenco influenced fretwork. “Ska Renzo” conjures the spirit of Jamaica in the 60s, with a few dub effects in the arrangement to highlight another brilliant, brittle solo by Ranglin. Every tune on the album moves in different directions, making for a timeless international excursion held together by Ranglin’s inventive guitar. “I love playing with these musicians,” Ranglin says. “Like me, they’re interested in music from all over the world. They make it easy for me to express the emotions I feel. I think working together on this album allowed us to do something special.”*

After the sessions, Mindel and Ex-Centric Sound System’s Yossi Fine, who has produced and mixed efforts by Vieux Farka Touré, Hassan Hakmoun, Hadag Hahash, Dancehall singer Anthony B and other notable reggae and world music artists, mixed the album. “It was inspiring to be working with Ernest Ranglin and mixing this music,” Fine says. “A chance of a lifetime. The album takes the listener through every era of Ernest’s music. He was constantly adding new flavors, while staying rooted in each particular style, be it reggae, jazz or Latin grooves.”*

“This band sounds like they’ve been playing together for years,” Mindel says. “I want people to hear this album so they’ll know Ernest is still going strong at 82, composing and playing great music that touches on all the eras of his career. I know he still has a lot of new ideas he wants to express and we want to continue making music with him, and for him, for as long as we can.”*

In the late 50s, Ernest Ranglin started adding rhythm accents to the tunes Coxsone Dodd was cutting at Jamaica’s Studio One by playing muted upstrokes on his guitar. That simple lick became the characteristic sound of a new groove called ska. His playing also laid the foundation for reggae’s relaxed rhythm, ensuring Ranglin’s place in the pantheon of innovative guitarists.*

After years of studio work in Jamaica, including the first session of a singer named Robert Marley, Ranglin moved to London to play with the Island Records studio band. His jazz influenced approach was featured on countless records, including Millie Small’s “My Boy Lollipop,” the first international ska hit and The Melodians’ classic “Rivers of Babylon.”*

Ranglin played with pianists Monty Alexander and Randy Weston in the ‘70s. His fluid bend of jazz, world music and reggae fit perfectly with their ideas about music without boundaries and brought him to the attention of a new international audience. His deceptively simple rhythms and sinuous leads created another genre, reggae jazz, showcased on groundbreaking solo albums like Below the Bassline, Memories of Barber Mac and In Search of the Lost Riddim, recorded in Senegal with Baaba Maal and his band. His reggae jazz style fully flowered on 2001’s Gotcha!, the album that prefigured his ongoing creative surge. Never one to stand still, Ranglin recently played the Blue Note in New York with Monty Alexander and rising reggae star Chronixx on a show billed as A History of Reggae + Jamaican Music. The audience included Ranglin’s mentor Chris Blackwell. In a backstage interview Chronixx, praised Ranglin’s ability to blend the past, present and future in his playing. Gigs like this showcase Ranglin’s ability to bring out the best in the musicians he works with, young and old. His playing continues to be marked by his serene approach and a playful sensibility that often conceals his jaw-dropping virtuosity. He was inducted into the Jamaican Music Hall of fame in 2008.

Vocalist Allegra Levy Creates Lyrical New Standards on Debut Lonely City

Most jazz vocalists sing standards. Allegra Levy writes her own. From the plaintive title track of her brazenly autobiographical debut album, Lonely City, to the haunting strains of its intricate closing ballad, "The Duet," the 24-year-old New York-based vocalist and composer has penned a lyrical collection of 11 harmonically adventurous-yet-familiar originals steeped in the tradition of the Great American Songbook.

"This is a mature first recording by a singer you're sure to hear more from," says renowned trumpeter John McNeil, who produced the album. "The tunes are catchy and well-constructed, and you'll probably find yourself singing them in a short time. I sing them still."

The album features Levy with an all-star band: drummer Richie Barshay, bassist Jorge Roeder, tenor saxophonist Adam Kolker, guitarist Steve Cardenas, trumpeter John Bailey, pianist Carmen Staaf, and violinist Mark Feldman.

"Richie is one of the most imaginative drummers of our time," Levy says of the percussionist, a fellow native of West Hartford, CT, who has played with Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Esperanza Spalding. "He had a really clear understanding of all my tunes and took them to other places."

 Staaf, a rising piano star recently chosen as the pianist in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA's Herb Alpert School of Music, contributed several arrangements. "Carmen is a very emotional, passionate musician and would know what I wanted even before I knew," Levy says. "I've never connected more musically with a person on so many levels."

She also found a musical soul mate in McNeil, with whom she studied at New England Conservatory. "John and I are very like-minded people. We have a dash of cynicism in all of our work," she said of the trumpeter-composer, who has played with Horace Silver, Thad Jones, and currently leads the quartet Hush Point. "He's been a real mentor to me. He performs the high-wire balancing act of embracing tradition while championing the progressive. "

Levy is currently completing a seven-month residency at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong. She made her international debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2008, and has since cut her teeth in New York and New England clubs including Tomi Jazz, Somethin' Jazz, The Flatiron Room, and Black-Eyed Sally's.

Levy takes her inspiration from legendary vocalists Carmen McRae and Betty Carter-altos comfortable exploring the lower register-but also classic composers Richard Rodgers, Jule Styne, and Henry Mancini. "Their melodies have lasted for so long and are still so beautiful," she says. "My goal was to retain that timeless sound with modern lyrics. Bring standards into now."

Yet there is nary an old standard to be found. As a prolific composer, she ultimately chose the daring route of restricting her debut to originals. "That was definitely a risk," she says, "but I figured I'm going to be myself, this is what I have to say, and I'm just going to say it now the way I want to say it." Levy began composing the material for Lonely City when she was a freshman at NEC, encouraged by vocalist Dominique Eade, whom she describes as "a jazz goddess."

Lonely City focuses on the most universal of themes. "The album chronicles the emotional ups and downs of being with somebody else and not being with somebody else," Levy explains. The Joni Mitchell-inspired ballad "Everything Green" waxes nostalgic about those ephemeral, often painful moments. "Joni Mitchell tells stories. Her lyrics are very strong and very intimate," she says. "It's meaningful when somebody just lays her life out there like that."

Levy finds this emotional rawness with an understated vocal style that emphasizes phrasing over pipes. "You go to concerts and hear these incredible powerhouse voices, and it's very moving, but I really like to explore the little corners of subtlety in the harmonics and lyrics."

On the wistful "A Better Day, " Levy draws from the legacy of the great scatters to convey the ineffable, breaking down the barrier between vocalist and instrumentalist. "Improvisation is just another way in which I like to express myself," she says. "Every once in awhile I just want to let loose and explore the harmonics more-say something else." Despite a propensity to improvise, she still believes that powerful lyrics can "bridge the gap between the audience and the music."

The lilting title track, "Lonely City," is "about finding your lost love," she says and has a harmonic simplicity that belies the bewilderment that goes into the search. "There are a lot of ship references, and the idea is that by the end of the song you get to that lighthouse or safe harbor."

Most of her other compositions diverge from the typical lament that "my man has up and gone," tackling instead the deeper angst of struggling to cope in a world that cries out for levity and conformity.

"There's a different kind of blues for a woman," she contends. "There's a different tale of woe. And it's a little more complex than 'I lost my love.' Now it's 'I want to find my place in the world.'"

Typical of this realist's outlook is "I'm Not OK," a self-deprecating yet defiant anthem that is the only true blues track on the album, and the samba "I Don't Want to Be in Love," the record's most up-tempo entry. "You hear Latin music and can't help but dance to it, and love is the same to me-only this is kind of an unwanted dance," she says. A decidedly different dance number is the propulsive "Clear-Eyed Tango," featuring virtuoso Mark Feldman on violin. "Mark brings the edge and explosive emotion that the song needed. There are few violinists in the world who could provide that."

Writing Lonely City was a cathartic experience, and Levy hopes that hearing it will be cathartic for the listener as well.

"These are real experiences that I've had, and I want somebody else to know that they're not alone," she says. "That's what the blues is all about. It's about togetherness. It's not just, 'I've got the blues.' It's not just, 'I'm not OK.' It's 'Let's bear this all together.'"

www.allegralevy.com

Saxophonist/Composer Rudresh Mahanthappa Previews Upcoming CD Bird Calls - Saturday, January 10 at Winter Jazzfest

Saxophonist and composer Rudresh Mahanthappa previews his new Charlie Parker-inspired CD Bird Calls on January 10 as part of the Winter Jazzfest Saturday Marathon. He performs at 10:00 p.m. at Minetta Lane Theatre, 18-22 Minetta Lane, NYC with pianist Matt Mitchell, drummer Rudy Royston and 20-year-old trumpet prodigy Adam O’Farrill, each of whom appears on Bird Calls, and bassist Chris Tordini.

Through a series of critically acclaimed releases over the past decade, Rudresh Mahanthappa has explored the music of his South Indian heritage and translated it through the vocabulary of his own distinctive approach to modern jazz. On his latest release Bird Calls, available February 10, 2015 on ACT, Mahanthappa trains his anthropological imagination on an equally important cultural influence: the music of Charlie Parker. With a stellar quintet of forward-thinking musicians, which includes some long-time collaborators as well as trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, Mahanthappa offers an inspired examination of Bird’s foundational influence and how it manifests itself in a decidedly 21st-century context.

“It’s easy to say that Bird influenced modern music without dissecting that notion,” Mahanthappa says. “If I had any agenda for this album, it was to really demonstrate that. This music says, ‘Yes, Bird’s influence is absolutely indelible, and here’s why.’ This is music that is all directly inspired by Charlie Parker, but it sounds as modern as anything today.” The album is also a passion project for Mahanthappa, who counts Parker as one of his earliest and most enduring inspirations, saying, “Bird has always been a huge influence on me.”

Though it pays homage to one of jazz’s Founding Fathers and arrives at the outset of Charlie Parker’s 95th birthday year, Bird Calls is not a tribute album in the traditional sense. There isn’t a single Parker composition to be found on the album, which consists entirely of new music penned by Mahanthappa for the occasion. But Bird’s DNA is strongly present in every one of these pieces, each of which takes a particular Parker melody or solo as its source of inspiration. Each is then wholly reimagined and recontextualized by Mahanthappa and his quintet which, in addition to O’Farrill (son of pianist and Afro Latin Jazz Alliance founder Arturo O’Farrill), features pianist Matt Mitchell (Dave Douglas, Tim Berne), bassist François Moutin (Jean-Michel Pilc, Martial Solal), and drummer Rudy Royston (Bill Frisell, Dave Douglas).

Take the most obvious example, “Talin is Thinking,” whose title is both a play on “Parker’s Mood” and a loving dedication to Mahanthappa’s two-year-old son. The familiar melody of “Parker’s Mood” is essentially intact, but it is transformed into a more somber, serpentine piece by the removal of Bird’s syncopated rhythmic approach. Less immediately recognizable but similar in approach is “Chillin’,” which asks the instrumentalists to navigate melodies derived from Parker’s “Relaxin’ at Camarillo” both in the written material and in their solos.

“Bird’s solos and heads were very advanced harmonically and rhythmically,” Mahanthappa says. “They’re as cutting edge as anything today, and I always feel like we take that for granted as jazz musicians. We know the melody to ‘Donna Lee’ and we know these classic solos like we know ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb,’ but what if we were to dig deeper? If you take an excerpt of one of his solos in isolation, it’s like 21st-century classical music, with a really modern way of thinking about rhythm and melody and harmony.”

“On the DL,” for example, dissects the melody of Parker’s classic “Donna Lee” and builds an entirely new melody on that foundation. The piece is marked by Mahanthappa’s intricate melodicism and vigorous, shape-shifting rhythmic approach; he and O’Farrill weave their lines together in a spirit that wouldn’t feel unfamiliar to Dizzy and Bird, even if the material itself would certainly sound startling to 1940s ears. Mahanthappa describes the even more breakneck “Both Hands” as “Bird’s melody from ‘Dexterity,’ but with all the rests removed,” and it’s every bit as electrifying as that description implies.

Like countless other pieces before it, “Sure Why Not?” sets an original melody against the harmony of Parker’s “Confirmation,” then disguises its source further by slowing the usually brisk tempo to a tart ballad. “Maybe Later” focuses on Parker’s rhythmic originality, changing the notes to the saxophonist’s famed solo from “Now’s the Time” while keeping the rhythm intact. “Gopuram,” with its Indian raga feel, takes its name from the tower at the entrance of Hindu temples as a play on “Steeplechase” (after prayer, Hindus often circle the temple several times, akin to the circular route of the titular race). The album closes with “Man, Thanks for Coming,” loosely based on “Anthropology.” The CD is punctuated by a series of miniatures called “Bird Calls,” solo, duo and group introductions that allow for more open explorations of the compositions’ thematic material.

Charlie Parker was a key influence for Mahanthappa from the time a junior high music teacher handed him the Parker album Archetypes along with a copy of Jamey Aebersold’s well-known collection of transcriptions, the Charlie Parker Omnibook. “I was blown away,” he recalls. “I couldn’t believe the way he was playing, gorgeous with so much charisma and flying all over the horn. I think hearing Charlie Parker was what planted the first seeds of wanting to do this for the rest of my life. It was very powerful.”

Poring over the transcription book, which listed catalogue numbers for the compositions but not album titles, the young altoist noticed that nearly half of them were accompanied by the label Savoy 2201. Not long after, while searching the bins at a local chain record store, he spotted a copy of the collection Bird: Master Takes – and there, on the spine, was the magic number: Savoy 2201. He describes the moment as “like finding the Holy Grail.”

Despite the stunning array of influences that have impacted his playing since that time, Parker has always remained an overweening inspiration. “If I ever feel uninspired or down I can always go back to Charlie Parker,” he says. “That always makes me feel invigorated and joyful about playing jazz and playing the saxophone. I always say that what I play still sounds like Bird, just a little bit displaced. It’s coming from the same language and the same foundations. I feel like I’ve always been playing Bird.”

Hailed by the New York Times as possessing “a roving intellect and a bladelike articulation,” Rudresh Mahanthappa has been awarded a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, and commissions from the Rockefeller Foundation MAP Fund, Chamber Music America and the American Composers Forum. He’s also been named alto saxophonist of the year multiple times in DownBeat’s International Critics Poll and by the Jazz Journalists Association. His projects include the multi-cultural hybrids Gamak and Samdhi; the cross-generational alto summit Apex featuring Bunky Green; trios MSG and Mauger; the quintet Dual Identity co-led with fellow altoist Steve Lehman; and Raw Materials, his long-running duo project with pianist Vijay Iyer. Mahanthappa also continues to partner with Pakistani-American guitarist Rez Abbasi and innovative percussionist Dan Weiss in the Indo-Pak Coalition, while giants in both jazz and South Indian music have recognized his success: he was enlisted by Jack DeJohnette for the legendary drummer’s most recent working group, while a collaboration with the renowned Carnatic saxophonist Kadri Gopalnath resulted in Mahanthappa’s critically-acclaimed 2008 CD Kinsmen (Pi).

www.rudreshm.com

NEW RELEASES: GREG MURPHY – BLUES FOR MILES; MARC CAREY TRIO & FRIENDS – COSMIC INDIGENOUS; ELECTRIC WIRE HUSTLE – LOVE WILL PREVAIL

GREG MURPHY – BLUES FOR MILES

A really different album from pianist Greg Murphy – an artist we know mostly for his work with Rashied Ali during his later years! This set's not what you might expect from the Blues For Miles title – hardly a recap of Davis' music, or his ideas at all – and instead comes across as a warmly lyrical session that shows a whole new side of Murphy's talents! The pianist is working here with a lineup that also includes Josh Evans on trumpet and Ben Solomon on tenor, plus some occasional percussion from Raphael Cruz next to the piano, bass, and drums – elements that brings these nice rhythmic changes to the music that are almost more Cedar Walton-like than Miles – especially given Murphy's bright, soulful lines on piano – which have an especially great way of cascading along on the album's original compositions. These are the real standouts, as Greg's a hell of a writer – and titles include "Blues For Miles", "Half Fulton", "Nancy's Fantasy", "Hat Trick", "Free Han Solo", and "Split Second".  ~  Dusty Groove

MARC CAREY TRIO & FRIENDS – COSMIC INDIGENOUS

"Cosmic Indigenous", a collection of previously recorded but never released tracks from Marc Cary Focus Trio + Friends spanning over a decade is now available exclusively on Bandcamp. The album features a multitude of collaborators including Motema's own Awa Sangho, with songs rooted in the concept of North Indian classical raga music and exploring the sounds and concepts of electro-acoustic keyboard wizard Marc Cary's  former project, Indigenous People.  ~ Motema Music

ELECTRIC WIRE HUSTLE – LOVE WILL PREVAIL

A solid second album from New Zealand electro soul combo Electric Wire Hustle – and a subtle, but still pretty progressive step away from the more sample-flavored, beat-driven debut! Love Can Prevail has just a bit more of an abstract, electronics-accented approach to the production – but the soulful approach to the vocals and overall feel of the songs cuts as deep as ever here. Strong work from a unique group! Includes "If These Are The Last Days", "Loveless", "By & Bye", "Bottom Line", "The Spirit", "Look In The Sky", "Light Goes A Long Way", "To See You Again", "Blackwater" and "Numbers And Steel". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES: BRANDON WILLIAMS - XII; SUFIANO - MIAMI HEAT; KRUGLOV, NADZHAROV, SHUSHKOV, TALALAY - 1607

BRANDON WILLIAMS - XII

A hell of a record from keyboardist and producer Brandon Williams – an artist who may well be the Larry Mizell of the 21st Century! Like Mizell, Brandon's a hell of a musician at the core – really strong and soulful on his work here – but also like Larry, Williams really has a great way of reaching out and working with others – a quality that's already gotten his music exposure on records by some other big artists, and which also opens the door here to include guest contributions from Jesse Boykins III, Robert Glasper, Frank McComb, Don Blackman, Bernard Wright, Pharoahe Monch, Nicholas Payton, Choklate, Deborah Bond, and others! That lineup should really give you an idea of the depth of this record – as Brandon finds a way to make all these great talents come together, while still letting all the individuals shine during their time in the spotlight – no egos ever taking things over, not even Brandon's own – as the album rolls along with a majestic blend of jazz and soul. Titles include "Intimidation", "Pinball Number Count", "Godsend", "Everything", "Now I Know", "Feel Free", "Yasmin", "Velas Icadas", and "Make Believe".  ~ Dusty Groove

   

SUFIANO - MIAMI HEAT

Here is a new release from artist Sufiano: "Miami Heat" , who writes music with a very strong emphasis on melody and harmony. Miami Heat is a number that reminds one of some of the Stevie Wonder songs of the 70´s with a strong brasilian flavor. Sufiano is a new star on the music scene, when it comes to songwriting. He is originally from Mozambique but since his teen years he has lived in Copenhagen, Denmark. This number is produced in old style with ALL LIVE musicians and the line-up is as follows:

produced and arranged by Michael Millfield in Denmark; Michael Milfield: trumpet, flugelhorn, tenortrombone, keyboard & programmering; Erik Haüsler: baritone saxophone; Lars DK Nielsen: Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ & backing vocal, Sebastian Lilja: guitar; Kaspar Vadsholt: bass; Dean James: drums; Eliel Lazo: percussion; Helder Sufiano: lead vocal; Jean Paul Espinosa: lead vocal, Susanne Ørum: lead vocal & backing vocal.

KRUGLOV, NADZHAROV, SHUSHKOV, TALALAY - 1607

In the summer of 2014 in the Moscow park “Museon” on the stage of the summer cinema a series of evenings under the title «Silent movie – live music» took place. Sergey Krasin offered our quartet to take part in scoring of the film “Zvenigora” by Alexander Dovzhenko. The idea seemed so appealing to us, that we started working on it right away. It was decided to choose the path of electro-acoustic, noise, improvised and authorial directions using “straight” rhythms, where certain metro-rhythmic elements would serve only as a starting point for further transformation. The idea was for these elements to be influenced by the melodic basis and structure without being an idea-forming kernel. As a result, July 16, 2014, we gathered at the Vladimir Osinsky Studio and started to work.

 

The Journey Charts The Remarkable Musical Voyage Of Saxophone Legend Charles McPherson

One of the last authentic practitioners of bebop saxophone, Charles McPherson remains at the top of his game. On his new album The Journey, McPherson demonstrates all the vigor, inventiveness, technical dexterity and expressive warmth that drew attention to this brilliant alto stylist during his formative associations with Charles Mingus, Barry Harris, Pat Martino and Art Farmer. The vitality, wit and sheer power of his playing on The Journey belie the fact that McPherson has been in the public eye since the early 1960s. His lyrical and virile improvising throughout the recording asserts that the career upswing that began for McPherson when he added passionate alto statements to the soundtrack of Clint Eastwood's 1998 Charlie Parker bio-pic, Bird, followed by the excellent all-star albums that came in the film's wake, remains in motion. Working with a Denver-based contingent of estimable musicians including saxophonist Keith Oxman, pianist Chip Stephens, bassist Ken Walker and drummer Todd Reid, McPherson demonstrates his laudable command of the bebop idiom, transforming original tunes, songbook standards and bop classics into fresh, invigorating fare.

The origins of The Journey can be traced to a fortuitous meeting that occurred at a musical clinic, featuring McPherson among others, at the Denver, Colorado jazz club Dazzle. There he met the saxophonist and high school instructor, Keith Oxman. Musical encounters with Oxman and local musicians Stephens, Walker and Reid, were so successful that the veteran saxophonist encouraged a recording to document the obvious connection that the five musicians had so quickly established. The April and May 2014 sessions produced a strikingly comfortable blend of standards ("Spring Is Here," "I Should Care"), McPherson originals ("Manhattan Nocturne," "The Journey," "Bud Like"), work from both Oxman and Stephens, and a shout out to McPherson's deepest influence, Charlie Parker ("Au Privave").

Thoroughly comfortable with the intricacies of bebop, Oxman and each of the rhythm team display élan as confident soloists, as an indivisible unit, and as a rock-solid foundation for McPherson.  The star altoist - as fluent as ever on brisk bop performances and lyrically pointed on ballads (hear his lovely duet with Stephens on "I Should Care," a standard favored by Parker) - sounds as robust and bursting with ideas as his devotees, drawn to the authenticity and communicative power of McPherson's characteristic playing, have come to expect.

The presence of another saxophonist adds harmonic and tonal color to the ensemble and further stimulates McPherson's creative juices. Oxman's own "Tami's Tune" is a feature for the tenor saxophonist on which McPherson graciously absents himself, better to train the spotlight on this fine improviser. As McPherson states, "Keith is extremely creative and in possession of a really good technique. But most importantly he has spirituality in his playing, and a depth of feeling that is rare. He should definitely be heard more!" As should McPherson, who, as The Journey clearly exhibits, remains in peak form as he continues his lifelong musical voyage.

http://caprirecords.com/

http://www.charlesmcpherson.com/

Pianist Adam Birnbaum's Three of A Mind with Al Foster and Doug Weiss

New York City pianist Adam Birnbaum hasn't been keeping a low profile in recent years. While touring internationally with drum legend Al Foster's quartet and subbing regularly in Darcy James Argue's Secret Society and with recently minted vocal star Cécile McLorin Salvant he's also released several well-received CDs under his own name. Still, his new album Three of A Mind marks a major leap for the pianist, capturing a working ensemble with enviable chemistry. Slated for release on February 10, 2015, the trio session is the work of an artist with unimpeachable taste, exquisite touch, and a commanding vision.

Though Birnbaum is joined by two celebrated rhythm section partners, the album is no ad hoc all-star session. He and bassist Doug Weiss have spent the past six years together working with Foster, and the trio's road-tested cohesion shines on every track. In many ways Birnbaum designed the album to showcase Foster, a drummer who "embodies true musicianship," Birnbaum says. "He has huge ears. He doesn't just keep time. He actively engages you, creating a constant dialogue. If you can learn to ride the wave of rhythms he is throwing at you it makes your own ideas sound even hipper."

A supremely accomplished accompanist, "Weiss is one of the premiere bassists around," Birnbaum says. "His sense of taste, rock-solid time, and superb melodicism make him in many ways the perfect bassist. He doesn't go for flash, but for true music making, and his ears are always open to going wherever the music takes him."

The album opens with Birnbaum's rock-inflected "Binary," an irresistibly upbeat tune that he wrote to slyly draw Foster back to Miles territory. In much the same way, he composed "Dream Waltz" with the trio in mind. An alluring melody with an uncomplicated song form, the piece facilitates some beautifully balanced group interplay. The pianist is at his most rhapsodic on the enchanted ballad "Rockport Moon," and at his most ambitious on the blues-like "Dream Song # 1: Huffy Henry," one of a dozen pieces he composed for a suite inspired by John Berryman's wildly creative poems.

Though Foster isn't widely known as a composer, he's written many memorable tunes, including two that Birnbaum chose to include on Three of A Mind. Written for Foster's son, "Brandyn" is a tricky piece that opens in 12/8 before eventually settling into some sizzling swing. It's a recognizable but significantly reimagined version of the piece that Foster introduced back in 1996 as the title track of his first album as a leader (with Larry Grenadier, Dave Kikoski and Chris Potter). And Foster's pleasingly aggressive "Ooh What You Do To Me" closes the album with a satisfying whomp. No fuss, no muss, this is a trio that takes care of business.

Birnbaum is an award-winning player who has more than lived up to his considerable promise since graduating from Juilliard as part of the first class of the illustrious conservatory's jazz program. Born and raised in Boston, Birnbaum spent his early years studying the European classical tradition. At 13 he got exposed to jazz and turned onto improvisation, and he spent the rest of his teenage years dividing his attention between the worlds of jazz and classical music.

While studying at Boston College, Birnbaum connected with New England Conservatory's Danilo Perez, and the great Panamanian pianist became an important mentor. He graduated from Boston College with a degree in computer science but spent the bulk of his time practicing piano. The shedding prepared him for plunging into the New York scene in 2001 via Juilliard, where he was one of only two pianists selected for inaugural class in the conservatory's new jazz program. He worked closely with piano legend Kenny Barron, and later studied with Fred Hersch "who really opened another world for me," Birnbaum says.

In 2004 he won the American Jazz Piano Competition and became the American Pianists Association's Cole Porter fellow in jazz. In 2006, he received the first-ever "special mention" prize at the Martial Solal Jazz Piano Competition in Paris. More important than any contest was the call he received from alto sax master Greg Osby, one of jazz's keenest talent scouts. On the recommendation of bassist Matt Brewer, Osby hired Birnbaum for a series of gigs starting at Birdland. His phone started to ring regularly after that.

Over the past decade Birnbaum has performed with veteran masters such as Wallace Roney, Eddie Henderson, Eddie Gomez, and Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis, as well as with well-established contemporaries such as Pedro Giraudo, Marshall Gilkes and Dominick Farinacci. As a leader, Birnbaum has released two albums in Japan under the Pony Canyon label in 2006: Ballade Pour Adeline with Quincy Davis and Matt Brewer (which received a Gold Disk award from Swing Journal as one of the top albums of the year), and A Comme Amour with Ben Wolfe and Rodney Green. Smalls Records released his 2009 US debut, Travels, a critically hailed album with Joe Sanders and Rodney Green.

By far the most significant relationship of his career has been with Al Foster. Miles Davis famously described his first encounter with Foster saying that the drummer "knocked me out because he had such a groove and he would just lay it right in there." Foster went on to spent more time accompanying the trumpet legend than any other drummer, recording more than a dozen albums with Davis, from 1972's hugely controversial On The Corner through his 1981 comeback The Man With the Horn, and all three career-capping sessions produced by Marcus Miller. Sought out by fellow masters, he's also recorded extensively with Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, and McCoy Tyner.

Birnbaum set his sights on Foster's quartet when he got word that Kevin Hays was leaving the group in 2009. Not the easiest musician to approach, Foster presented a forbidding front. But after showing up at various gigs around New York, Birnbaum eventually got the chance to sit in at Smoke (with a little help from Weiss). He's been with Foster ever since, while the horn chair has showcased some of the era's most potent tenor saxophonists, such as Dayna Stephens and Eric Alexander. For Birnbaum, the experience has been the ultimate jazz education, "a real connection to another era," he says. "These aren't the kind of lessons you can learn verbally or in a classroom. There's an intensity that Al brings whenever he gets behind the drums. He expects something special to happen every time he plays, and if it's not happening he'll be upset with himself and the band. This is not just a way to make money for him. Music is his life. It means everything to him." It's an ethic that Birnbaum has clearly absorbed, and that manifests itself throughout Three Of A Mind.

www.adambirnbaum.com

Glenn Wilson's live post bop milestone, Timely reunites the baritone saxophone giant with trumpet great John D'earth

Dubbed "an unsung hero in modern jazz" by the All Music Guide, the baritone saxophonist Glenn Wilson has been cherished by discerning listeners who recognize a visionary improviser and inspired bandleader when they hear one. On his new live album Timely, to be released February 24, 2015 on Cadence Jazz Records, Wilson is joined by a treasured compatriot, the trumpeter John D'Earth. Along with the pianist John Toomey, the bassist Jimmy Masters and the drummer Tony Martucci, the horn men, tethered together by way of shared experience, interpret compositions by such masters as Wayne Shorter, Bob Belden, Larry Willis, Bob Dorough and baritone saxophone legend, Pepper Adams.

Having worked together in various configurations for over thirty years, the members of the quintet bring an artistic maturity to these performances evident in the spontaneous interplay and raw emotion displayed. Recorded over two nights at the Havana Nights Jazz Club in Virginia Beach, the music sparkles with an inspired mixture of unrestrained fervor aligned with the apparent ease that bonds seasoned players. "Recording live," says Wilson "is not something to be entered into lightly. The best jazz is LIVE jazz and you're hearing it just the way we played it for the audience at the club that night."

On standout performances, "Sightseeing", "Timely," and Diabolique II, Wilson and D'earth also create what the leader describes as "improvised compositions."   "John and I have such a great rapport and hear the music so similarly that, when we improvise together, compositions are created that have never existed before and will never be heard again. That journey to unknown destinations is what makes the music so fresh and unrepeatable. It's what real jazz is all about: in-the-moment musical communication." The nature of the band's unusual repertoire also reflects this go-for-broke spirit. Instead of the familiar standards heard so often, Wilson and company revel in little heard gems including Shorter's "Sightseeing," Willis's "To Wisdom the Prize," Belden's "Fat Beat," Dorough's "Nothing Like You Has Even Been Seen Before" and Adams's "Dylan's Delight"" and "Diabolique II."

In a career that spans five decades, Glenn Wilson has been featured with such iconic jazz and Latin music leaders as Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton, Machito, Tito Puente and Bob Belden; he has also appeared with rock hit-maker, Bruce Hornsby. Wilson has seven solo albums and has appeared on dozens of jazz recordings as a sideman. Currently based in central Illinois, Wilson performs with his two groups, The Jazzmaniacs and TromBari, featuring trombonist Jim Pugh, and teaches at both University of Illinois and Illinois State University.

http://www.jazzmaniac.com/