City Parks Foundation’s 2016 Charlie Parker Jazz Festival Presented by Capital One Bank Runs August 24 – August 28

New York, NY– City Parks Foundation is proud to announce the 2016 Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. The festival is New York City's annual salute to the legendary saxophonist, featuring contemporaries of Charlie Parker as well as young jazz musicians that continue to shape and drive the art form.

In a world of modern music - not just jazz - few figures loom as large or cast as long a shadow as saxophonist Charlie Parker, best known as "Bird" (short for "Yardbird") to generations of musicians. He was born in 1920 and almost sixty years since his death in 1955, he is universally celebrated for single-handedly inventing bebop and bringing jazz into the modern era.

The festival is particularly significant this year given the upcoming centennial of the musical dawning of the term “jazz,” as well as what would have been the 100th birthdays of late jazz greats including Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Ella Fitzgerald. This year’s festival will feature performances on August 26 and 27 in Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem and August 28 in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village.

On the 26th, audiences can enjoy performances from Jason Lindner: Breeding Ground, the electrifying 11-piece band led by keyboardist Jason Lindner and jazz vocalist Antoinette Montague, accompanied by Jazzmobile friends.

Randy Weston African Rhythms Sextet will play jazz infused with influences of African culture, while jazz pianist and gospel musician Cory Henry will wow audiences with his full band sound on the 27th.

August 28th, audiences will be introduced to DeJohnette - Moran - Holland, the first-time collaboration of influential jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette, innovative pianist Jason Moran, and prolific double bassist Dave Holland. Listeners will be delighted by performances from award winning jazz vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Allan Harris and acclaimed saxophonist Donny McCaslin, who will perform his newest album accompanied by his group.

New this year, the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival will feature film screenings at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music’s Jazz Performance Space. “The Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story,” will show on August 24th and feature a post-film discussion with alto sax star and Frank’s protege Grace Kelly, and Frank’s manager Reggie Marshall. “Bill Evans: Time Remembered” will be screened on the 25th,featuring a post-film discussion with the producer Bruce Spiegel.

The complete Charlie Parker Jazz Festival schedule follows or can be found on the City Parks Foundation website here: Charlie Parker Jazz Festival

Artist Information

Wednesday, August 24

Screening: The Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story

The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music’s Jazz Performance Space, MN

7:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Post-film discussion alto sax star and Frank’s protege Grace Kelly, and Frank’s manager Reggie Marshall.

In the new documentary, SOUND OF REDEMPTION: THE FRANK MORGAN STORY, director NC Heikin recreates the life of Frank Morgan in concert form, tracing his progress from teenage musical prodigy to hardcore junkie and, finally, to one of the music world’s most remarkable comeback stories. A one-night-only, all-star musical tribute filmed live at San Quentin forms the backbone of a film that brings together the past, present and future of Morgan’s musical legacy. Moving seamlessly between the thrilling live performance and the riveting true story of a musician whose talent first destroyed and then redeemed him, the award-winning filmmaker paints a searingly honest portrait of a prodigiously gifted, tragically flawed musical genius. RSVP Required, CharlieParker@CityParksFoundation.org.

Thursday, August 25

Screening: Bill Evans: Time Remembered

The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music’s Jazz Performance Space, MN

7:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Post-film discussion with the producer Bruce Spiegel.

Bruce Spiegel has produced a complete documentary giving you insights into Bill Evans; not just the musician, but also the person. The film moves chronologically starting with Bill’s childhood in New Jersey and culminating with details about his death. “The film Bill Evans, Time Remembered took me 8 years to make. Eight years of tracking down anybody who knew Bill and who played with him, to try and find out as much as I could about the illusive and not easy to understand Bill Evans. I feel very honored to have had the chance to interview and get to know good guys that spent a lot of time with Bill: Billy Taylor, Gene Lees, Tony Bennett, Jack DeJohnette, Jon Hendricks, Jim Hall, Bobby Brookmeyer, Chuck Israels, Paul Motian, Gary Peacock, Joe LaBarbera. It was a once in a life time experience talking to these gifted talented guys about their time in jazz music, about their “Time Remembered“ with Bill Evans. – Bruce Spiegel” RSVP Required, CharlieParker@CityParksFoundation.org.

Friday, August 26

Jason Lindner: Breeding Ground / Antoinette Montague and Jazzmobile Friends / DJ Greg Caz

Marcus Garvey Park, MN

6:30 PM – 9:00 PM

Breeding Ground combines the two most successful projects of New York-bred pianist Jason Lindner: Now Vs. Now, his propulsive groove trio with bassist Panagiotis Andreou and drummer Mark Guiliana; and his big band, which started at the Greenwich Village basement club Smalls twenty years ago. Created in 2009 by a commission from the Jazz Gallery and the Jerome Foundation, the 11-piece Breeding Ground ensemble finds Andreou and Guiliana in the engine room, with Lindner on more piano than synths, leaving room for a string section, a horn section, and singer-songwriter Jeff Taylor as the featured vocalist. Electro-acoustic, poly-rhythmic, cross-pollinated, dirty and mixed up, improvised and composed, multi-formatted and ever shifting, Breeding Ground is the epitome of liquid modernity. Their debut full-length album will be released in 2016.

Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Antoinette Montague grew up listening to Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. “I was singing and humming from an early age. It was how I created my own private, comforting world.” Early in her career she was mentored by vocalists Etta Jones and Carrie Smith, and you can often hear their influences when she takes to the bandstand. Montague has performed onstage with many top jazz and blues musicians including Red Holloway, Benny Powell, Earl May, Winard Harper, Wycliffe Gordon, Stan Hope, John di Martino, Bernard Purdy, Victor Jones, Tootsie Bean, Zeke Mullins, Paul Bollenback, Frank Wess, and others. Headlining her own gigs, Antoinette has performed on the Jazzmobile stage in Harlem, Birdland, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club-Coca Cola, Kitano Jazz, the Blue Note, Jazz Standard clubs and concert halls in Russia and more. Antoinette’s album, Behind The Smile features a diverse repertoire of standards and originals including “What’s Going On,” “The Song Is You,” “Get Ready,” “Somewhere In The Night” as well the vocalist/composer’s original title song “Behind The Smile.” Her latest album is World Peace in the Key of Jazz!

DJ Greg Caz has been spinning around New York since the early 1990s. He made a name for himself during his long stint at Black Betty (R.I.P.) in Williamsburg, where he co-hosted Brazilian Beat Sundays – a raucous DJ night of 1970s Brazilian dance music that inspired two mix CDs, Baile Funk, Vols. 1 & 2. Caz caught the "sweet sickness” of record collecting at a young age and owns crates and crates of funk, soul, rare grooves, reggae, jazz, golden-era hip hop, Latin music, ’70s soft rock and African music. He has long been a resident DJ at Nublu in the East Village, and recently provided lyric translations for the reissue of four Marcos Valle albums on Light in the Attic records. He has appeared in London, Brazil, Germany, Austria, Scotland, Ireland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, Chicago, Montreal and elsewhere.

Saturday, August 27

Randy Weston African Rhythms Sextet / Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles / The Artistry of

Jazzmeia Horn / Charles Turner III / Master Class: Samuel Coleman

Marcus Garvey Park, MN

3:00 PM – 7:00 PM

2:00 PM - Master Class

Randy Weston received a 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship for Music Composition that enabled him to compose An African Nubian Suite, a major new work for jazz orchestra. The piece is based on his lifelong research on and interest in the culture, heritage and music of Africa. Weston notes: " An African Nubian Suite is a testament to the profound effect my African heritage has had on my life. I hope it will also be my message to others to help them know and feel proud of this heritage, that when I play the work, our common heritage will touch and inspire my audience. It is a labor of love to the culture, the people and the music that has so inspired and informed my life." In 2014, Randy Weston received a Doris Duke Artist Award. This will allow him to compose a new work, Seven African Queens, and travel to Morocco to document the traditional music of the Gnawa.

You might know Cory Henry as an in-demand, multi-instrumentalist and producer who’s worked with an array of musical legends across genres, including Yolanda Adams, Sara Bareilles, P. Diddy, Kirk Franklin, Kenny Garrett, Robert Glasper, Derrick Hodge, Shaun Kingston, Donald Lawrence, Michael McDonald, Boyz II Men, NAS, Bruce Springsteen, The Roots and as a member of the Grammy Award-winning collective Snarky Puppy. But, The Revival, (GroundUP Music/Universal Music Classics), Henry's latest release and touring project, is truly his story: a live album and DVD showcasing Henry’s deep musical roots, both in the church and outside of it. Filmed and recorded in Brooklyn at the Greater Temple of Praise, The Revival showcases Henry’s musical roots in gospel, jazz and soul. As the Kansas City Star writes, "His performances combine the celebratory aspects of neon-lit Saturday nights with reverent praise-filled Sunday mornings." Working off his instrument of choice — the Hammond B-3 organ — the musician is joined by drummer James Williams and his godfather, Bishop Jeffrey White, who delivers a stunning vocal take on “Old Rugged Cross.” Whereas The Revival is a tribute to his first love, the Hammond organ, and a showcase for his exceptional talents on the instrument, his upcoming album with The Funk Apostles will feature a full band sound – forged by nearly 100 shows over the last year. It is a synthesis of Henry’s many influences – Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Prince, Herbie Hancock, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, James Brown. Henry will be taking a classic sound into the here and now. As Henry says, “my way, my take.”

Winner of the 2015 Thelonious Monk International Vocal Jazz Competition and 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, Jazzmeia Horn has a name that speaks for itself capturing her very essence. Hailing from the great Dallas, Texas Jazzmeia has already earned a reputation in New York as a “Rising Star.” With the ambition to pursue a solo career, Jazzmeia graced the New York scene in 2009 and earned her degree at The New School for Jazz and contemporary Music. It wasn’t much later when she began to perform as a sideman with musicians Winard Harper, Junior Mance, Billy Harper, Lincoln Center Alumni Vincent Gardner, Delfeayo Marsalis, Mike LeDonne, Peter Bernstein, Johnny O’Neal, Vincent Herring, Kirk Lightsey, Frank Wess, and Ellis Marsalis. Her accolades include Downbeat Student Music Award Recipient 2008, 2009, and Best Vocal Jazz Soloist Winner 2010, The 2013 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program at The Kennedy Center ­Washington D.C., The Rising Star Award for the 2012 Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Jazz Competition, Finalist for Mid-­Atlantic Jazz Vocal Competition 2014, and The 2015 ­16th Annual Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium’s Young Lioness Award. Currently, Jazzmeia is a teaching artist in The NJPAC Wells Fargo ­Jazz for Teens Program and Jazz In The Schools Program in Newark, New Jersey. She appears in various clubs on the jazz scene nationally and internationally leading her dynamic group “The Artistry of Jazz Horn,” which includes­ pianist, bassist, drummer, saxophonist, poet, dancer and herself­ as vocalist.

The First Winner of the Annual Duke Ellington Vocal Competition in New York City, hosted by Mercedes Ellington, 27 year old Charles Turner has taken the jazz scene by storm. Charles relocated to New York in 2011, and has performed in venues such as Smoke Jazz and Supper Club, Birdland, Ginny's Supper Club, Smalls, Minton's in Harlem, and Gin Fiz, where he performs every Thursday with Marc Cary and the Focus Trio. The Charles Turner Quartet has performed at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center for the Generations in Jazz festival for 2 consecutive years. Charles released his debut album Dreamers, produced by Grammy Award-winning drummer Ulysses Owens at Jazz at Lincoln Center in March 2014. In 2013, Charles was invited to participate in the prestigious Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program, where he worked with Jason Moran, Craig Handy, Marc Cary, and performed at the Kennedy Center. He also won Best Jazz Vocalist awards at the Monterey Jazz Festival, and was a finalist at the esteemed Shure Montreux jazz festival Vocal Competition. Charles graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA on a full scholarship. During his time there, he had the wonderful opportunity to study and perform with Grammy Award–winning drummer and educator Terri Lyne Carrington, Dave Samuels, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Joanne Brackeen.

Samuel Coleman is an Alvin Ailey School trained dancer and teacher versed in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, African, Hip Hop and House techniques, with a special love for Lindy Hop. Coleman was the 1st Place Winner of the 2015 Midsummer Night Swing Lindy Hop Dance Contest at Lincoln Center and was a 2011 Frankie Manning Ambassador scholarship recipient. Coleman currently performs with the Big Apple Lindy Hoppers and the Rhythm Stompers, and teaches weekly classes in Harlem and at Swing 46 Jazz and Supper Club.

  

Sunday, August 28

DeJohnette - Holland - Moran / Allan Harris / Donny McCaslin Group / Grace Kelly

Tompkins Square Park, MN

3:00 PM – 7:00 PM

In a career that spans five decades and includes collaborations with some of the most iconic figures in modern jazz, NEA Jazz Master and Grammy Award winner Jack DeJohnette has established an unchallenged reputation as one of the greatest drummers in the history of the genre. The list of creative associations throughout his career is lengthy and diverse: John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Keith Jarrett, Chet Baker, George Benson, Stanley Turrentine, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland, Joe Henderson, Freddy Hubbard, Betty Carter and so many more. Along the way, he has developed a versatility that allows room for hard bop, R&B, world music, avant-garde, and just about every other style to emerge in the past half-century.

From his beginnings with Miles Davis to his celebrated ensembles of today, Grammy Award winning bassist Dave Holland has one of the most enduring legacies in jazz. The Boston Globe praises Holland as “a master bassist and bandleader, one of the most sophisticated composers and arrangers in the jazz world.” Holland’s astounding succession of innovative recordings have consistently garnered the highest acclaim over the years. Following recent tours with his own quintet, big band, and a duo with pianist Kenny Barron, Holland goes electric with his latest groundbreaking project: PRISM, featuring Kevin Eubanks, Craig Taborn, and Eric Harland. The group’s debut record, released on September 3, 2013, according to Jazzwise Magazine is Holland’s “…most visceral recording for many years, recalling the uncompromising onslaught of his work with Miles [Davis] in 1970, and his own Extensions band in the late 1980s.”

Pianist and composer Jason Moran has established himself as a risk-taker and innovator of new directions for jazz as a whole. For more than a decade, Moran and his trio The Bandwagon have dazzled audiences at elite venues worldwide, including the Village Vanguard in New York, the Newport Jazz Festival, and the North Sea Jazz Festival. A recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship and winner in DownBeat’s 2011 Critics Poll for Jazz Artist of the Year, Jazz Album of the Year, and winner in both 2011 and 2013 for Pianist of the Year, Moran is “a startlingly gifted pianist with a relentless thirst for experimentation” (The Los Angeles Times). In his recently conceived Fats Waller Dance Party, Moran presents a contemporary celebration of Waller, revisiting his legendary sound and deftly showing how Harlem stride piano resonates today. The rapturous performance played four consecutive sold-out nights at Harlem Stage for its 2011 world premiere. Jason released a recording of the music, All Rise: A Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller, on Blue Note on September 16, 2014.

Brooklyn-born, Harlem-based vocalist/guitarist/bandleader/composer Allan Harris has reigned supreme as one of the most accomplished and exceptional singers of his generation. The ample and aural evidence of Harris’ multifaceted talent can be heard on his ten recordings as a leader; his far-flung and critically-acclaimed concerts around the world, from Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, and Washington DC’s Kennedy Center, to the 2012 London Olympics, and a number of prestigious bookings in Europe, The Middle East and Asia, and his numerous awards, which include the New York Nightlife Award for “Outstanding Jazz Vocalist” – which he won three times – the Backstage Bistro Award for “Ongoing Achievement in Jazz,” and the Harlem Speaks “Jazz Museum of Harlem Award.” Harris is a first call vocalist (especially back in Harlem), as evidenced by his potpourri of engagements, including an impressive run as a featured soloist and producer of Sotheby’s three-year jazz series. His commitment to education is as equally impressive as his recordings and engagements. A Gibson guitarist, Harris is a long-time supporter of the St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital, and donates a performance every year to Challenge Aspen/America, along with Vince Gill and Amy Grant. All of which brings us to Black Bar Jukebox: a diverse and dynamic disc that showcases Allan Harris at the zenith of his all-encompassing artistry. “I’m a storyteller through the genre of jazz,” concludes Harris.

Acclaimed saxophonist Donny McCaslin takes a bold leap forward with his tenth album as a leader, Casting for Gravity. McCaslin’s gargantuan tenor sound finds an ideal setting to rampage through in the ferocious grooves and electronic textures of keyboardist Jason Lindner, bassist Tim Lefebvre, and drummer Mark Guiliana. Couching his trademark gift for brawny melodies in lurching dub rhythms, swirling electronica-inspired atmospheres, and arena-rock power, McCaslin has crafted a game-changer of an album, fusing a wealth of forward-looking influences into one wholly new modern jazz sound. Casting for Gravity follows on the heels of 2011’s highly acclaimed Perpetual Motion, which found McCaslin experimenting for the first time with merging his hard-charging acoustic sound with more funk-inflected electrified elements. But where that album was a blistering electroacoustic hybrid, Casting for Gravity soars past fusion into alchemy, forging a visionary voice from eclectic influences. “I wanted to make a bigger record with more sonic layers,” McCaslin explains. “I wanted to go a lot deeper into the electronic realm and push myself harder.” The effort paid off, with an album that truly breaks new ground not just for McCaslin but for integrating modern musical genres seamlessly into envelope-pushing jazz. The saxophonist has long been one of the music’s most striking voices, leading to long-running collaborations with innovators like Dave Douglas and Maria Schneider. His own solo work has been marked by a restless exploration that is only accelerated with this latest release.

East Coast born and bred saxophonist, singer, and songwriter Grace Kelly recorded her first album at 12 years old. Grace, now 23, has been voted seven- times to the Downbeat Critics Poll, five-time winner of ASCAP Composers Award, and headlined more than 700 shows in over 30 countries. A regular performer with Jon Batiste’s Stay Human on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and a go-to artist for jazz festivals across the globe, Kelly is featured in the newest season of the Emmy-nominated Amazon Prime series, Bosch. She has been featured in Vanity Fair, Glamour Magazine, Billboard, NPR and CNN among others.

Columbia/Legacy Recordings Set to Release Miles Davis Quintet: Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol 5, a 3CD Set featuring 2+ Hours of Previously Unreleased Studio Recordings from 1966-1968, Newly Mixed and Mastered in High Resolution Audio‏

Columbia/Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release Miles Davis Quintet: Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol 5 on Friday, October 21.

A 3CD box set collection chronicling Miles' musical evolution in the studio from 1966-1968 working with his "second great quintet," the latest edition in Columbia/Legacy's acclaimed Miles Davis Bootleg Series provides an unprecedented look into the artist's creative process, drawing on full session reels including all rehearsals, partial and alternate takes, extensive and fascinating studio conversation and more.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Miles Smiles, the groundbreaking second studio album from the Miles Davis Quintet--Miles Davis (trumpet), Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone), Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass) and Tony Williams (drums)--this definitive new collection includes the master takes of performances which would appear on the Miles Smiles (1967), Nefertiti (1968) and Water Babies (recorded 1967, released 1976) albums alongside more than two hours worth of previously unreleased studio recordings from original sessions produced by Teo Macero (with the exception of "Fall," produced by Howard A. Roberts).

"Circle," "Orbits," "Dolores" and "Freedom Jazz Dance" were recorded at the historic Columbia 30th Street Studio in New York City on October 24, 1966. "Gingerbread Boy" and "Footprints" were recorded at the same location the following day, October 25, 1966. Full session reels - every second of music and dialogue - that were taped for the Miles Smiles album are included. Prior to this the only material ever released from the classic album were the master takes for the six songs. Never before have the full session reels for an entire Miles Columbia album been released, here providing an in-depth look at the studio process of one of jazz's greatest bandleaders, and arguably the greatest small jazz group ever.

"Masqualero", heard on the set in a previously unreleased alternate take, was recorded at Columbia 30th Street Studio on May 17, 1967. "Water Babies" and "Nefertiti" were recorded there on June 7, 1967. "Fall" was cut at the Columbia studio on July 19, 1967. Complete session reels for "Water Babies", "Nefertiti" and "Fall" are included in the box.

"Country Son", heard in a unique previously unreleased rhythm section only rehearsal, was recorded at Columbia Studio B in New York City on May 15, 1968.

Miles Davis Quintet: Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol 5 box set was produced for contemporary release by the multi Grammy Award winning team of Steve Berkowitz, Michael Cuscuna and Richard Seidel. The album was mixed from the original 4-track tapes and mastered by Grammy Award winning engineer Mark Wilder, Battery Studios, New York City, July 2016.

In addition to more than two hours of previously unreleased studio sessions, the collection includes "Blues in F (My Ding)," a rare and unique home recording featuring Miles, demonstrating on piano a new blues he was working on to Wayne Shorter.

Miles Davis Quintet: Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol 5 includes revelatory behind-the-scenes liner notes penned by Grammy Award-winning Ashley Kahn, author of Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece, as well as new interviews with Quintet members Ron Carter and Wayne Shorter.

Sourced from original four-track analog session reels and master tapes transferred and mixed in high resolution at 24-bit/192 kHz, Miles Davis Quintet: Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol 5 offers a profound and intimate look at Miles' creative process in the studio, providing insight into the bold new musical directions Davis and members of his quintet would take as the 1960s drew to a close.

Miles Davis Quintet: Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol 5

Disc 1

1. Freedom Jazz Dance (Session Reel)

2. Freedom Jazz Dance (Master Take)

3. Circle (Session Reel)

4. Circle (Take 5)

5. Circle (Take 6)

6. Dolores (Session Reel)

7. Dolores (Master Take)

Disc 2

1. Orbits (Session Reel)

2. Orbits (Master Take)

3. Footprints (Session Reel)

4. Footprints (Master Take)

5. Gingerbread Boy (Session Reel)

6. Gingerbread Boy (Master Take)

7. Nefertiti (Session Reel)

8. Nefertiti (Master Take)

Disc 3

1. Fall (Session Reel)

2. Fall (Master Take)

3. Water Babies (Session Reel)

4. Water Babies (Master Take)

5. Masqualero (Alt. Take 3)

6. Country Son (Trio Rehearsal)

7. Blues in F (My Ding)

8. Play Us Your Eight (Miles Speaks)

Miles Davis Quintet: Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol 5 is the fifth installment in Legacy/Columbia's ongoing commitment to the musical and cultural impact of Miles Davis, finding new ways of exploring and appreciating the Miles Davis catalog.

The first four volumes of The Miles Davis Bootleg Series have received numerous honors and accolades:

Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1 (released September 2011) was the most acclaimed historic jazz box set of 2011, receiving a "5-star" review from Down Beat magazine, where it was voted Historical Album of the Year in the Down Beat 2012 Readers and Critics Poll. The album was ranked #1 reissue in the Readers Poll of JazzTimes magazine while the Jazz Journalists Association voted it Best Historical or Boxed Set. The set peaked at #3 on Billboard's Top Jazz Album Charts.

Miles Davis Quintet - Live In Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2 (released January 2013) won the Jazz Journalists Association Historical Record of the Year, voted Historical Album of the Year in the Downbeat Readers and Critics Poll, and #1 reissue in both the Critics and Readers polls of JazzTimes magazine. Like its predecessor, the album also peaked at #3 on Billboard's Top Jazz Album Charts.

MILES AT THE FILLMORE - Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3 (released March 2014) won the Jazz Journalists Association Historical Record of the Year, voted the #1 Historical Album of the Year in the 2014 Downbeat Critics Poll, #3 Historical Album of the Year in the 2014 JazzTimes Critics Poll, and included in Rolling Stone's Best Reissues of 2014 list with a 4.5/5 STAR rating. The set peaked at #1 on Billboard's Top Jazz Album Charts.

MILES DAVIS AT NEWPORT 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 (released March 2015) was voted the #1 Historical Reissue in the 2015 JazzTimes Critics Poll and won Historical/Reissue/Vault Release in the 2015 JazzTimes Readers Poll. The set was also named in Downbeat's "Best Albums of 2015" list, received 4 Stars in the Historical category and in Downbeat's Critics Poll was the winner in the Historical Album category. The set won the 2016 NAACP Image Award for the Outstanding Jazz Album category.

Miles Davis, American musical icon and international cultural archetype, would have turned 90 years old on May 26, 2016. To commemorate Miles 90th, Legacy Recordings (the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment) and Polygraph.cool (the groundbreaking online publication pioneering the art of interactive graphic forensics) launched the Universe of Miles Davis, an immersive destination website visualizing the astounding ongoing cultural impact and importance of Miles Davis. An innovative 21st century interactive platform, the Universe of Miles Davis is as revolutionary as the artist and genius it celebrates.

MilesDavis.com

Acclaimed Vocalist Somi to Kick Off Baryshnikov Arts Center Fall 2016 Season – Tuesday, September 27 at Jerome Robbins Theater

Critically acclaimed vocalist Somi is set to launch Baryshnikov Arts Center’s (BAC) 2016 Fall season with a performance on Tuesday, September 27 at BAC’s Jerome Robbins Theater in New York, NY. Joining Somi will be guitarist Nir Felder, pianist Toru Dodo, bassist Ben Williams, and drummer Nate Smith.

Somi, who is often referred to as a modern day Miriam Makeba and who was recently hailed by the Huffington Post as “the new Nina Simone,” blends jazz and world music into a new art form that is as unique as it is inspiring. She will perform a program of songs from her repertoire–both old and new–and will also be the featured performance of BAC’s annual Fall Fête on Monday, September 26.

“The fall is the perfect season to step into earthier, warmer things while reflecting on the changes in ourselves and in the world around us,” comments Somi. “I hope to do just that during my performance.”

The performance marks a return to BAC for the songstress, following the BAC Space creative residency she received in Fall 2015 to develop Dreaming Zenzile, a jazz opera inspired by the late South African singer and political activist, Miriam Makeba.

“The generosity and structure of my Baryshnikov Arts Center residency led to a highly generative and deeply focused creative period during which I was able to make significant strides in the development of my ongoing projects,” reflects Somi. “I am thankful for the good and necessary space-making work of BAC.  It speaks volumes about the legacy, generosity, and vision of Mikhail Baryshnikov and his Center.”

The residency came after Somi garnered critical acclaim for her chart-topping 2014 album The Lagos Music Salon (Sony/OKeh), which was inspired by an 18-month sabbatical in Lagos, Nigeria and featured special guests Angelique Kidjo, Common and Ambrose Akinmusire.

Born in Illinois to immigrants from Uganda and Rwanda, the African and jazz legacies are always crucial to her sound. As a TED Senior Fellow and also founder of the New Africa Live, a nonprofit dedicated to celebrating the best contemporary African Artists working in performance, visual and literary arts, Somi has for the last decade carved out a career of singing and being an activist. She has also been honored for her activism and connection to African art, being invited to perform at the United Nations by Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, invited to perform at Carnegie Hall (alongside her longtime mentor Hugh Masekela as well as Dave Matthews and Vusi Mahlesela in celebration of 20 years of South African democracy), and a headline performance at the National Museum of African Art’s (Smithsonian Institution) 50th Anniversary Gala, among others.

Performance & Ticket Info:

Somi

September 27, 2016  / Tuesday at 8PM

Baryshnikov Arts Center

Jerome Robbins Theater, 450 W. 37th St., NYC 10018

Grammy® Award-Winning Vocalist Catherine Russell to Release New Album, Harlem On My Mind

With her sixth album, Harlem On My Mind, Grammy® Award-winning vocalist Catherine Russell journeys to the blue heart of the great African American songbook. Swinging forth with soulful interpretations, Russell taps the golden age of Harlem, as befits this vibrant daughter of jazz. Vocalists Ethel Waters, Billie Holiday, Etta James, and Dinah Washington provide inspiration where tunesmiths like Benny Carter, Irving Berlin, Andy Razaf and Fats Waller once ruled the roost of a renaissance which continues to reverberate. Of the title track, Russell says, “It’s about not forgetting your roots,” which also serves as her modus operandi for the entire 12 song collection. “The album is comprised of songs from artists who played at The Apollo in Harlem, where all African American artists of note appeared.”

Russell is a native New Yorker, born into musical royalty. Her father, the late Luis Russell, was a legendary pianist/composer/bandleader and Louis Armstrong’s long-time musical director. Her mother, Carline Ray, was a pioneering vocalist/guitarist/bassist who performed with International Sweethearts of Rhythm, Mary Lou Williams, and Sy Oliver. Russell notes, “My mother was born and raised in Harlem and my father led one of the leading orchestras in Harlem, which was part of the inspiration for this album.” 

Harlem On My Mind showcases Russell’s honey rich voice in a variety of settings. “I love working with saxophonist/arranger Andy Farber,” says Russell, and here Farber contributes five arrangements for tentet, featuring six horns, including Jon-Erik Kellso and Alphonso Horne on trumpets, John Allred on trombone, and Mark Lopeman and Dan Block on reeds. Her smaller groups swing equally hard, sometimes with fewer horns and sometimes stripped down to her road tested rhythm section, including musical director/guitarist/banjoist Matt Munisteri, pianist Mark Shane, bassist Tal Ronen, and drummer Mark McLean. Don’t Take Your Love From Me features a special guest appearance by tenor saxophonist Fred Staton, of the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band, who was 100-years-old at the time of the recording session, playing beautifully. Throughout, Russell and her band shine, whether serving up dollops of aural comfort food, or go for the rafters explosion of fun.

Russell’s professional life began early. After graduating with honors from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she embarked upon musical adventures with Carrie Smith, Steely Dan, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, Michael Feinstein, Levon Helm, and Rosanne Cash, among others, appearing on over 200 albums. Her 2006 debut album Cat (World Village/Harmonia Mundi), garnered rave reviews, paving the way for her 2008 sophomore release, Sentimental Streak.  She was a guest on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, PBS-TV’s Tavis Smiley Show, and NPR’s “Fresh Air”, “Piano Jazz”, 

“Mountain Stage”, “World Café”, and “JazzSet”. Russell’s third album, Inside This Heart of Mine, reached #1 on JazzWeek and Roots Music Report’s radio charts, while also charting on Billboard and reaching #1 on iTunes jazz charts. A fourth album, Strictly Romancin’, was awarded Prix du Jazz Vocal (Vocal Album of The Year) by the French Jazz Academy, Grand Prix du Hot Club de France, and a Bistro Award for Outstanding Recording. That same year Russell won a Grammy® Award as a featured artist on the soundtrack album for the HBO-TV series, Boardwalk Empire. Her fifth solo album, Bring It Back (Jazz Village) received a five-star review in DownBeat.

2016 has been an eventful year for Catherine Russell. In January, Russell was featured in an hour-long concert performance on Public Television’s American Songbook as part of the NJPAC series. In February, Russell joined the fellow members of David Bowie’s last touring band, as well as pop-singer Lorde, for a moving Tribute to David Bowie at the 2016 Brit Awards. In April, Russell appeared at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. to sing the grand finale at the 2016 NEA Jazz Masters Award Ceremony, and then traveled to Los Angeles for a live taping of Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli. Her concerts, “Catherine Russell: Sunny Side of The Street”, at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room in April, which saluted her personal connection to Sy Oliver, were featured on NPR’s “Jazz Night In America.” To support the new album, extensive worldwide touring is slated for the 2016-17 season, including a tour in December 2016 as guest vocalist with Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis on their annual Big Band Holidays tour.

Select Upcoming Catherine Russell Appearances

Aug 20 / Pasadena Pops Summer Concert Series (Michael Feinstein conductor) / Arcadia, CA

Sept 16 / Bogota Jazz Festival at Teatro Libre / Bogota, Colombia

Sept 29 / Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola / New York, NY

Oct 1 / Annenberg Center for Arts, Zellerbach Hall (Ladies Sing The Blues) / Philadelphia, PA

Oct 4 / Yoshi’s / Oakland, CA

Oct 6-9 / Jazz Alley / Seattle, WA

Oct 11 / The Old Church / Portland, OR

Oct 13 / Harlow’s / Sacramento, CA

Oct 14 / Kuumbwa Jazz Center / Santa Cruz, CA

Oct 20 / Scullers / Boston, MA

Oct 22 / McCarter Theatre – Berlind / Princeton, NJ

Nov 1 / NJPAC Prudential Hall / Newark, NJ

Nov 16-19 / Jazz St. Louis / St. Louis, MO

  

Big Band Holidays: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Dec 1 / Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland / Kansas City, MO

Dec 2 / Holland Performing Arts Center / Omaha, NB

Dec 3 / Stiefel Theatre for The Performing Arts / Salina, KS

Dec 4 / “We Always Swing” Jazz Series at Missouri Theatre / Columbia, MO

Dec 5 / The Palladium at The Center for Performing Arts / Carmel, IN

Dec 7 / Denison University, Swasey Chapel / Granville, OH

Dec 8 / Keith Albee Theatre / Huntington, WV

Dec 9 / Schermerhorn Symphony Center / Nashville, TN

Dec 10 / Carolina Performing Arts at Memorial Hall / Chapel Hill, NC

Dec 11 /  Moss Arts Center / Blacksburg, VA

Dec 14 – 18 / Rose Theater (Jazz at Lincoln Center) / New York, NY

Catherine Russell · Harlem On My Mind

Jazz Village · Release Date: September 9, 2016

www.CatherineRussell.net

Vocalist Alexandra Jackson to Perform at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics Featuring Daniel Jobim and The Jobim Trio

The “Bossa Nova Noites: 2016 in Rio de Janeiro” concert series is set to introduce the Legacy & Alchemy project to the world during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. The series features Alexandra Jackson and Daniel Jobim in concert with an all-star band, performing music from Ms. Jackson’s upcoming 2017 album. These fine artists will be spreading wide throughout Rio de Janeiro the soul of Brazilian music–in the heart of the city that made Samba, Bossa Nova and música popular brasileira, a global phenomena. 

With exclusive performances ranging in location from National Olympic Houses (Germany, France, Japan and United States) located in iconic areas such as the beaches of Ipanema and Leblon, to the Lagoa, Jardim Botânico and Barra da Tijuca communities, to exclusive rooftop lounges, the Bossa Nova Noites concerts will bring the best of Brazilian music and soul to an international audience at a time when the world’s attention is focused on Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Alexandra Jackson is an American singer, songwriter and musician from Atlanta.  She learned piano as a child, when she began classical training.  Her household was filled with a range of music, including Miles Davis, Earth, Wind & Fire, Johnny Hartman, Luciana Pavarotti, Michael Jackson, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. In her early years, Alexandra was a soloist at Lincoln Center as part of the Essentially Ellington competition.  That led her to pursue Jazz in college–attending the prestigious Studio Music and Jazz Vocal program at the University of Miami. Now, in 2016, Alexandra is working on her debut album, Legacy & Alchemy, that channels her four primary musical loves and experiences: Brazilian Music, American Jazz & Soul, NeoSoul, and London Soul Jazz, into a music alchemy intended for contemporary audiences worldwide. 

Boss Nova Noites 2016 in Rio de Janeiro Schedule:

August 19 / Caesar Park Hotel VIP Party (Ipanema) / Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Vocalist Allan Harris Set to Release Follow Up to 2015 Album with Nobody’s Gonna Love You Better (Black Bar Jukebox Redux)

The outstanding and internationally renowned vocalist, guitarist and composer Allan Harris sums up his personal perspective on music in clear and straightforward terms. “There is nothing that I have found that defines and gives credence to my place in this wild and mysterious universe than this thing called music.” Harris exemplifies that statement perfectly with his stunning new album Nobody’s Gonna Love You Better (Black Bar Jukebox Redux), his eleventh album following on the heels of his highly acclaimed 2015 release Black Bar Jukebox.

For this, Harris takes an even more eclectic approach, drawing upon the wide range of music that he heard growing up in Brooklyn, and feasting on the expansive palette of the Harlem cultural landscape. “My new album captures some of the varied sounds and feelings that have shaped my growth as an artist. I had not one style to heavily rely upon when putting these tunes together, but only my young memories of music, people and events.”

Nobody’s Gonna Love You Better is a bold statement that builds upon the entire breadth of Harris’ already esteemed reputation, demonstrating his enormous versatility within the full scope of his highly creative musical vision. Swinging jazz, rich R&B, sumptuous balladry, wailing rock, rumbling blues and even a touch of playful Brazilian are all woven seamlessly into the tapestry of a musical odyssey that is all Allan Harris. With a deeply resonant baritone/tenor voice that is soulful, richly expressive and flawless in both intonation and phrasing, Harris displays a total command and fluency in every context.

Back from the previous album are the GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Brian Bacchus and Harris’ longtime keyboard cohort Pascal Le Boeuf (on acoustic and electric pianos, and Hammond B3 organ), whose deep understanding and empathy for Harris’ music creates a marvelous sense of intimacy and shared joy of expression. Pascal is also the primary instrumental soloist and delivers in an inspired fashion throughout. Joining Pascal in the exceptional rhythm section are Russell Hall on acoustic and electric bass, Shirazette Tinnin on drums and cajón, and Freddie Bryant on both electric and classical guitar. Together, with Harris also on acoustic, electric and resonator guitar, they provide impeccably flawless support, whether driving, embellishing, shaping or enhancing the settings as ideally suited to the intent of the music.

The delightful repertoire includes four Harris originals, a couple of American Songbook gems, a pair of jazz classics, and re-imaginations of hit songs from Jimi Hendrix, Steely Dan and Spiral Staircase. As he does with every lyric, Harris pays proper homage to those who have provided the inspiration for his own highly personal sound, specifically here to Ray Charles, Nat ‘King’ Cole and Eddie Jefferson on three individual items.

On “I Remember You,” Harris channels Nat (a subject of an earlier Harris tribute project) in a beautifully touching rendition with brilliant piano support throughout, as well as a solo that glides in the territory where Red Garland and Erroll Garner meet. “Ruby”–from the Ruby Gentry film score, and a major hit for Ray Charles–is satin-smooth balladry over an old-school swing-jazz groove, complete with Bryant’s Freddie Green-like guitar strumming. For the iconic “Moody’s Mood For Love,” Harris takes the concept of making an often-performed song one’s own to an entirely new level, offering a totally fresh interpretation–in rhythm, phrasing and lyrical structure–to the Eddie Jefferson classic. The Stan Getz/João Gilberto hit “Doralice” is a deliciously infectious samba, sung by Harris in Portuguese, and featuring a fine acoustic solo by Bryant.

The three popular song re-imaginations include a somewhat up-tempo blues shuffle take on Hendrix’ “Up From The Skies,” with Harris in a neatly syncopated groove over LeBoeuf’s funky B3. Pascal’s Hammond organ sets a bright tone for a bouncy swing version of Spiral Staircase’s mega-hit “More Today Than Yesterday” and Steely Dan’s “Any Major Dude Will Tell You” gets a transformation (and relocation) from Americana to Harlem, shifting smoothly between brisk syncopation and atmospheric rubato.

The four Harris originals aptly demonstrate that he is as skilled a composer as a vocalist–and his lyrics are moving, heartfelt and poetic. The album opener “Mother’s Love (Nobody’s Gonna Love You)” begins on a poignant, emotive and dramatic note before morphing into a vibrantly swinging excursion. Its bookend closer “Secret Moments” is a lovely, gentle and lushly evocative ballad, while “Swing” is a powerfully syncopated and punchy romp. Provocative, confrontational and rousing best describes “Blue Was Angry (from the Cross That River song-cycle). Hard-edged, fiery and with a message of barely-controlled ferocity, it flies over a rip-roaring rhythm section and Harris’ raw electric guitar. It may be unexpected by Harris’ large fan base, but it’s deeply emotional and on point.

Over the past 20 years, Harris has steadily developed his reputation as one of the finest vocalists of his era. Brooklyn-born and Harlem-based, he has forged his sterling credentials through his ten previous albums, covering a broad range of contexts, all netted together within the rich territory of the jazz tradition. In addition to his recordings, he has performed on a worldwide stage that has taken him to prestigious international festivals and halls in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, as well as the 2012 Olympics in London. At home, he has toured nationally at festivals and top venues, including New York’s Lincoln Center and D.C.’s Kennedy Center. He has received numerous awards, including the New York Nightlife Award for “Outstanding Jazz Vocalist” (which he won three times), the Backstage Bistro Award for “Ongoing Achievement in Jazz,” the Harlem Speaks “Jazz Museum of Harlem Award,” and the DownBeat Critic’s Poll Award for “Rising Star Vocalist.” Nobody’s Gonna Love You Better (Black Bar Jukebox Redux) will continue to build his legacy as another milestone in the extraordinary artistic aesthetic of Allan Harris.

Upcoming Allan Harris Performances:

August 28 | Charlie Parker Jazz Festival | New York, NY

September 3 | Fox Chase Jazz Festival | Menasha, WI

September 23 & 24 | Columbia Club | Indianapolis, IN

September 28 & 29 | Smoke Jazz & Supper Club | New York, NY

October 8 | McAnnich Arts Center | Glen Ellyn, IL

October 14 & 15 | South | Philadelphia, PA

October 18 | Jazz at Lincoln Center, Rose Hall | New York, NY

October 25 – November 20 | Australia/Europe Tour | Various Cities

December 21 & 22 | Dazzle Jazz Club | Denver, CO

December 28 – January 2 | Umbria Jazz Festival | Orvieto, Italy

Allan Harris · Nobody’s Gonna Love You Better (Black Bar Jukebox Redux)

Love Productions Records/Membran Entertainment · Release Date: September 16, 2016

www.AllanHarris.com

John Beasley presents MONK’estra, Volume 1 Set for Album Release Performances with Very Special Vocal Guest Opening Night Followed by Violinist Regina Carter Thursday, August 18 – Sunday, August 21 at Jazz Standard

John Beasley is set to perform in New York at the Jazz Standard on Thursday, August 18 through Sunday, August 21 with sets at 7:30pm and 9:30pm in celebration of his upcoming release, presents MONK’estra, Volume 1. Beasley will be joined by a very special vocal guest on the opening night, followed by critically acclaimed violinist Regina Carter on Friday, August 19 and Saturday, August 20.

Beasley has shared stages with some of the most important names in jazz during his three-decade career. From his days as a member of Freddie Hubbard’s quintet and one of Miles Davis’ last touring bands to his role as Music Director for Jazz Day galas for the Thelonious Monk Institute, Beasley has had a first-hand involvement with the genre’s never-ending evolution.

Thelonious Monk is a Mount Rushmore figure in the creation of modern jazz. As the centennial of his birth rapidly approaches, Beasley–pianist, conductor and arranger–has grappled with the complex composer’s legacy with his versatile big band riffing on the wit and unmistakable architecture of the Monk songbook with irrepressible energy and swinging abandon on presents MONK’estra, Volume 1, available August 19 on Mack Avenue Records.

The album and band have its roots in a commission from Los Angeles’s Luckman Jazz Orchestra. When the gig was over, Beasley felt inspired to search deeper and continued to write more arrangements long after the performance, eventually assembling some of the finest musicians in Los Angeles to bring the charts to life in a musician’s union rehearsal room.

Amassing enough arrangements and developing a signature feel, he took the band public at Los Angeles’s jazz incubator, the Blue Whale, to sold-out crowds. With a fifteen-piece ensemble, which includes first-call horns like Bob Sheppard, Bijon Watson, Rashawn Ross, Dontae Winslow, Beasley conducted the band with an improviser’s eye-free flowing and open to solos that add to the narrative. Since that casual debut in 2013, the band has become a fixture on the scene, performing at Disney Hall, Jazz Standard, Ford Amphitheatre, SFJAZZ twice and most recently at the Playboy Jazz Festival held at the world famous Hollywood Bowl.

John Beasley Big Band Personnel:

John Beasley / conductor & arranger

James Genus / bass

Terreon Gully / drums

Woodwinds:

Bob Sheppard

Oliver Santana

Bob Malach

Adam Kolker

Dave Rickenberg

Trumpet:

Bijon Watson

Shawn Edmonds

Scott Wendholt

Brian Lynch

Trombone:

Conrad Herwig

Frank Lacy

Ryan Dragon

Thursday August 18 – Sunday, August 21

Performances at

7:30pm & 9:30pm

Jazz Standard

116 E 27th St.

New York, NY 10016

Phone: 212-576-2232

Web: jazzstandard.com

Pianist Orrin Evans Lets Go and Trusts Instincts with Electrifying Band for #knowingishalfthebattle

Pianist/composer Orrin Evans has parroted that line for decades, but says he’s only recently come to realize what it truly means. On Knowing Is Half The Battle, his third release for Smoke Sessions Records, Evans shares his own lessons in life and music on a raw, electrifying session that teams him with a pair of renowned guitarists who are also, not coincidentally, native sons of Evans’ own hometown of Philadelphia: Kevin Eubanks and Kurt Rosenwinkel. He’s also joined by the latest in a long line of inspired rhythm sections, bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Mark Whitfield, Jr., along with up-and-coming saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis and a longtime collaborator, vocalist M’Balia.

#knowingishalfthebattle shows Evans coming to terms with what he’s learned over his years on and off the bandstand — and more importantly, how to make use of that knowledge. In large part, the answer he’s come to involves letting go, forgetting what’s been learned and trusting the instincts that come along with it. By inviting such virtuosic musicians into his world, he’s asking them to do the same and making new discoveries through a collective act of forgetting.

“We’re taught that with knowledge comes power,” Evans says. “Which is true, but we never really realize that with knowledge comes responsibility. Then we have to figure out how to forget. When you let go of everything that you’ve been taught, the possibilities of what can happen on the bandstand are endless.”

That kind of edge-walking spontaneity is familiar to anyone who’s ever seen Evans perform live, but it truly shines through on this recording, which is invigorated by its thrilling sense of looseness and in-the-moment invention. The “anything could happen” vibe draws visceral performances from the full ensemble, but especially from the two six-string wizards that join in for the session. Rosenwinkel is one of the most revered and influential guitarists of his generation; Eubanks gained fame for his 15-year stint as the bandleader for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, but is also well respected for his work with jazz greats from Art Blakey to Dave Holland to Steve Coleman.

The fact that the two are such different but equally distinctive instrumentalists is an illustration of the title concept, Evans says. “They’re two guitarists, but they’re two people who have taken the guitar information and translated it in their own way. One uses a pick, one doesn’t; one uses a volume pedal more than the other, one plays with more effects on their sound, one is coming from Wes Montgomery and the other is coming from a different point; but they’re both taking the information they were given and doing something different with it.”

Especially exhilarating is the Caleb Wheeler Curtis composition “Heavy Hangs the Head That Wears the Crown,” which features the two guitar-slingers working together to conjure a moody, atmospheric and mesmerizing soundscape. But they’re equally enthralling on their own, from Rosenwinkel’s soaring quicksilver runs on “Chiara,” a piece by Chicago pianist Curtis Clark that was introduced to Evans by saxophonist and sometime Tarbaby collaborator Oliver Lake; to Eubanks’ warped, twisting eruptions on Carla Bley’s “Calls.”

The latter evokes Evans’ upbringing in the Church of God in Christ, which began every service with a call to worship. Though not intended that way by the composer, Evans uses the piece for a similar purpose, his spirited singing of the melody gradually gathering the musicians to express themselves.

The church is one place where Evans garnered the knowledge that he brings to bear in his music today. The album also pays homage to some of the most influential people in his life, starting with his father, playwright Donald Evans; one characteristically direct and pointed piece of advice from the elder Evans gave “You Don’t Need a License To Drive” its title. Eubanks’ blistering solo is followed by the pianist’s own trenchant turn and a concise but eloquent statement by Curtis, before Evans and Eubanks reenter with a disruptive outburst.

“Doc’s Holiday” is named for another father figure, an older friend of Evans’ known informally as the “Mayor of Mt. Airy,” the pianist’s Philly neighborhood. “I grew up with a protégé of my father’s who became like an older brother to me,” Evans explains. “He passed away in 2007 and I met Doc in 2006, so it was like the divine spirit took away one brother and gave me another.” The two voices in its melody reflect its subject’s adaptability, a notion that Evans aspires to and encourages in his own sons. “You should be able to go to any part of Philadelphia or the world and feel at home, whether you go to a function sponsored by the mayor or hang with the biggest thug in West Philly. It’s about being an all-around guy.”

Evans draws material from a wide variety of sources: “When Jen Came In,” which he originally recorded on his 1995 debut Déjà Vu, was penned by a college classmate, while the bluesy “Slife” was written by bassist and videographer Jason Fifield, who tirelessly documents the Philly jazz scene. “Kooks” is a David Bowie classic, first performed by Evans’ Captain Black Big Band on the night that the legendary rock icon passed away, while “That’s All” is a Songbook standard; both feature the unique vocal stylings of M’Balia, whose work with Evans dates back to his neo-soul group Luv Park.

“Zeni Bea” is named for the two month-old daughter of Luques Curtis, who makes her recording debut on the track, crying as the assembled artists chant her name. Parenthood is another theme of the album (and another source of/drain on knowledge). It’s book-ended by a pair of tracks produced by Evans’ youngest son, Matthew, who chops and manipulates a solo piano improvisation to create an electronic portrait of his father and their relationship that places the concept of passing down knowledge in a surprising context.

So now you know — and… well, you know the rest.

“#knowingishalfthebattle” was recorded live in New York at Sear Sound’s Studio C on a Sear-Avalon custom console at 96KHz/24bit and mixed to ½” analog tape using a Studer mastering deck. Available in audiophile HD format.

Orrin Evans #knowingishalfthebattle Release Performances

November 17 – 20 | Jazz Standard w/ special guest Kurt Rosenwinkel | New York, NY

December 28 – 30 | Chris’ Jazz Cafe w/ special guest Kevin Eubanks | Philadelphia, PA

Additional Orrin Evans Performances

Every Monday | Philly Meets New York @ Smoke Jazz & Supper Club | New York, NY

August 4 – 7 | Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (w/ Ben Wolfe) | New York, NY

August 6 | Litchfield Jazz Festival (w/ Darryl Johns & Steve Johns) | Litchfield, CT

August 12 | Deerhead Inn (w/ Brian Lynch) | Delaware Water Gap, PA

August 27 | Chris’ Jazz Cafe (w/ Joanna Pascale) | Philadelphia, PA

August 31 | SOUTH (w/ Reggie Watkins) | Philadelphia, PA

September 2 | Chicago Jazz Festival (w/ TARBABY) | Chicago, IL

September 29 – October 2nd | Jazz Standard (w/ Steve Wilson) | New York, NY

October 15 & 16 | Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (w/ Matt Wilson Group) | New York, NY

October 22 | Bucks County Performing Arts Center (w/ Captain Black Big Band) | Yardley, PA

Orrin Evans · #knowingishalfthebattle

Smoke Sessions Records · Release Date: October 7, 2016

Vocalist and Pianist Amina Claudine Myers Reflects on Spirituals That Shaped Her Musical Experience on Sama Rou – Songs From My Soul

Amina Claudine Myers, a highly regarded pianist, organist, vocalist, composer, master improviser, actress and educator, has performed worldwide and is well known for her work involving solo voice, vocal choirs, and instrumental ensembles.

Myers’ 2016 album, Sama Rou – Songs From My Soul, includes a collection of original compositions and reflections on Negro Spirituals that hold deep meaning to her musical experience. “Sama Rou,” a title that takes its origins from Wolof (a Senegalese language), is described by Myers as “songs from my soul.” The release presents a musical offering that reaches deep into the core of Myers’ spirit, enriching the listener with the beautiful rich colors of her voice, while achieving a seamless textural blend with the piano.

Myers has recorded and/or performed with everyone from Archie Shepp, Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, James Blood Ulmer, Lester Bowie, and Bob Stewart to Joey Baron, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Muhal Richard Abrams, Bill Laswell,  Anthony Braxton, Henry Threadgill, Jim Pepper and Frank Lowe. 

Myers has received many grants and awards, most notably from the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet The Composer, and The New York Foundation for the Arts. In 2001 she was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame and in 2010 was inducted into the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame. She was also commissioned by the Chicago Jazz Institute to compose and direct a composition for a 17-piece jazz orchestra in honor of the late great composer, arranger and pianist Miss Mary Lou Williams’ 100th birthday.

Myers, a prominent member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM)-New York Chapter, continues to impart her deeply creative music with Sama Rou – Songs From My Soul as she advances forward in her long established career in the world of improvisation and composition.

Upcoming Tour Dates

September 16 / Guelph Jazz Festival / Ontario, Canada

October 7 / Community Church of New York / New York, NY

AminaClaudineMyers.com

Composer/Multi-Instrumentalist Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol and Whatsnext? Connect American Jazz with Turkish Modes, Microtones and Rhythms on Resolution

Resolution marks a major step forward for Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol, the musical polyglot, multi-instrumentalist, restless bandleader and prolific composer who writes in both contemporary classical and jazz but draws heavily from Turkish influences. His band Whatsnext? — a shapeshifting jazz orchestra that can be pared down to a combo, depending on his needs — is a force to be reckoned with, able to conform to the demands of Sanlıkol’s complex but accessible compositions and shift genres on a moment’s notice.

Sanlıkol was able to recruit a roster of A-list guests to solo on the compositions of Resolution, including clarinetist Anat Cohen, soprano saxophonist Dave Liebman, trumpeter Tiger Okoshi and drummer Antonio Sanchez. Moreover, he composed their showcases with them in mind after he secured their commitments, rather than try to fit them into the music he had already completed. “I designed (the compositions) to make sure that it was these four specific artists that these pieces were written for,” he says. “This was not a project where I brought them in to blow. Absolutely not.”

The new album picks up where Sanlıkol’s What’s Next? — which Jazziz proclaimed one of the 10 best albums of 2014 — left off. The orchestra spent most of that record exploring pieces Sanlıkol had composed between 1996 and 2000; only the last composition was new, written in 2011. In the intervening years, Sanlıkol — who was born in Turkey in 1974 — immersed himself in Turkish music and began to grasp the connections between American jazz and the music of his native country. He wrote the music that populate Resolution in the summer of 2015, and more than ever before — perhaps more than anyone has done before — they point to the places where the two cultures meet.

The music of Resolution is a direct outgrowth out of Sanlıkol’s desire to learn more about the music and culture of his birthplace. During what he calls his “Turkish decade,” he studied it intently — reading about it, listening to it and, eventually, composing within its framework of Middle Eastern modes, microtones and rhythms. “When I realized that I didn’t know much about my roots, that was a big shock, and I think it triggered something in me that deep,” he says.

Sanlıkol adds other cultural touchstones to the mix. Though “The Turkish 2nd Line,” the song that kicks off Resolution, is obviously steeped in the New Orleans brass band tradition, the album is filled with references to other idioms — funk, R&B, rock, ’70s fusion, reggae and Ellington-style big band, to name a few. The first movement of the album’s centerpiece, “Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Jazz Orchestra in C,” was inspired by the soundtracks of 1970s crime movies like Dirty Harry and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.

While Sanlıkol conducts the Whatsnext? ensemble, he also performs on some of the tracks. An accomplished pianist, he plays piano, harpsichord, clavinet, Moog Prodigy and other keyboards as well as Middle Eastern string and wind instruments, percussion and, the continuum fingerboard, a keyless synthesizer that allows the musician to play microtones that aren’t possible on a piano keyboard. “I overdubbed pretty much everything,” Sanlıkol says of his own playing. “If one listens carefully to the album, with all of the harpsichord, clavinet, Moog and Turkish instrumentation — they’ll notice that there is a lot of production techniques in this album.” And, to boot, he sings, a duet with vocalist Nedelka Prescod on the absolutely gorgeous “Whirl Around.”

“This album is a far more focused statement musically,” Sanlıkol says. “It is all new material, and it really represents where I am here and now. The first one (What’s Next?) was showing where I was and was hinting at where I was headed. The first album basically set up this. I think this is a really major statement from me musically.”

Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol was born in Istanbul in 1974, learned piano from his mother and began performing publicly at age 5. He came to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music on a scholarship. He has been leading bands in Boston since the 1990s, and earned master’s and doctorate degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music. He cofounded and serves as the president of DÜNYA, a Boston-based collective of musicians and an independent record label which presents contemporary music influenced by Turkish traditions. He has composed dozens of pieces for a variety of jazz and classical groups, and was nominated for a Grammy in 2014. Sanlıkol teaches at Emerson College and is a fellow at Harvard’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies.