Jazz-R&B keyboardist David Garfield seizes the opportunity to create “Outside the Box”

Four decades into an accomplished career that has seen him record and tour with many of the brightest stars in the contemporary jazz, R&B and pop galaxies as well as front his own bands and solo albums, keyboardist, songwriter, producer and arranger David Garfield still feels like an outsider.

“All my life, I’m just trying to make music that I really believe in and can get really excited about. It’s never fit into one particular category thus, in many ways, I’ve spent my whole music career outside the box. It’s never been intentional and it’s not like I’m trying to be different just to be different. I’m just trying to be creative while striving for the highest level of musical and artistic integrity. In the long run, my career has taken place outside the box,” said Garfield, about “Outside the Box,” the extensive collection of recordings that he’s curating featuring a stellar cast of A-listers and premier session players that will be released on his Creatchy Records label.

The multi-part, genre-crossing project spanning various types of jazz, R&B, pop, country and rock will unfold in a series of record releases beginning with the March 23 release of “Jazz Outside the Box,” a straight-ahead jazz set with performances by Randy Brecker, Michael McDonald, The Doors’ drummer John Densmore, Tom Scott, Jason Scheff (Chicago), Will Lee, Eric Marienthal, Steve Ferrone, Vinnie Colaiuta, John Clayton, Michael Thompson, Brian Auger and Charlie Bisharat along with the accompaniment of full horn and string sections.

The second outing, “Jamming Outside the Box,” slated to drop this summer, has already spawned a Billboard No. 2 single with “Go Home,” showcasing a sizzling lineup on the Stevie Wonder original comprised of Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum, guitar aces Paul Jackson Jr. and Tony Maiden (Rufus), bassist Freddie Washington, fellow keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, and horn players Marienthal and Stephen “Doc” Kupka (Tower of Power).  This disc will be comprised of smooth/contemporary jazz cuts, including the second single presently climbing the charts, “Jamming,” a remake of the Bob Marley classic showcasing guitarist Mike Campbell (a member of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers) and saxophonist Brandon Fields (The Rippingtons, Tower of Power). Icons David Sanborn and George Benson are among the luminous guests on the album, the latter for whom Garfield has served as music director since 1986. Other prominent players in the mix are Rick Braun, Nathan East, Marcus Miller, Ray Parker Jr. and Rickey Minor.    

Presently rising up the Mediabase country charts is a preview of “Vox Outside the Box,” a set of vocal songs that will be the third release of the series. “I Lied” is one of two songs Garfield wrote for the project with legend Smokey Robinson and radio programmers have been swift to embrace the cinematically sweet ballad with adult contemporary crossover potential (http://bit.ly/2BolVeF).

The fourth component will be “Stretchin’ Outside the Box,” which Garfield describes as “more adventurous with extended intros and special arrangements, a record perhaps geared towards musicians and music enthusiasts. It’ll have more fusion plus bonus tracks and alternate versions.” Garfield is also planning a seasonal selection entitled “Holidays Outside the Box.”  

“Outside the Box” includes some of the final performances from the late guitarists Chuck Loeb and Larry Coryell. Their passings are part of what sparks Garfield’s inspiration for this enormous undertaking.

“The truth is we’re all getting older, and I wanted to gather all these great talents together while everyone is still alive, active and accessible,” said the St. Louis native and longtime Los Angeles resident. “I think that this will be the last time I’ll have the chance to do anything like this, especially of this scope and magnitude. The feeling I had throughout the project - from session to session, even as the personnel changed - was that we were collectively creating a powerful sense of community through the music.”           

Despite all that he has done and achieved, including composing music for television, film, commercials and several international organizations, “Outside the Box” feels like it will be a career capper for Garfield, a crowning musical statement that he hopes will have a lasting impact. “I’m thinking about both the present and future, putting these tracks out in the world for consumption now, but in the hopes that after we’re gone, musicians who come up years from now will know what it was like to set up a Fender Rhodes and a drum set in the garage and play. Despite all the technology we have at our disposal, that’s where the raw energy begins. That energy is the core and driving force behind these songs, which to me truly represent not just the incredible musical legacy of Los Angeles, but various music communities from around the world.”

Saxophonist Owen Broder's American Roots Project Offers a Stunning New Vision of American Folk, Bluegrass, Spirituals and Blues on HERITAGE

Our roots run deep, and keep us connected to and nourished by the soil of our birth. But they also twist, tangle and intertwine while feeding our growth and evolution. With his American Roots Project, saxophonist/composer Owen Broder explores the weft and weave of American roots music - from Appalachian folk to early blues, spirituals to bluegrass - through bold and inspired new interpretations envisioned through the perspective of another distinctively American musical tradition: jazz. On the American Roots Project's debut album, Heritage, Broder combines several of modern jazz's most acclaimed composers and arrangers with an outstanding ensemble of gifted musicians to create a striking blend of tradition and innovation.

Heritage (due out March 1, 2018 through ArtistShare) calls on the talents of an impressive roster of composer/arrangers. They offer striking new twists on familiar American folk tunes as well as their own new pieces, each inspired by its creator's deeply personal take on the country's rich musical tradition. In addition to Broder, whose two originals open and close the album, there are contributions from Ryan Truesdell, founder of the celebrated Gil Evans Project, who also produced the album; Grammy-winning pianist/arranger Jim McNeely, known for his long tenure with the renowned Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; composer/arranger Bill Holman, long associated with the legendary Stan Kenton Orchestra; in-demand trumpeter/composer Alphonso Horne; and Tokyo-born bandleader/pianist Miho Hazama, whose m_unit ensemble melds big band jazz and classical chamber music.

Broder's American Roots Project interprets these remarkable pieces through the voices of an exceptional eight-piece ensemble: Broder on woodwinds; Sara Caswell, a violinist who regularly bridges the worlds of jazz and Americana; trumpeter Scott Wendholt; trombonist Nick Finzer; vibraphonist and percussionist James Shipp; pianist Frank Kimbrough; bassist Jay Anderson; and drummer Matt Wilson. On three tracks the band is joined by the transcendent vocal trio of Wendy Gilles, Kate McGarry and Vuyo Sotashe.

"It's an amazing group of people who all have great relationships with each other," Broder says. "All of these composers really brought the musicians' personalities into their writing. I think we all prefer to write for the people that are going to be playing rather than just the instruments."

That's certainly true of the bandleader himself, whose "Goin' Up Home" begins the proceedings with an entrancing, gradually expanding piece that works as an introduction to the ensemble and the concept. Sparked by the work of contemporary Americana innovators like Chris Thile, Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss, the song dawns slowly, with Caswell and Finzer intoning the folksy melody over Shipp's tick-tock pulse. As it proceeds, the song builds in complexity, layering in jazz harmonies and infectious swing rhythms. Broder just earned a 2018 Herb Albert Young Jazz Composer Award for the piece.

Hazama's first contribution, the original "Wherever the Road Leads," is a singular meld of perspectives, coming from the sole composer who doesn't share the others' American background. Taking on the role of the inspired outsider, Hazama borrows rhythmic and melodic themes from Appalachian tunes and reimagines them via a twelve-tone harmonic progression, leading to a kaleidoscopic collage of folk idioms. For her second piece, Hazama gives Gillian Welch's "I'm Not Afraid To Die" an impressionistic gloss pierced by the gorgeous melody sung by Wendholt's flugelhorn.

Hank Williams' familiar "Jambalaya," is transposed from the Crescent City to a more urban jazz environment in Bill Holman's rendition - as Broder writes, "this swinging re-imagination of the Cajun

tune has closer ties to Birth of the Cool than the streets of New Orleans." McNeely, meanwhile, drew upon his love of bluegrass music for his radical remake of the folk song "Cripple Creek," taking a narrative approach that leads the tune on an adventure through an ever-changing landscape.

Frank Kimbrough's brooding piano sets the tone for Truesdell's take on the timeless "Wayfaring Stranger," which also introduces the sublime vocal harmonies of Gilles, McGarry and Sotashe. The cleverly-titled "Brodeo" is Truesdell's version of a foot-stompin' bluegrass tune, setting the scene for a somewhat abstract rodeo. Broder, who has worked with the composer's Gil Evans Project, praises Truesdell as a bandleader, composer, and as Heritage's producer. "Ryan's a leader on a level that few others are," he says. "He's such a perfectionist and so detail-oriented, with incredibly fine-tuned ears. As a producer he was invaluable."

Horne's soaring "The People Could Fly" looks at a different side of the American odyssey, taking a piece of Bantu folk music from South Africa through the travails of slavery as it survives to find a place in the African-American church. Broder returns to conclude the album with "A Wiser Man Than Me," a looser piece that reflects the improvisational storytelling tradition through a wistful group improvisation on a simple, gospel-tinged melody.

The American Roots Project scans the history of American music and, through the inspiration that Broder finds there, discovers a new path into a profoundly personal contemporary vision. Heritage is an apt name for this moving collection, at once an inheritance and a gorgeous new link in a continually growing chain.

"The strains of American musical tradition are as deep and diverse as the lands of our forebears," Broder writes in his liner notes. "Heritage celebrates that diversity and the different backgrounds that combined to shape an American cultural identity."

Based in New York City, saxophonist/composer Owen Broder runs in a variety of musical circles as both bandleader and sideman. Broder's jazz quintet, Cowboys & Frenchmen, received critical acclaim for its 2015 release, Rodeo, and its 2017 follow-up Bluer Than You Think. Broder is a member of the Anat Cohen Tentet and has performed with internationally respected jazz artists including Ryan Truesdell's Gil Evans Project and Trio Globo; he has traveled with The Temptations and The Four Tops, and opened for Grammy Award-winner John Legend with his own soul band, Bitchin' Kitchen; in musical theater, he was a member of the pit orchestras for the German tour of Grease and the off-Broadway production For the Last Time, appeared with the band in David Bowie's Lazarus, and originated the woodwind chair in the U.S. Premier tour of The Bodyguard: The Musical. Broder holds a bachelor's degree from the Eastman School of Music and a master's from the Manhattan School of Music and recently earned a 2018 Herb Albert Young Jazz Composer Award.

owenbroder.com

The Quest is the long-awaited third album from Guitarist Andreas Varady, a protégé of the legendary Quincy Jones

Resonance Records is proud to announce the release of The Quest, the third recording from twenty-year old guitar virtuoso, Andreas Varady. 

With the release of Questions (2010) and his eponymous CD in 2014, the native of Slovakia, and resident of Ireland, emerged from thin air and put the guitar playing world on notice that there was a new force on the instrument to be reckoned with. On The Quest, Varady's artistry has reached new heights, and it's staggering to behold. His unadulterated command of the guitar, his highly-developed skills as a composer, his rhythmic facility (which speaks volumes about his roots in Gypsy music), and his ability to craft an astonishing flow of single-note lines while traversing chord changes, all by ear, has attracted the attention of many legends of this music, not the least of which is Varady's mentor, manager, producer and friend, the esteemed Quincy Jones. The Quest, available on April 6, 2018, features Varady in the company of his father Bandi on bass, younger brother Adrian on drums, fellow Slovak Radovan Tariska on alto saxophone, and Venezuelan native (and current New York City resident) Benito Gonzalez on piano. 

At just twenty, Varady has already performed at major festivals and venues around the world. The next exciting new chapter in the journey of this uber-talented musician begins with the release of The Quest. Varady has expressed that this album, comprised of all original music, feels very much like his first fully realized artistic statement, and indeed it showcases Varady's evolution from child prodigy to consummate artist, one with an abundance of fresh, bold energy. "I feel like I'm giving you a piece of me on this album," said Varady. The album title, which also reads like a mission statement is, "about this whole quest that I'm on in music - seeking cool things, playing cool music in cool places, enjoying it all and having fun and doing what you wanna do," said Varady. The album is also his debut release on the boutique non-profit jazz label, Resonance Records, which signals a departure from his self-titled major label debut on Verve in 2014. Two other Quincy Jones protégés, Justin Kauflin and Alfredo Rodriguez, will also be releasing new albums in 2018.

Resonance EVP/GM (and executive producer on The Quest) Zev Feldman said about first hearing Varady, "Upon first listen, I was struck by his talent and artistry. Then getting a chance to meet him in Ireland, and spending some time talking with him, he just fits the mold of what Resonance is all about in terms of promoting younger artists and sharing their music. We're very happy to have him on the label. It's also a great honor to work with Quincy Jones and his team, and partnering with them to get Andreas' music out there is something we're very proud of. Resonance believes strongly in living artists also, not just those from a bygone era, and it's going to be very exciting to continue to watch him develop and we're thrilled to be able to add a chapter to his legacy on our label."

Varady has many influences. As expected, guitarists such as George Benson, Django Reinhardt, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Peter Bernstein have greatly impacted his playing, but Varady explains, "I've always been obsessed with saxophone players. I get as much influence listening to John Coltrane as I get from guitar players. But at the end of the day, I could list every musician that I've ever listened to as an influence. I act like a sponge that way. Whatever I listen to I always pick up some things, no matter if it's Radiohead or A Tribe Called Quest or Trane. It can be from hip-hop to rock and jazz...everything kind of all inspires me and influences me."

A child prodigy of Hungarian Roma descent, Varady picked up guitar at age four and quickly revealed his uncommon gift, learning Kenny Dorham's "Blue Bossa" by ear. At age nine, he moved with his family to Ireland and by age 11, having already absorbed the influences of George Benson and Django Reinhardt, he began busking with his father on the streets of Limerick and Cork. Gigs around Ireland soon followed, mainly with drummer-producer David Lyttle, who produced Varady's first album, 2010's Questions. In 2011, at age 13, Andreas appeared with guitar master Martin Taylor at the Inishowen International Guitar Festival in Culdaff and later that year became the youngest headlining artist at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. Invited to play at the 2012 Montreux Jazz Festival by founder Claude Nobs, he performed for and met Quincy Jones, who signed him to his management company. He was signed to Verve Records in 2013 and his stateside debut, executive produced by David Foster and Quincy Jones and produced by Toto's David Paich, featured guest appearances from singer Gregory Porter and trumpeter Roy Hargrove.

The opener on The Quest, "Lost Memories," serves as a kind of mini-overture as Varady unleashes a fusillade of notes over the engaging theme. Up next is the dynamic "Radio Joint" establishing the flexible group chemistry while also showcasing urgent solos from Varady and Tariska over a driving 12/8 groove. Gonzalez pushes the envelope in his harmonically probing solo here, which is fueled by Adrian's intense, whirlwind attack around the kit. "He's in a huge growing place right now," says Varady of his younger brother. "He has this kind of ballsy playing style that I felt was the right thing for the tunes on this album." The 15-year-old further showcases his considerable drumming skills on the modal "Follow Me," which culminates in a kinetic call-and-response between the brothers. (By the way, that's Andreas playing double bass on the hip-hop flavored tag).

Varady combines speed and finesse combine on the driving 6/8 composition,"The Time Is Now" and utilizes some Frisellian backwards guitar effects on the evocative interlude "Patience." The adventurous title track is a centerpiece for this compelling album. Opening with a rubato free section that has Gonzalez playing inside the piano while his band mates add provocative colors and textures, it resolves to a buoyant theme with Andreas and Radovan tied together in tight unisons while navigating a tricky time-shifting terrain. "He's a great player," says Varady of the Slovakian saxophonist, "and I like his strong, darker sound."

The guitarist shows his urbane side on "Story" and the uplifting, melodic number "Her Dream." Then he swings unabashedly on the up-tempo "Radiska," a burner that also turns Tariska loose and has Gonzalez channeling his inner McCoy Tyner. "His soloing is swinging and very interactive," says Varady of the gifted pianist, who turns in a monstrous solo here. "That's the thing with all of us...we're very interactive on the album. No one is told, 'You do this, you do that.' It's more of a sketch and then see where it goes from there. So it was a natural process. This album was really open, like pure jazz...straight in the moment. That's what I was going for."

The closer, "Outro," featuring more backwards effects over a simple, serene melody, serves as a bridge to what Varady plans to explore in more depth on his next recording. "I thought it would be interesting to just add some of the elements that would be for my upcoming music," he explains. "I'm into a lot of electronic music, I'm into a lot of hip-hop. That's also a part of me, and I thought it would be cool to add that color to the album. It's almost like my one foot is solidly in jazz and on my other foot, my toes are in something else. And it's not like I'm crossing genres, it's more of like going from one of my styles to this other style and merging it all together to create this ultimate thing."

Bombay Rickey set to release new album Electric Bhairavi

“Delightfully outlandish, but never inaccessible, this pan-global cocktail is a true treat for the adventurous ear.” –TimeOutNY

A collection of sounds that take you on a trip around the world and through time is just the tip of the iceberg when describing Bombay Rickey’s newest release Electric Bhairavi. The album is a nod to surf rock, cumbia, Bollywood, and spaghetti-Westerns, and laced with soaring operatic vocals from the multi-talented lead vocalist Kamala Sankaram. Electric Bhairavi has a groove reminiscent of the 60’s beach vibes that grabs you and takes you on a listening journey.  Bombay Rickey is set to release their sophomore album, Electric Bhairavi on May 18 via Cowboys and Indian.

Now on their second album and with an opera under their belt, songwriting has become second nature to Bombay Rickey. The band is comprised of Kamala Sankaram (vocals, accordion, sitar), Drew Fleming (guitar, vocals), Jeff Hudgins (saxophones, vocals), Gil Smuskowitz (upright bass), and Brian Adler (percussion). Overflowing with talent, each member writes music and collaboratively they arrange the songs. This is most notable on the title track, “Electric Bhairavi.” Bhairavi is a classic Hindustani raga, and Bombay Rickey pairs the typical form of a classical Hindustani piece (alap, gat, and jhalla) with electric instruments. They match the traditional sitar with more prog rock and heavy metal riffs.  Having all come up via the New York and Texas indie rock/punk/experimental scenes, Bombay Rickey incorporates their rock n’ roll backgrounds and influences throughout the 10 track album.

Bombay Rickey started out as an Yma Sumac cover band. Yma Sumac was a Peruvian-American soprano who claimed a 5-octave range and was a national and international sensation circa the 1950’s. She released a handful of albums including the notable Mambo! Bombay Rickey’s Electric Bhairavi contains a few odes to Yma in the new album, including the notable “Gopher,” inspired by Yma’s famous “Gopher Mambo.” It is a surfy rendition and features Kamala singing a high E. Another standout and ode to Yma is “Virgenes del Sol,” an over the top surfy number that has a full opera chorus and appearances from the bari sax and Hammond organ creating the full sounds.

A few more standouts include, “Bhonkers” written by Adler, which captures the spirit of Bombay Rickey and features deep notes achieved by blowing on soda bottles. “Sa-4-5” is based on a composition (“Ranga Jinna Daro”), written in the raga Gujari Todi by Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, the noted Hindustani classical singer. This tune was taught to Jeff by Harriotte Hurie, a student of B. R. Bhatt, who learned the melody from Thakur directly. The lead single “Megalodon” was inspired by Kamala’s collection of prehistoric shark teeth collected from a beach in Manasota Key, FL. The psychedelic tune reimagines these ancient predators lurking beneath the water 40 thousand years ago.

With the new release, Bombay Rickey came back to Water Music in Hoboken to record with Gabriel Bento. For this record, they were able to use the newly restored Hammond A100 organ and Wurlitzer electric piano, which were out of commission for the first release due to damage from Hurricane Sandy. Overdubs were completed at LoHo Studios, the former Blue Man Group recording studio, with Rich Phillis.

The Brooklyn based band exploded on the scene in 2014 with Cinefonia, and earned the award Best Eclectic Album Vox Pop from the Independent Music Awards that year. From that time they have supported Dengue Fever, licensed a track for a Citibank ad, and have written and performed, both nationally and internationally, an opera based on the life of the legendary Yma Sumac. The show premiered at PROTOTYPE in New York with 7 sold-out shows, and traveled to Tête à Tête Opera's Cubitt Sessions in King's Cross, London. They are currently booked with the Mid-Atlantic Arts Fund’s Touring Roster this year.

Their live performance can’t be missed. Every performance is unique as the band improvises during each performance, and the band’s opening solos cannot be replicated. Bombay Rickey is set to tour this spring.

https://www.facebook.com/bombayrickey/

https://twitter.com/bombayrickey

bombayrickey.com/

Anat Cohen & Fred Hersch Present Their Debut Duo Recording LIVE IN HEALDSBURG

Anat Cohen and Fred Hersch, two of most prolific and celebrated artists in modern jazz today, proudly announce the release of their debut duo recording, Live In Healdsburg. The album, due out on Anzic Records on March 9, displays qualities these world-class artists, and expert collaborators, have in abundance: empathy, open hearts, big ears, quick instincts, and an ego-less approach to the music. Cohen and Hersch also have the rare gift of combining virtuosity and beauty, which permeates every note they play. 

As remarkable a clarinetist as she is, I have rarely played with a musician who listens so well. Often in the middle of a solo, she will stop playing and just check out what I am doing. She has amazing ears and such an ease with her instrument that she can really 'tell stories' in the moment. And Anat always imparts a sense of joy and passion to everything she plays. It is a true pleasure to make music with her! - Fred Hersch

Playing with Fred feels like swimming in an endless sea of possibilities. Fred is finely tuned to the moment and always ready to take the music in any direction - swinging, open, serious, humorous, groovy and always tasteful. Fred's incredible playing and his fascinating palate of colors and moods inspire me to jump in with my clarinet and go on an adventure together. It is a true pleasure to make music with him! - Anat Cohen

  

Live In Healdsburg comes on the heels of Anat's Tentet recording, Happy Song, and her two Brazilian albums, Outra Coisa: The Music of Moacir Santos (with 7-guitarist Marcello Gonçalves) and Rosa Dos Ventos (with Trio Brasileiro), both nominated for Grammy Awards this year. This trio of releases follows her previous album, Luminosa (2015). "The sound of Luminosa reflects my musical life in New York City," she explained. "I flow between modern and traditional jazz, between samba and choro - all maybe in a week's time. The title is Portuguese for luminous and to me, music is a luminous experience. Whenever I'm immersed in it, life lights up for me, no matter what else is going on." In a feature on Luminosa, NPR said: "Jazz musicians don't get much more global than Anat Cohen." Prior to that release came Claroscuro in 2012, another worldly collection that featured such guests as Paquito D'Rivera and Wycliffe Gordon - and garnered a four-and-a-half-star review in DownBeat Magazine. In 2009, Anat was the first Israeli to ever headline the hallowed Village Vanguard, a stand that yielded a quartet tribute to the Benny Goodman songbook in Clarinetwork: Live at the Village Vanguard (2010). Notes from the Village (2008) was a showcase for her multi-reed talents in quartet and quintet settings, and she released two albums in 2007, the orchestral Noir and string quartet-laced Poetica. Anat made her leader debut with the small-combo Place & Time (2005). Anat has also recorded four acclaimed albums as part of the3 Cohens Sextet with her brothers, saxophonist Yuval and trumpeter Avishai: One (2003), Braid (2007), Family (2011) and Tightrope (2013), with their work together landing them on the cover of DownBeat.

All About Jazz aptly called Anat "one of a kind," and she has won over the most knowing of jazz sages: Dan Morgenstern praised her "gutsy, swinging" style, Ira Gitler her "liquid dexterity and authentic feeling," and Gary Giddins her musicality "that bristles with invention." The late Nat Hentoff said: "Anat does what all authentic musicians do: She tells stories from her own experiences that are so deeply felt that they are very likely to connect listeners to their own dreams, desires and longings."

  

For Fred Hersch, Live In Healdsburg is the follow up recording to his latest CD, the double Grammy nominated, Open Book (his 7th and 8th nominations). This album with Ms. Cohen is also the latest recording in a stunningly impressive discography that dates back to the 1980s and encompasses more than twenty albums as a leader. Hersch has also appeared on more than twenty recordings as co-leader, over two dozen albums as a featured soloist (including the album Tightrope from The 3 Cohens, on Anzic), and more than sixty recordings as a sideman, for the likes of Art Farmer, Lee Konitz, Toots Thielemans, Eddie Daniels, Billy Harper and many others. Hersch, a Guggenheim fellow, recently released his memoir, Good Things Happen Slowly, which was featured in the Sunday New York Times and was named one of 2017's Five Best Memoirs by The Washington Post.

ANAT COHEN/FRED HERSCH - Live In Healdsburg

1. A Lark (Fred Hersch) 8:23

2. Child's Song (Fred Hersch) 7:21

3. The Purple Piece (Anat Cohen) 8:27

4. Isfahan (Billy Strayhorn) 8:05

5. Lee's Dream (Fred Hersch) 5:19

6. Peacocks (Jimmy Rowles) 10:25

7. Jitterbug Waltz (Fats Waller) 8:19

8. Mood Indigo - Encore (Duke Ellington) 5:13

Recorded live at the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, Raven Performing Arts Theater, Healdsburg, CA, June 11, 2016

Anat Cohen On Tour - 2018

March 2 - NYC @ The 92nd Street Y

March 10 - Cambridge, MA @ Sanders Theatre

Double Bill with Ben Wendel Seasons Group

March 14-17 - Davis, CA @ Mondavi Center for The Performing Arts

Fred Hersch & Anat Cohen Duo

March 18 - Boise, Idaho @ Boise State University

Fred Hersch & Anat Cohen Duo

March 20 & 21 - Seattle, WA @ Dimitriou's Jazz Alley

Fred Hersch & Anat Cohen Duo

April 5 - Lawrence, KS @ Lied Center of Kansas

Special Guest w/ KU Jazz Ensemble I

April 7 - Kansas City, MO @ American Jazz Museum

Anat Cohen Tentet

April 8 - Columbia, MO @ "We Always Swing"® Jazz Series

Anat Cohen Tentet

April 9 & 10 - Lebanon, IL @ Hettenhausen Center for the Arts,

McKendree University

Anat Cohen Tentet

April 11 - Dayton, OH @ Sears Recital Hall, University of Dayton

Anat Cohen Tentet

April 21 - Davie, FL @ Bailey Hall, Broward College

Anat Cohen Quartet

May 5 - Washington, DC @ John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts

Celebrate Mary Lou Williams featuring the Anat Cohen Tentet

May 31 - Sante Fe, NM @ Lensic Performing Arts Center

Fred Hersch & Anat Cohen Duo

Guitarist Perry Smith Makes Quintet Recording Debut with New Angel

At the core of everything that guitarist/composer Perry Smith does is the desire to create personal and musical connections with the artistic community. That's true of the community he's built around his inclusive weekly series in Brooklyn, "The Nest Session;" it's behind his decision to use social media as a means of reaching out, not cutting off. And it lies at the very heart of his third album as a leader, New Angel -- both in the close relationships he shares with his bandmates and in his desire to make the sometimes heady concepts of modern jazz something accessible and deeply personal.

New Angel (due out March 2 via Smith's own Smith Tone Records imprint) marks the debut of the gifted guitarist's stellar new quintet, which features saxophonist Jon Irabagon, pianist Glenn Zaleski, bassist Matt Aronoff and drummer Allan Mednard. While they've all played together in a variety of contexts, Smith's decision to bring together this particular group stems directly from their shared experiences at Nest Sessions jams, which he and Aronoff have co-led for more than three years.

"It's been a really wonderful experience," Smith says. "I've been able to play with so many incredible musicians each and every week, so I've formed a lot of strong musical relationships. Beyond my own quintet, though, it's really about bringing the community together and trying to create a diverse and inclusive space for every jazz artist in the city to feel welcome."

The creative and the activist stem from the same instincts in Smith's work. Though he insists that he didn't set out to make a "social justice" record per se, his response to our current divisive political moment comes through in meditative solo "vignettes" interspersed throughout the album. Titles like "Lullaby for Freedom" and "Hope for Peace" tell the (ultimately optimistic) story.

"I wanted a few of the tracks to represent the message that I wanted to get across," Smith explains. "One of the challenges you face as an artist is to figure out how you can make a difference with your art -- especially in jazz, which can be so theoretical and complex. How you can go beyond that to create work that has a deeper, greater meaning is something that I've been passionate about for a long time."

Translating similar instincts from the social to the musical lies behind Smith's decision to assemble his quintet. Following his two earlier quartet recordings, Stars and Cars (2009) and Street Sense (2013), he became drawn to composing for more voices, so the versatility offered by the combination of a guitar, piano and saxophone frontline became especially compelling. He found the specific possibilities offered by weaving his own voice with those of Irabagon and Zaleski, paired with the rhythmic imaginations of Aronoff and Mednard, especially thrilling. The album was co-produced by Sam Minaie, who played bass on both of Smith's previous releases and provided the unique insight of a sharp listener with a deep knowledge of Smith and his music.

In addition, the entire session was filmed and will be released as a series of videos through Smith's social media outlets. Seeing the shift in the way that listeners take in music, the guitarist wanted to be sure his music reached the widest possible audience in the most easily accessible form. While the full album will be available in more traditional forms, he hopes these videos will make a more immediate connection.

                                                                        

The band's thrilling chemistry is vividly apparent from the opening moments of "Rise and Fall," whose title makes the tune's shifting moods and tempos sound deceptively simple. The gentle, memorable melody is prime evidence of Smith's gift for crafting compositions that embrace the listener while providing plenty of spark for improvisation.

"Deep Water" is a much knottier outing; its title, in fact, reflects the challenge that confronts the quintet in its harmonic complexity and sharp, treacherous angles. "Playing this song can feel like, 'We're in deep water right now,'" Smith admits. "That's always been a tradition in jazz: the idea that you're pushing yourself to try to explore something new while still trying to create something musical."

If the title track seems to hang in the air like an unanswered question, that may be due to the fact that it's the earliest piece on the album, one that Smith started working on as he turned 30, met the woman who would become his wife, and found himself facing many of the larger "what ifs" in life. "New Angel" may be a reference to his now-wife, but more broadly it's a reference to a spirit of freshness and change.

The spikiness of "Monk's World" immediately evokes the keen-edged genius and eyebrow-arched joy of the great Thelonious Monk. Smith wrote the piece on the chord changes of Monk's classic "Epistrophy" as a way of paying homage to the legendary pianist's outsized influence. "In my experience on the jazz scene in New York," Smith says, "musicians are always more excited about playing Monk's tunes than anybody else's -- more than even Coltrane or Wayne Shorter or Herbie. I think it has to do with the playful nature of his songs and the cool, creative melodies that he wrote, which open a lot of freedom in the landscape."

Presaged by Smith's introspective, soulful "Notes for Nostalgia," "The Old Road" is a wistful rumination on the composer's early days growing up in the California Bay Area. A similarly reflective spirit pervades "Lucid Night," where the incisive melody suggests a certain brooding clarity.

"Graceful Spirit" returns the album to the theme of connection and community. It was specifically inspired by the eloquence and example of former President Barack Obama, but more generally muses on the idea of grace and empathy as powerful and necessary qualities in a leader -- whether of the free world or of a scintillating and passionate jazz quintet.

Guitarist Perry Smith combines the tradition of jazz with broad influences from R&B, rock and folk to create his indelible signature style. Originally from California, Smith is now based in Brooklyn where he leads his own groups and is a sideman for several jazz and contemporary artists. He is also a founding member of the critically acclaimed New West Guitar Group, which has been performing internationally for 10 years and has been recognized as one of the premier guitar ensembles in the country. Smith received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Flora L. Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California and completed his Masters in Music at New York University, studying with the great John Scofield. His extensive performance resume includes notable venues and festivals such as the Blue Note Jazz Club, The Village Vanguard, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Lincoln Center, the Montreal Jazz Festival, Java Jazz Festival in Indonesia, and the Philippine International Jazz Festival. Smith hosts a weekly series in Brooklyn called "The Nest Session", performing with a different group of NYC's finest jazz musicians every Wednesday, generously supported by a grant from KeyedUp.org in conjunction with the Jazz Foundation of America.

Jazz-R&B keyboardist Brian Culbertson releases "Colors Of Love"

Contemporary jazz-R&B funkster Brian Culbertson has had love on his mind essentially since last Valentine’s Day. Inspired by the occasion of his twentieth wedding anniversary last fall, the keyboardist began writing thirteen new songs about a year ago dedicated to his wife, Michelle, which make up his “Colors of Love” album that was released on Wednesday, Valentine’s Day, by BCM Entertainment. Substituting the live band instrumentation customary of his recordings, Culbertson crafted an intimate set of ardent acoustic piano melodies using sensual synth grooves and textures. With the title track of his eighteenth album that he wrote, arranged and produced already in the Billboard Top 5, his attention is fixed on creating the highly-theatrical production he’ll take on the road for nearly three months beginning March 30 across the bridge from Philadelphia in Collingswood, New Jersey and concluding in Seattle on June 17.    

Culbertson showcases his proficiency as a multi-instrumentalist by playing virtually all the instruments heard on “Colors of Love” – piano, keyboards, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Hammond B3 organ, synth bass, drum programming, percussion and trumpet. The only supplementation came from guitarist Isaiah Sharkey along with an ethereal accordion passage from Peter White on the song “In A Dream.” Impassioned tracks like “I Want You,” “Love Transcended,” “Don’t Go,” “You’re Magic,” “Let’s Chill,” “Desire,” “In Your Embrace” and “The Look” employ caressing melodies and sultry rhythms to allure, soothe and seduce. Even more revealing and evocative is the ravishing piano poetry of “Through The Years,” “Michelle’s Theme” and “All My Heart,” poignant solo pieces that Culbertson uses effectively to tell wordless stories of romance and amorous contemplation.   

As he lovingly conceived the cozy collection depicting the many different “colors” of romantic love, Culbertson envisioned mounting an elaborate concert presentation utilizing video and lighting to present the cherished material in an immersive multimedia experience.

“I’m in the midst of creating a stunning-looking show, working closely with my lighting director and visual designer. We’re using a Visualizer to play each track to design and run the lighting and videos as if it was a live show right there on our computer screens. It enables us to dial in every little nuance of the music so that each video and light is precisely timed to the music. The detail is really amazing. I am loving the process of creating the production for the tour,” said Culbertson, who will begin ten days of production rehearsals in Nashville with his band in mid-March.

Culbertson’s Colors of Love Tour has already announced 66 shows in 50 cities with more soon to be added to the itinerary. The nationwide trek includes a June 7 performance at Culbertson’s seventh annual Napa Valley Jazz Getaway, a five-day music, wine and lifestyle experience held in the heart of California Wine Country.

“The ‘Colors of Love’ show will be staged in three acts. The first and third acts will showcase the new album along with romance-themed selections from my catalogue. In fact, we’re going to be drawing heavily from my ‘It’s On Tonight’ album,” explained Culbertson. “We’re not planning to do any big horn section pieces during this tour like I’ve done in the past and did extensively during last year’s Funk! Tour, but the second act will be a slamming funk set guaranteed to get everyone up and dancing.”

Joining the keyboardist-pianist-trombone player on tour are drummer Chris Miskel, bassist Joewaun Scott, guitarist Tyrone Chase, keyboardist-vocalist Eddie Miller, and Marqueal Jordan on saxophones, vocals and percussion.

“I asked Marqueal to bring his soprano sax for this tour. The sound fits the intimate ambience of the music we’re going to perform. It’s the first time in over a decade that I’ve used soprano sax in my live show,” said Culbertson, who describes the “Colors of Love” album as “textural ear candy cinematic in nature.” 

As Culbertson shares his anniversary and Valentine’s Day gift to his wife with the world on record and during the upcoming tour, expect the architect of 30 Billboard No. 1 singles as an artist, producer and/or songwriter to add to that stat.

For more information, including concert dates, please visit www.BrianCulbertson.com.

New York Jazz Workshop® 10th Anniversary Celebrations

Celebrating its 10th anniversary with 16 music programs and jazz camps for young adults and older musicians in New York City this summer

The New York Jazz Workshop® is celebrating its 10th anniversary with 16 music programs and jazz camps for young adults and older musicians in New York City this summer.

 

The program will launch with Marc Mommaas, the co-founder of the school who will be conducting the Summer Intensive in Jazz Improvisation on July 19-22. Musicians will sharpen their toolboxes broadening their musical vocabulary along with drummer Tony Moreno and vibraphonist Mark Sherman. This intensive will cover topics including ear training, rhythm, composition and more.

  

If percussion is a passion, there is a one-day West African/Djembe Intensive with Michael Markus on July 23 and a one-day Bata Intensive with David Ambrosioon July 25. These programs are open to beginner, intermediate and advanced musicians.

For Brazilian music lovers and practitioners, July 23-26 brings the Brazilian Music Intensive with pianist Vitor Goncalves and percussionist Vanderlei Pereira. During this intensive, students will learn about rhythms such as the choro, bossa nova, baiao, samba, maracatu and the xote.

Pianists, mark your calendars for July 30 to Aug. 1 for the Piano and Keyboard Intensive led by the world-class combo of pianists Amina Figarova, Frank Kimbrough and Jacob Sacks. They will cover topics such as reading, ear training, technique, solo piano, duo and sound.

Singers, the beginning of August boasts some incredible programs for vocalists of all levels. Olivia Foschi leads the Beginner's Vocal Intensive from Aug. 2-5. Topics include anatomy overview, breathing exercises, singing the major scale and melodies.

Aug. 6-8 features an Intermediate Vocal Intensive with Jocelyn Medina and guest Richard Boukas. Participants will learn about techniques for basic repertoire and are given vocal exercises based on their needs - styles will range from Jazz to Bossa Nova.

https://newyorkjazzworkshop.com/workshops/august-6-8-vocal-intensive-intermediate-level/

Aug. 9-12 brings forth the Vocal Intensive for Intermediate/Advanced students with vocalist Fay Victor. Students will learn about swing/time feel, breath and functional harmony as well as scatting and free improvisation.

World-renowned drummersDarrell Green, Tim Horner and Tony Morenohead up theAug. 13-15 Drums and Percussion Intensive. These musicians each have their own day to teach their unique concepts and approaches to rhythm, ear training and metric modulations.

Guitarists Kenny Wessel and Vic Juris cover topics such as chord voicing, improvisation and modal chord positions during their Aug. 16-19 four-day Jazz Guitar Intensive.

Trombonist Alan Ferber leads the Composition Intensive on Aug. 20.  Students will listen and analyze classic examples from the jazz repertoire and use the insight gleaned from that to enrich their own compositions.

Ferber will be also teaching the Counterpoint and Arranging Intensives on Aug. 21 and 22. Counterpoint, a basic compositional aspect, is essential for deeper understanding of arranging and composition. The Aug. 22 arranging intensive will focus on big and small band writing, reharmonization, orchestration and writing.

Saxophonist Darius Jones and drummer Vito Lesczak lead the Jazz Improvisation Intensive from Aug. 23-26. The intensive covers many compositional styles plus ideas on melody, harmony and rhythm.

The Guitar Intensive on Aug. 27-29 is taught by Sebastian Noelle and Nate Radley, covering topics such as chord voicing, improvisation and modal chord positions.

To close, the Jazz Composition for Beginners Intensive will be led by Marc Mommaas and special guest trombonist Doug Beavers on Aug. 30-31. The intensive will also answer questions on how to avoid compositional ruts and cover form, melodic considerations and melodic rhythm.

About the New York Jazz Workshop

Located in the heart of Times Square, the New York Jazz Workshop is one of New York's premier educational institutions, providing courses in improvisation, harmony, rhythm, individual instruments and composition. In addition to educational programs, the New York Jazz Workshop offers team-building exercises for corporations looking for a new perspective on creativity and teamwork, resulting in renewed creativity in the workplace. Clients have included companies such as GE, SWISS RE and Thomson Reuters. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJokFhMfH3M

Jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar crafts a masterful celebration of Latin American music from a Brazilian perspective on “Sebastiana”

Last July, pianist-composer-arranger Ricardo Bacelar jetted from his home in Brazil to Miami, the place he calls “the center of Latin music in the world,” where he gathered an ensemble of Latin American musicians to honor the roots of Brazilian music while incorporating each musician’s unique culture on a jazz-centered album. An ambitious vision that he conceived with an international view with the project’s producer, Cesar Lemos (Ricky Martin, Paulina Rubio), the 15-track “Sebastiana” drops March 30 from Bacelar Productions. Preceding the sprawling set list of hallmark Brazilian reinterpretations and originals written or co-written by Bacelar is the ethereal “Nothing Will Be As It Was,” featuring two Americans - vocalist Maye Osorio and pedal steel guitarist Steve Hinson - on the multi-format crossover radio single portrayed in a striking animated video (http://bit.ly/2EUf7VL).       

              

Bacelar and Lemos had never worked together prior to “Sebastiana.” They authored a pair of tunes for the disc, “Suco Verde” and “Sernambetiba, 1992,” the latter being a swoon-inducer graced by Lemos’ celestial vocalizations on the track named for the street where the two friends first met and shared an apartment 25 years ago. The Brazilian duo’s comprehensive approach for the contemporary jazz and trippy fusion session included inviting musicians from Cuba, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and the U.S. to play on the date. The collective employed uniquely Latin American rhythms and instruments on the lushly-layered tracks such as vallenato (a Colombian rhythm performed using a diatonic accordion and vallenato box), sangueo (a Venezuelan rhythm constructed of cumaco and mina drums), bomba (a Puerto Rican genre originating in the West Indies and derived from the west coast of Africa using drums made from barrels), timba (an energizing Cuban rhythm), the Andean charango (a stringed instrument part of the lute family), and the bandoneon, a concertina with roots in Argentina.

“When I recorded the album, I wanted to pay homage to Brazilian music presenting the distinct performances of Latin American musicians, who put elements of their own cultures into the fusion of influences, giving a lot of personality to the work. I wanted to make a Brazilian music record for the international market, inserting other elements to add another point of view and extol the importance of this special repertoire,” said Bacelar. “Jazz is the language of improvisation and communication. The fusion of elements of cultures and influences in a recording turns the music into a transmission vehicle of knowledge.”

Along with the two new Bacelar-Lemos tunes and three stirring solo piano pieces from Bacelar – “River of Emotions,” “Parts of Me” and “The Best Years” – “Sebastiana” revisits songs from Brazilian composers Gilberto Gil, Ivan Lins, Flora Purim, Luiz Gonzaga, Lo Borges, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Milton Nascimento, Ronald Bastos, Tom Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, Victor Martins and Jose Roberto Bertrami, and were given sparkling arrangements by Bacelar. The record includes vocal drops of the late Jackson do Pandeiro, an influential Brazilian percussionist and singer, adding character and cultural impact to the offering.      

In the 1980s and 90s, Bacelar was a member of the popular Brazilian rock band Hanoi Hanoi before dramatically changing musical directions to release his intimate solo debut, “In Natura,” in 2001. Preoccupied with his work as a lawyer focused on the staunch defense of copyrights and intellectual properties, he didn’t release another album until 2016’s “Concerto Para Moviola,” a concert DVD and CD recorded live with an eight-piece band. For more information, please visit http://ricardobacelar.com.br.

       

“Sebastiana” contains the following songs:

“A Volta da Asa Branca”

“Suco Verde”

“Nothing Will Be As It Was”

“River of Emotions”

“Menina Baiana”

“Somewhere in the Hills”

“Partido Alto”

“Parts of Me”

“Sambadouro”

“Oh Mana Deixa Eu Ir (Caico Cantiga)”

“Sebastiana”

“Depois dos Temporais”

“Vento de Maio”

“Sernambetiba, 1992”

“The Best Years”

NEW RELEASES: SHELDON FERGUSON – SOUL SEARCHING; JAZZTRONIK – BB1; DAVID GARFIELD - JAMMING

SHELDON FERGUSON – SOUL SEARCHING

In the six years since he released his debut album while still in high school, Atlanta-based composer and electric guitarist Sheldon Ferguson has done a lot of musical Soul Searching – the perfect name for a set list infused with crackling string intensity, bright pop-jazz melodies, nonstop grooving and cool, sensual R&B. Inspired by gospel, blues and guitar greats George Benson, Ernie Isley and Norman Brown, Ferguson’s journey of self-discovery is a revelation that will get you Souls Searching with the volume turned up! ~ smoothjazz.com

JAZZTRONIK – BB1

The first music we've heard in quite awhile from Jazztronik – and a set that has them sounding even more funk-oriented than before! We've always loved the creations of leader Ryota Nozaki – even his mellower moments – but this time around, he really steps into new territory by working with a larger group that's heavy on horns, and which has some especially strong bass and drums – all to create a vibe that's more 70s funk than you might expect! But there's also some richer, more sophisticated currents too – that strong sense of arrangement that Nozaki has really developed over the years, worked out here in live horn charts that can be extremely beautiful. Some tracks feature soul-styled vocals by singers Eliana and Aisha, and some are instrumental – and tracks include "Dolphin Smile", "Spotlight", "Caprice", "Sanctuary", "Deja Vu", and "Meguru (2017 version)". ~ Dusty Groove

DAVID GARFIELD - JAMMING

The follow up to David Garfield's #1 smash version of “Go Home,” this instrumental version of the Bob Marley classic, “Jamming,” was cut at the legendary Village Studios where many iconic artists’ classic recordings have been made such Fleetwood Mac (Tusk), Steely Dan (Aja), and many others. This track features two long-term members of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Mike Campbell on guitar and Steve Ferrone on drums and founding member of The Rippingtons, Brandon Fields on sax. The track was arranged and produced by David Garfield at the helm with piano and electric keyboards. Jamming is the second in a series of single tracks that Garfield is releasing from his upcoming all-star studio project “Jammin’ - Outside The Box," an expansive work that will feature numerous genre superstar collaborators: George Benson, David Sanborn, Smokey Robinson, Oleta Adams, Rick Braun, Marcus Miller, Michael McDonald and Chuck Loeb in his final performances. ~ smoothjazz.com

Bobby Previte Explores Transit in the Second Part of his Terminals Trilogy - All-Star Band Featured on Rhapsody

Highly respected drummer and prolific composer Bobby Previte continues his Terminals trilogy with Rhapsody, an acoustic song cycle on the subject of transit and migration. Subtitled Terminals Part II: In Transit, Previte's newest work is scored for acoustic sextet and features fellow composer-improvisers guitarist Nels Cline, harpist Zeena Parkins, pianist John Medeski, alto saxophonist Fabian Rucker, and vocalist/er hu player Jen Shyu. This latest major work, released on RareNoiseRecords in February 2018, comes on the heels of Previte's powerful November 2016 RareNoise release, Mass, a nine-part work scored for choir, pipe organ and heavy metal trio.   

In 2015, Previte was awarded the Greenfield Prize for Music at the Hermitage Artist Retreat to create a new work. Rhapsody is the result. Rhapsody had its world premiere on April 21, 2017 at New College in Sarasota, Florida. "The Greenfield Foundation not only commissioned the work, but gave me a residency at the Hermitage to write it, 20 paces from the Gulf of Mexico," says the composer. "It was a rapturous place to write, and to be.

Beginning from the point of view of a passenger sitting comfortably in an airplane, Rhapsody twists, turns, and migrates until the passenger arrives in the dead of night at an unfamiliar shore. As Previte proposed in his artist's statement for Rhapsody: "What is the experience of being in transit? Separated from your home but not yet at your destination, you are neither here nor there, confined with strangers in an intimate environment for a predetermined amount of time, uncomfortable, yet somehow free. To travel is to be bound with these strangers by faith-faith in the vessel which carries you, faith in the people who operate it, and ultimately, faith in the strangers waiting at your destination."

"I began thinking about the fact that I come from a family of immigrants. My mother was born in Sicily because my grandmother, pregnant with my mother, was denied entry into the United States and sent back; and how there are people today, trying to escape far worse situations, being denied asylum."

Rhapsody is perhaps Previte's most ambitious work to date in that it marks his debut as a lyricist. "The lyrics are really at the center of this piece. Having composed only instrumental music my entire life, writing words was quite terrifying. There is no hiding behind abstract sounds, no equivocating. The words are there and have an obvious meaning to everyone. They are tangible, and very real. You cannot walk back from them. You have to own them, fully."

Rhapsody is the second in a three-part series exploring the experience of travel. Terminals Part I: Departures, was a set of five concertos written for the visionary percussion group SO Percussion and five master improviser soloists. Terminals Part I: Departures premiered at Merkin Hall in New York City in 2011, and the recording was released on Cantaloupe Music in 2014.

  

Rhapsody is a compelling, thought-provoking work that places vocalist Shyu in the role of narrator and showcases brilliant solos by each member of the sextet. Says Previte, "This ensemble of found objects, of musicians thrown together and forging new relationships in this instrumentation of chance, mirrors the experience of movement, of migration, of whom you may find yourself next to, of venturing into the unknown because you cannot stay where you are."

And while three of the musicians in the ensemble have had a wealth of experience in electric settings - Nels Cline with Wilco, The Ring Nebula Project, The Nels Cline 4, and his longstanding Nels Cline Singers; John Medeski with Hudson, MadSkillet and the longstanding trio Medeski, Martin & Wood; Zeena Parkins with Gangster Band, Phantom Orchard, and Zeena and the Adorables - Previte chose to focus strictly on the acoustic side of their playing. "In a way, it's easier to write electric music when you have geniuses like that in the band," says Previte. "You can just write 'Nels Cline solo, 15 minutes' and you get a brilliant 15 minute electronic piece that you 'wrote.' But each acoustic guitar note dies away in seconds. Then what? As for John Medeski, of course he's a master organist, but he's such a beautiful piano player that I thought it would be cool to just let him play the piano for a change. Ditto for Zeena. I wanted to hear her on acoustic harp, no electronics. She's awesome on acoustic harp." 

Previte had similar accolades for the remaining members of his Rhapsody ensemble: "Fabian Rucker is my favorite young sax player and all around sound guru. He took the music and brought it into the street. And, by the way, Fabian mixed the album, too. And finally, what to say about Jen Shyu? Jen lifted the vocals, and so the entire ship, up to a higher plane. She is mesmerizing. I couldn't even have begun the piece without Jen."

Meanwhile, the ever-restless, ever-creative Previte is already making plans for his Terminals Part III: Arrivals. "It might be for baritone voice and So Percussion on four analog sythesizers and taiko drums. Then again, it might be a 6-LP set where each record is myself solo, performing live on a different instrument, one on which I have limited skills, (i.e., an instrument I am 'visiting'). Then again, it might be neither of these. Or somehow, both of them."

Stay tuned. Until then, join Previte and his intrepid crew on Rhapsody.

TRACKS

1. Casting Off

2. All The World

3. The Lost

4. When I Land

5. The Timekeeper

6. Coming About

7. All Hands

8. Last Stand / Final Approach

9. I Arrive

All music composed, arranged, and conducted by Bobby Previte

Published by RareNoisePublishing (PRS)

Produced by Bobby Previte

Executive Producer for RareNoiseRecords: Giacomo Bruzzo

Recorded April 24, 25, 2017 at Figure 8 Studios, Brooklyn, NY, by Eli Crews

Mixed by Fabian Rucker at Three Horses in a Wood, Claverack, NY

Mastered by Horst Pfaffelmayer at Gold Chamber, Austria

Cover Image: Untitled #188, 2016 © Simon Johan

Graphic Design: Graham Schreiner

Rhapsody was commissioned by the 2015 Greenfield Prize for Music at the Hermitage Artist Retreat