Saxophonist Tia Fuller Returns After Six Year Recording Hiatus:With "Diamond Cut"

Saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Tia Fuller uses the process of diamonds forming under four levels of extreme pressure and heat as a metaphor for the time she spent honing her artistic craft. When looking up the term 'diamond cut,' you'll learn that it was not necessarily pertaining to the shape but to the proportioning and the balance as to which the highest amount of light is reflected through the diamond. The process serves as a direct correlation to her teaching and playing.

While the phrase "diamond in the rough" often describes burgeoning talents brimming with potential, Fuller has exhibited impending greatness since emerging on the international jazz scene more than a decade ago. Now, her artistic capacity has blossomed tremendously, resulting in her fourth Mack Avenue Records release -- the aptly titled Diamond Cut, her first album as leader since 2012's Angelic Warrior. In those six years, she's transitioned from being a member of Beyoncé's touring band to becoming a full-time professor at Berklee College of Music, while still juggling a demanding career as a solo artist and touring with the likes of drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, bassist Esperanza Spalding, and Ralph Peterson Jr., among others.

"Not that I've arrived by any means, but I think I'm in a space of empowerment, knowing that I'm walking in my purpose," says Fuller as she reflects on her multifaceted career. "I'm in the fullness of my purpose. Now, I'm more able to directly reflect the light toward others because of what other people have poured and reflected into me. I feel that I'm in a solid place to give back things of substance."

Produced by GRAMMY® Award-winner Terri Lyne Carrington, the album finds Fuller leading two superb rhythm sections, both of which contain some of jazz's brightest luminaries -- bassist Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette, then bassist James Genus and drummer Bill Stewart. Adding texture and harmonic support of several compositions are guitarist Adam Rogers and organist Sam Yahel.

While touring together in 2014, Carrington encouraged Fuller to recruit some of more seasoned musicians for her forthcoming disc. "Terri said, 'I really would like for you to see you house yourself amongst the greats on the next album so that you can really hone in on playing jazz. You've done it with your peers. But I would like to see you with some elders,'" Fuller recalls. The net result is a sparkling, cohesive album that optimizes her iridescent tone and supple, sometimes rhythmically aggressive, improvisations through an enticing program of mostly originals firmly rooted in the language of 21st century modern post-bop.

   

The actual day of recording Diamond Cut marked the first time Fuller worked with both DeJohnette and Holland. "Seeing them arrive at the studio and set up, I was definitely nervous," Fuller says. "But as soon as we started playing, it was all about the music. One thing that I appreciated from both of them was that they approached the music in a very humble way and really honored it."

Indeed, Fuller sparks an electrifying rapport with DeJohnette and Holland on the pneumatic waltz "Queen Intuition," on which Rogers and Yahel provide subtle harmonic cushioning, and the capricious "Joe'n Around," on which Fuller unravels various improvised, melodic fragments associated by three of her saxophone mentors -- Joe Lovano, Joe Henderson and Joe Jennings. They're also featured on the episodic "The Coming," of which Fuller uses Clark Atlanta University professor Daniel Black's The Coming: A Novel as inspiration in the retelling of the Middle Passage that brought captured African slaves to the Americas; a prancing reading of Mal Waldron's signature composition, "Soul Eyes," on which she tips her hat to John Coltrane; and the soothing "Delight," which takes its inspiration from the Christian Biblical scripture, Psalms 37:4 -- "Delight in the Lord/And he will give you the desires of the heart."

The album also marks the first time Fuller has recorded with Genus and Stewart. And again, she strikes a winning accord, indicative of the album's searing opening piece, "In the Trenches," on which she rides a turbulent momentum steered by Stewart's jagged rhythms and Genus' hefty, propulsive bass lines. "That was the first song that I wrote for the album, while I was literally in the trenches of transitioning and balancing my work schedule and dealing with personal family challenges," Fuller explains. "I literally felt like I could not move. I remember being in my office feeling like I was all the way in the trenches, trying to dig myself out."

From there, Fuller along with Genus and Stewart render "Save Your Love for Me," the first of only three jazz standards on Diamond Cut. The soulful makeover-arranged by vibraphonist, drummer and fellow Mack Avenue Records artist Warren Wolf allows Fuller to pay homage to yet another significant lodestar, Cannonball Adderley. Also powered by the Genus-and-Stewart rhythm team, Fuller delivers the majestic ballad "Crowns of Grey," which honors her parents -- Fred and Elthopia Fuller -- both of whom encouraged her formative musical growth while living in Aurora, Colorado.

Fuller praises Carrington for her production ingenuity, which helped guide Diamond Cut from its early conception to completion. "Terri really pays attention to minutia while being able to see the big picture," Fuller says. "And she can enhance the big picture by having an endless arsenal of ideas for sounds and song structures. Even while I was writing the tunes, she was on the front lines saying, 'Tia, you want each and every song to be the best song that you've ever written.' She was always strongly encouraging me to not just lapse into what I've done before. She really helped shape the finer points of the compositions, then as the producer she put her magic touch on it."

This newest outing illustrates that Fuller continues to etch away at her inner diamond as a saxophonist, composer, bandleader and educator. History will surely reveal Diamond Cut to be a landmark chapter in her artistic journey.

  

Tia Fuller · Diamond Cut

Mack Avenue Records · Release Date: May 25, 2018

NEW RELEASES: BAIANO & OS NOVOS CAETANOS; AZAMBUJA & CIAl; JOHAN LINDSTROM SEPTETT - MUSIC FOR EMPTY HALLS

BAIANO & OS NOVOS CAETANOS - BAIANO & OS NOVOS CAETANOS

Baiano & Os Novos Caetanos is Anysio and Rodrigues’ satire on Brazil’s Tropicalia movement. Having a friendly crack at the likes of Caetano Veloso and psychedelic rockers Novos Baianos, the musical characters ‘Baiano’ and ‘Paulinho Boca de Profeta’ played by Anysio and Rodrigues respectively, are righteous tropicalistas, poetically denouncing the dictatorship, while simultaneously mocking those who took themselves too seriously. Azymuth’s free and funky psych sounds combine with accordion, harmonica, brass and plenty of rural Brazilian rhythms, with Orlandivo who co-wrote many of the songs, and renowned multi-instrumentalist and producer Durval Ferreira also featuring.

AZAMBUJA & CIA - AZAMBUJA & CIA

Azambuja and Cia, based on the ridiculous Carioca conman Paulo Maurício Azambuja (who would flog his own mother’s leg if he could) showcases Anysio and Rodrigues’ songwriting smarts, with Azymuth’s futuristic funk sound combining with traditional Brazilian roots elements for a record equal parts organic and ahead of its time. With Fender Rhodes, Arp Strings, Arp Omni, Clavinet and Hammond Organ, Azymuth’s keyboard maestro Jose Roberto Bertrami, who also arranged the album alongside renowned conductor and composer Jose Menezes, elevates the music’s sexy weirdness to another dimension (check ‘Verde’ to see what we mean). This bonkers Brazilian bonanza also features fabled jazz saxophonist Victor Assis Brasil.

JOHAN LINDSTROM SEPTETT - MUSIC FOR EMPTY HALLS 

A rich vision in sound from Johan Lindstrom – not just a guitarist, but a hell of a composer too – working here with an all-star group that features other great players on the Moserobie label! Yet despite that connection, the vibe here is very different than other Moserobie music – uniquely Lindstrom's own, with these sounds that are not only vivid in themselves, but which also draw a lot from the performance – handled by players who include Jesper Nordenstrom on piano and organ, Jonas Kullhammar on saxes, Per Texas Johansson on tenor and bass clarinet, Torbjorn Zetterberg on bass, Mats Aleklint on trombone, and Konrad Agnas on drums. There's a few surprises along the way – including a bit of piano effects from Lindstrom on one track, and guest voices and strings on another – and the whole album has this beautifully unified feel, and rich textures of colors – maybe in the same spirit as some of the earlier large ensemble projects from Charlie Haden. Titles include "Dance Of The Marble Hearts", "Serengeti", "Music For Empty Halls", "The Assent", "Hymn", and "Sleepless Lapsteels". ~ Dusty Groove

Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6

Columbia/Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, released Miles Davis & John Coltrane - The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 on March 23, 2018.

Available in 4CD boxset and digital configurations, Miles Davis & John Coltrane - The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 brings together, for the first time in an authorized edition with state-of-the-art production, five mythic concert performances as heard by lucky audiences during the epochal Spring 1960 Jazz At The Philharmonic European Tour.

Showcasing the musical chemistry shared by Miles and Trane, The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 offers five of the best recorded shows from that pivotal 1960 tour (Coltrane's last as sideman): two shows from Paris’s L’Olympia Theater on Monday, March 21; two shows from the next night at Stockholm’s Konserthuset; and one from Copenhagen’s Tivolis Koncertsal three days later, on March 24. 

The box set was produced by the multi-Grammy winning team of producers Steve Berkowitz, Michael Cuscuna and Richard Seidel. And mastered by multi-Grammy winning Sony Music engineer Mark Wilder. The set is authorized for official release by the Miles Davis Estate, the John Coltrane Estate, and Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings.

Miles Davis and John Coltrane were each implementing their own jazz revolutions at the time these recordings were made and the electrifying sonic frisson produced by the sometimes-competing/sometimes-intertwining musical visions of the artists perplexed contemporary jazz fans--many of whom were just getting acquainted with the recently-released and now iconic Kind of Blue.

"Much happened on that 1960 tour onstage and off, including powerful, emotionally charged performances in which one can hear the swinging, divergent energy of a band, and the unfiltered reactions of the European audiences: the crowd responses are indeed an inherent part of these historic performances," writes Grammy Award®-winning music historian Ashley Kahn in his in-depth revelatory liner notes penned especially for this collection. "The common judgement on this music is that it represents a great jazz ensemble audibly straining to hold itself together...An equally convincing interpretation of the 1960 situation is that Miles and his quintet were redefining what a great band could sound like, and how much music it could contain—at one time, in one concert, even in one tune. It’s not that the bandmembers were so much apart, but rather that each were more themselves within the same unit—that divergence could co-exist and make music together."

The  repertoire performed in this collection is a veritable Miles Davis “Greatest Hits” including “ ‘Round Midnight”, “Bye Bye Blackbird”, “On Green Dolphin Street”, “Walkin’ “, “All Of You” and “Oleo”, all of which he had made his own and had been performing for some time. As well as more recent additions to the repertoire which were composed by Davis – “So What” and “All Blues” --  both from Kind Of Blue.

  

The Final Tour is essential listening, an invitation to travel through time to experience the enduring beauty and magic of Miles and Trane at the peak of their collective powers. The ensemble includes Miles Davis (trumpet), John Coltrane (tenor sax), Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drums), all of whom had been performing together since the Kind Of Blue album.

The Final Tour closes with a rare contemporaneous audio interview with John Coltrane (conducted by Swedish deejay Carl-Erik Lindgren). "Do you feel angry?," asks Lindgren. "No, I don't," says Coltrane. "I was talking to a fellow the other day, and I told him, the reason I play so many sounds, maybe it sounds angry, I'm trying so many things at one time. I haven't sorted them out.”

 

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Pianist Yelena Eckemoff Evokes Mystery & Allure of Arabian Desert On Quartet Outing "Desert"

Yelena Eckemoff Desert It takes a discerning eye, or in this case ear, to envision the desert as more than a vast, arid wasteland. Pianist/composer Yelena Eckemoff succeeds in musically portraying many of this daunting environment's mysteries and its boundless allure on her new recording, Desert, to be released May 4 on her imprint L&H Production.

The quartet outing, the latest in the impressive series of concept albums at the core of the prolific Russian-born, North Carolina-based keyboard virtuoso's catalog, reunites her with Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen and internationally acclaimed drummer Peter Erskine and features Oregon co-founder Paul McCandless on oboe, English horn, soprano saxophone, and bass clarinet.

Each of Desert's 11 thematically linked compositions, given such descriptive titles as "Bedouins," "Mirages," "Condor," "Oasis," "Dust Storm," and "Sands," showcase Eckemoff's distinctive style that blends classical music with jazz improvisation to create works that range from the ethereal to the mercurial to the dissonant.

Yet Eckemoff's music is infused with her Russian soul, vivid memories of picture books she entertained herself with as an only child, and what she calls the "sinuous" nature of her personal narrative which includes having emigrated from the former Soviet Union to the U.S. with her husband in 1991. With her modern, sometimes free-leaning approach and the weight and intensity her composing and playing attains, she and her music are strikingly original. "I'm a very emotional person," she says. "So many things have vanished from my life. When you express these things in your music, when you share your experiences, you compensate for your losses. Music makes you whole again."

What is remarkable about Eckemoff, who released numerous albums, some of them classical, before making her bona fide jazz debut in 2010 with the release of the winter-themed trio recording Cold Sun, is that you never know in which direction she's heading. One key to her artistry is her dedication to music that has many intertwined threads. "I haven't composed much for solo piano," she says. "I'm always hearing instruments and the ways they go together."

For Desert, Eckemoff read extensively about the subject, including several books about Bedouins. "I wanted to know what kind of people they are," she says. "How is it that they've managed to change with the times, finding freedom in such harsh conditions. I wanted to capture the true soul of Bedouins."

In envisioning the recording, Eckemoff says, "I thought of Paul and his oboe, on which he is so expressive, and decided this is the sound I wanted. Peter helped me connect with Paul, who really is the reason for this group. As for Arild and Peter, they had just the right voices for my melodies and compositions. I feel like when I have these guys around, I can do anything."

Yelena Eckemoff Born in Moscow, Yelena Eckemoff has been composing since she was four years old, her musical impressions taken from her mother, a pianist and teacher. Years of academic studies at Gnessins School for musically gifted children, followed by the Moscow Conservatory, provided a solid foundation in classical music. But as she grew into her teens she developed an interest in other musical styles, like pop, rock, and jazz, and this was a time when jazz recordings were so hard to come by in Russia.

In 1987, in a pivotal moment for Eckemoff and many other Russian musicians, she attended Dave Brubeck's legendary concert in Moscow. Though she had already started playing jazz before seeing Brubeck, mainly traditional styles and bebop, this was one of the first jazz concerts she had attended, and she was so impressed she formed her own band and "tried to play jazz." But her songs proved too complicated for her fellow musicians (and have gotten no easier, as McCandless, Andersen, and Erskine all attest in a videotaped interview after recording Desert).

Alluding to such styles as blues, jazz-rock fusion, and the occasional funk, Eckemoff's albums have ranged far and wide while continuing to deal in high concepts. Glass Song (2013), the first of her albums to team Andersen and Erskine (who surprisingly had never previously played together), is an environmental treat boasting songs about rain, melting ice, and clouds. A Touch of Radiance (2014), dedicated to happiness, features Mark Turner, Joe Locke, George Mraz, and Billy Hart while Lions (2015), featuring Andersen and Hart, captures life in the savanna with songs about those majestic animals and their cubs as well as migrating birds and tropical rains.

 

Sly & Robbie meet Nils Petter Molvaer featuring Eivind Aarset and Vladislav Delay - Nordub

On “Nordub”, Grammy-winning Reggae legends Sly & Robbie team up with Norwegian Jazz innovator Nils Petter Molvaer to create a unique sound panorama, spanning the colourful atmospheres of Norwegian Jazz and the energetic grooves of Jamaica. Together with Eivind Aarset on guitars and Vladislav Delay on electronics, this is a band of musical soulmates, beyond all boundaries of genre. During a first tour in 2016 they received worldwide attention for their new project. 

Yet, the successful as innovative project just came together by sheer good fortune: Even though they had liked each other’s music for years, it was a coincidence that Mark van den Bergh – a friend of Sly & Robbie – ran into Nils Petter Molvaer at Java Jazz Festival.

  

“I got to know Mark at Java Jazz Festival in 2014,” says Nils Petter Molvaer. I told him that I’d been a fan of Sly & Robbie since the 80s, when they were releasing music with their Reggae band Black Uhuru. I like them for their creative unrest. They are innovators in so many ways, combining Dancehall, Soul, Hip Hop, Reggae and many other influences, and collaborating with such great musicians as Sting, No Doubt, Ben Harper and Carlos Santana. Mark told me that Sly & Robbie were great fans of my music as well, and the idea to work together was born. A few months later, in July 2015, we met at a festival in a little village in France, where we were supposed to play a concert together, though we’d never played together before.”

  

Robbie Shakespeare remembers: “It was totally crazy. Ever since I first heard Nils’ music in the late 90s, I’ve been fascinated by his atmospheric fusion of styles and his unparalleled trumpet playing. Now we were supposed to play together, though we’d never met before. But when I met Nils for the first time in this little village in France, I immediately liked him. He was cracking jokes and had back pain from the long trip there, just like me, so that created something. It was a great concert, in the end, that enabled us to go far beyond our comfort zones and to discover new ways of creating music.”

After the success of the initial concert in France, the new “band” decided to continue its collaboration and to go on tour in 2016. During the tour several new songs were created and Sly & Robbie, Nils Petter Molvaer, Eivind Aarset and Vladislav Delay were ready to record their first album together in Oslo: “Nordub”.

30 - A New Album by Vandell Andrew

Vandell Andrew grew up in New Orleans, spending years of his childhood in the shadow of Louis Armstrong, soaking up the vibe of the French Quarter’s great brass bands. Jazz was in the blood, but his soul was also filled with magic from his flute playing mom’s R&B collection (Anita Baker, Chaka Khan, etc.), hip-hop and Erykah Badu. Encouraging Vandell’s musical ambitions, his dad gave him John Coltrane and Charlie Parker CDs and told him for every song he learned, he would give him $100. With that money adding up, Vandell bought an audio interface, recorded his first CD and through determination and sheer hard work has emerged as one of the great independent contemporary jazz success stories of the decade.

From the vantage point of 30, his age and the name of his infectious, sensually grooving new full length album, Vandell continues to be fueled by the impressive roar of accolades and achievements that have earned him a passionate global following. Five of his tracks reached the Top 25 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs and Billboard Smooth Jazz National Airplay charts, including the #1 smash “Let’s Ride” (2014) and Top 5 hit “Back At It” (2017). “Let’s Ride” also received a 2014 Soul Train Award Nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance. In addition to headlining top jazz festivals and venues around the world, including the Catalina Island Jazz Trax Festival, the Hobby Center in Houston and Ronnie Scott’s and the Vortex Jazz Club in London, UK, Vandell has opened for and/or shared the stage with his saxophone idol Kirk Whalum and genre greats Paul Brown, Peter White, Rick Braun, Bobby Lyle, Marion Meadows and others.

“The Groove,” the brassy, high octane old school soul-funk first single from 30, is an all-out, in the pocket dance floor ready jam perfectly in tune with the high octane vibe of his 2014 breakthrough EP Turn It Up – a collection that he says, “had exactly no songs less than 120 bpm, because I wanted it to be played in clubs.” The track was produced by Matt Godina, who has brought similar energy to hits by Nicholas Cole, Lin Rountree, Lebron and Julian Vaughn.

A deeper listen to 30, however, reveals a maturing artist focused more on what comes later in the evening as the lights dwindle down, candles are lit and the mood is set for a more profound connection and a deeper romance to blossom. Helping Vandell bring his seductive sound to life is producer Lew Laing, whose credits include urban jazz artists Paul Brown, Blake Aaron, Richard Elliot and DW3 in addition to indie dance artist Stephanie K.

Vandell creates the perfect flow for a beautiful evening with songs like “All I Need,” a lush dreamy ballad that takes wing via the powerful sax-bass duality he creates with guest artist Julian Vaughn; the coolly ambient “Chill AF,” featuring artful dual sax textures, with the harmony line playing off the melody; the whimsical, flute and finger-snap percussion enhanced “Daydream,” featuring another of Vandell’s influences, Marcus Anderson; and the graceful, easy shuffling “You and Me,” on which Vandell’s sax is backed by a beautiful acoustic guitar and sizzling horn textures. Vandell vibes with two powerhouse vocalists on two other key tracks, the emotionally compelling “Somehow” (ft. Britt Frappier) and the gently exotic, simmering then soaring “To You” (ft. Tempest B).

“The new album is called 30 and it reflects the thoughts that go into reaching that age milestone,” Vandell says. “I’ve always felt like turning 30 is when you become a true adult and your career and life goals become clearer. Musically, I’ve reached a place where I’m confident in what I write, play and perform. My true sound has become evident and the music is much more mature. Don’t get me wrong, I still play a lot of funk live – I’ve just got other things on my mind. This album is so emotional that you can feel me on a whole different level.

“Some who have listened to it say the music even inspires them to visualize the moves I would make when I’m playing it,” he adds. “For me, it feels the same way, moving me the way albums by old school soul legends like Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding and Al Green did when I was growing up. The vibe I’m creating now is a direct result of me being blown away when I first heard (British singer/songwriter) Marsha Ambrosius’ amazing 2014 album Friends & Lovers. Since then, as a man and as an artist, it’s been about the wine and roses. Those songs and realizing that so many of my fans were ladies really have impacted the music I am making now and want to create moving forward.”

Even though dreams of playing basketball filled his head as a kid, Vandell’s destiny seemed set once his mom enrolled him at a summer music camp at NOLA’s renowned St Marks Treme church – which the saxophonist says is where “Louis is from and Trombone Shorty grew up.” Vandell started on trumpet but switched to sax when his teacher told him his lips were better suited to it. “I was just excited to switch from three valves to all those cool buttons,” he says. Attending the exclusive private all black boys school St. Augustine High School on scholarship, he joined what was one of the most historic school marching bands in New Orleans history. During his time there, the band practiced year round and performed all around the country at prestigious events, including the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

After studying sax with famed instructor Edward “Kid” Jordan at the Southern University of New Orleans for a year, Vandell was contemplating his next educational move – including possibly attending Berklee School of Music – when Hurricane Katrina hit and his family evacuated to Dallas. Settling there, he instead attended community college and began participating in jam sessions, gigging at local jazz clubs and networking heavily. He soon realized that he wanted a career where he called the shots, rather than waiting for the phone to ring. Inspired by well-known New Orleans rapper Master P, who launched his international career completely DIY, Vandell realized that the best way to achieve his goals was composing and recording his own music and selling CDs himself. He credits Whalum and the late great Grover Washington, Jr. as major influences on his developing sax style.

Developing a unique vibe on sax that draws from a variety of influences, including Kirk Whalum and the late great Grover Washington, Jr., he began playing more R&B clubs, many private parties and even church gigs. He used the money he made from a part time job at a homeless shelter to fund his promotional endeavors. He began sharing his music and creating relationships on Myspace and looking up the names of radio promoters who worked with his favorite artists. “I was driven,” he says. “I did a lot of research and knew what I had to do to make things happen.” David Kunert’s success in promoting “Let’s Ride” to stations across the country was the breakthrough that took Vandell’s budding career to a whole new level. He followed his first official release Years Later… in 2011 with Turn It Up, the full length set All For Love (2016), the EP For Lovers and the full length VA Covers (2017).  

Ronald Jackson of The Smooth Jazz Ride wrote: “When one has the drive and determination to add to his or her knack for making good music, it’s hard not to look ahead and see success looming on the horizon. Andrew may well have drawn a bead on that vision.”

Or as Vandell himself says, “So turning 30 is not a bad thing at all – in fact, it’s great because now I know just what I want in my life. I’m excited about this next phase of my journey.”

 

Keyboardist Javier Santiago Releases All Original New Album, Phoenix

"All throughout my life, I feel like I have gone through a series of personal deaths. I begin something new, a new life or a new community, then at some point there is an inevitable crash or fall -- one that cleanses, renews and marks a turning point of change and growth. This natural cycle of death and rebirth is like the Phoenix. It's a process that all beings go through, whether it be humans, animals or Gaia, the earth itself."

For years, keyboardist Javier Santiago has ping-ponged across the country, searching for his sound in New York and California but he has always stayed true to his soulful roots in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For his Ropeadope Records debut, Phoenix, Santiago offers an album full of snow-dusted funk and a refreshing approach to jazzified-fusion.

The opportunity arose when an arduous journey for education took him from his Midwest home to study at the Brubeck Institute in California and then New York City's New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. His journey out west started in 2007 and proved to be a very freeing experience, opening up the young composer and arranger both personally and musically. Two years later, the transition to New York and reality of hard work was more jolting. "It shocked me," he admits, "in the best way possible."

After six years on the New York scene, Santiago found allure and unique welcoming vibe back in his hometown and returned to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. There, he applied through the MacPhail Center for Music for the McKnight Artist Fellowships Program -- a program that is one of the oldest and largest of its kind in the country -- and received a $25,000 un-restricted cash grant.

From there, Santiago called on a mix of Bay Area and Big Apple musicians he met through his studies and work to assemble a stellar cast for this auspicious debut. On Rhodes and synthesizers, he's joined by saxophonists Dayna Stephens (his former teacher) and Ben Flocks, as well as guitarist Nir Felder, bassist Zach Brown, and drummer Corey Fonville (a rhythm section which Santiago recorded with several times before). The album also features special guest trumpeters Nicholas Payton and John Raymond, as well as vocalist J. Hoard to further push Santiago's rebirth to the welcome ears of the open mind.

Initial sessions for the album were recorded at the legendary Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California: "Bill Evans! McCoy Tyner!" Santiago was no stranger to the history of the space. "I thought it would be great to record in California and the band agreed we would feel different recording in New York or Minnesota. I think this music went in the direction it did because of that room and that location."

The churning title track, "Phoenix," has become an anthem for Santiago. Synthesizers hum from all sides as Felder puts down solid emphasis amidst the groove. "It's about that process of crashing and burning and rising up again," he explains. "This part is the rise up." The ten-minute track is a tour-de-force for Santiago employing tight horn harmonies, searing instrumental solos and a persistent groove from Fonville's unyielding cymbals. That was no coincidence.

"Before the session, Corey (Fonville) was telling the studio manager, 'I have a package coming in,'" says Santiago with a chuckle. "'Let me know when it gets here.' He had bought this flat ride cymbal just for the session. He had a particular vision about how he wanted the music to sound and the vibe he wanted to bring. The flat ride is sort of a retro sound. A lot of great fusion records had a flat ride vibe. He was really excited about that."

The bursts of harmonies point "Autumn" towards one last blast of heat before the final leaf falls to the ground. "I originally wrote that piece electronically on a computer. It struck me as something sort of melancholy about it. Winter represents a sort of death. Autumn is the phase right before that -- preparing for death," says Santiago. "Autumn (Reprise)" returns later on the record, because some material is too good to pass up. "We cut up this track and originally left it out but I just had to include it on the record because of how good Ben and Corey sound."

Opening track "River Song" brings memories surging back to Santiago. "I grew up near the Mississippi. It never ends. It's always flowing. There's no finite ending for the waters that flow in it -- and it's one of the longest rivers in the world. There's something very healing about being near bodies of water." The water motif struck vocalist J. Hoard separately, with his off-the-cuff lyrics pushing Santiago's vibe into deeper, darker waters. Like a simple but convincing illusion, this track still swirls even after it is gone.

Later, Felder plucks ominously as the band settles in on "Gaia's Warning" as Santiago's ethereal keys dance at top speed. He dashes off springy lines that weave alongside the tenor saxophones of Stephens and Flocks. "It reminded me of a forest," Santiago says of the tune. "It was almost like crying out. It was a cry of desperation. The earth is one giant organism -- Gaia -- and it's calling out to the human race: 'Hey, I'm literally dying over here.'"

The band is joined by trumpeter Nicholas Payton for "Alive" in a playful but forceful track. "Corey took that in a direction I was not expecting. He played this swing beat under there. I was originally thinking it could be sort of a straight feel and kind of like a hip-hop thing," explains Santiago. "It clearly still has some of that but it's a little more old-school."

"Tomorrow" was another electronic composition that transforms into a live instrumentation. It sounds like pandemonium: panic and anxiety reminiscent of police sirens. The armed guards eventually stand-down but only in the face of Fonville's merciless attack. He pummels at full strength on this track, drawing in backbeats and a noble groove throughout. John Raymond guests on flugelhorn, introducing a new tone to the band that soars over their blistering attack.

"I feel like 'Abyss (Light)' is the moment at which one wakes up from the crash," explains Santiago. He swirls on Rhodes over surging drums and steady bass work from Brown. Felder returns for an equally potent solo take, further solidifying the band's sound as a unit. The blistering fire that has torched Santiago's past is gone; in its place, only light.

Santiago's modern sound, forged from his own unique experience, is a welcome addition to the scene. His perspective, charged by growth and an ethereal energy, is shorn of its inhibitions and focused squarely on pushing the groove. All rise.

Javier Santiago · Phoenix
Ropeadope Records · Release Date: June 29, 2018

Lizz Wright, Dirty Dozen Brass, Dianne Reeves & 2018 GRAMMY® Winner Christian McBride to Perform at the JAS June Experience

Jazz Aspen Snowmass is pleased to announce the remainder of their summer season including line-ups for both the JAS June Experience and the JAS Café Summer Series.

The JAS June Experience will kick off on Thursday, June 21 at the JAS Café Upstairs in the Aspen Art Museum with widely acclaimed rising star, contemporary vocalist, and saxophone player Grace Kelly. On Friday, June 22 the Experience moves over to the Benedict Music Tent with an evening of "NEW VOICES" featuring acclaimed vocalist Lizz Wright and Hamilton Tony Award-winner Leslie Odom Jr. (the original Aaron Burr in the smash international hit). Odom Jr.'s debut solo album Leslie Odom, Jr. was released in June 2016 on S-Curve Records and quickly rose to number one on the Billboard and iTunes Jazz charts. He will be joined on-stage with special guests the Aspen Music Festival & School Student Musicians (AMFS).

Opening for Odom Jr. is Lizz Wright, returning to the JAS June main stage after her tour de force guest appearance last year as part of the "Ella at 100" tribute concert collaboration with AMFS & JAS. Through an inimitable voice that The New York Times touts as, "a smooth, dark alto possessed of qualities you might associate with barrel-aged bourbon or butter-soft leather," Wright sings with a soaring reflection of the cultural fabric of America.

Lyle Lovett will appear Saturday, June 23 for the first time in Aspen with His Large Band on the June JAS Benedict tent Main Stage. Lovett's live performances show not only the breadth of this Texas legend's deep talents, but also the diversity of his influences making him one of the most compelling and captivating musicians in popular music.

JAS plans to bring back the popular FREE Gospel Brunch on Sunday, June 24 featuring New Orleans natives Josh Kagler and Harmonistic Praise, a high energy outfit including a full band plus eight singers on stage. The performance will be free and open to the public both inside the Benedict Tent and on the lawn. A pre-concert brunch prepared by Chef Martin Oswald of Pyramid Bistro in Aspen will be provided in the JAS Patron Tent for just $40 per person.

Later that evening guitarist/vocalist Raul Midón will perform at the JAS Café Downstairs at the Cooking School of Aspen. The New York Times called Midón, "a one-man band who turns a guitar into an orchestra and his voice into a chorus."

The final show at Benedict Music Tent: "Georgia on My Mind, A Tribute to Ray Charles," will take place on Saturday, June 30. This collaboration between JAS and AMFS will feature 10-time GRAMMY® Award-winners and a cappella vocal wizards TAKE 6, with special guest vocalists Nnenna Freelon and Clint Holmes, plus GRAMMY® Award-winning saxophone player Kirk Whalum. The performance is all backed by the H2 Big Band in a brassy, swinging tribute to the iconic "Genius of Soul."

Tickets for the June Experience go on-sale Tuesday, February 20 at 9:00 am MST. For the June 22-24 shows tickets can be purchased at jazzaspensnowmass.org, 866-JAS-TIXX (527-8499) or at the Belly Up Box Office in Aspen. Tickets for the June 30 performance are available now through the AMFS box office, aspenmusicfestival.com or 970.925-9042. Patron (VIP) two-day passes (June 22-24) are available now at jasstore.org.

Jazz Aspen has also announced the line-up for their Summer JAS Café Series featuring performances at four venues: Upstairs at the Aspen Art Museum (AAM) and Downstairs at both the Cooking School of Aspen (CSA) and The Little Nell (TLN) and new this summer a special performance at The Temporary in Basalt.

The 2018 JAS Café Summer Series is dedicated to the late Bob Magoon. Bob and his wife Nancy have been "season underwriters" of the JAS Café's year-round series since its inception. "JAS is honored to dedicate its 2018 Summer JAS Café series to the memory of our dear friend Bob Magoon, who provided crucial support from the first note and encouraged many others to join he and Nancy in supporting the JAS Café year-round!" says JAS President Jim Horowitz.

The Café series will kick-off June 15-16 with a fun weekend of shows taking place over Food & Wine weekend with New Orleans' Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and a special dinner provided by Chef Michael Sichel from the famed New Orleans restaurant Galatoire's. Remaining summer shows include:

  

June 21 - Grace Kelly - Aspen Art Museum

Contemporary Saxophone/Vocals

"Jazz Innovator...Making jazz young." - Billboard

June 24 - Raul Midón - Cooking School of Aspen

Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist

"A one-man band... who is spiritually connected." - The New York Times

June 28-29 - Laila Biali - The Little Nell

Canadian Jazz/Pop Pianist & Vocalist

July 6-7 - The Hot Sardines - Cooking School of Aspen

Witty Retro-Swing, a la Francaise!

"One of the best jazz bands in NY today!" - Forbes

July 13 - Scott Tixier Quintet - Aspen Art Museum

French violinist/composer

"...the future of jazz violin." - DownBeat

July 14 - Igor Butman & Fantine - Aspen Art Museum

Internationally acclaimed Russian Saxophonist

w/ explosive Global R&B/Jazz Vocalist

July 21 - Django Festival All-Stars - The Temporary

Hot French Gypsy Jazz, smash hit band

returning for 4th JAS Café appearance

July 27-28 - Handful of Keys: Emmet Cohen Meets Christian Sands

- Cooking School of Aspen

Two brilliant young pianist face to face. Four hands,

two pianos, one Hammond B3 Organ.

Aug. 10 - Nicki Parrot Tribute to Peggy Lee - Aspen Art Museum

Sultry & Swingin' Bassist/Vocalist's

homage to an American vocal legend

Aug. 11 - Allan Harris with the H2 Big Band with

Special Guests Carolyn Leonhart & Shirazette Tinnin - Aspen Art Museum

Big Band Swing to Swaggering R&B & selections from Allan's

hit off Broadway show Cross That River

Aug. 12 - The Bronx Horns: Tribute to Dizzie's 100th - Aspen Art Museum

Explosive Latin Rhythms: Mambo, Rhumba, Salsa

Aug. 17 - Dianne Reeves - Aspen Art Museum

5-time GRAMMY® Award-winner & the pre-eminent jazz vocalist of her generation

Aug. 18 - Christian McBride, Benny Green & Russell Malone - Aspen Art Museum

Classic "Drumless" Jazz Trio. Three Masters Re-unite! 

Aug. 19 - JAS Academy Big Band

directed by Christian McBride - Aspen Art Museum

Tickets for the summer JAS Café series will be available starting on Monday, February 26 at 9:00 am. Visit jazzaspensnowmass.org for details.

In August JAS will be reviving the former JAS Academy Summer Sessions program for gifted college music students. The new format, JAS Academy Big Band Sessions, will be led by former Academy Artistic Director, world-renowned bassist Christian McBride. In 2018 McBride won the GRAMMY® Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble with his Big Band, making this format an even more incredible opportunity for participating students.

Up to twenty students will be selected from top music programs across the country, to work with McBride and other Jazz Masters (including Dianne Reeves, Benny Green and Russell Malone) on an interactive curriculum designed around the "Big Band." The week will conclude with a live performance at the JAS Café in which all students will perform as a Big Band under the direction of McBride.

Closing out the summer, the 2018 Labor Day Experience line-up announced earlier this year includes Zac Brown Band, Jack Johnson, Lionel Richie, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Fitz & the Tantrums, Gary Clark Jr., Bahamas, and The Record Company. Tickets for these shows are available now.

www.jazzaspensnowmass.org   

 

Bassist NOAM WIESENBERG Presents His Debut Album ROADS DIVERGE

More than ten years ago, bassist/composer Noam Wiesenberg left Tel-Aviv and descended upon Boston (graduating Berklee in 2010, Magna Cum Laude in Jazz Performance), and eventually New York City, with the aspiration of playing alongside the world's greatest musicians. After many years of doing just that (with the likes of Camila Meza, Kevin Hays, Antonio Sanchez, Gilad Hekselman, Ari Hoenig, Billy Hart, Seamus Blake, Shai Maestro, Will Vinson, Uri Caine, Lage Lund, Dave Liebman and many others), the time has come to release his debut album, and his premiere as a composer and bandleader, Roads Diverge.

They say, "timing is everything". Making choices without fear of consequence can be daunting. And, in Robert Frost's famous poem "The Road Not Taken" the author stresses the importance of choosing the road less traveled. All of these factors played a significant part in the conception, production and delivery of the album you hold in your hands, Roads Diverge. "I think I have been hiding in other people's projects and music a little bit, and it feels good to make this choice for myself. I've never gone down the path of releasing my music before, so this is definitely a 'road less traveled' for me, but it feels like the right time to do it!" The album, featuring Noam Wiesenberg (bass, compositions), Philip Dizack (trumpet & FX), Immanuel Wilkins (alto sax, clarinet), Shai Maestro (piano/Fender Rhodes), Kush Abadey (drums), and special guest Dayna Stephens (tenor sax), will be released this May 18, 2018 on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records.

"It has taken me a long time to internalize that the choice itself is what is important, the act of choosing rather than which choice to make. It is often better to choose the 'wrong' path than to remain still and safe. By making a choice you are making progress, for better or for worse, and you are allowing yourself to grow," said the bassist. "Taking the road less traveled is the only way to discover new territories, which is so true in many aspects of life, and especially when it comes to a life in jazz and improvised music. I wanted to draw attention to not only the 'roads' in this music, but also to the point where they diverge. This album is about the power of choice, and the power of making choices. This is a strong idea for me, both conceptually and personally, and I am filled with pride and joy over this project."

More on Roads Diverge: The album opens with Prelude, with Wiesenberg offering us a "glimpse" of his wonderful sound, touch and phrasing, foreshadowing Shir Le'Shir. The warm, dreamy sound underneath Wiesenberg's bass is a synth pedal on the Fender Rhodes (played by Shai Maestro).

Resfeber is an untranslatable word in Swedish that means, "the restless race of the traveler's heart before the journey begins". "I love untranslatable words. They say something about a culture that has a word that no other culture/language has. If the Inuit have fifty different words for snow, does that mean they can differentiate types of snow better than others? I tried to captured the traveler's restlessness in this composition, which comes to a peak during the horns' soli in the middle of the track."

The exquisite folk song/lullaby-like melody of Shir Le'Shir is for Wiesenberg's niece, written for her when she was born."Shir Le'Shir" means "a song for Shir." "I wanted to write a melody that would sound like a song that has lyrics. A type of a chant for what I wish for her future," expressed Wiesenberg.

Where Do We Go From Here grew out of an exercise from a composition group Wiesenberg was part of. The exercise was to write a tune using only three chords, with an option to use a fourth chord, but only once. "This enabled me to explore and exploit the melodic possibilities on top of a minimal amount of chords," explained Wiesenberg. "I wrote it in one day, and its actually one of my favorite compositions that I've written so far."

The title track Roads Diverge is about one's journey. This was strongly influenced by Wayne Shorter, with a powerful counterpoint bass line that perhaps adds some danger to the melody. There are no chord changes - the composition is strictly about voice leading and counterpoint. "I had the honor to have the great Dayna Stephens to play tenor on this track. His solo here is one of the highlights of this record in my opinion," said Wiesenberg.

Capricorn Lady was written for the bassist's wife, a Capricorn (born on the last day of the year - December 31).

Davka is a funny, very Israeli word that means "specifically" or "exactly", and is usually said with an "in your face" attitude, though sometimes also used subtly. The music (in eleven) conveys the humorous paradox in its meaning.

Melody For Ido (featuring Shai Maestro on Fender Rhodes) was written eight years ago, and is dedicated to Wiesenberg's brother, Ido. "It was one of the compositions that just came to me naturally, and was finished in a day or two," said the artist.

Closing the album is The Tourist (by Radiohead), the only non-original on the album. "This song is part of the classic album - OK Computer which was a big part of my high-school soundtrack. When I heard it again a few weeks before going into the studio, I knew I wanted to do a solo version of that song. I ended up recording three-four layers of bass using arco and pizzicato," explained Wiesenberg.

More on Noam Wiesenberg: This extraordinary musician was born into a musical family, exposed to many different genres at an early age. After twelve years of playing the cello, Wiesenberg and the double bass found each other when he was twenty. The first of several musical crossroads, he chose to focus on jazz as he was mesmerized by the capabilities of jazz musicians. Following this transition, he quickly became an integral part of the Israeli Jazz scene. His classical background informs both his composition and arranging, and has lead to collaborations with some of the top symphony orchestras in Israel, including The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, The Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion, The Haifa Symphony Orchestra, and the Israel Defense Force Education Unit Orchestra.

Wiesenberg studied composition and arranging at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, and Jazz Performance at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music. He moved to the USA in 2008 to further his formal studies, and in 2010 graduated Magna Cum Laude in Jazz Performance from The Berklee College of Music in Boston. He then realized a life-long dream and moved to New York City, joining many of his friends and mentors, and becoming a much in-demand collaborator with a who's who of this music. Wiesenberg has toured Africa, India, Europe and the U.S., performing at venues including Monterey Jazz Festival, Vittoria Jazz Festival, Langnau Jazz Night, The Kennedy Center, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Town Hall, Jazz Standard, Blue Note, Small's Jazz Club, Smoke Jazz Club, Le Poisson Rouge, Joe's Pub and many others.

As an arranger, his extensive international work includes an arrangement for the Metropole Orkest with Grammy award winning singer Lalah Hathaway, conducted by the multiple Grammy award winner Vince Mendoza. Additionally, Wiesenberg wrote string quartet arrangements for Chilean singer-guitarist Camila Meza's new project - Camila Meza & Nectar Orchestra, and was the arranger and musical director for a recent nonet project led by luminary drummer Ari Hoenig.

Following a decade-long career as an arranger and performer of the work of other musicians, Noam Wiesenberg will release his debut album, Roads Diverge, on May 18, 2018.

Iconic Bassist Buster Williams Marks New Chapter in His Career After Decade Long Studio Hiatus with Audacity

Audacity. It's a word that seems ideally suited to the bold and intrepid bassist Buster Williams. Whether supplying eminently tasteful but strong-as-steel backing for singers like Nancy Wilson and Sarah Vaughan, or venturing into uncharted new territory as a member of Herbie Hancock's groundbreaking Mwandishi band, Williams' playing has always evidenced that fearless willingness to leap without hesitation into the unknown.

With his new recording, Audacity, Williams marks another chapter in that ongoing history. Due out June 15 via Smoke Sessions Records, the album finds Williams stepping into the studio as a leader for the first time since 2004's Griot Liberte, leading his long-running all-star quartet Something More with saxophonist Steve Wilson, pianist George Colligan and drummer Lenny White. Conceived as the legendary bassist celebrated the milestone of his 75th birthday, Audacity is a mission statement for an artist turning a new corner with the experience of three-quarters of a century behind him.

"You've got to have audacity to do what we do," Williams says of the title. "You have to have audacity to even want to do what we do, to even imagine that it's all going to work. I was looking for a word that could encapsulate all of my feelings and concepts and, at this moment in time, Audacity is the description of my life."

Turning 75 compelled Williams to re-enter the recording studio after a decade-long hiatus caused in large part by the seismic shifts in the record industry since the dawn of the new millennium. He was also driven by the continuing evolution of his long-running band, which had developed a fiery and wide-ranging sound that Williams felt needed to be captured. The release of Audacity, he says, will launch him on a new trajectory.

"You could say it's a new beginning," he explains. "It's certainly a new dimension or a new phase of my existence. There's a new excitement about what I'm doing. I don't take one note for granted, so I have to really feel that I have something to say or something to offer. Put all that together and I thought that now was the right time."

In his liner notes, Colligan points to the versatility and artistry displayed by Something More. "We have the ability to play with maturity, with restraint when necessary. But we can also play with the abandon expected from musicians in their 20s. There is a wide variety of tempos, dynamics, moods, and textures in this music. This is not a soundbite. It's a sound journey... Regardless of whether we are swinging hard, or playing a waltz, or a sensitive ballad, or something with a Latin tinge, we sound like a band."

It's rare in this day and age that a band gets the opportunity to develop such a collective voice over the span of a decade and a half. Any observer who pays any degree of attention to the modern jazz landscape will recognize that all four members of Something More are in-demand players in a wide variety of settings. Besides leading his own ensemble Wilsonian's Grain, Wilson has toured and recorded in recent years with the likes of Chick Corea, the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, and drummer Lewis Nash. Colligan will be releasing his 28th album as a leader in 2018, on top of playing regularly with jazz greats like Jack DeJohnette, Ravi Coltrane and Cassandra Wilson. Renowned for his time with the pioneering fusion group Return To Forever, White has also served notable tenures with Stanley Clarke, Geri Allen and Larry Coryell.

The collaboration of Buster Williams and Lenny White is notable in its own right, having anchored not only each other's bands but groups led by Wallace Roney, Cyrus Chestnut, and a number of others. "It's been magical," Williams says of his partnership with the drummer. "When I play with Lenny, I have no real concerns. Whatever he does, the pulse, the beat, the time is always going to be there. It's 99% pure. I'm free to explore and to do different things that I may not be able to do with other people, and he's free to do the same. And bottom line, it just swings."

That interlocking swing and sense of endless possibilities is evident throughout Audacity, not least on the burly post-bop burner of a title tune, which spurs a sharp, probing solo from Colligan and a daring display of grooving elasticity from the leader. But it's also there straight out of the gate on the opener "Where Giants Dwell," which wastes no time tearing into Williams' monumental theme before Wilson launches into a ferocious saxophone run. The tune's title was inspired by a trip the quartet took through the Austrian Alps, where the grand, snow-capped vistas led Williams to reflect on the giants who have mentored and inspired him throughout his estimable career.

A gripping journey in and of itself, "Song of the Outcasts" is a nod to the Eastern European gypsies whose boundary-free, nomadic lifestyles and music have inspired Williams. Both the lullaby-like lilt of "Ariana Anai" and the tender "Briana" were written with Williams' granddaughters in mind, his adoration of the girls evident in the moving sentiment of the two pieces. The anthemic "Triumph" boasts the kind of quiet audacity necessary to win small victories over what Williams calls "the vicissitudes of daily living."

In addition to his own compositions, Williams urged each of his bandmates to contribute new tunes for the session. Wilson is represented by "Sisko," a muscular swinger that weaves his sinuous alto over a roiling, surging groove. Colligan's "Lost on 4th Avenue," with its declamatory opening bass solo, relates the feeling of wandering through a mysterious urban landscape in a raptly narrative fashion, while White's "Stumblin'" is a joyous romp that draws fleet, agile expression from all four players.

All together, Audacity could serve to define the word itself, thrilling in Williams' insistence on pushing boldly forward. "If I only do what I know," he says, "that's like holding a nickel tightly in my fist: I won't lose that nickel, but I'll never have a dime. I'm always looking for something beyond what I know, what I can comprehend and what I understand." 

"Audacity" was produced by Paul Stache and Damon Smith and recorded

live in Brooklyn, New York at Systems Two and mixed to ½" analog tape

using a Studer mastering deck. Available in audiophile HD format.

  

Buster Williams · Audacity

Smoke Sessions Records · Release Date: June 15, 2018

Flutist JAMIE BAUM Explores Links Between Sacred Music Traditions on BRIDGES

Hailed by DownBeat Magazine for her "remarkable artistic facility" and by The New York Times for her "remarkable balance of fluidity and restless creativity," New York-based flutist/composer and 2014 Guggenheim Fellow Jamie Baum is proud to announce the release of her sixth CD as a leader, Bridges, featuring The Jamie Baum Septet+. The highly anticipated follow-up to her 2013 recording In This Life, Bridges offers yet another recording of incredible depth, beauty, spirituality, undiluted zeal and is the culmination of Baum's search for common links between some of the world's great religious music traditions. While conducting research for her Guggenheim Fellowship Award, Baum explains, "I found there to be very deep connections going back centuries, between certain types of Jewish music (my earliest musical influences), and Muslim/Arabic and Hindu/South Asian music." Exploring these musical connections, and composing new music inspired by her findings, became the focus of Bridges.

Baum's advanced harmonic sensibility and sonic imagination, beautifully brought to life by the stellar members of her long-running ensemble, proves yet again the capacity of modern jazz to absorb and transform music of diverse traditions, without sacrificing the improvisatory element at the core of jazz's identity. In her album notes Baum cites Wikipedia's definition of the word "bridge," one that seems to sum up her artistic mission here: "a structure built to span physical obstacles without closing the way underneath." At the same time, Baum's musical wanderings highlight something even deeper: our shared humanity, and the common threads that run throughout our history.

With great respect for these varied traditions and their vast languages, Baum's goal was not to play or compose exactly in these styles, but to have her travels and playing experiences inspire new ways of writing and improvising. The diverse musicians who make up the Jamie Baum Septet+ are all first-call artists on the jazz scene, many of them accomplished leaders in their own right. Their presence gives Baum limitless compositional freedom and inspiration: "Having specific players to write for is a bandleader/composer's dream and offers an incredible opportunity for experimentation and growth," she says. We hear this borne out in the lyrical melodies, intricate contrapuntal passages and complex rhythmic ideas at the heart of Bridges, and in the textural warmth and surprise of Sam Sadigursky's alto sax and bass clarinet, Brad Shepik's guitar, Amir ElSaffar's trumpet and voice, John Escreet's dazzlingly virtuosic piano and of course Baum's compelling improvisations on flute and alto flute throughout the album.

  

Baum's fascination with world sacred music traditions stemmed from her love of South Asian music and in particular for Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistan's late Qawwali vocal master. Her previous album In This Life was inspired by Khan's legacy, because she "found in him what I have found in those musicians who have touched me, like Coltrane, Miles and Pavarotti...a truly gifted, deeply spiritual and soulful artist," Baum writes in her album notes. Expanding her focus from Qawwali outward to other forms of religious music, Baum arrived at the focus of Bridges.

Khan's influence is also felt on "Joyful Lament," derived from a melody of Khan's called "Lament," Baum explains. This piece was arranged with Shepik's guitar in mind, and "his solo certainly exceeds anything I could have imagined," Baum enthuses.

In addition to her study of Khan, Baum's travels to India and especially Jazzmandu, the Kathmandu Jazz Festival, in 2003 and again in 2009, widened her musical horizons immeasurably. The three-movement "Honoring Nepal: The Shiva Suite," a centerpiece of Bridges, represents Baum's wish to give back to a community that has given her so much. The piece was commissioned by the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art in New York. "It was difficult to watch the pain and destruction the 2015 earthquake caused to the beautiful people and historic sites in Nepal, including musicians I knew and places I'd been," Baum writes. "I knew I wanted to highlight and pay tribute in some way to this event and found inspiration in a painting of Shiva ... a pan-Hindu deity revered widely by Hindus in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Shiva is the 'destroyer of evil and the transformer' within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity that includes Brahma and Vishnu. Shiva is the Supreme Being who creates, protects and transforms the universe. Completely contradictory aspects of life have been built into the personality of Shiva.... A particular 'thank you' to my rhythm section [Escreet, bassist Zack Lober and drummer Jeff Hirshfield] for their drive, sensitivity and expertise in navigating and highlighting the changing colors, dynamics and intensity, giving so much meaning to the arc and intent of this suite!"

The Nepali influence emerges again on "Mantra," arranged by Baum with Nepali musician Navin Chettri, who plays tanpura and sings on the track. The tune is based on Mahamrityunjaya Mantra "meant for healing, rejuvenation and nurturance," Baum writes. "According to Shiva Purana when you have fear of any unknown event this chant helps you to overcome the fear. The Shiva Purana is the highest science of elevating human nature to the very peak of consciousness, expressed in the form of very beautiful stories."

"From the Well" opens the album with the sound of a scale "common to Maqam, Jewish and South Asian music," writes Baum. "Song Without Words," a tribute to Baum's late father, highlights the composer's Jewish influence - in particular the Kol Nidre prayer so central to the holiday of Yom Kippur. "There Are No Words," with its relaxed straight-eighth feel and beautiful chamber-like interplay within the ensemble, revisits the theme of loss as well. And the closing track, "Ucross Me," was written during Baum's residency at the UCross Artist Colony in Clearmont, Wyoming in March 2015. It's a piece "about crossing boundaries and connecting influences," Baum writes, encapsulating the theme of Bridges as a whole.

In addition to her Guggenheim Fellowship (an honor she shared the same year with Steve Coleman and Elliott Sharp), Baum was awarded the 2017 New Music USA Project Grant and selected as a 2014-15 Norman Stevens Fellow during her MacDowell Colony residency. Baum's exemplary career has been built on superlative performances in the studio and on stages around the world, alongside a long list of renowned jazz artists including Randy Brecker, Mick Goodrick, Tom Harrell, Dave Douglas, Fred Hersch, Uri Caine, Ralph Alessi, David Binney, Anthony Braxton, Wadada Leo Smith and many others. She has placed in the DownBeat Critics' Polls annually since 1998 and has been nominated by the Jazz Journalists Association as "Flutist of the Year" eight times; the Jamie Baum Septet+ was nominated in 2014 as "Best Midsize Ensemble of the Year" in the same category as the Wayne Shorter Quartet and Steve Coleman's Five Elements. She has received support from the National Endowment for the Arts, International Jazz Composers Alliance, Meet the Composer, Chamber Music America and the American Music Center. Her playing credits include tours as a State Dept./Kennedy Center Jazz Ambassador, in 1999 to South America and in 2002 to India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Thailand and Bangladesh. Baum has served on the faculty of the jazz department at Manhattan School of Music since 2007 and on the adjunct faculty roster at the New School University since 2004. Altus Flutes/KHS America has sponsored her innovative clinic "A Fear-Free Approach to Improvisation for the Classically Trained Musician"™ at colleges, conservatories, festivals, flute clubs and "music and art" schools worldwide since 1993.