Bassist Jeff Denson releases "Between Two Worlds" featuring Romain Pilon & Brian Blade

Denson’s trio recording features a collaboration with French guitarist Romain Pilon and celebrated U.S. drummer Brian Blade, available October 25, 2019 via Ridgeway Records.

  

Between Two Worlds features ten original compositions: five each by Denson and Pilon, most of them written especially for this album. The music’s sound is consistent across the album: complex but highly expressive post-bop, guitar-trio jazz. Yet for the most part, it’s apparent at a glance which composer wrote which tune. Pilon’s titles are in French (“Sucrée,” “En Trois Temps,” “Azur,” “Génération”); “Madrid,” whose language is neither of the above, is also by Pilon. “Song of a Solitary Crow,” “Nostalgic Farewell,” “Listen Up,” “Lost and Found” and “Between Two Worlds” are Denson’s. 

The album’s title has poetic dimensions. “As musicians we float between two worlds,” writes Denson in the album’s liner notes. “One, a physical plane and the other a powerful reality that can only be found with the most open of ears, hearts and minds.”

Part of that intuitive reality is the chemistry between the three musicians, which all of them agreed was strong. “Romain is inspiring, his playing and compositions,” Blade says. “And Jeff as well. Who they are comes through in the music, and the joy.” 

“Playing music with Jeff and Brian was like discovering new paths to creativity,” Pilon adds. “I felt like everything was possible. I just had to keep my ears open.”

“It’s one thing to make everything work and have everybody sound good, but there’s an unexplainable magic that can happen between players,” Denson finishes. “That was very clearly there for us. It was a totally magical, exciting experience to do this trio album.” 

Internationally renowned bassist, vocalist, composer, and educator Jeff Denson was born on December 20, 1976 in Arlington, Virginia, and grew up in the Washington, DC area.  He began playing alto saxophone in the third grade, switching in high school to bass and vocals. He studied at Virginia Commonwealth University and Northern Virginia Community College, all the while freelancing heavily on the DC jazz scene, before transferring to Boston’s Berklee College of Music to complete his degree. At Berklee, Denson co-founded the trio Minsarah, touring and recording with the band for fifteen years and becoming the accompanist for the legendary saxophonist Lee Konitz for over twelve years. In the meantime, Denson completed a master’s degree at Florida State University and a DMA at the University of California at San Diego.

Denson relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2011 to become a professor at the California Jazz Conservatory where he now serves as Dean of Instruction.  He released his first solo project, Secret World, in 2012 and has earned wide critical acclaim for his performances and recordings. DownBeat Magazine has cited Denson’s “considerable gifts as an improviser, interpreter and sonic trailblazer..." earning him a spot on the DownBeat International Critics Poll.  Germany’s Jazz Podium Magazine noted that “Denson is breaking new ground…(he is) one of the leading bassists of contemporary jazz.” Denson has released fourteen albums as a leader or co-leader and performs in some 60 concerts annually with his own groups as well as with the San Francisco String Trio (Denson, guitarist Mimi Fox and violinist Mads Tolling), among others. 

He also spearheads Ridgeway Arts, a nonprofit designed to enhance and fortify the Bay Area scene with educational initiatives, concert presentations and recordings released on Denson’s Ridgeway Records label. In addition to Between Two Worlds, Denson released Jeff Denson Live, a digital album, in May 2019. 

Romain Pilon

Described by Jazzwise as "a brilliant improviser," French guitarist and composer Romain Pilon has, over the years, earned a solid reputation among the jazz guitar world. He started playing guitar at age 10, exploring all kinds of music throughout high school and eventually going to Conservatory in his native France before gaining a scholarship from the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston. After his US sojourn (where his won three awards and was chosen with his group to open for Pat Metheny out of 1,000 guitar students) he lived between Paris and NYC, performing with some of the world’s greatest improvising musicians.

Romain has recorded three albums as a co-leader and four as a leader: NY3, Colorfield, The Magic Eye, and most recently, Copper. His talent both as an improviser and composer has earned him kudos in the international press as one of the standout musicians currently living in Paris. Jazz journalist and curator Vincent Bessieres wrote: "Romain is a guitarist whose flow of imagination sets high standards, and whose guitar tone is one of the most elegant around…" Jazz Podium (Germany) calls him "a wonder of taste and style." His ability to play all forms of jazz, from swing and bebop to modern and avant-garde, makes him an in-demand sideman.  Recent performances have included tours as a leader in France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, and the US in clubs and festivals such King’s Place (London), Duc des Lombards (Paris), Crescent Jazz Festival, Malta Jazz Festival (Malta), Jazz Station (Belgium),Saint Omer Jazz Festival, Vitoria Jazz Festival (Spain), La Londe Jazz Festival, and many more.

Besides his career as a performing musician, Pilon is a renowned pedagogue. He has given masterclasses in France, the US, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Japan, Germany, and Malta. In 2016 he started a series of “Mini Lessons" videos on YouTube. With over 200,000 views on the playlist and close to 7,000 downloads of pdfs from all over the world, it has been a big success. Over the years he has taught over 200 private students, many of them now renowned musicians in their own right. 

Brian Blade

Brian Blade was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. The first music he experienced was the Gospel and songs of praise at the Zion Baptist Church where his father, Brady L. Blade, Sr., has been Pastor since 1961. In elementary school, music appreciation classes were an important part of his development, and at age nine he began playing the violin. Inspired by his older brother, Brady L. Blade, Jr., who had been the drummer at Zion Baptist Church, Brian shifted his focus to the drums throughout middle and high school. During high school, while studying with Dorsey Summerfield, Jr., Brian began listening to the music of John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk, Elvin Jones and Joni Mitchell. In 1988, at the age of eighteen, he moved to New Orleans to attend Loyola University. Over the next five years, he was able to study and play with most of the master musicians living in New Orleans, including John Vidacovich, Ellis Marsalis, Steve Masakowski, Bill Huntington, Mike Pellera, John Mahoney, George French, Emile Vinette, Germaine Bazzle, David Lee, Jr., Alvin Red Tyler, Tony Dagradi and Harold Battiste.

In 1997, Brian Blade formed The Fellowship Band with pianist Jon Cowherd. The band members are bassist Chris Thomas and saxophonists Myron Walden and Melvin Butler. The Fellowship Band released their self-titled debut album in 1998, Perceptual in 2000, Season of Changes in 2008, Landmarks in 2014 and Body and Shadow in 2017, all on Blue Note Records. While continuing to work with The Fellowship Band, Blade has been a member of the Wayne Shorter quartet since 2000. He has recorded with Daniel Lanois, Joni Mitchell, Kenny Garrett, Ellis Marsalis, Marianne Faithfull, Norah Jones, Emmylou Harris and Bob Dylan. In 2009, Blade released his first album as a singer-songwriter, Mama Rosa, featuring songs dedicated to his grandmother and family, written from experiences about his life so far. The album features Daniel Lanois, vocalist Kelly Jones, bassist Chris Thomas, guitarist Goffrey Moore and pianists Aaron Embry and Jon Cowherd.

www.jeffdenson.com

REZ ABBASI: A THROW OF DICE by The Silent Ensemble

Comprehending the vastness of music’s evolution over almost a century, even in terms of jazz and world music alone, can be pretty mind-blowing – yet New York-based guitarist/composer Rez Abbasi spans that arc with an original release of quintet music based on A Throw of Dice (A Romance of India), a vintage black-and-white Indian-German silent film from 1929.

His new album A Throw of Dice is Abbasi’s 13th release and his first film score. It features his group The Silent Ensemble with saxophonist/flutist Pawan Benjamin, bassist/cellist Jennifer Vincent, Carnatic percussionist Rohan Krishnamurthy and drummer Jake Goldbas. The project was commissioned in 2017 by David Spelman, curator of the celebrated New York Guitar Festival. Following an Abbasi trio performance at WNYC’s Green Space, hosted by veteran radio DJ John Schaefer, Spelman quickly recognized the eclecticism and power in Abbasi’s music and what his broad musical range could bring to a larger concept. “The idea was to write a new score for the historic 74-minute film A Throw of Dice, and to perform it live at Brookfield Place in Manhattan and The Krannert Center in Illinois,” explains Rez. “The film is simply amazing – the last and widely regarded as the best in a trilogy made by German director Frank Osten – shot in dramatic locations within Rajasthan with ‘jungle’ animals and a cast of thousands.” The tale is based on an episode from The Mahābhārata, one of two epic Sanskrit tales of India from 8th century B.C.E. that retains its relevancy in our times.  The moral and philosophical story of love and manipulation plays out in a very human fashion, and delivers an important message that greed ultimately can never win.

Inspired by ragas and Indian rhythms, Abbasi has created a sequence of richly aromatic soundscapes which, importantly, reflect his own jazz, western classical and rock music personality. This began as a musical narrative – a through-composed “collaboration with Indian and cinematography history” with both scored and improvisatory responses to on-screen action. Yet away from the visuals it’s a striking creation, integrated and brought to life by each member playing multiple instruments; standard jazz instrumentation augmented by sitar-guitar, cello, bansuri flute, ghatam, mridangam and kanjira. As Rez states, “It was imperative to have a versatile group in order to mirror the flow of the film. With these textural possibilities, I felt I had the flexibility to keep the music aligned with whatever emotional content the film presented.”

The episodic mystery of Abbasi’s music is compelling, as gentle acoustic guitar and flute melodies shift into atmospheric percussion and sitar-guitar is bolstered by the jazz vibrancy of sax riffs and heavy grooves. Blissful moments of beauty abound, from the echoic tenor soloing in ‘Amulet and Dagger’ to the calming flute, guitar and cello tranquility of ‘Seven Days.’ In contrast come the dancing jazz and rock motifs of ‘Jugglers’ and ‘Moving Forward,’ while Abbasi’s extemporary prowess shines through in sumptuous ‘Wedding Preparation,’ complete with gloriously mesmeric exchanges between electric guitar and soprano saxophone.

“This album is quite different from anything else I’ve done – something I would not have created had it not been for the film’s guidance, which is so pleasing,” enthuses Rez. “Engaging with the characters’ emotional and psychological content the visuals, along with other stimuli, galvanized my ideas. However, as subservient as I was to the film, knowing that the music was going to be released separately made it important to create an engaging listening experience that would be strong on its own. The added bonus is, as a performance piece the pockets of improvisation allow it to evolve every time.”

Guitarist and composer Rez Abbasi is an artist who continually pushes boundaries in meaningful ways. Born in Karachi, Pakistan and raised in Southern California since age four, he studied jazz and classical music at the University of Southern California and the Manhattan School of Music, supplemented by a pilgrimage in India under the guidance of master percussionist Ustad Alla Rakha. Abbasi’s music is a vivid synthesis of all the above stated influences and genres. Voted #1 “Rising-Star Guitarist” in 2013’s DownBeat Critics Poll and subsequently placed in the "Top-Ten Guitarists" alongside luminaries Bill Frisell and Pat Metheny, Abbasi has become one of the most original voices on the current scene. Making New York home for the past 25 years, the guitarist’s unique playing and composing can be heard on his now thirteen albums. Garnering multiple awards and composition commissions, Rez Abbasi continues to find creative ways to enrich diverse audiences with his musical projects.

Contemporary Guitarist and co-creator of the Imrat guitar Todd Mosby releases fifth album: ‘Open Waters'

Produced by Windham Hill Records founder Will Ackerman, and with a sound described as "an album to daydream to", Open Waters finds Mosby once again embarking on a creative journey navigating through elements of Jazz, New Age, Folk and Indian music. "Open Waters is one of the best project I have been involved with…Todd Mosby is the most unique sounding guitarist I have ever worked with, nobody does what he does…" - Will Ackerman

"This album crosses the full spectrum of the music I have performed and know intimately...from Indian Rag to traditional Jazz to the The Police.  It's a concept album based upon the story of Atlantis (Plato's story about the destruction of the ancient civilization), and what survivors may have felt as they escaped from the deluge in ships heading westward." - Todd Mosby

Coming from a family of inventors (he is the co-inventor of the Imrat guitar along with Kim Schwartz and Imrat Khan), Mosby's early musical DNA was formed from his love of Bluegrass and Folk music, which eventually expanded into Fusion and Jazz.  While a college student, Mosby began studying Indian music (namely classical North Indian music), which led to the genre's incorporation into his music, and sparked the creation of the Imrat guitar [a 20 stringed hybrid sitar guitar musical bridge instrument that allows Western musicians to access Eastern melodies and Eastern musicians to access Western harmonies for the first time]. After 13 years of study with Imrat Khan, Mosby became the only guitarist ever admitted into the Imdhad Khani Gharana, India's most prestigious family of musicians.  "This instrument [Imrat guitar] sounds better than a guitar and sounds better than a sitar…it is an instrument for the 21st century." - Imrat Khan

With more than several accolades and collaborations during his very active career, Mosby has either shared the stage with, or opened up for such luminaries as Michael Manring, Imrat Khan, Foreplay, Spyro Gyra, and several others. He has performed around the world including, Kravis Center (West Palm Beach, FL), The Harris Center (Modesto, CA), Soka University (Aliso Vieja, CA), and many others.

Speaking again on the conceptual nature of the project, Mosby says: This (the Atlantis reference above) is what I consider an archetype model as well for anyone journeying from one country to another, one city to another or even leaving planet earth to journey into interstellar space for colonization on new worlds.  My mission as an artist is to connect with audiences at the spiritual, emotional and physical levels and as such, change lives."

 

Guitarist Pasquale Grasso Explores the Music of Thelonious Monk

Sony Masterworks is proud to release the third installment of guitar virtuoso Pasquale Grasso's digital only EP series: Solo Monk. The series – which began with Solo Standards, Vol. 1 and Solo Ballads, Vol. 1 earlier this year – showcases him in the solo guitar format, where his intensive studies of both the masters of bebop and classical guitar technique meld into a signature mastery that is, remarkably, at once unprecedented and evocative. The approach of the releases echoes the changing landscape in the industry, allowing a prolific recording artist to release a multitude of material over the course of an extended period of time.

As with most of his musical passions, Grasso became a Monk convert while still a child, after his father played him a record—in this case The Unique Thelonious Monk, a 1956 trio session featuring Oscar Pettiford and Art Blakey. Monk’s playing—the bluesy, propulsive architecture of his solos, the percussive stomp of his chording—reminded the young guitarist of one of his biggest heroes (and rare six-string influences), Charlie Christian. Since then, Grasso has found in Monk’s music an endless store of harmonic and rhythmic challenges, which he’s more than happy to meet here on “Epistrophy,” “’Round Midnight,” “Ruby, My Dear,” “Criss Cross” and “Off Minor.” “There isn’t a lot more to say,” Grasso admits, chuckling. “It’s just genius music.”

Many serious guitar heads have been hip to Grasso for a while now and are aware of his jaw-dropping online performance videos, his beautiful custom instrument – built in France by Trenier Guitars – and his early career triumphs. In 2015, he won the Wes Montgomery International Jazz Guitar Competition in New York City, taking home a $5,000 prize and performing with guitar legend Pat Martino’s organ trio. Last year at D.C.’s Kennedy Center, as part of the NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert, Grasso participated in a special performance to honor Pat Metheny, alongside his guitar-wunderkind peers Camila Meza, Gilad Hekselman, Dan Wilson, and Nir Felder.

His Sony Masterworks EPs showcase his sweeping abilities in the most intimate possible setting. Here you can experience his lifetime of listening and of challenging himself to transcend a bar set by Art Tatum so many decades ago. Additional EPs are slated for future release, including Pasquale exploring the works of Duke Ellington, Bud Powell and Charlie Parker. 

It was the kind of endorsement most rising guitarists can only dream of, and then some. In his interview for Vintage Guitar magazine’s February 2016 cover story, Pat Metheny was asked to name some younger musicians who’d impressed him. “The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life is floating around now, Pasquale Grasso,” said the jazz-guitar icon and NEA Jazz Master. “This guy is doing something so amazingly musical and so difficult.

“Mostly what I hear now are guitar players who sound a little bit like me mixed with a little bit of [John Scofield] and a little bit of [Bill Frisell],” he continued. “What’s interesting about Pasquale is that he doesn’t sound anything like that at all. In a way, it is a little bit of a throwback, because his model—which is an incredible model to have—is Bud Powell. He has somehow captured the essence of that language from piano onto guitar in a way that almost nobody has ever addressed. He’s the most significant new guy I’ve heard in many, many years.”

As he’s done with many rising jazz stars, Metheny later invited Grasso over to his New York home to jam and share some wisdom. He’s since become a generous presence in Grasso’s life, and his assessment of Grasso’s playing is—no surprise—spot-on.

Born in Italy and now based in New York City, the 30-year-old guitarist has developed an astounding technique and concept informed not by jazz guitarists so much as by bebop pioneers like Powell, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie and the classical-guitar tradition.

These days, Grasso teaches and maintains a packed gig schedule around New York, including frequent solo performances at the popular Greenwich Village haunt Mezzrow, where a regular Monday-night gig allowed him to develop his solo-arranging skillset. Not that Grasso thinks his work is done. “All [of the musicians I love are] inspiration for me to get new ideas and form my style, because it’s still growing,” Pasquale says. “And it’s gonna be growing until the day I die.”

Solo Standards Vol. 1 – Available Digitally Now (Released June 28, 2019)

This collection of some of Grasso’s best-loved standards kicks off with “Just One of Those Things,” a tune he felt compelled to tackle after hearing Bud Powell’s dauntless solo rendition. “This Time the Dream’s on Me” is one of the first standards Grasso ever learned, after hearing it on a live recording featuring Powell and Charlie Parker; it was also the go-to show opener for the bands he co-led with his brother, alto saxophonist Luigi Grasso, while growing up in Italy. Pasquale chose “All the Things You Are” so that listeners might be able to gauge his trademarks on this most standard of jazz standards, and because it’s one of his brother’s favorite tunes (and, of course, for Charlie Parker). “Dancing in the Dark” finds inspiration in Art Tatum’s sterling solo version. “Tea for Two” is a nod to both Tatum and Barry Harris, who uses the number as a staple of his concert repertoire.

Solo Ballads Vol. 1 – Available Digitally Now (Released August 16, 2019)

“The way I approach ballads,” Grasso explains, “is I try to learn the story of the song with the lyrics, even if I don’t remember all of the lyrics, because English isn’t my first language.” After that, the virtuoso says, he simply tries to relax and tinge his performance with the easygoing gait of stride piano. Here Grasso takes on “Body and Soul,” one of his father’s favorites and a tune he first remembers hearing as performed by Dexter Gordon in the film ‘Round Midnight; the Art Tatum tributes “These Foolish Things” and “Over the Rainbow”; the deceptively demanding “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye”; and “Someone to Watch Over Me,” yet another eulogy of sorts for his hero Bud Powell, who recorded a heartrending trio version in the mid-’50s.

Solo Monk – Available Digitally Now

As with most of his musical passions, Grasso became a Monk convert while still a child, after his father played him a record—in this case The Unique Thelonious Monk, a 1956 trio session featuring Oscar Pettiford and Art Blakey. Monk’s playing—the bluesy, propulsive architecture of his solos, the percussive stomp of his comping—reminded the young guitarist of one of his biggest heroes (and rare six-string influences), Charlie Christian. Since then, Grasso has found in Monk’s music an endless store of harmonic and rhythmic challenges, which he’s more than happy to meet here on “Epistrophy,” “’Round Midnight,” “Ruby, My Dear,” “Criss Cross” and “Off Minor.” “There isn’t a lot more to say,” Grasso admits, chuckling. “It’s just genius music.”

PERCUSSIONIST SAMUEL TORRES RELEASES NEW ALBUM - ALEGRIA

The new recording, Alegria from percussionist, composer, and bandleader Samuel Torres (from Bogota, Colombia, and based in Astoria, NY), is a celebration of life! As a bandleader Torres has released four recordings, including the much-heralded albums Skin Tones, Yaoundé and Regreso (with Nueva Filarmonía Orchestra from Colombia). His fourth recording, Forced Displacement, was a searing commentary on the sociopolitical situation in Colombia.  In stark contrast, Alegria, which means "happiness" or "joy," presents eight original compositions that captivate and inspire. Torres elaborates, "in these somewhat dark and divisive times we need light and joy, and we need to share these things with each other to combat hate. For us (Latinos) dancing is vital for celebration, and that's what this record is all about. It is an inclusive celebration for the teenagers, the kids, the crazy aunts and uncles, parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters . . . everyone! This music has many elements and ingredients, but it is rhythm and dance that brings it all together, as it is light and joy that brings people together."

With a New Jazz Works Grant from Chamber Music America in his pocket (Torres holding the distinction of being a two-time recipient of the award), Torres put his formidable composer's mind and his boundless hopefulness to work, creating an album that would awaken the positivity and jubilation in the listener, and serve as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. The music on Alegria is inspired by music of the urban and dance scene of Bogota, and embodies all of the love, vitality, joie de vivre, and magnificent talent, which Torres and his ace band, comprised of many of NYC's finest musicians, brought to every note. 

The album's co-producer, Kabir Sehgal, said of working with Torres on Alegria, "It has indeed been a joy to produce Alegria with maestro Torres. He is a one-of-a-kind, irrepressibly magnificent artist who taps his whole being for his music. He's a marvel, and his music is a model for us all." - Kabir Sehgal is a New York Times bestselling author and Multi-Grammy & Latin Grammy Award winning producer

More on the music on Alegria with Samuel Torres: Torres, well versed in dozens of folkloric traditions from around the world, offers a kaleidoscopic of melody, harmony, and of course, rhythm. During the course of this invigorating album you will hear rhythms from his native Colombia (cumbia on "Preludio a un Abrazo," and with more indigenous influence on the title track), as well as Boogaloo from NYC (on "Barretto Power"), Guaguanco - Cuban Descarga (on "Anga," dedicated to the memory of Cuban percussionist Miguel "Anga" Diaz), Bolero, with bachata influences (on "Bolero Para Raquel"), Salsa Choke (a famous style that mixes contemporary Urban Spoken Word over a Cuban Pilon pattern (on "Salsa, Jazz y Choke"), funk mixed with a blend of Central African rhythms and Peruvian Lando (on "The Strength to Love"), and Ecuadorian and Colombian Bambuco (on one of the album's prettiest tunes, "Little Grasshopper").

1. Salsa, Jazz y Choke - There is contemporary urban style of music in Colombia called Salsa Choke, became famous because the Colombian National Soccer team would dance to these sounds at The World Cup. Salsa Choke hails from the Pacific coast, where the strongest Afro-Colombian community is based. Basically, the music incorporates rap over a Cuban Pilon loop. Some people love it, some don't, but much of the aesthetic is borrowed from hip-hop, and there is often a social protest aspect to the lyrics. I loved the groove so I thought why not make it more interesting. In my composition process I frequently use simple motifs as a jumping off point. Solos: Marshall Gilkes (Trombone) , Luis Perdomo (Piano), Samuel Torres (Congas)

2. The Strength to Love - Comprised of two motifs, one that represents a strong African heritage, and the other, love. I decided to name this composition after reading sections of Martin Luther King's "The Strength to Love," as an example of using love to fight hate. Solos: Luis Perdomo (Fender Rhodes), Joel Frahm (Tenor Sax), Samuel Torres (Talking Drum)

3. Barretto Power - A Boogaloo dedicated to my hero Ray Barretto, I think the recordings he did in the early 70's which combined soul, jazz and other elements, were so important and Boogaloo represents the sound of Latin-Urban NYC of that era. Because Barretto was so interested in hip, advanced harmony, this tune is composed with a variety of dissonant harmonic colors. Solos: Ruben Rodriguez (Electric Bass), Ivan Renta (Baritone Sax), Pablo Bencid (Drums)

4. Preludio a un Abrazo - In our human process of reconciliation there are many steps, but I think a strong and sincere hug is the best representation of forgiveness.  The rhythm is a Colombian Bullerengue (the mother of Cumbia), and it's constructed as a transparent piano prelude, and then orchestrated. Solos: Luis Perdomo (Piano). Michael Rodriguez (Trumpet), Will Vinson (Soprano Sax)

5. Little Grasshopper - A tune intended to feature the Kalimba, featuring a simple melody over a 6/8 rhythmic pattern with South American components (maracas llaneras, cajon). The band plays melodic grooves similar to an African choir. In 2018 I began teaching kids in a private school in Manhattan, and basically I'm developing a world-percussion program with them. It has been one of the biggest challenges I've had in my life, and this tune is dedicated to those kids who have become the best teachers I've ever had. Solos: Ivan Renta (Flute), Samuel Torres (Kalimba)

6. Bolero Para Raquel - A bolero inspired on a bachata from Juan Luis Guerra (the reason that the main percussion part is on bongos) that I wrote for my then wife - so it's about love, happy moments, hard times, separation, come backs, a good bye, etc. Solos: Joel Frahm (Tenor Sax)

7. Alegria - A Cumbia, but not in the traditional Colombian way, but more of what they call "Cumbia Chicha," that has elements of South American indigenous music, like Guaino. This composition has a contrasting, expressive section, but at the end it's all about celebrating, happiness and dancing! Solos: Will Vinson (Alto Sax), Luis Perdomo (Piano)

8. Anga - Inspired on the traditional Cuban descarga, this is a tribute to our deep love for Afro-Cuban music, but especially to the memory of Miguel "Anga" Diaz. He was very important in my development as a musician, not only because of his playing, but also because he gave me the opportunity to hang and play with him. When I was a teenager in Bogota, I went through a period of time of feeling insecure about becoming a percussionist. I felt that maybe I didn't have it in me . . . truthfully I wanted to be black and from the Caribbean. Some friends told him how I was feeling, and he hugged me and told me that when we jammed I touched his soul and that I should never doubt myself, but continue studying the congas. I shared the stage with him on many occasions (the last time in Spain just weeks before he passed away), and we always had a special master-alumni relationship. Solos: Marshall Gilkes (Trombone), Ivan Renta (Baritone Sax), Samuel Torres (Congas)

More on Samuel Torres: When the imposing talents of one of today's most versatile Latin jazz artists melds with the organic richness of some of the world's greatest cultural melting pots, the results are guaranteed to be as fresh and virtuosic as they are revealing and magical. Born in Bogata, Colombia, and raised in a bustling and culturally sophisticated metropolis where jazz and classical music share the stage with salsa and an infinite variety of Colombian folkloric idioms. Torres' earliest exposure to music came at home, thanks to an extended family of musicians and easy access to a wealth of Colombian genres and styles that reflect a range of African, indigenous and European influences.

By age 12, Torres was performing with various ensembles, developing techniques that allowed him to quickly adapt to the demands of jazz, pop music and salsa. A classically trained percussionist, he earned a degree in Music Composition from Bogotá's esteemed Universidad Javeriana. Before departing for the U.S., the resourceful young artist had become an established figure, backing leading Colombian performers while serving as an arranger and music director for his country's highly regarded telenovelas and films.

Since arriving in the U.S. in 1999, following in the footsteps of his uncle Edy Martinez (who had risen to fame in the New York City salsa scene in the early 1970's as a pianist and arranger for acclaimed conga player, Ray Barretto - also a major influence), Torres took the scene by storm, quickly becoming an in-demand sideman and valued collaborator for such luminaries as Tito Puente, Paquito D'Rivera, Chick Corea, Alejandro Sanz, Ricky Martin, Don Byron, Richard Bona, Lila Downs, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Angelique Kidjo, Marc Anthony, Rubén Blades, Fonseca, Andrés Cepeda, Thalía, and his country's own international superstar, Shakira. His talents have also been featured in concerts with classical orchestras such as Berlin Symphoniker, City of London Sinfonia, The Boston Pops, Bogotá Philharmonic, Medellín Philharmonic, Delaware University Orchestra, The Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Nashville Symphony.

 

The Andrew Schiller Quintet Releases "Sonoran"

Sonoran, available on Red Piano Records on October 25, is the second album from bassist/composer/bandleader Andrew Schiller featuring an adventurous quintet of like-minded musicians. The artist explores the limits of his unique writing style in this evocative nine-part suite, written as a contemplation of the Sonoran Desert landscape, a setting that he called home for most of his childhood. A diversely beautiful region located across the American Southwest and Northwestern Mexico, the area has historically and recently become subject to contentious debates on political borders. The desert, though, does not abide by man-made boundaries and drawing a line through the region, physically or figuratively, cannot break the connectedness of people and cultures sharing the same harsh and astonishing environment.

Sonoran is a cinematic suite embodying some of the unique elements of the desert-the blistering heat of an inescapable sun, the surreal mountain ranges with jagged rock formations, needled flora and venomous fauna, and hauntingly vast stretches of barren earth. The composition is built on contrasting and interlocking themes, bridged together by the exploratory improvised dialogue from members of the quintet. By experimenting with techniques in counterpoint, harmonic layering, and motivic development, Schiller blends jazz stylings with folk melodies, contemporary classical, third stream, and avant-garde.

The album's title track Sonoran simmers with an intertwining ostinato of alto saxophone and bass clarinet, introducing a swelling unison melody shared by tenor saxophone and arco bass. Tension increases gradually during the harmonic progression of the piece, and dissipates at the arrival of four sustained chords followed by a pause. An accelerated bass line introduces a flurry of full-group improvisation, which evolves into the piece's climax, a howling chant played together by three horns.

HARQUAHALA is a brief duet interlude, bridging together parts I and III of the suite. Andrew Schiller's tremolo double-stops in the upper register of the bass are layered with the sustained repetition of Hery Paz's bass clarinet, creating a ghostly ambience.

GAMBELII is named for the Gambel's quail, a ground-dwelling bird that scurries alongside its flock using extremely agile and well-choreographed movements. These frantic motions are set to music with a topsy-turvy three-horn melody, lined up with a polyrhythmic drum and bass groove. Solos by Ethan Helm (alto sax) and Tony Malaby (tenor sax) dart about with ease, dancing with the interactive drumming of Matt Honor. The party-feel of this piece eventually breaks down into a haphazard warble before fading away.

WESTERN THEME #1 (We Thought We Were Cowboys) is the first of three vignettes within the suite, each best conceptualized as Schiller's version of "cowboy folk songs." The first theme begins with a flowing three-horn arrangement of a lullaby-esque melody, unhindered by a metronomic pulse. As the trio of woodwinds fades away, Schiller begins a crawling, deliberate bass solo that intimately expands upon the themes of the piece before he is joined by the full ensemble for a restatement of the melody.

WET HAIR, DRY AIR is chamber music composition with shades of Maurice Ravel's "Bolero," featuring a rolling, but stately melody with dissonant, staccato woodwind interjections. The ebb and flow of the densely layered themes makes way for a virtuosic and expressive bass clarinet feature for Paz. Augmentations of some of the suite's earlier motifs serve as a backdrop throughout the development of the solo.

WESTERN THEME #2 develops slowly and highlights a richly layered ensemble. The reedy textures build upon an ascending theme, taking several pleasantly unexpected harmonic surprises, while Matt Honor's percussive contributions create a mystical atmosphere.

The frenzied pace of SHADE FOR SHELTER is intensified by the driving contrapuntal melodies between alto/tenor saxophones and bass clarinet/bass. Soloists Schiller (bass) and Ethan Helm (alto sax) are given space to express themselves, navigating a treacherous form emphasized by background ensemble interjections. The track closes with a drawn-out folk-inspired melody, derived from earlier material within the piece, played in unison between bass clarinet and arco bass.

WESTERN THEME #3 opens with a colorful array of cymbal work from Honor. The final vignette is a melancholy four-voice chorale with a simple folk melody, though the ensemble timbre and harmonic density give the piece an eerie quality. The main motif of this track is a foreshadowing of the final chapter of the suite.

The Sonoran Desert was the birthplace of Charles Mingus and THORNY FLORA is a nod to the great composer/bassist. This intervallic march gathers momentum throughout the opening statement of the contrapuntal melody, and Paz delivers an angular but narrative solo on bass clarinet. A fiercely animated tenor saxophone solo from Malaby elevates the energy of the ensemble, inspiring some raucous interplay from the rhythm section. In the track's denouement, the quintet reminisces on a modified adaptation of a theme from Part I until fading away.

A native of Phoenix, AZ, Andrew Schiller is currently residing in Brooklyn, NY. Schiller's attraction to music stems from junior high school where his friends urged him to pick up the bass guitar and join their punk rock band. While his musical tastes have evolved a lot since then, he still aspires to replicate the same gusto and fearlessness he had as a boy playing music in a friend's garage. Andrew has performed his music all over the world at venues like Cornelia Street Cafe and 55 Bar (NYC), the Jazz Showcase (Chicago), the Blue Whale (Los Angeles), the Panama Jazz Festival, and as a guest artist with the National Symphony of Paraguay in Asunción. Andrew was recognized in Downbeat Magazine in 2012 for his work as a soloist, was awarded the ASCAP Young Composers Award in 2014 and recognized again in 2019, and graduated with a Masters of Music degree from New England Conservatory in 2014.

Schiller's debut album, Tied Together, Not To The Ground, was released in May 2017 on Red Piano Records. It received critical acclaim, and like Sonoran, features an ambitious compositional style, blending jazz with contemporary classical, rock, and avant-garde influences. Schiller can also be seen/heard fronting two other NYC-based projects: JoggerKnot (a three-tenor saxophone quintet influenced by a love of 1960's tropicalia, angsty rock, and surf music) and the Filament Trio (an improvising sax/bass/drum trio that skirts the lines between cerebral and emotional).

The Fred Hersch Trio Celebrates 10-Year Milestone With Historic Box Set

The Fred Hersch Trio 10 Years / 6 Discs includes five critically acclaimed Palmetto Records releases featuring Hersch, bassist John Hébert and drummer Eric McPherson—a band named Best Jazz Group in the 2019 DownBeat Critics Poll

  

One of the most influential improvising musicians currently performing—a “living legend,” per the New Yorker—the pianist and composer Fred Hersch has made groundbreaking contributions in a staggering range of creative formats. DownBeat called his unprecedented cross-disciplinary theatre piece My Coma Dreams “a brave work of art that deserves to be seen and heard.” In the New York Times, the critic Nate Chinen wrote that “solo piano playing is one of the things that Mr. Hersch does best,” before explaining how he “combines the rigors of classical training with the disciplined freedom of improvisation and explores a richly varied repertory.”

Hersch has ranked among jazz’s most renowned accompanists of singers, offering selfless, intimate support, and he’s a maestro in duo settings. His artistry also impresses on an orchestral scale: The pianist’s latest release, 2019’s Begin Again, is an acclaimed collaboration with the WDR Big Band under conductor-arranger Vince Mendoza. Even Hersch’s 2017 autobiography, Good Things Happen Slowly (Crown Archetype/Random House), has been uniquely vaunted, garnering rare mainstream praise for a jazz-related book by being named one of the year’s best memoirs in both the Washington Post and the New York Times. 

But it’s his playing in jazz’s best-loved configuration, the piano trio, alongside two of his most trusted musical confidants, the bassist John Hébert and drummer Eric McPherson, that has earned Hersch his most fervent accolades. As DownBeat once wrote, “The piano/bass/drum combo demands full awareness of internal and external processes. … Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette have been commended for bringing this trio setting to an apotheosis. Fred Hersch, John Hébert and Eric McPherson merit this same level of praise. Improvisation doesn’t engage the listener any more playfully than this.” 

To say it more directly, as the critic and vocal-jazz authority Will Friedwald did in the Wall Street Journal, Hersch, Hébert and McPherson comprise “one of the major ensembles of our time.” 

Now, to celebrate this extraordinary group’s 10-year anniversary, the complete Palmetto label recordings of this enduring edition of the Fred Hersch Trio will be available in one generous package. Spreading five lauded releases over six discs, with liner notes by Hersch and the award-winning music historian Ted Gioia, it’s a stunning testament to a telepathically interactive group the New Yorker has extolled for its meld of “high lyricism and high danger.” The set, simply titled "The Fred Hersch Trio 10 Years / 6 Discs," includes three consecutive Hersch Trio albums—"Floating," "Sunday Night at the Vanguard," and "Live in Europe"—that were each nominated for Grammy® Awards in the categories of Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Best Improvised Jazz Solo. In total, the box features: 

"Whirl" (2010): On this, the trio’s first release, one can already hear the organic rapport that would later inspire the Chicago Tribune’s Howard Reich to call it “one of the most sensitive and nimble trios in jazz.” But in 2009, when the band coalesced, triumph wasn’t a certainty. Hersch had plenty of experience collaborating with stellar musicians in a trio setting, but he was also still recovering following the life-threatening AIDS-related illness that would inspire My Coma Dreams. The new band became crucial to Hersch’s reignition, the commencement of his historic second act. 

"Alive at the Vanguard" (2012): Hersch’s third recording at jazz’s most hallowed venue, the Village Vanguard, Alive features expectedly delightful trio chemistry and a brilliantly versatile program: from Ornette, Sonny and Monk to songbook gems and, of course, plenty of Hersch’s aerodynamic original writing.

"Floating" (2014): This release boasts both the crystalline audio quality of a studio session—recorded and mixed by the great James Farber—and the engaging pacing and programming of one of the trio’s live sets. Along with two choice standards and an homage to Hersch’s hero Monk, it features a set of gripping Hersch originals with special dedications—to his mother and grandmother, the late pianist Shimrit Shoshan, Esperanza Spalding, Kevin Hays and other special people and places.

"Sunday Night at the Vanguard" (2016): Hersch’s fourth recording at the most important jazz venue in the world, Sunday Night is in many ways a tribute to Hersch’s history with that acoustically magical wedge-shaped basement club on 7th Ave S. The album, wrote Nate Chinen in the New York Times, “confirms that he’s still one of the most insightfully lyrical searchers in his field. It also underscores how his bond with the bassist John Hébert and the drummer Eric McPherson, while never less than strong, reaches a rarefied plane in this particular room.”

"Live in Europe" (2018): The pianist considers this concert document one of his “found object” releases—meaning that he and the trio didn’t know they were being recorded until after the fact. But the circumstances made for a gorgeous performance: As Hersch recalls in his liners, “It was the second-to-last concert of the trio’s three-week European tour in November of 2017. The band was in terrific playing form, the acoustics were perfect, the piano was outstanding and the recording was first-class.”

Since emerging on the cutthroat New York scene of the late ’70s, when he made auspicious appearances on sessions led by the likes of Art Farmer and Billy Harper, Fred Hersch has developed into an outright master of the jazz language with a boundless creative vision. Called “the most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade” by Vanity Fair and “an elegant force of musical invention” by the Los Angeles Times, he’s also been profoundly influential, with acolytes including Brad Mehldau, Ethan Iverson and other generation-defining musicians. 

He has been nominated for Grammy® Awards 14 times, and is the recipient of a 2016 Doris Duke Artist Award, Jazz Journalists Association Awards for Jazz Pianist of the Year in 2016 and ’18, and the 2017 Prix Honorem de Jazz from L’Acádemie Charles Cros, a lifetime-achievement honor.

 

Born and raised in New Orleans, the powerfully lyrical, sonorously toned bassist and composer John Hébert has been an invaluable presence on the improvised-music scene of New York since the mid-1990s. In addition to his collaborations with Hersch, Hébert has anchored ensembles led by giants like Andrew Hill, Lee Konitz, Paul Bley, Paul Motian, John Abercrombie, Kenny Wheeler, Tomasz Stanko, Joe Maneri, Toots Thielemans and Maria Schneider, among others. The recipient of many DownBeat poll honors, he’s also recorded fruitfully as a bandleader for labels including Sunnyside, Clean Feed and Firehouse 12. Reviewing Hébert’s 2015 Sunnyside release, Rambling Confessions, JazzTimes wrote, “the group’s powerful moments of interaction reward close listening.” 

The drummer Eric McPherson was quite literally born into the jazz life. His godfather, the bass great Richard Davis, was there at his birth and encouraged his mother, a dancer-choreographer with many famous jazz friends, to name him after the avant-jazz icon Eric Dolphy. After training with the master drummer-educator Michael Carvin, he studied with saxophonist Jackie McLean at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School on a full scholarship. He has since become one of the most respected drummers in jazz today, and an invaluable element of groups led by McLean, with whom he worked extensively, Andrew Hill, Pharoah Sanders, Avishai Cohen, Greg Osby, Jason Moran and, of course, Fred Hersch.

JAMES BROWN: 'LIVE AT HOME WITH HIS BAD SELF' CONCERT NEWLY MIXED FOR RELEASE

The 50th anniversary of James Brown's October 1, 1969 homecoming concert in Augusta, Georgia, will be celebrated with the first-ever release of the complete show, newly mixed and including seven never-before-issued performances. Live at Home with His Bad Self will be released on October 25 by Republic/UMe.

James Brown's roof-raising performance at the city's Bell Auditorium was captured on tape, with the intent to make an album of the show the cornerstone of a move back to his Augusta roots. Live at Home with His Bad Self was scheduled as a 1969 holiday release. But Brown and his band, featuring saxophone legend Maceo Parker and three legendary drummers – Maceo's brother Melvin, Jabo Starks, Clyde Stubblefield, together for this tour only – soon broke up. Soul Brother No. 1 called in a new, young group, featuring bassist Bootsy Collins, and within a few weeks they recorded the funk anthem "Sex Machine." With the single flying up the charts and no full-length to promote with it, Brown shelved the planned Live at Home album. He instead produced Sex Machine, a 2LP set released in 1970 that included a portion of the Augusta show.

Now, finally, as James Brown intended: the full Augusta homecoming show with his celebrated 1960s band. Live at Home with His Bad Self is newly mixed from the original analog multi-tracks by Peter A. Barker, whose credits include mixes of live recordings by Jeff Beck, Bonnie Raitt, Babyface, and more. The album's seven previously unreleased performances include two instrumentals, "Lowdown Popcorn" and "Spinning Wheel," which were re-cut with canned applause for the Sex Machine release. Also included is Brown's then-current hit, "World," performed at the concert with a live vocal over a tape of the studio recording's instrumental arrangement, an unusual move which Brown explains to the audience, while "There Was A Time" and "Mother Popcorn," originally heavily edited on Sex Machine, are doubled in length. Other highlights include an actual live rendition of "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose," Brown's influential hit from 1968, a title fans will note appears on the Sex Machine album, but may not be aware that version is a studio re-record.

The CD and 2LP vinyl packages include an essay by Alan Leeds, the GRAMMY®-winning former James Brown tour manager and publicist who is also the album's co-producer.

James Brown: Live at Home with His Bad Self [2LP vinyl]

Side 1

1. Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud

2. James Brown Thanks and Introduction to "World"*

3. World*

4. Stage Dialogue*

Side 2

1. Lowdown Popcorn*

2. Spinning Wheel*

3. If I Ruled The World

4. Kansas City*

Side 3

1. Introduction to Startime

2. I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door I'll Get It Myself)

3. I Got The Feelin'*/Licking Stick-Licking Stick

4. Try Me*

5. There Was A Time **

Side 4

1. Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose*

2. It's A Man's Man's Man's World

3. Please, Please, Please

4. I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)

5. Mother Popcorn **

James Brown: Live at Home with His Bad Self [CD; digital]

1.   Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud

2.   James Brown Thanks and Introduction to "World"*

3.   World*

4.   Stage Dialogue*

5.   Lowdown Popcorn*

6.   Spinning Wheel*

7.   If I Ruled The World

8.   Kansas City*

9.   Introduction to Startime

10. I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door I'll Get It Myself)

11. I Got The Feelin'*/Licking Stick-Licking Stick

12. Try Me*

13. There Was A Time **

14. Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose*

15. It's A Man's Man's Man's World

16. Please, Please, Please

17. I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)

18. Mother Popcorn **

* Previously Unreleased / All other performances, though previously issued in some form, are presented in new mixes, including: ** Extended from track's original release.

“50 Foot Woman”, the new album by Jay-Z 4.44’s soul hurricane Hannah Williams & The Affirmations

Hannah Williams, the British soul hurricane who sensationally became part of Jay-Z's chart-topping 4:44 album, is primed and ready for her own national and international breakthrough.

Williams turned heads worldwide when the hip-hop superstar sampled her heart-stopping vocals on 'Late Nights & Heartbreak' for the title track, ‘4.44’ on his 2017 album. Now Hannah and her exemplary, Bristol-based band the Affirmations deliver a definitive career statement with the drop-dead soulful new album 50 Foot Woman which will be released October 18th on the Milan based imprint Record Kicks. 

The album captures all of the visceral power of the band's increasingly legendary live performances. Shades of classic Soul and Psychedelic Funk blend uniquely with modern-day flavours on a record destined to set the soul agenda for 2019 and far beyond. “I've never been as proud of anything in my entire career” says Hannah.

Born in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, Williams' father was a musically gifted minister, and her mother let her join the church choir at the age of six. Hannah could read music before she could properly read words, and when she discovered soul by listening with her mum to Motown and Bill Withers, there was no turning back.

After a 2012 debut with her previous band the Tastemakers, it was 2016's Late Nights & Heartbreak that announced the arrival of Hannah Williams and the Affirmations. But little did she know that Jay-Z was listening.One day, at herthen-day job running the music department at the University of Winchester, he sent her a text.Once she'd established that it wasn't a wind-up, and summoned the courage to call him back, she learned that JayZ's producer, No I.D., had played him Hannah's track to inspire his response to

Beyoncé's Lemonade,on which she sang of his infidelities.

Williams was as in the dark about how 'Late Nights & Heartbreak' would be used until 4:44 dropped. But the substantial sample of her voice opened doors she never dreamed of. “It was an incredible catalyst,” she says, “as a change in our collective career, and getting a global audience. Suddenly, there were millions of predominantly American hip-hop fans listening to my voice, going 'Is this from the '60s? Is she dead?'”

What followed was a year of the band's widest-ever touring including an invitation to perform at Central Park Summer Stage NY, Toronto Jazz Festival and Brooklyn Bowl NY and expanded audiences in continental Europe where she and the Affirmations had already made a mark. Then came the burning determination to make the record of their lives. The captivating 50 Foot Woman is that album, produced by Shawn Lee, a respected presence on the funk/soul scene whose credits include Amy Winehouse, Lana Del Rey and Alicia Keys. Lee has released five solo albums as Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra on San Francisco label Ubiquity Records and is also one half of the cool melodic pop duo Young Gun Silver Fox.

Now the world will hear what the cognoscenti have known for a while: that Hannah Williams is the real deal, and sings from her very soul. “I feel like my performance comes from my solar plexus,” she says. “The emotional side of it is so intrinsic; I can't take it away from what I do".

 

New Music Releases: Natural Lateral; William Kurk; Dmitriy Peitsch & Konstantin Suhan

Natural Lateral - Bossa Blue (from the upcoming 'Cogito Ergo Jam')

Natural Lateral was born organically out of endless and spontaneous jam sessions at the Lazy Robot Studio in North London. Since 2017, Aziz Mustafa, Ozan Nidayi, Oli Arlotto, Malte From and Tim Balasubramaniam, have all been enjoying playing and recording ideas which gave the birth to their first LP on the Social Joy imprint. ‘Cogito Ergo Jam’ weaves together strands of different musical forms and roots. Although much of the band's love for jazz massively influences their music, their open-minded spirit keeps them engaged in other creative fields and venturing into new territory.
Creating organic vibes and textures, the music draws from jazz, through to electronic, with deep grooves and mesmerising psych-synth melodies, weaving magic over the top. The band fuses rhythmic elements from funk & Latin jazz to syncopated odd meter timings drawing inspiration from Azymuth to Soft Machine, Coltrane to Liston-Smith, to name few of their many influences. ‘Bossa Blue’ is the first track taken from the LP.

William Kurk - Willianaire

A great little record from William Kurk – an artist who's been giving us excellent music for years, and who deserves to be way more than just a secret force in the contemporary soul underground! William's got a great way with a tune – a vibe that's upbeat and positive, and a sound that's catchy, but never commercial – and maybe a lot more rich in tone than you might guess from the look of the cover – as he draws leanly from classic roots, but finds a way to make music that's very much his own! The whole thing's great – the kind of overlooked soul music gem that we don't hear enough of these days – and which continues to bring us real joy in what we do around here at Dusty Groove. Titles include "Perfect Mutations", "Good", "Stride", "Highway To Humanity", "Let Go", "In Your Loving Arms", "Resurrection Funk", and "Willionaire".  ~ Dusty Groove

Dmitriy Peitsch & Konstantin Suhan – Daybreak In The Roughland

The recording was made live, without editing and overlays, during an improvisation session in the Moscow club named after Jerry Rubin. The session counsided with the celebration of Konstantin and Mila Sukhan’s wedding on August 16, 2018. The album’s title can be interpreted as “Dawn in the desert”, “Dawn over rough earth” or even “A beam of light in the realm of darkness”. It is is the debut for the spontaneously formed duet of guitarist Dmitry Peich and trumpeter Konstantin Sukhan, two representatives of the Moscow improvisational and experimental scene.

THE 11TH ANNUAL CALIFORNIA ROOTS MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL AT THE MONTEREY COUNTY FAIR & EVENT CENTER

              The California Roots Music and Arts Festival has had much to celebrate in 2019 with a successful ten year event, launching their own radio show “Cali Roots Radio” on SiriusXM’s “The Joint,” and through a new strategic partnership with Reggae Rise Up. Cali Roots is thrilled to announce its first round of artists for their 11th annual festival held at the Monterey County Fair and Event Center from May 22-24, 2020. Pre-sale starts Monday, October 28 from 10am to 10pm PST. Public on-sale will be Tuesday, October 29 at 10am PST. 

Artists announced in the first wave include reggae legends Damian “JR. GONG” Marley and Jimmy Cliff. Hip Hop luminary Ice Cube joins the bill with festival favorites J Boog, Trevor Hall, Tarrus Riley, Hirie, Iya Terra, Mike Love, and Bumpin Uglies coming back. Making their debut to the festival include fast rising soul band Durand Jones & The Indications, Brazilian reggae act Natiruts, French seven-piece artist Dub Inc, conscious music collective Satsang, and rising singer Vana Liya.

The festival has become a destination event with thousands of fans flocking from all over the world and an impressive livestream audience as well. 2019 marked the event’s ten year anniversary and with Cali Roots’ recent partnership with Reggae Rise Up and expansion into Arizona with Arizona Roots Festival, they show no signs of slowing down. In addition, the festival has been recognized for their commitment to creating an environmentally conscious event that benefits the surrounding community, educates and engages the attending fans, and provides a music festival model that is truly sustainable.

Round One Artist Line-Up Announcement:

Damian “JR. GONG” Marley

Ice Cube

Chronixx  

Jimmy Cliff 

J Boog 

Trevor Hall

Durand Jones & The Indications

Tarrus Riley

Natiruts 

Hirie

Iya Terra

Mike Love

Dub Inc

Satsang

Bumpin Uglies

Vana Liya

“Our ten year anniversary was such a milestone event and ended the first decade of Cali Roots perfectly. We are going into our eleventh year with more momentum than ever,” passionately states festival Co-Producer Dan Sheehan. He adds, “The Cali Roots movement started here, but stretches across the country and worldwide. As we continue to partner and grow nationally, we can feel the impact of our event and brand and how it continues to bring people together through this amazing community.”

FESTIVAL DETAILS

The 11th Annual California Roots Music and Arts Festival

Dates: Friday, May 22, 2020 – Sunday May 24, 2020

Time: 10:00 am – 11:00 pm PDT

Venue: Monterey County Fair and Event Center

Address: 2004 Fairground Road, Monterey, CA 93940

Admission: Varies

Age restrictions: All Ages

Pre-Sale Starts: October 28th at 10 AM to 10 PM

Public On Sale: October 29th at 10 AM PST

JAZZ FOR KIDS BY THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS

NBC’s TODAY HODA KOTB NARRATING “WHEELS ON THE BUS”; REIMAGINES CHILDREN’S CLASSICS LIKE “OLD MACDONALD” AND “POP GOES THE WEASEL”

  

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/dhpJ_SfNq34

Today, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Blue Engine Records releases Jazz for Kids, a new digital album from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. In the Orchestra’s masterful hands, the simplicity and familiarity of childhood favorites like “Old MacDonald” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider” afford a world of musical possibilities for audiences young and old.

On a unique interpretation of “Wheels on the Bus,” the Orchestra is joined by co-anchor of NBC News’ TODAY and co-host of TODAY with Hoda and Jenna Hoda Kotb, who narrates the beloved nursery rhyme, accompanied by a special solo by Wynton Marsalis.

Recorded in 2011 at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz for Kidsexplores the universal appeal of jazz, providing younger audiences with an access point to the music and making tried-and-true jazz lovers feel young at heart. Showcasing the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s greatest strengths—unprecedented stylistic versatility and a creative roster of expert arrangers—Jazz for Kids demonstrates how jazz can transform even the most familiar song to take listeners on an unforgettable ride.

Wonderful for both young and old, either as an introduction to jazz or a reminder of the music’s ability to supercharge your imagination, this collection of children’s classics with a jazz spin is available now on all digital platforms.