John Beasley presents MONK'estra, Volume 1: Thelonious Monk's Legacy Reimagined with Big Band

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

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

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

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

"I don't play a lot of piano in the band," Beasley says about his role. "The band is my piano. It gives me the opportunity to change the music on the spot by conducting. I can cut everybody out and have myself play or I could change the order of the solos. Whoever is hot that night, I can keep throwing it their way."

Through a lens influenced by Thad Jones, Gil Evans, Herbie Hancock and Aaron Copland, Beasley found a compositional openness in Monk's music that encouraged him to discover the right combination of freedom and restraint, coaxing the very best from the ensemble.

"Jimmy Heath once told me that all the good stuff is already built into Monk. The tunes are built to swing. The sound he got out of the piano, the way he played the piano, the voicings he used, the wild intervals. His groove was so strong." And Beasley is no stranger to strong grooves. "The sign of a great composer--like Gershwin, Ellington, Wayne Shorter, or Stevie Wonder--is that you can play their tunes at any tempo and change the structure if you like. Bach sounds incredible at any tempo. So does Monk. His tunes are a living and breathing organism."

Opening track "Epistrophy" was Beasley's first attempt at a large-scale Monk arrangement and he tackles the angular tune with an elongated sense of time, controlling each breath with unwavering patience. Vibraphonist Gary Burton shines during a shimmering guest spot. "What a virtuoso," says Beasley. "One take, boom! He just nailed it."

Beasley pulls from two very different worlds for "Skippy" simultaneously evoking the Jaco Pastorius and Jimmie Lunceford big bands. Sheppard is in top form on the twisting chart, unfurling a crisp soprano saxophone over the controlled chaos of riffs and handclaps. Beasley infuses a literal electricity for "Oska T" and a trio version of "'Round Midnight." The band conjures a sinister swagger, generating a buzzing hive for trumpeters Gabriel Johnson and Brian Swartz to cut loose while the trio embraces the pliability of Monk's greatest known composition with a contemporary bend.

During a visit to New Orleans, Beasley was inspired to fuse multiple Monk riffs to create "Monk's Processional," a brief second-line celebration imbued with southern charm and spirit. A crowd favorite, the performance strikes just the right tone of playful reverence.

On the densely shifting moves on "Ask Me Now," harmonica player Grégoire Maret guests with support from Tom Peterson and Tom Luer's spooky bass clarinet duo. The unusual instrumentation helps to push the languid stroll into another world. Two tunes embrace the footwork essential to Monk's greatest ideas. Beasley envisions a soft-shoe routine for a bouncing "Gallop's Gallop." "Little Rootie Tootie" picks up a partner, embracing the cha-cha amid the funky refrains and growling support of the brass. The band closes out with "Coming on the Hudson," making deliberate steps amid the arrangements delicate flourishes and steady push from the endlessly creative drummer Terreon Gully.

As the name of the album implies, this is only the beginning for Beasley's large-scale exploration of the High Priest of Bebop. The band's introduction is an undeniable statement from a great new voice in big band arranging and a testament to the timelessness of Monk's music.

"We all know that Monk's music is strong on his own," says Beasley. "What's even more amazing is how much room there is to keep his music alive. The songs are a living and breathing organism. It can keep changing with the times. Maybe we're even catching up to his time."

Born in Louisiana, Beasley started writing arrangements in junior high school, which sparked the attention of Jimmy Lyons--the founder of the Monterey Jazz Festival--who recommended him for a scholarship at the Stan Kenton summer jazz camp. The pianist cut his teeth with Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard in the 1980s and has since performed and recorded with a who's who of artists including James Brown, Marcus Miller, Chaka Khan, Christian McBride, Steely Dan, Dianne Reeves, Sergio Mendes, Carly Simon, John Patitucci, Al Jarreau, Kelly Clarkson, George Duke, John Legend, Chick Corea, Destiny's Child and Queen Latifah, among others.

Living in Hollywood, Beasley juggled a touring musician's schedule while working in studios composing for award-winning television sitcoms and commercials including Cheers, Family Ties, Star Trek and Fame, to name a few. He has worked with multiple Oscar-nominated film composer Thomas Newman for three decades on credits including James Bond Spectre and Skyfall, Get On Up: James Brown, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel I & II, Finding Nemo & Finding Dory, Wall-E, Shawshank Redemption and more.

While touring with Miles Davis, Beasley was inspired to make his first of eleven recordings, Cauldron--which was produced by Walter Becker of Steely Dan-and went on to earn a GRAMMY® Award-nomination for his 2011 release Positootly. He has since served as musical director for the Monk Institute's gala concerts since 2011, guiding legends and the next generation of jazz greats through all-star tributes to Quincy Jones, Bill Clinton, George Duke and Aretha Franklin. He has also served this role for International Jazz Day since 2012, notably at the White House's 2016 blowout bash. Under the global eye, he seamlessly shaped the televised concert featuring Aretha Franklin, Wayne Shorter, Joey Alexander and Sting through a night of swing and celebration. Since 2005, Beasley has worked as Lead Arranger for American Idol until its final season in 2016, and ushered the twelve female finalists of 2005 (including Carrie Underwood) by coaching and rehearsing them as well as selecting and arranging songs.

John Beasley · presents MONK'estra, Volume 1

Mack Avenue Records · Release Date: August 19, 2016

NEW MUSIC: ECCENTRIC SOUL: SITTING IN THE PARK; CLARICE / SERGIO ASSAD - RELIQUIA; PETER BROTZMANN / WILLIAM PARKER / HAMID DRAKE – SONG SENTIMENTALE

ECCENTRIC SOUL: SITTING IN THE PARK

A beautiful tribute to a legendary Chicago soul historian – the late Bob Abrahamian, well-remembered as a completely devoted soul music collector, DJ, and one-man archive who spent the late years of his life trying to uncover lost corners of the Windy City soul scene of the 60s and 70s! Bob's specialty was Chicago groups, and this set is overflowing with rare harmony soul that most of us would never have heard otherwise – the kind of obscure cuts that Abrahamian played on his famous radio show on WHPK (also the alma mater of Dusty Groove, too) – and presented beautifully here by the folks at Numero, on one of the best collections they've given us in years! The notes not only present Bob's story, but also feature bits of interviews he did with obscure Chicago soul artists, alongside photos and other notes too – to support a stunning selection of harmony soul cuts that include "How Could You Love Him" by Shades Of Brown, "Hard To Know" by Oneness, "A Fool Like Me" by Enchanters, "Reach For The Truth" by Puzzle People, "The Girl In The Window" by The Mist, "Second Story Man" by Chocolate Sunday, "Let Love Come In" by Cliff Curry, "Southside Chicago" by Otis Brown & The Delights, "Moaning & Crying" by The Dontells, "So I Can Make This Change" by Krash Band, and "It Ain't Fair (part 1)" by Ahead Of Our Time.  ~ Dusty Groove

CLARICE / SERGIO ASSAD - RELIQUIA

Really lovely sounds from the father/daughter team of Clarice and Sergio Assad – a pair who would already be great as a musical duo, even without a family connection! Sergio plays acoustic guitar throughout – with a fullness of sound, but also the lighter, lyrical sensibility that makes him a perfect match for Clarice's vocals – which have that mix of jazz and more personal expression we love in our favorite Brazilian singers from the 70s – like Tania Maria or Joyce. The songs are simple, and often poetic – but never in a soppy way – more like they're being written in air by guitar and voice, creating a marvelous portrait in sound. Titles include "Capoeira", "Cidade", "Sol De Clave", "Ventos", "The Last Song", "Angela", and "Song For My Father". ~ Dusty Groove

PETER BROTZMANN / WILLIAM PARKER / HAMID DRAKE – SONG SENTIMENTALE

If there's one thing we can expect from this trio of players, it's that they're never going to be too sentimental – as a group like this is always moving forward into the future, opening up new ideas with every moment of their music, and continuing to blow us away after all their many years in music! An album like this is a great reminder that sometimes the greats do it better than anyone else – especially when it comes to free improvisation – because there's a breathlessness to this album that never lets up – a balance between the energy of all three musicians, both as individuals and parts of a whole, that we sometimes don't hear from up-and-comers when they try to hit this territory. The album features two long improvisations – "Song Sentimental" and "Dark Blues" – both a perfect fusion of the talents of Peter Brotzmann on tenor and b-flat clarinet, William Parker on bass, guembri, shakuhachi, and shehnai – and Hamid Drake on drums and percussion. ~ Dusty Groove

NEW MUSIC: HOUSTON PERSON / RON CARTER – CHEMISTRY; MARCOS AMORIM – SEA OF TRANQUILITY; JAMAICA JAZZ 1931-1962

HOUSTON PERSON / RON CARTER – CHEMISTRY

A brilliant late-life session from these two jazz giants – and maybe the most striking record we've heard from either player in years! The album features just the bass of Ron Carter and tenor of Houston Person – in a wonderfully stripped-down setting that really gets right to the heart of the matter, and which lets us hear both musicians at a level that's extremely up-close and personal – as they improvise with undimmed magic on a set of standards that really turn into something else entirely in their hands! Carter's a player who we've always known to take best advantage of open space like this – and Person is equally great in the format, and maybe wins us over even more than on any of his other recent dates for the label. Titles include "Bye Bye Blackbird", "Blue Monk", "Blame It On My Youth", "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", "Fools Rush In", and "Can't We Be Friends". ~ Dusty Groove

  

MARCOS AMORIM – SEA OF TRANQUILITY

Beautifully subtle guitar work from Marcos Amorim – a musician who plays an electric instrument, but can often make it feel as if waves of sound are just cascading out gently into the air – more tone than attack on the strings, with this style that's deft, but very unassuming – and which works especially well with the Fender Rhodes lines used on a good number of tracks on the album! The balance is key to Amorim's talents – as the whole thing would be too smooth or slick in the hands of someone else, but still has that up-close, personal vibe we loved in Marcos' other albums for Adventure. Other instrumentation includes bass and drums – and singer Delia Fischer appears on a few of the album's tracks, although the set is mostly instrumental overall. Titles include "Bolero", "January Ashes", "Dance Of The Five Princesses", "Sea Of Tranquility", "The Further Away The Closer I Get", "Sea Time", and "My African Goddess". ~ Dusty Groove

JAMAICA JAZZ 1931-1962

A huge vision of Jamaican music in the pre-reggae years – a wealth of jazz recordings from the 40s and 50s, including some key sides of Jamaican musicians who emigrated to London! The set features way more than just some early instrumental moments in the years before ska and rocksteady – as the package begins with bigger band sounds, moves into some calypso-influenced jazz, and then steps out in a sweet array of hardbop and sounds inspired by some of the growing changes in Jamaican rhythms. And even the London recordings seem very well-chosen – early in the careers of musicians who'd later break bigger in the UK, but who work here with more ties to the island of their roots. Titles include "Donkey City" and "Swing Lane Girl/Iron Bar" by Lord Fly, "Wheel & Tun Me" by The Jamaican Calypsonians, "Snakehips Swing" by Ken Snakehips Johnson, "Big Top Boogie" by Leslie Jiver Hutchinson, "Cherokee" and "April In Paris" by Joe Harriott, "Bang" and "Eb Pob" by Dizzy Reece, "Manhattan" and "Cumana" by Cecil Lloyd, "Deborah" and "Rhythm" by Wilton Gaynair, "Air Horn Shuffle" and "Swing For Joy" by Count Ossie & The Wareikas, "Tangerine" and "Harry Flicks" by Harold McNair, "The Answer" by Tommy McCook, and "Old Devil Moon" by Totlyn Jackson. 3CD set features 60 titles in all – and notes in French and English! ~ Dusty Groove

NEW MUSIC: KANDACE SPRINGS – SOUL EYES; MASSIMO GUERRA XTET – JAZZ MINE; DURAND JONES & THE INDICATIONS

KANDACE SPRINGS – SOUL EYES

The debut of a great singer on Blue Note – and one who plays her own piano and Fender Rhodes as well! Kandace Springs has a gentle style that's part soul, and part jazz – as expressive as the former at most moments, but with a lot of jazz-based phrasing in the instrumentation, which underscores the message in her music in a really wonderful way! Light keyboard currents step nicely through more acoustic instrumentation – all with a laidback flow that's the perfect pace for the singer at her best. Terence Blanchard plays guest trumpet on two tracks – and titles include "Soul Eyes", "I Thought It Would Be Easier", "Place To Hide", "Novocaine Heart", "Rain Falling", "Too Good To Last", "Fall Guy", "Neither Old Nor Young", and "The World Is A Ghetto". (Special bonus – these copies come with an autographed booklet from Kandace!) ~ Dusty Groove

MASSIMO GUERRA XTET – JAZZ MINE

A really warm, well-crafted set from Italian trumpeter Massimo Guerra – just the kind of record we've come to expect from other jazz labels from his scene, but quite a surprise from the mostly-soul Irma label! The set's totally straight – and done in a way that really lets Guerra show off his talent for songwriting – as most of the tracks on the album are his own, and handled by a shifting array of small groups that work well with the leader's lyrical bent. Other players include Enrico Nisati on piano, Davide Grottelli on tenor, and Carlo Micheli on baritone – and the rhythms really benefit from warm basslines by Piero Simoncini, whose playing holds the record together in a wonderful way. Titles include "Morgan Beat", "Last Day Of Spring", "Tango 4 Clemetina", "Tres Palabras", and "Jazz Mine". ~ Dusty Groove

DURAND JONES & THE INDICATIONS

Easily one of the best deep soul albums we've heard in years – new work by a singer who hails from Indiana, but who's able to give the best from Memphis and Muscle Shoals a real run for their money! Durand Jones isn't one of these cats who's trying to fake it with a few retro touches – and instead, he gets right to the heart of the matter, right from the very first note – with a deep vocal approach that's rivaled by a rare few in the contemporary scene – maybe Lee Fields (and maybe that's it!) The vocals are perfect – never forced or cliched, and really right on the money – and the Indications do a great job, too – with these lean backings that never overwhelm, yet really help keep things funky. Hats off to drummer Aaron Frazier and guitarist Blake Rhein, who wrote most of the songs on the record with Jones – and titles include "Make A Change", "Can't Keep My Cool", "Groovy Babe", "Giving Up", "Now I'm Gone", and "Is It Any Wonder". ~ Dusty Groove

Jazz-Fusion Legends BRAND X Reunite To Tour U.S. Fall 2016 / Spring 2017

Legendary Jazz-Rock-Fusion band BRAND X has reunited and is preparing to celebrate their reunion with a Fall 2016/Spring 2017 U.S. tour, including a headline performance at Progtoberfest in Chicago on October 21st. Also on this initial run will be shows in Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland and Boston to name a few.

BRAND X are recognized as true musical pioneers, as they helped create an entire musical genre and influenced a broad spectrum of musicians and bands, from Phish to Dream Theatre. They are unrivaled in their creativity, originality and approach. Their contemporaries include bands such as Weather Report, Headhunters, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jaco Pastorious and Chick Corea, all crafting a unique blend of Jazz, Rock, and Ethic influences now widely known by fans worldwide as Fusion.

Many claim it’s BRAND X's unique combination of masterful chops mixed with their childlike melodies that make so special. Some musicians play from inside their own world, but John Goodsall, Percy Jones, Kenwood Dennard and the guys from BRAND X play from their own universe!

After years of rumors of a potential reunion, it is finally happening. Three of the four main members came together recently in New York, and according to sources present at the rehearsals, listening to them play was “...like traveling back in time to the legendary 'Livestock' album – there was no question this was BRAND X! Their sound was uncannily identical to the BRAND X of 'Livestock' – and that in itself speaks volumes”

THE BAND:

* John Goodsall (Guitars): Original BRAND X guitarist says, “It's a better version now. We’re all a lot more experienced – a lot more skilled… And that goes for every one of us.”

* Percy Jones (Bass): Original BRAND X bassist says, “This music takes us back to a certain space – which was really cool. I wasn't sure I’d ever feel that feeling again – and yet here it is!”

* Kenwood Dennard (Drums): Original BRAND X drummer who’s also played with Sting and Jaco Pastorious says, “When we used to play this music, it felt eternal. We used to get into a zone where it felt so deep. Now that's exactly how it felt again.”

* Chris Clark (Keyboards): Formerly of John Entwistle Band (The Who), and Richie Cannata's Band (Billy Joel).

* Scott Weinberger (Percussionist): Sessions with Adrian Belew, and live with The Security Project (Jerry Marotta, formerly of Peter Gabriel and Trey Gunn formerly of King Crimson)

The reunited BRAND X will be performing material from their first three albums on these initial tours in October and November 2016. 

“Unorthodox Behaviour” was a superb debut album. Members Percy Jones, Phil Collins, Morris Pert, John Goodsall and Robin Lumley had been doing sessions for Brian Eno, and banded together for this initial release.

“Moroccan Roll”: Surprises everyone by hitting #37 in the UK charts. Experimenting with some Eastern tonalities, including a shimmering Sitar played by Goodsall on “Sun In The Night”, BRAND X create an uncanny masterpiece – a fusion album with melodies. Percussionist Morris Pert now joins the band, and manages to bang on everything including a few kitchen sinks. Robin Lumley's “Disco Suicide” is as catchy as it is clever. Percy Jones galloping “Malaga Virgen” races with furious Bass and Drums – and remains a show-stopper live.

“Livestock”: A true live album in every sense of the word. Recorded at gigs at Hammersmith Odeon and Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, it shows that band at their most mature with finesse and macho chops rarely heard live. Robin Lumley has stated that the entire Livestock album was mixed in one day with absolutely no overdubs.

Guitarist John Etheridge And Jazz Vocalist Vimala Rowe Break New Ground On Out Of The Sky

Just released is veteran guitarist John Etheridge and vocalist Vimala Rowe’s breathtaking collaboration, Out Of the Sky. John Etheridge’s reputation in the jazz world cannot be overstated. A genuinely virtuosic fusion guitarist, Etheridge is one of a handful of players who can claim to have helped shape the character of modern jazz guitar. He has been described by fellow fretsman Pat Metheny as ‘one of the best guitarists in the world’, a distinction that is due in no small part to his tireless exploration of the possibilities of his instrument. A hugely respected artist in his own right, Etheridge also claims an impressive collaborative history, from his seminal work with groundbreaking fusion group Soft Machine to his longstanding status as the guitarist of choice for jazz icon Stéphane Grappelli.

It is safe to say, then, that when it comes to playing companions, Etheridge’s judgement is second to none. In vocalist Vimala Rowe, he has not only found a partner of rare ability but a talent that perfectly compliments his explorative nature. An exemplary jazz singer with a faultless and deft expression, Rowe has a unique style that is further enhanced by her past training in classical Hindustani vocals. Her soulful, moving, and unerringly committed performances on Out Of The Sky are truly revelatory. 

Out Of The Sky is an album that offers both a quintessential jazz feel and the discernable atmosphere of new territory being discovered. Peppered throughout the refined jazz and blues tones are tantalising touches of flamenco, Indian classical, and African timbres that beat at the boundaries of genre. This combination of influences, along with Etheridge and Rowe’s staggering sensitivity to each other’s styles, makes Out Of The Sky an otherworldly experience. Perhaps most pleasingly, the tracks also resonate with the deeply personal - as well as musical - connection shared by these two artists at the top of their game. 

Out of the Sky is a powerful, expressive, and joyous meeting of minds. With this outstanding collaboration, John Etheridge and Vimala Rowe have created an album that marks out the vocalist-guitarist duo as a site of previously untapped possibility.

Drummer Will Calhoun Pays Tribute to a Profound Influence on Celebrating Elvin Jones

Although he's best known as the hard-driving, groove-oriented drummer for the pioneering rock group Living Colour, Will Calhoun has played in a staggering variety of styles and traditions over the course of his eclectic career. Straight-ahead jazz, fusion, traditional African percussion, funk, hip-hop, and of course hard rock -- Calhoun has explored them all, and he traces the roots of all of them to one man: legendary drummer Elvin Jones.

On his second album for Motéma Music, Celebrating Elvin Jones (due out August 19), Calhoun pays tribute to his earliest and most profound influence with a stellar band of musicians, all of whom were impacted by Jones through their personal growth as a musician or their past working with him directly: bassist Christian McBride, saxophonist Antoine Roney, pianist/keyboardist Carlos McKinney, and trumpeter Keyon Harrold. The great keyboardist Jan Hammer, a member of Jones' trio for On the Mountain (1975), joins the band for a reprise of that album's Gene Perla-penned track "Destiny;" and Senegalese percussionist Doudou N'Diaye Rose joins with a group of drummers for the traditional Japanese folk song "Doll of the Bride."

"Elvin connected my worlds," Calhoun says. "Although I saw him playing jazz, I felt rock and roll, I felt fusion, I felt African music. It sounds electric, it sounds acoustic, it sounds very African, it sounds very Latin, there are all these elements in there."

Calhoun first became acquainted with Jones' playing as a young child hearing the drummer's recordings with the classic John Coltrane Quartet -- a band that he now considers part of a Holy Trinity with the second great Miles Davis Quintet and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. At the age of 14, Calhoun witnessed Elvin playing for the first time at the Village Vanguard and had the opportunity to meet and speak with the drum legend on various occasions throughout the years prior to Jones' passing in 2004.

"Listening to Coltrane's band in my youth reminded me of some kind of an incredible explosion," Calhoun says. "The music was beyond jazz. There were a few records in those days where you put the needle down and you didn't make it back to the couch. The Coltrane records were some of those albums where I just stood there staring at the needle and listening, and Elvin was driving that train -- no pun intended -- by shoving a lot of coals into the fire. He had a profound effect on me."

Jones also had a profound effect on all of the members of the band that Calhoun assembled for the occasion. McBride only played with the drummer on a few special occasions, including saxophonist Javon Jackson's debut album, Me and Mr. Jones. Both Roney and McKinney can boast of more extensive experience under Jones' leadership, with both appearing on the drummer's final release, The Truth: Heard Live at the Half Note. While Harrold did not have the opportunity to ever perform with Jones, the drummer has long influenced him. Calhoun drew on all of their experiences as he developed the music for Celebrating Elvin Jones.

"Hearing those guys telling stories about when they were on the road with Elvin was helpful," he says. "I chose according to what music would best represent my vision. I also wanted to put my own vibe into the music."

The songs that Calhoun selected for Celebrating Elvin Jones span the late drummer's career, though they also reflect a distinctly individual approach to that catalogue. Calhoun devised the repertoire based on purely musical instincts, not just skimming the drummer's most recognizable tunes. There's nothing on the album from the Coltrane Quartet, and "Three Card Molly," perhaps Jones' best-known composition, is missing from the track listing -- in part because Calhoun recorded a memorable version for his 2006 release Native Lands in the immediate aftermath of Jones' death.

The rousing opener "EJ Blues" was a staple of the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine's live performances in the 1980s, while Wilbur Little's stabbing modal tune "Whew" dates back to the drummer's 1969 album Poly-Currents. John Coltrane's "Harmonique" predates Jones' tenure in the saxophonist's band, but the drummer recorded it on his 1984 tribute, Brother John. Jones recorded Wayne Shorter's "Mahjong" on the composer's 1964 release JuJu, while his wife Keiko contributed "Shinjitsu," which was recorded on 1985's Live at Pit Inn. The meditative "Sarmastah" is Calhoun's sole original composition on the album, featuring the drummer playing blissful 12-string acoustic guitar to conjure a transcendent mood in conjunction with Roney's soprano and McKinney's electric piano.

Two very special guest appearances close out the album. Hammer, as mentioned above, originally recorded "Destiny" with Jones in 1975, so Calhoun was honored to have the influential Czech keyboardist contribute to the album. Hammer, who came to prominence as a member of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and whose breakthrough success on Miami Vice coincided with Living Colour's biggest hits, is instantly recognizable as his lazing, soaring synths pair off with Calhoun's raucous drumming.

Finally, Calhoun opens the traditional Japanese folk song "Doll of the Bride" with a recording of the late Senegalese percussion master Doudou N'Diaye Rose with a group of drummers. Calhoun treasures his memories of meeting Rose, visiting his house in Senegal and having the opportunity to ask questions of the master. The experience brought back memories of a visit the drummer made to saxophonist Roney's home for rehearsal, where he noticed a photograph of Jones in Africa surrounded by hand drummers, making an explicit connection that he'd always heard intuitively.

"Elvin and Doudou reminded me of each other," he says. "They have a lot in common in how they speak about rhythm and music in a very respectful, classy, educated and freeform way. I don't know if they ever met, but I wanted to recognize the energy and spiritual camaraderie between those two gentlemen."

In recording Jones' music, Calhoun didn't want to imitate the drummer, but simply -- as is only appropriate for such a restlessly inventive and forward-thinking artist -- to absorb his influence and explore his music in a uniquely personal and progressive style. "I wasn't trying to nail Elvin's playing or sound," he explains. "I love Elvin and all of his contributions. He's inspired me in so many ways, even playing with Living Colour, so this piece, to me, is celebratory. It's a thank you and a respectful homage to this wonderful musician."

  

Will Calhoun · Celebrating Elvin Jones

Motéma Music · Release Date: August 19, 2016

NEW MUSIC: JEFF PARKER – NEW BREED; INCOGNITO – IN SEARCH OF BETTER DAYS; MARQUIS HILL – THE WAY WE PLAY

JEFF PARKER – NEW BREED

The record we've been waiting years for Jeff Parker to make – a fantastic funky set that shows off a whole new side of his talents! Parker's guitar has been on plenty of great albums over the past decade or two, but this set may well be one of his greatest moments so far – a really unusual, really personal set that takes his music to a whole new level – partly schooled by vintage funk, as you might guess from the cover – but also partly set up in a spirited new direction that propels Jeff farther forward than any other record! Parker plays guitar and a range of keyboards – and the album almost has a laidback Shuggie Otis vibe at points, but is a lot more complex overall – thanks to excellent rhythm work from Paul Bryan on bass and Jamire Williams on drums – who ground the sound, but can take off freely with Parker, too – as does Josh Johnson on alto, flute, and some other keyboards too. The whole thing almost puts Jeff into Robert Glasper territory – in its unique blend of jazz, funk, and soulful currents – but very unique, a genre unto his own, really well-deserved after all these years. The album's brilliant from start to finish, with cuts that include "Executive Life", "Para Ha Tay", "Here Comes Ezra", "Jrifted", "Visions", "How Fun Is It To Year Whip", and "Get Dressed". ~ Dusty Groove

INCOGNITO – IN SEARCH OF BETTER DAYS

Incognito hardly need to go off in search of better days – as all the many years they've given us music, the days have always been pretty darn great! Yet the title's also a great reminder of the group's unflagging positive energy and optimism – a quality that made them one of the key forces helping to reinvigorate soul music at the start of the 90s, and still has them burning strong all these many years later! The trademark blend of jazz, funk, and soul is perfect throughout – led by the legendary Bluey, and featuring vocal contributions from top-shelf singers who include Tony Momrelle, Maysa, Avery Sunshine, Vanessa Haynes, and Imaani. The whole thing's great – we wouldn't expect anything less – and titles include "Just Say Nothing", "Love Born In Flames", "Echoes Of Utopia", "Racing Through The Bends", "Love's Revival", "Selfishly", "All I Ever Wanted", and "Better Days". ~ Dusty Groove

MARQUIS HILL – THE WAY WE PLAY

Perhaps the best to date from trumpeter Marquis Hill – still a young player, but he plays with a depth of Chicago soul jazz history in his musical DNA, even as he brings in profoundly modern touches! Marquis was splitting his time between Chicago and NYC by the time The Way We Play was recorded, but he's really showing a deep love for Chicago here, from the cover art to the choice of material, in which he's invigorating classic numbers with fresh, youthful urgency. Core players include Makaya McCraven on drums, Christian McBride on alto, Justin "Justefan" Thomas on vibes and Joshua Ramos on bass – with guest vocalists Christie Dashiell and Meagan McNeal, poet Harold Green III, percussionist Jan Pastor and trombonist Vincent Gardner. Includes "The Way We Play/Minority", "Moon Rays", "Polka Dots And Moonbeams", a truly fresh, slowed down and moodier take on the Herbie Hancock classic "Maiden Voyage" with some emotive wordless vocals, "Fly Little Bird Fly", "Beep Durple", "Straight, No Chaser", "My Foolish Heart" and "Smile". ~ Dusty Groove

Hard-Bop Jazz Masters The Cookers Make Smoke Sessions Records Debut with The Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart

The Cookers, the veteran jazz supergroup that The New York Times calls "a dream team of forward-leaning hard-bop," returns with its fifth and most exhilarating album to date, The Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart. After nine years together, The Cookers have evolved from a summit of swinging road warriors to become simply one of the most burning and hardest-hitting bands on the scene.

"At this point, we've gelled as a band with an original voice, so the goal is just to be that much stronger each time out," says David Weiss, the next-generation trumpeter that assembled this gathering of elders. "The band itself should be the story at this point, I hope, but I think this album shows off a much stronger spiritual side of the group then previous efforts. I don't know if that's what happens when such great musicians who share this common bond spend so much time together, or maybe it's just that some of the material we chose for this album conveys this spirit so well, but it's certainly there and is quite powerful."

The Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart, due out September 9, marks The Cookers' debut on Smoke Sessions Records and is the follow up to their critically acclaimed release Time and Time Again which was the iTunes' Jazz Album of the Year in 2014. Once again, the core of the band consists of five legendary, long-undersung musicians whose credentials read like a who's-who of classic-era jazz: tenor saxophonist Billy Harper was a member of groups led by Lee Morgan and Max Roach and served a two-year stint with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers; trumpeter Eddie Henderson and drummer Billy Hart were both part of Herbie Hancock's electrifying Mwandishi ensemble; pianist George Cables played alongside Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper; and bassist Cecil McBee anchored Charles Lloyd's famed 1960s quartet with Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette. They're joined by torchbearers Weiss and, in his second outing with the band, alto saxophonist Donald Harrison.

The new album's title comes from Harper's opening track, originally recorded for the saxophonist's 1975 album Black Saint. The "wild and peaceful heart" was meant to refer to the dueling passions to be found in the soul of the composer himself, but applies equally well to this ensemble, whose repertoire can range from the tempestuous force of Hart's "Oceans of Time" to the wistful soul of McBee's "Third Phase." As Harper puts it, "The group is set up in such a way that there's a balance of hard drive and cool expressions."

That balance can be nimbly struck in the space of a single composition, as on Harper's album-closing "Thy Will Be Done." The piece begins in the mood of latter-day Coltrane's spiritually seeking excursions, eventually settling into a becalmed but vigorous groove that Harper refers to as "a swinging prayer." Like all three of Harper's contributions to the album, the song features a new arrangement by the composer.

The unique septet, Harper says, "lends itself to a wider range of colors. It's like having the palette of a big band that drives and cooks like a small group."

As always, the album's repertoire is plumbed from the members' vast discographies, a bevy of riches that Weiss says continues to yield surprises. After exhausting what he calls "David's fantasy list" of the group's compositions on The Cookers' first two albums, he's consistently discovered new favorites, embellished by the band's growing camaraderie. "I always think, 'How did I miss this last time?' But as the band grows and I realize more and more what they're capable of, certain tunes speak to me differently the next time through. I think this is our strongest record and top to bottom the strongest collection of tunes that we've done."

Following the urgent momentum of Harper's title tune comes the sharp, soulful swagger of Cables' "Beyond Forever" from his 1994 date of the same name, which first appeared on Eddie Henderson's 1977 release Comin' Through. The album's sole debut recording is McBee's "Third Phase," which begins with the pianist in a contemplative mood before the horns enter to sing the memorable melody. Hart previously recorded the abstract, dark-hued "Teule's Redemption" with his own quartet on his 2014 ECM release One Is the Other, and the song's Ornette-inspired jaggedness is only bolstered by The Cookers' four-horn frontline.

Though he's known for his hard-driving approach, Harper contributes the album's most tender moment with his ballad "If One Could Only See," inspired by a dream in which a hand reached down from heaven and handed him a cassette tape containing the song's wounded but steely melody. Native American influences are obvious in Cables' "Blackfoot," culled from his 1993 SteepleChase debut I Mean You, while Hart's "Oceans of Time" was the title track of his 1997 release.

"These guys should all be considered giants on their own," Weiss insists. "The idea of The Cookers is to bring them to greater prominence, and a big part of that is this incredible legacy of compositions."

The Cookers is unique in the modern jazz landscape, a band that benefits from more than four decades of rapport and shared experiences, as well as first-hand knowledge of the seismic shifts in the music that younger musicians only know through records and stories. "They all come out of basically the same era," Weiss says. "They all saw the same things, they were all blown away by seeing John Coltrane in 1965 - they were all part of something bigger than us. They were right there when some groundbreaking stuff happened, and they still approach the music that way."

  

"The Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart" was recorded live in New York at Sear Sound's Studio C  on a Sear-Avalon custom console at 96KHz/24bit and mixed to ½" analog tape  using a Studer mastering deck. Available in audiophile HD format.

  

The Cookers' Upcoming Performances

September 13-17 | Birdland | New York, NY

October 15 | Angrajazz | Terceira Island, Portugal

October 18 | Night Town | Cleveland, OH

October 19 | Jazz Kitchen | Indianapolis, IN

October 20 | Constellation | Chicago, IL

October 21 | Musical Instrument Museum | Phoenix, AR

October 22 | Yoshi's | Oakland, CA

October 23 | (venue tbd) | Los Angeles, CA

October 24 | Kuumbwa | Santa Cruz, CA

October 25-26 | Jazz Alley | Seattle, WA

November 5 | Bologna Jazz Festival | Bologna, Italy

November 7 | Music Academy Chamber | Zagreb,Croatia

November 8 | Reigen | Vienna, Austria

November 11 | Szeged Jazz Days | Szegedy, Hungary

November 12 | Moncalieri Jazz Festival | Moncalieri, Italy

November 13 | The Sage | Gateshead, United Kingdom

November 15 | Band on the Wall | Manchester, United Kingdom

November 16 | Turner Sims | Southhampton, United Kingdom

November 17 | London Jazz Festival | London, United Kingdom

November 18 | Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld | Cologne, Germany

November 23 | La Usina del art | Buenos Aires, Argentina

November 25 | Teatro Municipal Bahia | Blanca, Argentina

The Cookers · The Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart

Smoke Sessions Records · Release Date: September 9, 2016

NEW MUSIC: PETER KUHN TRIO – THE OTHER SHORE; JAZZTRONIK – KEYSTONE; ELZA SOARES – WOMAN AT THE END OF THE WORLD (A MULHER DO FIM DO MUNDO)

PETER KUHN TRIO – THE OTHER SHORE

It seems like it's been many years since we last heard from reedman Peter Kuhn – but the sharpness of this set hardly marks the passage of time, as Kuhn's every bit as vibrant as he was a force on the avant scene of the late 70s and early 80s! As before, Kuhn handles a lot of b-flat and bass clarinet – but he also blows a bit of tenor and alto too – shaping sounds in very open territory, in a trio with Kyle Motl on bass and Nathan Hubbard on drums, in a mix of freedom and spirituality that almost recalls the New York loft jazz mode of decades back. Titles include "Not Two", "Unstrung Heroes", "Is Love Enough", "Beginning Anew", and "No Coming No Going". ~ Dusty Groove

JAZZTRONIK – KEYSTONE

Beautiful sounds from Jazztronik – a set that reminds us why we first fell in love with his music so many years ago! The album mixes wonderful keyboard lines and warmly soulful vocals – the former from the man himself, Ryo Nozaki – the latter from guests who include Valerie Etienne, Eliana, Love, Kaori Takeda, and Sumire – singers whose presence is interspersed with instrumental tracks that further the lyrical vision of Nozaki's music! Nozaki's really upped his vision here – and not only works in strings on some of the more soaring numbers, but also creates these gentler, poetic passages at mellower moments – all blended together at a level that makes this the most sophisticated Jazztronik set we've ever heard. Titles include "Now", "DGA", "Lost Melody", "Parade", "Warp", "The City Beyond", "Peach Boy", and "A New Phase Of Life".  ~ Dusty Groove

ELZA SOARES – WOMAN AT THE END OF THE WORLD (A MULHER DO FIM DO MUNDO)

A stunning new set from the legendary Elza Soares – the samba singer who gave us some wonderful music in the 70s, but who hits a completely different sound here! The set really focuses around Soares' amazing vocals – which are often sometimes out there completely on her own – but the instrumentation is unusually contemporary, and uses bits of electronics, fuzzy guitar, and some especially great basslines to create these very different soundscapes for her vocal performance! The shift is a bit like those late-life projects that Gil Scott-Heron did – such as his I'm New Here album – although with a different vibe, given Soares' background in Brazilian music. Titles include "Coracao Do Mar", "Comigo", "Danca", "O Canal", "Solto", "Pra Fuder", and "Luz Vermelha".  ~ Dusty Groove

Henri-Pierre Noel's "Piano" + "One More Step" re-released in Deluxe Editions, featuring remixes and bonus tracks

Four years on from the hugely anticipated re-issue of this much sought after tropical jazz masterpiece, Wah Wah 45s have announced the release of a Deluxe Edition of Henri-Pierre's Piano, now featuring remixes and bonus tracks for the first time in one package.

On moving to Canada from his original home of Haiti, pianist and singer/songwriter Henri-Pierre Noel brought with him much of the tropical island's influences. The Kompa Funk sounds of his homeland, along side contemporary North American jazz and disco, run throughout both of Henri's albums recorded in the late 1970's - Piano and One More Step. Both wre released on very limited private presses and have since become holy grails of the back music scene.

Henri-Pierre Noel is an incredibly versatile musican who uses the piano in a very percussive and syncopated way, almost like a drum. This particular technique naturally brings disco and afro-funk elements into hisunique brand of dance floor fusion.

Re-mastered from the original multi-track tapes, Henri-Pierre Noel's debut Piano is now available in an exclusive deluxe package featuring the foot friendly covers Mercy, Mercy, Mercy and A Fifth of Beethoven, that only appeared as a limited 7-inch single and have never featured on the album, as well as Re-Visions from a huge fan, The Reflex. The French disco don's club friendly re-workings of A Fifth of Beethoven, as well as his full length edit of album favourite Diskette, are also featured on this explosive package.

Three years on from the hugely anticipated re-issue of this much sought after tropical funk masterpiece, Wah Wah 45s are proud to announce the release of a Deluxe Edition of Henri-Pierre's One More Step, now featuring bonus remixes for the first time in one package.

On moving to Canada from his original home of Haiti, pianist and singer/songwriter Henri-Pierre Noel brought with him much of the tropical island's influences. The Kompa Funk sounds of his homeland, along side contemporary North American jazz and disco, ran throughout Henri's debut, Piano, re-released by Wah Wah 45s in 2012, and the follow up dance floor friendly One More Step - both albums having been originally released on very limited private presses and since become holy grails of the back music scene.

Henri-Pierre Noel is an incredibly versatile musican who uses the piano in a very percussive and syncopated way, almost like a drum. This particular technique naturally brings disco and afro-funk elements into hisunique brand of foot friendly fusion.

Re-mastered from the original multi-track tapes and featuring seriously foot friendly cuts like Afro-Funk Groove and Latin Feeling, One More Step is finally available along with hugely popular remixes from French disco don The Reflex, who hits all the right notes with his club focused re-workings of Funky Spider Dance and Back Home... Sweet Home.

The Battle of Santiago Announces East Coast Dates

There’s an epic soundclash taking place North of the Border. Toronto-based group the Battle of Santiago combines classic Afro-Cuban rhythms and vocals with a distinctly Canadian post-rock spirit and sensibility. The result is a wholly unique sound that tells a universal 21st Century story, transcending borders while staying rooted in one city’s immigrant experience.

“There are a couple of different Battles of Santiago’s to choose from,” explains the group’s founder Michael Owen. “There were a few in Cuba, mostly during the Spanish-American War, and there was even an infamous World Cup match in Chile that’s been given the name, too. So you can take your pick. We liked that ambiguity. It reflects how our music can change and take on different vibes. The name also implies some kind of soundclash, which works for us since the band has both a Latino and non-Latino section, and that dynamic can create a really exciting creative tension.”

While Canada is well-known for its thriving indie rock and electronic scenes, with acts as diverse as Grimes and God Speed You Black Emperor, the country is seldom thought of as a Latin music hotbed. But Toronto hosts many thriving immigrant communities — including one of the largest Cuban expat communities in North America — and the Battle of Santiago is strongly rooted in the city’s wealth of Cuban musical talent.

“The group has always had a strong Afro-Cuban base,” Owen explains. “In the beginning we had a much more pan-Latin mix, with members from Chile, Venezuela and Mexico. But as the band evolved we added more and more Cuban members until we reached a critical mass, and our sound has taken on a much stronger Cuban flavour as a result.”

Founded in 2011, The Battle of Santiago has been marked by this restless, transnational experimentalism since the beginning. The group has evolved from an exploration of experimental rock grounded in drummer-less Latin percussion, to an instrumental groove machine, to the tight Afro-Cuban post-rock outfit that it is today.

That evolution can be heard on the band’s two full-length albums, 2012’s Full Colour and 2013’sFollowed by Thousands. Now, with the addition of vocals, the Battle of Santiago is poised to break new ground in 2016 with their new EP.

Set for a 2016 release on the band’s own Made With Pencil Crayons label, this EP release dives deep into Afro-Cuban waters, mixing Afro-Cuban Yourba chants with subtle electronica (“Barasu-Ayo”) and rumbas with post-rock experimentalism (“Asi Vengo Yo”). The sound is more than just Radiohead meets Irakere, though: there’s cumbia tinged with dub (“Cimmaron”), anthemic Latin rock (“Pa Bailar”) and even the smooth funk of “Complica”.

The Battle of Santiago doesn’t skimp on their live show, either. Their Revolucion Perpetua multimedia show, developed with chilean-born artist/designer Patricio Davila,  integrates digital visual art, live musical performance and audience interaction. The result is a one-of-a-kind organic audio / visual installation not to be missed.

US Tour Dates:

July 7 @ ArtsRoit, Burlington, VT

July 8 @ Rockwood Music Hall, NYC, NY

July 9 @ Joe Pub, NYC, NY

Facebook - www.facebook.com/thebattleofsantiago

Twitter - www.twitter.com/Battle_Santiago

Soundcloud - soundcloud.com/the-battle-of-santiago

Last.fm - http://www.last.fm/music/The+Battle+of+Santiago

Bandcamp - http://thebattleofsantiago.bandcamp.com/

 

Imagineer Corrado Rustici explores expressive new sonicscapes using only the guitar on “Aham,” arriving July 15

Eager to emerge from the “trance” and “lack of imagination” plaguing electric guitarists for the past several decades, Corrado Rustici devoted six years to exploring sounds and expansive musical contexts utilizing only the guitar as his field of experimentation and expression. The imaginative results are the nine songs he composed that together form “Aham,” an audacious collection of ambient fusion, progressive jazz, ethereal rock, moody pop, and dramatic classical performed and produced by Rustici set for release in the U.S. on July 15.   

Rustici’s aural pursuit began in conjunction with a spiritual quest, an existential search into his being, which conjointly led to exploring the essential nature of his perception of music. Everything that you hear on “Aham,” a Sanskrit word meaning “I am,” from what sounds like drums, bass, strings, woodwinds and voice were created exclusively using electric and acoustic guitars through analog pedals and digital plug-ins. The only exceptions are two vocal tracks – one by Rustici on the poetic confessional “The Guilty Thread” and another featuring the soulful tenor voice of Andrew Strong (“The Commitments”) on the fantastical adventure “Alcove Of Stars” – and handclaps on the meandering balladic sojourn “The Last Light Spoken.” The artist did not use synthesizers, samplers or electronic instruments anywhere on the album.

“When I started to write the music for this album, I wanted to find out how far this wonderful instrument and I could go. During six years of work and experimentation, I’ve been incredibly surprised by the guitar’s versatility and sonic capabilities , which have been seldom used or almost totally ignored up to this point. The deeper I went, I became more and more enthused and excited about the little and big secrets that the instrument kept revealing to me. The way in which the music was conceived and produced created some limitations, constrictions and a distinctive sonic palette, all of which contributed to the overall sound and mood of the album. I hope that after six years of R&D, I was able to create a musical space within which one can hear the first baby cry of what I like to call the ‘Transmodern Guitar,’” said Rustici, who as a byproduct of his work on “Aham” is designing and developing a couple of guitar pedals with DV Mark that will be unvieled in January 2017 at the NAMM Show.

To Rustici, it was important that the songs on “Aham,” including the epic two-part title track opus, connect with listeners meaningfully and are capable of shining on their own merits, and do not simply become guitar demos for his revolutionary techniques and ingenuity.

“I was absolutely not interested in recording a ‘shredder’ project. In the end, it’s not important how we construct a piece of music, but only if and in which way a musician is capable of creating that emotional and – always virtual - space within which both the artist and the listener find a way to share the joy, the pain and the very reason for our ‘Existence.’”

The Naples, Italy native will perform music from “Aham” on home soil in November in support of the album, which Sony Classical is releasing in that territory next month. After leading his own band (Nova) in the mid-to-late 1970s, which included collaborations with Phil Collins and hit-maker Narada Michael Walden, Rustici relocated to California and has been a San Francisco resident since 1978. As an award-winning producer, Rustici helped craft a library of No. 1 Billboard singles in Europe and multi-million selling albums working with global superstars such as Zucherro, Paul Young and  Luciano Pavorotti. In 2007, he became the first producer to simultaneously occupy the top 3 spots on the Nielsen chart with three different artists (Ligabue, Negramaro and Renga). Over the years, his passion for sonic innovation has resulted in unearthing now widely accepted and used production methods such as Push & Pull, which combines the irreverent approach of rock and pop with the softer and more evocative effect of ambient music. As a solo artist, his previous releases are “Deconstruction Of A Postmodern Musician" (2007) and “Blaze & Bloom: Live In Japan” (2014), the latter of which was also issued as a DVD.  

Rustici’s “Aham” contains the following songs:

“As Dark Bleeds Light”

“Ananda’s First Steps”

“The Duke And The Hare”

“The Guilty Thread”

“Roots Of Progression”

“Alcove Of Stars”

“The Last Light Spoken”

AHAM Suite:

Part 1: “The Enquiry”

Part 2: “Aham”