The album, which reflects her "struggles, doubts, joys, and hopes while living in the amazing city of New York" has gained features internationally including a coveted online lead feature for Telerama (France), features in Jazz Times, Jazz Thing, Jazz Wise, covers for Amazon's "The Pocket" and "Fresh Jazz" playlists, inclusion on Spotify's "State of Jazz" and Apple's "Jazz Currents" and "Pure Jazz" playlists. So the word is out, and the word is good. Congratulations, Jihye!
“I chose songs I’ve performed for my whole life. They’re my favorite ballads, and they remind me of my childhood. I’ve got a personal story related to each one,” says Grasso. With five previously-unreleased tracks, Grasso introduces Solo Ballads with an intimate interpretation of the standard “When I Fall In Love.” His pronounced plucking places the arpeggio at the forefront before carrying the instantly recognizable melody—popularized by Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole—with nothing more than his guitar.
“I’ve always been a romantic,” he smiles. “I’m a Southern Italian, and I grew up watching my parents, who have been in love for more than forty years. I tried to add more classical guitar to the melody. The song is beautiful, and it reminds me of what it means to be in love.”
Meanwhile, “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” hangs on a deft and dynamic lead punctuated by fascinating moments of improvisation as notes ring out with emotion. “When I recorded it, it was a very sad time because my girlfriend’s grandmother died, and it was her favorite song. Every time I saw her, she asked me to play it. On the album, I dedicated ‘Smoke Gets In Your Eyes’ to her,” Grasso says.
On its heels, Grasso will celebrate the legacy of Duke Ellington with Pasquale Plays Duke. This forthcoming release has the musician reimagining five Duke Ellington classics on solo guitar, alongside several additional tracks recorded with longtime collaborators bassist Ari Roland and drummer Keith Balla. To be released in late summer, the album will feature some of Ellington’s most-cherished masterpieces including “Sophisticated Lady,” “Prelude to a Kiss,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing” and “Cotton Tail,” with guest vocalists Sheila Jordan and Samara Joy making appearances on “Mood Indigo” and “Solitude,” respectively.
Further down the line and expected to be released early in 2022, Pasquale, Roland and Balla will join forces once again, this time to put their spin on a Bebop-era tracks popularized by the likes of Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Horace Silver, Clifford Brown, and more.
Whether he’s by himself, as part of a band, on stage, or on a livestream, Pasquale Grasso’s goal ultimately remains the same, shining on each and every effort. “I always want people to just enjoy what I’m doing. Put the recording on and drink a glass of wine. It might be relaxing or help you concentrate. I just hope you forget about the world for a minute and enjoy yourself,” says Grasso.
Long before earning the endorsement of everyone from The New Yorker to jazz guitar god Pat Metheny and recording a series of solo EPs and albums for Sony Music Masterworks, Pasquale Grasso grew up in this quaint and quiet Italian town of Ariano Irpino. At six-years-old, Pasquale developed a bond with his guitar that ignited an unbelievable journey from the Italian countryside to international renown. After attending the Conservatory of Bologna, the U.S. Embassy enlisted him as its Jazz Ambassador. He embedded himself in New York City’s jazz community through a standing gig with late iconic saxophonist Charles Davis. Among many standout performances, he won the 2015 Wes Montgomery International Jazz Guitar Competition and shared the stage with Pat Martino’s organ trio. In 2018, he appeared at the NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., delivering a show-stopping homage to honor Pat Metheny who christened him “The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life.” Signing to Sony Music Masterworks, he kicked off his solo EP/album series in 2019 with Solo Standards, Vol. 1, Solo Ballads, Vol. 1, Solo Monk, and Solo Holiday. His momentum continued in 2020 with yet another string of solo releases Solo Bird, Solo Masterpieces, Solo Standards, and Solo Bud Powell, earning the praise of The New Yorker, who wrote, “Pasquale Grasso can play guitar like ringing a bell.” He capped off 2020 by accompanying actress and singer Laura Benanti on her self-titled solo debut, joining the Tony® Award winner during her entrancing performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. His eloquent classical technique, jazz phrasing, bebop rhythms, and nimble fret fireworks have distinguished him as a celebrated 21st century virtuoso. In 2021, he expands his repertoire once again with Solo Ballads, an expanded edition of his 2020 EP Solo Ballads, Vol. 1 and the first installment of an eventual three-part album series set for release in 2021-2022.
The album opens with Mendoza’s Five movement “Concerto for Orchestra” which was commissioned by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, with whom Mendoza has had a working relationship for the last several years. The collaboration aimed to create a work that would feature soloists in the orchestra but to somewhat forge a new direction in this revered form. “My approach is a departure from the traditions of an orchestra concerto. For me it was more about having an arc that tells a particular story but also incorporates rhythmic and melodic aspects of African American music and improvisation.” explains Mendoza.
“Coinciding with the composition of the concerto was the 2016 [American] saga of the election of ‘45’ and the resulting tremendous discord in the U.S. during that time. While writing this piece, the events happening in our country invaded my artistic space. For the first time I felt I couldn’t really write music and be removed from what was going on in our environment. I started seriously considering the importance of an artist to reflect the times and how I could make my music a reflection not only of what I was witnessing but what I hoped would occur. So that’s when the arc of this concerto started to take shape.”
Mendoza, as a skilled practitioner of the classical-jazz fusion that Gunther Schuller once called third stream, was and is ideally suited to meet this challenge. “I sought to design the structure of the concerto to be inspired by M.L. King’s remarks on the moral universe, that the arc is long, but it bends toward justice. The beginning of the concerto (the first movement is called ‘American Noise’) reflects the discord that began leading up to the 2016 election. Of course, it pales in comparison to what we dealt with in 2020 and now 2021,” says Mendoza, “but the arc of the composition goes through that process of pure noise, much needed consolation and the need for ‘hitting the streets’. The end of the concerto seeks to reflect justice and the hope for a peaceful resolution to what we were only entering in 2016. Arguably in 2021 we still haven’t quite gotten there.”
Throughout the “Concerto for Orchestra,” drummer Antonio Sanchez provides rhythmic
textures using color, placement and variation accenting the various motifs and ideas expressed in Mendoza’s score. “Antonio thinks and plays like a composer,” says Mendoza. “He was the perfect person to step into this music. He was very sympathetic to what I wanted to achieve, while never losing his voice in the process.” Joshua Redman’s saxophone performance in “Meditation” provides an important improvisational voice to the movement. Mendoza points out that the piece was not originally conceived to have improvised commentary in it. “Once we recorded it, I thought that the music asked for Joshua’s dialog with the orchestra. Joshua understood the purpose and the mood that was needed in that moment, and he played so beautifully.”
The fifth movement of the concerto, “Justice and the Blues,” is a sly reference to two famous quotations from philosopher and public intellectual Dr. Cornel West: “Justice is what Love looks like in public,” and "The Blues responds to the catastrophic with compassion, without drinking from the cup of bitterness." “When we recorded this piece last year in July (of 2019) in particular that last movement – the middle section of that piece that has the groove and the vamp, was originally going to be an instrumental solo,” Mendoza recalls, “I thought we should really have a message there through rap instead. Listening to the recordings of Black Thought, his work seemed to reflect a certain awareness of message I wanted to bring out in this piece. When he agreed to record, Covid hit the U.S. and we were delayed. And then (the death of) George Floyd happened – and then the reaction to George Floyd happened. And so, the shift of consciousness of what we thought was going to be in Black Thought’s performance was entirely different. Then he came up with this amazing heartfelt text,” Hodge provides a foundation of groove for the music and Black Thought’s text of Freedom Over Everything.
“In a way, my plan for a long, constructed arc was interrupted by reality. That’s sort of Jazz sensibility. You can plan your structure but then somebody comes in with their voice and completely changes your point of view. And I love that part of it – things are going to change when the human spirit gets put into it. Improvisation gives us that,” says Mendoza. He is uniquely suited to address these challenges with the ability to speak in the language of the composer and the language of the improviser. It is this denouement which allows for the transition from the end of the “Concerto for Orchestra” to “The Edge of Longing.”
When Mendoza finished writing the concerto the years of turbulence portrayed in the narrative arc of the music seemed to cry out for a piece that might serve as consolation communicating that ‘it’s going to be okay.’ “I wanted it also to be somewhat of an encouraging text that was going to bring people together and bring light into our situation,” Mendoza explains. “To The Edge Of Longing” is an extraordinary art song setting composed by Mendoza for Julia Bullock with orchestral accompaniment, based on verses from the “Book of Hours” by the late 19th, early 20th century poet and novelist Rainer Maria Rilke.
Ms. Bullock described her approach to the material this way: “Vince wrote a poignant setting of an English translation of the German text by Rilke, which is what first got me excited about the project. There’s an intimacy in what is said, but the intensity of the words makes the scope far reaching, and Vince’s music follows that framework. The singers and interpreters I most respect and admire have clear intentions in the delivery of whatever music they share, and I aim for that same kind of immediacy—whether it was music written centuries ago or with my voice in mind. As long as there’s a message to be communicated and a genuine connection to that message, I find no reason to limit how to use my voice, or in which context. So, in that respect, it’s wonderful to participate in a project that is also uninhibited.”
There’s a through line music lovers can identify from Mendoza’s body of work as an arranger and from his previous long form orchestra works as a composer; especially Epiphany (1999) and Constant Renaissance (2019.) “New York Stories,” a Concertino for Trumpet and Orchestra, was commissioned by the Czech National Symphony featuring trumpeter and orchestra founder Jan Hasenöhrl.
As with the artists and the orchestra, Mendoza selected a co-producer and engineer with the capability and experience to be able to work in both the jazz and classical idioms equal to his own whom he knew from his work with the Metropole Orchestra. Jonathan Allen — formerly the chief engineer at the most famous recording studio in the world, Abbey Road — was responsible for the recording, mixing and mastering of this album. If it is true, as Aristotle once said, that “Music has the power of producing a certain effect on the moral character of the soul,” then Vince Mendoza’s Freedom Over Everything is sure to be received as a welcome addition to the times in which we live.
"Getting to make this record with two of my long time musical collaborators was a pure joy," says Stanton Moore. "We took a decidedly old school approach to making this one. During the day of what was to be our third night at Nectar Lounge, we carried the drums, uncased, with the cymbals still on the stands, across the street and placed them in the studio. We were getting sounds within minutes. We recorded for a few hours, carried the drums back and played the gig. No muss, no fuss."
A high-stepping mind/body elixir, 'Calm Down Cologne' finds Garage A Trois in full improvisational flight, composing live, in the moment, on the studio floor. Charlie Hunter on the Hybrid Big6 and Stanton Moore on the drums and cymbals are locked in a mountainous groove throughout. Simultaneously, Skerik conjures the melodic lines with one hand on the tenor saxophone and the other on a clutch of analog keys: Modal 001 synth, Rhodes 54 and Mellotron, among them. The jaunty title track is the only pre-composed piece on the collection, while Seattle singer Christa Wells adds the LP's sole overdub—a Stereolab-esque inspired vocal matching the sax/keys line on aptly-titled "The Epic."
Set opener "No Zone" finds OG GAT channeling Stuff with Eddie Harris sitting in. The outcome is electrifying. The album's centerpiece, the massive "In-A-Pro-Pro," stretches ten-plus minutes as it checks a number of vital boxes for which Garage A Trois are celebrated: stone cold funk, outer-space breakbeats, '70s 'On The Corner' guitar grease. Ever the masters of shapeshifting, OG GAT seamlessly reconfigure course on "Numinous," a dubbed-out descent that winds down the record.
"Charlie and Stanton have been playing together for 25 years. There is a limitless quantity of output that they are able to generate. My job is to stay out of the way of their immovable freight train of rhythmic power and add melodic content on top," explains Skerik. "And the final element of this sonic signature comes from Randall who glues the music together in the recording and mixing process. He's the perfect engineer for records that depend on improvisation. He moves fast and gets huge sounds that convey the dynamics and power of the band."
As for the rather curious album title, the story goes that legendary underground Seattle artist Rick Klu gave Skerik the idea when he was describing a bouncer having to use some 'calm down cologne' on an unruly patron. More metaphorically speaking, a whiff of Garage A Trois' new magic potion elicits a "free your mind and your ass will follow" response—truly a much needed balm in these anxiety-ridden times.
Just as their 1987 debut, Crawling Out, made species-appropriate reference to the emergence of five new voices on the jazz scene, so Squirmin’ captures the sense of eager anticipation and urgency that marks this long-overdue sophomore effort. Both the continuity and the passage of time are reflected by the album cover, which replicates its predecessor with a bit more gray hair and an updated fashion sense.
“I think Crawling Out made a mark of some sort,” says Oxman with a fair degree of understatement. “I run into people all the time who say, ‘I still have that original vinyl,’ or ‘I used to love hearing you guys play.’ So it feels marvelous to be together again.”
The long hiatus can be chalked up to the fact that each of the WORMS has enjoyed a busy and fruitful career in his own right. Oxman is a mainstay of the Denver scene who has recorded albums with such legends as Charles McPherson, Dave Liebman and Houston Person in addition to being a highly influential educator at the city’s East High School. Miles has become one of the most acclaimed artists on the current jazz scene, recording his own albums for Blue Note while forging meaningful collaborations with greats like Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Brian Blade and Joshua Redman. Weyl has toured the world with the vocal group Rare Silk and crossed paths with such artists of note as James Moody, Tom Harrell, Benny Golson and Eddie Harris. Romaine and Simon co-founded the Colorado supergroup Convergence.
But when they first joined forces in the early 1980s, the WORMS (the name is an acronym for their respective last names) were simply five rising stars on the Denver jazz scene eager to find opportunities to craft an original sound. “We all grew up together,” reflects Oxman. “We were all young guys coming up at the same time who had similar ideas about music and just enjoyed playing together.” After a few years, however, each found himself on a separate path until a 2014 reunion concert at the revered Denver jazz club Dazzle revealed that the old chemistry was intact.
Squirmin’ not only fulfills the band members’ long-held desire to recapture the magic, it also marks the realization of a dream for Capri Records founder Thomas Burns, who was himself in the early stages of a remarkable career as a label owner, promoter, photographer, writer and entrepreneur. “I really wanted to record their first album, but [vocalist and label owner] James Van Buren beat me to it,” Burns recalls. “The Jazz WORMS had such a different sound for that period of time, when most jazz musicians in Denver were still looking back at the classic jazz of Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins. To hear a group of young guys at the time just blowin' their asses off was really exciting.”
That sound still feels vital and current today, realized through eight captivating new compositions. The album kicks off, appropriately enough, with Simon’s sizzling “Launching Pad,” on which he and Romaine lay down a muscular groove punctuated by knife-edged horn lines. Simon also contributed the jaunty “What If All?” which spurs graceful melodic flights from Weyl and Miles. Romaine’s two pieces were inspired by his pet birds – and, in the case of “Wheaty Bowl,” one iconic Bird: Charlie Parker, who Wheaty can apparently chirp along to and whose memorable compositions are quoted throughout the piece. “Bu’s Box,” meanwhile, reference Bu’s cardboard home, which supplements Romaine’s percussive arsenal on the tune itself.
Oxman’s new compositions are both dedications. “Joaquin” is something of a companion piece to an earlier tune, “Elena,” recorded with Charles McPherson. That piece was written for a close friend’s granddaughter; “Joaquin” is for the same friend’s grandson, and captures the sense of wonder and tenderness evoked by a newborn. “The Chimento Files,” which closes the album, is a simmering blues dedicated to one of Oxman’s East High colleagues, Alan Chimento. Weyl’s pair of offerings range from the blistering “Lickity-Split” to the wistful, self-explanatory “Balladesque.”
The results of this welcome rebirth exceeded expectations. “It was magical,” Burns says. “I love the way these guys interact. They seem symbiotic: they speak as one, they listen to one another, all the stuff that they teach about jazz musicians – they have it. They always shine as a group.”
“I'm thrilled about this album,” Oxman says. “I think it’s even better than the first one. I think that’s mostly due to the fact that we all truly love each other and love playing together, even though it's sometimes been difficult to get us all in one room.”
Formed in 1984, the Jazz WORMS emerged from the thriving Denver jazz scene of the era, bringing together five young musicians who would go on to make great strides as artists and educators in the ensuing decades: pianist Andy Weyl, saxophonist Keith Oxman, drummer Paul Romain, cornetist Ron Miles, and bassist Mark Simon. The quintet recorded a single album, 1987’s Crawling Out, before going their separate ways. A 2014 reunion concert reignited the spark, providing the opportunity for a rare second act for this adventurous and witty ensemble.
The band’s deep and infectious grooves form the basis from which they can showcase their beautiful and mature songwriting craft. Lyrics touching on social and environmental issues in both Brazil and Cape Verde, as well as reflections on modern life, weave between the songs in Loubet’s native Portuguese. Initially inspired by a recent period of living in Bahia, Brazil, interacting and working with local musicians there, Caravela took that experience and melded it alongside their wide range of influences to deliver a stunning set of contemporary songs.
Hypnotic and groove-laden percussion ties together all the different elements Caravela are bringing to the table, from Afro-Brazilian influences like Candomblè music or the tropicalia of Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso with some darker, electronic elements reminiscent of Radiohead, electric era Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. There’s also a grittiness from the band’s music evolving from within London’s contemporary jazz scene that makes Caravela’s music uniquely their own. The African and Brazillian rhythms and jazz approach remain at the core of the groups sound, but the development and growth of their own songwriting, diverse range of textures and influences and their soaring vocals and spiritual lyrics make their sound so distinct.
The new album is Porter’s first release with the Runnin’ Pardners since 2015’s It’s Time To Funk EP, and the band’s first full-length album in a decade. Spearheaded by Porter on bass and vocals, the current quartet features Terrence Houston on drums, Michael Lemmler on keyboards and Chris Adkins on guitar.
Crying For Hope came together virtually during the 2020 pandemic, with band members recording their parts individually from home studios, or down the road at Ora’s Third Floor Sound Lab. In a recent interview with Offbeat, Porter describes how the spark to create new Runnin’ Pardners music lit when he revisited unfinished recordings from a few years back, and became inspired. Written from the bass line up, Porter collaborated in the cloud and via Facetime with Lemmler, and then Adkins, before Houston laid down the final heartbeat to bring their new songs to life.
Self-produced by Porter & Runnin’ Pardners and mixed and mastered by Joe Kalb, the result is a dynamic snapshot of the modern state of funk — and its place in the greater social conversation — from one of the most prolific and influential bassists of a generation.
Crying For Hope kicks off with its first single and title track, which echoes the need for justice, understanding and allies in today’s cultural atmosphere. Hardline funk on “Wanna Get Funky” features a guest vocalist Mia Borders, while “I’m Barely” and “Too Hot Too Cold” reflect on uncertainty, and ultimately, acceptance.
Around a third of Crying For Hope doesn’t use words to make its point clear.
The album’s indelibly groovy instrumental songs like “Get Back Up,” “Cloud Funk” and “Taste of the Truth” meet the more jazz-forward “Porter 13A” and “Spanish Moss.” Collectively, Crying For Hope finds unity within Porter’s slick pocket — a foundation of funk — that allows each of the other Pardners to shine in their own way.
After thanking his bandmates, team and influential women in his life, Porter closes the record’s liner notes by saying he’s, “Grateful that during this tough time something this good could happen.”
New Orleans music royalty, George Porter Jr. founded The Meters in 1965 alongside Art Neville, Leo Nocentelli and Joseph Zigaboo Modeliste. Known as one of the progenitors of funk with Sly & The Family Stone and Parliament Funkadelic, The Meters carved their own place in history with syncopated polyrhythms and grooves inherited from New Orleans’ deep African musical roots. Porter’s heavy pockets and fat notes created the rubbery bass lines behind anthems like “Cissy Strut” off the group’s self-titled 1969 debut — The Meters’ greatest commercial single that reached No. 4 on the R&B chart and No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Meters became the house band for Allen Toussaint’s recording label and studio in New Orleans, backing records for Dr. John, Paul McCartney, Lee Dorsey, Earl King, Robert Palmer and Patty Labelle’s No. 1 hit, “Lady Marmalade”. They toured with the Rolling Stones and influenced everyone from Led Zeppelin and Bob Marley to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Beastie Boys. Porter’s rhythmic work with drummer Modeliste became the building block behind scores from hip-hop artists A Tribe Called Quest, Run DMC, N.W.A. and Queen Latifah, all of whom sampled The Meters.
The band broke up in 1977, after Toussaint claimed rights to the name, but reformed in the 1980s as The Funky Meters following an informal jam during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Porter went on to become a highly coveted session bassist. He notched studio sessions with David Byrne, Jimmy Buffet, Tori Amos and Taj Mahal; and live performances with John Scofield, Warren Haynes, members of the Grateful Dead and countless others.
Porter started his own band, the Runnin’ Pardners, in 1990 and released his solo record Runnin’ Partner. The group’s studio releases include Funk This (2000) and Can’t Beat the Funk (2011), as well as live albums along the way. The current lineup features drummer Terrence “Groove Guardian” Houston, Michael Lemmler on keyboards and guitarist Chris Adkins.
In 2000, the original Meters lineup reunited for a one-night stand at the Warfield in San Francisco, and again in 2006 to headline Jazzfest in the wake of Katrina. The group sporadically performed as The Original Meters to elated crowds between 2012 and 2017. Art “Poppa Funk” Neville retired from performing in 2018 and passed away the following year. But the Meters’ music and their heritage of funk lives on in George Porter and his bandmates – past, present and future.
Born and raised in the Crescent City, Porter, now aged 70, calls New Orleans home to this day.
Today, Donato brings this flavor, now near synonymous with his name, to a new album in the Jazz Is Dead series with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Joāo Donato JID007. “Donato is one of the greatest Brazilian composers from that golden era. His signature style, simple melodies combined with colorful chordal progressions, establishes a new lane for Jazz Is Dead,” explains Younge. “João is one of the most innovative Brazilian jazz composers of the last century. Creating with and learning from this maestro was one of the greatest experiences of my career.”
On the first day of recording, João Donato was so flattered that to learn Younge and Muhammad had crafted some tunes for him to grace that on the second day, the maestro showed up to the studio with a composition in honor of his new musical partners: “Adrian, Ali and Gregory.” Gregory (aka Greg Paul) delivers an effortlessly buoyant rhythm to support Donato’s whimsical and wistful Fender Rhodes. Younge and Muhammad added the flute melody after the sessions, a perfect tribute and compliment to this master arranger, sweet and melancholic at the same time.
Building off a sinister interlocking drum and bass pattern, Donato, Younge, Muhammad, Paul and vocalist Loren Oden, assemble a swaying and swirling tune with a romantic mantra, “Nāo Negue Seu Coraçāo,” which translates to “Don’t Deny Your Heart.” Aspirational saxophones dance among cascading monophonic synths, a churning Hammond B3 and cutting fuzz guitar while Donato’s subtle and slinky Fender Rhodes leads the way through the musical maelstrom. Delivered in Portuguese, Oden sings the song’s emotional energy into existence.
If Jon Lucien made a fusion album, it would have sounded something like “Forever More.” Oden’s vocals capture the longing and romanticism of the title, while the rhythm section harkens back to the last album Donato recorded in Los Angeles in 1970, a jazz fusion fore-runner full of pulsing polyrhythms and urgent melodies. “You guys made me like L.A. again,” Donato told Younge and Mohammad towards the end of his 2019 trip to record this album and perform at the Jazz Esta Morto series.
João Donato deserves a place among the legends of Brazilian music, alongside Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto, Dorival Caymmi, Ary Barroso, and select few others. Ironically, his constant experimentation with different genres – the very essence of his greatness – make him a challenge to classify and perhaps held him back from becoming the household name some of his peers became. Asked how he would describe his own work, he says, “It’s my style of music, the way I think about [music]. I don’t even think about it, it’s just the way I do things. I don’t know if it even has a name.”
Donato has finally received long overdue accolades for his contributions to date. An archetypal “musician’s musician,” Donato’s stepped out of the shadows more recently, recording at an unprecedented rate and collaborating with a variety of musicians, from Brazil and beyond, old and young. Still going strong at over eighty years old, the late praise and recognition is finally coming for the artist who Claus Ogerman offered to arrange an album, who Antonio Carlos Jobim called a genius, and who no other than João Gilberto claims invented the bossa nova beat.
“Has the day unfolded without a smile landing on you? Then follow the road to a João Donato song, you are sure to find one there,” says Muhammad. “João, one of the founding fathers of bossa nova has opened his magical melodious spirit to us here at Jazz Is Dead. Together we found beleza na música.”
João Donato was born in 1934 and spent his early years completely landlocked in the Amazon wilderness of Acre, a state that borders Peru and Bolivia. By eight, he was playing accordion and even wrote his first song, “Indio Perdido,” which he would later re-record as “Lugar Comum” thirty-three years later with lyrics courtesy of tropicalist pop star, Gilberto Gil. Donato’s family moved to Rio de Janeiro when he was sixteen and he started hanging out with other jazz-obsessed teenagers in the suburbs of Rio. By 1958, at the age of twenty-four, Donato was one of the most respected musicians in Rio, but what he wanted to play was not what local audiences wanted to hear, so he spent the next 15 years bouncing between Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City. Upon his return in 1973, he’d been forgotten by the general public, but had become a legend to a younger generation of musicians, including: Marcos Valle, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa & Gilberto Gil.
“People have had to make adjustments and be reborn to a certain extent,” Evans says by way of explaining the title. “We’re past the point where we didn’t know what was going on or what the future would look like. Now we’re settling into what our ‘new normal’ will be, embracing the magic of now and the shape of what will happen next.”
The Magic of Now was recorded at SMOKE during the second weekend of December 2020 by Evans and a multi-generational cohort of A-list partners – first-call New York bassist Vicente Archer; iconic drummer Bill Stewart; and the dynamic 23-year-old alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins. They generate an eight-piece program that exemplifies state-of-the-art modern jazz, including three tunes apiece by the leader and Wilkins (whose 2020 Blue Note debut, Omega, was named “Best Debut Jazz Recording of 2020” by NPR Music and number-one jazz recording of 2020 by the New York Times). From the first note to the last, the quartet, convening as a unit for the first time, displays the cohesion and creative confidence of old friends.
Actually, “old friends” is a precise descriptor for the protagonists. “This album is a reunion,” explains Evans, who met Archer when both moved to New York City during the mid-1990s. He began playing frequently with Stewart when saxophone titan Steve Wilson hired both to play in his Wilsonian Grain quartet in 2008. In 2013, he played “big fun” trio gigs with Archer and Stewart at the Litchfield Jazz Festival and the Detroit Jazz Festival, and used Stewart on his 2014 Smoke Session album Liberation Blues.
Evans initially met Wilkins – a fellow Philadelphia resident – when teaching him at a summer music camp. They first shared the Smoke Jazz Club bandstand in 2018, when Evans to organize a series called “Philly Meets New York.” Their simpatico intensified last summer, as Evans recruited Wilkins to play several self-produced “Club Patio” concerts outside his Philadelphia home.
“I knew Immanuel as a performer and a saxophonist, but not as a composer until I played some of his pieces during that series,” Evans says. “I loved the compositions, how he treated them within a set, and how he put everything together. Playing other people’s music inspires me.”
Producer Paul Stache, who’d personally experienced the Evans-Wilkins simpatico during a Wilkins-led livestream at Smoke last August, suggested the matchup. “I’d wanted to do more with Vicente and Bill after 2013, but they ended up playing with Nicholas Payton for a few years and I couldn’t figure out a way to put it back together,” Evans says. “By happenstance, we were all at home during the pandemic.”
“I love Vicente’s fearlessness,” says Evans, himself known for applying a “kamikaze” attitude to jazz expression since he began leading groups in his late teens. “He learns the music and then adds so much to the conversation by playing harmonic and rhythmic ideas you might not have thought of. And I love the way that Bill’s drums sound – his cymbal choices, the way he tunes his bass drum and snare drum.”
As for Wilkins, Evans appreciates his lovely tone throughout the alto’s registral range; his command of a broad swath of jazz lineage; his “ability to bring music to the table and let it breathe, allowing myself, Vicente and Bill to bring something to it totally different than what his band would do.”
On The Magic of Now, the members apply their collective mojo to three heretofore unrecorded Wilkins songs, including the gorgeous ballad “The Poor Fisherman,” of which Evans (a master of the genre) remarks, “I’ve always wanted to write a ballad like that.” The leader notes the “relaxed” quality that Archer and Stewart impart to the 5/4 time signature that underpins the melody-drenched “Levels,” on which composer and leader engage in probing dialogue before each uncorks a commanding solo. Evans also applauds Wilkins’ “Momma Loves,” analogizing it to “a modern-day Monk tune, or modern-day bebop, with extra bars that make it feel weird – everyone plays right on through it.”
The program opens with a medley of Stewart’s anthemic “Mynah” (which debuted on Stewart’s 1997 Blue Note album, Telepathy) and Mulgrew Miller’s “The Eleventh Hour,” a blues that Evans describes as “a melody that, when you get in there, it’s going to start swinging.” That understates what the unit does on this ferociously executed, up-tempo tour de force, on which Wilkins and Evans refract the language of seminal ’60s modernism into their respective argots, propelled by stalwart beat flow from Archer and Stewart.
The first of Evans’ three tunes is “Libra,” a stick-to-the-ribs melody that previously appeared on Evans’ self-released Luvpark and White Boy, You Don’t Know Nothin’ About No Barbecue. “I wanted to hear what Bill would play,” says Evans, whose intensely percussive solo dances to the “distinctive groove” of Stewart, who played regularly with jazz-funk saxophone legend Maceo Parker during the early ’90s.
Evans dedicated the medium-up swinger “MAT-Matt” – which debuted on Evans’ 1999 album Listen To The Band and was reprised on the 2010 date Faith and Action – to his two sons, now 28 and 23. “It speaks to watching them grow,” he says.
The intensity winds down on the set-closing “Dave,” a pensive ballad on which Stewart showcases his skill at flowing in the rubato space. As on the preceding tunes, where he explores numerous dimensions of piano expression, Evans projects his singular voice onto the 88 keys.
“I love the sound of the piano and drums on this record – and I love the sound at Smoke,” Evans says of The Magic of Now. “I love the energy – so close, so intimate. And I appreciate having a long-standing relationship with Paul Stache that’s built on mutual respect. That has a lot to do with how much I enjoy playing music there.”
The flagship "ALJA Digital Village" program "Virtual Birdland" will celebrate the milestone with the global release of a new album, Virtual Birdland, featuring O'Farrill and his acclaimed 18-person Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra performing with an array of special guests on 10 ambitious compositions recorded across a span of more than 50 online concerts. Each Virtual Birdland session is recorded remotely from the safety of each artists' homes. Jon Pareles (Chief Popular Music Critic) of The New York Times included "Virtual Birdland" in his story, "10 Best Quarantine Concerts Online" (July 2021).
Since March 2020, O'Farrill and ALJA have presented programs with lauded guests such as Dr. Cornel West, Paquito de Rivera, Rudresh Mahathappa, Ana Tijoux, Miguel Zenon, Sean Jones, Mandy Gonzalez, Letieres Leite and Orkestra Rumpilezz, Sofia Rei, and Sahr Ngaujah. Master classes have been led by the likes of John Benitez, Papo Vazquez, Samuel Torres, Yasser Tejeda, and others. "ALJA Digital Village" programs such as Ori-Gen Collective and La Plaza bring award-winning performances and panels to the community (free of charge). ALJA has presented more than 100 dynamic programs over the past 12 months.
"When the pandemic began there was a national and global reckoning," says Arturo O'Farrill. "We were blindsided, and even though the sky seemed like it was falling, we rose up and were determined to play music and heal others. Virtual Birdland is proof that we are interconnected globally even if we are not allowed to leave our homes. The featured musicians sat in their living rooms, bedrooms, or closets and contributed to the lives of thousands of unseen listeners. No immediate feedback, no discernible applause, no fancy concert halls, just the purest form of art there is, service to others."
"It's during challenging times like the ones we are now living in that our community excels in its strength, compassion, and ability to come together for the benefit of all," says Marietta Ulacia (Executive Director, Afro Latin Jazz Alliance). "Reaching nearly 1.5 million people through our digital programming is a milestone we are very proud of and tells us that people need music now more than ever. We look forward to continuing our online initiatives throughout 2021."
Virtual Birdland opens with Gulab Jamón, a commissioned work by The Greene Space in New York City. The title is a nod to O'Farrill's two favorite cuisines, Indian and Spanish. The inspiration came from the thought that water exists in many forms, but is essentially the same. "We should see humanity in the same nature," says O'Farrill. "We do not dilute our essence when we embrace others."
Pouvoir (meaning "power" in French) is written by Moroccan-born artist Malika Zarra, who is a defender of the sacred Moroccan rhythmic code, Chaabi (a traditional style of North African dance music associated with weddings and festivals.) Rafi Malkiel contributes the composition "Desert," an example of inner joy flowing out. The work reflects the sound of ancient trade routes connecting with a moment in time where we all need healing.
"Nightfall" by Larry Willis is an example of the compositional prowess of this brilliant pianist. The effortlessness of his swing and the efficacy of his tumbao reveal that the roots, path, and future of this music we call jazz are Afro Latino. If artists ran the world, the result would the global connection presented by Kuwait-based artist Ghazi Faisal Al-Mulaifi on his work, "Ana Mashoof." Originally performed in Abu Dhabi during a concert called Cuba Meets Khaleeji: The Middle Eastern Roots of Afro Cuban Jazz, the recorded iteration features the band of Kuwait percussionists Boom Diwan and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Paquito D'Rivera's "Samba for Carmen" was written for the inimitable Carmen McRae and arranged by Maestro Chico O'Farrill. Paquito is renowned as one of the amazing clarinetists of our time. On "Samba for Carmen," he is featured in a Brazilian samba and sounds like a born and bred "carioca."
Letieres Leite's "Alafia" is full blown Candomblé, scored for 5 percussionists, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 5 saxes and a tuba. Composed by Rafael Solano and orchestrated by Chico O'Farrill, "En La Oscuridad" is a meditation in elegance and soul. O'Farrill performed the piece under his father's direction and marveled at the playing of tenor saxophone giant, Mario Rivera. Mario's protégé, Ivan Renta, plays with so much reverence for his mentor, yet forged his own voice to remind us that we are part of an ancestral trail.
Don Angel "Papo" Vazquez is affectionately known as "El Almirante" (The Admiral). He is the creator of bomba jazz and amongst the finest trombonists performing today. "Cimarron" was commissioned by the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance and in this setting refers to the untamed runaway. "Cimarron" celebrates musical fearlessness.
Virtual Birdland closes with Tito Puente's iconic "Para Los Rumberos," arranged by José Madera. A rumbero is someone who is not bound by circumstance. When the picture is at its bleakest and the smart thing to do is cave in to fear, he does the opposite and celebrates the challenge with song and dance. Tito took the circumstances of his life and created a universe of joy, which is presented on "Para Los Rumberos."
Beginning on April 14, Arturo O'Farrill will perform a new concert/livestreaming series at the Soapbox Gallery (636 Dean St, Brooklyn, NY). His inaugural performance will be a solo recital and the series will feature O'Farrill in an array of formats including trio, quartet, quintet, and small orchestra. Forthcoming concerts will be listed at soapboxgallery.org.
While countless musicians have spent the quarantine months in a state of limbo, the always-prolific Bromberg quickly figured out a way to continue making music while remaining socially distanced. Due out May 21, 2021 via Artistry Music/Mack Avenue Music Group, A Little Driving Music follows the bassist’s wide-ranging holiday album, Celebrate Me Home, and the remixed and remastered digital release of his stunning tribute album Bromberg Plays Hendrix.
“In one aspect it's been a weird, heartbreaking time to be a musician who just wants to play music with human beings, for human beings,” Bromberg laments. “On the flip side, I've been really fortunate. It's been a really positive, productive period because I've had nothing but time to sit in front of a computer or pluck my strings.”
A Little Driving Music features a dozen brand-new Bromberg compositions as well as a surprising 80s cover song, the joyful Katrina and the Waves hit “Walking on Sunshine.” Despite recording each musician in isolation and at a distance, the bassist managed to (virtually) assemble an elite roster of longtime collaborators and all-star special guests including saxophonists Dave Koz, Everette Harp, Gary Meek, Elan Trotman, Darren Rahn and Marion Meadows; keyboardist Tom Zink; guitarists Jerry Cortez, Nick Colionne and Ray Fuller; drummers Joel Taylor and Tony Moore; vibraphonist Craig Fundiga; and percussionist Lenny Castro. There’s even a string orchestra featuring members of the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic, conducted by arranger/producer Corey Allen (again, with COVID safety protocols in place).
“This is the hand you're dealt, so you make the most of it,” Bromberg says of the unusual circumstances under which the album was recorded. “Everything about how we do things has changed, but when you come to terms with that and accept it for what is, you can enjoy the process. Especially when you're dealing with a lot of talented people and state-of-the-art technology – it's amazing what you can do despite not being in a prime situation.”
No trace of that adverse situation can be heard as the album kicks off with “Froggy’s,” a carefree, high-spirited funk tune highlighted by a lively horn section emulating the chorus of frogs that often greets the composer at his Southern California home. Bromberg takes a blistering solo on piccolo bass, which could easily be mistaken for a shredding electric guitar. The baton is then picked up by Everette Harp’s vibrant turn on sax.
A diary entry for these strange times, “Quarantine” was the first track penned by Bromberg after lockdown commenced. The rest of the album was also composed in quarantine, with the sole exception of the title track – fittingly enough, as the freewheeling “A Little Driving Music” fills the listener with a sense of movement and freedom much missed over these solitary months. “That Cool Groovy Beatnik Jazz” is another self-explanatory title, conjuring the laid-back, finger-snapping groove of a classic BYOB hipster café (meaning Bring Your Own Bongos).
Both “Bado Boy!” and “Lullaby for Bado” are dedicated to a cat that Bromberg and his fiancée rescued from Barbados, a complicated tale that eventually involved the island’s Minister of Agriculture. (“It would be as if you wanted to rescue a cat and had to talk to the Vice President of the United States to do it,” Bromberg says incredulously.) The former tune, which features Barbados-born saxophonist Elan Trotman, reflects the feline’s playful spirit; the latter, pairing Bromberg’s emotional acoustic bass with the Dominican Republic strings, is an elegy for the lost cat.
“We knew he was sick, but we hoped he'd live a long time,” Bromberg recalls. “Unfortunately, he only lived a year, but he had a hell of a year living with us instead of being alone as a stray cat sick in the Caribbean.”
With an assist from Dave Koz, “Walking on Sunshine” reimagines the 80s classic in a jazz context, slower and funkier than the incessantly upbeat original. “After the year we've had – and, sadly, the year we're likely going to have – a little positive energy goes a long way,” Bromberg explains. “So, I wanted to record something with positive energy and uplift that also had that twist, that most recording artists might not have thought of doing.”
Short for Sagittarius, “Sag 5” is named for the December 5 birthday that Bromberg shares with saxophonist Darren Rahn, who guests on the track, melding sounds so harmoniously with the bassist that it lends a bit of credence to astrological synergy. Adding Andrew Neu on clarinet and Mitch Forman on accordion, “A Rainy Day in Paris” transports the listener to a café in the City of Lights as the weather turns gray outside. “If that song doesn't make you want to have a glass of wine and some cheese, I don't know what will,” insists Bromberg. “The only thing missing is a red and white checkered tablecloth.”
With Marion Meadows extolling the hopeful melody on soprano sax, “Peace” is Bromberg’s offering to the search for sanity in a contentious world. As he describes it, the tune is “the equivalent of a musical time out, suggesting that everybody just take a deep breath while the world and this country, in particular, is pretty upside down.”
The country-accented “Jedediah’s Gold” paints a sepia-tinged portrait of a Gold Rush miner and his stake in the Old West, while “The Sitting Room” luxuriates in the feeling of relaxing in a favorite, comfy spot at home. The greasy, slinky “Baton Rouge” detours down south for a bit of hot, sweaty, fun-in-the-sun funk with Nick Colionne laying down some down-home guitar licks.
“There's some heavier music on A Little Driving Music,” Bromberg concludes, “but for the most part it's a fun, positive energy record. There's nothing better than that Zen moment of listening to great tunes on the road, looking out the window at life. That's the vibe of it to me: I hope people just want to put it on in the car and crank it up.”
Sometimes a concert is much more than music. Sometimes it’s a celebration of a special milestone, in this case the 20-year trajectory of Calle Sur, a Latin duo based in the Midwest, comprised of Panamanian Edgar East (vocals, Latin percussion, guitar, flute, trumpet, Venezuelan quitiplás bamboo tubes) and Colombian Karin Stein (vocals, guitar, Andean zampoña pan flutes, Colombian gaita flutes, Venezuelan cuatro). The COVID-19 pandemic nearly halted their 20th anniversary celebration plans, but Karin and Ed decided to start 2021 with renewed hope and the release of a 20th anniversary album, “Cancún,” an exciting variation on their usual repertoire of Latin folk and popular music infused with jazz piano.
A socially conscious force in global jazz fusion for over 10 years, Bangladesh born, NYC based composer/guitarist Reza Khan taps into the exotic-meet-melodic aesthetic of one of his major influences, Pat Metheny in his adventurous approach to blending pop, jazz, soul and world music influences. On his multi-faceted and wildly groove intensive album Imaginary Road, Khan uses a wide array of musical textures to express his emotions about the pandemic and our political culture. Vibing with top genre musicians like Philippe Saisse and Miles Gilderdale (Acoustic Alchemy) as well as fusion great Mark Egan (bass) and trad jazz pianist Matt King, he leads us along an ultimately hopeful path filled with sunshine, sizzling soul, seductive light funk and exquisite free flowing balladry. ~ www.smoothjazz.com
After a year in quarantine, nothing says sunshine like the music of the islands – and no Smooth Jazz artist these days better captures that spirit of a NEW DAY than Brettina. The Nassau, Bahamas born singer releases her new EP and showcases her equal facility for dreamy, sensual romantic soul/jazz along with breezy vocalese and harmonies, danceable grooves and dynamic percussion patterns of her homeland – the latter vibe infused with folk acoustic guitar and vibrant steel pans! Brettina collaborated on this sexy, feel good project with multi-platinum Grammy nominated producer G’harah Degeddingseze. ~ www.smoothjazz.com
In the wake of the show’s international success and due to enthusiastic fan response, the Moka Efti Orchestra became an actual entity. The ensemble started to tour and perform their hits from the show’s soundtrack with vocalist, and series actor Severija Janusauskaitė aka SEVERIJA. Capitalizing on the momentum of their popularity, the Orchestra has now created a 13 song album featuring new versions of their popular songs plus new compositions. The album Erstausgabe sees its North American debut on April 16th on Six Degrees Records.
From the onset of the series, album composers and arrangers were tasked to focus on musically defining vivid contemporary emotions, rather than worrying about achieving 100% historical accuracy. A lofty task for the most ambitious TV series in German film history. Music industry veterans, Weidemann, has been rooted for decades in the international musical subculture and Kamien has made a name for himself as part of the 90s duo dZihan&Kamien. Borkowski is a successful sax and flute player in Berlin’s jazz scene. With guidance from the series directors, they took the band and its music to unimaginable new heights.
The band’s compositions and arrangements range from swing, blues, ragtime, Chanson, Big Band Charleston to Klezmer. The track “Zu Asche, Zu Staub” is a fan favorite standout. The song appears on the new album with an original arrangement featuring singer SEVERIJA. Another standout is “Snake – Together Alone,” showcasing Severija’s deep, smooth and silky voice, set over the orchestra’s bluesy, R&B influenced, powerful soundscape.
The ensemble had been touring throughout Europe and Germany up until COVID-19. Highlight performances have included Brandenburg Gate, German Unity day, Europe’s GQ Awards, sold out shows at the famous Ballhaus Berlin, Munich Philharmonie, and Kassel ́s opera house. On April 18th, Moka Efti Orchestra will livestream direct from Germany commemorating the 76th Anniversary of the release of the prisoners from the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. They will perform music specially arranged for the celebration & from their debut LP. You can catch the livestream here: https://rememberliberation.stiftung-bg.de/en/online-events/#3751
Paste says “Watching Babylon Berlin is often a visceral experience, one you may occasionally need a break from yet find it hard to tear yourself away. It is simply stunning television that has for too long been buried in the depths of Netflix’s vast catalogue. Seek it out like that fabled Russian gold. You will, indeed, uncover a treasure.”
Entertainment Weekly has proclaimed the series the best TV show for self-isolation.
The group displays a bold, unique sound rooted in modern jazz with strong rock and contemporary classical influences (the music of Olivier Messiaen being a particularly important touchstone.) Pianist Jonathan Turgeon’s compelling compositions are bolstered by strong arrangements devised by the whole group. This project is a particularly compelling showcase for the group’s woodwind players, who explore a wide range of textures and timbres. Faithful to its jazz heritage, L’abîme expresses itself through deep, engaging improvisations by Hugo Blouin (upright bass), Jean-Philippe Godbout (drums), Alex Dodier (saxophones, flute) and Gabriel Genest (tenor saxophone, clarinets).
L’abîme will be released on April 30th, 2021.
Ray Gallon’s impressive CV does not indicate an artist “of the tradition,” or “from the tradition”, but rather an artist who embodies the tradition, one who is a modern-day, current, active jazz artist of the highest order. It includes appearances and recordings with the likes of Ron Carter, Lionel Hampton, Art Farmer, T.S. Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Wycliffe Gordon, Les Paul, Benny Golson, Frank Wess, Lew Tabackin George Adams, and The Mingus Big Band. Gallon has also been called upon to accompany many vocal greats (often indicative of a pianist’s elevated musicianship), including Jon Hendricks, Sheila Jordan, Grady Tate, Nnenna Freelon, Gloria Lynne, Dakota Staton, Joe Williams, Chaka Khan, Jane Monheit and others.
So, the looming question is, why now? What took Gallon so long to unleash his debut? “I needed to feel ready - that I had something special to offer, with a personal identity and a refined concept in terms of my playing, repertoire, and overall trio conception, all while being steeped in the classic tradition of swing and blues. What struck me most when I was coming up, spending countless nights at the Village Vanguard, Sweet Basil, and Bradley’s, seeing/hearing Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Cedar Walton, Kenny Barron, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans, Jimmy Rowles, Steve Kuhn (and many other masters), was how they each sounded uniquely original while remaining grounded in the tradition. These values were also instilled in me by my teachers, John Lewis, Jaki Byard and Hank Jones – who all stressed the importance of ‘finding your own voice’,” explains Gallon.
Also, simply put, Gallon has been busy working, fully engaged for the first fifteen years of his career as a valued sideman in studios and stages around the globe. This was followed by a period of forced retreat from the scene while he faced, battled, and recovered from colon cancer, while, at the same time, caring for his parents, both of whom were slowly succumbing to long term terminal illnesses. For the past 10 years, he’s finally had the chance to work steadily as a leader, doing countless gigs in local clubs, and having the opportunity to develop and fine-tune his personal, and trio, conception.
“With Make Your Move, everything came together just at the right time. I knew I wanted my first album to be in a trio setting, and I always had it in the back of my mind to do an album with David and Kenny, two dear friends who happen to make for a dream-team of a rhythm section. I’ve been playing regularly with David now for well over a decade - aside from being such a wonderful, special player (both as an accompanist and a soloist) with a great sound, he knows my music inside & out. I continually have to remind him that it’s bad etiquette to play better solos than the bandleader! It was very special for me to be able to do my first album with Kenny. Though I had not previously played in a trio setting with him, Kenny played a huge role in my early musical development, dating way back to when we first met as teenagers just out of high school. I had recently discovered (and become obsessed with) jazz and was working in the jazz aisle at J&R Records where Kenny was a regular customer; we’d hang for hours talking music, as he schooled me on who was who and what was what - even at that young age, Kenny already possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of jazz recordings! One of the key reasons for Kenny’s preeminence as a drummer is his remarkable arrangement-oriented concept; his ability to bring every detail to light. This is exactly what he did with my music, even though he was playing it all for the first time,” says Gallon.
Some of the music on Make Your Move has been in Gallon’s book for a while, evolving and growing over the years in the process of Gallon honing in on the finer details, and bringing them to their full realization. While other compositions came out fully formed and ready to go!:
Kitty Paws – While playing for one of Sheila Jordan’s vocal workshops at City College, on a break, “I started fooling around with the chords of a standard song one of the singers had just performed, ‘The Song Has Ended but the Memory Lingers On,’ and out popped this playful melody that seemed to have the vibe of a tap-dancing feline,” says Gallon.
Out of Whack – An off-kilter Gallon composition that has alternating time feels and sections of uneven lengths (4+8+4+7 bars).
Craw Daddy – Gallon sees this composition as, “a modern take on an old-time blues; something that sounds both new and old at the same time. The title just seemed to capture this feeling.” “Craw Daddy” was previously recorded by T.S. Monk on his album Higher Ground (featuring Ray Gallon).
Harm’s Way – Aptly titled for the challenging up-tempo of the piece, and also because Gallon based the composition on the harmonic minor scale.
Back to the Wall – A play on words from a fond memory in Gallon’s life. He explained, “Academy Records, near Union Square, had this wall of super discounted CDs – I was hooked, regularly going ‘back to the wall’ to load up on gems of jazz and classical you could find amongst the flotsam and jetsam”. As for the composition, Gallon says, “While my tunes are generally melody-driven, they tend to include written-out bass figures and rhythmic hits that are structural parts of the compositional fabric – this reflects my love of Horace Silver and the way his compositions often include fully integrated rhythm section parts.”
I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance – “I love playing standard songs, particularly those I feel I can offer a personalized interpretation of. This arrangement includes moving bass figures and rhythmic hits within the context of a slow, spacious ballad. I originally conceived of this as a slow bossa, but, over the years, it evolved into what you hear on the record,” states Gallon.
That’s the Question – An early composition of Gallon’s, based on “Getting Sentimental Over You,” with some variation to the song’s chord progression. It’s a nod to bebop and a lot of fun for Gallon and Co. to play on gigs as a set opener or closer. It was first recorded by the Harper Brothers on their album You Can Hide Inside the Music. There is also a vocal version entitled, "I'm Running Late," with lyrics by Angela Verbrugge, on her album, The Night We Couldn't Say Good Night.
Hank’s A Lot – “Of all the great pianists I got the see play live, no one influenced me more than Hank Jones. I used to follow him around from gig to gig as if I were the president of his fan club. I especially loved when he played at Knickerbocker, where I could lean on the railing behind the piano for hours, looking over his shoulders, watching his hands, trying to “cop” as much as I could. One of the highlights of my student years was receiving an NEA grant to study with Mr. Jones privately. When I wrote this tune, it reminded me so much of him, it seemed only fitting to offer it as a dedication (and a huge “’Hank you”) to one of my true musical heroes,” says Gallon.
Yesterdays – Ahmad Jamal, upon hearing Gallon’s rendition of this Jerome Kern classic, enthusiastically responded to this tip-of-the-hat to Art Tatum. “While I in no way intended to emulate Tatum directly (I couldn’t if I tried!), I was inspired to utilize a few of his devices – the way he transitions from rubato into a spirited tempo through an ostinato bass line, his remarkably dissonant voicings, and that little riff he plays to signal the end of each chorus. Mr. Jamal recognized these references right away and, so far, he’s the only one who’s noticed!,” says Gallon.
Plus One – A contrafact based on Fat’s Waller’s “Honeysuckle Rose,” this original is filled with breaks and rhythmic hits, and offers the familiar chord progression with a bit of a twist.
Make Your Move – Of the title track, Gallon says, “I’m particularly proud of how this piece balances a sunny, accessible melody with a harmonic structure and phrasing full of twists and turns. Whenever I see drummer Quincy Davis, he always requests this one. Nothing means more to me than the support of fellow musicians I respect and admire”.
The decision to focus the album’s material around the great Keith Jarrett crystallized when news broke of Keith Jarrett’s retirement due to a pair of debilitating strokes. “When I heard about Keith,” says Haidu. “I was profoundly moved, and I started to envision the recording with Billy and Buster as a kind of musical response to these events and Keith’s body of work.”
Jarrett’s music carries great personal meaning for Haidu. “My father and I had a tradition of going to hear Jarrett together for several years running,” says Noah. “My dad (who was largely responsible for introducing me to jazz) passed away a week before Keith’s final concert. Attending that concert was one of the ways I was able to mark his passing and start a new chapter in my own life. My 17-year marriage came to an end and I refocused my energies on performing and recording with my own group. Dad and I had been planning to attend that show together but his illness came on quite suddenly and a few weeks before the end he handed me the tickets and said, “you’d better find someone else to go with.” No one knew at the time of the concert that it would be Keith’s final performance.”
The music on SLOWLY flowed organically with Hart, Haidu, and Williams all contributing compositions, but the project was not without its challenges. A planned west coast tour/record date in August 2020 was postponed due to the pandemic. The recording was eventually rescheduled for late November, with Covid’s second surge threatening to interfere again. “We decided not to put off the session a second time,” says Haidu. “It was not just another record date for any of us. We booked a large studio (Sear Sound), put on our masks and played our hearts out. I think you can hear the joy in this time when we are all so isolated. I felt honored that they were willing to come into the city and do this record at a time when just walking out of the house feels like a risk to one’s health.” The trio approached the thematic aspect of the music by maintaining a respectful distance, and a commitment to playing the music their own way rather than recreating performances of the past. “Everyone in the band has such a clearly defined voice,” says Haidu. “There was never a possibility of taking an imitative approach.”
The Jarrett waltz “Rainbow” (which some have credited to his former wife Margot Jarrett) segues into Haidu’s jubilantly rocking “Song for Keith Jarrett,” a nod to Jarrett’s legendary Standards Trio. Haidu elaborates on the repertoire choices in the liner notes: “We decided to include Buster and Billy’s wonderful compositions which highlight the type of interaction and open-ended expression that I feel is the heart of the Jarrett/DeJohnette/ Peacock trio.” Williams brought the dreamy “Air Dancing,” and Hart contributed the lush lyricism of “Duchess” and “Lorca.” The trio also chose a few standards: “Georgia,” “But Beautiful,” and “What a Difference a Day Makes” spontaneously in the studio, building on the songbook canon that helped make Jarrett, DeJohnette, and Peacock into one of the archetypal units in jazz history. Haidu, Williams, and Hart approached the standards with a Jarrett signature: a focus on the original melodies. The improvisations spring from those melodies and the stories behind the lyrics, eschewing the trend to “rethink” repertoire which has become commonplace in recent years. Haidu elaborates: “The idea was to get at the essence of, rather than reinvent these songs. I think that’s something I have absolutely absorbed from Keith Jarrett.” The titular SLOWLY was penned by Haidu and is dedicated to Jarrett’s solo piano style which Noah calls a “genre unto itself.”
Of his relationship to Jarrett’s music Haidu says: “I’ve never thought of myself as a pianist who ‘plays like Keith’. However, his work has increasingly influenced my trio approach in the last few years. I’m getting back to playing ballads, standards and increasingly finding my own voice on standard repertoire. That evolution has been inspired by Jarrett who plays standards with complete authenticity, never sounding like anyone else on this music.”
Almost everything on the album is an unedited first take. According to Haidu, “These songs have a certain simplicity. There’s not a lot of pyrotechnics, everything depends on the band interaction, you can’t hide behind a complicated form or wild rhythms. You have to make a statement, and everyone has to breathe together in the music. The one song we did a second time was ‘Air Dancing.’ We had paused after the first take when executive producer and president of Sunnyside Records Francois Zalacain arrived at the session. Before we went back to record Buster said to me, ‘You’re doing a beautiful job, but this time just go for anything you hear, don’t worry about downbeats and playing every chord, Billy and I got that covered. ‘When Buster Williams says to ‘go for, it I got your back’ that really resonates.”
2020 was a year of highlights for rising star pianist Noah Haidu: his acclaimed Sunnyside Records debut DOCTONE was the first to address the remarkable legacy of pianist Kenny Kirkland, and arguably the first album exploring the work of any jazz artist to be released in tandem with a film and a book. Haidu and the project were the subject of a nationally broadcast news story on NPR and critic Nate Chinen singled out the recording as an important new release on All Songs Considered. DOCTONE was the follow-up to Haidu’s 6-part suite INFINITE DISTANCES which was included in DownBeat’s 2017 Best Albums of the Year issue receiving a rare 4 ½ out of 5 stars.
At age 19 Haidu studied at Rutgers University with the great pianist Kenny Barron, but was soon skipping classes to sit in at jazz clubs in Barron’s hometown of Philadelphia. After his second year, Haidu left college and moved to Brooklyn to devote all his time to practicing and gigging with artists such as Walter Perkins, Duane Eubanks, Essiet Essiet, Melvin Sparks, Jeanie Bryson, and Norman Connors. After the debut of his first album Slipstream, All About Jazz said of Noah, “The cat can play his butt off.” In 2011, Haidu was called a “rising star” in JazzTimes and “an important new talent” in Jazzwise magazine. His subsequent albums and sideman work have seen him collaborating with Ambrose Akinmusire, Mike Stern, Jeremy Pelt, Sharel Cassity, and Vincent Herring. After a 2015 MOCA concert his music was dubbed “vibrant and adventurous” in the Miami Herald. Giovanni Russonello described him as “an artist of focus and vision.” In 2017, DownBeat Magazine featured Haidu in an article entitled “Subversive Soul” and singled him out as an “innovative composer.”
Buster Williams and Billy Hart first worked together in 1969 at a concert with vocalist Betty Carter in Chicago. Both played on classic albums by Miles Davis, but it wasn’t until they joined Herbie Hancock’s innovative sextet Mwandishi that they were able to tour and record together for four year years. As members of Mwandishi both took Swahili nicknames: Hart was called ‘Jabali’ meaning “strong like a rock,” and Williams was known in the band as ‘Mchezaji’ or “player.” Widely celebrated for their innovations in acoustic and electric music Williams and Hart have both been in frequent collaboration with legends such as McCoy Tyner, Stan Getz, and Kenny Barron. In recent years they have been lauded as major composers and bandleaders, both headlining regularly at top venues such as The Village Vanguard and the Montreux Jazz Festival. Billy Hart turned 80 years old within a few days of this recording.
