NEW RELEASES: MONTY ALEXANDER - HARLEM-KINGSTON EXPRESS VOL. 2; CECILE VERNY QUARTET - FEAR & FAITH; ALYSA HAAS - SPASM

MONTY ALEXANDER - HARLEM-KINGSTON EXPRESS VOL. 2: THE RIVER ROLLS ON

A really great second chapter in the Harlem/Kingston series from Monty Alexander – and material that may well be some of his most exciting in years! Monty's always been very upfront about his Jamaican roots – and has expressed them in a number of ways on a number of different sessions – but there's a quality to this record that gets that blend better than most – and which almost returns things to some of the more soul-based styles of Alexander's records from the late 60s on Verve, or early 70s on MPS! Most numbers mix his piano with keyboards, bass, guitar, and drums – in a style that's rhythmic, but never overdone – soulful, but never too smooth – just a perfect fit for Monty's well-shaped lines on his solos. A few cuts have vocals – and one number features guest work from George Benson, Ramsey Lewis, and Joe Sample – but the bulk of the record centers on Alexander's wonderfully grooving piano lines. Titles include "Skamento", "The River Rolls On", "People Make The World Go Round", "Slealky", "Trust", "The Harder They Come", and "Linstead Market".~ Dusty Groove

CECILE VERNY QUARTET - FEAR & FAITH

A wonderfully strong set from singer Cecile Verny – thanks to a backing combo who's as proud and bold as her vocals! Often, a singer like this never gets the sort of groove she deserves – sometimes lost amidst some fuller R&B arrangements, or under-whelmed by trippier abstract sounds. But Cecile's in a great groove right from the start – one that comes from a trio with some mighty tight bass and drums – never funky, but forceful – at a level that kicks the whole thing up from the bottom, and resonates strongly with the mix of acoustic piano and keyboards. Cecile sings mostly in English, but does a bit of French as well – and the record's a contemporary gem that could sit proudly next to your best work from Gregory Porter or Gretchen Parlatto. Titles include "The Wild Heart Of The Earth", "Lord Have Mercy", "Humming", "Seule Toute Seule", "Time To Let You Go", and "They Ask How I'm Feeling". ~ Dusty Groove

ALYSA HAAS - SPASM

Past and present collide on jazz vocalist Alysa Haas’ new album Spasm, but the overall result is beautifully timeless. Combining Broadway standards and classics from the Great American Songbook with contemporary pop music, Haas courageously steps beyond the predictable and safe; her eclectic taste in covers reveals her stylistic and emotional range, baring no weaknesses as she gracefully transitions from one genre to another. Ironically, for all of its vintage flavors, Haas’ shiniest jewel is a modern one. Simply put, her rendition of Rob Thomas’ “Ever the Same” is hauntingly pretty. The CHR studio gloss of the original is melted off, allowing the fragile beauty of Haas’ voice to capture the emotional ache of the lyrics. Haas’ yearning, soaring vocals unveil the real feelings in the lyrics as the acoustic arrangement complements and not overwhelms her. Haas’ cover of the Beatles’ “In My Life” is similarly moving. The dulcet tones of the piano playing are the perfect backdrop for Haas’ sweetly tuneful performance. Haas interprets the jazz classics on the album with the same kind of respect and independent vision. These are not paint-by-numbers remakes. Haas fuels each of the tracks with her own vibrant personality. “Slap That Bass/Hit Me With a Hot Note” is brimming with giddy sensuality, and Haas is obviously having a ball with the double entendres in the words. With the arrival of spring, Spasm has come to provide a sparkling soundtrack to the seasonal sunshine. ~ alysahaas.com

 

BOBBY HUTCHERSON TO RELEASE "ENJOY THE VIEW" FEATURING DAVID SANBORN, JOEY DEFRANCESCO, BILLY HART

NEA Jazz Master Bobby Hutcherson makes his triumphant return to Blue Note Records, where the virtuoso vibraphonist started his career in the early ‘60s, with the superb album, Enjoy the View. The vibrant session is produced by Blue Note president Don Was and will be released on June 24 as a significant event in the label’s 75th anniversary yearlong celebration. Recorded by an all-star collective of saxophonist David Sanborn and organist Joey DeFrancesco, and featuring drummer Billy Hart, the Hutcherson-sparked group plays seven original compositions that range from cool, gentle grooves to fiery outbursts of exuberance. At heart, the album soars thanks to the divine musical alchemy among the performers—an assemblage of veteran artists who play at the top of their game.

“I’m happy to have a recording come out on Blue Note,” says the 73-year-old Hutcherson. “I’ve had a long-term association with the label. I’m thrilled to be back here.”

Was concurs: “Bobby not only has an incredible history with Blue Note as the preeminent voice of the vibes, but he still remains the giant of the instrument.”

Coming on the heels of last year’s signing of saxophone legend and one-time Blue Note artist Wayne Shorter, which resulted in his stellar live quartet album Without a Net—one of 2013’s top jazz albums—Enjoy the View stands as a valuable addition to the classic catalog of the most-respected and longest-running jazz label in the world. “Our goal has been to maintain the underlying aesthetic that has governed Blue Note throughout its 75 years,” says Was. “It’s very poetic to be doing it with the original guys who helped to define the label. For Bobby, it’s more than coming full circle. It’s also about guiding the course for the future.”

In the tradition of the Blue Note label, founded by Alfred Lion in 1938, a day of rehearsal was scheduled preceding the recording of Enjoy the View at Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood. Even though it was the first time Sanborn had played with Hutcherson and Hart, the chemistry was immediate. “Don decided to have the rehearsal session recorded,” says DeFrancesco. “It’s a good thing because we decided that three of the tunes—Dave’s ‘Delia’ and two of my new songs written for the date, ‘Don Is’ and ‘You’—were the best takes for the album.”

DeFrancesco proved to be the common denominator of the session, having played with Hutcherson for some ten years, with Sanborn and Hart, with whom he has enjoyed a long history, including his second album as a leader (1990’s Where Were You?). In New York when Was first came on board at Blue Note Records, after dinner he serendipitously dropped into the Blue Note club where DeFrancesco and Sanborn were performing. “I’d known Dave for some 25 years and I knew Joey as one of the best Hammond B3 organ players in the world,” Was says. “I just sat there and the set was so relaxed and grooving. I loved what I heard. So after the two sets, I met Joey upstairs and asked him what he thought about doing an album with Bobby and Dave. That’s how it started.”

DeFrancesco says that after that initial meeting,Was continued the conversation a year later when he was playing at Birdland in New York. A year after that the recording date took place in 2013, with DeFrancesco writing new songs that reminded him of Hutcherson.

“No matter how brilliant he is, Joey has that great enthusiasm which fueled the recording,” says Hart who has appeared on over 700 albums as a sideman and who recently released a new album on ECM. “As for Hutch, he’s a magician and a musician. When he hits the mallets on the vibes, something special happens. Recording with him is so inspiring that it’s like taking a master class. When I walked into the session, I had no idea what to do, but everything meshed so well. I had never played with Dave before even though I knew his work. He’s really a star and his tune ‘Delia’ is to me the song of the album that unites the concept of the band.”

“It was so great to discover the collective spirit of the session,” says Sanborn, whose alto saxophone has graced the recordings by a range of artists, from pop to r&b to jazz, and has recorded several albums as a leader in his 50+-year career. “I had never played with Bobby before, so it was a thrill to play with him. It was like going to graduate school. And even though I’ve known Billy for 30 years, I had never played with him either. It was so much fun recording with these guys. It was loose and flexible and it was like we were having a four-way conversation. When that happens with no egos, everyone talks. We were all just learning the tunes, yet the sessions went so fast. It was, blink your eyes and we’re done. That experience was worth everything to me.” Sanborn’s two-song contribution (the buoyant “Delia” and the tender “Little Flower”) comes from his 2003 Timeagain CD. “I brought those to the session because I could hear Bobby playing them,” he says. “They end up feeling looser and freer than the first time I recorded them.”

While Hutcherson is the marquee player on this album who swings hard and romps on the uptempo tunes and soothes on the slower pieces, he modestly says, “I’ve always tried to be the person who is able to fit in with the music and add what I think it needs to top it off. What I play on the vibes always seems to be the cherry on top of the sundae. You can’t play over the organ or the saxophone, which have more power, so I play softer and add to what Joey and Dave deliver. And Billy, he understands that you don’t continually play one tempo. There will be the driving force and the automatic cruise where the ideas fall into place and the funky feel to playing behind the tune and the whip like the back of a hurricane and then the sprint to the finish line. Billy knows that.”

~ Blue Note Records

JON BATISTE AND STAY HUMAN ADDED TO NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL LINEUP

Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival ® on International Jazz Day, Wednesday, April 30, at the historic Casino Theatre, 9 Freebody Street in Newport, with a concert by Jon Batiste and Stay Human. Presented by Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc.™ and the Salve Regina University Department of Music, Theatre and Dance, the 7:30 pm concert follows two educational workshops for Newport students. 

  

Batiste and Stay Human kick off  International Jazz Day with a morning performance for students from the Pell School and Thompson Middle School. In the afternoon, the band will present a workshop for jazz combos from Rhode Island high schools.  The morning and afternoon sessions are being facilitated in collaboration with Alan Bernstein, Supervisor of the Arts for the Newport Public Schools.

  

The celebration culminates with the evening performance in the newly-renovated Casino Theatre.  All tickets are General Admission and are priced at $25 for adults;  students with ID and ages 18 and under are free.  Proceeds will benefit education programs of Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc.  For information and reservations, call (401) 341-2295.

Deeply rooted in the musical traditions of his native New Orleans, where he grew up playing with his family's well-known band, pianist/harmonaboardist Jon Batiste has developed a uniquely current, uplifting, and playful brand of jazz that integrates his classical Juilliard training with contemporary mainstream sounds. He tours around the world with his band, Stay Human - saxophonist Eddie Barbash, tuba player Ibanda Ruhumbika and percussionist Joe Saylor. Their mission is to bring the joy of jazz to the masses, transforming each space they play by breaking down the barriers between audience and performer, and inviting people to experience the music as they never thought it could be played. Stay Human's first studio album, Social Music, was released in October 2013. Jon is also a noted advocate for music education and serves as Traveling Ambassador for Music Unites and Artistic Director-at-Large for the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. He is a regular figure in television and film, including HBO's Treme and Spike Lee's Red Hook Summer. Jon Batiste and Stay Human will return to Newport for a performance at the 60th Anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival at Fort Adams on Friday, August 1.

The Newport Festivals Foundation™ was founded by George Wein in 2010 to build up and continue the legacies of the famed Newport Jazz Festival® and Newport Folk Festival®. Under the auspices of the Foundation, the Newport Jazz Festival® presents performers who respect and honor jazz music traditions, and at the same time reflect the changes in today's musical trends. Through the establishment of partnerships with local high schools and colleges/universities, the Foundation will present programs to educate young people about jazz music as presented at the annual festival. The Newport Jazz Festival® takes place August 1 - 3 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino and Fort Adams State Park. The Foundation also will present a Family Concert at Fort Adams on July 30. For more information, please visit www.newportfestivalsfoundation.org.

NEW RELEASES: GIL MELLE QUARTET - QUADRAMA; THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET - BOSSA NOVA USA; BILLY HIGGINS - SOWETO

GIL MELLE QUARTET - QUADRAMA

Sublime work from one of the true originals of 50s jazz! Gil Melle was a baritonist – but with a sound and approach that was completely unique – very different than bigger names on the instrument, like Jimmy Giuffre or Pepper Adams. He had an icy touch that was surprising for the instrument, crafted carefully in well-written compositions with longtime partner Joe Cinderella, an equally compelling guitarist who's working with Melle on this quartet session that also includes Shadow Wilson and George Duvivier. The tracks aren't as way-out as some of Melle's work, but they've got an edge that's undeniable – and which clearly set the tone for some of Jimmy Giuffre's work of the same period. Titles include "Walter Ego", "Full House", "Quadrama", and "Rush Hour In Hong Kong". (SHMCD pressing.) ~ Dusty Groove

THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET - BOSSA NOVA USA

Way more than just a gimmicky bossa nova session – and a surprisingly great showcase for the inventive rhythms of the Brubeck group, and the sensitive alto work of Paul Desmond! The record's got a really different feel than some of Dave's other work for Columbia – in that the modernism is put slightly on the back burner – letting drummer Joe Morello snap out with some lightly gliding percussion that's a bit more straight ahead than usual, and which offers a unique take on the bossa groove. Paul Desmond's the real star of the set, though – and his alto steps out here with the best gentle presence of his later work for RCA and A&M – beautifully blown throughout, and with a tone that most other players would die for! Titles include "Bossa Nova USA", "Coracao Sensivel", "Theme For June", "Lamento", and "Cantiga Nova Swing". ~ Dusty Groove

BILLY HIGGINS - SOWETO

Wonderfully hip work from drummer Billy Higgins – a crucial session from the end of the 70s, and one that shows just how far he'd come since the decade before! Higgins has always been great, but here he works in the company of some key Eastern Rebellion musicians – Bob Berg on tenor and Cedar Walton on piano, who lineup with bassist Tony Dumas in a wonderfully deep-voiced quartet! The rhythms and approaches are a bit different than on the Higgins sessions with Eastern Rebellion – especially on the album's title track, which features some very unusual spiritual work on percussion – and the album's closing track, which showcases some work by Higgins on guitar. In between, the album's got a solid swing that really rounds things out wonderfully – and titles include "Back To Bologna", "Bahia Bahia Bahia", "Neptune", and "Soweto". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES: U-NAM - SOMETHING'S UP E.P; THE COOKERS QUINTET - COOKERS QUINTET VOL. 1; LAURA DESBERG - SIDEWAYS

U-NAM - SOMETHING'S UP E.P

Guitarist U-Nam’s latest is the "Something's Up" [E.P.] Inlcuded on the EP is a playalong version of the song, (also known as a "Karaoke" version). Also on this release is an unreleased version of "C'est le Funk" (Radio Edit) which is actually the version that you might heard on the radio. The title trak, "Something's Up" is climbing up the charts all around the world, and has been Number 1 on the French radio station, AmysFM, 2 months in a row. Tracklisting: Something’s Up (Album Version); Something’s Up (Summer Radio Edit); Something’s Up (Playalong Mix); C’est le Funk feat. Nivo Deux (Album Version); and C’est le Funk feat. Nivo Deux (Radio Edit).

THE COOKERS QUINTET - COOKERS QUINTET VOL. 1

A sweet little combo who definitely live up to their name – and work here in a very old school approach to jazz! The group's got a great groove right from the start – maybe not as full-on modal as Five Corners Quintet, but somewhere in a same space – but they also don't just let the rhythms determine their solo expressions – and really step out here in a great range of colors and tones! Key solos come from Ryan Oliver on tenor and Tim Hamel on trumpet – and the group also features Richard Whiteman on piano, Alex Coleman on bass, and Morgan Childs on drums – all great players who also wrote all the material for the album as well. The sound is a bit in keeping with the retro look of the cover – but is never just a retro gimmick, and instead has a classically well-crafted jazz appeal. Titles include "The Ramble", "Blues To Booker", "Obligatory Blues", "Mudbug Shuffle", "Open Air", "The Fork Test", and "See You Next Thursday". ~ Dusty Groove

LAURA DESBERG - SIDEWAYS

A really wonderful little record – from a singer we already want to hear more from! Lauren Desberg's a fresh young voice in jazz – and she's taken up here by the great Gretchen Parlatto, who produced the record, and also appears on one track as well – a great match, given that Lauren's style is as forward-thinking as Parlatto's! The tunes have this sweet, soulful, blocky kind of style – a contemporary jazz glide that almost reminds us of some of Robert Glasper's work with more jazz-based singers – but with a bit of a nod back to older modes as well. Backings are by a small combo that features Taylor Eigsti on piano and Dayna Stephens on tenor – and although most tunes are older, they've got a very fresh feel – thanks to the arrangements, production, and presentation. Includes a great take on "Mister Magic" – plus "Come Running To Me", "I Wanna Be Like You", "Spring Is Here", and "You Go To My Head". (Includes download of entire album.) ~ Dusty Groove

THE REVELATIONS - SCHEMA EASY SERIES

The story of “The Revelations”  is part of a fruitful and unique period of Italian Discography. A moment of great creativity and innovation, when the boundaries between music, cinema and television were uncertain. A story of great orchestras, film directors and inspired composers which were endlessly producing  in a country getting back on its feet after the Second world war.

“The Revelations”, released in 1970, is a gem that emerged from this period. A record amongst many that although relatively unknown, remains highly sought after by record collectors world over.

Adventurous is probably the most appropriate word to describe those fantastic years that we fondly remember for famous film scores and the birth of the Italian pop scene.

Help!, the Rome based record label which released “The Revelations”, was the first music business run by the young producer Gianni dell’Orso.

Conceived by Dell’Orso, appearing here under his alter ego Proluton, and his brother Giacomo, “The Revelations” LP was produced as Library Music for television and manufactured in a very limited number of copies. It was a peculiar recording within the label context, with musical intuitions that sparked great interest in this release which in turn has made it both valuable and highly collectable. The LP blends diverse inspirations and heterogeneous moods, since its aim was to offer many options to television producers.

Giacomo Dell’Orso, musician, composer and orchestra director, signed most of the tracks under the moniker Oscar Lindok. His music takes the listener into a journey through cinematic atmospheres and funk influences with a beat background – a world of moving melodies and strong grooves. Giacomo’s life is an example of dedicating one’s existence to music for we can’t avoid the underlying connection of his private life, music and cinema without also remembering his marriage to Edda Sabbatini - better known as Edda Dell’Orso, Ennio Morricone’s favourite singer.

The musicians featured on this record are great session men with glorious careers: Silvano Chimenti, Giovanni Tommaso, Enzo Restuccia and Mario Scotti - all famous for their work on film scores and as featured musicians who enjoyed great Italian Pop success as well.

“The Revelations” arrives back on record store shelves in this remastered version – a must-have for all Library Music lovers and vinyl collectors. ~ Schema

NEW RELEASES: JOHN COLTRANE - OFFERING: LIVE FROM TEMPLE UNIVERSITY; NILS PETTER MOLVAER - SWITCH; ALESSANDRO SCALA QUARTET - VIAGGIO STELLARE

JOHN COLTRANE - OFFERING: LIVE FROM TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

On September 23, John Coltrane's birthday, Impulse!/Resonance will release Offering: Live At Temple University—a November 11, 1966 performance by Coltrane that took place in Philadelphia less than a year before he died. It features Alice Coltrane on piano, Pharoah Sanders on reeds and flute, and Rashied Ali on drums, along with Sonny Johnson filling in for Jimmy Garrison on bass. Bootlegs of this concert have circulated in the past, but with inferior sound quality and only a portion of the show, according to the label. Offering includes the entire 90-minute performance remastered at 96kHz/24 bit. It'll be available as a double CD and double LP.  Songs performed include "Naima", "My Favorite Things", "Crescent", "Leo", and "Offering". It comes with a 24-page booklet featuring liner notes by Ashley Kahn, author of the Coltrane biography A Love Supreme. A portion of the sales will go to the John Coltrane Home, an organization that preserves Coltrane's former home in Dix Hills, New York. ~ pitchfork.com

NILS PETTER MOLVAER - SWITCH

The new album by the master of musical landscapes, Nils Petter Molvær, discovering the clarity of song-orientated structures and stretching the genre boundaries to new limits once again. Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer is one of Europe’s most successful and best selling jazz artists. He has his own individual sound, influenced by Scandinavian nature, electronic music and technology as well as by colleagues including Miles Davis and Jon Hassell. His musical journey takes the listener through a wide variety of styles, with varying degrees of abstraction along the way. Molvaer has performed with musicians such as Bill Laswell, Sidsel Endresen and Eivind Aarset, has surrounded himself with DJs and VJs, but his style and expression remain vivid and unique in every musical project he undertakes. ~ amazon.com

ALESSANDRO SCALA QUARTET - VIAGGIO STELLARE

The new album by Alessandro Scala connects itself to the fertile and alluring scene of contemporary Hard-Bop that is constantly proving its quality with solid results, especially in Italy.This work is a perfect balance of traditional  influences and contemporary inspirations, an intense and fruitful study that leads to a new, rich and articulate way of expression. Through his original compositions and the intense dialogue with trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso and trombonist Roberto Rossi, Alessandro consciously builds a sparse and sometimes lyrical language, enhanced by the rhythm section provided by Nico Menci, Paolo Ghetti and Stefano Paolini. The result is vivid and bright. Another valuable piece has been added our considerable Jazz history. ~ Paolo Fresu

HIROMI - ALIVE, THE TRIO PROJECT FEATURING ANTHONY JACKSON & SIMON PHILLIPS

The major characteristics of life include birth, growth, movement, awareness, adaptation and death. And ever since she emerged on the scene in 2003, Hiromi has been one of the most profound and prolific living forces in 21st century music. Mentored by the legendary Ahmad Jamal, the Japanese pianist/composer has created music that grows with every performance, moves easily beyond stylistic genres, exhibits an awareness of the entire jazz tradition and adapts to the contributions of her fellow bandmates.

So it’s only apropos that her latest recording, set for release on June 17, 2014, via Telarc, a division of Concord Music Group, is entitled Alive.

Her ninth CD as a leader, Alive, heralds the return of Hiromi’s Trio Project, featuring contrabass guitarist Anthony Jackson (Steely Dan, Paul Simon, Michel Camilo, The O’Jays and Chick Corea) and drummer Simon Phillips (Toto, The Who, Judas Priest, David Gilmour and Jack Bruce). This terrific triad, which DownBeat magazine proclaimed as “one of the most exciting groups working in any genre today,” first formed in 2011 and recorded their first CD, Voice, that year, followed by Move in 2013. On Alive, Phillips’ powerful, yet poetic percussion and Jackson’s flowing, glow-in-the-dark basslines beautifully buoy and support Hiromi’s ingenious and impassioned improvisations. Her evocative and expansive compositions evoke the myriad moods and mysteries of life and reveal the soulful, syncopated simpatico of her thrilling threesome.

“Alive has a double meaning for me,” Hiromi says. “I wanted to write songs that deal with things and emotions that we encounter in life. But the word Alive can also mean ‘played live.’ I’ve been performing with Simon and Anthony for four years. We’ve made three records together, and we’ve done so many live shows as a trio. We have a great time being adventurous, and I felt that we can make the record sound like a live recording in front of the audience.

That’s the great thing about having a working trio: We understand how to make each other shine. Anthony is an amazing improviser. He composes incredible counter-lines when I solo, and he always plays something to make [the music] shine even more. And Simon has an amazing tone and a beautiful sound on the drums; he's like an orchestra. They can play anything, and they understand so many different genres of music. They have no boundaries. It’s been a great journey with this group.”

And the journey continues on Alive, featuring nine selections, all composed by Hiromi, beginning with the leadoff title track, which features a shimmering McCoy Tyner/Coltrane-like introduction that morphs into a torrid up-tempo pace. “I wanted the first track to sound like the beginning of life,” Hiromi says, “with every complicated and detailed combination of life’s creation.”

“Wanderer” features some no-nonsense, 4/4 swing, seasoned by Phillips’ zesty solo drumming, contrasted by the Latin-tinged “Dreamer” and the bouncy, nursery rhyme melody of “Seeker.” Hiromi injects a sly, Thelonious Monk “Well You Needn’t” motif in the intro of “Player,” with a fluid and formidable solo by Jackson. “It can be taken as musicians making music,” she says, “and at the same time, just playing or having fun.”

“Warrior” begins with a ballad introduction that morphs into a brisk, staccato melody that serves as an anthem for people to fight for the things they want in life. “Firefly” is a solo ballad composition; a kaleidoscope of aural colors akin to Erik Satie’s Gallic impressionism. “Spirit” – dedicated to those who have passed on – is a sparkling, gospel-grooved selection that reveals the true colors of Hiromi’s soul, with Phillips’ signifying solo. “[The song] is a prayer,” Hiromi says. “People lose loved ones and friends, but when you close your eyes, you can be with their spirit.” The album closes with the optimistic, ebullient backbeats of “Life Goes On.”

“I’ve always enjoyed and appreciated so many different kinds of music,” Hiromi says: “classical, rock, jazz and pop and so on. And that’s why my compositions are so varied.”

As evidenced by this impressive and important recording, Hiromi’s astonishing artistry is very much Alive: It breathes, grows, adapts and, more importantly, it evolves. Hiromi’s evolution has been fueled by her ever-evolving gifts as a pianist, improviser, composer, bandleader and – most of all –listener.

“My listening skills have improved,” she says. “Over the years, I’ve learned how to listen more carefully, and respond musically to what is happening in the moment. That’s what makes my trio shine as a team.”

 

LES SABLER - JOBIM TRIBUTE

Before Les Sabler began recording “Jobim Tribute,” which will be released April 8 on New Vista Records, the jazz guitarist-vocalist walked a mile in the shoes of the iconic Brazilian composer known for writing exquisitely poetic romantic standards that popularized bossa nova. An inspired Sabler trekked to Brazil, visited the places Jobim frequented and absorbed the native culture and sounds. He voraciously studied recordings and read stacks of books about Jobim’s life. Sagely he knew that fostering authenticity on a collection of twelve Jobim songs involved more than just playing the right notes on his nylon string guitar or mastering the pronunciation of the Portuguese lyrics. Sabler, who produced the album, recognized that the most important ingredient was to capture the soulful passion inherent in the author’s touching melodies and sensually exotic rhythms.          

The timing of Sabler’s record correlates to two milestones: the 50th anniversary of the classic “Getz/Gilberto” that spawned Jobim’s No. 1 hit “The Girl from Ipanema,” which helped weave bossa nova permanently into the fabric of American music; and the 20th anniversary of Jobim’s passing. When selecting material for “Jobim Tribute,” which is comprised of seven vocal tunes and five instrumentals, Sabler challenged himself by recording some of Jobim’s lesser known gems (“Esquecendo Voce” and “Janelas Abertas”) as well as popular favorites such as “Corcovado,” “Bonita” and “Fotografia.” The first single that was just shipped to radio stations for airplay is Sabler’s rendition of “A Felicidade,” a sweeping wave of joyous melody, nifty guitar fingerplay and an ethereal vocal chorus.       

Produced, arranged and performed in acoustic jazz settings, Sabler was accompanied by keyboardist Clay Perry (Julio Iglesias), acoustic bassist Byron House (Robert Plant’s Band of Joy), Brazilian drummer-percussionist Celso Alberti (Flora Purim, Stevie Winwood) and the late percussionist Joe Lala (CSNY, Bee Gees). Allon Sams scripted string arrangements as did Grammy-nominated arranger Tom Zink, who orchestrated a 4-piece string section that added emotional depth on three selections.

Sabler explained that “My first trip to Brazil guided me to a deeper understanding of Jobim’s music from the places I visited followed by an immersion of his music, videos and books. During my trip, I was able to learn a lot more about the history of Brazilian music. I explored some of the places where Jobim used to hangout, including the restaurant where Heloisa Pinhiro walked by, who was the inspiration for ‘The Girl from Ipanema.’ I am passionate about this music and made it a goal to master and record it. After working on this project for several years, I am pleased to finally share it.”  

“Jobim Tribute” is Sabler’s seventh album. The Montreal native who studied music at Canada’s Concordia University and at the University of Miami, has created a catalogue of finely-crafted contemporary jazz recordings that summited sales and airplay charts in the U.S. and Canada while garnering award nominations, No. 1 most-played Canadian artist airplay honors and international acclaim. Most often playing electric guitar on earlier works, “Jobim Tribute” is his second consecutive record on which he exclusively plays nylon string acoustic guitar following 2010’s “Crescent Shores.”     

Earlier this week, the Tampa, Florida-based sports fan performed the American and Canadian National Anthems with Marshall Gillon on Opening Day for the Tampa Bay Rays followed the next night by performing the anthems prior to the Tampa Bay Lightning game. With the eyes of the world turning to Brazil for this year’s FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, Sabler’s elegant “Jobim Tribute” is a perfectly timed soundtrack. For more information, please visit www.LesSabler.com.

Sabler’s “Jobim Tribute” contains the following songs:

“A Felicidade”

“Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)”

“Esquecendo Voce”

“Bonita”

“Brigas Niunca Mais/Discussao”

“Ligia”

“Fotografia”

“Se Todos Fossem Iguais A Voce”

“Por Causa De Voce”

“Triste”

“Janelas Abertas”

“Chega De Saudade”

JAZZ & THE PHILHARMONIC FT. BOBBY MCFERRIN, CHICK COREA, DAVE GRUSIN, TERENCE BLANCHARD & OTHERS

The search for the intersection of the world's greatest musical art forms, classical and jazz, has been attempted many times by many great musicians and composers from Stravinsky to Gershwin, Bernstein to Cage and Goodman to Yo-Yo Ma. Finally, this melding of both genres has been accomplished with the star-studded concert from award-winning producer Larry Rosen, Jazz and the Philharmonic. The show was shot as part of the Jazz Roots concert series in Miami January 2013 and will air as a national, primetime broadcast on PBS on February 28, 2014. Jazz and the Philharmonic features world-class, award winning stars in both jazz and classical music genres, exploring the music of composers Bach, Strauss, Copeland, Rodrigo, Gershwin, Mancini, Grusin, Corea and McFerrin.

Featured Artists:

Bobby McFerrin 10 time Grammy winning virtuoso vocalist and conductor

Chick Corea 20 time Grammy winning pianist and composer

Dave Grusin 12 time Grammy and Oscar winning pianist, arranger and composer

Terence Blanchard Grammy and Emmy Award winning composer and trumpet virtuoso

Mark O Connor Multi-Grammy and Country Music Award winning violinist and composer

Eric Owens Grammy winning Metropolitan Opera Star

Shelly Berg Grammy nominated pianist and music director

Elizabeth Joy Roe acclaimed piano virtuoso

Henry Mancini Orchestra America s leading fellowship orchestra

The DVD tracks are:

1.Autumn Leaves

2.Fugue in C Minor

3.Spanish Suite (Concierto de Aranjuez - Spain)

4.Soloings 1

5.Incandescent, Iridescent, Effervescent

6.Simple Gifts

7.Mountain Dance

8.Soloings 2

9.Armando's Rhumba

10.Charade

11.Solfeggietto

12.The Man I Love

13.2001: A Space Odyssey - Also Sprach Zarathustra

 

SERGIO MENDES TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM IN JUNE

The internationally successful producer, composer, keyboardist and vocalist, Sérgio Mendes, has signed with OKeh Records.

The new recording “Magic” featuring eclectic and upbeat Brazilian rhythms will feature guest vocalists John Legend, Maria Gadu among others. The album will be available in June in advance of the 2014 World Cup.

One of the most successful Brazilian artists of all time, Mendes has recorded more than 35 albums and has won 3 Grammy® Awards.

In 2012, Mendes received his first Oscar nomination in the music category for “Real In Rio” from the animated, 3-D feature film Rio. In addition to being the executive music producer for the blockbuster film, he also contributed five songs to the movie. Sergio Mendes will again provide the music for the upcoming animated feature sequel Rio 2 coming in April. Sony Classical will release the score for the film composed by John Powell on April 7th.

“Sergio is a music legend and we are proud at OKeh that he chose the label for the next chapter in his astonishing career,” said Wulf Müller, who oversees A&R for OKeh Records.

Bogdan Roscic, President of Sony Music Masterworks, said: “2014 will be an exciting year for Brazil and Brazilian music – and Sergio Mendes’ new album will be one of the records of the year. Everybody at Sony Music Masterworks looks forward to working with this true icon to deliver another outstanding contribution to one of the greatest catalogs in the business.”

ANNE METTE IVERSEN'S DOUBLE LIFE - SO MANY ROADS

So Many Roads, the grand new album from bassist/composer Anne Mette Iversen's Double Life, to be released on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records on April 22, is a very personal recording for Iversen. The artist explains, "Its conception and realisation has been a long journey. Along the road I had many ideas about how to present it to you: which story to tell you, which words to describe it with and which pictures to paint in your head. In the end, I rejected them all to let the music speak for itself, and, hopefully, to leave space for it to become your own personal journey." 

The music on So Many Roads has the ability to conjure up and provoke emotions, feelings and vivid images. In a word, it is picturesque. Good art transforms within the listener, viewer or reader, to become a deeply personal experience and bring them on a journey as well. "It is my hope that the art, the music, on this album is strong enough to give the listener an experience that sends them on their own personal journey; and therefore, in this context, my personal journey is irrelevant," commented Iversen. 

So Many Roads was composed specifically for Iversen's group Double Life, which consists of her long running quartet, the Anne Mette Iversen Quartet, featuring John Ellis (soprano & tenor saxophone), Danny Grissett (piano), Otis Brown III (drums & cymbals) and special guest, the outstanding Swedish trombonist Peter Dahlgren, of the Norrbotten Big Band (who also appeared on the bassist's very first recording, On the Other Side, ten years ago); plus, the string quartet, 4Corners, featuring members of the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, who also appeared on Iversen's 2008 recording, Best of the West. 

Iversen's band members always claim that the critically acclaimed bassist/composer has a quick turnaround time with her new recordings. This may seem to be the case due to her unblinking dedication to her craft, her professionalism and her admirable skill at seeing a highly creative project through to accouchement. However, So Many Roads has in fact been nearly five years in the making. "I remember clearly when I first sat down and wrote the first notes in our apartment in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It was the section that gave the thematic material which became the theme that connects the piece, and characterizes the entire musical journey," explained Iversen. 

So Many Roads, "started out with the idea of being a journey through a mythological world, an imaginary description of travel and related experiences, but it ended up being so closely connected to my own personal life and actually describing a very special period and special experience of my life instead," said Iversen. One could say that a journey, as a theme, has been a part of Iversen's music all along, but So Many Roads became both a premonition and a resolution to 57 months of her own life instead of some fantasy world. "During the protracted period of creating this album, the subject matter quickly changed from the imaginary to reality!," said Iversen.

The music on So Many Roads is quite unique in that it utilizes a one-movement compositional form, and boasts an exquisite balance of integration and interaction between the string group and the jazz group. Take note of the musicians' excellent blend, and exchange of ideas and emotions.

The album opens with a solo bass statement (a way of leading the listener into the composer's universe), before the presentation of the main theme, which comes fully orchestrated and lush, and sets up the framework for the piece. Out of the main theme grows new themes and songs with their own identities, orchestrated in various ways by selected combinations of the musicians from the jazz quintet and the string quartet. One example is the lovely ballad, indicated on the physical disc by Chapter Three, which is played by trombone, string quartet and drums.The music is also characterized by the many transitional sections/elements that serve to connect the piece, but also reveal their own identity. The evolution of the music throughout the album takes you through states of uncertainty, peace, fun, beauty, stress, running the emotional gamut, similar to what one experiences in life.

On So Many Roads, Iversen sought to strike a fine balance between improvisation and composition, and between the jazz quintet and the string quartet. The jazz quintet leads by their expertise with improvising, but are also given important written ensemble parts, which they perform equally well.  Conversly, the classical string players contribute to the jazz sections with a deep understanding of phrasing and rhythm. A wonderful example is the strings' interaction with Otis Brown III during his solo towards the end of the piece. The carpet they provide for him is full of playfulness and humor, and reflects a strong sense of mutual respect and enjoyment inherent in these musicians' collaboration, which is apparent on and off the stage/studio 

Iversen knows very well that these days details about an artist's life can be just as important to public perception and acceptance as the art itself, especially in pop-culture. Fortunately within the jazz genre the fan is still a genuine lover of the music, so the attachment and devotion is very much about the music and the experience. Iversen elaborates, "getting deep into something, in general, is rewarding. But although there is plenty of expertise found in our societies today, I wonder how much in-depth study is being spent on art and music. Understanding an art requires commitment and time, something not always easily found in our lives, but the reward for taking this time is high, and I strongly recommend it. Therefore, I only hope that you will give it 36:31 focused minutes of your time, to go on a journey with us, and hopefully find it an emotional enriching experience."

www.Annemetteiversen.com

www.BJURecords.com

redcatontheloose.blogspot.com

     

FREDDIE BRYANT - DREAMSCAPE

Imbued with guitarist Freddie Bryant's inimitable touch, inherent soulfulness and the element of surprise, Dreamscape: Solo-Duo-Trio (available on GJKSounds) is also marked by the guitarist's ability to seamlessly traverse the classical-jazz divide on this collection of jazz standards and compelling originals. As a follow-up to his dynamic recording with his band Kaleidoscope (2012's Live Grooves...Epic Tales), Bryant gets intimate on his latest release, Dreamscape: Solo-Duo-Trio. 

Alternating between nylon string classic guitar, archtop jazz guitar, 12-string acoustic and electric guitar, Bryant does some skillful genre hopping on this emotionally charged outing. "This album is a highly personal portrait of my influences from straight-ahead to Brazilian and classical guitar but also the key factor of my parents who were consummate concert artists," notes Bryant.

Joining Bryant for duo and trio numbers on Dreamscape are two acclaimed musicians and bandleaders in their own right -- multi-reedist Chris Potter (performing on tenor and soprano saxophones as well as bass clarinet) and bassist Scott Colley. "I played with them back in the late '80s-early '90s," Bryant recalls, "and their playing was always exceptional. They can play anything, and they play it beautifully and interactively too."

  

Easily Bryant's most personal and revealing project to date, he performs several solo guitar pieces on Dreamscape, ranging from Thelonious Monk's lyrical "Ask Me Now" to a rich chord melody treatment of Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Porkpie Hat." Bryant also includes a beautiful interpretation of Bruno Martino's melancholy ballad "Estate" along with a buoyant, bossa nova/samba take on "Secret Love." "I wanted to do a project that didn't have drums in it, principally because there's something that happens to the clarity of sound of the guitar when you have cymbals ringing and drums beating," says the guitarist. "Of course, I love drums, but there's an intimacy that you get when you have a microphone right in front of a guitar and nothing else. When I was a kid I used to sit under the piano and just listen to my father play. That's the setting I wanted to convey."

Bryant grew up in a musical household with his parents, who were both renowned performers on New York's classical and opera scene. In fact, he began turning pages for his concert pianist father at the age of six. Bryant has already dedicated an album to his father, who passed away when he was in college, but now decided it was time to honor his mother for such an important role in his musical development.

To that end, Bryant composed the piece "Songs," which is based on tunes he remembers hearing his mother sing. He closes out Dreamscape with a snippet of a 1974 recording from New York's Alice Tully Hall that has his mother, Beatrice Rippy, singing the uplifting spiritual, "I'm Going to Tell God All of My Troubles," accompanied by her husband, Carroll Hollister, on piano. Bryant also performs a new arrangement of that same powerful tune on classical guitar as a duo with Potter on bass clarinet. On the three other trio tracks on Dreamscape, Potter plays soprano sax on the bristling title track, switching to bass clarinet on the suite-like "Songs," which travels from work song form to hymn to gospel vibe, and rounding off on tenor saxophone for the aptly titled "Everyday is the End and the Beginning of Life Beautiful" which Bryant wrote on December 12, 2012, the date which marks the supposed end of the world from interpretations of the Mayan calendar.

Bassist Colley, a longtime duo partner with the late, great jazz guitar legend Jim Hall, makes an indelible connection with Bryant on two companion duo pieces -- the gentle, chamber-like "Vignette #1," which has Bryant on nylon string classical guitar, and the lively and contrapuntal "Vignette #2," which features Bryant on electric guitar. "Scott has a beautiful tone and great ears," says Bryant of the in-demand bassist. "I always thought of him as such a fluid player, and he's a very melodic improviser too. It was a joy to play with him."

Dreamscape: Solo-Duo-Trio will confound those looking to put guitarist Bryant in a stylistic box as it reaches out to those who simply enjoy good music. "I grew up with straight ahead jazz and I love swinging with great jazz musicians like Ben Riley and Tom Harrell," he says. "I love that and it's totally me. I still play straight ahead but I also play Brazilian music and classical music. And now this recording makes it a little bit harder to categorize me. For me, that's a positive thing. And that's why I'm rejoicing in being able to play all these different styles of music on these different instruments and have them recorded in such a beautiful way in this intimate setting."

FreddieBryant.com

SHANACHIE RELEASES REGGAE CLASSIC FROM AUGUSTUS PABLO - EAST OF THE RIVER NILE ON VINYL

Augustus Pablo is a legendary figure in reggae music, widely acknowledged, along with King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry as one of the  prime architects of dub music, which has had a profound influence on hip-hop and electronica. Pablo was also a first-rate producer who launched the careers of such reggae legends as Jacob Miller and Hugh Mundell. He was also a highly-skilled multi-instrumentalist who played not only on his own recordings but as a session man on a number of great roots reggae recordings of other artists. He was an enigmatic figure who rarely performed in public, touring internationally only a handful of times in his nearly 30 years as a reggae artist. His greatness is demonstrated by the fact that two of his albums appear on most lists of the top reggae albums of all time--King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown, widely considered the greatest dub album ever recorded and East Of The River Nile, one of the greatest instrumental reggae albums ever recorded.

Recorded in 1977 and initially released in Jamaica after the atmospheric, hypnotic title track created a sensation as a single release, East Of The River Nile was released internationally in the United States in 1981 by Shanachie Entertainment, following Shanachie's release of Pablo's Rockers Meet King Tubby Ina Firehouse as Pablo's first U.S. release in 1980. The release of these two critically-acclaimed albums propelled Pablo into mainstream consciousness for the first time. These releases began a nearly 20-year relationship between Pablo and Shanachie as the main North American outlet for Pablo's music up until his death in 1999. The enduring beauty of East Of The River Nile stems from its entrancing marriage of rhythm and melody, led most often by Pablo's uncanny soloing on melodica. The release by Shanachie Entertainment of East Of The River Nile on vinyl LP is the first time it has been legally available in vinyl form since 1989.



Augustus Pablo was born Horace Swaby in St. Andrew near Kingston, Jamaica in 1953 and was a teenage prodigy. At an early age Pablo was drawn to the sound system dances and in his early teens frequently cut school to hang out in downtown Kingston record shops and recording studios, absorbing everything he heard. Proficient on keyboards, by chance he tried playing a melodica belonging to a friend's girlfriend; entranced by it, he was told by the girl that he could have it. In young Swaby's hands, the melodica—essentially a child's toy—became an evocative solo instrument. One day he was standing outside Aquarius Studio with the melodica and Aquarius proprietor/producer Herman Chin-Loy, who happened to be searching for a unique sound for a recording, spotted him and asked him to play on a track. The result was successful and soon Pablo was playing on sessions regularly for Chin-Loy, who bestowed on Swaby the nom-de-plume Augustus Pablo, which Chin-Loy had invented as a vehicle for his instrumentalists. Pablo soon teamed up with school chum Clive Chin, whose parents owned Randy's Records recording studio, and scored such classic hits as "Java" and "Pablo In Dub." Early on, Pablo established his own sound system, Rockers International, and his own labels and began  producing both his own recordings and for other artists. He forged a close relationship with King Tubby, the hugely influential producer, engineer and sound system operator generally acknowledged as the inventor of dub music. Pablo's 1975 dub recording "King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown" was a huge hit and the album of the same name because a reggae classic. 

Throughout the 70's Pablo recorded prolifically, re-cutting classic Studio One rhythms in heavier style and creating his own original rhythm tracks. His own recordings were either instrumentals, in which lead instruments played melody throughout, or dubs, which moved snatches of melody in and out of the mix. He also produced many great recordings by established artists such as Leroy (Heptones) Sibbles, Dillinger, and Johnny Osbourne, as well as new talent which he frequently discovered, including Hugh Mundell, Jacob Miller, Tetrack, Delroy Williams, Norris Reid, Jr. Reid, Junior Delgado and Earl Sixteen. The release of the single "East Of The River Nile" and album of the same name in 1977 was another landmark. The single, which was a radical re-working of a recording Pablo had originally done for Herman Chin-Loy, was unlike any other reggae recording or, indeed, any other piece of music anywhere.  Its impact was immediate. Pablo continued recording and producing both his own works and that of other artists up until his untimely death at the age of 46 in 1999 from a collapsed lung devolving from a nerve disorder - Myasthenia Gravis.  His work was always informed by a strong sense of spirituality and devotion to Rastafari. Pablo's legacy is multi-faceted, encompassing a number of certified reggae classics, a body of work of great originality and substance, and an exemplary devotion to artistic and spiritual purity.

Release is set on vinyl on April 15, 2014.

~ Shanachie Entertainment

BélO - NATIF NATAL (NATIVE BORN)

Haitian International artist BélO will release a new album titled Natif Natal (Global release date April 9, 2014) with a worldwide tour beginning in the United States. The Radio France International Discoveries winner’s 4th album, Natif Natal, is a journey of emotional social struggles, love and the need to belong.

The social crusader is first a lyricist before a music composer, and it comes to no surprise that the first track “Detripay” (Gutted) depicts the world being pulled apart from the inside out revealing prostitution, human trafficking and rape. BélO’s poetic vision and his colorful Kreyol proverbs are put on full display in Natif Natal. A constant social spirit throughout the entire album sending a message of hope (Track 4 Pa Lage), holding on to love (Track 10 Abondans), and despite critical labels of society one should be able to accomplish its mission in life (Track 9 Pa Koute Yo). Natif Natal is dedicated to mankind and the dream of a world without boarders (Track 11 Citizen of World).

Natif Natal is produced by Jean Belony Murat a.k.a BélO; arranged/final mixed by Andy Barrow. BélO refused to be shackled by the limitations of one genre and threw a wider net to capture various sounds for Natif Natal. “I am a native from Haiti, and I want to be part of the global musical movement” -BélO. Effortlessly, BélO’s sound leaps from his native traditional Haitian roots, Rock/Pop, old school Reggae, vintage Bossa Nova and R&B. The structural shift across the whole album is very apparent. BélO’s signature jazzy touch from his second album reappears while cultivating a more organic sound. BélO is known as being Haiti’s live acoustic innovator, yet he has never recorded in that style. The recording features songs in a greener format like: a call-and-response chorus, acoustic guitar and Haitian Tambour (congas) arrangements (Track 4 Pa Lage & Track 13 Tinonm).

The album showcases upcoming local Haitian vocalist like Mandela (Track 4 Pa Lage) and Queen Bee (Track 10 Abondans), Haiti’s renown rapper BIC (Track 6 Kase Tibwa) and the celebrated Haitian roots artist Eddy Francois -former lead singer of Boukman Ekperyanse Grammy nominated group (Track 9 Pa Koute Yo). From different parts of the world numerous artists have contributed to this multi-inspirational album: Fabrice Rouzier, Clement Belizaire, Wesner St-Louis, Andy Barrow, Charleson Duverné, Hans Dominique (Bwagri), Harold St-Louis, Dony Felix, Johnson St Cyr, Kali, Carlomagno Araya, Ismael Vergara, Monica Frias, Alive for God (chorus group), and Alessandro Vivianni.

Natif Natal’s tour will begin April 11 at Artisphere, in Virginia where he performed in 2012 in a sold out concert, followed by April 13th: Festival International Nuits d'Afrique de Montréal Canada, April16-23: France, April 26-27: International Festival de Louisiana, May1-15: National tour in Haiti, May 23-25: Guadeloupe, May 30: Jamaica. Additional tour dates in Boston, Miami, New York, Europe and more on http://www.belohaiti.com. Natif Natal will be available on the iTunes Store.

Natif Natal track listing:

1-Interlude: Detripay

2-Detripay                    

3-Vann Dlo                    

4-Banm Nouvel Ou                

5-Pa Lage Sa (ft. Mandela)                

6-Kase Tibwa (ft. BIC)                

7-Mizik a Duam                

8-Interlude: Pa Koute Yo            

9-Pa Koute Yo (ft. Eddy Francois)            

10-Abondans (ft. Queen Bee)        

11-Citizen Of The World                 

12-Ekoloji                        

13-Tinonm                        

14-Interlude: Groovy                 

15-Groovy                        

16-Interlude: Rara Dessinord