Stanley Clarke, Biréli Langrène & Jean-Luc Ponty Team Up for D-STRINGZ

Unalloyed felicity is the best way to describe D-STRINGZ, the new disc by the cooperative trio - violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, bassist Stanley Clarke, and guitarist Biréli Lagrène. These three distinctive titans consolidate their singular voices while exploring vast stylistic idioms within jazz's expansive realm, resulting in a cohesive sound that plays to the strength of each individual's virtuosity and more importantly their keen sense of musical interactivity. Each of these musicians are renowned for their incredible work within the electric jazz realm; D-STRINGZ shows them venturing into the acoustic realm and exhuming four jazz gems while also contributing fetching originals that shine new light to their individual gifts as composers.

Given the ardent accord they display on the album, their history together as a unit is relatively short. The trio's origins date back to 2012 when French jazz impresario and the disc's associate producer François Lacharme, produced an all-star concert at Paris' Chatelet Theatre to salute Ponty's 50-year-long career. In addition to performing with an orchestra, Ponty organized two trios, one of which included Clarke - a longtime music collaborator - and Lagrène, whom neither Ponty nor Clarke had yet performed with prior. The three only performed five pieces during a 20-minute set, yet the performance's impact was so immense that it inspired Lacharme to converse with Jean-Philippe Allard - jazz director of Universal Music France and general manager for Impulse! Records - about the prospects of recording them. Two years later, the three nestled inside the ICP studios in Brussels for four days to record D-STRINGZ.

The acoustic violin-bass-guitar setting isn't new for Ponty or Clarke. The two released the critically acclaimed Rites of Strings disc in 1995 with the legendary Al Di Meola; but as Ponty notes, that trio focused solely on original compositions while also delivering music structures more aligned with jazz-rock. D-STRINGZ, in comparison, yields closer to straight-ahead jazz while also retooling a few jazz standards.

The first standard to appear on the disc is Jimmy McHugh and Harold Adamson's 1955 ballad, "Too Old to Go Steady," which was wonderfully rendered by John Coltrane on his classic 1963 Impulse Records! LP, Ballads. Here, Ponty articulates the composition's lamenting melody as Lagrène strums alluring chords and Clarke anchors them with a simpatico counterpoint. Soon after, Lagrène takes the lead, alternating between single-note lines and succinct chordal strumming. D-STRINGZ references Coltrane again - and more directly - with its delightful reading of his 1957 composition, "Blue Train," on which Ponty swings the melody masterfully, while animating it with capricious embellishments and sharp cries that demonstrate his fluidity in hard-bop. Clarke supplies the rendition with an ebullient walking bass line while Lagrène gussies up the rhythm with his spry comping before launching into a knotting improvisation, which gives way to Clarke's blues-laden aside.

The trio tips its hat to French-Romanian jazz legend Django Reinhardt with an inventive makeover of his 1940 hit, "Nuages." Ponty recasts the "hot jazz club" staple with a supple bossa nova undercurrent, initially powered by Lagrène's spidery accompaniment and Clarke's dancing pulse. Josef Zawinul's 1966 "Mercy Mercy Mercy," which became a smash hit for Cannonball Adderley, rounds out the standards on D-STRINGZ. The idea to cover the soul-jazz classic was rather impromptu after the trio had challenged itself with Coltrane's "Blue Train." While taking a break, the song popped into conversation, which led Ponty to search for it on YouTube . Then voilá; the trio delved into the gospel-infused tune.

The original tunes from the band are equally mesmerizing. D-STRINGZ kicks off with a splendid take on Lagrène's intrepid "Stretch," which first appeared on his 1990 disc, Acoustic Moments. After the trio tackles the compositions' tricky introduction, the updated version takes on a more groove-laden pulse as the trio ricochets snippets of melody with blinding speed. The funk continues with Ponty's "To and Fro," an original that he penned in 2005 for another trio with Clarke and banjo player Belá Fleck. The trio retains the original's electronica dance feel by asserting its serrating rhythm with Lagrène first tickling out 12-note riff, followed by Ponty then Clarke. The song also allows Lagrène to showcase his affinity for R&B-inspired rhythmic guitar comping and soulful melodic improvising.

The enigmatic "Childhood Memories (Souvenirs D'Enfance)" is the other original that the violinist contributed to the session. It's a tune that he wrote several years ago but hadn't made it onto a recording until D-STRINGZ. The ballad is noteworthy in how Ponty switches the roles of lead voice and accompaniment with Clarke; it begins with Ponty plucking an intriguing pizzicato figure while Clarke bows a stunning melody on arco bass. When Lagrène enters, alternating between crisp chord strumming and single-notes, the song takes on a cinematic, Latin-tinge sensibility, which is heightened by Clarke's second upright bass solo.

Clarke contributed two compositions as well. He pays homage to two of his bebop heroes - pianist Bud Powell and alto saxophonist Charlie Parker - with the vivacious "Bit of Burd," which utilizes familiar bebop chord changes. As Clarke steers the composition with a brisk mid-tempo, it becomes a splendid vehicle for all three to craft writhing improvisations while also demonstrating each member's knack for comping. Clarke's frisky "Paradigm Shift" first appeared in 2008 on Jazz in the Garden, a trio disc with drummer Lenny White and pianist Hiromi. The bassist penned the composition to commemorate the election of President Barack Obama, the United States' first African-American president.

Considering the collective prestige each trio member has in the electric jazz realm, the communal empathy and at times, the sizzling interactions demonstrated on D-STRINGZ will undoubtedly attract a wide spectrum of music fans. Hopefully these three iconic jazz figures will reunite for yet another rewarding rendezvous - this time, more sooner than later.

NEW RELEASES: NORMAN JAY MBE PRESENTS SKANK & BOOGIE GOOD TIMES; LE FREAK MUSIC INSPIRED BY CHIC COMPILED BY JOEY NEGRO; TOM JONES - LONG LOST SUITCASE

NORMAN JAY MBE PRESENTS SKANK & BOOGIE GOOD TIMES

Norman Jay MBE presents his latest compilation, ‘Good Times - Skank & Boogie’ released via Sunday Best Recordings. This is his first compilation since 2011’s Good Times 30th Anniversary edition and follows on from his hotly anticipated Good Times Goes East party at St John's Church at Hackney in August. Norman Jay is undoubtedly one of the finest and highly respected DJs in the world today and yet again pulls from his impressive collection to provide the ultimate eclectic selection. From Chicago champions The Chi-Lites through to the whistle bump of Deodato and the blue-eyed soul of Michael McDonald, this is an excellent guided tour through disco & reggae’s exotic alcoves by the undisputed king of rare grooves. Includes: St. Germain - Pink Panther Theme; Slim Smith - Everybody Needs Love; Michael McDonald - Living For The City; D – Influence; Paul Johnson - Better Than This (Dego&Kaidi's 2000 Black Mix);6 The Real Thing - Love Takes Tears; Deodato - Never Knew Love; Delroy Wilson - Better Must Come; Laurel Aitken & The Gruvy Beats - Kent People; The Crystalites - Splash Down; Stone City Band feat. Rick James - Little Runaway; The Fantastic Four - I Got To Have Your Love; and Chanson - Don't Hold Back. ~ Amazon

LE FREAK MUSIC INSPIRED BY CHIC COMPILED BY JOEY NEGRO

The music of Nile Rodgers and Chic has had plenty of impact over the years – and it had an especially strong power at the time of its release – with a whole host of late 70s and early 80s soul acts taking on a Chic-styled groove, and with amazing results! Nobody knows grooves of that vintage than Joey Negro – and for this sweet little set, he brings together a whole host of Chic-styled cuts from back in the day – tight, lean grooves that really help find a dancefloor path past mainstream disco – complete with all the sort of wicked basslines and sharp guitar parts you might expect! The collection's full of surprises – maybe one of the nicest that Joey's given us in years – and titles include "Together" by Odyssey, "Easy Money" by She, "Let's Do It Again" by Nightlife Unlimited, "Not About That" by Van Jones, "Heartache No 9 (special rmx version)" by Delegation, "Feel The Beat" by Chad with GG Gibson, "Good Times" by Charanga 76, "I'm In Love (Joey Negro edit)" by Cela, "Everybody Needs Somebody Sometimes (part 2)" by Ann Margret, and "Don't Sneak On Me" by Michael Zager. ~ Dusty Groove

TOM JONES - LONG LOST SUITCASE

Tom Jones makes his long awaited return with the release of Long Lost Suitcase; the third in a trilogy of albums which visit his musical roots following 2010’s Praise & Blame and 2012’s Spirit In The Room. Long Lost Suitcase weaves yet another distinctive path via a catalogue of tracks that have impacted on Tom throughout his career. The title seemed apt with Tom having trawled through memories, recalling stories and anecdotes for his first and only biography Over The Top And Back and the tracks comprise another outstanding collection. The album becomes ever more pertinent with track titles interwoven into the chapters of a book that resonate with reality over what has been a truly groundbreaking and unpredictable journey. Long Lost Suitcase is the heart and soul of a performer who is still willing to push the boundaries. This album comes as a CD in a jewel case with a 16 page booklet featuring rare photos of Tom’s career.Tom Jones makes his long awaited return with the release of Long Lost Suitcase; the third in a trilogy of albums which visit his musical roots following 2010’s Praise & Blame and 2012’s Spirit In The Room. Long Lost Suitcase weaves yet another distinctive path via a catalogue of tracks that have impacted on Tom throughout his career. The title seemed apt with Tom having trawled through memories, recalling stories and anecdotes for his first and only biography Over The Top And Back and the tracks comprise another outstanding collection. The album becomes ever more pertinent with track titles interwoven into the chapters of a book that resonate with reality over what has been a truly groundbreaking and unpredictable journey. Long Lost Suitcase is the heart and soul of a performer who is still willing to push the boundaries. This album comes as a heavyweight single vinyl LP in a spined sleeve with a picture insert. ~ Amazon

NEW RELEASES: PETER ANDRE – COME FLY WITH ME; QCBA - BEAUTY IN QUIET PLACES; COLIN TOWNS MASK ORCHESTRA - DRAMA

PETER ANDRE – COME FLY WITH ME

It’s been twenty years since Peter Andre released his global hit, ‘Mysterious Girl’, and he’s now had three chart-topping singles, a further seven Top 10 hits, and Platinum, Gold and Silver certifications for seven of his albums to date, under his belt. He now returns with Come Fly With Me, the brand new studio album which was inspired in part by the 100th anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s birth and features Peter’s takes on on Rat Pack standards including the album title track ‘Come Fly With Me’, ‘Mac The Knife’ and ‘Ain’t That A Kick In The Head’. “All of these songs are great great classics,” says Peter. “The fact that we’re celebrating hundred years of Frank Sinatra makes the choice even better because you can start to pick some of the favourites that Franky was really well-known for. When you listen to these old classics, you realise what real music is.” ~ Amazon

QCBA - BEAUTY IN QUIET PLACES

Quentin Collins (QC) and Brandon Allen (BA), the hardest hitting trumpet/sax frontline in the business, present their new release, Beauty In Quiet Places, on the Ubuntu Music record label. The follow up to their highly acclaimed debut album What's It Gonna Be?, released in 2011, Beauty In Quiet Places consists of all original compositions, written by the pair, with styles ranging from the up-tempo swing of Modal Tranesition (Allen's homage to two of his biggest influences, John Coltrane and Joe Henderson) to the laid back pocket groove of the title track. The opening track, Fuerteventura, takes you on a samba-infused roller coaster ride whilst Oscar's Lullaby showcases the group's softer, more reflective side. Completing the lineup on Beauty In Quiet Places are QCBA's regular rhythm team of the masterful Ross Stanley on Hammond organ and the elegant musicianship of Enzo Zirilli on drums. Since their inception in 2008, QCBA have collaborated with a broad range of artists, including Omar, Paloma Faith, Liane Carroll, Hamish Stuart, Natalie Williams, Gwyneth Herbert, Dennis Rollins and Cleveland Watkiss. This has enabled them to develop the eclectic sound that is so evident in this recording, bringing together a melting pot of Jazz, Brazilian and Funk, always soulful and, crucially, always swinging! ~Amazon

COLIN TOWNS MASK ORCHESTRA - DRAMA

When Colin Towns formed the Mask Orchestra in 1990, he brought together some of the most important new and established players on the jazz scene. The Mask Orchestra was seen not only as an exciting new band, it was ground breaking. Twenty-five years on, Colin Towns Mask Orchestra is back. The new double album Drama will be the group s seventh release and boasts a line-up featuring a veritable who's who of jazz's finest, alongside handpicked players of the new generation. As the title might suggest, the inspiration for Drama is theatre and drama, featuring new and also original music from Colin Towns's extensive work in the theatre, from classic plays including One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Equus and Macbeth, to contemporary work including Terry Johnson's Hysteria. Towns found working in the theatre a life changing experience and it was theatre sound designer John Leonard who introduced his work to the director Terry Hands, who became his great mentor. It was through Hands that he discovered the works of many playwrights, which in turn spawned many fruitful collaborations. This is the world that Drama explores and the world that Towns brought to the band. 'It was important they knew the synopsis of each play so they would understand where the compositions were coming from. Some of the pieces are from original productions, which started life in the theatre and now step into the spotlight. Others are revisits, musical reinterpretations or impressions of the plays.' Drama is at once a challenging and exhilarating journey, which follows not necessarily the tradition, but the spirit, of Jazz, but which crucially, celebrates all music. Towns had never shied away from taking risks and following his own path regardless of what others might think and Drama is no exception. 'My heart beats faster when I hear these special musicians come together and breathe life and fire into my music. When it looks impossible, seems crazy, challenges and surprises, then to me it feels that we re heading in the right direction.' Colin Towns Mask Orchestra line up 2015: Saxes: Tim Garland, Alan Skidmore, Peter King, Nigel Hitchcock, Julian Siegel, Simon Allen Trumpets: Graham Russell, Henry Lowther, George Hogg, Rory Simmons Trombones: Roger Williams, Barnaby Dickinson, Tom White, Harry Brown Piano: Andrew McCormack Drums: Ralph Salmins Guitar: Chris Montague Percussion: Stephan Maass (from Munich) Bass: Arnd Geise (from Hamburg) Keyboards: Colin Towns Special guest Japanese drummer and percussionist Joji Hirota. ~ Amazon

NEW RELEASES: TONY MOMRELLE – KEEP PUSHING; KOUTE JAZZ: A COLLECTION OF JAZZ TRACKS FROM THE FRENCH WEST INDIES; THE MILK – FAVORITE WORRY

TONY MOMRELLE – KEEP PUSHING

Wonderful solo work from Tony Momrelle – a singer you may know from his tremendous contributions to Incognito and Reel People over the years, and a hell of a soul artist on his own! Tony may well be one of the UK's best male soul singers these days – and he steps forth beautifully here on a set of tracks that are couched in all the warm tones of his best work with Incognito, with lots of jazzy touches in the instrumentation, and a rock-solid groove in the rhythms! Momrelle soars out wonderfully on his vocals – with a style that's somewhere in the Stevie Wonder side of the spectrum, but also very much Tony's own, too – instantly classic, on titles that include "It's Real", "Back Together Again", "Pick Me Up", "It's Real", "A Million Ways", "All The Things You Are", "Different Street", and "Keep Pushing", which features a guest appearance by Talib Kweli. ~ Dusty Groove

KOUTE JAZZ: A COLLECTION OF JAZZ TRACKS FROM THE  FRENCH WEST INDIES

A really beautiful collection of jazz with strong Caribbean roots – music from the French West Indies, and served up with a vibe that's completely unique! This isn't calypso jazz, or reggae-inflected Jamaican jazz – and not even Cuban jazz, either – but instead this very fresh strand with wonderfully soulful elements – often a mixing of electric and acoustic elements, with rhythms that are quite different than the usual! If anything, there might be a stronger link here between the hippest African jazz of the late 70s – and maybe some of the spiritual jazz in the US a few years before – but there's also a rhythmic complexity that's very much this scene's own – and which often makes these tunes come alive in ways that are extremely vital, and well worth discovering. Many numbers mix keyboard or guitar parts with raw acoustic percussion, and strong reed or trumpet solos – and titles include "Gwadloup" by Edmondy Krater & Zepiss, "Kominike" by Erick Cosaque, "Vini Coute E Tann" by Jse Macliere, "Nikita" by Kat-Tet, "Mama Says" by Max Labor, "Crepuscule Tropical" by Max Cilla, "Wache" by Francisco, and "Soprann Aux Antilles" by Camille Soprann Hildevert. ~ Dusty Groove

THE MILK – FAVORITE WORRY

Fuelled by a rediscovery of the music and artists that originally inspired their formation, the four walls of their studio were ablaze with a soundtrack of Bill Withers, Isaac Hayes and the Isley Brothers throughout the songwriting process for their new album. From the swagger of symphonic opener 'Wanderlust' to heartfelt ballad 'Lose That Way' to the thunderous blues of the closing title track; The Milk's confidence in these songs and their execution is clearly audible. Captured in a tireless outburst of creativity at the end of 2014, 'Favourite Worry' is The Milk at their soulful, honest and engaging best. Includes: Wanderlust; Loneliness Has Eyes; No Interruptions; Darling What's Wrong?; Deliver Me; Don't Give up the Night; Lose That Way; Trouble Gonna Bring Me Down; What Did I Do to My Love; and Favourite Worry.

Vocalist Katie Bull Presents Her Adventurous Fifth Album, All Hot Bodies Radiate

JazzTimes has described vocalist Katie Bull as "as a jazz prism, refracting musical light in endlessly unpredictably ways." On November 10, 2015, the New York-based artist presents her latest musical adventure, All Hot Bodies Radiate (Ashokan Indie). It's her fifth album and the latest with The Katie Bull Group Project, which features the singer alongside some veteran kindred spirits: saxophonist Jeff Lederer, keyboardist Landon Knoblock, bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller, all jazz improvisers with whom she has collaborated for many years. The band has honed its adventurous interplay over residencies in such New York hotbeds as the 55 Bar in Greenwich Village and the Arts for Arts Evolving Music Series at Local 269 and then Clemente Solo Velez on the Lower East Side, as well as shows at Nublu, Greenwich House, University of the Streets, Brecht Forum, JACK, Firehouse Space and the Whynot Jazz Room. Sheila Jordan - one of Katie's great vocal mentors, along with Jay Clayton - described Katie's performing, poetic art as "making the vocal jazz of the future."

On All Hot Bodies Radiate, Katie and company explore 12 of her high-flying originals and two standards, with a hip take on "If I Loved You" by Rodgers & Hammerstein and a wildly dramatic interpretation of Harold Arlen's "Ding Dong, the Witch Is Dead" from The Wizard of Oz. About the sessions, she says: "When this band works with charts in rehearsals, we talk down the forms, exploring images or stories that inspired the tunes. Charts are like maps - and the music is a voyage to the uncharted. In each performance, the songs grow with a live audience, so their energy is ultimately part of this album, too. What you hear on All Hot Bodies Radiate are first and second takes, with the album having the synergy of a live performance."

Katie was steeped from a young age in the vintage Manhattan scene of downtown jazz and avant-garde dance and theater. Fittingly, the sound and sensibility of All Hot Bodies Radiate ranges far and wide, from bop, swing and groove to hints of experimental indie-rock - see the track "I Guess This Isn't Kansas, Any More," with its distorted synth and pop-art sense of melody. The album abounds in all manner of vocal virtuosity, as well as episodes of free-jazz instrumental poetry - dig Lederer's wailing solos in "Drive to Woodstock." Another album highlight, "Ghost Sonata," shows off the range of Katie and her band in a single tune, from the spectral to the swinging. About the interplay of The Katie Bull Group, the singer says: "We have developed what I like to call 'a hive mind,' where we start to think and react alike, spontaneously. I wrote and arranged the songs, but we're a led-collective, so the songs are really ours, as the guys have their own ideas for arrangements and the tunes become our collective expression. Jeff, Landon, Joe and George have this beautiful sense of both tradition and adventure - they can play straight-ahead or take it out."

Throughout Katie's life in downtown Manhattan and Upstate New York, her family home was the site of bohemian gatherings of musicians, dancers and theater artists around the dinner table, with evenings capped by jam sessions of jazz and dance. Such cross-genre alchemy would be an enduring influence. Among his many artistic pursuits, Katie's father - a dancer, teacher and jazz pianist tutored by Lennie Tristano - worked with avant-vocalist Meredith Monk; she even lived for a time with the family, so young Katie grew up hearing performers "doing incredible things with their voices," she recalls. "Eventually, Lou Grassi gave me a Betty Carter tape - and that rocked my world.  I also spent my young years going to see artists like Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett, so I listened closely to instrumentalists - with that improvisational ideal in mind. So, for me, singing has never been about being upfront as much as it has been about interacting in the mix.

"Something I'm in love with is the Mingus Big Band, where the music is rooted deep in a groove but is also flying wild and free," Katie adds. "Nature is a big part of my consciousness - environmental activism is part of what I do - and I experience nature as the combination of organic order and a beautiful wildness. I wrote these new songs at a moment of life change and evolution for me. So I hope that's what people hear with the new album - a blend of order and wildness, along with a sense of possibility."

When writing the songs for All Hot Bodies Radiate, Katie was ruminating on love, nature - and the nature of love. "It was a time of transition for me, between old love and new love," she says. "I went to the mountains, with the hummingbirds and dragon flies around me in the warmth of the sun. Then I sat under the glow of the moon as it filtered through my window at the piano. Songs arrived, and through the songs, my heart began to heal. At this time, I was also on the climate activism trail, drawn by a love for the nature that sustains us all. I believe love radiates from all directions."

Katie Bull was born in New York City, where she raised into an artistic family in the West Village. As a jazz pianist, her father used to let her tag along to jazz gigs and jam sessions, as well as run around on the edges of the dance floors when he was teaching improvisational modern dance at New York University. The family eventually moved to a small town Upstate, where the jam sessions continued with the likes of percussionist Lou Grassi, vocalist/composer Meredith Monk and others. Young dancer Bill T. Jones helped babysit young Katie while he was a student of her father at the State University of New York at Brockport. Some years later, she moved back to Manhattan, settling into a raw TriBeCa loft space - formerly occupied by Don Cherry - with her father and stepmother. Not only were free-spirited jazz sessions a regular occurrence at the loft, the family hosted all sorts of cross-genre artistic gatherings, as well as rehearsals for the likes of the Living Theater.

Having been raised in a world of the performance arts, Katie was just 15 when she got a weekly club gig singing standards. She was introduced to jazz singer-composer Jay Clayton and singer Sheila Jordan, both of whom took Katie under their wings. After gaining more experience in Manhattan clubs, she attended the State University of New York at Purchase, entering as a music major but graduating from the theater conservatory. In recent years, Katie has focused on the hybrid-arts, or inter-arts, movement, writing and directing many experimental productions with her company, The Bull Family Orchestra, enabling her to integrate her background in music, dance, writing and directing. She works as a whole-body vocal coach, along with singing in experimental theaters and jazz venues from New York City and New England to such international locales as Argentina, for the La Plata Jazz festival.

Katie has collaborated with such esteemed musicians as pianists Frank Kimbrough, Michael Jefry Stevens and Joshua Wolf; percussionists Lou Grassi, Matt Wilson, Harvey Sorgen and George Schuller; and bassists Joe Fonda, Martin Wind, Hill Greene, Cameron Brown and Ratzo Harris. Her discography includes Freak Miracle (2011); The Story, So Far (2007); Love Spook (2005); The Bull-Fonda Duo: Cup of Joe, No Bull (2005); and Conversations with the Jokers (2002). Katie invests increasing energy to environmental activism, initiating Climate Force and volunteering for the likes of 350.org and Food & Water Watch. She splits her time between Manhattan and the Catskills, near Woodstock.

www.KatieBull.com

Austin music group Atlas Maior announces a new 3-track EP titled Keyif

Austin music group Atlas Maior announces a new 3-track EP titled Keyif, out October 23rd, and will celebrate the release with a local performance at Central Market North on October 24th. Atlas Maior’s influences traverse American Jazz, Middle Eastern traditions and Latin American musical idioms, creating hypnotic, transportive soundscapes with powerful melodies and gripping passages. Istanbul, Turkey acts as the geographic focal point for the group’s new sonic exploration: Keyif is a Turkish word that loosely translates to enchantment and delight, a collective feeling that the band members took as a souvenir from their time there. A long way from the plentiful sounds of honky tonk and rock in the capital of Texas, Atlas Maior spearheads the growing Austin world music scene with their superb musicianship and rhythmic wizardry.

Recorded at Austin’s Bell Tree Studios, Keyif represents 3 years of Atlas Maior’s compositional ideas and travels from members Charlie Lockwood (oud, a pear-shaped Middle Eastern fretless lute considered to be an ancestor of the guitar), Joshua Thomson (alto saxophone, flutes), Ted Camat (percussion) and contributing bass player Gary James. Brazil, Turkey and Spain and the Canary Islands provide sonic touchstones for Keyif. Instruments such as the aforementioned oud, which Lockwood has focused on for the past 8 years, the Brazilian pandeiro, and the dumbek, a Middle Eastern goblet shaped hand drum, and Thomson’s woodwinds and saxophone help the band develop “seeds of melodic or rhythmic concepts” that swell and intensify into lush arrangements. Drawing on their rich improvisation sessions and multifarious musical sources, Lockwood states, “We wanted to come away with a sound that illustrated our original compositions but also captured a natural and lively rendition of each song.”

The EP begins with “Bête Noire,” a thunderous and grooving track that acts as a great introduction to Atlas Maior’s signature sound. Thomson provides both elongated and staccato melodic phrasing as well as a driving solo section, while Lockwood’s oud lines bounce with bright Turkish aesthetics. “Cynthia’s Tears” begins as a melancholy journey that grows with hope and joy, mirrored by Thomson’s solo section that transforms from a forlorn smoothness to a triumphant ascendance. “Raqs Laylah” is an arrangement of a standard in the world of Arab and Turkish music, often accompanied by belly dance. Highlights of the track include Lockwood and Thomson’s respective solos over a ciftetelli Turkish rhythm, and Camat’s dexterous work on the dumbek.

The band takes its name from the first world atlas, published by Joan Bleau in Amsterdam in the 17th century. Founded in Austin, TX in 2009, Atlas Maior was inspired by the idea of creating original music encompassing the group’s wide range of musical inspirations, stretching from Egyptian composer Mohammad abdul-Wahhab, Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou-Khalil, bassist Avishai Cohen, jazz artists such as Sun Ra, and fusion projects such as Amalgama and local Austin world music pioneers Atash.

Since its formation Atlas Maior has been creating original material, performing throughout Texas, and engaging creatively with other Austin-based musicians.  The group released a self-titled EP in 2011, and followed up with the 2012 release of Four Shades, Atlas Maior’s first full-length album, recorded at Mohr Music Studios.  In September 2013, Atlas Maior embarked on an international tour and cultural immersion experience in Istanbul, Turkey, where they performed at a variety of venues including a local university, and took music lessons from well-known Turkish musicians.  The summer before leaving for Istanbul, the group undertook a series of improvisatory recording sessions at Bell Tree Studios, where they began their studio collaboration with James, along with guests Bob Hoffnar (pedal steel), and Sari Andoni (oud). The live cosmologies of sounds resulted in Palindrome, the group’s 2014 two-disc album comprised entirely of this improved material.

Atlas Maior toured internationally, primarily in Turkey, to promote the new recording, and even received a hometown nod with the proclamation of “Atlas Maior Day” on March 27, 2014 by Austin’s City Council. They have opened for internationally acclaimed artists Vieux Farka Touré and Tal National, and have performed at music festivals including Wobeonfest, Art Outside, SXSW, and the City of Austin’s F1 Fan Fest.  The group has collaborated with a host of talented musicians in Austin and from around the world, including Atash, Layalina, The University of Texas at Austin Middle East Ensemble Bereket, and The Austin Global Orchestra and many more.

 

"Sinatra 100 — An All-Star GRAMMY® Concert" to Be Broadcast Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015, on CBS

The Recording Academy®, AEG Ehrlich Ventures, and CBS will honor the remarkable legacy of nine-time GRAMMY® winner Frank Sinatra by presenting "Sinatra 100 — An All-Star GRAMMY Concert," a primetime entertainment special celebrating the late icon’s 100th birthday. Initial performers announced for the tribute include 17-time GRAMMY winner Tony Bennett, two-time GRAMMY winner Garth Brooks, 15-time GRAMMY winner Alicia Keys, nine-time GRAMMY winner John Legend, three-time GRAMMY winner Adam Levine, seven-time GRAMMY winner Carrie Underwood, and eight-time GRAMMY winner Usher. The live concert taping will be held Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015, at Wynn Las Vegas’ Encore Theatre. The special will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network on Sunday, Dec. 6, from 9 – 11 p.m. ET/PT. Additional performers will be announced shortly.

“The name Frank Sinatra is synonymous with excellence that is timeless. As a performer, he possessed undeniable charisma and masterful artistry that resonate throughout generations”

In close partnership with the Sinatra family, "Sinatra 100 — An All-Star GRAMMY Concert" is the only televised concert special celebrating Sinatra's centennial. Through the generosity of the family, the concert will feature artists performing instantly recognizable arrangements originally orchestrated for "the Chairman of the Board" by renowned arrangers Don Costa, Gordon Jenkins, Quincy Jones, and Nelson Riddle. The special will keep the honoree center stage throughout the night by integrating tribute performances of Sinatra classics with rare archival footage narrated by Sinatra himself.

"Frank Sinatra is a voice for all generations. His showmanship and artistry have remained unmatched since he began performing professionally in the 1930s to his last recording 21 years ago," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "Today, he continues to gain popularity for his classic sound and signature style. It’s only fitting that we join the global celebration in honor of his 100th birthday."

"My personal memories of Frank remind me that he was a class act who also knew how to have fun. That's what this celebration will be," said executive producer Ken Ehrlich of AEG Ehrlich Ventures. "By partnering with Steve Wynn and featuring Las Vegas as the backdrop, the evening will be a party the Rat Pack would be proud of."

"The name Frank Sinatra is synonymous with excellence that is timeless. As a performer, he possessed undeniable charisma and masterful artistry that resonate throughout generations," said Jack Sussman, executive vice president, specials, music and live events, CBS Entertainment. "To have the opportunity to celebrate the life and art of The Chairman of the Board on his 100th birthday, and witness the lasting effects his music has had on artists today with a star-studded GRAMMY concert, is a true honor."

Among Sinatra's nine GRAMMY wins are three for Album Of The Year for Come Dance With Me (1959), September Of My Years (1965), and A Man And His Music (1966). Additional recognition from The Recording Academy includes a Lifetime Achievement Award, GRAMMY Legend Award™, and 13 recordings inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame®.

Pianist Frank Carlberg - WORD CIRCUS Featuring Frank Carlberg with Christine Correa, John O'Gallagher, Pascal Niggenkemper & Michael Sarin

Brooklyn-based Red Piano Records is proud to announce the release of Word Circus by Frank Carlberg. This album features a stellar quintet of jazz and improvised music heavy-hitters such as Christine Correa, voice; John O'Gallagher, alto sax; Pascal Niggenkemper, bass; Michael Sarin, drums and Carlberg on piano. Word Circus is a collection of musical settings of poems by contemporary American writers such as Ron Padgett, Joe Elliot, Ken Mikolowski and Anselm Berrigan. Carlberg gives some insight in to the background of Word Circus: "This project, my 10th CD devoted to settings of poetry, is a logical extension of my previous excursions in to words, their meaning and sound. On Word Circus the poems range from light and humorous to existential musings, to meditative ruminations on the state of our world. Word Circus is a continuation of my fascination with American poets, which has informed my work for the twenty-plus years, beginning with the release of The Crazy Woman on Accurate Records in 1995."

The songs on Word Circus were written for this Quintet, which has with a few modifications been around since Carlberg's earliest efforts with text. About the vocalist Christine Correa Carlberg explains: " Christine is the main reason for the existence of this group and this repertoire; my muse as it were. I have by now written over 150 songs with poems by writers such as Robert Creeley, Anselm Hollo, Anna Akhmatova, Rabindranath Tagore, Kenneth Rexroth, Allen Ginsberg, Alejandra Pizarnik etc as well as various other texts such as excerpts from Bill Clinton Grand Jury testimony, fragments from medical journals, pieces from legal documents, cut-up versions of the Bill Of Rights etc. All this work would never have happened had I not had a voice to compose for. Christine Correa provided me with that voice. She was able to execute whatever lines I would dream up and she was able to infuse the words with powerful expression and emotion. The rest of the group has remained remarkably stable as well with drummer Michael Sarin working with us since the "In The Land Of Art" project (Fresh Sound New Talent) in the late 1990's. John O'Gallagher has worked with us since the "Uncivilized Rumination" CD about 6 years ago. Pascal Niggenkemper is a relative newcomer who stepped in to this project after longtime collaborator John Hébert was unable to participate because of schedule conflicts. This group is really a dream come true for me as these musicians are all completely committed to the music while bringing such strong personalities and remarkable musicianship to the plate. A real composer's paradise"

The compositions for Word Circus were commissioned by Chamber Music America through their New Jazz Works program.

The songs on Word Circus cover a broad range of moods and emotions. The opening track You & Me has a short text with some existential over(under)-tones. The poem by Ken Mikolowski is from a series of poems that he wrote titled "Ecology". After a brief F-pedal tone the band throws itself into the declamatory melody with reckless abandon. The melody is followed by a piano solo with bass and drums interjecting in free-time. After a short reappearance of the melody, now as an interlude, a sax solo over a relentless up-tempo pulse by the rhythm section is a flight of brilliantly constructed ideas at breakneck speed. For Even If the pace slows down to a luxurious ballad with a witty, matter-of-fact text by Joe Elliot. It is delivered with intensity while maintaining a certain casual nonchalance. After a melodic bass solo and a playful piano statement Correa re-enters with added urgency. A sax/drum duet leads seamlessly in to On Some Level with an acerbic text by Ron Padgett, one of the great living American poets. The song is performed in an understated way, drawing the listener in to its tiny little verbal labyrinth. The music picks up steam on Things To Do In An Economic Crisis (by Ken Mikolowski) with its simple recommendation: Buy Low/Stay High. The band is turbo charged on this one as sax and piano exchange ideas while the rhythm section propels forward with fearless ferocity. After a short recap of one of the opening melodic statements the Niggenkemper takes over and leads us in to Ecology with a text once again by Mikolowski. After a chant-like vocal opening, Carlberg has a solo that seems to express a certain wistful sweetness before gradually building intensity, culminating in a section of powerful vocal wailing before a return of the somber mood of the opening. The next song, Stop Telling Me, voices a complaint. The poem is by Anselm Berrigan and states: "Stop Telling Me/ I look tired/ I know what I look like/ Tell Me How I Feel". After an edgy and angular melody the band forges into a collective improvisational give and take before the return to the opening melody, which in turn serves as an interlude leading in to an extended drum solo by the masterful Sarin. His solo eventually sets up the closing track, Lullabye. With its gorgeous text by Ron Padgett and the luscious music it serves as a perfect and calming end to this exhilarating set.

With Word Circus, his 10th recording of settings of poetry and text, Carlberg has taken yet another step forward in establishing himself as quite possibly the leading current exponent of combining poetry and jazz. Not since the remarkable oeuvre of the late great Steve Lacy has there been such a sustained and satisfying effort in creating connections between these two spectacular art forms. And make no mistake: this is not just beatniks in berets reading with a backdrop of flutes and bongos. This is an organic effort born out of commitment, passion, skill and vision to both mediums.

Upcoming Frank Carlberg Appearances:

This Saturday, October 17th: Frank Carlberg's WORD CIRCUS

@ Sound It Out Series, Greenwich House, NYC

October 21st: Roxana Amed/Frank Carlberg- La Sombra De Su Sombra @ Consulate General of Argentina in NYC

November 19th: Frank Carlberg's WORD CIRCUS

@ Cornelia Street Café (CD Release Celebration)

December 3rd: Frank Carlberg's WORD CIRCUS

@ Bates College (Olin Arts Center) Lewiston, Maine

December 4th: Frank Carlberg's WORD CIRCUS

@ Dimensions in Jazz, Woodford's Church, Portland Maine

FAMILIAR PLACES, The Debut Recording From Pianist DAN KAUFMAN

Brooklyn-based Red Piano Records is proud to announce the release of Familiar Places from pianist/composer Dan Kaufman.  This album marks Kaufman's debut as a leader, with a stellar line-up featuring Johnathan Blake on drums, Gilad Hekselman on guitar, Matt Clohesy on bass, Sam Sadigursky on saxophones and Keita Ogawa on percussion, in a program of eight original compositions.  Kaufman explains the genesis of Familiar Places, "To put it simply, I wanted to make a record that I would want to listen to. Something that had memorable melodies, that was accessible, but at the same time challenging and stimulating for the players as well as for the listener. A record that felt honest and personal."

Familiar Places is a collection of original compositions that Kaufman has written over the last 10 years.  He elaborates, "They are like little places, familiar, yet somehow new and unique.  Each tune has a specific character, mood, structure, groove, and concept.  The goal of the record was to freely explore these places as an ensemble by capturing the essence of each composition."  Together the band and the music take a journey, give the listener a sense of having traveled over time, rich varied places that seem both familiar, fresh, and universal.

To navigate these varied and intimate musical places having the right traveling companions is critical.  "The musicians are all players I've had long standing musical relationships with, some going back over 15 years, although before preparing for the record we had never played in this particular combination.   We all share a certain sensibilty, selflessness, a compositional approach.  Although I had a very specific idea of mood and shape of each piece, I wanted the musicians to not feel restrained, but inspired and liberated by the compositions.  Indeed, each musician brought their  unique voice to the project and made the music their own."

Sam Sadigursky, one of the most underrated saxophonists in New York City brought a fearlessness, a fire and an impeccable attention to detail.  Gilad Hekselman displays his deep sense of time and his organic genre-transcending approach.  This album features some of his best playing to date, particularly on "Farmington".   Johnathan Blake anchors the band with soulful, swinging, and adventurous drumming, and has an uncanny hook up with Kaufman, as heard on the first track, "Windshadow."  Matt Clohesy's playing is clear, precise, intense, funky and smart, and is equally comfortable in a wide variety of groves.  Percussionist Keita Ogawa brings a richness and warmth with his combination of inventiveness, tastefulness, and his ability to blend in with a modern jazz ensemble.

Kaufman gives us some insight into each composition on the album: "Windshadow", a modern uptempo jazz waltz, with a floating rolling feeling has a warm folksy quality.  It's a tribute to my friend Michael's boat.  "Kuumba", (swahili word for creativity) is a happy and simple melody with an Afro-Cuban inspired groove, with deceptively unusual meter and essentially a blues form.  It is named for the great trombonist/vocalist Frank Kuumba Lacy who used to sing this tune when we had a weekly gig at Smoke, the uptown New York club.  The worlds of Astor Piazzolla and Lennie Tristano collide on "Dansesong", a heady tango in 7/4. "Falling Petals" is a medium waltz, in the vein of the late 60s jazz artists like Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson and Herbie Hancock, which utilizes a series of pedal points in the bass.  "Familiar Places" was written back when I was a student at Juilliard, and blends influences of Keith Jarrett-like  harmony with Brazilian rhythms.  "Dew Eye" takes inspiration from the language of modern indie rock, and alternates seamlessly between 3/4 and 5/4 time.  "Farmington" was composed at the Maine Jazz Camp in Farmington, Maine, where I first met Red Piano Records founder Frank Carlberg over 16 years ago.  It was the last song we recorded during the two-day recording session, which happened to be in the middle of one of the biggest blizzards in New York history.  We let it all hang out. Gilad's solo is remarkable and Sam's wailing improvisation at the coda provides the perfect ending to a joyous session."

Familiar Places is a most auspicious debut by this considerable talent who skillfully manages to bring the listener into familiar places and then takes them much farther.   The recording continues to push Red Piano Records towards the front of small independent labels releasing music that is fresh and fearless. 

Dan Kaufman has emerged as a leading and promising voice in jazz piano.  His playing is adventurous and dynamic while firmly rooted in the tradition.  As a versatile and sensitive sideman Kaufman has performed for audiences around the world, with many prominent figures in jazz such as Jimmy Heath, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride and Mark Turner.  He is also an accomplished composer and arranger.  Kaufman began classical piano studies at age four and was working professionally as a teenager.  He moved to Boston to attend the New England Conservatory where he studied with Fred Hersch and Danilo Perez.  Kaufman joined the Grammy-nominated group The Either/Orchestra and quickly became one of the most in demand young talents on the Boston scene, working extensively with Jeremy Pelt, Miguel Zenon and Bob Moses, among many others.  After a brief stint as a member of the highly selective Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, Kaufman moved to New York to attend the Juilliard School on a full scholarship and joined their inaugural class of jazz studies.  At Juilliard he studied with the great Kenny Barron.  Kaufman has established himself as an in demand pianist in New York, joining the working bands of Donald Harrison, Ben Wolfe, Wycliffe Gordon, Rodney Green, Wayne Escoffery and Dominck Farinacci.  He also works with many of the worlds top jazz vocalists including Nnenna Freelon, Kevin Mahoganny, Robin McKelle, Allan Harris, Gretchen Parlato, Marilyn Maye, and KD Lang.  Kaufman has appeared on numerous recordings as a sideman.

Philadelphia's Bynum Brothers Announce SOUTH: Kitchen, Jazz, Bar: New Intimate Jazz Club to Host Nationally Recognized Artists and Philadelphia's Finest Musicians

Gerald Veasley

Philadelphia is proud to welcome SOUTH: Kitchen, Jazz, Bar to the expansive list of top-tier night life establishments in the dynamic neighborhoods in Center City Philadelphia with a top of the line venue and restaurant at 600 N. Broad Street. Pioneering restaurateurs and jazz aficionados Robert and Benjamin Bynum, who have brought such fine venues as Warmdaddy's, Relish, Paris Bistro, and the late Zanzibar Blue to the City of Brotherly Love, are reaching out yet again with a beautiful three-room establishment featuring a top of the line jazz room, an inviting kitchen, and a contemporary bar and lounge.

"We need to support our great heritage as an important jazz city and provide unique opportunities for these artists to perform here," says Robert Bynum on why SOUTH will be a major destination for jazz artists touring in support of new releases. "We want to be a welcoming option for those national artists who've always come through Philadelphia, as well as an attractive choices for the artists who have not made Philadelphia one of their stops in the past."

Orrin Evans

Their location on Broad Street didn't happen by accident--this area was the last home of Zanzibar Blue and is currently experiencing a major reemergence as a dining and housing destination. "Broad Street has always been at the heart of the jazz scene in Philadelphia going back many, many years," explains Bynum. "Not only is it in the center of our great city, but also at the heart of its jazz core."

SOUTH is not focused solely on national artists, however. "We feel a special kinship with the born and bred Philadelphia artists and want them to see SOUTH as their home," says Bynum. "We want them to know how much we respect their rich musical heritage and feel like SOUTH is their home while at home." In the interest of keeping Philadelphia's roots strong in the new venue, two local staples, pianist Orrin Evans and bassist Gerald Veasley, have been given weekly residencies with local bands featuring national artists.

Every Wednesday, Orrin Evans will host What's Happening Wednesday, a series aimed at presenting national artists in Philadelphia who may be falling just under the radar. "My goal is to present artists with their full ensembles doing what they do," explains the pianist. "This is about bringing artists from all over that are making music that I believe should be presented to the people." Evans has a curatorial history, having done similar residencies at Philly's own Blue Moon and the former Zanzibar Blue. He has also hosted jam sessions at World Café Live and currently hosts a weekly residency with his rotating cast in the Captain Black Big Band at New York City's Smoke Jazz & Supper Club.

On Thursday nights, Gerald Veasley will perform with celebrated contemporary jazz artists in a program called Unscripted Jazz Series. Veasley, a faculty member at the University of the Arts who just wrapped up another year of his Bass BootCamp, plans to give these artists an opportunity to stretch out from their typical performances. " The series will give these outstanding artists an opportunity to stretch out and express themselves in front of an appreciative audience," explains Veasley. "These will be exciting nights of breaking outside of the box, hence the title Unscripted. "

The 75-seat jazz room will offer superior sound with a clear sightline of the stage from all seats. SOUTH will present live music Tuesday through Sunday evenings, featuring a Tuesday night local jam session, and an emphasis on local and national artists on Friday through Sunday.

The Bynum brothers personally selected Lafayette, LA native Chef Paul Martin to serve vibrant Southern cuisine in the restaurant inspired by the sophisticated Southern destinations, Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. The bar and lounge will also feature Southern snacks and shared plates, as well as a comprehensive list of 50 American whiskeys; 10 beers on tap, including custom offerings from Maryland's Evolution brewing; and barrel-aged and bottle-conditioned cocktails, and infused spirits.

Orrin Evans Presents What's Happening Wednesday

October 21 // Chris Oatts

October 28 // Marc Cary

November 4 // Joe Farnsworth & Harold Mabern

November 11 // M'Balia

November 28 // Chris Oates

November 25 // Jeremy Pelt

December 2 // Buster Williams & Rene Rosnes

December 9 // Sarah Charles

Gerald Veasley Presents Unscripted Jazz Series

October 15 // Alex Bugnon "A Night in Tunisia"

October 22 // Karen Briggs "Soulchestral Groove"

October 29 // Carol Riddick "Swings the Classics"

November 5 // Marion Meadows "Take the SoulTrane"

November 12 // Kirk Whalum "Autumn Serenade"

November 19 // James Lloyd "Returns to Jazz Roots"

Guitarist Scott DuBois Recounts a Day Long Journey Through Varied Landscapes on Latest Release Winter Light

Nineteenth-century philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson called art an "expression of nature." Guitarist Scott DuBois' Winter Light transports the listener on a day's journey from earliest dawn into deepest night, illustrating the day's changing light through varied landscapes and weather conditions. He has loved representations of this evolution in visual art, especially in the paintings of Claude Monet, who often worked on several canvases at once in order to track the day's shifting light. Winter Light captures such visions in sound.

"First Light Tundra" opens with the earliest glimpse of light over a cold, desolate landscape as birds awake, call, and fly off into the distance. In a battle between darkness and light, fierce crashing winds obscure the approaching sunrise with flying snow. The sun triumphs in the end.

"Early Morning Forest" introduces a stately pine forest soon pierced by rays of light dazzling snow-filled branches and the white forest floor. Animals call one another to enter the mass of trees. Deeper in the forest, in the darker thick brush, an ominous cold mist fills the air. The animals call again after slowly emerging from the forest into the warmth of the unobstructed morning sun. "Late Morning Snow" conveys the elegance and peaceful nature of light on newly fallen snow. A progressively cold stinging wind rises.

"Noon White Mountain" begins with the day's most powerful light on majestic snow-capped mountains. They are slowly overtaken by dark clouds. A distant storm transforms into a passing gentle freezing rain. Then bright noon light returns. "Afternoon Ice Fog" evokes mysterious light reflections from the tiny ice crystals suspended in the air. In "Evening Blizzard" the light is shrouded by the intensity of a snowstorm while peace and tranquility return in "Night Tundra" where moonlit snow glows in the darkness.

The New York City Jazz Record has described DuBois' writing as "captivating music for the meditative thinker." This telling expression goes quite some way towards unlocking its essence, since the guitarist composes in an associative way, through pictures. Indeed, Winter Light, which marks his debut as an artist on the ACT label, has a strongly programmatic concept running right through it. The listener is taken on a journey through a winter's day. As we witness the progression from before daybreak right through to the depths of night, DuBois draws the listener in with sounds vividly portraying myriad shifts in the balance of light, leading us through different landscapes, and even making us feel the ever-changing patterns of the weather.

The guitarist's first five albums have received major critical acclaim. Black Hawk Dance earned the maximum 5-star rating from DownBeat Magazine. His next album, Landscape Scripture, was one of the "Top Ten Jazz Albums of 2012" as selected by the highly influential coast-to-coast American network, National Public Radio.

Scott DuBois, the 37-year old American jazz guitarist and composer, is one of the most important figures on the young New York jazz scene. The New York Times has praised the way that DuBois "has begun to make waves" with his "exploratory yet melodic sensibilities, serious compositional ambitions," and "cohesive looseness against complex subtleties."

DuBois studied at the Manhattan School of Music. He made his first mark alongside saxophonist David Liebman, who appeared on DuBois' albums for the Soul Note record label, Monsoon (2005) and Tempest (2007).   DuBois' quartet, with whom he has now been working for the past decade, consists of some of the world's most in-demand improvising musicians: German saxophonist and bass clarinetist Gebhard Ullmann, American bassist Thomas Morgan, and Danish drummer Kresten Osgood. This regular working band performs DuBois' masterfully-crafted original compositions which point to future trends. DuBois presents these powerful works with dynamic group improvisation and interaction, creating massive, colorful landscapes and a spiritual intensity that cuts straight to the heart. 

Scott DuBois · Winter Light

ACT Music  ·  Release Date: November 6, 2015  

 

Jamaican roots color Darren Barrett’s “Trumpet Vibes” as hard bop jazz meets reggae on the award-winning artist’s seventh album

Trumpeter Darren Barrett proudly wears his Jamaican ancestry on his musical sleeve as well as on the album sleeve of “Trumpet Vibes,” his seventh album that will be released November 20 on the dB Studios label. Decorated in the distinctive green, yellow and black colors of the Jamaican flag, the award-winning Canadian musician, composer and producer mines the native sounds of  his parents’ homeland for the first time on the eight-tracker constructed of hard bop jazz amidst laidback reggae rhythms and frenetic ska grooves. Throughout the session that highlights Barrett’s academic technical proficiency and heartfelt interpretive trumpet work, animate vibraphone plays the role of trusty sidekick with noted vibist Warren Wolf on the record’s opener and closer.

Barrett not only honors his family’s lineage on “Trumpet Vibes,” but he opens the proceedings with a salute to one of his early mentors, Donald Byrd, with a bouncy take of Byrd’s “Fly Little Bird,” that flaps mightily, evolving into a hard-swinging tilt midflight. Barrett wrote four compositions for the album and applies the jazz-meets-reggae ethos to a few modern classics. An original tune, “Chiapas” serves up somber autumnal hues from Barrett’s horn over a brisk ska track provided by the dynamic rhythm section composed of brothers Alexander and Anthony Toth on upright bass and drums respectively. The stately pop gem “To Sir, With Love” gets an invigorating and spritely makeover, riding the crest of a rocking wave of Caribbean culture. Vibraphonist Simon Moullier, who plays on the entire album, charismatically shares the spotlight with Barrett’s moody horn on the regal reggae jam “Song For A Princess.” The cadence is elevated on “Phantom,” a particularly rambunctious monster stalking the outer perimeter of experimental jazz, free-form fusion and rowdy rock. Both “Everything I Own” and Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour” get the full-scale reggae treatment with the former being a fun and celebratory romp while the latter benefits from some good old rock & roll grit. Closing with a knockout punch, brilliant musicianship electrifies “The Club Up The Street,” which bops, swings and soars mightily, allowing Barrett and Wolf the time and space to mix it up in a go-for-broke improvisational trumpet and vibraphone free-for-all. 

“This album means so much to me personally because it mixes the music from my Jamaican heritage, which is part of my heart, and jazz, which is part of my soul, into one. ‘Trumpet Vibes’ brings together the best of these two musical worlds that share a common ancestral genesis in Africa. I’ve spent the past two years totally immersed in the creation of this project – writing, producing, playing and recording - and I’m excited for people to finally hear it,” said Barrett, who was labeled “a force to be reckoned with” by the Boston Globe.

  

Barrett, a Toronto, Ontario native who has been anchored in Boston, Massachusetts ever since attending the famed Berklee College of Music where he presently serves as an associate professor in the ensemble department, won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 1997. Two years later, he issued his debut recording as a band leader, the aptly titled “First One Up.” Often mentioned in the same breath as Wynton Marsalis and Terence Blanchard perhaps comes from having studied under the same professor, William Fielder. Barrett soloed on Esperanza Spaulding’s double Grammy winner “Radio Music Society” and has recorded or performed internationally with jazz royalty such as Roy Hargrove, Elvin Jones, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. The trumpeter is a jazz purveyor who leads a handful of combos that provide a variety of outlets for his wanderings and full creative expression in the genre. Still enjoying a remarkably prolific period that brought to fruition two releases last year - “Energy In Motion: The Music of the Bee Gees” and “Direct 2014: Darren Barrett and the dB Quintet” – he’s already at work crafting his next unpredictable endeavor, jazz interpretations of Amy Winehouse’s songbook, which is slated to arrive in the spring. On Sunday (October 18), Barrett leads his dB Quintet into New York City for a show at The Iridium.

The songs contained on “Trumpet Vibes” are:

“Fly Little Bird”

“Chiapas”

“To Sir, With Love”

“Song For A Princess”

“Phantom”

“Everything I Own”

“My Cherie Amour”

“The Club Up The Street”

Sonny Rollins to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award At the Jazz Foundation of America's 14th Annual "A Great Night in Harlem"

Sonny Rollins Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins will be presented with the Jazz Foundation of America's Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday, October 22, at the Apollo Theater during the foundation's 14th Annual "A Great Night in Harlem" gala concert.

The concert segment honoring Rollins will feature performances by Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan), Jimmy Heath, Jack DeJohnette, Gary Bartz, Billy Harper, Randy Brecker, Clifton Anderson, Kenny Garrett, Ravi Coltrane, Al Foster, James Carter, Wallace Roney, the Cecil Bridgewater Big Band, and more.

"What a privilege it is to have Sonny Rollins grace the stage," says Wendy Oxenhorn, Jazz Foundation of America's Executive Director. "[Musical director] Steve Jordan has gone above and beyond to make this a fitting tribute worthy of Sonny's genius in return for all the decades of the music he has given to the world. For us and the Great Legends who are coming out for Sonny, this is our humble attempt to say 'thank you.'"

For 26 years, the Jazz Foundation of America has been keeping jazz and blues alive by helping musicians who played with everyone from Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday to Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones. The organization now assists in more than 5000 cases a year nationwide -- preventing homelessness and eviction by paying rents and mortgages; providing free medical care and operations; maintaining a Musicians' Emergency Fund to address a wide range of crises.

"What a necessary, wonderful organization!" says Rollins. "I've been aware of the Jazz Foundation's work for many years now, including the assistance they've given to so many of my colleagues. I'm honored to receive this award from them and to lend them whatever support I can now and in the future."

Rollins is presently completing work on a new album in his Road Shows series of live performances for release by his label, Doxy Records. Holding the Stage: Road Shows, vol. 4 will be released on April 8, 2016 under a distribution agreement with Sony Music Masterworks and its jazz imprint OKeh Records.