Music School That Will Accelerate your Musical Journey

 Classic Jazz is now more accessible to those who want to learn this great genre of music. There are many talented youths who aspire to be prominent musicians or wish to take up music as a hobby. There are plenty of music institutes available. To fulfill their musical dream, New York Jazz Academy (NYJA) started its specialized Youth Jazz Programs for teenagers, college students and other age groups.

NYJA began its journey with a saxophone workshop in 2009. It was set off by committing itself to provide ensemble performance and rehearsal opportunities to upcoming musicians. The academy has developed and implemented a new and effective model for Jazz education that transforms its students into confident performing artists through group rehearsals rather than isolated practice sessions.

The academy has various customized learning programs such as a successful 'Saturday College Prep Program', 'Teen Jazz Improv', and 'Junior Jazz' workshops for the students of different age groups and requirements. Faculty members that also happen to be the finest musicians in New York City oversee all these programs and events.

The students at NYJA learn different styles of Jazz music on various instruments ranging from trombone, saxophone, piano, guitar, drums, voice and others. These extensive learning sessions eventually culminate into more exposure thanks to the academy offering ensembles, special performances, and alliances with the major jazz clubs, custom workshops for outstanding students, and online classes.

Another factor that the academy considers for aspiring students is the course fee. All the learning programs are priced affordably for the learner’s convenience. The academy provides scholarships to talented and eligible students by receiving grants from others. Musical instruments are given to the students who require them for uninterrupted jazz lessons. Enrollment for winter and spring sessions is starting now.

About New York Jazz Academy:

The New York Jazz Academy is a rapidly growing Jazz music school in New York. It has developed and deployed a successful Jazz education model for musicians of different age groups with reasonable course fees. Students are provided with rich exposure to various forms of Jazz music through assemblies, classes, workshops, and summer programs. Through these programs and workshops they get to learn from some of the best faculty and professional musicians.

Contact:
For more information contact us at:

New York Jazz Academy
35-25 77th St. Suite A68
Jackson Heights, NY 11372
Program Director – Javier Arau

Tel: (718) 426-0633
email: nyja@nyjazzacademy.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SitwwUqzS-c

M.O.D. Technologies TO ISSUE FIRST EVER SOLO PIANO RECORDING BY BERNIE WORRELL ELEVATION The Upper Air AVAILABLE IN STORES AND ONLINE NOW!

For Immediate Release Please M.O.D. Technologies    TO ISSUE FIRST EVER SOLO PIANO RECORDING BY    BERNIE WORRELL ELEVATION The Upper Air AVAILABLE IN STORES AND ONLINE NOW!     ABOUT THE LABEL - M.O.D. Technologies - revealing light on the development of new sound experiences in material culture. A multi-directional music / sound / information system. Initiated in 2010 by bassist / producer Bill Laswell and Giacomo Bruzzo, co-founder of the progressive / future music label RareNoise. M.O.D. - A futuristic hybrid of music exploration - dub / dub step / reggae / world / africa / drum'n'bass / mutant hip hop / avant metal / experimental / vocal music / instrumental / DJ culture and much more. M.O.D. resumes and continues the legacy of AXIOM, the timeless imprint established in 1989 by Bill Laswell with Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records. http://www.mod-technologies.com New York, February 18, 2014 - Bernie Worrell, keyboard legend, founding member and essential collaborator / composer / arranger in George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic, has worked with an extremely diverse array of artists - Talking Heads, Bootsy Collins, The Rolling Stones, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Black Uhuru, Fela Kuti, Burning Spear, Pharoah Sanders, Buddy Guy, Sly & The Family Stone, Mos Def, Albert King, Sly & Robbie, etc. He is among the most influential and emulated electronic keyboardists in modern music. His synthesizer work defined 80's and 90's West Coast Hip Hop and is still recognized in the pop hits of today. Elevation is his first solo acoustic creation. Intimate, personal, atmospheric and touching, a humble statement which is both vulnerable and child-like. Songs and themes appear as flashbacks and memories, some accessible, some subconscious; they are based on motifs by John Coltrane, Joe Zawinul, Bob Marley, Carlos Santana, Charles Mingus and others. Featured are delicate impressions of classic soul music from his own history and three original ambient soundscapes - all delivered with his signature hand.  Produced by legendary iconoclast, Bill Laswell, with original artwork by Japan's modern master Shinro Ohtake. TRACKS 1.   In a Silent Way 2.   I'd Rather Be With You 3.   Alabama 4.   Goodbye Pork Pie Hat 5.   Light On Water 6.   Ooh Child 7.   Samba Pa Ti 8.   Realm of Site 9.   I Wanna Go Outside In the Rain 10. Wings 11. Redemption Song PRESS CONTACT Antje Hübner hubtone PR, New York 212-932-1667  antje.huebner@hubtonepr.com  www.hubtonepr.com

Mike Metheny - A KANSAS CITY TRUMPET SUMMIT (3 Valve Music 2013)

A KANSAS CITY TRUMPET SUMMIT (2013)
3 Valve Music

Personnel: Stan Kessler, trumpet, flugelhorn; Hermon Mehari, trumpet; Mike Metheny, flugelhorn, EVI; T.J. Martley, acoustic piano, keyboards; Gerald Spaits, acoustic bass; Brian Steever, drums

Tracks: Segment, Comrade Conrad, How Insensitive, Back in the Chicken Shack, So Danco Samba, Body and Soul, Amsden #36, For Parkville

Recorded October 2012 at Soundtrek Studios, Riverside, MO.
Additional recordings at CR Sound, Kansas City, MO
Mixed and mastered by Craig Rettmer at CR Sound
Produced by Mike Metheny



http://www.mikemetheny.com

Listen and P.U.T. your mind to it

Putnik u Tramvaju / P.U.T./Trolly Tripper
Putnik u Tramvaju (P.U.T.) - Trolly Tripper is a jazz band founded on  April Fools Day 2012. in the city of Pančevo/Serbia. With a large amount of enthusiasm and ambition members of the band started creating and playing their own, original instrumental music. Quartet started composing and arranging music with a purpose of continuously moving their limits to musical expression. Those moves have only one condition, to be in a service to Music and it’s beauty.
Their music is a fusion of jazz, sympho-rock, blues, soul, funk, r&b and classical music. You can hear influences of Frank Zappa, Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker, Jaco Pastorius, Dave Brubeck, Weather Report, Pat Martino, John Scofield, John Coltrane, Avishai Cohen, Vital Information, Yellowjackets etc…
They recently got out of studio where they recorded demo versions of compositions which will see the light of the day on their first album. Some music videos are in plan and attending various music festivals in the region.
Band Trippers :
Siniša Hadži-Antić – bass guitar, composer, arranger
Lehel Nagy – tenor saxophone, composer, arranger
Aleksandar Đorđević –guitar, composer, arranger
Ljubiša Milošević -  drums, arranger
Listen and P.U.T. your mind to it, help share the good news :)
https://www.facebook.com/putnikutramvaju http://www.reverbnation.com/putnikutramvaju https://soundcloud.com/putnik-u-tramvaju

JazzWorldQuest Proposals section update: Dima Gorelik Tour Proposals

My name is Dima Gorelik. I'm an Israeli guitarist living in Poland.
I would like to propose my solo project to your agency with the purpose to collaborate and make a tour.
email: dimagorelick@gmail.com
Here is my website:
www.dimagorelik.com
Here are some of my solo youtube videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IjoQyyRyXU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jE2oTBB9iM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp9rAfwvHmk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXtUh5XzhXI

More Proposals
http://jazzworldquest.com/jazzworldquest-proposals.html

Musicians & Labels:
Publish your proposals for shows, tours, collaborations, and services
(click here to post your announcement)

Sonny Rollins & Doxy Records Sign Distribution Agreement with Sony Music Masterworks/OKeh

Sonny Rollins and Doxy Records
Sign Distribution Agreement with
Sony Music Masterworks/OKeh

New Album, "Road Shows, vol. 3,"
Due for May 2014 Release

   

February 20, 2014

 

Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins has signed a distribution agreement with Sony Music Masterworks and its jazz imprint OKeh Records for the release of his new Doxy Records album, Road Shows, vol. 3. A street date of May 6 is planned.

 

Over the span of his storied and still-unfolding 65-year career, Rollins has established himself as one of the giants of jazz -- a towering influence, a trailblazer, a powerfully creative force in the music. From his earliest masterpieces, such as Saxophone Colossus and Freedom Suite, to his Road Shows archival series of live performances for his Doxy label in the 2000s, Rollins has presented his peerless music without compromise -- and to consistent international acclaim.

The new CD contains six tracks recorded between 2001 and 2012 in Saitama, Japan; Toulouse, Marseille, and Marciac, France; and St. Louis. "Patanjali," a striking new Rollins composition, is given its debut recording.

A Grammy winner for his CD This Is What I Do in 2000, Rollins received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 2004. In 2006 he was inducted into the Academy of Achievement at the International Achievement Summit in Los Angeles, and in May 2007 was a recipient of the Polar Music Prize, presented in Stockholm. In 2009 he became the third American (after Frank Sinatra and Jessye Norman) to be awarded the Austrian Cross for Science and Art, First Class; and in 2010 he was named the Edward MacDowell Medalist, the first jazz composer to be so honored.

More recently, Rollins was presented with the National Medal of Arts at a White House ceremony in March 2011, and later that year he received the Kennedy Center Honors. In the Jazz Journalists Association's 2013 Awards, Rollins was named Emeritus Jazz Artist/Beyond Voting.

"Having worked with Sonny on his previous Doxy albums, I am honored and pleased that he chose the newly launched OKeh label as the partner for his future musical adventures. He is an inspiration to all of us at the label," says Wulf Müller, who oversees A&R for OKeh Records.

Sony Music Masterworks comprises the Masterworks, Sony Classical, OKeh, Portrait, Masterworks Broadway, and Flying Buddha imprints. For email updates and information, please visit www.SonyMasterworks.com.

 

Photo: John Abbott

Web Site: www.sonnyrollins.com Like Sonny:
Follow Sonny:

Media Contacts:

For Sonny Rollins:
Terri Hinte, hudba@sbcglobal.net, 510/234-8781

For Sony Music Masterworks/OKeh:
Angela Barkan, angela.barkan@sonymusic.com, 212-833-8575
Larissa Slezak, larissa.slezak@sonymusic.com, 212-833-6075

Sax Icon and Jazz Legend DAVE LIEBMAN ioins Machine Mass on new MoonJune Records Release 'Inti'

Details: New York, NY - MACHINE MASS feat. DAVE LIEBMAN pairs the legendary saxophonist (Miles Davis, Elvin Jones...) with longtime collaborator drummer Tony Bianco (Elton Dean, Paul Dunmall, Evan Parker, douBt) and guitarist Michel Delville (The Wrong Object, douBt, Comicoperando). Graced by Dave Liebman’s extraordinary phrasing and improvising skills, “INTI” combines free improvisation with tight rhythmic structures, post-Bitches Brew time signatures with ambient episodes, spreading across different musical and spiritual realities, both playfully and intensely. The band ventures into the fiery electro-jazz territories explored by Bianco and Delville’s recent Machine Mass Trio, which also showcased both musicians’ capacity to listen closely and improvise over unpredictable chord, rhythm and time changes while handling live electronics and computer loops.

Recorded live in the studio with no overdubs (in just one afternoon, no less!), this monumental session bears witness to three seasoned musicians in top form – producing music that is fresh, challenging, profound and moving. Rules are acknowledged and rules are discarded, and the resulting sonic bouillabaisse,Inti, signals some truly exciting new directions for progressive jazz.

“This is truly a unique musical environment that I recorded with these two wonderful musicians. Shall I use the word 'post' everything? There's some 'On The Corner' here, some punk rock, some techno stuff, etc., etc. The resulting bouillabaisse is extraordinary and novel ... challenging music and definitely cutting edge.”  - Dave Liebman

“...this disc is a throwback to the mid-seventies before the term 'fusion' was used and abused. Hence, this is jazz-rock at its best. Refreshing and exciting! Another gem from Moonjune treasure chest.” - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DownTown Music Gallery

Musicians:

“Dave Liebman is one of the most creative jazz saxophonists on the planet” (John Fordham, The Guardian, London) “...the most breathtaking sweep of emotions tha!
 t might
be heard on soprano saxophone for some time to come.” (All About Jazz)

"Michel Delville’s fantastic guitar leads build (once again) to the far corners of the universe” (Dick Metcalf, Rotcod Zzaj) “... quite stunning whether soloing or filling out the spaces between” (Duncan Heining, Jazzwise Magazine, UK)

“Tony Bianco allies grace and power, propelling both sessions with unflinching stamina” (Francois Couture, All Music Guide)

TRACKS:

1. Inti (7:27)
2. Centipede (4:41)
3. Lloyd (6:24)
4. In a Silent Way (6:29)
5. A Sight (6:37)
6. Utoma (6:09)
7. The Secret Place (4:33)
8. Elisabeth (12:46)
9. Voice (4:53)

PERSONNEL:
MICHEL DELVILLE guitar, Roland GR09, electronics
TONY BIANCO drums, loops, percussion
DAVE LIEBMAN soprano & tenor saxophone, wooden flute
with SABA TEWELDE vocals (on Track 7)

PRODUCTION: Recorded at Red Rock Recording Studios, Saylorsburg, PA (USA), October 10, 2012.
Produced by Machine Mass.
Executive Producer: Leonardo Pavkovic.
Liner notes: John Kelman.

Direct CD purchase:  http://bit.ly/1fcBljO
Full album available for streaming and digital purchase:  http://bit.ly/1hraG6f

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Musicians Are Invited to Submit Videos to the Panel of Legends: Lenny White, Joe Lovano and Randy Brecker

Multi Grammy Award winners Lenny White, Joe Lovano and Randy Brecker join in the judges panel of the 2nd annual Made In New York Jazz Competition. The competition discovers amazing jazz artists talents around the globe. 

Multi Grammy Award winners Lenny White, Joe Lovano and Randy Brecker join in the judges panel of the 2nd annual Made In New York Jazz Competition. The competition discovers amazing jazz artists talents around the globe.
The explosion of interest in Made In New York innovative jazz competition has turned the website into a jazz hub for communities of interest from fans to record producers. The platform has demonstrated a tremendous level of global user-engagement that is benefitting the international jazz community. “I’m incredibly impressed with the level of worldwide talent we’re seeing, said Made in NY Jazz Competition founder Mikhael Brovkin. “The level of talent and creativity from around the world is amazing. Jazz continues to evolve globally and these bands and soloists reflect some very strong Jazz DNA.”
The Made in New York Jazz Competition is divided into six categories – solo instrumental, solo vocal, small band, big band, composer and arrangement.The competition offers a great platform for musicians to gain visibility with jazz fans across the internet. The entries range in style from bebop to to ethnic sounds showcasing impressive musicianship. Last year was very successful for the competition, the website has garnered 16 thousands registered users and has gained over 1.4 million video loads.
"We had an amazing year! Thanks to our partner KAWAI, we can award the elegant KAWAI ES7 Portable Digital Piano and the powerful KAWAI MP6 Professional Stage Piano to our 2nd and 3rd place winners of the last year competition. I'm very excited to have KAWAI as a partner, because the company always introduce innovative products to the market and musicians fall in love with KAWAI's technology right away," says Misha Brovkin. KAWAI USA—the future of the piano®— is an official partner of the annual Made in New York Jazz Competition. This significant corporate partnership between the Made in New York Jazz Competition and KAWAI Musical Instruments USA will help promote and nurture the next generation of global jazz musicians. The Made in New York Jazz Competition and KAWAI USA are together helping great jazz artists achieve international exposure.
About the Made in New York Jazz Competition
The Made in New York Jazz Competition is the fastest growing online jazz competition. Competition entrants upload video performances in different categories. Registrants vote for their favorite performances. Finalists are selected through a combination of online votes and the Competition’s Board of Members, which is comprised of highly regarded jazz musicians. The judges, multiple Grammy Award winners Lenny White, Joe Lovano, and Randy Brecker will select 2014 winner. Made In New York Jazz competition has now been opened to entrants worldwide. Please visit http://www.madeinnyjazz.com for details.
Misha Brovkin
http://www.madeinnyjazz.com
misha(at)madeinnyjazz(dot)com
347-985-0597
Tom Love
Sr. Director for Online Marketing
tlove(at)kawaius(dot)com
310-631-1771 ext. 238

 

Jazz Hall of Fame Drummer’s Memoir Captures Missing Years With Trumpeter Chet Baker

Independent publisher, BooksEndependent, LLC today announced the release of the personal, never before told story of “Chet Baker: The Missing Years, A Memoir by Artt Frank,” available in both trade paperback and Kindle Edition eBook. Foreword by Bobby Shew. 

Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame bop drummer, composer, lyricist, and vocalist Artt Frank, one of the few authentic bop musicians on the scene today, has written a poignant memoir of the west coast jazz scene of the late 1960s. Known for his friendship and musical collaboration with iconic trumpeter, Chet Baker, Frank provides jazz lovers with an intimate portrait of what are considered “the missing years” in Baker’s career – the period shortly after a brutal beating left the trumpeter unable to play.
As reviewed by premiere jazz journalist and critic, Doug Ramsey, this memoir “…shows us sides of the great trumpeter that few people knew. In gripping detail, he [Frank] tells of the well-known drama in Baker’s life—the sudden fame, the struggle with drugs, the effects of a beating that almost ended his career. But Artt gives us new insights into Chet’s warmth, his love of family, his steely determination and the early emergence of his astonishing talent… This is a book of revelations."
In August of 2012, jazz great Dave Brubeck gave the following review: “Artt Frank, the author of “Chet Baker: The Missing Years” is a devout Christian who practices what he preaches. His personal memoir of his meeting and subsequent friendship with the jazz genius of the trumpet is an unvarnished, honest portrayal of Chet Baker. In depicting Chet’s struggle to recovery, Artt reveals great compassion for a sensitive soul fighting for a life, and puts to rest the rumors and gossip that circulated about Chet’s ‘missing years.’”
Chet Baker: The Missing Years, A Memoir by Artt Frank
Publication Date: February 15, 2014 - Amazon KDP – $9.99
Print Release Date: February 19, 2014 – Amazon.com - $19.95
Press Kit: http://www.BooksEndependent.com
Distribution: Amazon.com, Amazon Europe, CreateSpace eStore, CreateSpace Direct, and Ingram
Contact:
Catherine Wentworth
Phone: 323.829.1039
Email: info(at)BooksEndependent(dot)com

 

Applying Classical Theory to Jazz Composition: Muse Eek Publishing Presents Bruce Arnold’s New Book “My Music”

Guitarist and composer Bruce Arnold has forged a unique sound in both his playing and compositions. In “My Music” he de-mystifies the theory behind that sound, so that others may use the same tools for their own music. 

Finding one’s own personal and recognizable sound is the ultimate artistic goal for any musician. Since his first solo CD outings, Bruce Arnold’s music has been completely his own, prompting one critic to write: “It doesn’t fit neatly in any pigeonhole… elements of fusion, to be sure… plenty of jazz/blues leanings… but what shines through is that it is original playing!” So what is the magic formula, how does one connect with the mysterious muse? What is the method behind the music?
In “My Music”, Bruce Arnold takes a highly complex subject, and in simple, clear language explains the structures used in his compositions. Through the use of trichords Bruce presents a method to either entirely replace the usually tertial based chords used in contemporary rock and jazz or to give interesting substitutes for common chord structures such as the 12 bar blues. In other words, his system can function either as a replacement for the commonly used chords in traditional jazz and rock improvisation, or can be used to form new-sounding compositions and improvisational forms using non-tertial trichord structures.
To further demystify and demonstrate these theories, Arnold provides examples of his own works, and also provides full written scores along with audio files. (The digital download edition has audio files in MP3 format. The physical edition has a CD included with the book.)
“My Music: Exploration in the Application of 12 Tone Technique to Jazz Composition and Improvisation” examines the following concepts: The use of pitch class sets in a contemporary improvisational setting, non-symmetrical trichord groupings, hexatonic based composition and improvisation, 23rd chords and 12-tone composition, he use of four trichords as a source for playing within and outside of the key center, the creation of pseudo 12 tone improvisational fields, the use of pedal tones and other common rock and jazz techniques to create 12 tone harmonic structures, application of all of these ideas to solo guitar playing, symmetrical and non-symmetrical groupings of 4 trichord arrays, application of trichord structures to typical jazz forms such as the 12 bar blues and Giant Steps.
With this battery of information, the reader can not only understand the structural foundations of Arnold’s music, but can build upon this composer’s work, to discover new avenues to explore in their own musical ventures.

 

THE IMPOSSIBLE GENTLEMEN FEB TOUR

The Impossible Gentlemen will be back in Europe (two UK dates) promoting their second acclaimed album ‘Internationally Recognised Aliens’ on Basho Records released on 2nd September 2013. Produced by 13 time Grammy winner Steve Rodby, the album further refines their mastery of melody and groove, whilst offering plenty of thrilling surprises. “Internationally Recognised Aliens” has been described as “a triumph”, “sophisticated”, “awesome”, “quite brilliant” and “destined for year-end "best of" lists”.
The group features internationally acclaimed British piano sensation Gwilym Simcock, Salford guitarist and UK treasure Mike Walker and American bass and drums superstars Steve Rodby, Steve Swallow and Adam Nussbaum. The result is nothing less than remarkable with five unique talents, all superb players in their own right, coming together to create something new and powerful.

"They ooze musical authority" The Arts Desk

"as perfect an example of the balance between team and individuals as I can remember hearing". The Jazz Breakfast

"one of the best combos on the planet" Toledo Blade USA

"a four way marriage made in heaven" The Jazz Breakfast

"The upper echelon of the jazz world is a place of constantly shifting alliances. But even by those standards, the Impossible Gentlemen is a rare and fabulous group of talents" The Times

WINNERS OF THE “BEST ENSEMBLE” 2013 PARLIAMENTARY JAZZ AWARDS
Watch the Gentlemen getting their award for Best Band!

Tue 18		Lausanne (CH) Radio Studio	www.rts.ch/espace-2/programmes/jazzz/5582469-jazzz-du-18-02-2014.html
Wed 19	8.30pm	Vienna (A), Porgy and Bess	www.porgy.at
Thu 20	8.00pm	Innsbruck (A), Triebhaus	www.treibhaus.at/
Fri 21	9.00pm	Lustenau (A), Jazzclub	www.jazzclub.at/
Sat 22	8.00pm	Siegen (D), Jazzclub	www.jazzcluboase.de/
Tue 25	9.30pm	Palermo, Italy, Teatro Jolly	Via Costantino Domenico, 54, 90141 Palermo, Italy +39 091 637 6336 www.teatrojolly.eu/stagionejazz.html
Wed 26		Catania, Italy, Sheraton Hotel	Sheraton Hotel - via Antonello da Messina 45 - acicastello- Catania www.cataniajazz.com/en/2012/05/pacchetto-hotel-concerto/
Thu 27	8.00pm	606 Club	www.606club.co.uk
Fri 28	7.30pm	Liverpool International Jazz Festival	The Capstone Theatre Liverpool Hope University Creative Campus 17 Shaw Street Liverpool L6 1HP Tel 0844 8000 410 www.thecapstonetheatre.com/index.php/whats-on/38-events/154-friday-28th-february-the-impossible-gentlemen

Facebook Page

Twitter @ImpossibleGents

Jazzcds

www.impossiblegentlemen.com

Christine Allen/Dan Paton
Basho Music bashomusic@btinternet.com www.bashomusic.co.uk www.bashorecords.com

Baritone Saxophonist B.J. Jansen @ INFUSE 51 Sunday May 4th

Baritone Saxophonist B.J. Jansen New CD "Ronin" New CD Featuring B.J. Jansen-baritone sax Mamiko Watanabe-piano Mike Boone-bass Amanda Ruzza-bass Chris Beck Dorota Piotrowska-drums (Artist Recording Collective ARC-2529) Street Date March 4, 2014

Track Listing, Time and Composer: 1) RONIN 6:04 (B.J. Jansen) 2) Rose for Noriko 5:06 (B.J. Jansen) 3) Best Fiend 8:44 (B.J. Jansen) 4) The Cost 6:06 (B.J. Jansen) 5) Blues for C.P. 6:05 (B.J. Jansen) 6) Manhattan Trane’in 5:22 (B.J. Jansen) 7) Brother Sid 7:16 (B.J. Jansen) 8) Diamonds for Lil 5:10 (B.J. Jansen) 9) The Code 4:16 (B.J. Jansen) Recording Dates: October 9th & 27th 2013 Artists Home Market: New York City   Musicians: B.J. Jansen - baritone saxophone, Mamiko Watanabe - piano, Mike Boone - bass, Amanda Ruzza - bass, Chris Beck - drums, Dorota Piotrowska - drums During the feudal period in Japan (1185-1868), a Ronin was a samurai (knight) with no lord or master. A samurai could become masterless from the death or political fall of his master, or simply by the loss of his master's favor. Ronin amassed during periods of long peace when their warrior training was not needed. Some Lords released samurai for strictly financial reasons during these periods. By law a Samurai was forbidden to have a job, so many fell into poverty and lives of crime to feed themselves and their families. Others, simply disgraced committed suicide. The plight of the Ronin draws many similarities to what I have observed with those of us who adopt the way, or follow a life of the study of the art and craft of instrumental improvised music. Live performance and revenue streams have become increasingly scarce as society and technology have changed. However, like the Ronin, we artists persist as warriors and keepers of the flame, devoting our lives to the propagation of the Music. We have become drifters, outsiders, masterless and seeking the truth of who we are as artists and people.  “Rising Jazz Star"- Andy Hardy, Jazz Host on George Jazz FM, New Zealand  “B. J. Jansen and his articulate baritone sax leads his group Conjura into some immaculate ensemble and solo playing... There is no compromising here just straight ahead Jazz… B.J., originally from Cincinnati now living in the NY area is knowledgeable, bold, aggressive, and determined to make great jazz music and jazz happenings.... talented musician… a truly experienced soul!" - Ty Bailey, Host of "Just Jazz" Radio Show on WVST FM    "A baritone saxophone-led quartet takes a lot of guts. The beauty of this recording lies in both its period approach and the superb sonics captured by modern recording. Jansen... proves his chops on his solid original repertoire. Ronin is a solid bop outing."  - AllAboutJazz

Media Contact For B.J. Jansen Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services Ph: 845-986-1677 / jim@jazzpromoservices.com "Specializing in Media Campaigns for the music community, artists, labels, venues and events.”

Guitarist FREDDIE BRYANT Releases His Most Personal Recording to Date on "Dreamscape: Solo-Duo-Trio" Available April 1 via GJKSounds

Guitarist FREDDIE BRYANT Releases His Most
Personal Recording to Date on Dreamscape: Solo-Duo-Trio

Available April 1 via GJKSounds 

Album Features Performances by

Chris Potter and Scott Colley

  

"Guitarist Freddie Bryant is a rhythmic and melodic sponge. 

Put him in any musical situation, be it classical, jazz, funk, Senegalese, etc., 

and he'll tend to become one with the music." - DownBeat

Stream Tracks from Dreamscape: Solo-Duo-Trio

Imbued with guitarist Freddie Bryant's inimitable touch, inherent soulfulness and the element of surprise, Dreamscape: Solo-Duo-Trio (available April 1 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."

Scott Colley, Freddie Bryant, and Chris Potter Photo Credit: Fernando Azevedo

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."

In a bit of coming-full-circle synchronicity, the liner notes to Dreamscape were written by guitar great Gene Bertoncini, who along with Charlie Byrd, pioneered the merging of finger-style nylon string guitar and jazz repertoire. "Gene was one of my first jazz teachers," says Bryant. "He was creating these beautiful arrangements that were masterpieces of classical guitar but were still jazz. And I met him at a time when I kept my jazz playing completely separate from my classical playing. And that summer Gene taught me so much about jazz and musicality that I had enough to study for the next 10 years.'

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."

 

 

Freddie Bryant Album Release Performance:

 

March 31 / Smalls Jazz Club / New York, NY

Freddie Bryant ·

Dreamscape: Solo-Duo-Trio

GJKSounds · Release Date: April 1, 2014

 

For more information on Freddie Bryant, please visit: FreddieBryant.com

 

 

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DL Media ·  610-667-0501

Matthew Jurasek·  matthew@dlmediamusic.com

Serving the Finest in Jazz Since 1988

 

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