USA: Henry Threadgill's "In For A Penny, In For A Pound" Available Now

Like Tweet Forward Henry Threadgill Zooid "In for a Penny, In for a Pound" Out Now Order it directly from PiRecordings.com or from   Photo by John Rogers In for a Penny, In for a Pound is the latest installment in saxophonist/ flutist/composer Henry Threadgill’s ongoing exploration of his singular system for integrating composition with group improvisation. The music for his band Zooid – his main music-making vehicle for the past fourteen years and the longest running band of his illustrious forty plus-year career – is no less than his attempt to completely deconstruct standard jazz form, steering the improvisatory language towards an entirely new system based on preconceived series of intervals. His compositions create a polyphonic platform that encourages each musician to improvise with an ear for counterpoint and, in the process, creating striking new harmonies. Threadgill is widely considered to be among the most important artists in jazz. The New York Times called him "one of the most thrillingly elusive composers in and around the jazz idiom: a sly maestro of unconventional timbres, bristling counterpoint and tough but slippery rhythms" and NPR called him “a true idiosyncratic great.” He is a founding member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding this year, and continues to adhere to one of that august organization’s basic tenets: that of finding one’s individual path through original music. Threadgill continues to challenge himself to create music that is pushing the boundaries for what is possible. The new work, which Threadgill calls an “epic,” includes four main movements written specifically to feature each of the musicians in Zooid: “Ceroepic” for Elliott Kavee on drums and percussion, “Dosepic” for Christopher Hoffman on cello, “Tresepic” for Jose Davila on trombone and tuba, and “Unoepic” for Liberty Ellman on guitar. They are introduced by an opening shorter piece and sandwich an exordium (“In for a Penny, In for a Pound” and “Off The Prompt Box,” respectively.) Threadgill’s own alto saxophone, flute and bass flute is woven throughout each section. In for a Penny, In for a Pound utilizes, as with all of his music for Zooid, a strategy of Threadgill’s own device: a set of three note intervals assigned to each player that serves as the starting point for improvisation. While this may seem simple on the surface, the juxtaposition of the notes played on each instruments alternately meld and clash, creating surprising chords and harmonies on-the-spot. Not held together by any chordal preconceptions, the result is true, improvised four-part polyphony. Of this music, Liberty Ellman, who will release Radiate, his first new album as a leader since 2006’s Ophiuchus Butterfly later this year, says: “Henry is extending the forms and writing more varied thematic material. There is even more dynamic and timbral contrast with ensemble vignettes turning to sparse monologues or group improvisation on the turn of a dime.” Zooid is certainly the only group able to perform these compositions since they involve a wholly different way of engaging in group improvisation. Thoroughly attuned with each other, the band continues to provide Threadgill with the foundation to expand on his ever evolving musical inspirations. In all the discussion about the complex terrain of his compositions, it is sometimes easy to lose sight of Threadgill’s power as a player. In his review of Zooid’s performance at the Village Vanguard in 2014 – the first time Threadgill had played at that iconic venue as a leader in almost 25 years – critic Ben Ratliff of the New York Times, who chose it as one of his top ten top concerts of the year, wrote: “The intensifying strokes… were his alto saxophone solos. They were built of epigrammatic phrases, aligned with the moving intervals but pivoting off from them. They were out in front, gestural, actorly, elegant, noisy and tragic. Dealt in short segments, their essence could be absorbed piece by piece, as if he were feeding you with crumbs. They’d often end without traditional resolution, but with a sense of something serious hanging in the air.” A great Threadgill solo sets you on edge: you know that it’s going to be a jab, an uppercut or a body blow, but you never know how or when it’s going to hit you. It’s the same way with his compositions on In for a Penny, In for a Pound: it comes at you from every angle, at different speeds, in infinite combinations. That’s the beauty of Threadgill’s music for Zooid: that sense of constant surprise. Alto Saxophone, Flute: Henry Threadgill Guitar: Liberty Ellman Trombone, Tuba: Jose Davilla Cello: Christopher Hoffman Drums: Elliot Humberto Kavee Track Listing: In for a Penny, In for a Pound (Opening) - 4:35 Ceroepic (Drums/Percussion) - 19:35 Dosepic (Cello) - 16:00 Off The Prompt Box (Exordium) - 3:35 Tricepic (Trombone/Tuba) - 17:26 Unoepic (Guitar) - 17:57 Available Now: Steve Lehman "Mise en Abime" T-Shirt The New Steve Lehman "Mise en Abime" t-shirts are here! Following the release of the Steve Lehman Octet's critically acclaimed record, these t-shirts are available for order on our website for $25. The Octet is looking forward to a busy summer touring throughout the US and Europe, including a performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in July. Check our events calendar for all of these dates and more.

FRANCE/JAPAN: Kaze ‎– Uminari ( Circum-Libra Records 2015)

Peter Orins - Drums
Satoko Fujii - Piano
Christian Pruvost, Natsuki Tamura - Trumpet


Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura reunite with French trumpeter Christian Pruvost and drummerPeter Orins for the band’s most evocative and inventive outing to date. The music for Uminari was developed over the course of a 12-day tour of Japan during which skeletal compositions by each of the quartet’s members were elaborated and experimented on by the group as a whole. Circum-Libra Records

PORTUGAL: Clean Feed New Releases

Clean Feed New Releases   Dear Friends, We are very proud to announce this busy batch of recordings. Quantity and quality come hand in hand with diversity as we believe it is Clean Feed statement in music. Hope you can feel it too.   CF 322 CD - Kris Davis Infrasound "Save Your Breath" This masterpiece is a major work for Kris Davis and her definititive breakthrough as a major composer in XXI century American music. Grea line up and total dedication from all musicians involved. Soundwise this is also a top recording. If you're following Kris recordings you know that she never repeats herself rather looking for new ways of expression.   CF 325 CD - Dre Hocevar Trio "Coding of Evidentiality" On their twenties this is new generation music, pointing to the future and surely very serious. New York is their base and Anthony Braxton, Steve Lehman, Joe Morris are inspirations not copied. I'm trully amazed with this guys and I can tell you there's more to come on this new scene of open mind musicians. Bram De Looze, Lester St.Louis (this is his first recording), Dre Hocevar and ocasionally Sam Pluta demonstrate clearly that there's many ways to play and think music these days.   CF 326 CD - All Included "Satan in Plain Clothes" This democratic band explore Jon Rune Strøm (Universal Indians, PNL Large Unit) and Martin Küchen's (Angles, Trespass Trio) compositions and it also features Thomas Johansson (Fire! Orchestra, Cortex, Friends and Neighbours, PNL Large Unit), Mats Äleklint (Angles, Je Suis, PNL Large Unit), Tollef Østvang (Friends and Neighbours, Universal Indians). This is a showcase of how can european musicians play an invocation of free jazz with a form, mind and heart. LP coming out soon.   CF 328 CD - Universal Indians + Joe McPhee "Skullduggery" When Universal Indians invited Joe McPhee to be part of upcoming tours and recording they wanted the original spirit of american free jazz. Joe brought his knowledge and great spirit uplifting the music in his melodic and profound way. Results are beautiful as Dikeman's fury is complemented by McPhee's poetry and lyrical approach and rythm section is a powerhouse sometimes to turn into delicacy when the music asks for it. LP coming out soon.   CF 329 CD - Gard Nilssen´s Acoustic Unity "Firehouse" Debut for master Norwegian drummer Gard Nilssen as a leader.  Playing with Bushman´s Revenge, Cortex and Puma certainly gave him credit to do so and this is an outstanding debut alongside with André Roligheten on saxophones and Petter Eldh on bass, they play urgent and dynamic compositions opening up for improvisation taking no prisoners. This is not free jazz and has certainly a norwegian feel but totally their own way. Sometimes Thomas Chapin comes to mind. LP coming out soon.   CF 330 CD - Hugo Carvalhais "Grand Valis" Inspired by Robert K. Dick book "Valis" this is very cinematic music. Hugo keeps showcasing his skills as a bass player, composer and visionary in his own right and after "Nebulosa" and "Particula", this is a step further with a drumless band featuring a great colorist as Jeremy Cymerman. Gabriel Pinto and Domique Pifarelly close this unorthodox but very inspirational band. Check the video "Logos" on youtube and you'll see what I mean. Great record.   CF 331 CD - Lama + Joachim Badenhorst "The Elephant's Journey" Third chapter of Lama's way to create an unique sound coming from Gonçalo Almeida, Susana Santos Silva and Greg Smith's minds. Open music with steady guidelines, slow burn and catchy melodies with a true melodicist as a guest, Joachim Badenhorst. Recorded after a tour it's obvious how they took the music solid to the studio.    CF 332 CD - Joe Hertenstein's HNH Second release of "HNH" on Clean Feed developing intricate original compositions mixed with controlled improvisation with very strong concept. I love this one even better than their first and black album. This is good, very good.   CF 333 CD - Double-Basse "This is Not Art" Exploring the bass sound of the bass and double bass clarinet this is a delicious record. If you like me love deep bass sounds this is something not to be missed. Totally improvised this record is very unique as you will see for yourself.   CF 334 CD - Sousa/Berthling/Ferrandini "Casa Futuro" This trio record is a step forward in Sousa and Ferrandini developing through free music. Here with Johan Bethling they seek for the melody rather than their usual outstanding use of tension/release. Recorded at Lisbon's Culturgest at their first meeting this is a great example of immediate chemical empathy.   Thanks for your support and trustness, Pedro Costa   Find the latest reviews in our blog  and follow regular updates on Facebook. CF322CD Kris Davis Infrasound Save Your Breath Ben Goldberg bass clarinet, contra alto clarinet, clarinet Oscar Noriega bass clarinet, clarinet  Joachim Badenhorst bass clarinet, clarinet Andrew Bishop contrabass clarinet, clarinet Nate Radley guitar Gary Versace organ Jim Black drums Kris Davis piano, compositions One of the most progressive, prolific figures on New York City’s creative jazz scene – Save Your Breath is a showcase for her new octet Infrasound and its mix of jazz intricacy and rock impact. Is the sound of “a living, breathing wild animal,”... Read more →   CF326CD All Included Satan in Plain Clothes Martin Küchen  saxophones  Thomas Johansson trumpet  Mats Äleklint  trombone  Jon Rune Strøm  double bass  Tollef Østvang  drums With his vocabulary emerging from the hard bop and the free traditions, Johansson makes old ideas entirely new. Remember the Blue Note records from the Fifties and Sixties? “Satan in Plain Clothes” is the next step…Read more →   CF329CD Gard Nilssen´s Acoustic Unity  Firehouse André Roligheten saxophones Petter Eldh double bass Gard Nilssen drums If you ask the names of the most prominent and sought after jazz- and improvised music drummers in Norway, you can be sure to find Gard Nilssen on that list. With “Firehouse”, he debuts a new trio entirely committed to unplugged music; Gard Nilssen´s Acoustic Unity....Read more →   CF331CD Lama + Joachim Badenhorst  The Elephant´s Journey Joachim Badenhorst clarinet and bass clarinet  Susana Santos Silva trumpet and flugelhorn Gonçalo Almeida double bass, effects and loops Greg Smith drums and electronics Lama is one of the most intriguing European groups of the day. Its music can be poetic and mellow without losing the driving sense and the warmness we associate with the term “jazz”...Read more →   CF333CD Double-Basse   This is Not Art Jean-Luc Petit contrabass clarinet Benjamin Duboc double bass The resulting music is heavy, full of grain, dense, but at the same time delicate, sparse and detailed. You must listen to believe it...Read more →   CF325CD Dre Hocevar Trio Coding of Evidentiality Bram De Looze  piano Lester St.louis cello Dre Hocevar drums Sam Pluta electronics, signal processing on “Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)” This is a mature, solid project, resulting from exquisite playing, historic awareness and audacious imagination. Rhythm and interaction methodologies are always the matrix, all the improvising has a compositional focus and the emphasis is on timbre... Read more →   CF328CD Universal Indians + Joe Mchpee Skullduggery John Dikeman saxophones Jon Rune Strøm double bass Tollef Østvang drums Joe McPhee pocket trumpet, alto saxophone In what refers to symbols they go even further – in “Skullduggery” they have the partnership of another one of the “new thing” mavericks, Joe McPhee. Now, you may ask: is this a nostalgic celebration of the past, with the same kind of revisionist perspectives we find in present recuperations of the bebop formats? No...Read more →   CF330CD Hugo Carvalhais  Grand Valis Hugo Carvalhais double bass Dominique Pifarély violin Gabriel Pinto organ, keyboards Jeremiah Cymerman electronic manipulation Portuguese bassist and composer Hugo Carvalhais doesn’t stop to surprise us. After two internationally acclaimed albums with his piano-bass-drums trio complemented by guests like Tim Berne, Émile Parisien and Dominique Pifarély, here he comes again with something completely different...Read more →   CF332CD Joe Hertenstein HNH Joe Hertenstein drums Pascal Niggenkemper double bass Thomas Heberer cornet Always renewing the interactions between composition and intuitive play. HNH do it in such a way that, sometimes, you can’t distinguish one from the other. This music pulls you through every emotion, but ultimately, everything grooves...Read more →   CF334CD Sousa / Berthling / Ferrandini  Casa Futuro Pedro Sousa tenor and baritone saxofones Johan Berthling double bass Gabriel Ferrandini drums The focus is tight and the playing gets deeper and deeper in the sound world it creates. In each moment we feel that there’s a track and no possibility for deviations, at the finish, we understand that the important isn’t the arrival, but the journey itself...Read more →

USA: FRENCH SCAT DUO COMES TO NYC Saturday June 20th 7pm and Sunday June 21st 4:00 pm

FRENCH SCAT DUO COMES TO NYC Saturday June 20th 7pm and Sunday June 21st  4:00 pm

Jazz sax player JEAN PHILIPPE VIDAL will make a rare Manhattan appearance with his wife, vocalist VERONIKA RODRIGUEZ at The Metropolitan Room Saturday June 20th at 7pm and Sunday June 21st at 4:00 pm.          Ms. Rodriguez was given the Best Jazz Vocalist award in Tokyo 2011 for her album, I Believe in Love. Rodriguez’s style has been compared favorably with both Ella Fitzgerald and Anita O’Day.  Her repertoire is drawn from the cream of the Great American Songbook along with jazz classics like Dizzy Gillespie’s Night in Tunisia.          M. Vidal presents a big band concert each year in his home town of Nantes in the North-West of France. The event is called Les Nuits du Jazz.          The duo will be accompanied by the Don Rebic trio.           For more information go to metropolitanroom.com  Vernonika Rodriguez Scat Singing at Danny's

Metropolitan Room  INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED JAZZ CABARET  34 WEST 22ND ST. (Bet. 5th & 6th Aves) NEW YORK, NY 10010  212.206.0440 metropolitanroom.com

Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services T: 845-986-1677 E-Mail: jim@jazzpromoservices.com
http://www.jazzpromoservices.com

NETHERLANDS: Jasper Blom Quartet ‎– Audacity ( Mainland Records 2015)

Jasper Blom Quartet: Jasper Blom - saxophone, Jesse van Ruller - guitar, Frans van der Hoeven - double bass, Martijn Vink - Drums

 Jasper Blom Quartet ‎– Audacity ( Mainland Records 2015)