NEA Jazz Master George Coleman Releases
First Recording as a Leader in Nearly Two Decades:
A Master Speaks - Available April 8, 2016
on Smoke Sessions Records
Album Release Celebration Friday, April 8 Through
Sunday, April 10 at Smoke Jazz & Supper Club
In 2015 the National Endowment for the Arts confirmed what
countless listeners have known for the last six decades by naming tenor
saxophonist George Coleman an NEA Jazz Master. A man of
few words, Coleman nonetheless conveys his thoughts with unparalleled
eloquence when he speaks through his instrument, as profoundly evidenced
by the nine tracks on A Master Speaks, his long-overdue return to the studio.
Scheduled for release April 8 via Smoke Sessions Records, A Master Speaks
is Coleman's first release as a leader in nearly 20 years and first
recording since the 2002 all-star live tribute album Four Generations of
Miles. The rarity of the session is remarkable in itself; even more
special is that fact that it grew out of a desire shared by Coleman and
his son, drummer George Coleman Jr., to finally record together.
They're joined by a stellar band featuring pianist Mike LeDonne and bassist Bob Cranshaw, with guitarist Peter Bernstein making a special guest appearance. This date was produced by Paul Stache and saxophonist Eric Alexander--a
disciple of Coleman's heartfelt, muscular style--who were able to
realize a shared dream in documenting this master and his art they have
loved for decades.
"I don't really enjoy recording all
that much these days," Coleman admits, "but I was really happy to do
this one with Smoke. I'm at the end game, you know, the twilight of my
career, so maybe it was time."
At 80-years-old, Coleman
sounds, as ever, both vital and timeless, suggesting that any "end game"
he finds himself in may well stretch into overtime. He's obviously
invigorated by the deep sense of swing and classic hard-bop feel of the
quartet he's assembled. With his father's tone and feel in his ears and
in his blood from birth, George Jr. can't help but provide the perfect
rhythm for Coleman's husky melodicism.
Two years Coleman's
elder, Cranshaw is no stranger to anchoring the imaginative musings of a
tenor giant, having spent nearly fifty years accompanying the great
Sonny Rollins. LeDonne, meanwhile, has forged a relationship with
Coleman through the saxophonist's frequent guest appearances with
LeDonne's Groover Quartet, which also features Alexander, Bernstein, and
drummer Joe Farnsworth. Coleman has become a regular at the quartet's
long running Tuesday
night residency at Smoke (as has Cranshaw), and LeDonne and Cranshaw
also served as the tenorman's backing band at the club for a special
appearance last fall.
"The spontaneity of it all is what
make jazz so special," Coleman posits. "You don't know how it's going to
turn out... What I've always tried to do is what that old cliché says:
play a reasonable facsimile of what you really want to do. If you can
get through it without embarrassing yourself then you say, 'I'll take
it.' That's the way I look at it."
It's hard to imagine the music on A Master Speaks
as falling short in anyone's mind except for Coleman's. The album
begins with a warm and sinuous take on the Bronislau Kaper standard
"Invitation," a prime example of the saxophonist's gift for melodic
interpretation. It's followed by another classic, "The Shadow of Your
Smile," played with a raw tenderness and an elegant, lilting LeDonne
solo.
"Blues For B.B." pays homage to one of Coleman's
earliest mentors and employers, blues legend B.B. King. The leader
bridges the decades to his Memphis blues roots, while Bernstein steps in
with a solo that subtly evokes King's unmistakable sound. "Blondie's
Waltz" is brighter, a joyous spin around the dance floor culminating
with a spotlight turn for George Jr., while "You'll Never Know What You
Mean To Me" maintains the upbeat mood with a sprightly stroll
highlighted by Coleman's burly blowing and a fleet-fingered LeDonne
sprint.
The pianist provides an aching intro to the
classic ballad "Darn That Dream" and duets with Coleman on a stunning
rendition of "These Foolish Things," one of several numbers the pair
played together at a reception at Smoke following his NEA induction. A
simmering groove drives "Sonny's Playground," providing father and son a
chance to trade and cedes the stage to Cranshaw for a masterly walking
solo. "Time To Get Down" brings things to a close with a lively, vintage
last-call jam session spirit.
Like the pronouncements of a sage, A Master Speaks
communicates both wisdom and wonder that bespeaks Coleman's half
century in music. From his roots in music-rich Memphis through his work
with legends ranging from B.B. King who took Coleman to buy his first
tenor to Max Roach to Slide Hampton and his renowned tenure with the
Miles Davis Quintet, Coleman established himself as one of jazz's most
soulful and expressive voices. It's there on the unforgettable melodies
of Herbie Hancock's landmark Maiden Voyage as it is 30 years later on the soundtrack of the Denzel Washington/Whitney Houston film The Preacher's Wife.
Last
year he joined the anointed ranks of NEA Jazz Masters in a class that
also included fellow Memphian Charles Lloyd as well as
pianist/composer/arranger Carla Bley and Chicago club owner Joe Segal.
It was a well-deserved honor for a jazz legend who continues to let his
music do the talking.
"A Master Speaks" was recorded live in New York at Sear Sound's Studio C
on a Sear-Avalon custom console at 96KHz/24bit and mixed to ½" analog tape
using a Studer mastering deck. Available in audiophile HD format.
George Coleman · A Master Speaks
Smoke Sessions Records · Release Date: April 8, 2016
For more information on George Coleman, please visit GeorgeColeman.com
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please visit SmokeSessionsRecords.com
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DL Media · 610-667-0501
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