USA/BELGIUM: Belgian Jazz Festivals Celebrate in New York City with a Live Show Featuring the Low Countries' Music and Food

Belgian Jazz Festivals Celebrate in New York City with a Live Show Featuring the Low Countries' Music and Food
Gent Jazz Festival Takes Place July 7-16 Followed by Jazz Middelheim August 12-15

   NEW YORK, NY, May 12, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- New York's musical melting pot is about to get a jolt of European energy thanks to two Belgian Jazz Festivals that are being celebrated in the Big Apple on May 25 with a concert and culinary event at Le Poisson Rouge, the Manhattan jazz club located at 158 Bleecker Street. The concert will celebrate the Gent Jazz Festival (July 7-16) now in its 15th year and the 35-year-old Jazz Middelheim (August 12-15) by showcasing some of the musicians who will appear in Belgium later this summer. Hosted by Sven Gatz, the Flemish Minister of Culture, Media and Youth, the phenomenal performances from four of Belgium's jazz bands will be matched by a tickling of the taste buds, a sampling of culinary delicacies created by Belgium's two-Michelin starred chef Viki Geunes.

While Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett headlined the 2015 Gent Jazz Fest, where international stars regularly appear, the New York event is a cultural reverse commute, a concert designed to bring Belgian musicians to this side of the pond. The show will feature performances from four bands with ties to Belgium, a country that is geographically small but has always been a hotbed of jazz.

First up at the May 25 Le Poisson Rouge show is genre-busting Carate Urio Orchestra, a seven-member band from Antwerp led by saxophonist and vocalist Joachim Badenhorst. The band's low-fi sensibility weaves together improvisational jazz and ambient sound in a thoroughly modern and exciting way. Carate Urio Orchestra is touring the US in support of the its recently released CD Lover.

Keyboardist and composer Jozef Dumoulin and the Red Hill Orchestra will follow featuring the Americans Ellery Eskelin (tenor saxophone) and Dan Weiss on drums. Dumoulin plays a retro Fender Rhodes to such stunning effect that his music has been called a mysterious version of sound poetry. Red Hill Orchestra's performances are unpredictable but always entertaining due to impromptu interactions of the band's lively shorthand exchanges. "I let myself be led by what touches me moment to moment," says Dumoulin. And the rest I try to ignore."

The Robin Verheyen NY Quartet, led by the Belgian-born, New York-based saxophonist deftly builds sonic bridges between Europe, West Africa and the US with a rich amalgamation of jazz styles from blues to bop and swing. His band features the trumpeter Russ Johnson, Drew Gress on contrabass and Jeff Davis on drums. The band's latest CD, A Look Beyond (Cap-Vert Illuminations) was inspired by journeys to Senegal and West African musical traditions that let the drums roll.

The final performance of the night is from the cheekily named Bureau of Atomic Tourism (B.O.A.T.), a multicultural sextet with Teun Verbruggen on drums, Tim Dahl on bass, keyboardist Jozef Dumoulin, Nate Wooley on trumpet, Jon Irabagon (saxophone) and the Icelandic guitarist Hilmar Jensson. If jazz has a punk rock branch, B.O.A.T. might be its poster child. The wall of sound created by the seven wailing men is a sonic pleasure to behold. B.O.A.T. is on its first tour of the US supporting its' latest CD, Hapax Legomena.

Like any destination jazz festival, there's more than just music to experience in Belgium this summer. The country is gearing up to put on a pair of epic events. Both Gent and Antwerp are cities known for history, culture, the world's best hot chocolate and for being fashionable foodie havens. One advantage to visitors of Belgium is its size: both cities are located within a 30-minute drive of each other, as is the capital, Brussels, and the charming medieval city of Bruges.

The nine-day Gent Jazz Festival takes place July 7-16 at the Bijlokesite Arts Center in the middle of the city. This year's line up spans the entire spectrum of jazz from international mainstream and avant-garde to fusion and jazz rock. Here is where Terrence Blanchard will kick things off and Pat Metheny and Ron Carter will appear as will Max Richter, Jill Scott and many more. Local bands are well represented from Flat Earth Society to Balthazar.

Over in the riverside city of Antwerp, 2016 will mark the 35th edition of Jazz Middelheim August 12-15, in a continuation of Belgium's summer long jazz celebration. Featuring continuous music on two stages, the festival's lineup includes more than two dozen concerts over four days. Among the artists are Eric Thielemans, an Ornette Coleman Tribute, Ludovico Einaudi, Melanie De Biasio, The Mechanics Are Dancing in Your Head, Tutu Puoane, Liberation Music Orchestra, Artist in Residence Avishai Cohen and many more.

Gent Jazz Festival and Jazz Middelheim, like other multifaceted music festivals, have the added attraction of great food, beer and wine. Duval Moortgat, Le Grand Noir and Lillet are partnering with the Festivals to ensure no visitor goes thirsty. Food trucks and comfortable tented areas with tables and chairs make for a comfortable culinary area for repose between concerts.

In Belgium, Flemish and Walloon cultures exist side by side while speaking different languages - Dutch and French - they share a culture of music. The Gent Jazz Festival and Jazz Middelheim are a source of national pride that unite the Low Country and attract thousands of jazz lovers from Europe and beyond to Belgium for summertime entertainment and respite. With these three events, the New York Le Poisson Rouge showcase and two Jazz Festivals, Belgium shares its leadership role as a nurturer and promoter of the multicultural force that is jazz today.

For more information and tickets:
Gent - http://www.gentjazz.com
Jazz Middelheim - http://www.jazzmiddelheim.be

For Le Poisson Rouge tickets:
https://www.ticketprophet.com/events/10309/orders/new

USA: Larry Young In Paris: The ORTF Recordings (Resonance Records 2016)

From the National Audiovisual Institute (INA) in France, which houses the Office of Radio and Television (ORTF) archives, comes IN PARIS: THE ORTF RECORDINGS, featuring never-before-released live & studio material from 1964-1965 by the iconic jazz organist LARRY YOUNG.

This project came about in 2012 when producer Zev Feldman traveled to France to investigate what was in the ORTF archives and discovered several recordings of the great Larry Young that had been sitting in their vault for nearly 50 years, since the mid '60's. IN PARIS tells the story, through words and music, of Larry Young as an American jazz artist living in Paris. Featured artists include Woody Shaw on trumpet, Nathan Davis on saxophone, Billy Brooks on drums & numerous French artists such as pianist Jack Dieval, saxophonist Jean-Claude Fohrenback and drummer Franco Manzecchi.
Available as Deluxe 2-CD and Limited Edition 2-LP sets, mastered by the legendary Bernie Grundman.

First release of all previously unreleased Larry Young recordings in nearly 40 years and endorsed by the estate of Larry Young.
Extensive liner notes with essays and interviews by John McLaughlin, Dr. Lonnie Smith, John Medeski, Bill Laswell, Nathan Davis, Andre Francis, producer Zev Feldman, Larry Young III & Woody Shaw III.
Includes rare and previously unreleasedphotos from Francis Wolff, Jean-Pierre Leloir & INA archives.
Tracks include an over 20 min version of 'Zoltan,' 'Beyond All Limits' from the classic UNITY album, as well as other mid '60 songs including 'Talkin About J.C.' and 'Luny Tune.'

USA: BWB: BWB(Mack Avenue Records 2016)

A “Triple Dare” worth taking: superstar trio BWB returns with their third album, an entirely original collection handcrafted by Norman Brown (guitar-vocals), Kirk Whalum (saxophone-flute-vocals) and Rick Braun (trumpet-flugelhorn-valve trombone-vocals) combining only the gritty and greasiest elements of Kansas City jazz, Memphis soul and Philly funk. The self-titled, ten-track set struts and seduces with swagger and sophistication along with a mischievous dash of “sweet, tart and tasty” guaranteed to make you “Turn Up” and “Bust A Move.”

Weather Report Rockpalast, Offenbach 1978 (Made In Germany Musi 2016)

By September of 1978 Weather Report's headlining status afforded them the opportunity to play a very long set amounting to two hours in length. Given the previous year's success with the poll winning Heavy Weather album one might have expected them to concentrate on this more or less exclusively, but instead, fans were treated to material from right across the bands career and solo spots by everybody. Black Market opens this concert and straight away it's apparent that the energy level is high and the relaxed pace of the studio version has been superseded by a slightly faster tempo. An explosive tenor and drum duet by Shorter and Erskine also forms part of this and must have surely put an end to the feeling in some quarters at the time that the saxophonist was no longer at his best. Also on board were flamboyant electric bassist Jaco Pastorius, a genuine innovator, and newly arrived drummer Peter Erskine a master technician brought into the group to add more of a jazz feel. Joe Zawinul was keen to stress that Weather Reports music was their music, a product of the group's identity, and not simply jazz-rock akin to that of many bands of the time. Although he was known for his strong opinions it's clear that no other group mixed improvisation, formal structures and electronics quite like them. One night in Germany is clear proof of this.

USA/DVD+2CD set: Paco De Lucia & John McLaughlin Live At Montreux 1987 (Eagle Rock 2016)

CD DISC ONE:
1. Medley: One Melody/My Foolish Heart
2. El Panuelo
3. Spain
4. Chiquito
5. Florianopolis
CD DISC TWO:
1. Frevo
2. David
3. Sichia
4. Guardian
DVD:
1. One Melody / My Foolish Heart
2. El Panuelo
3. Spain
4. Chiquito
5. Florianapolis
6. Frevo
7. David
8. Sichia
9. Guardian Angel
On July 15th, 1987, two guitar maestros, Paco de Lucia and John McLaughlin, shared the stage at the Montreux Jazz Festival for an evening of breathtaking flamenco music. The show opened with a solo piece from John McLaughlin, followed by a solo piece from Paco de Lucia, before the two virtuosos joined forces in a series of duets for the rest of the evening. The repertoire is drawn from their solo albums, from albums by The Guitar Trio and from covers of music written by friends such as Chick Corea and Egberto Gismonti. This is a superb concert for any lover of great flamenco guitar playing or indeed for anyone who loves to see great musicians performing at their very best.

(CD Disc 1) 1) Medley: One Melody/My Foolish Heart 2) El Panuelo 3) Spain 4) Chiquito 5) Florianopolis

(CD Disc 2) 1) Frevo 2) David 3) Sichia 4) Guardian

(DVD) 1) One Melody / My Foolish Heart 2) El Panuelo 3) Spain 4) Chiquito 5) Florianapolis 6) Frevo 7) David 8) Sichia 9) Guardian Angel 

USA/UK Joanna Wallfisch-Gardens In My Mind(2016)

In early 2015 Joanna Wallfisch released The Origin of Adjustable Things, an enthusiastically received duo project with pianist Dan Tepfer, featuring Wallfisch s searching originals plus imaginative covers of Tim Buckley, Radiohead and more. Wallfisch follows up this summer with the adventurous Gardens In My Mind, a stunning new collaboration with Tepfer and The Sacconi Quartet, a London-based ensemble featuring violist Robin Ashwell, cellist Pierre Doumenge, and violinists Ben Hancox and Hannah Dawson. The album also features Tepfer on piano and melodica, with Wallfisch herself on vocals, piano and ukulele.

Wallfisch and Tepfer each contributed string arrangements for the project, with Tepfer taking on four of the songs. The result is an intricate collection of originals and reinterpretations, plus two choice covers by Joni Mitchell and Tim Buckley. In their inimitable way, Wallfisch and her cohorts blur boundaries between the classical, jazz and singer-songwriter worlds. A stunning, whimsical bonus video of the title track Gardens In My Mind, directed and edited by Wallfisch herself, involves full body paint and flowers and is included in the album package.

The idea to record with strings came about after a recent engagement at the Salisbury Festival in the UK, where Wallfisch was invited to collaborate with The Sacconi Quartet, the festival s resident ensemble. Hailing from a family of noted string players, Wallfisch saw this opportunity as the fulfillment of a longtime goal and she pursued it to its logical conclusion: a full album with string quartet. The result, Gardens In My Mind, expands her already broad musical horizons, showcasing her richly expressive voice and head-turning lyrics in unexpected ways. Seven songs that originally appeared on Origin return on Gardens In My Mind in new musical clothing: on This Is How You Make Me Feel, Anonymous Journeys, Satellite, Rational Thought, Satin Grey , Brighton Beach and Tim Buckley s Song to a Siren, the strings add sonic dimension, dynamic shading and the spark of interplay as they blend with and bounce off Wallfisch s poetic musings. 

USA Warren Wolf - "Convergence" - Available Now on Mack Avenue Records

Available Now on Mack Avenue Records: Vibraphonist Warren Wolf Leads All-Star Band on Upcoming Release Convergence Album Produced by Label-Mate Christian McBride and Features Jeff "Tain" Watts, Brad Mehldau, and John Scofield  "...a rising star on vibes who plays with the luminous resonance and dramatic passion of the late mallet master, Milt Jackson..." -- WNPR "Jazz Corridor" "A driving, expressive young vibraphonist... Now's the time to listen closely." -- The New York Times Stream Tracks from Warren Wolf's Convergence For a follow-up to his superb sophomore release Wolfgang, rising star vibraphonist/composer Warren Wolf finds himself alongside some of the biggest names in modern jazz for Convergence, his stellar third outing on Mack Avenue Records. Along with bassist Christian McBride, the all-world rhythm section is rounded out by master drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts and esteemed pianist Brad Mehldau. Renowned guitarist John Scofield is a featured soloist on two tracks. After having the vibraphonist in his acclaimed Inside Straight quintet since 2007, longtime label-mate and mentor McBride produced the album and brought the band together to see how far Wolf could go. "It was a particular pleasure to bring Warren together with John Scofield and Brad Mehldau--two musicians he'd never worked with before," explains McBride. "Warren's A-level musicianship clearly moves him into an echelon that musicians like Sco and Brad represent. I think the results were inspirational for all of the musicians involved." Together, they spur each other on to some dazzling heights on six Wolf originals and five well-chosen covers, running the gamut from funky soul-jazz to post-bop burners, intimate ballads and even a touch of classical. Convergence features some of Wolf's most accomplished writing and dynamic playing to date, and his all-star sidemen rise to the occasion with some heat of their own from track to track. "What we wanted to do on this record is mix it up and not just have the whole band on every single track," he explains-the album features everything from solo to quintet recordings, utilizing various configurations of this stellar lineup. Since graduating from Berklee, Wolf has taken the jazz world by storm, first as a sideman in Christian McBride's Inside Straight quintet, then with his self-titled Mack Avenue debut in 2011 and Wolfgang in 2013. Now the vibraphonist-composer and multi-instrumentalist takes things up another notch on his excellent all-star outing, Convergence. Warren Wolf · Convergence Mack Avenue Records · Release Date: June 10, 2016 For more information on Warren Wolf, please visit: WarrenWolfMusic.com For media information, please contact: DL Media · 610-667-0501 Maureen McFadden ·  maureen@dlmediamusic.com Public Relations for the Preferred Artist For press materials on Warren Wolf, Mack Avenue artists or its family of imprints (including album covers, promotional photos and logos), please visit media.mackavenue.com MACK AVENUE ·  the road to great music ·  mackavenue.com #  #  #

USA Peter Eldridge-Disappearing Day (SUNNYSIDE 2016)

 

Grammy-winning singer, pianist, songwriter and educator, Peter Eldridge is poised to release his fifth and most diverse studio album, Disappearing Day on distinctive independent label, Sunnyside Records. Set for release on July 22, 2016, Peter merges an eclectic mix of styles ranging from jazz to alternative to country, showcasing his inexhaustible musical fluency. The album is comprised of seven original tunes written or co-written by Eldridge and five song arrangements from some of his favorite artists, including Paul McCartney, Leonard Bernstein, Luciana Souza, The Magnetic Fields and Frank Sinatra. Disappearing Day draws listeners into Peter s artistic sphere through a variety of musical settings and textures.

The album features a song written by Stephin Merritt of the indie-pop band the Magnetic Fields, I Wish I Had an Evil Twin. Peter s take on the track was inspired by Nickel Creek s cover of the Mother Mother pop song Hayloft from their recent A Dotted Line album. Eldridge listened to Nickel Creek s version of that song about 1,000 times and decided he needed to have his own Hayloft on the album. He loves Stephin Merritt s songwriting - so wry and so sweet at the same time, and thought this would be the perfect tune to go a little crazy with.

It also features Wish You With Me , a track that was left out of a documentary film he scored with composer/conductor, Adam Wate. Peter wrote this theme for the movie and was initially crushed when it got rejected, but subsequently thrilled in the long run that he got to keep the song for himself. Cliff Goldmacher helped him with the simple, every word counts lyric. Becca Stevens was the first person he sang it with as a duet and from that moment on, he knew he wanted to record it with her.

Forever Blue was written in email co-writing sessions with Marco Brito - keyboardist for the legendary Brazilian composer, Ivan Lins. It started out as a last minute addition in the studio when he, Ben Wittman, and Matt Aronoff were recording basic tracks, and turned into one of the most produced projects on the album, with Sergio Mendes-esque vocals provided by Janis Siegel and Lauren Kinhan (from the Manhattan Transfer and New York Voices), strings, and wonderful Anat Cohen on clarinet.

When reflecting on the project, Peter says, I am so excited to share Disappearing Day what I believe is my best offer to date. I have had the pleasure of collaborating with many of my favorite people and musicians on the project. The album features a mix of original songs and covers spanning a variety of styles. The diversity in the material and personnel on this album has provided a platform for me to offer my take on the culmination of music I have been influenced by as well as the product of that influence.

Disappearing Day highlights collaborations with fellow friends and notable musicians including, Matt Aronoff, Ben Wittman, Becca Stevens,Alan Hampton, Jo Lawry, Laila Biali, Janis Siegel, Lauren Kinhan, Anat Cohen, Marc Shulman, Jesse Lewis, Caleb Burhans, and Mariel Roberts.

USA The Cookers - "The Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart" - Available September 9 on Smoke Sessions Records

Hard-Bop Jazz Masters The Cookers Make Smoke Sessions Records Debut with The Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart - Available September 9 Album Release Performances September 13 - 17 at Birdland "...a group of heavyweight jazz masters - the kind who helped to make the classic records that defined the modern idiom..." - NPR Stream Tracks From The Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart The Cookers, the veteran jazz supergroup that The New York Times calls "a dream team of forward-leaning hard-bop," returns with its fifth and most exhilarating album to date, The Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart. After nine years together, The Cookers have evolved from a summit of swinging road warriors to become simply one of the most burning and hardest-hitting bands on the scene. "At this point, we've gelled as a band with an original voice, so the goal is just to be that much stronger each time out," says David Weiss, the next-generation trumpeter that assembled this gathering of elders. "The band itself should be the story at this point, I hope, but I think this album shows off a much stronger spiritual side of the group then previous efforts. I don't know if that's what happens when such great musicians who share this common bond spend so much time together, or maybe it's just that some of the material we chose for this album conveys this spirit so well, but it's certainly there and is quite powerful." The Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart, due out September 9, marks The Cookers' debut on Smoke Sessions Records and is the follow up to their critically acclaimed release Time and Time Again which was the iTunes' Jazz Album of the Year in 2014. Once again, the core of the band consists of five legendary, long-undersung musicians whose credentials read like a who's-who of classic-era jazz: tenor saxophonist Billy Harper was a member of groups led by Lee Morgan and Max Roach and served a two-year stint with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers; trumpeter Eddie Henderson and drummer Billy Hart were both part of Herbie Hancock's electrifying Mwandishi ensemble; pianist George Cables played alongside Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper; and bassist Cecil McBee anchored Charles Lloyd's famed 1960s quartet with Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette. They're joined by torchbearers Weiss and, in his second outing with the band, alto saxophonist Donald Harrison. The new album's title comes from Harper's opening track, originally recorded for the saxophonist's 1975 album Black Saint. The "wild and peaceful heart" was meant to refer to the dueling passions to be found in the soul of the composer himself, but applies equally well to this ensemble, whose repertoire can range from the tempestuous force of Hart's "Oceans of Time" to the wistful soul of McBee's "Third Phase." As Harper puts it, "The group is set up in such a way that there's a balance of hard drive and cool expressions." That balance can be nimbly struck in the space of a single composition, as on Harper's album-closing "Thy Will Be Done." The piece begins in the mood of latter-day Coltrane's spiritually seeking excursions, eventually settling into a becalmed but vigorous groove that Harper refers to as "a swinging prayer." Like all three of Harper's contributions to the album, the song features a new arrangement by the composer. The unique septet, Harper says, "lends itself to a wider range of colors. It's like having the palette of a big band that drives and cooks like a small group." As always, the album's repertoire is plumbed from the members' vast discographies, a bevy of riches that Weiss says continues to yield surprises. After exhausting what he calls "David's fantasy list" of the group's compositions on The Cookers' first two albums, he's consistently discovered new favorites, embellished by the band's growing camaraderie. "I always think, 'How did I miss this last time?' But as the band grows and I realize more and more what they're capable of, certain tunes speak to me differently the next time through. I think this is our strongest record and top to bottom the strongest collection of tunes that we've done." Following the urgent momentum of Harper's title tune comes the sharp, soulful swagger of Cables' "Beyond Forever" from his 1994 date of the same name, which first appeared on Eddie Henderson's 1977 release Comin' Through. The album's sole debut recording is McBee's "Third Phase," which begins with the pianist in a contemplative mood before the horns enter to sing the memorable melody. Hart previously recorded the abstract, dark-hued "Teule's Redemption" with his own quartet on his 2014 ECM release One Is the Other, and the song's Ornette-inspired jaggedness is only bolstered by The Cookers' four-horn frontline. Though he's known for his hard-driving approach, Harper contributes the album's most tender moment with his ballad "If One Could Only See," inspired by a dream in which a hand reached down from heaven and handed him a cassette tape containing the song's wounded but steely melody. Native American influences are obvious in Cables' "Blackfoot," culled from his 1993 SteepleChase debut I Mean You, while Hart's "Oceans of Time" was the title track of his 1997 release. "These guys should all be considered giants on their own," Weiss insists. "The idea of The Cookers is to bring them to greater prominence, and a big part of that is this incredible legacy of compositions." The Cookers is unique in the modern jazz landscape, a band that benefits from more than four decades of rapport and shared experiences, as well as first-hand knowledge of the seismic shifts in the music that younger musicians only know through records and stories. "They all come out of basically the same era," Weiss says. "They all saw the same things, they were all blown away by seeing John Coltrane in 1965 - they were all part of something bigger than us. They were right there when some groundbreaking stuff happened, and they still approach the music that way." "The Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart" 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. The Cookers' Upcoming Performances September 13-17 | Birdland | New York, NY October 15 | Angrajazz | Terceira Island, Portugal October 18 | Night Town | Cleveland, OH October 19 | Jazz Kitchen | Indianapolis, IN October 20 | Constellation | Chicago, IL October 21 | Musical Instrument Museum | Phoenix, AR October 22 | Yoshi's | Oakland, CA  October 23 | (venue tbd) | Los Angeles, CA October 24 | Kuumbwa | Santa Cruz, CA October 25-26 | Jazz Alley | Seattle, WA November 5 | Bologna Jazz Festival | Bologna, Italy November 7 | Music Academy Chamber | Zagreb,Croatia November 8 | Reigen | Vienna, Austria November 11 | Szeged Jazz Days | Szegedy, Hungary November 12 | Moncalieri Jazz Festival | Moncalieri, Italy November 13 | The Sage | Gateshead, United Kingdom November 15 | Band on the Wall | Manchester, United Kingdom November 16 | Turner Sims | Southhampton, United Kingdom November 17 | London Jazz Festival | London, United Kingdom November 18 | Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld | Cologne, Germany November 23 | La Usina del art | Buenos Aires, Argentina November 25 | Teatro Municipal Bahia | Blanca, Argentina The Cookers · The Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart Smoke Sessions Records · Release Date: September 9, 2016 For more information on Smoke Sessions Records, please visit SmokeSessionsRecords.com For media information, please contact: DL Media  ·  610-667-0501 Maureen McFadden  ·  maureen@dlmediamusic.com Don Lucoff  ·  don@dlmediamusic.com Public Relations for the Preferred Artist Information and press materials (including album covers, promotional photos and bios) on all DL Media artists can be found at our website: dlmediamusic.com

GERMANY Sinikka Langeland , Trygve Seim, Arve Henriksen, Anders Jormin-The Magical Forest (ECM 2016)

Sinikka Langeland: kantele, vocals; Trygve Seim: soprano and tenor saxophones; Arve Henriksen: trumpet; Anders Jormin: double bass; Markku Ounaskari: drums, percussion
Anna Maria Frieman, Berit Opheim; Linn Andrea Fuglseth: vocals

The colors of The Magical Forest glow in this remarkable recording which brings together Sinikka Langelands Norwegian-Finnish-Swedish Starflowers quintet with the singers of the Trio Medi val.

Its an inspired concept: the Trio Medi val, with their affinity for folk music and their unique vocal blend, adapt themselves ideally to Sinikkas sound-world, which is at once archaic, timeless and contemporary.

The quintet members, all bandleaders in their own right, are amongst the most characterful players in Scandinavia today, and Sinikka sets them free to improvise around her cycle of songs, built upon myths and legends of the world tree.

The Magical Forest was recorded at Oslos Rainbow Studio in February 2015, and produced by Manfred Eicher. 

USA New Release: Dida Pelled: A Missing Shade of Blue

New Release:
Dida Pelled: A Missing Shade of Blue

Artist/Title: Dida Pelled: A Missing Shade of Blue Label/Catalog #: Red Records 123326 UPC: 027312332629 Release date: June 17, 2016 Genre: Jazz Contact: steve@espdisk.com Track Listing: 01. Sundown (Wes Montgomery) 5:39 02. I Don't Need No Doctor (Jo Armstead, Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson) 5:07 03. When I Grow Too Old to Dream (Oscar Hammerstein, Sigmund Romberg) 4:17 04. Take These Chains off My Heart (Fred Rose, Hy Heath) 4:43 05. Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash) 4:00 06. It's a Sin to Tell a Lie (Billy Mayhew) 4:04 07. Glide On (Jack Wilson) 4:24 08. A Little Walk on Jane Street (Dida Pelled) 4:10 09. A Missing Shade of Blue (Dida Pelled, Tal Ronen) 6:12 10. Blue Moon (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) 4:25 11. Five Hundred Miles (Hedy West) 5:24 12. Ultramarine (Fabio Morgera) 3:27 13. I'll See You in My Dreams (Gus Kahn, Isham Jones) 1:53 Personnel: Dida Pelled, guitar (vocal on 6, 13) Luke Carlos O'Reilly, Hammond B3 organ Rodney Green, drums Fabio Morgera, trumpet on 3, 6, 8, 12 Itai Kriss, flute on 3, 6, 12 Overview: On New York-based Israeli singer/guitarist Dida Pelled's third album (second on Red), she emphasizes her instrumental virtuosity more than before. Not only does she sing on a mere two tracks this time out, she includes pieces penned by a few jazz guitar icons, Wes Montgomery's "Sundown" and Jack Wilson's "Glide On." On two other tracks, she uses microtonal inflections and slides to evoke Hawaiian slack-key guitar, which is part of how she looks back at the blues (Hawaiian players were a big influence on early blues slide guitarists). Though the focus is on the blues, the repertoire comes from many styles: R&B, country, soul-jazz, standards. Further in keeping with the blues theme of the album, Pelled works in the gritty format of the organ trio with two American collaborators. Luke Carlos O'Reilly studied with Mulgrew Miller and Bruce Barth at Temple University and has since recorded and toured with Curtis Fuller, Slide Hampton, Nicholas Payton, Fred Wesley, Steve Turre, Musiq Soulchild, and many others. At the age of 19, drummer Rodney Green joined Diana Krall's band for two years; among the many other highlights on his gig résumé are Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Ravi Coltrane, Charlie Haden, Michael Brecker, and Abbey Lincoln. Special guest Fabio Morgera, the great Italian trumpeter, adds his talents to four tracks. Pelled will celebrate the album's release at her concert at Fat Cat Jazz Club, 75 Christopher Street, New York on Friday, June 17 at 6pm. Press Quotes: "...her guitar playing, which is built on her round sound, strong comping skills and soulful single note solo lines, places her in a category all her own." - All About Jazz "Pelled is one of the brightest new stars on the jazz horizon. Hot stuff." - Midwest Record "...her one of kind sound—steeped in tradition while residing deep in a dream—mark her as an artist deserving greater attention." - All About Jazz, Dan Bilawsky​

www.didamusic.com

USA Will Calhoun | "Celebrating Elvin Jones" | Available August 19 on Motéma Music

Drummer Will Calhoun Pays Tribute to a Profound Influence on Celebrating Elvin Jones - Available August 19 on Motéma Music Album Features Christian McBride, Antoine Roney, Keyon Harrold, and Special Guests Jan Hammer and Doudou N'Diaye Rose Stream Tracks from Celebrating Elvin Jones Although he's best known as the hard-driving, groove-oriented drummer for the pioneering rock group Living Colour, Will Calhoun has played in a staggering variety of styles and traditions over the course of his eclectic career. Straight-ahead jazz, fusion, traditional African percussion, funk, hip-hop, and of course hard rock -- Calhoun has explored them all, and he traces the roots of all of them to one man: legendary drummer Elvin Jones. On his second album for Motéma Music, Celebrating Elvin Jones (due out August 19), Calhoun pays tribute to his earliest and most profound influence with a stellar band of musicians, all of whom were impacted by Jones through their personal growth as a musician or their past working with him directly: bassist Christian McBride, saxophonist Antoine Roney, pianist/keyboardist Carlos McKinney, and trumpeter Keyon Harrold. The great keyboardist Jan Hammer, a member of Jones' trio for On the Mountain (1975), joins the band for a reprise of that album's Gene Perla-penned track "Destiny;" and Senegalese percussionist Doudou N'Diaye Rose joins with a group of drummers for the traditional Japanese folk song "Doll of the Bride." "Elvin connected my worlds," Calhoun says. "Although I saw him playing jazz, I felt rock and roll, I felt fusion, I felt African music. It sounds electric, it sounds acoustic, it sounds very African, it sounds very Latin, there are all these elements in there." Calhoun first became acquainted with Jones' playing as a young child hearing the drummer's recordings with the classic John Coltrane Quartet -- a band that he now considers part of a Holy Trinity with the second great Miles Davis Quintet and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. At the age of 14, Calhoun witnessed Elvin playing for the first time at the Village Vanguard and had the opportunity to meet and speak with the drum legend on various occasions throughout the years prior to Jones' passing in 2004. "Listening to Coltrane's band in my youth reminded me of some kind of an incredible explosion," Calhoun says. "The music was beyond jazz. There were a few records in those days where you put the needle down and you didn't make it back to the couch. The Coltrane records were some of those albums where I just stood there staring at the needle and listening, and Elvin was driving that train -- no pun intended -- by shoving a lot of coals into the fire. He had a profound effect on me." Photo Credit: Andre Betts Jones also had a profound effect on all of the members of the band that Calhoun assembled for the occasion. McBride only played with the drummer on a few special occasions, including saxophonist Javon Jackson's debut album, Me and Mr. Jones. Both Roney and McKinney can boast of more extensive experience under Jones' leadership, with both appearing on the drummer's final release, The Truth: Heard Live at the Half Note. While Harrold did not have the opportunity to ever perform with Jones, the drummer has long influenced him. Calhoun drew on all of their experiences as he developed the music for Celebrating Elvin Jones. "Hearing those guys telling stories about when they were on the road with Elvin was helpful," he says. "I chose according to what music would best represent my vision. I also wanted to put my own vibe into the music." The songs that Calhoun selected for Celebrating Elvin Jones span the late drummer's career, though they also reflect a distinctly individual approach to that catalogue. Calhoun devised the repertoire based on purely musical instincts, not just skimming the drummer's most recognizable tunes. There's nothing on the album from the Coltrane Quartet, and "Three Card Molly," perhaps Jones' best-known composition, is missing from the track listing -- in part because Calhoun recorded a memorable version for his 2006 release Native Lands in the immediate aftermath of Jones' death. The rousing opener "EJ Blues" was a staple of the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine's live performances in the 1980s, while Wilbur Little's stabbing modal tune "Whew" dates back to the drummer's 1969 album Poly-Currents. John Coltrane's "Harmonique" predates Jones' tenure in the saxophonist's band, but the drummer recorded it on his 1984 tribute, Brother John. Jones recorded Wayne Shorter's "Mahjong" on the composer's 1964 release JuJu, while his wife Keiko contributed "Shinjitsu," which was recorded on 1985's Live at Pit Inn. The meditative "Sarmastah" is Calhoun's sole original composition on the album, featuring the drummer playing blissful 12-string acoustic guitar to conjure a transcendent mood in conjunction with Roney's soprano and McKinney's electric piano. Two very special guest appearances close out the album. Hammer, as mentioned above, originally recorded "Destiny" with Jones in 1975, so Calhoun was honored to have the influential Czech keyboardist contribute to the album. Hammer, who came to prominence as a member of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and whose breakthrough success on Miami Vice coincided with Living Colour's biggest hits, is instantly recognizable as his lazing, soaring synths pair off with Calhoun's raucous drumming. Finally, Calhoun opens the traditional Japanese folk song "Doll of the Bride" with a recording of the late Senegalese percussion master Doudou N'Diaye Rose with a group of drummers. Calhoun treasures his memories of meeting Rose, visiting his house in Senegal and having the opportunity to ask questions of the master. The experience brought back memories of a visit the drummer made to saxophonist Roney's home for rehearsal, where he noticed a photograph of Jones in Africa surrounded by hand drummers, making an explicit connection that he'd always heard intuitively. "Elvin and Doudou reminded me of each other," he says. "They have a lot in common in how they speak about rhythm and music in a very respectful, classy, educated and freeform way. I don't know if they ever met, but I wanted to recognize the energy and spiritual camaraderie between those two gentlemen." In recording Jones' music, Calhoun didn't want to imitate the drummer, but simply -- as is only appropriate for such a restlessly inventive and forward-thinking artist -- to absorb his influence and explore his music in a uniquely personal and progressive style. "I wasn't trying to nail Elvin's playing or sound," he explains. "I love Elvin and all of his contributions. He's inspired me in so many ways, even playing with Living Colour, so this piece, to me, is celebratory. It's a thank you and a respectful homage to this wonderful musician." Will Calhoun · Celebrating Elvin Jones Motéma Music · Release Date: August 19, 2016 For more information on Will Calhoun, please visit: WillCalhoun.com     For media information, please contact: DL Media · 610-667-0501 Maureen McFadden ·  maureen@dlmediamusic.com Public Relations for the Preferred Artist Information and press materials (including album covers, promotional photos and bios) on all DL Media artists can be found at our website: dlmediamusic.com