USA/JAPAN: The Doggy Cats – Daikon Pizza (2019)

The Doggy Cats play new American music. We are a six-piece brass band led by Tetsuro Hoshii. We started in New York City in 2015 and perform regularly at Sunny's Bar in Red Hook, Brooklyn—one of New York's most historic bars. tetsurohoshii.com

USA: Percussionist-Composer Frank Colón Performs His Picturesque, Danceable And Romantic Music On “Latin Lounge”

Colón’s Infectious Originals Team His Percussion With A Variety Of Top Brazilian Instrumentalists Who Share The Lead On Trumpet, Flute, Keyboards, Guitars, Accordion And Harmonica

RELEASE DATE: JAN. 1, 2020 FRANK COLÓN “LATIN LOUNGE” Label: TECHNOPRIMAL MUSIC, UNLTD. Artist Website: www.frankcolonpercussion.com Release Date: JAN. 1, 2020 UPC Code: 194171614446  Track listing (all songs composed & arranged by Frank Colón)  1. Emerald Coast (04:26)  2. Easy Does It (03:30)  3. Summer Cocktail (03:42)  4. Let’s Just Go... (04:06)  5. Samba Gitano (03:25)  6. Spanish Heart (04:56)  7. Bali (07:55)  8. Wishful Thinking (05:33)  9. Tango Lucumí (03:59)  10. The Whales of Bahia (05:27)  Musicians + Instruments: (in alphabetical order)  -José Arimateia: Trumpet, Flugelhorn -Raphael Batista: Violin -Julio Falavigna: Drums -Daniel Figueiredo: Synths -Jamie Glaser: Acoustic Guitar -Estevão Lima: Bass -Jr. Lobbo: Electric Guitar -Luana Mallet: Vocals -Carlos Malta: Flute, Bass Flute -Kleyton Martins: Keyboards -Roman Miroshnichenko: Flamenco Guitar -Elton Ricardo: Fender Rhodes -Cristiano Rocha: Drums -José Staneck: Harmonica -Matheus Starling: Electric Guitar -Cristiano Veneza: Violin, Viola, Cello -Mateus Viano: Accordion -Frank Colón: Percussion, Voice, Programming   Throughout his career, Frank Colón has been greatly in-demand as a percussionist with popular artists that include Manhattan Transfer, Aretha Franklin, and Tania Maria. But while his percussion is a prominent part of the ensembles of “Latin Lounge”, it is his writing and use of the varied colors from the other musicians that make this a particularly notable recording.   Recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, “Latin Lounge” has Colón using the talents of such fine Brazilian musicians as trumpeter José Arimateia, flautist Carlos Malta, Julio Falavigna on drums, and bassist Estevão Lima, along with harmonica, accordion, two strings, and four very different guitarists.   His ten originals are filled with rich melodies, picturesque moods, and infectious Latin grooves. The song titles often define the music, such as the exotic “Emerald Coast,” the optimistic grooves of “Easy Does It,” and “Summer Cocktail”, and the sultry “Let’s Just Go…”, with it’s particularly catchy bass pattern. Jamie Glaser’s acoustic guitar on the funky “Wishful Thinking”, the use of accordion on “Tango Lucumí”, and Roman Miroshnichenko’s Flamenco guitar on “Spanish Heart,” memorably add to the variety of this atmospheric set.   In his career, Colón has worked with many top artists including Manhattan Transfer, Wayne Shorter, Gato Barbieri, Michel Camilo, Chucho Valdés, Michel Petrucciani, Joe Zawinul, Flora Purim, Dr. Billy Taylor, Milton Nascimento, Harry Belafonte, Airto Moreira, and Paquito D’Rivera, among others. His previous CDs include: “Live At Vartanjazz” and “Latin Wonder”.   “Latin Lounge” is filled with music that is difficult to resist. As Frank Colón accurately says, “Latin Lounge will move your body, touch your heart, and soothe your soul.The blend of musical cultures raises consciousness, brings people together, and promotes peace. ‘Latin Lounge’ transports the listener to a land they’ve always imagined, but never knew existed.”  AVAILABLE FROM: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/frankcolon12

Media Contact Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services 272 State Route 94 South #1 Warwick, NY 10990 Ph: 845-986-1677 Cell / text: 917-755-8960 Skype: jazzpromo jim@jazzpromoservices.com www.jazzpromoservices.com "Specializing in Media Campaigns for the music community, artists, labels, venues and events.”

NORWAY: Emmeluth’s Amoeba – Chimaera (Øra Fonogram 2019)

 POLYP IS EMMELUTHS AMOEBA'S SECOND ALBUM. RELEASE: NOVEMBER 15 2019.

 Following on from "Polyp", Emmeluth's Amoeba takes their unique cracked looking-glass approach to improvisation to new heights and deeper depths. Highly angular compositions that send branches through four dimensions act as a scaffolding for their layered counterpoints and intermittent bursts of unison and harmonic playing. Tonal instruments create rhythmical figures that knit the pieces together, while the percussion engages in free discourse. Prolonged sax shrieks, anti-guitar techniques, polyrhythmic drumming, muted piano or occasional squabbling synthlines accrue alongside other extending playing techniques in an endless search and discovery of new sounds to juxtapose with those more readily associated with "jazz". Yet even those typically "jazz" sounds are repurposed, given new roles more at home in avant garde chamber orchestras.
Øra Fonogram 

FRANCE: March Mallow Promo Videos

A journey in time

March Mallow is composed of three musicians having had different experiences in the musical world.

In respect for the 1950'  style, March Mallow brings back to life the music of Nat King Cole and Billy Holiday.

An authentic jazz sound, using the recording techniques of that era, immerses you in the New York black & white atmosphere and clubs.

With Astrid Veigne on vocal, Eric Doboka on guitar and Christian d'Asfeld on piano.

For the 1950' lovers, ladies & gentlemen, welcome March Mallow !



Videos :

"Little girl"  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDSSQKG6fj0
       

" Christmas Song "  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU2aLiGHojQ   

Website :  https://www.march-mallow.com/

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/MarchMallow.band

Souncloud :https://soundcloud.com/march-mallow

USA::Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra & Wynton Marsalis-Swing Symphony

 

Swing SymphonyWhen Wynton Marsalis was commissioned to compose his third symphony, he took inspiration from composers like Ives, Gershwin, Copland, Bernstein, and Ellington as he sought to create a musical meditation on American ideals. The definitive performance of the resulting, critically acclaimed work—Swing Symphony—is now an album by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, conducted by maestro David Robertson. Commissioned in 2010 by the Berlin Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Marsalis’s Symphony No. 3 is at once invigorating and elegiac, bombastic and introspective, and has been performed by orchestras around the world. This recording, which took place in front of a rapturous, sold-out crowd in St. Louis’s Powell Hall, marks the very first release of a modern classic that captures the full breadth of 20th-century orchestral music and the spirit of American optimism.

CANADA: The Technique and Theory of Improvisation - by Bill McBirnie - NOW AVAILABLE!

My new book, The Technique and Theory of Improvisation, has finally been published.
It is now available in paperback format at all Amazon websites including the following:

- Amazon.com (USA) 

- Amazon.ca (Canada)

Sir James Galway was kind enough to write the Foreward, and as something of a teaser, here is an extract:

"When I first heard Bill play some 15 years ago, I was truly impressed with his work, because I recognized I was listening to flute playing on another level altogether. At that time, I thought Bill should write a book. Well, he has finally fulfilled my wish. Not only that, but I think he has written a book up there with the greatest flute players of all time."


This book is a concise but comprehensive guide to (1) the technique (articulation, vibrato, and breathing) and (2) the theory (rhythm, melody and harmony) that are essential in learning to improvise. The book also addresses how to integrate the technique with the theory using a simple melodic approach, based on small bits that you can develop into bigger bits. In addition, the book examines practical issues such as analyzing tunes, using an idiomatic approach, and transcribing, with plenty of examples and illustrations. As Sir James Galway points out in the foreword, this is a useful and valuable source of reference for the aspiring student and the experienced performer or teacher.

Website:  http://www.extremeflute.com
CDs & MP3s:  https://store.cdbaby.com/all/extremeflute

USA: Ben Cassara Quintet with special guest Jonathan Russell Jazz at Kitano Wednesday, December 11th Sets 8 & 10 PM

Ben Cassara Quintet with special guest Jonathan Russell Jazz at Kitano Wednesday, December 11th Sets 8 & 10 pmTickets & Info One of the most engaging vocalists around….always in evidence a strong jazz influence in his vocalizing and choice of material.  Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz Connects emotionally with a song’s sentiments and actions. One jazz singer for whom words aren’t just syllables on which to hang notes….they’re the very center of the song.   Mark Dundas Wood, Bistro Awards.Com  Cassara…gives a song a unique distinctive flavor all its own… incredibly intimate.   -Will Friedwald, Music Critic and Author Jonathan Russell is an award-winning jazz violinist, film composer and songwriter who connects with audiences through improvised jazz and writes multi-genre music that adds compelling experiences to visual media. His critically acclaimed performances in Europe and throughout the United States, at clubs and festivals such as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the Bohem Ragtime & Jazz Festival in Hungary, have earned the respect and praise of seasoned jazz musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, Bucky Pizzarelli and the late Les Paul. www.bencassara.com

FRANCE; Duplessy & The Violins of The World, le clip de Chiken Del // nouvel album

Duplessy & The Violins of The World Nouvel album Brothers of String Sortie le 24/01/2020 chez Absilone En concert le 27/02/2020 au Café de la Danse

Après le succès de son dernier album, Crazy Horse (20 millions de vues sur Facebook, des tournées internationales …) Mathias Duplessy et ses acolytes les Violins of the World, reviennent avec Brothers Of String, un album toujours plus audacieux et créatif, composé de voyages imaginaires… Brothers of String est le troisième épisode des aventures sonores de Mathias Duplessy et de ses Violins of The World, groupe composé de Guo Gan, maître de la vièle chinoise erhu, Aliocha à la vièle scandinave et Epi à la vièle à tête de cheval et au chant mongol. Insatiable curieux, Mathias Duplessy n'a eu de cesse de diversifier ses sources d'inspiration, et de collaborer avec des artistes de toutes les traditions, abolissant ainsi les frontières des genres, pour aboutir à un style sans pareil. Sur l'album Brothers of String, on retrouve un boléro lancinant aux épices d’Asie (Texas Boléro), une valse lente aux effluves Japonaise (A Japanese in Paris), un jazz manouche chinois (Chinese Dumplings) ou un hommage à Bruce Lee (Kung-Fu)… mais aussi une reprise spectaculaire de Brothers In Arms de Dire Straits, et une version déjantée du Bon, la Brute et le Truand de Morricone. Cet album est complètement euphorisant, un véritable feu d’artifice de couleurs et d’énergie. La guitare de Mathias Duplessy vogue avec grâce et aisance dans tous les registres, enrobe et soutient les trois vielles qui s’entremêlent et se détache toujours harmonieusement. A découvrir avec le premier extrait Chiken Del.     Pour regarder et écouter le clip de Chiken Del : https://youtu.be/9BGffuukIF8

Avec Brothers of String, le compositeur voyageur Mathias Duplessy retrouve les trois grands maîtres de vièles traditionnelles, les Violins of the World. Tous les quatre, ils nous embarquent dans un voyage musical : des steppes aux déserts, des montagnes arides aux vallées vertes. On retrouve donc dans ce troisième volet des Violins of the World : Mathias Duplessy, compositeur globe-trotter à l’écoute des sons d’ailleurs, Guo Gan, maître incontesté de la vièle chinoise erhu, l’incorrigible Epi à la vièle à tête de cheval et au chant mongol, et Aliocha à la vièle scandinave (nyckelharpa). Avec ce nouvel album, les quatre virtuoses dressent une passerelle entre tradition et modernité. Le Vielle mongole d’Epi a souvent des accents de Gibson saturée, rock ou blues, tandis que le Erhu sensuel de Guo Gan s’aventure avec délice dans des improvisations « Grapeliennes » ou orientales. Le Nyckelharpa d’Aliocha, toujours d’une grande élégance tant au niveau des ornements que de la dynamique nous impressionne dans la reprise « Brothers In Arms » de Dire Straits, un des joyaux de l’album. L’autre reprise de l’album est une version déjantée du « Bon, la Brute et le Truand » de Morricone. On est plongé dans une chevauchée entre Western et Mongolie où la voix hallucinante d’Epi (qui couvre quasiment 4 octaves) nous fait littéralement décoller. En écoutant l’album Brothers of Strings nous sommes comme dans un film différent à chaque morceau et une envie se fait vite ressentir, celle de les voir sur scène… A ne pas rater le 27 février 2020 au Café de la Danse.   Site officiel Facebook

FRANCE: YAPUNTO- Yapunto (Soul Nurse 2019)

 ¡YAPUNTO! est né en mars 2015 de l’amour de musiciens pour les musiques traditionnelles colombiennes et afro-péruviennes. Ils créent alors une association ayant pour objet la promotion des cultures sud-américaines par l’expression artistique et la diffusion du groupe ¡YAPUNTO!. Ces musiques, très rythmées, aux mélodies exceptionnelles et toujours au service de la danse, résultent du métissage de trois grandes cultures : amérindienne, espagnole et africaine. 

Voilà l’émergence d’une rencontre entre musiciens émérites, cultivant leurs différences afin d’exalter leurs propos. A travers ses textes, il dénonce les conséquences de notre société de consommation qui engendrent l’appauvrissement de la biodiversité et inhibent nos capacités à avancer ensemble. Au détour de situations quotidiennes, telle « la vendeuse de cacahouètes toujours souriante et positive », ¡YAPUNTO! porte son attention sur les « Invisibles » de notre époque et l’amour qui les animent malgré tout. 

Ce groupe, inspiré par Totó La Momposina, Alé Kumá ou encore Lucho Bermúdez, suggère un nouvel élan dans le paysage artistique des musiques Afro-Colombiennes. 

¡YAPUNTO! was born in March 2015 from the love of the band for traditional Colombian and Afro-Peruvian music. They founded an organisation whose purpose was the promotion of South American cultures through artistic expression and the activity of the band ¡YAPUNTO !.

This music, very rhythmic, with exceptional danceable melodies, is the result of the mixture of three great cultures: Amerindian, Spanish and African. 

This is the emergence of a meeting between excellent musicians, cultivating their differences to give a voice to their ideas. Through their texts, they denounce the impact of our consumer society that lead to the impoverishment of biodiversity and  hinder our ability to move forward together.

Speaking about scenes of the daily life, such as "the peanut seller always smiling and positive", ¡YAPUNTO! pays attention to the "Invisibles" of our time and the love that animates them in spite of everything.

This group, inspired by Totó La Momposina, Alé Kumá or Lucho Bermúdez, represents a fresh impulses in the artistic landscape of Afro-Colombian music.

Website:: https://www.facebook.com/yapunto

Link to CD store:: https://www.fnac.com/a13331263/Yapunto-Yapunto-CD-album

USA: Julian Vaughn – Supreme (2019)

Smooth & contemporary jazz bassist Julian Vaughn certainly has found his home with the Trippin N’ Rhythm record label family. His music demonstrates enhancement of his songwriting capabilities and, having recorded several successful albums (with Billboard success) under the Label since 2012, Julian Vaughn has no doubt shown himself to be a progressive star from among the Label’s rising stars. He was always in that bass groove ever since the release of his solo album (The Purpose Project, 2010) but, in my opinion, his unique bass-style of jazz music has grown and is evident that he is ensuring his fans receive the quality of music they are accustomed to getting from him. No doubt it’s that “bass-soloing” he adapted earlier in his career. That’s continuously demonstrated in his album(s) Limitless and Bona Fide, and again in this latest project titled “Supreme”. This compilation is available on all digital music platforms and has 11 tracks that will make you love the Bass instrument, if you don’t already do so. My favorite tracks are the funky “Black Dynamite”, the smooth-vibed “On Notice” (which features Donald Hayes) and, of course, Julian’s jazzy version of R&B group After 7 single “Ready or Not”. Also collaborating on the Supreme album is a host of “supreme” artist themselves that include Darren Rahn, Nicholas Cole, Adam Hawley, Elan Trotman, and Oli Silk. For more information about Bassist Julian Vaughn and his music, please visit the following website(s): https://julianvaughnmusic.com https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jul... https://www.youtube.com/user/julianva... https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/Julia... https://open.spotify.com/artist/6NS4Q... https://www.discogs.com/artist/191082... https://www.facebook.com/pages/catego... https://twitter.com/julianvaughn

POLAND: Piotr Damasiewicz & Power of the Horns Ensemble-Polska (2019)

“Make Polish Jazz great again”: Piotr Damasiewicz & Power of the Horns return with “Polska” LP A musical visionary, some outstanding instrumentalists, the 10th anniversary of the collective’s founding, a reflection on Polishness, and finally – a 4,000 km-long walking pilgrimage of 100 solo concerts in 100 temples. These events, symbols, experiences and facts have somehow been combined into one coherent whole – the Polska LP, the first release by Piotr Damasiewicz & Power of the Horns Ensemble since 2013. “Power of the Horns have the ability to captivate audiences of any festival, from jazz gigs to the huge Open’er, from the Baltic Sea coast to the Tatra Mountains, and hopefully in every corner of the globe”, as Kajetan Prochyra wrote in Jazzarium a few years ago, shortly after the release of the phenomenal concert album Alaman which earned the band considerable fame in the jazz scene. Power of the Horns, however, turned out to be a scarce commodity. They only performed on special occasions, and it took 6 years for their second album to be released. Now they are back with the album titled Poland.

USA: Michael Formanek Very Practical Trio - Even Better (Intakt)

  http://www.michaelformanek.com/ With his impressive artistic biography, Michael Formanek is one of the outstanding personalities of contemporary jazz as a composer, a bassist in ensembles and a soloist. He belongs to the circle of leading bassists and composers that includes Charles Mingus, Dave Holland, Charlie Haden and Barry Guy. Formanek's musical world, his immense experience, his knowledge of jazz tradition and the avantgarde, his ability and his charismatic appearance have a highly stimulating effect on the musicians of his bands. After the release of the CD with the Elusion Quartet (with Kris Davis, Tony Malaby, Ches Smith), the first album from his new trio follows: Michael Formanek Very Practical Trio with saxophonist Tim Berne and guitarist Mary Halvorson. "Michael Formanek has made some of his keenest creative leaps in recent years, documented on a sequence of justly lauded albums," writes American journalist Bradley Bambarger. The new album surprises with song-like structures: „it indeed courses with an insinuating lyricism, along with a snaking metrical pulse and a surprising textural richness given just three players.“

USA/SPAIN: Chano Dominguez / Hadar Noiberg-Paramus (2019)

The Mediterranean Sea is framed by cultures that have shaped modern thought and art. The music of the region is wildly diverse but, due to both voluntary and forced cultural exchanges over the ages, remarkably interconnected. Spanish pianist Chano Dominguez and Israeli flutist Hadar Noiberg have found each other, and their musical languages fit beautifully, as can be heard on their new recording, Paramus.

 Dominguez has long been considered one of the most influential pianists to emerge from Spain. His work in incorporating the flamenco styles of his native Andalusia into the improvised language of jazz has been revolutionary and has made him an indispensable part of the jazz lexicon of Spain and, invariably, a highly in demand performer.

 The classically trained Noiberg came to New York City from Israel to further her studies when she was 21 years old. Since then, she has been involved in musical projects of all sorts, leading her own ensembles and collaborating with a variety of other artists, including Yamandu Costa, Anat Cohen and Dave Valentin. Along with her interest in jazz and Middle Eastern music, Noiberg has become involved in Latin music of all shades and come under the exuberant influence of Brazilian music, especially choro.

USA: Ajoyo-WAR CHANT - EP (2019)

Hailed for the vibrant eclecticism and socially conscious engagement of its eponymous 2015 debut, the spellbinding jazz- world ensemble AJOYO returns with War Chant. The four-track EP offers an enticing preview of the group’s full length sophomore release WAR CHANT, due out in early 2020. Alongside saxophonist/bandleader Yacine Boularès, War Chant features a deeply attuned working lineup with vocalist Sarah Elizabeth Charles, keyboardist/producer Jesse Fischer, bassist Kyle Miles, guitarist Michael Valeanu and drummer Philippe Lemm.

Trumpeter Takuya Kuroda appears on “Assyko,” and Keita Ogawa and Foluso Mimy guest on percussion as well. Celebrity Café has praised AJOYO’s melding of “old-world Cameroonian beats with traditional jazz themes,” while All About Jazz has described how “the music exudes sophistication yet responds to a primordial pulse.” Those energies, and a continuous creative evolution, are evident again on War Chant, which opens with the cathartic title track aimed squarely at Trump’s misrule. “Assyko,” according to Boularès, is named for a Cameroonian rhythm and intended to evoke “pure joy and celebration of Roy Hargrove. The bridge and the effect on Takuya’s trumpet are a reference to Roy’s tune ‘Strasbourg/St. Denis.’”

USA: First Jazz Congress 2020 speakers & sessions announced!

First Jazz Congress 2020 speakers & sessions announced!

Monday, January 13—Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Frederick P. Rose Hall—Broadway at 60th Street, 5th Floor

Today, we’re excited to share the initial list of musicians who will be participating in sessions at Jazz Congress 2020:

Benny Benack III * Jaimie Branch * Dee Dee Bridgewater * Terri Lyne Carrington * Regina Carter * Braxton Cook * Orrin Evans * Jon Faddis * Maxine Gordon * Benny Green * Marquis Hill * Jazzmeia Horn * Javon Jackson * Kokayi * Marilyn Maye * René Marie * Christian McBride * Rudresh Mahanthappa * Wynton Marsalis * Ted Nash * Ted Rosenthal * Samora Pinderhughes * Somi * Camille Thurman * Kenny Washington * Brandee Younger

Additionally, speakers will include representatives from:

ABKCO * Columbia University * DC Jazz Festival * Fully Altered Media * Jazz at Lincoln Center * Jazz Memes * Jazz Philadelphia * Jazz St. Louis * JazzWeek * LunAtico * New Orleans Jazz Museum * NPR Music * Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies * South Arts * San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation * WBGO

Jazz Congress 2020 will feature over 32 sessions, including:

• Wellness for Jazz Musicians

• Africa: The Past & Future of Jazz

• Perfect Pitch: Jazz Video Challenge

• Musician: Book Thyself!

• “Bird” and Beyond: Celebrating Charlie Parker at 100

• How To Build Buzz for Gigs in the Post-Listings Era

• The Balance of Art & Commerce in the Business of Jazz Recording

• Jazz Radio's Role in an Era of Music Abundance

• Jazz Jukebox Jury

• Ask the Pros

Look for a more detailed schedule in the coming weeks at jazzcongress.org.

USA: SUN RA ARKESTRA - LIVE IN KALISZ 1986

Lanquidity Records proudly presents: SUN RA ARKESTRA - LIVE IN KALISZ (POLAND) 1986 It was one of the most peculiar landings of the Sun Ra Arkestra. Time: 7 December 1986, Polish People’s Republic, still separated from the West by the Iron Curtain. It's a grey and poor twilight of a real socialism era.


In three years the Eastern Bloc would collapse, but what still occupies the minds of Poles now is mostly the martial law imposed by the Pro-Moscow regime in 1981, when the country wanted to free itself from the influence of the Soviet Union. Place: Kalisz, one of the oldest Polish cities dating back to the 10th century, historically connected with the first kings of Poland, grew into a multinational centre with time as not only the Czech Brethren escaping the Habsburg monarchy found refuge here, but also prominent rabbis known across Europe used to operate and expound in the local Jewish community. In the 20th century,

Kalisz became a provincial city and its presence in the cultural life of Poland was most significantly marked with the International Jazz Piano Festival. It was during the 13th edition of the festival that Sun Ra Arkestra performed.


 What turned out to be most memorable for the concert-goers was the closing procession of musicians who left the stage to walk around the audience, circle the venue, and return. Researchers of the Sun Ra mysticism recognized such gestures as rituals of passage corresponding to the cosmic cycles of... more

credits released October 26, 2019 Danny Ray Thompson (bassoon, sax) Laurdine Kenneth "Pat" Patrick (baritone saxophone, alto saxophone, and Fender bass) Marshall Belford Allen (alto sax) Tyler Mitchell ( Bass ) Ronald Wilson ( Tenor Sax ) John Gilmore ( Tenor Sax, Clarinet ) James Jacson ( Bassoon, Ancient Egyptian Infinity Drums ) Leroy Taylor ( Alto Sax, Alto & Bass Clarinet ) Tyrone Hill ( Trombone ) Earl "Buster" Smith ( Drums ) Carl LeBlanc ( Guitar ) Sun Ra ( Piano, Synthesizer )

USA: Guitarist Lawson Rollins returns with the familiar yet noticeably different "True North"

Guitarist Lawson Rollins returns with the familiar yet noticeably different “True North”

His tenth album drops January 17 preceded by the single, “Bluewave Bossanova.”

SAN FRANCISCO (13 November 2019): Lawson Rollins’ recordings have always possessed a grand sense of travel, exoticism and adventure, narrated by the global guitarist’s prodigious and alacritous classical fingerstyle play that Guitar Player magazine recently spotlighted by selecting Rollins as one of the “50 Transcendent Acoustic Guitarists” of all-time. After embarking upon a creative departure on a few recent projects, the chart-topping composer-producer-musician, best known for crafting lush amalgams of contemporary jazz, world music, Latin and New Age over the past twenty years, charts a more familiar course on his tenth solo album, “True North,” dropping January 17, 2020 on Infinita Records. Yet there is a marked difference in his approach.  

The prolific Rollins spent the last couple of years exploring vast horizons. Last year, he assembled “Airwaves: The Greatest Hits,” which includes the Billboard top 10 hit “World of Wonder” featuring 3^rd Force and earlier this year, he released the experimental “Dark Matter: Music for Film.” Rollins also scored his first feature film, “Stay Out Stay Alive,” a multiple award-winning movie opening November 26 for which he served as executive producer of the film festival favorite. These diverse projects broadened the scope of his artistic muse, now budding in entirely new and different dimensions. Culling elements from each one, Rollins picked up his trusty acoustic nylon string guitar and utilized a fresh approach to write and produce “True North,” the first album that he produced entirely on his own. The wide array of projects also impacts the way he plays guitar, which exhibits a keener focus, discipline and restraint.                 

“The past couple of years have really expanded my musical horizons through my work on film music and also the single, ‘And If You Will Come With Me’ by Israeli superstar singer Idan Raichel. Those experiences forced me to hone down my quite often exuberant nylon string guitar style to suit the needs of the particular projects and also to delve more seriously into other instruments like the electric guitar, synthesizers and electronic percussion programming. With ‘True North,’ I was able to bring that new knowledge and perspective back home, in a sense, to the type of nylon string guitar-centered music that has been my true calling as an artist over the past 20 years,” said the San Francisco-based Rollins who hails from Durham, North Carolina.

“This is the first album I solely produced and also recorded all my guitars myself. I was able to take my time to capture performances that felt natural and unhurried to me, and I'm also really pleased with the warmth and purity of the acoustic guitar tone."

Change is also evident on the album cover and in the accompanying booklet, which are bright with pastoral colors and sunlight in photos taken on the Outer Banks, North Carolina, where Rollins spends a lot of time each year. Before the holidays next month, radio outlets will get to experience the first single from “Truth North” when “Bluewave Bossanova,” a sultry dance of textured world beat rhythms and an impassioned surge of guitar arpeggios, scales and harmonies, goes for playlist adds. The radio edit includes the addition of a sensitive soprano sax played byMary Fettig.

Rollins thrives on the collection, stretching out by playing nylon string guitar, slide guitar and electric guitar along with keyboards and drum programming. He’s accompanied by drummer and percussionist Dave Bryant, bassist Dan Feiszli, violinist Mads Tolling and Stephen Duroswho plays additional keyboards and electric guitar on “With the Wind,” an eclectic and imaginative album highlight destined to blow to the top of the radio charts.

“Many of the tracks, such as the title track as well as ‘With the Wind’ and ‘Dead Ahead,’ are unlike anything I've ever done, with new textures augmenting the familiar sound of my main instrument, the acoustic nylon string guitar. There's a more intense focus on melodic expression on this album and less on long improvisational flights of fancy. It's all about staying firmly on course - true north, as it were - and doing what serves the songs best."

Rollins’ unique brand defies simple categorization and has proven crossover appeal. He has placed albums in the top ten of Billboard’s World Music chart and his singles have conquered the contemporary jazz charts as well as garnered an abundance of airplay from world music and New Age outlets. Videos showcasing his lightning speed, extraordinary dexterity and mesmerizing guitar technique have received over 10 million YouTube views. After debuting in 2000 as a member of Young & Rollins, a duo that dropped four albums, Rollins premiered as a solo artist in 2008 with “Infinita.” His albums serve collaborations with an assorted mix of GRAMMY® winners and nominees that spans Tolling, guitar eccentric Buckethead, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Charlie Bisharat.      

                                                                                                                 

Rollins’ “True North” album contains the following songs:

“True North”

“With the Wind”

“Perpetual Motion”

“Bluewave Bossanova”

“South Beach”

“Full Sail”

“Dead Ahead”

“Yearning to Know”

“Year Abroad”

“Nostalgia”

“In the Shadows”

“The Winding Road”

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Rick Scott

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FRANCE: Lou Tavano - Nouvel album Uncertain Weather

Lou Tavano Nouvel album Uncertain Weather Disponible le 31/01/2020 sur le label L'UN L'UNE En concert au Duc des Lombards les 27/28/29 février 2020

Après For You, un premier album très remarqué, Lou Tavano est de retour le 31 janvier 2020 avec un second disque aussi intense qu’introspectif. Uncertain Weather vient confirmer toute l’originalité et la justesse de cette artiste à la corde vocale inclassable. Écrit à quatre mains avec son complice de toujours, le pianiste Alexey Asantcheeff, l’idée du disque est née en Écosse. « J’avais atteint le point de rupture, je devais partir de Paris. Alexey, écossais par sa mère, avait une maison là-bas, face à la mer, vide, avec un vieux piano à queue. C’était exactement ce qu’il me fallait. Là-bas je me suis retrouvée face à face avec une nature-miroir de mes propres émotions. Un équilibre parfait entre paix et fureur. Le fil conducteur m’était révélé. Avant même d’avoir les chansons, je savais que l’album s’appellerait Uncertain Weather.» Sur cet album, qui s'éloigne du jazz et gagne en consonances classiques et pop, un violoncelle et une batterie explosive viennent dialoguer avec le piano et le chant. Premier extrait de l'album, voici le clip de You See Me Now qui nous ensorcelle avec la voix caressante et si particulière de Lou Tavano. Pour regarder et diffuser le clip de You See Me Now : https://youtu.be/yuAoehgh6Lk

Lou Tavano est de retour le 31 janvier 2020 avec son second album Uncertain Weather, accompagnée du pianiste Alexey Asantcheeff avec qui ils ont écrit le disque à quatre mains. Nous avions découvert ce duo de songwriters avec For You, un premier disque où « les mots ont autant de poids que les notes ». For You a tout suite imposé Lou Tavano dans le cercle très fermé des chanteuses d'exception au charisme renversant. Lou Tavano et Alexey Asantcheeff poursuivent avec ce second disque leur recherche de sincérité absolue au cœur du storytelling de la jeune artiste. Lou se raconte ici, jeune femme impétueuse en proie au tourment et au doute.

Ce n’est sans doute pas un hasard si la couverture de l’album est légèrement floue, car c’est bien l’Incertain que la jeune femme cultive tout au long de ce deuxième opus. « Je doute en permanence. Je suis à la fois ma meilleure amie et ma pire ennemie. Ce disque est l’histoire de ce combat intérieur. » Une apparente simplicité nous dévoile des trésors cachés d’écriture. Ce jeu de pistes commence dès le titre Simple Ways To Be et son acrostiche-manifeste how complex it is to be simple.

Un travail d’orfèvre sur les paroles et une exigence que l’on retrouve en toute logique dans une musique finement brodée de motifs récurrents à travers tout l’album. Inspiré en cela des œuvres majeures du répertoire classique, le tandem de compositeurs cherche à multiplier les degrés de lecture de sa musique. Le souffle du jazz actuel parcourt organiquement ce disque dans un discours à la sobriété décomplexée. Les deux partenaires à la scène comme à la ville revendiquent leurs influences classiques « Bach et Chopin tournent en boucle sur les platines à la maison » et actuelles « les disques de Kendrick Lamar sont une référence en termes de construction narrative ».

À l’image de l’orchestration choisie pour le disque, où la voix et le piano sont complétés par le dialogue surprenant avec le timbre d’un violoncelle et d’une section rythmique explosive. Rien de plus naturel pour une génération qui cherche à s’affranchir des barrières et classifications obsolètes. Avec Uncertain Weather, Lou Tavano rend l’intime universel. « C’est avant tout un miroir dans lequel, j’espère, les gens se retrouveront » souligne celle qui a toujours peur de ne pas être comprise. « Alexey et moi vivons depuis longtemps ensemble, ce que nous traversons est intense, comme tous les couples. As We Part évoque cela notamment.

Mais il n’y a pas que cette relation qui me tourmente, il y a ma place de femme, d’être humain dans notre société, et enfin ma place en tant qu’artiste. Et je sais qu’au fond nous partageons, toutes et tous, ces sentiments. C’est ça qui est universel. À nous de trouver les mots justes pour qu’ils résonnent chez ceux qui écoutent notre musique. » Avec Uncertain Weather, Lou Tavano signe un album magistral et s’installe définitivement comme une voix majeure de la nouvelle génération du jazz français. Concerts de sortie parisienne :

Concerts de sortie parisienne :

Duc des Lombards - 27/28/29 février 2020

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