JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2020: Örjan Hultén Orion(Sweden)-Liberia Ballad(Artogrush Records)

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2020:Krzysia Górniak(Poland)-Strawberry Kisses

Krzysia Górniak(Poland)-Strawberry Kisses
Composer: Krzysia Górniak
Album name: Memories
Krzysia Górniak rarely treats us with her music. But once this happens, we usually deal with a delicious and subtle dish. She made us wait for her new album over 4 years. But the time was worth waiting, because this dish made from the best ingredients.
On her latest album, Krzysia decided preserve memories in music. Each tune is a voyage taking us either to a beautiful and special place or tells us about someone, who can only be recalled in sounds. Each composition is a different recollection and there are seven voyages in all. From a dynamic spiced with a highlander note “Sea Salt on My Lips”, to a nostalgic “Touch of Your Soul”, dedicated to tragically deceased drummer Grzegorz Grzyb, who in recent years has been part of her quartet with which she played and toured. The first single promoting the album titled “Strawberry Kisses”.
The album was recorded by:

• Krzysia Górniak – guitar
• Michał Wróblewski – piano
• Piotr Wrombel – piano
• Michał Jaros – double bass
• Marcin Jahr – drums
  
  Website CD Store
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ROMANIA: Florin Raducanu-Symphonic Jazz Poem

The Symphonic jazz poem, the work of Romanian composer and jazz pianist Florin Raducanu marks an important landscape in the world of fusion of jazz and classical music. Includes the only jazz passacaglia for symphonic jazz orchestra.This unique jazz symphony combines with creativity classical and jazz themes allowing a generous space to innovative and virtuosic improvisations. Structured in seven parts, the concept encompasses the pianist-composer’s original vision, such an endeavor being one of a kind in the music world.

credits

released January 1, 2016 

Belarusian State Philharmonic Orchestra – conductor Alexander Anisimov 
Florin Raducanu – piano, composer & orchestrator 
Special guest : Dalila Cernatescu -panflute 
Andrei Kleșchev (saxophone ten.), Viaceslav Serghienko(bass) , Alexandr Mineț (drums)

bandcamp

USA: Ambrose Akinmusire-On The Tender Spot Of Every Calloused Moment (Blue Note 2020)

Ambrose Akinmusire follows his acclaimed, genre-busting best-of-2018 manifesto "Origami Harvest" with another visionary statement on his new album "on the tender spot of every calloused moment," which finds the trumpeter examining blackness on an uncompromising set of modern jazz laced with a heavy feeling of the blues. The album presents 11 new compositions by Akinmusire and features his quartet with pianist Sam Harris, bassist Harish Raghavan, and drummer Justin Brown with guest vocals from Genevieve Artadi and Jesus Diaz.

BLUENOTE

USA: Heistheartist is back on the scene with a brand new studio release: “Boom (Love Version)”

 

June 2020 - Artist and performer Heistheartist is back on the scene with a brand new studio release, “Boom (Love Version)”. What’s special about this project is that it captures the artist’s incredibly diverse mindset, pushing him to stretch the boundaries of his creativity and explore styles as diverse as smooth jazz, fusion, and more.

The release sports some incredible production aesthetics. The recording quality hits the mark, and each element in the mix is utterly balanced, going for a powerful and contemporary tone, that’s catchy and easy to relate to. Heistheartist combines Christian themes with modern sounds, inspired by smooth, easy-listening music with a sophisticated tone. Hailing from Central Islip, NY, this talented performer started out as a secular soul singer, but later he he discovered he had a calling for performing as a voice for the Lord, and to share a more positive message of faith, unity and hope through his songwriting.

Fans of artists as diverse as Miles Davis, Sade, and Erykah Badu are definitely going to enjoy Heistheartist and his groundbreaking music.

Find out more about Heistheartist, and listen to “Boom (Love Version)”, which is currently available on the web’s best streaming services.

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/heistheartist
Instagram - https://www.Instagram.com/SignedLoveTheArtist

Official Website- https://www.artistecard.com/Heistheartist

JazzWorldQuest World Music Mix: Ariana Vafadari(Iran/France) -Anahita

Nouvel album Anahita Disponible le 19/06/2020 chez Quart de Lune With Anahita, Ariana Vafadari embraces a return to nature and brings us in a poetic musical journey capable of triggering a spiritual awakening. Discover a tapestry of melodies and incantations infused with the scents of the Orient.

Ariana Vafadari revient le 19 juin 2020 avec l'album Anahita, à la frontière de la musique du monde, du jazz et du classique. Cet album d'une rare beauté témoigne du talent vocal et de la démarche philosophique d'Ariana Vafadari. Formée au chant classique et diplômée du Conservatoire national de Paris, Ariana Vafadari a débuté sa carrière dans un répertoire exclusivement lyrique et se produit en tant que soliste en Europe, aux Etats-Unis, au Japon et au Brésil. Imprégnée dans son enfance par la poésie et la philosophie zoroastrienne transmise par son père, la mezzo-soprano crée des passerelles entre musique traditionnelle iranienne, marocaine, jazz et musique classique occidentale. Elle s’inspire des gathas, poèmes écrits par le philosophe Zarathoustra il y a plus de 3700 ans. Avec Anahita, Ariana Vafadari prône un retour à la nature et nous entraine dans une musique poétique capable de provoquer un éveil spirituel. Découvrez un bouquet de mélopées et d'incantations aux parfums de l'Orient.   Pour regarder et diffuser la vidéo d'Anahita : La chanteuse franco-iranienne Ariana Vafadari a composé chaque morceau de l'album Anahita à partir des maqams ou gammes orientales. Il en découle une musique qui vibre en permanence entre ses fondements mystiques orientaux et son pendant lyrique occidental. Ariana Vafadari et ses musiciens poussent sans cesse les frontières musicales. Tout au long de l'album, Ariana Vafadari est accompagnée de Julien Carton au piano et aux arrangements, de Driss El Maloumi à l'ud, de Leïla Soldevila à la basse, et d'Habib Meftah Boushehri aux percussions. Totalement en lien avec leurs origines culturelles et musicales, les musiciens ont été formés par la musique traditionnelle iranienne, ottomane, marocaine, par le jazz, la musique classique occidentale ou l’opéra, dans leurs improvisations et la pratique de leurs instruments, ils passent librement d’un univers à l’autre. Anahita, s’inspire de l’histoire de la déesse iranienne des eaux, de la fécondité, des peuples et des vivants. Ce conte onirique met en scène une jeune femme qui, anéantie face à son paysage devenu stérile, prie la déesse dont elle porte le nom de redonner vie à son monde. Son échange mystique avec la déesse la pousse à se lancer à la recherche de l’eau d’Immortalité, puis à finalement trouver l’Amour. Produite par Ariana Vafadari et Vincent Joinville, cette création musicale présente des morceaux et tableaux chantés en persan et français a été jouée en mars dernier au Musée du Quai Branly avec la participation de Fanny Ardant en récitante. Un véritable enchantement sonore, aussi apaisant que puissant. Un disque inoubliable.   Site officiel Facebook Instagram

USA: Dave Douglas-Dizzy Atmosphere (2020)

When Dizzy Gillespie put his hat in the ring for President of the United States in 1964, he also offered to be the first African-American astronaut, just in case they couldn’t find anyone else. In making Dizzy Atmosphere, Dave Douglas’s tribute to the great trumpeter, composer and humanist, Douglas said he wanted to explore Dizzy’s experimental and wide open mind as well as the influence of his music. 

This album shines a light on the whole legacy of Gillespie, one of America’s finest artists. The original music Douglas wrote swings and shimmers with a grace reminiscent of the great man. Dizzy Atmosphere also contains several imaginative arrangements of Gillespie compositions, including reinterpretations of two key Gillespie tunes “Manteca” and “Pickin’ the Cabbage.” Douglas’s band is also remarkable, featuring fellow trumpeter Dave Adewumi, recent winner of the Carmine Caruso Competition, along with pianist Fabian Almazan, guitarist Matt Stevens, bassist Carmen Rothwell, and drummer Joey Baron. 

Like his previous explorations of the influential music of Mary Lou Williams, Wayne Shorter, and Booker Little, this album is sure to inspire listeners to hear the music of Dizzy Gillespie in a new and interesting ways.

credits

released May 1, 2020 

Personnel: 
Dave Douglas, Dave Adewumi, trumpets 
Matt Stevens, guitar 
Fabian Almazan, piano 
Carmen Rothwell, bass 
Joey Baron, drums 

USA: Mark Ruffin Celebrates 40th Anniversary in Radio Broadcasting with Sept 1st Publication of "Bebop Fairy Tales," His First Short Story Collection

                                                          

Mark Ruffin Commemorates 40 Years In Radio Broadcasting                  SiriusXM "Real Jazz" Personality/Program Director Achieves a Landmark in His Storied Career As Disc Jockey, Music Programmer, & Interviewer Ruffin Celebrates Anniversary With the Publication of His Short Story Collection, "Bebop Fairy Tales," On September 1           June 10, 2020   Mark Ruffin, known coast-to-coast as the afternoon drivetime DJ for SiriusXM's Real Jazz channel, celebrates his 40th anniversary in jazz radio in on September 1, 2020. Ruffin, who is also the program director for Real Jazz, began his first professional job in the business -- at Chicago NPR affiliate WBEZ-FM -- on September 1, 1980. In the time since, he has amassed an odyssey's worth of jobs, accomplishments, relationships, and stories, both real and imagined. (Three of the latter will be published September 1, by his Rough In Creative Works imprint, in his debut story collection Bebop Fairy Tales: An Historical Fiction Trilogy on Jazz, Intolerance, and Baseball.)   "I really have had a charmed life, man," says Ruffin, reflecting on his four decades in jazz and broadcasting. "I understood that the whole way, how fortunate I was -- but it's been amazing. I went 20 years at four jazz radio stations in one city! That's something that isn't even possible anymore -- but I did that." His career in broadcasting has brought him two local Emmys, Jazzweek's Duke Dubois Humanitarian Award, and the Jazz Journalists Association's Career Excellence in Broadcasting Award.   Ruffin can say without exaggeration that he has spent his whole life steeped in jazz. One of his earliest memories is of a robbery at his parents' record store on the West Side of his hometown of Chicago, while a Miles Davis record played on the store's turntable. "[It was] 'If I Were a Bell' -- where he starts it by saying, 'I'll play it and tell you what it is later,'" Ruffin says. "At the end the needle would come back to the beginning. I was scared, but I also remember that every time that voice came back and said that, I was okay."   It's only the first of the lifetime's worth of jazz stories and memories Ruffin has collected. Many more have come straight from the mouths of the musicians who he has interviewed over his four decades in radio: the interviews on which he's built his superlative reputation not only as a broadcaster and raconteur, but as an expert and historian of the music. What he didn't learn through his lived experience, personal and professional, he gained through his front-row seat to jazz history, soaking up the musicians' tales and lessons with the same ear for detail that he brings to programming the music.   Mark Ruffin was born September 24, 1956 in Chicago, Illinois. His father, an electrician, set up a shop on Chicago's West Side that repaired TVs and radios on one side and sold records on the other. Ruffin's Records was also where Mark (and his five siblings) gained the technical and musical knowledge that would form the nucleus of his career in jazz radio.   Ruffin's first experience in radio was at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, where he worked on the staff of campus radio stations WSIU and WIDB. His knowledge of electronics allowed him to earn his then-required FCC license; his love of the music gave him something to do when he was operating those electronics.     Over the next 25 years, Ruffin worked at WDCB-FM, where he started his career as an interviewer; WBEE-AM, where he brought the station ratings success for the first time in twenty years; and WNUA-FM, where he produced the nationally syndicated Ramsey Lewis Show. He then returned to WBEZ, before transitioning in the 2000s to a nationally syndicated show of his own (co-hosted with Neil Tesser), Listen Here.   In 2006, Ruffin was hired by Harpo Productions -- Oprah Winfrey's shop -- as a producer on Winfrey's channel at what was then XM Satellite Radio. Rather than a gateway out of music radio, Oprah Radio proved to be a transition from jazz terrestrial radio to jazz satellite radio: By the fall of 2007 he had moved to New York to work at XM's Real Jazz, serving as program director even after the 2009 merger of XM and Sirius Satellite Radio and continuing until today.   On another front, Ruffin in the 1990s began to pursue writing fiction -- specifically, screenwriting, eventually becoming a 2003 semifinalist in the Sundance Institute's screenplay competition. One of his early (unproduced) screenplays, a Jazz Age tale in which Fats Waller is kidnapped by Al Capone, suggested a unique, jazz-focused form of historical fiction. Ruffin reinvented himself as a writer of print stories, and from 2003 until 2020 worked at the collection that has now become Bebop Fairy Tales. "How can I explain it, other than that it's about how powerful jazz is in people's lives?" he says. "I suppose the real thread behind all three stories is, 'intolerance is stupid.'"        Photography: Nick Carter        Mark Ruffin: "Bebop Fairy Tales"               Web Sites: markruffin.com, bebop.markruffin.com                 Media Contact: Terri Hinte 510-234-8781 hudba@sbcglobal.net terrihinte.com

BRAZIL: Brazilian jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar makes a "Live" statement with "Nothing Will Be As It Was"

Brazilian jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar makes a “Live” statement with “Nothing Will Be As It Was”

 

His “Live in Rio” album drops August 21 preceded by the single that aptly reflects our times

 

FORTALEZA, BRAZIL (10 June 2020): Brazil is leading the world per capita in coronavirus cases making it unlikely that people will be cramming into a concert venue anytime soon to hear live music. Then there is the recent unrest that erupted in response to civil injustices in the US that bodes to spark meaningful change around the world. These are the events that inspired contemporary jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar to release a new version of the Milton Nascimento classic “Nothing Will Be As It Was (Nada Sera Como Antes)” as a single ahead of the release of his “Live in Rio (Ao Vivo No Rio)” album, which drops August 21 from Bacelar Productions.   

 

“‘Nothing Will Be As It Was’ summarizes the existential questions raised globally by the coronavirus pandemic. Add to it the civil injustice and unrest that has surfaced over the last couple of weeks with Black Lives Matter, which is an especially important movement. We’re talking about the subject here in Brazil, too. We have a lot of problems with racism here, but our people have not yet taken the streets to protest and have social demonstrations. The world is watching the United States and people are talking about these issues everywhere,” said Bacelar who produced the 11-song “Live in Rio” collection.

 

Bacelar’s 2018 album, “Sebastiana,” contains a very different version of “Nothing Will Be As It Was,” which was sung in English by American singer Maye Osorio and accompanied by an animated video that suited the pop-electronic rendition of the song. The new live version has a different arrangement and features Bacelar dueting with Brazilian vocalist-pianist Delia Fischer in Portuguese backed by a jazz band.   

 

“I chose to release this single thinking about this moment and the lyrics of the song. The lyrics are like a photograph of the moment. It’s a very famous song in Brazil that was originally recorded in 1976 when we were under a military dictatorship. The lyrics say ‘I know that tomorrow nothing will be like before, What news of my friends will they give me? What news of you will they give me?’ People were disappearing at the hands of the dictatorial military regime. And now people are disappearing – dying – because of the virus. Everyone in Brazil, the United States and all over the world have lost friends due to the virus,” said Bacelar. 

 

“Live in Rio” was recorded in May 2018 at The Blue Note in Rio while Bacelar was promoting “Sebastiana.” He trimmed the 17-song set to the eleven tunes that appear on the live record feeling that the selected song list on the disc represents a balanced sampling of his repertoire and body of work. The outing includes tunes penned by Brazilian icons Nascimento, Tom Jobim,Gilberto Gil and Flora Purim along with American greats Benny Golson, Horace Silver, Pat Metheny and Chick Corea. Also included is a composition that Bacelar wrote with producer Cesar Lemos (Ricky Martin, Paulina Rubio) titled “Sernambetiba, 1992” from “Sebastiana.”  

                                                         

“I love the sound of the album because you can hear the energy of the live performance and the sound of playing in a jazz club. The Blue Note isn’t a big place – about 300 people – so you can hear the ambiance of playing in a small club. The microphone on the piano picked up the other instruments like the drums and saxophone because it’s a small place. The sound is very different than what you get in the studio where the sound is more clean,” said Bacelar who was accompanied by guitarist João Castilho, saxophonist-flutist Danilo Sina, double bassist Alexandre Katatau, drummer Renato Endrigo and percussionistAndré Siqueira.     

 

The idea of dropping the live album now began earlier in quarantine when Bacelar sat to record a solo piano piece for his social media. It made him think about the isolation people were feeling and the role live music plays and the unique energy it possesses.

 

“The time in isolation is accompanied by multiple experiences and music is a fundamental vehicle for perception, connection and the formation of perspectives that bring meaning to the events on personal, spiritual and emotional levels. I wanted to remind people of the sound of live music. People need the warm sound and feelings of live music as opposed to the electronic stuff we hear on studio recordings. By listening to this live album, you can embrace the warm sound from the safety and comfort of your home.”   

 

As an artist, Bacelar wants “Live in Rio” to be viewed as more than just a live recording. He wants the album to have impact, to say something, which is clearly reflected in his choice of the first single.  

 

“The album is not only about the songs. Without art and abstraction, life is meaningless. Artists have to have a position, make a statement about something and have a voice – not just sing and play piano. The album is a concept – with the arrangements, the cover, the lyrics. It’s important to me to send an important message.”

      

“Live in Rio (Ao Vivo No Rio)” contains the following songs:

 

“Killer Joe”

“Toda Menina Bahiana”

“Nothing Will Be As It Was”

“Senõr Blues”

“Partido Alto”

“So May It Secretly Begin”

“Caicó Cantiga”

“Água de Beber”

“Sernambetiba, 1992”

“Nanã”

“Blue Miles”

 

 

For more information, please visit http://ricardobacelar.com.br.

USA: Brad Mehldau’s Suite: April 2020 Available on Nonesuch TODAY!

Brad Mehldau’s Suite: April 2020 Available on Nonesuch TODAY!  Proceeds To Benefit THE JAZZ FOUNDATION OF AMERICA's COVID 19 MUSICIANS' EMERGENCY FUND LISTEN // BUY NOW While sheltering at home with his family in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic this spring, pianist and composer Brad Mehldau wrote twelve new songs about what he was experiencing; together with interpretations of three tunes that mean a great deal to him personally. The resulting solo album, Suite: April 2020, is available today, at 10am ET as a limited-edition deluxe 180-gram vinyl LP. One thousand numbered and signed copies are available for $100 across the Nonesuch Store, Bandcamp, and Discogs. A minimum of $90 from each sale will be donated to the Jazz Foundation of America’s COVID-19 Musician’s Emergency Fund (after distribution fees). Suite: April 2020 is also available digitally today; CD and standard vinyl editions will be available September 18, and a portion of their sales also will benefit JFA’s Fund. A video for the album track “remembering before all this,” with an introduction by Mehldau, is available here,Sheet music for the song is included with Nonesuch Storeorders. As Mehldau says, “Suite: April 2020 is a musical snapshot of life the last month in the world in which we’ve all found ourselves. I’ve tried to portray on the piano some experiences and feelings that are both new and common to many of us. In ‘Keeping Distance,’ for example, I traced the experience of two people social distancing, represented by the left and right hand—how they are unnaturally drawn apart, yet remain linked in some unexplainable, and perhaps illuminating way. As difficult as COVID-19 has been for many of us, there have been moments of revelation along the way. ‘Stopping, Listening: Hearing’ highlights that moment as well. “I’ve pointed to some of the strong feelings that have arisen the past month or more: ‘Remembering Before All This’ expresses a bittersweet gut-pain that has hit me several times out of the blue, when I think back on how things were even just a few months ago, and how long ago and far away that seems now; ‘Uncertainty’ hits on the feeling that can follow right after that—a hollow fear of an unknown future,” he continues.    “There’s also been a welcome opportunity to connect more deeply with my family than we ever have, because of the abundant time and close proximity. The last three pieces hit on that connection—the harmony we find with each other, making meals together or just horsing around. ‘Lullaby’ is for everyone who might find it hard to sleep now.”    “Neil Young’s words in ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down’ have always been counsel for me, now more than ever, when he instructs: ‘Don’t let it bring you down/It’s only castles burning/Find someone who’s turning/And you will come around.’ Billy Joel’s ‘New York State of Mind,’ a song I’ve loved since I was nine years old, is a love letter to a city that I’ve called my home for years, and that I’m far away from now. I know lots of people there and miss them terribly, and I know how much that great city hurts right now. I also know that it too will come around.” LISTEN // BUY NOW

USA: Dan Pugach Nonet - New Single and Video: "My Favorite Things"

I'm excited to announce the "My Favorite Things" premiers this Tuesday June 16!

You can Pre-save it on Spotify and watch the short video preview HERE

FRANCE/IRAN: Ariana Vafadari, nouvel album Anahita

Nouvel album Anahita Disponible le 19/06/2020 chez Quart de Lune

Ariana Vafadari revient le 19 juin 2020 avec l'album Anahita, à la frontière de la musique du monde, du jazz et du classique. Cet album d'une rare beauté témoigne du talent vocal et de la démarche philosophique d'Ariana Vafadari. Formée au chant classique et diplômée du Conservatoire national de Paris, Ariana Vafadari a débuté sa carrière dans un répertoire exclusivement lyrique et se produit en tant que soliste en Europe, aux Etats-Unis, au Japon et au Brésil. Imprégnée dans son enfance par la poésie et la philosophie zoroastrienne transmise par son père, la mezzo-soprano crée des passerelles entre musique traditionnelle iranienne, marocaine, jazz et musique classique occidentale. Elle s’inspire des gathas, poèmes écrits par le philosophe Zarathoustra il y a plus de 3700 ans. Avec Anahita, Ariana Vafadari prône un retour à la nature et nous entraine dans une musique poétique capable de provoquer un éveil spirituel. Découvrez un bouquet de mélopées et d'incantations aux parfums de l'Orient.   Pour regarder et diffuser la vidéo d'Anahita : La chanteuse franco-iranienne Ariana Vafadari a composé chaque morceau de l'album Anahita à partir des maqams ou gammes orientales. Il en découle une musique qui vibre en permanence entre ses fondements mystiques orientaux et son pendant lyrique occidental. Ariana Vafadari et ses musiciens poussent sans cesse les frontières musicales. Tout au long de l'album, Ariana Vafadari est accompagnée de Julien Carton au piano et aux arrangements, de Driss El Maloumi à l'ud, de Leïla Soldevila à la basse, et d'Habib Meftah Boushehri aux percussions. Totalement en lien avec leurs origines culturelles et musicales, les musiciens ont été formés par la musique traditionnelle iranienne, ottomane, marocaine, par le jazz, la musique classique occidentale ou l’opéra, dans leurs improvisations et la pratique de leurs instruments, ils passent librement d’un univers à l’autre. Anahita, s’inspire de l’histoire de la déesse iranienne des eaux, de la fécondité, des peuples et des vivants. Ce conte onirique met en scène une jeune femme qui, anéantie face à son paysage devenu stérile, prie la déesse dont elle porte le nom de redonner vie à son monde. Son échange mystique avec la déesse la pousse à se lancer à la recherche de l’eau d’Immortalité, puis à finalement trouver l’Amour. Produite par Ariana Vafadari et Vincent Joinville, cette création musicale présente des morceaux et tableaux chantés en persan et français a été jouée en mars dernier au Musée du Quai Branly avec la participation de Fanny Ardant en récitante. Un véritable enchantement sonore, aussi apaisant que puissant. Un disque inoubliable.   Site officiel Facebook Instagram