AROUND
JAZZ
MUSIC PRODUCTIONS
JEFF BALLARD FAIRGROUNDS feat. Kevin Hays, Lionel Loueke, Reid Anderson
MARCH 1-21, 2015
They
ride the rides. They take a turn riding all of them. These rides, which
make up this amusement park, should be built in places perfect, well
studied. It takes a certain strength to build, to manage, and to
coordinate. These and other qualities Mr Ballard must have thought
about, a cultured and refined musician, when he decided to call his
latest creation Fairgrounds. Whomever would like to may participate, the
only requirement is that they are emotionally committed. Ballard
started from there, with friends, colleagues, who would assure him the
right chemistry:
Lionel Loueke on guitar (Herbie Hancock, Terrance Blanchard),
Reid Anderson
(whom we know as the bassist of the imaginative trio The Bad Plus; but
here he has left the acoustic bass and has devoted himself to weaving
electronic sounds and textures with a computer and various controllers),
and
Kevin Hays (Joe Henderson, Benny Golson, John
Scofield) on piano and keyboards. As a carousel, anyone can climb aboard
this band if he so wishes. So the group's roster expands and contracts.
An open workshop, creative, constantly evolving. Those who come in
should not behave as simply a "guest" but as a full time essential
member of the band, bringing all his or her desires, commitment, and
knowledge thru the gate into the fairgrounds.
Musically diverse, sometimes very bold and unexpected, Jeff
Ballard Fairgrounds does not have a fixed or pre-established repertoire,
the music mostly comes as sound ideas brought in by Ballard and his
companions, taking on different forms as the ideas germinate and expand
in context. A group with an unusual timbre from their combined strength.
A new reality which will act as an arena where one can bring ideas and
flex the mind. The creativity and commitment of the leader is well
documented also by his stylistic choices. The sharp blades of the
avant-garde, the obsessions of free jazz, the intrigue of electronics,
wide cultural diversity of rhythm, colors, textures of rock, the
splendid virtuosity of the individual involved.
All of this is to describe Jeff Ballard Fairgrounds. Just listen
to it and you will no longer have any doubt: when the bell sounds
announcing the new round of tournament, stay there. Don't miss it.
Line up: Jeff Ballard (drums), Kevin Hays (piano), Lionel Loueke (guitar), Reid Anderson (electronic).
Our sub agents for Europe are:
Anteprima Productions (France),
Artribute (Germany, Austria, Switzerland),
Kjell Kalleklev Management (Norway),
Angels Mas Caribbean Music Productions (Spain),
Amsterdam Jazz Agency (Benelux).
AROUND
JAZZ
MUSIC PRODUCTIONS
