JazzWorldQuest - Jazz News With A Global Perspective

Thursday, February 23, 2017

FRANCE: Alexis Avakian-Hi Dream (2017)

Double Bass – Mauro Gargano
Drums – Fabrice Moreau
Duduk – Artyom Minassian
Piano – Ludovic Allainmat
Saxophone, Flute, Guitar – Alexis Avakian

NORWAY:Trio Mediaeval/Arve Henriksen- Rimur (ECM 2017)

Over several summers Trio Mediaeval and trumpeter Arve Henriksen spent many days together by the beautiful Dalsfjorden on the Norwegian west coast, and it was there that most of the music for this recording was born. Fascinated and inspired by Icelandic sagas, beautiful chants, folk songs, religious hymns and fiddle tunes, the quartet has arranged a unique set of songs where improvisation, mediaeval and traditional music from Iceland, Norway and Sweden meet the present. The singers and trumpeter have often performed in live settings with the collaboration reviewed by The Guardian as a richly musical and imaginative encounter. Rímur is their first extensive collaboration on disc and was recorded in February 2016 at Munich's Himmelfahrtskirche, produced by Manfred Eicher.

USA: Richard Sussman's "Evolution Suite" @ Roulette 2/28/17

RICHARD SUSSMAN

“THE EVOLUTION SUITE”
For Jazz Quintet, String Quartet, and Electronics

Composers Now Festival

FEB 28th AT ROULETTE, BROOKLYN

A Compelling Integration of
Jazz, Contemporary Classical Music, & Electronics featuring:

RICHARD SUSSMAN-composer/pno/electronics,
TIM HAGANS-tpt, RICH PERRY-ts,
MIKE RICHMOND-bs, CLARENCE PENN-dr,
MARK FELDMAN-vln, MARIO FORTE-vln,
RON LAWRENCE-vla, PETER SACHON-vcl

Tuesday, February 28, 2017, 8:00pm

Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, NY

Ticket Pricing:
$20 General Admission, $15 Seniors, $10 Students
For Tickets & More Info:
www.roulette.org (917) 267-0363
Long acknowledged as an accomplished and innovative jazz pianist, arranger, composer, and educator, Richard Sussman has been passionately exploring the inner and outer frontiers of contemporary musical expression throughout his entire career. His ground-breaking “Evolution Suite” for Jazz Quintet, String Quartet, and Electronics was funded by a Chamber Music America New Jazz Works Grant, and premiered and recorded on December 20, 2015, at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space in New York City. It is now available as a CD or Digital Download on Zoho Records.

The music for “The Evolution Suite” draws on Sussman’s many varied influences and areas of expertise, including straight ahead jazz, electronics, contemporary classical “New Music”, and elements from contemporary pop music. The ensemble features some of the best musicians on the planet, including Tim Hagans-trumpet, Rich Perry-tenor sax, Mike Richmond-acoustic & electric bass, and Clarence Penn-drums, with Richard Sussman on piano and laptop.The result is a truly cutting edge blend of highly original music with a completely contemporary appeal.

“Pianist Richard Sussman is among the most ambitious composers on the jazz scene today. His latest project, the epic Evolution Suite, exemplifies this creative outlook with dignity and self-assurance.”
- Brian Zimmerman, Downbeat Four Stars! ✮✮✮✮

“A cohesive work displaying his mastery of composition and improvisation. Filled with diverse rhythms and themes, a palpable excitement, fascinating electronics, and very beautiful moments – the effect of all of this is thrilling.” - Laurel Gross, NYC Jazz Record

"An amazing and very impressive work! Bravo & Congratulations!"
- Rufus Reid

The Composers Now Festival empowers living composers, celebrates the diversity of their voices and honors the significance of their musical contributions to our society. During the month of February, the Festival brings together dozens of performances presented by venues, ensembles, orchestras, opera companies, dance companies and many other innovative events throughout New York City. Experience the sounds and get to know the creators behind the music. From jazz to indie, from classical to electronic and beyond, join us on a sonic journey through the landscape of the arts of our time. Composers will be in attendance at all events and will be interacting with audiences. Composers Now is a project partner of The Fund for the City of New York. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the ASCAP Foundation, the Cheswatyr Foundation, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, The Dubose and Dorothy Heyward Memorial Fund and the Newburgh Institute for the Arts and Ideas.

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The Evolution Suite by Richard Sussman and the Richard Sussman Ensemble has been made possible with support from Chamber Music America’s 2014 New Jazz Works: Commissioning and Ensemble Development program funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Contact:
www.richardsussmanjazz.com
richard@richardsussmanjazz.com

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Fabio Petretti Quartet- Petretti Sound (Caligola Records 2017)

Double Bass – Paolo Ghetti
Drums – Stefano Paolini
Featuring, Guitar – Bebo Ferra

Piano – Michele Francesconi

Tenor Saxophone – Fabio Petretti

USA: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and Jon Batiste-The Music of John Lewis (2017)

Few captured the sleek, swinging sophistication of jazz better than pianist, composer, and bandleader John Lewis, who had a long, deep, personal relationship with Jazz at Lincoln Center. “He used to always call our program a miracle,” says Wynton Marsalis. “He used to always say, ‘Keep that miracle going.’”

In 2013, when the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis set out to honor the legacy of the Modern Jazz Quartet’s maestro, they teamed up with New Orleans’ own Jon Batiste. The bandleader of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and a prodigious pianist in his own right, Batiste joined the JLCO to tackle some of Lewis’s most iconic tunes during a sold-out concert in Rose Theater, the House of Swing.

From the blistering bebop of “Two Bass Hit” to the down-home blues of “2 Degrees East, 3 Degrees West”—from small group configurations to the big band might of the full JLCO—The Music of John Lewis captures the elegance and soulfulness of Lewis’s daring compositions. The record also includes a four-movement suite pulled from the Modern Jazz Quartet’s classic recording, The Comedy.

“The depth of his belief makes his music timeless,” Batiste says of Lewis. “For artists, what remains impactful and meaningful in one’s art depends on the accuracy and intensity of your insights. Mr. Lewis's music is still with us, and it is an honor to place my artistry in the tradition of serving it. So put on this record, listen with your eyes closed, and engage your imagination.”

USA: Valerie June -The Order Of Time (2017)

Valerie June's eagerly awaited second album, The Order of Time, set for release in January 2017, justifies the immense promise she exhibited on her acclaimed debut, Pushin' Against A Stone. Unfolding like a novella, June sketches detailed, three-dimensional portraits of real people struggling with dreams, defeat, hope and life, in this 12-track song cycle. Musically, the genre-defying singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has redefined herself again, infusing inspirations like Tom Waits, Nina Simone, Leonard Cohen and Fela Kuti into her unique blend of folk, blues, gospel and soul. As in life, a harrowing bite of bitterness can surely be felt in many of these songs and on others; June's ethereal soundscapes prove the perfect setting for her honeyed, childlike voice as she pleas for simplicity and a better world.