Yochk'o SEFFER - From New York To Budapest (Great Winds/Musea 2013)

Yochk'o SEFFER always created varied and interesting works during his long of career, be it with MAGMA, ZAO, NEFFESH MUSIC, his teammate François "FATON" CAHEN or all alone. In each of his records, the French saxophone-player tries to pay tribute to his Hungarian roots, with jazz-rock music close to ZAO, but with free tendencies. "Chromophonie" compiles two volumes, originally released in 1981 and 1982, with the notable support of Hungarian violinist Lajos HORVATH and the QUATUOR MARGAND. "Magyar Etno" unites popular music from Hungary with free and dissonant jazz. "Yog I - Pitchipoy" (1997) keeps on carrying NEFFESH MUSIC's spirit, as flaming as ever. The development of complex and structured themes are linked with frenetic saxophone parts, blended with other instruments. It can be described as the crossing point between works like "Ghigoul" or "Chromophonie". "Yog II - Sefira" (1998) follows the same path with an equal talent: Thierry MAILLARD, Dominique BERTRAM and Sylvain MILLER are here as well. "My Old Roots" is a collection of pieces recorded between 1976 and 1980. Some of them should have been included in the Musea reissue of "Chromophonie", but were dropped because of technical problems. So, here they are today ! Some others had been composed in the year 1976 with NEFFESH MUSIC. Let's also note that many of the compositions were never released on CD, especially an unreleased track recorded in 2005 with violin player Lajos HORVATH. So, here's an excellent introduction to the lively, inventive and colourful music of Yochk'o SEFFER. Just brilliant ! The "Chromophonie" DVD was the documentary we were waiting for, to illustrate the career of this exceptional musician, refugee in France since the dramatic events suffered by Hungary in the year 1956. Directed by Jean-Pierre ZIRN, this movie presents the work of the artist as a musician, but also as an improviser, a painter and a sculptor. Musicians from the MAGMA galaxy are featured here, such as Christian VANDER, Didier LOCKWOOD or François "FATON" CAHEN. Some other fellows appear as well: Alain BOUHEY, Sylvain MILLER, Laurent MATHERON, François CAUSSE, Denis CONSTANT-MARTIN, L'ENSEMBLE DE CORDES CAMERATA DE L'ISLE, LE SEPTUOR DE SAXOPHONES, Gérard PREVOST and Cynthia SAINT-VILLE. Five bonus-tracks complete the show, new interpretations from the repertoire of ETHNIC DUO, NEFFESH MUSIC and ZAO. Said to be Yochk'o SEFFER's musical testimony, "Condor" (Musea Parallèle, 2010) is no less than a triple-album, worthy of the event ! It showcases several duets recorded with Joëlle LEANDRE, Jean-Pascal MOLINA, Sylvain MILLER and François CAUSSE. Made of original tracks, this major opus is decomposed into three different parts, named "Puma", "Anaconda" and "Condor". The latter features the ambitious "Trabla n°12", a 30 minute-long work for fifteen saxophones (!), and a present performance of the classic "Ima" as a video bonus-track. "Acèl Toll" (Great Winds, 2011) has been recorded as a quartet with Didier LEVALLET (Double-bass), Sébastien LOVATO (Piano) and Jean-Pascal MOLINA (Drums). Not to be missed !
http://yochko-seffer.com

USA, NYC: LIONS Trio featuring Yelena Eckemoff, Arild Andersen and Billy Hart, at Birdland, NY

On March 26, Birdland Jazz club will be hosting a performance by the newly formed Lions Trio, featuring the venerated Russian-American pianist Yelena Eckemoff, Norwegian bassist and ECM Records Icon, Arild Andersen, and the charismatic American drummer, Billy Hart. The Lions Trio will be performing new songs from Yelena's upcoming release, Glass Song, offering a chance for jazz fans to experience an evening of dazzling music and relaxation. The Lions Trio seamlessly joins three incredible voices into one, transforming the spirit of the original compositions to a rarely heard level of intimacy and beauty.

Concert Information:
Birdland Jazz Club
315 W. 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
There will be two sets: 8:00 pm and 11:00 pm
Doors - 7:00pm and 10:30 pm

Tickets - $30.00 all seats.
There is a $10.00 food or beverage minimum per person, per show.
Dinner is served between 5:00pm-1:00am.

SPAIN BARCELONA: JAMBOREE Club Schedules

Tuesday
05 March 2013
AFROBLUE
Jazz | 20:00h | 22:00h

Wednesday
06 March 2013
RUSÓ SALA & KEKKO FORNARELLI TRIO
Jazz | 20:00h | 22:00h

Thursday
07 March 2013
MARTÍ SERRA QUARTET
Jazz | 20:00h | 22:00h

Friday
08 March 2013
JOE MAGNARELLI QUINTET featuring PERICO SAMBEAT
Jazz | 20:00h | 22:00h

Buy Tickets
Saturday
09 March 2013
JOE MAGNARELLI QUINTET featuring PERICO SAMBEAT
Jazz | 20:00h | 22:00h


Sunday
10 March 2013
AMADEU CASAS
New album Matèria orgànica
Jazz | 18:00h | 20:00h

The O'Farrill Brothers Band CD Release Show “Sensing Flight” Fri, Mar 22nd @ The Jazz Gallery Sets 9 & 10:30 pm

The O'Farrill Brothers Band
CD Release Show
“Sensing Flight”
Fri, Mar 22nd
@ The Jazz Gallery
1160 Broadway 5th fl
New York NY 10001
(212) 242-1063
Sets 9 & 10:30 pm
$20, $10 for members
http://www.jazzgallery.org/

Featuring
Adam O'Farrill: trumpet
Livio Almeida: tenor sax
Gabe Schnider: guitar,  
Adam Kromelow: piano
Raviv Markovitz: bass
Zack O'Farrill: drums

NEW CD
The O'Farrill Brothers Band
“Sensing Flight”  
Zoho 201301
St Date January 8, 2013

The word for takeoff in Spanish is despegar. It means to detach, to become unglued from your point of origin. I like this word because it implies being set free. These six extraordinary musicians are in the throes of becoming unglued, detaching from the point of origin in their lives, in their careers, in their identities, and in their art. And like those avid plane enthusiasts (I confess to this nerdish behavior) who get unspeakable pleasure from watching planes take off, watching these young musicians, we get the thrill of seeing a seemingly too heavy object glide impossibly towards the heavens with grace and majesty. Vicariously or from the window seat, sensing and realizing flight is a thing of joy. Sometimes in your life, your career, your identity, even in your art, when you’re far from your point of origin, miles above the turbulence, it can seem like you’re not moving at all. It is then that you forget you’re flying. One must never forget what a miracle, what an act of grace it is to soar, physically mentally, artistically and in our humanity. These great young artists are a reminder. Brothers Incredible musicians, sure, precocious from the start, but really lovely human beings, the point from which all Art emanates, your humanity. Zack has always been an old soul, reserved, patient, Buddha-like, with a voracious appetite for numbers, rhythms, literature and the scholarly approach to solving the age old puzzle of what is the deep and profound essence of swing. A perfect foil for his brother Adam, whose tricky meters, impulsive temperament and architectural composing discipline are matched only by his unique voice as an improviser. Between the two of them there is a heartfelt bond of love and understanding. Of all my achievements, by far the greatest is that they grew up as best friends. Sons They also grew up being true friends to those they surround themselves with. I can’t help feeling a measure of fatherly pride towards these other young musicians whom my sons have befriended. They are all good and gentle souls, open vessels filled with great humanity, kindness, and the core value of all real artists, humility. The entire recording and rehearsal process was egoless and stress free. Adam Kromelow and Raviv Markowitz are technically formidable musicians, but they are also uniquely gifted interpreters, having all the chops to play this very tricky music but the artistry not to overplay. Instead they let the music dictate what it needs from them and oblige they do, with personality, distinction and style. I had the privilege of recording these two before in a wonderful trio album that Adam K. made (The Adam Kromelow Trio “Youngblood”, ZOHO ZM 201202) and felt that same way. No matter what the situation, these guys are here to meet the needs of the music. Livio Almeida calls us his American family, a distinction we wear proudly. His Brazilian birth family can take pride in the fact that he is a gentle, soft spoken human being who cares greatly about those around him, a trait that reveals itself in every note he plays. It never ceases to amaze me that he catches Adam’s nuances to a tee and they phrase as if they’ve been playing together their whole lives. Gabe Schnider is really a third horn in the front line. This wonderful musician thinks contrapuntally instead of vertically. His logic and intuition are revealed in the way that he captures those same phrasing nuances that Livio does, but then the fire in his belly comes roaring out in every solo he takes. When he trades with Adam there is a kinship and respect that you hear. Imagine that: hearing feelings as opposed to notes. I love these musicians, I love their commitment to the music, but most of all I love their commitment to the realization that they make music together in a way that they can’t in their individual projects. This is a real band with egos checked at the door seeking to create that best of all possible musical experiences, a true collaboration. There is little doubt that they all take a back seat to the great mandate: Art. Music first. Drive This is a piece written in all manner of tricky meter morphing but has an uncanny ability to feel like it’s in four, this is partially due to the fluidity of Raviv and Zack’s sense of pocket, it’s also the generous shaping of the melody and its effortless execution. A favorite device of Adam’s is the trade, first of trumpet and guitar, then of piano and sax, here it’s used beautifully, as much a part of the composition as the written notes. Wrong Key Donkey Carla Bley is a great American composer. A truly non-derivative and unique voice. I had the privilege of playing in her band when I was these kids’ age. Consequently, I exposed my charges to her work early on. We’ve grown up on her music yes, but also on her insistence that music and the materials used in its making are more important than genre and classification. The drum solo is beautiful. It is a great example of catching all the swing without being dogmatic. Monet This was the Adam’s first composition that really impressed me. Somehow he manages to capture impressionist oil painting techniques with a palette of metal, string, wood and skins. I love interdisciplinary interaction and to me this is exactly what takes place. This is not so much a composition as a sound painting. Raviv and Gabe serve as solo guides to this exploration of gauzy dreaminess. Action and Reaction  The intro here is pure brotherly intuition, with fatback, or manteca, or vonz or whatever you call it. This Livio Almeida composition is witty, dark, and somewhat Latin sounding with a funk edge. Adam K’s solo maneuvers the rhythmic map with ease. Adam O has a similar approach, sneaking around the meter changes with languid lines that belittle the syncopation. I love the Adams’ trading at the end, all angles and sharp edges. Mind Troubles This piece came about when Adam had a troubling afternoon, some father and son difficulty. Young man had to do some heavy soul searching. Some blues were in order that day and if you listen carefully you can hear angst and resolution in the piece. In some ways it is the most “inside” selection on the recording relying on a shuffle with a strangely metered “interruption” as if the presence of conflict is a balancing necessity in order to truly experience comfort. Deep thoughts for a young man, but wisdom for the ages. Both Livio and Gabe settle into this conflicted picture with ease and understanding. Broken Wings It is achingly beautiful and the performance of this piece by these young musicians is nothing less than stellar. When I hear this I am filled. What more can I say? Words are meaningless. Close your eyes, turn off the lights and be filled. Nourishment for the soul. Full Measure This has the most “Jazz” like writing on it. It has all the earmarks of idiomatic writing but with an indisputable Adam-like quality to the counterpoint and the rhythmic “looseness” of the thematic material, defying genre. This is what attracts me to individualist artists, it’s not the arrow it’s the archer. I love the trades at the end between Livio and Adam. Strange ending (I love strange). Upper Manhattan Medical Group How can you not love a bunch of kids who think Billy Strayhorn is the bomb, whose idea of fun is sitting around playing Strayhorn tunes? What Adam plays on his horn is mature, inventive, technically profound and unique. Same thing can be said for Adam Kromelow. Oh, you can hear the influences, but they have it, that unique spark of originality, of non-replication. What Raviv and Zack lay down is no less impressive. Their groove is large, their pulse a massive entity with an elasticity that betrays their youth. Sensations It would be easy to dismiss this as the rantings of a proud papa, but I have some experience in the field of music and can honestly say this composition is extraordinary. The performance of it is also deeply profound. This is chamber jazz, a true hybrid of written, improvised, stylized, insightful and deeply thoughtful music played by great artists. The trades at the end are so passionate and heartfelt, one is almost embarrassed to look. At the end of the day this is music so honest that it would be a masterpiece by musicians of any age. Final Thoughts The greatness of this moment for me is not in having raised these great musicians, but in having nurtured real thinkers. In having influenced thoughtful and sensitive young men, who are informed, socially conscious, politically aware and driven by their own search for truth in a world that is getting increasingly mediocre, mired in greed and self enrichment. In such a world it is nice to know that there are those who seek betterment, improvement, and growth, in themselves, in their community and in the listeners who are blessed to hear them take flight. Mama Deane, we can relax now. . . . .(maybe). Arturo O’Farrill September 26, 2012

Artist WEBSITE http://www.ofarrillbrothers.com  Label Website: http://www.zohomusic.com/ ZOHO ®  is distributed by Allegro Media Group, Portland, OR. Zoho Media contact: Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services T: 845-986-1677 E-Mail: jim@jazzpromoservices.com

Soweto-Born Vocalist LORRAINE KLAASEN Pays Homage to "Mama Africa" on New Justin Time Records Album, "A Tribute to Miriam Makeba," Available March 12

Lorraine Klaasen A Tribute to Miriam Makeba

Release Date: March 12, 2013
Label: Justin Time Records
 
 DL Media ·  (610) 667-0501
Matthew Jurasek
matthew@dlmediamusic.com


 
"... Lorraine Klaasen makes the music all her own... Klaasen's voice is as
strong as it is nimble. Her energy is infectious, and it comes through
in everything she touches." - The Montreal Gazette

Stream tracks from A Tribute to Miriam Makeba

As a follow-up to the triumphant Africa Calling, her previous release on Justin Time Records, singer Lorraine Klaasen pays homage to a South African cultural icon and close family friend on A Tribute to Miriam Makeba. "I used to call her auntie Miriam because she and my mother were such close friends and she knew me since I was a little girl," says Klaasen. "I just wish I could have done this while she was still alive."

Released in her adopted country of Canada last year, A Tribute to Miriam Makeba was nominated for a prestigious Juno Award (the country's equivalent of a GRAMMY®) in the world music category. The album receives its Stateside release in March, just prior to the April 19 Juno Awards ceremony.

Klaasen's musical career started at an early age in the 1970's when she would accompany her mother, renowned jazz singer Thandi Klaasen, to live performances all over Southern Africa including the neighbouring states of Mozambique and Swaziland. It wasn't long after that she branched out on her own and got into musical theatre which took her across Europe and eventually ended up in Montréal, Canada where she has been living for over two decades.

The vocalist grew up with cherished childhood memories of Makeba, who passed away on November 9, 2008. And though Makeba, affectionately known by her fans as 'Mama Africa,' was exiled from South Africa in 1961 when Klaasen was just a little girl, they would have a reunion two decades later at a concert they performed together in Holland in 1987. "I remember she said to me at the time, 'Oh my goodness! You look exactly like your mum. You're a photocopy of your mum,' Klaasen recalls. "Then years later when I told Miriam that I wanted to record some of her songs one day, she gave me her blessing and said, 'You know, baby, just do it your way. Don't try to do it my way, do it your way.' So in this homage to her, I'm keeping my word and doing it my way."

Photo Credit: Pierre Arsenault

The Soweto-born singer has been one of the foremost exponents of the classic sound of Township music, which continues to be the most distinctive sound to come out of South Africa. She mines the motherlode of that infectious upbeat music in her moving tribute to 'Mama Africa,' who remains a revered figure to the people of South Africa. In a stripped-down setting, accompanied only by Senagalese guitarist Assane Seck (in his very first recording session), Benin-born percussionist Moise Yawo Matey and her longtime bassist Sebastian Andrew Whiteman, Klaasen's voice rings out with joyous power on six classic Makeba numbers -- the popular "Click Song," which incorporates the Zulu technique of 'click singing,' the driving dance number "Jolinkomo" a buoyant medley of "Jikele Maweni" and "Intoyam," the lilting "Iphindlela" and the 1967 international hit "Pata Pata." A prolific songwriter herself, Klaasen also contributes three Mbaqanga flavored originals in the brisk romp "Kudala Ndikulindie," the infectious "Mina Nawe" and the dramatic "Imbizo." There's also covers of the tender ballad "Lakutshon Ilanga" and the grooving "Unomeva."

 

"My last album featured a larger ensemble backing me," says the longtime Montreal resident. "But this time we decided to go with just a trio, and the songs stand out that way because the arrangements are not so cluttered." She adds that she hit on an immediate chemistry with the musicians as soon as they gathered in the studio. "You have to have the right combination of musicians to make the music work in a small setting like that because it's so revealing. They're all great musicians and they came in with no preconceived ideas other than to serve the song. And that ultimately was the key to this album -- emphasizing the song rather than the arrangement."

 

One poignant offering, the autobiographical "Lorraine," is a song that Klaasen wrote incorporating some of the content from letters that her mother had written to her when she was in her early 20s. It is also the only song on the collection that she sings in English. "It's in English because those letters that she wrote to me were in English," says Lorraine. "My mother had a great passion for what she did and I always remember my mum telling me, 'You got to enjoy what you do. You got to have passion... respect your work, it's your art.'" Klaasen, who speaks 17 languages, sings in Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa and Lingala throughout the rest of the album. 

 

While Miriam Makeba was well-known to U.S. audiences during the '60s and '70s for her concerts and recordings with Harry Belafonte and her TV appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, it was her participation in Paul Simon's groundbreaking Graceland album in 1987 that introduced her to a new generation of Stateside audiences. To mark the 25th anniversary of that world music landmark, the Joe Berlinger film Under African Skies was released, which documented the making of Graceland and subsequent world tour with Makeba as a featured special guest. The tour culminated in a historic show in South Africa before a mixed race audience, which fueled further resistance to the apartheid regime of South Africa.

 

Now, 25 years later, Klaasen does 'auntie Miriam' proud on her spirited homage, A Tribute to Miriam Makeba.

A Tribute to Miriam Makeba - Personnel/Track Listing

 

Lorraine Klaasen, vocals 

Assane Seck, acoustic guitar, back vocals

Sebastian Andre Whiteman, bass, back vocals

Moise Yawo Matey, percussion, conga, back vocals

 

1. Click Song (Miriam Makeba, Jerry Ragovoy) - 3:47

2. Jolinkomo (Gibson Mtutuzeli Kente, Letta Semenya Mbulu) - 4:25

3. Medley: Jikele Maweni & Intoyam (Miriam Makeba) - 3:34

4. Kudala Ndikulindie (Lorraine Klaasen) - 3:24

5. Lakutshon Ilanga (Mackay Davashe) - 4:07

6. Lorraine (Lorraine Klaasen, Thandi Klaasen, Stef Bos) - 3:33

7. Mina Nawe (Mongezi Ntaka, Lorraine Klaasen) - 3:57

8. Pata Pata (Miriam Makeba, Jerry Ragovoy) - 3:42

9. Imbizo (Mongezi Ntaka, Lorraine Klaasen) - 4:06

10. Unomeva (Welcome Lulama Duru) - 3:53

11. Iphindlela (Miriam Makeba) - 4:22

 

 Lorraine Klaasen ·  A Tribute to Miriam Makeba 

Justin Time Records ·  Release Date: March 12, 2013

 

 

Watch Lorraine Klaasen perform "Pata Pata"

For more information on Lorraine Klaasen, please visit: LorraineKlaasen.com 

   

 

Information and press materials (including album covers, promotional photos and bio's)  

on all DL Media artists can be found at our new website: dlmediamusic.com 

Stephan Crump/Mary Halvorson - Secret Keeper (Intakt 2013)

Stephan Crump Acoustic Bass
Mary Halvorson Guitar

Two of the most innovative personalities of the New York jazz scene in Brooklyn, Stephan Crump and Mary Halvorson, present a very special, intimate and atmospheric recording called "Super Eight" under the band name of "Secret Keeper".

Stephan Crump surprised a few years ago with a duo recording on Intakt on which he collaborated with saxophonist Steve Lehman. He made him­self a name with his Rosetta Trio and as the bass player of the Vijay Iyer Trio. Mary Halvorson is one of the busiest musicians around. She plays with Anthony Braxton, Ingrid Laubrock and Marc Ribot to name just a few.

Jim Macnie writes in the linernotes: " Each is fluent in the grammar of modern improv and adept at concocting music from feel. The fact that they're a duo not only italicizes the particulars of their interaction, but spotlights the personality of their instruments. Super Eight finds both guitar and bass resonating. Surrounded by only themselves, they've made an album of unusual candor."
Intakt

Marc Matthys Trio meets Peter Verhoyen - Echoes (AlleyCats 2013)

Marc Matthys - Saxophone ténor, Accordéon, Clavecin
Marc Roosendans - Contrebasse
Tony Gyselinck - Batterie
Peter Verhoyen - Flûtes