Ferenc Nemeth - Triumph (feat. Lionel Loueke, Joshua Redman & Kenny Werner) [Bonus Track Version] (Dreamers Collective Records 2012)

Hungarian drummer Ferenc Nemeth released his solo debut, Night Songs, in 2007. His second release, 2012’sTriumph, is a finely integrated work that’s well-paced from beginning to end. Nemeth’s band includes guitarist Lionel Loueke (who appeared on Night Songs), pianist Kenny Werner, and saxophonist Joshua Redman. All the compositions are by Nemeth, and four interludes punctuate the proceedings. A five-piece woodwind section appears at times, adding lovely textures to the group’s sound. Sensitive lyricism, mellow-but-energetic funkiness, and focused soloing all have their place here. The title cut features a perky theme, a Loueke guitar solo marked by his trademark scat singing, and Redman's nuanced tenor work. “Interlude III” is given over to a drum solo that rivets throughout, whether swinging fiercely or artfully sputtering. The lush “Longing” sports a woodwind arrangement that mixes with classically tinged piano and rattling percussion. “Sorrow and Wishful Thinking” is nicely colored with African touches, melodic soprano saxophone, and the vocals of guest Barbara Togander.
Ferenc Nemeth

Makaya McCraven - Split Decision (Chicago Sessions 2012)

Makaya McCraven – drums;
Andrew Toombs – piano;
Tim Seisser – bass.
Recorded 8/14 & 11/15/2011.
Produced by Nick Eipers and Makaya McCraven. Engineered by Nick Eipers.

REVIEWS:

“The music on 'Split Decision' (the debut album led by drummer Makaya McCraven) shimmers with pop energy while retaining a resilient jazz core - a fresh take on the age-old piano trio, catapulted by McCraven's propulsive percussion into an orbit that few first-time groups ever achieve. Other trios have attempted to fuse jazz roots with contemporary sounds, but McCraven has managed to do so in a way that should fully please listeners of both camps... McCraven's trio album sounds as if it had worked together for years... It has that organic, lived-in quality that marks the most experienced bands - a platform that allows each musician to take chances knowing that the others will (or catch him if he starts to fall). This kind of mutual trust doesn't come easily, and sometimes not at all; here it underlines every track...”
- Neil Tesser (from the liner notes)

BIO:

Born in Paris October 19th 1983, to drummer Stephen McCraven and Hungarian folk singer Agnes Zsigmondi, Makaya McCraven has internationally toured, performed and recorded with jazz greats such as Bobby Broom, Archie Shepp and Charles Neville. In high school, Makaya was co-founder of the band Cold Duck Complex. They released 3 records and toured throughout the Northeast, opening for major national acts and gaining a loyal fan base. Cold Duck Complex became a campus favorite at the the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where they opened for 50 Cent, Rhazel and Reel Big Fish. As a music major at the University, Makaya played in the University Jazz Orchestra and earned 3 Downbeat student awards.

Currently Makaya resides in Chicago and has cracked the upper echelon of the music scene. He has performed at some of Chicago's finest venues and festivals, including Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion, the Taste of Chicago, the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Green Mill, Andy's, the Jazz Showcase, and the Velvet Lounge. Rooted in Chicago, Makaya travels between the Midwest and East Coast. He is the Musical Director of the Pushkin, an arts collective in Greenfield, Massachusetts where he is known for throwing cultural events and recording albums with a variety of musicians.

Makaya has contributed to a number of recordings with artists representing a spectrum of styles: Apollo Sunshine's "Shall Noise Upon," (Headless Heroes); Kris Delmhort's "Shotgun Singer," (Signature Sounds); Grammy nominated Seth Glier's "The Next Right Thing", and others. Makaya’s background, coupled with his love for real hip hop, rock, and any other forward-thinking music that comes his way, makes for a dynamic instrumental fusion that is undeniable to the listener. Makaya is a true improviser who, with each performance, creates a new live music experience.
http://www.makayamccraven.com

Carla Marciano - STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS (ALFAMUSIC 2012)

STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
1. God rest ye merry, gentlemen 13.40 (English traditional - Elaborated by Alessandro La Corte)
Stream of consciousness
2. Preceding/Inner blast (Introduction/Part I) 13.24 (C. Marciano)
3. Consequence (Part II) 9.14 (C. Marciano)
4. Turning point (Part III) 6.44 (C. Marciano)
5. Inside 10.24 (C. Marciano)
6. Handshake 9.41 (C. Marciano)



Carla Marciano - alto and sopranino saxophones
Alessandro La Corte - piano
Aldo Vigorito - bass
Gaetano Fasano - drums
http://www.carlamarciano.it

Barry Romberg's Random Access - Crab People, Pt. 12 (Romhog Records 2013)

Album Notes

Barry Romberg’s Random Access--(Crab People)

Random Access began as a studio experiment some 12 years ago. Over time the concept has morphed into a working unit that has gone through different configurations over the years; including the original 7 piece electric band (2 horns/guitar/violin/bass/drums/perc)--a large ensemble (w/ ten horns)--a unit featuring tabla great Ravi Naimpally; and the scaled down quartet version with special guest Donny Mccaslin on a live recording last year (2011)---and this years (2012) Crab People featuring guitar great Ben Monder.

There have been 12 RA releases in the last 12 years.

Random Access won best electric group at the national jazz awards in 2008 and was nominated in the same category 5 other times. RALE the RA large ensemble was also nominated for best big band at NJA 2 years running. Random Access was also nominated at the Juno Awards in 2009 for best contemporary jazz recording.

The new CD Crab People is a double disc release with 115 minutes of music featuring some new compositions along with our original motis operandi; spontaneous composition. Forty plus minutes of the cd features completely improvised material with the remaining seventy plus minutes penned by leader Barry Romberg.

At the same time the music of Random Access is certainly influenced by electric Miles, Weather Report, Wayne Shorter, and John Scofield with some shades of the avant garde thrown in for good measure; Random Access has their own unique and original sound.

RA also features some of Canada’s finest musicians including Rich Brown on bass, saxophone greats Kelly Jefferson and Kirk Macdonald, guitarist Geoff Young, keyboardist Robi Botos, tabla great Ravi Naimpally. This time out the band also features the amazing Ben Monder on guitar, who fits the RA concept like a glove.

http://barryromberg.com

Tonč Feinig Trio - Live (Feat: Milan Nikolič & Klemens Marktl) (Tonctone Records 2012)

"live" takes you on a ride through Feinig's musical landscape, with romantic ballads as well as sparkling and groovy tunes; the inventive and daring Austrian pianist has found great collaborators in Klemens Marktl and Milan Nikolič! Check it out!!!
This is Feinig´s second piano album, the first being "We ´ll See" (recorded in Holland, where Tonč also finished his Jazz-studies).
Here, on "live", we meet a much more assertive and active, grown-up and playful pianist, who got two of the best sidemen you can find in Austria around him.
Klemens Marktl on drums and Milan Nikolič on the bass are not only superb musicians, but also understand Feinig's compositional approach, and this only adds to the album.

A Blues 
is the opener of the cd, as well as the opener of the concert. It's a bit of a Monkish tune, but the trio is not making the mistake of copying Monk, but instead we can hear three strong musical personas, grounded in the tradition of Jazz!

Hidden Heart
is a fine ballad, written for this trio; it is romantic, thoughtful, but also has some playful moments...
Ballads like Hidden Heart are kind of Feinig's trademark, going straight to the heart of the matter, showing also his good compositional taste!

Hewes Street,
which was composed during a stay in Brooklyn, New York, takes us through the neighborhood of this nice and culturally very diverse Williamsburg area. The rest is in the music!

Light Dark, 
the oldest song of the album, has many parts, and explores the moods that come and go, when love comes and goes; introvert and extrovert, sunset and sunrise, going places and coming home...while that eternal flame of creation is giving energy to all things on earth...

You 're My Sun
Nothing to explain here, just a nice love song that really breathes the magic of the moment!

She Didn't Know (What Time It Was)
is one of Feinig's Boogaloo-ish tunes, not only playing with the better-known title, but also with different time signatures,
while the tune catches a more out-going and exuberant mood of the composer and pianist!

Sometimes
is a compostition recorded also on the album Fine Noise-Live At Step, with Miles Griffith's lyrics and special singing/scatting on it. 
Here we meet it as a show-case for the trio, letting it roll and showing the sheer fun of music!

Little Thought
is another typical Tonč Feinig-tune, giving us a romantic first part and a funkier second part.
The song also rounds up the whole album, and hopefully leaves you with a smile on your face...

more info: www.feinig.org

The Complet' Mandingo, a French street theatre company.

I would like to introduce The Complet' Mandingo, a French street theatre company. They play mobile balafons in parade and they interact with the public. On stage or in the streets, the famous mobile balafons’ orchestra enchants children and adults with his humour and crazy instruments. Please take a look of the new video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ1pXrs_2Sk The music of The Complet' Mandingo is a mixture of traditional rhythms from Burkina Faso, popular hits and original compositions inspired by various musical styles (reggae, ska, jungle, salsa, etc.). Videos, music and pictures: www.myspace.com/lacompletmandingue Looking forward to a future collaboration, Javier Adaro

Shows 2013:

09/02 - Carnaval - Burgos (Spain) 10/02 - Carnaval - Zaragoza (Spain) 19/02 - Carnaval - Nice (France) 20/02 - Carnaval - Nice (France) 13/04 - CCAB Beaujolais - Villefranche (France) 14/04 - Rando des trois châteaux - Blandy-les-Tours (77) 05/05 - Jazz Sous Les Pommiers - Coutances (France) 11/05 - International Music Festival - Uijeongbu (S. Korea) 12/05 - International Music Festival - Uijeongbu (S. Korea) 18/05 - Les monts de la balle - Verrières-en-Forez (France) 19/05 - Les monts de la balle - Verrières-en-Forez (France) 15/06 - ALLES MUSS RAUS ! - Kaiserslautern (Allemagne) 16/06 - ALLES MUSS RAUS ! - Kaiserslautern (Allemagne) 03/08 - Festival Art'ze Bouille - Ceyzérieu (France)

Available Now: ANTONIO SANCHEZ Marks New Chapter in His Musical Life on Latest Album, "New Life"

Available Now:
ANTONIO SANCHEZ Marks New Chapter 
in His Musical Life on Latest Album, New Life

"'New Life' pushes yet further, showcasing Mr. Sanchez's writing more pointedly than either previous release, with eight pieces of specific shape and emotional intent..." 

- The New York Times

 New Life Picked as One of 15 Jazz Albums to 

Look Out for in 2013 by NPR "A Blog Supreme"

  

 

  

Antonio Sanchez  
New Life  
  

Release Date:
February 26, 2013

  

 DL Media ·  (610) 667-0501
Jordy Freed
jordy@dlmediamusic.com

      

 

Now Available at iTunes and Amazon.com, 

Among Other Music Outlets

 

Featuring Donny McCaslin, David Binney, 
Matt Brewer, John Escreet and Thana Alexa 

  

Stream/Watch Performances of  

New Life Compositions at NPR Music

Drummer Antonio Sanchez has played alongside some of the greatest composers in modern jazz - including Chick Corea, Danilo Pérez, Gary Burton, and Pat Metheny, who has called on Sanchez to anchor virtually every project he's undertaken for more than a decade. With his third album as a leader, New Life, Sanchez launches himself into those estimable ranks with a set of bold, compelling new compositions.
  
As the title suggests, Sanchez sees the album as marking a new chapter in his musical life. "I wanted this record to be a milestone for me as a composer," he says. "When you're a drummer, there's this stigma that you're the musician's best friend but you're not really in the same category as the other guys. I wanted to prove that it doesn't have to be that way."

The fact that Sanchez possesses the ability to craft such a wide-ranging, multi-hued collection should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with his drumming. A three-time GRAMMY® Award winner who studied at the National Conservatory in his native Mexico and at Berklee and the New England Conservatory, Sanchez is a master of dynamics, able to summon rhythmic complexity or melodic nuance as the occasion demands. New Lifesimilarly balances intricacy and emotion, intellect and soul.

The album also features inspired playing from an incredible line-up of Sanchez's peers. The ensemble includes saxophonists Donny McCaslin and David Binney, bassist Matt Brewer, and up-and-coming pianist John Escreet. "It's sheer joy to hear your music played by these amazing musicians," Sanchez says.

On his prior releases - his 2007 debut Migration and Live in New York from 2010 - Sanchez featured a stripped-down line-up with two saxophones, bass and drums (aside from guest appearances on Migration by Metheny and Corea). This time out, he wanted to expand his harmonic palette with the addition of a pianist.

"The horns, bass and drums configuration is great because there's so much freedom and so much space," Sanchez says. "But it's also incredibly hard; with no harmonic instrument it feels like you're walking on eggshells all the time. With piano, you can create a completely different atmosphere or color behind every solo."

Sanchez labored over each of the tunes that comprise New Life, further developing them during a five-week tour prior to entering the studio. Where his earlier compositions tended to be relatively simple vehicles for improvisation - which nonetheless yielded rich fruit in the hands of players like Chris Potter, David Sánchez, Miguel Zenón and Scott Colley - he wanted each of these pieces to tell a story. His years working with Metheny in a variety of settings was an inspiration, Sanchez says, not just musically but in regards to work ethic, collaboration and showmanship.

In his liner notes, Metheny refers to Sanchez as "my main collaborator over the past 13 years," enthusing that "the variety and range represented in this collection is a real testament to Antonio's curiosity and openness as a musician. He gathers from across a wide stylistic spectrum to put together a recording that adds up to a real journey in modern music making."

That journey begins with "Uprisings and Revolutions," which began life as a more placid ballad but took on a new urgency with the inspiration of the Arab Spring. The tension of the rubato opening bursts into the piece's deep groove, mimicking the rush of freedom into the region. "I was inspired by how the Arab people were able to defeat these forces that seemed to be completely undefeatable," Sanchez explains.

Both "Minotaur" and "Medusa" drew from Sanchez's interest in mythology. The former's slow build suggests the minotaur lurking behind one of the twists in his labyrinth through the throbbing bassline and Escreet's simmering Rhodes. For the latter, Sanchez specifically recalled the image of Medusa from the original version of Clash of the Titans, a childhood favorite. The snarling, interweaving melody lines recall the creature's serpentine hair.

"Nighttime Story" is as gentle and soothing as a lullaby, while "Air" is a crystalline gem featuring a caressing soprano melody inspired by Wayne Shorter. "I love the unpredictable, beautiful sonority of his tunes," Sanchez says. "You never know where his tunes are going, but they always go somewhere amazing. I thought this tune had a little bit of that, and it's also full of longing, like a lot of what Wayne does."

The buoyant "The Real McDaddy" was penned with McCaslin in mind, and jokingly references his and Sanchez's habit of referring to each other as "Papi." Sanchez defines the title as defining someone like McCaslin who is "able to be cool in any situation. That tune has a lot of quirky, unpredictable breaks, but to me if you're a McDaddy you can master any situation."

"Family Ties" ends the album on a celebratory note dedicated to Sanchez's own family. "It's such a happy tune," he says. "It represents what my family can be: full of drama but full of happiness at the same time."

A lush, sweeping ascension lasting nearly fifteen minutes, "New Life" is undoubtedly the centerpiece of its namesake album. "It signifies a new life as a composer and a bandleader," Sanchez says. "It's the track that I worked on the most, and the one that was most satisfying to record and listen back to."

The recording also documents a new life for Sanchez in another form - the soaring female vocals are the contribution of singer Thana Alexa, who recently became Sanchez's fiancée.

"I've absorbed so much great music from so many amazing bandleaders that I've been able to work with throughout the years," Sanchez says. With New Life, he reveals the results of that process, showcasing his own profoundly expressive, intensely personal voice.

Antonio Sanchez - New Life Teaser

  

 New Life - Personnel/Track Listing

Antonio Sanchez  / drums 

Donny McCaslin / tenor saxophone 

David Binney / alto saxophone 

John Escreet / piano

Matt Brewer / bass

Special Guest: Thana Alexa / vocals 

1. Uprising and Revolutions (8:52)

2. Minotauro (8:53)

3. New Life (14:24)

4. Nighttime Story (6:39)

5. Medusa (8:24)

6. The Real McDaddy (8:52)

7. Air (7:39)

8. Family Ties (8:46)  

All tracks composed by Antonio Sanchez  

Produced by Antonio Sanchez 

   

Upcoming Antonio Sanchez Appearances:

All dates to feature "Migration." 

     

March 7 - 10 / Jazz Standard / New York, NY

March 14 / Centro Cultural Robeto Cantoral / Mexico City, Mexico  

March 17 / BMW Jazz Awards / Munich, Germany

March 23 / Kodaly Center / Pecs, Hungary

March 24 / Ueffilo Music Club / Gioia Del Colle, Italy

March 25 / Moody Jazz Cafe / Foggia, Italy 

March 27 / Cinema Moretta / Alba, Italy 

March 29 / Teatro Petrolini / Ronciglione, Italy

April 3 / Panic Jazz Club / Marostica, Italy

April 5 / Jazz Club Ferrara / Ferrara, Italy

For more information on Antonio Sanchez, please visit: antoniosanchez.net 

   

For more information on CAM Jazz, please visit: camjazz.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