Monday, April 17, 2017

Terça, 18 abril - Lançamento CD Carimbo Porta-Jazz: THE NADA



“The Nada” surge com o intuito de constituir uma plataforma para o experimentalismo sonoro, para a improvisação livre, para a exploração de formas e estéticas menos convencionais.

O quarteto será, assim, o propulsor do que se espera uma experiência singular.

Este projecto tem a sua génese na assunção de claras empatias musicais entre os seus membros, tendo sido a vinda de Simon Jermyn a Portugal um factor decisivo para a sua consolidação. A procura de novas formas de expressão subsidiárias do jazz, de novos cenários de onde a improvisação também pudesse emanar, levaram a que estes quatro músicos se congregassem no ímpeto de partilhar essas experiências.

Este é o 33º disco com Carimbo Porta-Jazz

O Ciclo "FEUP Lança Porta-Jazz" trata-se da parceria entre a Associação e o Comissariado Cultural da FEUP, e reúne os mais recentes projetos editados pelo Carimbo Porta-Jazz numa série de concertos de lançamento dos novos discos. Todos os concertos decorrem no auditório da FEUP e são de entrada livre.



Guillermo Calliero - South American Project (S.A.P.) Vol.1 (FRESH SOUND RECORDS 2017)




El musico Argentino radicado en Barcelona, Guillermo Calliero es un de los trompetistas mas respetados de la escena Europea. Se destaca por su sonido grande y redondo, su acentuada vocacion melodica y la marca de la musica de su tierra que siempre desemboca en el jazz. Ha compartido escenario con Paquito D'Rivera, Bobby Shew, Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis entre muchos otros.

01. Milonjazz (Mazzanti-Calliero) 3:28
02. Golondrinas (Gardel) 5:06
03. Se tu non fossi bella come sei (Bongusto) 3:43
04. Theme for Jessica (Rava) 4:44
05. Salsita for Luis (Calliero-Mazzanti) 2:53
06. Street of Dreams (Young) 5:52
07. Flor de lino (Stamponi) 3:04
08. Chajà (Fumero) 4:59
09. Bolero (Salinas) 1:38

Arrangements by F. Mazzanti & G. Calliero (#1 & 5), Federico Mazzanti (#3,6,7 & 8), José Reinoso (#2)


Guillermo Calliero (trumpet, flugelhorn)
Federico Mazzanti (piano)
Gabriel Amargant (tenor sax)
Martín Laportilla (electric bass)
Nicolás Correa (drums)
Ernesto Aurignac (alto sax)
Toni Belenguer (trombone)
Horacio Fumero (acoustic bass)
Roger Blavia, Humberto Perdomo (percusion)
Bobby Shew (trumpet)
Luis Salinas (guitar)

Recorded at Bucbonera Studio (Barcelona), La Consulta (Reus), and Dejavu (Buenos Aires), September-October 2016

Mixed & mastered by Tomás Robisco at Bucbonera Studios, Barcelona, February 2017
Photography by Josep Tomás

Produced by Federico Mazzanti & Guillermo Calliero
Executive producer: Jordi Pujol


Mats Holmquist & Latvian Radio Big Band - Big Band Minimalism (SUMMIT RECORDS 2017)



Randy Brecker!

Dick Oatts!

Outstanding!

Extraordinary composer’s large ensemble tunes come to life with a special collaboration with two of best jazz musicians to surface, Legendary Randy Brecker & Dick Oatts! In the ‘works’ for many years, “Big Band Minimalism” is an attempt to merge minimalist based compositional techniques a’ la Steve Reich and John Adams with concepts from the modern jazz big band tradition. Big Results!!

On his third recording with Summit and MAMA, Mats Holmquist’s “Big Band Minimalism”, exemplifies quality, REAL writing for Large Jazz Ensemble…’breaking’ it down with a finely tuned big band and Randy Brecker and Dick Oatts, the results are impressive.


Matt Chandler / Ross Stanley / Eric Ford - Astrometrics (2017)


Matt Chandler

ASTROMETRICS

A collection of nine original compositions

ft. Ross Stanley and Eric Ford

 Album release: Friday 26 May 2017

 Album launch: Saturday 3 June 2017

Jazz Cafe Posk, London

More info and tickets: here

“… Texturally adventurous, strong funky vibe…Chandler has a nice way with melody.”  Jazzwise

“I wanted to do an album that was in keeping with the organ trio tradition but with a newer take on it and with material that was not composition heavy, where the music and the players just "get down to it". The material, by design, is simplistic. It's really a celebration of our skills and how are skills work together. The album title is in keeping with this theme as it is an anagram of our names.”
Matt Chandler


Guitarist Matt Chandler has worked with a diverse range of artists including Youth (Killing Joke, The Orb), Arno Carstens, Fake, Poly Styrene and more recently accompanied Ozark Henry on his European tour.

His innovative style is supported by a career that has spanned genres from jazz to punk, folk to electronica.

Based in London, this is album is Matt's current project and includes the respected musicians Ross Stanley on Hammond Organ and Eric Ford on drums.

1. Funk Work 08:12
2. The Sting 05:38
3. Di Diablo 07:16
4. Doctor's In The House 07:24
5. Intricate Facade 08:47
6. Scene Of No Scene 08:37
7. 5 Bar Short 08:36
8. Dirty Rat 07:26
9. A Change Of Scene (of No Scene) 05:10


Oliwood - Euphoria (YELLOW BIRD RECORDS 2017)


Oli Steidle hat die Linernotes seiner CD "euphoria" selbst geschrieben. Und der Stolz auf sein Werk schwingt in den Zeilen mit. Es ist ein lesenswerter Text, ach was, eine flammender Appell an Zuhörer und Veranstalter. Es geht um musikalische Offenheit, um Musik mit Bedeutung und um den Mut von Veranstaltern, ihrem Publikum anspruchsvolle Musik zu präsentieren. Aus Erfahrung stellt Steidle fest, dass die Furcht vor "Musik, die nicht im Kuschel-Kurs daher kommt", sich am Ende in Wohlgefallen auflöst, weil die Konzertbesucher diese Musik sehr wohl schätzen und von Veranstaltern in dieser Hinsicht eher unterschätzt werden.

Kein Wunder, dass sich die Band mit Frank Gratkowski am Altsaxophon, Kalle Kalima an der Gitarre und Oli Steidle am Schlagzeug, im Rudersport gut gelaunt zeigte: dort rennen sie beim veranstaltenden Jazzarchitekten mit diesen Ansichten offene Türen ein. Und sie haben es in Wiesbaden leicht, weil sich dort längst ein Publikum trifft, das Steidles Thesen größtenteils unterschreiben würde.

Als Einstieg eine kleine Exposition mit einigen abgehackt dahin geworfenen Musikhappen, unstrukturiert, und dann wuchtige, fast schon brachiale E-Gitarrenakkorde, von Steidles Schlagzeug polyrhythmisch unterlegt aber auch sofort wieder gebrochen. Gratkowski findet eine Linie und spielt ein klares, luftiges Solo – bevor sich die Band wieder ins bewusste Chaos begibt. Dynamisch, explosiv – als Hörer darf man sich gelegentlich ein paar Sekunden zum Mitwippen anmiert fühlen, der nächste Break folgt in Sekunden. Diese Musik oszilliert, sie flirtet ständig mit dem Chaos und sie kennt selbst in ihren gefälligsten Momenten den schnellen Ausgang aus der Zuhörerbequemlichkeit.

Grandios „Der diebische Elst“: aus einem polyrhthmisch gewebten Spiel von Steidle und Kalima, mit imitierten Kalimba Klängen, entwickelt sich ein vermeintliches Unisonospiel von Gratkowski und Kalima, dass mit seinen lustvollen mikrotonalen Dissonanzen eine fast schmerzhafte Reibung erzeugt – viel besser kann man Falschheit musikalisch kaum darstellen. „Mein Bestreben in der Musik war schon immer, Geschichten zu erzählen“ schreibt Steidle. Es funktioniert, und Spaß macht es zudem.


1. Octave Medley II
2. Flipper
3. Octave Medley III
4. Beast Mode
5. Octave Medley I
6. Epitasis
7. Der Diebische Elst
8. Sissy Melting Snow
9. Fat Bear of Korea



Yoko Miwa Trio - Pathways (May 12, 2017)


Pianist Yoko Miwa leads her longstanding, spectacularly attuned trio on Pathways
her first new album in five years

Out May 12 the recording features bassist Will Slater and drummer Scott Goulding on songs by Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, Marc Johnson and Miwa herself

“Pianist Yoko Miwa displays unpretentious melodies, elegant phrasing, and the lyrical sensibility of a jazz poet… she’s a remarkably fluent mainstream player with a graceful touch and a self-assured notion of where each tune is headed.” – Ed Kopp, Jazziz

“Miwa plays with the confidence and fluidity of a seasoned jazz musician. She has the enviable ability to play in any context with authenticity, clarity, and spontaneity." — Wilbert Sostre, JazzTimes.com

Upcoming Performances 

Sunday, April 23 – Brunch at The Blue Note Brunch  

Friday, May 19 – CD Release Concert at The Regattabar, Cambridge, MA


A jazz musician is by nature an explorer at heart, but it always helps to have a few fellow adventurers at your side. On her new album, pianist Yoko Miwa sets out to navigate a few new Pathways with the help of her longstanding and deeply harmonious trio. With more than a decade and a half together, the Boston-based group showcases the unique ability to wander down diverging trails without ever losing sight of their shared destination.

On Pathways, due out May 12, 2017 on Ocean Blue Tear Music, Miwa is joined by bassist Will Slater (with Brad Barrett stepping in for one track) and drummer Scott Goulding. The remarkable telepathy they share has been developed over 15 years and countless hours logged on the bandstand, not to mention the accompanying personal bonds (Miwa and Goulding are married, after all). 

“When we play together, it comes out as one sound,” Miwa says. “That’s the best part of working together all the time. I’m very comfortable with these guys because they know my playing and I know them very well.”

It’s been nearly five years since the release of Miwa’s last album, Act Naturally (JVC Victor), but she’s been far from inactive in the interim. On the contrary, she’s one of the busiest artists on the thriving Boston jazz scene, playing regularly at renowned local venues the Regattabar and Scullers as well as venues worldwide. Locally, the trio is a constant presence with three area residencies that keep them busy every weekend they’re at home. On Fridays they can be found at the Central Square sushi bar and jazz club Thelonious Monkfish, where Goulding serves as music director and Miwa helped select the stunning Yamaha piano. Saturdays they play at the wine bar Les Zygomates, as they have for the last 12 years, while their Sunday brunch gig at Cambridge BBQ joint Ryles dates back even further. 

That impressive calendar means that the trio has had plenty of time not only to try out new material but to explore each piece over time. “We play each song a little bit differently every time,” Miwa says. “It really helps develop the music. If we only did concerts once a month in front of big audiences, I don’t think we’d feel the same way or that I’d play the same way that I do now.”

The repertoire that Miwa traverses on Pathways ranges widely, from the classic songs of The Beatles and Joni Mitchell to a pair of rarely (if ever) reprised pieces by legendary Bill Evans Trio bassist Marc Johnson, originally recorded solo. The album’s highlights, though, are Miwa’s gorgeous originals, which combine lively melodies, a delicate touch, and lush harmonies – the same qualities that she brings to her improvisations.

The album opens with the gospel-flavored chords that Miwa uses on Johnson’s “Log O’Rhythm,” and centers on the piano-bass dialogue between the leader and her “favorite bassist,” Slater, who doesn’t play with the trio as regularly since moving to New York City. The reunion here shows that the pair have lost none of their brilliant chemistry. Slater is also featured on Johnson’s other contribution, “After You,” where he agilely articulates the song’s memorably nimble melody. Both tunes have become favorites at the trio’s shows, and have received Johnson’s own stamp of approval.

Driven by Goulding’s intricate powerful rhythms, Miwa’s “Lickety Split” lives up to its title with its brisk pacing and McCoy Tyner influenced forcefulness. Falling on the other end of the sonic spectrum, “Lantern Light” begins with a movingly lyrical solo piano intro, gaining momentum as Goulding and Slater enter, capturing both the warm glow and lonely isolation of a single lamp carried through a dark night. Its fragile beauty is all the more remarkable given the fact that Miwa wrote it quickly, in a sudden burst of inspiration, during a break between students at Berklee College of Music – without a piano nearby.

The playful swing of “The Goalkeeper” was inspired by a frequent visitor to the Miwa household – their neighbors’ cat, who drops in often for a bit of food and play. His flawless ability to bat back a ball thrown by Miwa gave the piece its name, while the adorable feline has become a surrogate pet for her and Goulding following the loss of their own beloved cat. The last of the pianist’s compositions, “Was It Something I Said?” is a sly blues imbued with the wry humor of the waiter whose teasing riposte Miwa borrowed for the title.

“Joni Mitchell’s music is very beautiful and very unique,” Miwa says, two elements beautifully captured in the trio’s version of “Court and Spark,” which luxuriates in the songwriter’s compelling harmonies. The album ends with a melancholy take on the Beatles classic “Dear Prudence,” which features the trio’s current Boston bassist, Brad Barrett. “Everybody knows the Beatles’ songs very well, so you don’t want to change them too much and upset their fans,” Miwa says with a laugh. “’Dear Prudence’ is very simple but very powerful.”


Integral to capturing the heartfelt communication forged by the trio was Miwa’s insistence that they play together in the studio, not divided into isolation booths. Their spontaneity and spark found an ideal setting at Wellspring Sound Studios in Acton, Massachusetts, where they worked closely with engineer Matt Hayes. “It’s almost like a live recording,” Miwa says proudly. “I feel really uncomfortable separated into different rooms where you can’t really see each other. Of course you can’t go back and fix things, but I love the feeling of playing in the same room and our energy together.”

A favorite at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Miwa was chosen to play on “Marian McPartland & Friends” a special concert as part of the Coca Cola Generations in Jazz Festival.  She was also chosen to perform at Lincoln Center's annual Jazz and Leadership Workshop for The National Urban League's Youth Summit.  Miwa also performs regularly at New York's famed Blue Note Jazz Club and has performed and/or recorded with a wide range of jazz greats including Sheila Jordan, Slide Hampton, Arturo Sandoval, George Garzone, Jon Faddis, Jerry Bergonzi, Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lynne Carrington, Kevin Mahogany, John Lockwood and Johnathan Blake among others.  Miwa is a Yamaha artist.