Doris Duke Foundation awards jazz musicians - DDCF and Latin America

Yesterday, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation announced the 

recipients of its 2014 Performing Artist Awards, including 13 

jazz and improvising musicians, who will receive at least $1.7 

million in unrestricted grants in total. 

The awards were given in two tiers. Six jazz musicians were 

given Doris Duke Artist Awards, worth an unrestricted grant of

$225,000 over a 3-5 year period, with the potential to earn an 

additional $50,000. They include alto saxophonist Oliver Lake, 

alto saxophonist Steve Lehman, multiple woodwind player Roscoe 

Mitchell, harpist Zeena Parkins, pianist Craig Taborn and 

pianist Randy Weston. 

Randy Weston and His African Rythms in Zaragoza 2011 - Spain

Seven jazz musicians were given Doris Duke Impact Awards, worth 

an unrestricted grant of $60,000 over 2-3 years plus the 

potential of an extra $20,000. They include pianist Muhal Richard

Abrams, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, alto saxophonist Steve 

Coleman, guitarist Ben Monder, pianist Aruán Ortiz, alto saxophonist Matana Roberts and 
vocalist Jen Shyu.

All Doris Duke Artist Award winners have won at least three 

designated national grants or fellowships over the past 10 years, 

including one which was funded by the Doris Duke Charitable 

Foundation. Artist Awards are given to what the organization

calls "generative" artists — those who often create new works — and 

as such, highly favoring jazz performers who are also noted composers. 

By comparison, the recipients of Doris Duke Impact Awards were 

nominated by previous winners of Doris Duke Artist Awards. They may be 

either "generative" or "interpretive" artists, meaning that musicians 

who are not necessarily known as composers may receive the prize.

Doris Duke Charity Foundation and Latin America

Jazz musicians from Latin America, such as Edward Simon (Venezuela) and 

Jovino Santos Neto (Brazil), both pianists, composers, have been 

supported by Doris Duke Foundation Charity of different forms: 

scholarships, production works, projects, awards, etc.

Aruan Ortiz

Now is the time to Aruan Ortiz. Within the select group of award-winning 

jazz musicians highlights the young Cuban Aruan Ortiz, who has shown the 

talent and ability that leads to rapid development. Today is one of the 

leading figures of contemporary jazz and latin jazz.

Ortiz We know from his work on "The Cumbanchero" with flutist Mark 

Weinstein, where besides running the piano arrangements performed that 

earned him accolades.

Sharon Marie Cline release new Album this tuesday April 29 th, 2014 in The Charleston Super Club

Sharon Marie Cline w/ The Jamieson Trotter Trio Tues 4/29 + New CD I'm such a lucky girl!!!!  I get to play with THE JAMIESON TROTTER TRIO in Santa Monica on Tues 4/29.   Jamieson, the son of famed/acclaimed pianist Terry Trotter , is a monstrous, hugely talented musician is his own right.... also joining us is Gary Wicks, bass player for Manhattan Transfer, and acclaimed drummer Peter Buck... Yes! I am a LUCKY GIRL!!!!   Come check out this great band! APRIL 29th 8:30-midnight  NO COVER!!! Love, Sharon NEW CD

Sharon Marie Cline "THIS IS WHERE I WANNA BE” (Self Produced) Street Date June 3, 2014                         There are two primary goals for every great vocalist:  to own each song as one’s personal creation; and to tell a story even more deeply than the lyrics depict.  Outstanding vocalist Sharon Marie Cline clearly achieves both of these goals – vividly proven by her new CD This Is Where I Wanna Be.             With her closest musical associates at the core of the journey, Sharon Marie embraces a diverse repertoire of 12 songs, covering nearly 90 years of popular appeal.  Broadway tunes, Brazilian classics, the Great American Songbook, contemporary pop and her original songs co-composed with her pianist and musical director Rich Eames are all lovingly transformed into personal statements of beauty and heartfelt expression.             The ensemble possesses that sense of unity and synergy that is essential to this level of artistry, with Eames’ keyboard mastery present on every track.  Bassist Luther Hughes powerfully anchors five tracks, with Adam Cohen, Trevor Ware, Ryan Cross and John Belzaguy bringing their exceptional talents to the remainder.  Jon Stuart – who along with Eames and Sharon Marie created all but one of the delightful arrangements - provides his masterful drumming, spelled by Peter Buck on two tracks; and percussionist Victor Orlando brings his special color to three. Guitarist Jacques Lesure provides his guitar artistry on three as well.             In addition, Sharon Marie has brought a number of guests to the proceedings, each chosen specially for the particular flavor they bring to each song.  Much of this participation is in the use of obbligato, beautifully complementing Sharon Marie’s vocals as they richly embellish her impeccably delivered song lines.  Interplay and sensitivity are the dominant qualities that are present throughout the entire album.  Sharon Marie’s singing is totally responsive to her musicians – and vice versa – as her beautiful sensuous voice coils sinuously around the ensemble creating a powerful oneness that gives each song a most impressive depth.             Her voice is richly melodic, never strained and always impeccably phrased, enhancing the lyrics with moods and emotion that tell so much more than the words define.  And her versatility allows her to cover the broad expanse of material, bringing songs that go back as far as the 1920s right into the middle of 2014.  Ballads, blues, Brazilian rhythms, groove swing and up-tempo jazz are all fully in her command.  The entire history of jazz vocalizing is contained in Sharon Marie’s style, and while the influences of many of the giants can be heard in her sound, the essence is fully her own.             With such a lustrous, mellifluous voice, ballads are an ideal platform for Sharon Marie’s expressiveness.  She employs a style that evokes Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter and Nina Simone, stretching lyrics into deeply resonant long tones that wring every bit of emotional content out of the lyrics.  Brazilian composer Ivan Lins’ Love Dance is built on Eames’ gently punctuating electric piano, Adam Cohen’s darkly hued bass and Stuart’s sensitive drums and percussion, providing a gently Brazilian feel under the lovely vocal.  Green, Heyman and Rose’s 1932 classic I Wanna Be Loved – previously popularized by Billy Eckstine and Dinah Washington - is treated to Sharon Marie’s special brand of passionate warmth. Eames’ cascading piano, Hughes’ deep wood and Stuart’s subtle brushwork lay the perfect setting for Sharon Marie’s emotive vocal.  The Gershwins’HHow Long Has This Been Going On? (from 1928’s Rosalie) is a spellbinding duet with Eames.  The powerful connection between the two consummate artists is fully apparent in this heart-wrenching rendition, with Sharon Marie’s voice coating the piano in a gossamer mist.            Delicacy in a slightly more up-tempo mode is felt on Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars(Corcovado) by the immortal Antonio Carlos Jobim, with English lyrics by Gene Lees.  A serene samba, Sharon Marie’s voice tenderly caresses the lyrics and melody, with Derek Bombeck’s  softly rhythmic guitar, Eames’ piano and Stuart’s gentle percussion providing the ideal texture.  Another Brazilian groove is in play on the Cline/Eames original title track This Is Where I Wanna Be.  A tranquil bossa-ish feeling is created by Lesure, Eames, Stuart and John Belzaguy’s deeply syncopated bass.  Rob Hardt’s warm, full bodied flute adds a special touch both in his obbligato caresses and fine solo.             Their other original Sugar On My Lips (with lyrics by Sharon Marie and Mark Winkler) is a delicious slow groove blues, perfectly suited for Sharon Marie’s breathy sensuousness.  With tantalizing syncopation in her delivery and Eames’ organ wail, Lesure’s Grant Green-ish soulfulness, Trevor Ware’s deep bass groove and Orlando’s congas, this is deliciously nasty and delightfully provocative.             The gorgeous DePaul and Raye classic , You Don’t Know What Love Is has been performed by virtually every great jazz vocalist and instrumentalist – almost always as a ballad.  Sharon Marie turns the tables here, opening as a ballad, but quickly sliding into an infectiously rhythmic, bluesy groover - built on Ware’s suspended bass ostinato, Lesure’s soulful guitar and Reinhold Schwarzwald’s potent tenor sax, and with some perfectly placed vocal overdubs by Sharon Marie.             A similar rhythmic thrust is employed on Cole Porter’s Why Can’t You Behave?(from 1948’s Kiss Me Kate) with Hughes’ sprightly walking bass centering the potent rhythm section for Sharon Marie’s spirited vocal.  Another Broadway hit – Rogers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific, 1949 – provides Happy Talk, a jaunty bouncer that showcases Sharon Marie’s vigorous up-tempo style.  Lee Thornberg’s harmon-muted trumpet solo and obbligato contributions add a special flare.             That up-tempo groove is also the mode for Rose & Hirsch’s 1926 hit Deed I Do.  A nicely syncopated swinger built on Hughes’ brightly waling bass and Stuart’s fervid drumming, Sharon Marie brings the old song into the present in sparkling fashion. The eminent Tamir Hendelman arranged 1934’s If Dreams Come True (Sampson, Goodman and Kurtz), in a medium up groove with Bram Glik’s robust tenor sax on hand for some striking unison lines with Sharon Marie in scat mode.             Jumping ahead 40 years Sharon Marie shows how she can take a song heavily identified with its originator and make it entirely her own.  Neil Sedaka’s Laughter In The Rain is a gently effervescent excursion, with Ryan Cross’ cello and Schwarzwald’s tenor sax providing lavish coloring and flavor.             A prominent member of the L.A. music scene, Sharon Marie is poised for international stardom. Of this, her 3rd album, she states “This album is a passion piece and a coming of age project for me. It embodies my fantasies, my dreams, my history, my optimism and my soul. There is more and more to express each day, yet this album is a launching point. So quite literally: This Is Where I Wanna Be.”  National Publicity Campaign Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services///jim@jazzpromoservices.com National Radio Campaign KATE SMITH PROMOTIONS of CHICAGO///katesmithpromotions.kate@gmail.com

El trompetista y compositor Enrique "Enriquito" Rodriguez lanza con Youkali Music este jueves en Madrid su nueva produccion "ALCUDIA"

CONCIERTO DE  ENRIQUITO Presentando su nuevo CD "ALCUDIA" Jueves, 24 de abril de 2014 a las 21:30 h en Off de La Latina Mancebos 4, 28005 Madrid. Tel.: 91 354 00 14 Venta anticipada: 8 €. En taquilla: 10 €. Reserva de entradas. Haz CLIC en las portadas de los CDs para escuchar el repertorio del concierto y para más información.  ALCUDIA Enriquito Ref.: Youkali 082 Tras el éxito imparable de su debut “Me Quito El Sombrero” (2012, Youkali Music), que supuso la irrupción definitiva de la Trompeta como instrumento flamenco por derecho propio y le situó como principal depositario y heredero del fuego sagrado de una raza única de músicos legendarios, pioneros de la búsqueda de territorios inexplorados, fronterizos entre el Jazz y el Flamenco - desde Pedro Iturralde a Jorge Pardo - Enrique Rodríguez Paredes, “ENRIQUITO”, regresa con “Alcudia”, su nuevo trabajo, más jondo, maduro, personal e intransferible que nunca. Nueve piezas originales, destinadas, de nuevo, a dejar una profunda huella en el Jazz y en el Flamenco contemporáneos. O, en otras palabras, en la Música Popular Española del Siglo XXI. Grabado en directo en los estudios Globalmedia 360, con su tierra natal, La Mancha y su Valle De Alcudia, próximo a Puertollano, como gran inspiración, “Alcudia” invita a un viaje musical a través de la inquietud y el movimiento: idas y venidas, cruces de caminos, conversaciones entre conocidos y desconocidos, los contrastes entre su ciudad adoptiva, Madrid, y su hogar de Puertollano… Acompañado de sus habituales Rubén García(Piano),Yago  Salorio (Bajo), Carlos Leal (Guitarra Eléctrica) y Rodrigo Díaz "El Niño" (Batería), ENRIQUITO también ha contado con la ayuda impagable del gran Josemi Carmona a la Guitarra Flamenca, Pablo M. Caminero al Contrabajo, Bandolero al Cajón y el maestro de maestrosJorge Pardo a la Flauta en “Alcudia”, la pieza que da título al álbum, además del cantante, guitarrista y compositorDiego Guerrero, Nasrine Rahmani a la Percusión y el extraordinario percusionista y cantante Juanito Makandé. Muchos y variados talentos poniendo su granito de arena en una obra especial, espiritual, emocionante y única, que vuelve a reunir al espíritu de Chet Baker con el duende del Flamenco. Gloria bendita. MÚSICOS: Enrique Rodríguez "Enriquito": Trompeta y fliscorno Rubén García: Piano Carlos Leal: Guitarra eléctrica Yago Salorio: Bajo eléctrico Rodrigo Díaz "El Niño": Batería ARTISTAS INVITADOS: Josemi Carmona: Guitarra flamenca Pablo Martín Caminero: Contrabajo Bandolero: Cajón Diego Guerrero: Voz Nasrine Rahmani: Percusión

Barbara Levy Daniels New CD "Love Lost and Found" + Live Appearance @The Metropol...

Barbara Levy Daniels Appearing at The Metropolitan Room 34 W 22nd St New York, NY 10010  (212) 206-0440 Wed.,  June 18th 9:30pm with Special Guests Houston Person and Musical Director/Pianist John DiMartino Celebrating The Release of Her New CD "Love Lost and Found" New CD Features Barbara Levy Daniels (Vocals) John DiMartino (Piano and Music Director) Warren Vache' (Coronet) Shinnosuke Takahashi (Drums) Paul Meyers (Acoustic Guitar) Boris Kozlov (Bass) (Bldproductions Inc ) Street Date March 4, 2014)

Jack Goodstein Blogcriitics "…classics from the Great American Songbook…Daniels puts her own personal stamp on them. Her phrasing makes for an imaginatively effective interpretation of the material" "Her dynamic personal readings of songs like ‘The Nearness of You’, ‘Willow Weep For Me’...breathe revived life into the music.” Grady Harp Amazon "Barbara Levy Daniels…not only sings, she mesmerizes…Her voice is mellow and rich, true to pitch, full of expression…" "The old standards feel so right with Barbara that they seem like old lovers, She is sensationally communicative

         At the tender age of 12, young vocalist Barbara Levy Daniels was auditioning for ABC Paramount Records.  Its president had invited no less a personage than Ray Charles to listen in and give an opinion.  “Sign her right away” was The Genius’ verdict.  That was over 50 years ago, followed by a number of singles and a 30 year practice in psychotherapy. Over the past 15 years, Barbara managed to find the time to create two highly acclaimed albums and now offers further testimony to Ray’s endorsement with her new CD Love Lost and Found.

            With a voice of liquid gold, Barbara fully demonstrates a quality of all truly great singers – absolute confidence in both her instrument and the manner in which she wields it. On this CD, she takes on 13 classics from the Great American Songbook, and in her early champion’s manner, she makes each of these often-performed pieces entirely her own.  Her vocal style here can be comfortably compared to the great saxophone song interpreters - like Hawkins, Webster and Young - in using the lyrics as a launching point for her musical interpretation.  They inspire the story she tells, but she’s never confined by them. The storytelling essence of Barbara’s artistry is explained by her statement: "While I listen to life stories by day, I sing about life stories when I perform."

            Full-bodied and resonant, her voice is highly emotive, often marked by the type of cry that is heard in  the styles of Johnny Hodges and Gene Ammons, subtly adding to the emotional impact without even a hint of affectation.  Never even remotely straining to hit each tone directly in its heart, she roots in there and allows the resonance to expand outward in a powerful aural pastiche.

            While Barbara does not employ her scatting style on this CD, the music is unquestionably jazz. What sets the non-scatting jazz vocalist apart from a regular singer of songs are an inherent sense of rhythmic creativity and interpretative freedom interacting with a supporting group that provides an environment for expressive development.  All of that is in full bloom on Love Lost and Found.  The ensemble is comprised of extraordinary musicians who are not only topflight artists, but who also understand the subtleties demanded by their supporting roles and how to bring total creativity to the musical concept. The empathy here is so powerful that they sound like they’ve all been playing with Barbara for many years.

            Pianist John di Martino is always fully in sync with Barbara’s vision at each moment, prodding, enhancing and embracing each note and phrase and never falling into the obvious choices that can occur in vocal accompaniment. Bassist Boris Kozlov’s deeply wooded tone provides the heartbeat of the music - his heavily syncopated rhythmic mastery often providing the nucleus around which the track is built.  His full-bodied sound contrasts beautifully with Barbara’s voice and his phrasing both propels and supports the music.  Drummer Shinnosuke Takahashi blends sublime subtlety with rhythmic dynamism that anchors each piece perfectly.  Cornetist Warren Vaché is present on eight tracks, usually muted, and a master of lyricism and impeccable taste whether playing obbligato or soloing. Guitarist Paul Meyers adds zest, sparkle and color to three pieces as well.  Vaché and di Martino share all the solos, always succinct and in sharp focus.

            The repertoire has been artfully selected from pieces composed between 1927 and 1944, but there is not a wisp of nostalgia or obviousness in the interpretations of these beloved songs.  The feeling is highly contemporary and in the moment; immediate and fresh.  Also serving as musical director and arranger, di Martino has crafted 13 gems; each cut and designed as a unique piece of music that is also integrated seamlessly into the album’s essence.

            Irving Berlin’s delicate ballad I Got Lost in His Arms showcases Barbara’s mastery of time and space as she uses syncopation, lingers tantalizingly behind the beat and slides into rubato time at will, smearing and spreading tones while swirling around the rhythm section. Berlin’s Say It Isn’t So is given a Bossa Nova treatment, with guitar and piano playing off each other nicely over subtle dynamic bass and drums and Barbara’s voice dancing within the joyful setting.

            A Brazilian feel is again on tap for Rodgers and Hart’s Where or When, a delicious samba with the guitar-enhanced rhythm section spreading a gossamer blanket for Barbra’s voice and di Martino’s solo.  Meyers’ guitar takes a Freddie Green-ish angle on Mills, Hudson and Delange’s infectious Moonglow, a delightfully syncopated, easy bouncer enhanced by Takahashi’s whisk-broom shuffle drumming – respectfully evoking a modern feel for an older era.

            A similarly transportive mode is created for It’s the Talk of the Town (Symes, Neilburg and Livingston).  A torchy, grooving ballad with gently stride-ish piano and a muted cornet solo. There’s an afterhours feel of musicians playing for each other with the listeners as fortunate bystanders.  That late night vibe is also on hand for two other ballads. Carmichael and Washington’s lovely The Nearness of You is a touching piece with voice and piano reminiscent of some of those great Lester Young/Teddy Wilson recordings. Mean to Me (Turk and Ahlert) is a ballad in a bluesy swing groove with Barbara’s sultry vocal prodded by di Martino’s piano and a delightful muted Vaché solo. A deeper blue is the tone for Ann Ronell’s Willow Weep for Me.  Wailing cornet with di Martino’s slow barrelhouse left hand and Otis Spann-flavored right sets a flawless blues mood for Barbara’s shout – down home, uptown style.

            Rodgers and Hart’s My Heart Stood Still is a smoothly swinging item embellished by mellow cornet. Straightforward swing is the theme for Burke and Van Heusen’s It Could Happen to You with Kozlov’s syncopated walking and Vaché’s obbligato around Barbara’s deeply grooved vocal.  Comes Love (Stept, Tobias and Brown) is a jaunty swinger – playful, straightforward and delightfully rhythmic.  Warren and Gordon’s There Will Never Be Another You kicks it up a notch, with Barbara in full swing mode, Vaché on open cornet and the band surging on all cylinders. The album closes with Lewis and Coots’ For All We Know, a powerfully evocative piece stoked by Takahashi’s Bolero-like drumming.

            From the celestial choir over which he undoubtedly presides, Ray Charles is smiling down upon Love Lost and Found, saying…. “You see?......What’d I Say!”

    www.barbaralevydaniels.com 

 jazzpromo@earthlink.net • www.jazzpromoservices.com

John di Martino Trio April 17, 2014 in The Kitano New York

John di Martino Trio featuring: Boris Kozlov & Klemens Marktl special guest: Sacha Boutros  The Kitano New York  April 17, 2014  8 & 10 pm sets www.kitano.com/Jazz-Schedule

John di Martino - piano Boris Kozlov - bass Klemens Marktl - drums Sacha Boutros - vocal The Kitano New York 66 Park Avenue at 38th Street New York NY 10016 reservations: (212)  885 - 7119rese sets: 8 & 10 pm www.kitano.com/Jazz-Schedule photo by Slawek Przerwa

Jazz Promo Services New Releases for April 2014

ES2 (Erick Storckman And Eliot Smith) - "AlgoRhythms"

(Twin Rivers Records TR227)

Eliot Smith – Keyboards, Erick Storckman – Trombone, Cliff Lyons – Tenor Sax, Pete McCann – Guitar, Andy Eulau – Bass, Scott Neumann – Drums

Street Date: 04/29/2014

Eddie Allen - "Push"

(Edjalen Music EM 505)

Eddie Allen – TRUMPET, Keith Loftis – TENOR SAX, Dion Tucker – TROMBONE, Misha Tsiganov – KEYBOARDS, Mark Soskin – PIANO, Kenny Davis – ACOUSTIC BASS, E.J. Strickland – DRUMS

Street Date: 04/29/2014

MAY 2014

Antonio Adolfo - "Rio, Choro, Jazz"

(AAM 0706)

 A Tribute To Legendary Brazilian Pianist & Composer Ernesto Nazareth

Street Date: 05/06/2014

Noshir Mody - "Stories From The Years Of Living”

(Self Produced)

Mody-guitar, Tsuyoshi Niwa-soprano sax, Carmen Staaf-piano, John Lenis-bass,Yutaka Uchida-drums

Street Date: 05/06/2014

PERRY BEEKMAN - “BEWITCHED: PERRY BEEKMAN SINGS & PLAYS RODGERS AND HART”

(Self Produced)

PERRY BEEKMAN (VOCALS AND GUITAR), PETER TOMLINSON (PIANO), LOU PAPPAS (BASS)

Street Date: 05/06/2014

Steven Kroon - "On The One"

(Kroonatune Records KTR 005)

Steven Kroon, Congas & Percussion, Igor Atalita, Keyboards, Bryan Carrott, Vibraphone, Ruben Rodriguez, Bass, Craig Rivers, Flute, Vince Cherico, Drums,

Special Guest:  Tim Ries, Saxophone

Street Date: 05/07/2014

Mark Weinstein - Latin Jazz Underground

(ZOHO ZM 201403)

Mark Weinstein-flute, Aruan Ortiz-piano, Rashaan Carter-Bass, Gerald Cleaver-drums, Roman Diaz-percussion

Street Date: 05/13/2014

Charles Davis - "For The Love Of Lori"

(Blue Gardenia)

Charles Davis – saxophone, Steve Davis – trombone, Joe Magnarelli – trumpet, Neil Smith – drums, Rick Germanson – piano, David Williams – bass

(Not Actual Cover)

Street Date: 06/03/2014

Louis Prima Jr. - “Blow”

(Warrior Records WR16532)

Louis Prima, Vocals/Trumpet A.D. Adams, Drums Steve Pandis, Bass Ryan McKay, Guitar Gregg Fox, Keys Marco Palos, Saxophone Ted Schumacher,

Trumpet Phil Clevinger, Trombone Leslie Spencer, BG Vocals

Street Date: 06/10/2014

Sharon Marie Cline - "THIS IS WHERE I WANNA BE”

(Self Produced)

Sharon Marie Cline-Vocals

Street Date: 06/03/2014

Louis Prima Jr. - “Blow”

(Warrior Records WR16532)

Louis Prima, Vocals/Trumpet A.D. Adams, Drums Steve Pandis, Bass Ryan McKay, Guitar Gregg Fox, Keys Marco Palos, Saxophone Ted Schumacher,

Trumpet Phil Clevinger, Trombone Leslie Spencer, BG Vocals

Street Date: 06/10/2014

                  Jim Eigo

jim@jazzpromoservices.com

www.jazzpromoservices.com

Tomorrow (4/8/2014) is the launch of the CD "Original" Mari Nobre and Nobresil Catalina Jazz Club

Great show is what has prepared for tomorrow Nobresil exclusive site Catalina Jazz Club, on the occasion of the presentation to the press and the large audience that will attend his new album "Original", which hopefully also announced soon. 

Mari Nobre, singer and songwriter, with his charisma and desire to develop their artistic ability, has earned the love and appreciation of all. Starring superb recently had one of the Living Legends Dr. Bobby Rodriguez Latin Jazz. 

Mari Nobre and Dr. Bobby Rodriguez Latin Jazz Big Band

And Nobresil led by Leo Nobre (bass), with that shown in your CD Nobresil (In Brazil) said, "here we come". 

Among the musicians invited by a party Nobresil is remarkable Otmaro Venezuelan pianist Ruiz and the extraordinary Colombian saxophonist Justo Almario.

Catalina Jazz Club is located at Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles CA

¡¡Viva The Latin Jazz!!

Bassist/Composer Michael Feinberg's Humblebrag Offers a Glimpse of Jazz's Future with Live at 800 East, an Album of Original Compositions Due Out on May 6

Featuring Drum Master Terreon Gulley along with Rising Stars, Including Trumpeter Billy Buss, Saxophonist Godwin Louis, and Pianist Julian Shore

Feinberg is "fast-approaching giant status in NYC." - Gary Fukushima, LA Weekly

According to that essential guide to contemporary American life UrbanDictionary.com, humblebrag means "subtly letting others now about how fantastic your life is while undercutting it with a bit of self-effacing humor." While Michael Feinberg's new Humblebrag album Live at 800 East is rife with subtle interplay and half-hidden sources of inspiration, there's nothing self-effacing about the bassist/composer's music. Slated for May 6, 2014 release on BeHip, the album features a stellar cast of young musicians powered by veteran drum master Terreon Gulley.

A rapidly rising force on the New York scene who also leads The Elvin Jones Project, Feinberg rechristened his band Humblebrag for the new album because the eponymous track that closes the album marked a new phase of his musical development. He's deadly serious about the music, but isn't particularly interested in making any grand statement about the state of the art form. Recorded live in-studio in Atlanta, Georgia, Feinberg's follow up to 2011's critically hailed debut With Many Hands captures the searing energy and unbridled imagination of smart young musicians deep in conversation with each other. "Naming tunes and bands, people want to sound so cool and edgy and mysterious," Feinberg says. "But it's just one little voice in the world."

Humblebrag's voice is wide-ranging, perpetually curious and not averse to funk and fusion. Writing the title track, Feinberg was thinking about his experiences playing with Re-Animation, trumpeter Tim Hagans' riff on the early electric music of Miles Davis. Built on a hypnotic five-note motif, the piece features dramatic orchestration, and the roiling but dynamically sensitive trap work by Gully, best known for his work with Christian McBride's funk-inflected electro-acoustic band. "Rock has always been a big part of my life," Feinberg says, "and this is my contemporary version of that."

If there's any chest-pounding going on in Humblebrag it's over the superlative quality of Feinberg's collaborators. Aside from Gully, a well-traveled player who came up two jazz-generations earlier, the band features some of the brightest young players on the New York scene, including pianist Julian Shore, Haitian-American alto saxophonist Godwin Louis, and trumpeter Billy Buss (who recently released a very impressive debut album Scenes From A Dream featuring Feinberg and Godwin Louis). Jacob Deaton, an excellent Atlanta guitarist, contributes on one track.

"These guys are my friends and they make it a comfortable environment," Feinberg says. "Each one is a talented composer, and knows how to interpret my music. Billy and Godwin spent two years playing together every day at the Monk Institute, and on top of their virtuosic musicianship they're an amazing team. Along with Julian they're the next generation of guys coming up."

The album opens with the rousing, hip hop-tinged "Tutuola," a name that should sound familiar to anyone who's watched Law & Order: Special Victims. Noting that young players with a lot of down time often end up binging on Law & Order marathons, Feinberg wrote an episodic theme that slyly alludes to Ice T's earlier career. "I came up with the rhythmic part of it, and the melody was definitely influenced by listening to Busta Rhymes and getting into his flow," he says. 

Feinberg evokes the hustle and flow of life on New York's streets with "Puncher's Chance," a piece that lightly wears its infatuation with Robert Glasper's experiments. And he gets down in the gutter with "Dukeface," a joyful post-bop blues set to a celebratory New Orleans groove that coaxes some evangelical fervor from Buss and Louis. The album's centerpiece is the waxing/waning three-part suite "But the Sound," which opens slow and woozy and grows increasingly intense as it modulates between keys before a spare, beatific solo by Shore signals calm acceptance. Before exiting with the title track, Feinberg offers the ravishing ballad "Untitled 2," a piece that touches on the radical simplicity of bassist/composer Ben Allison's music from the turn of the century. "It's a pretty piece, not a side of myself that usually comes out," Feinberg says. "Ben Allison was definitely a formative influence. I'm trying to take stuff I hear and present it in ways I haven't heard."

Michael Feinberg and Billy Hart

Born and raised in Atlanta, Feinberg earned his BM in Jazz Performance at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, and graduated from New York University with a master's degree in 2011. While he's enmeshed with his contemporaries, he credits several authoritative veterans with playing a formative role in his development, including pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, guitarist John Scofield, drummer Billy Drummond, and particularly tenor saxophonist George Garzone. A generous mentor to several generations of improvisers, Garzone inculcated a sense of commitment in every note that Feinberg plays. "He really taught me a lot about confidence and having an attitude," Feinberg says. "He's a no-holds barred player, and he's so deep when it comes to rhythm and sound. We played duo in his apartment and it forced me to become a better player."

In many ways, Feinberg's musical concept hinges on his immersion in the music of Elvin Jones, the universally hailed rhythmic innovator whose post-Coltrane work as a bandleader is still too little known. When a friend in college hipped him to Earth Jones, a classic but long out-of-print quintet 1982 session on Palo Alto, it started him on a journey that led to The Elvin Jones Project, Feinberg's powerhouse 2012 album on Sunnyside with Garzone, drum legend Billy Hart, trumpeter Tim Hagans, and pianist Leo Genovese. "I knew Elvin's work with Coltrane and Larry Young's Unity, and Wayne Shorter's Blue Note albums, but not much beyond that," Feinberg recalls. "I started digging and digging, and became pretty obsessed with him. He was such an amazing musician and as celebrated as he is I don't think a lot of people recognize how progressive he was. And Elvin connects all of my favorite bassists: Gene Perla, Dave Holland, George Mraz, Jimmy Garrison. George Garzone really helped me put it all together."

When it comes to a group concept, he's also drawn inspiration from Pilc, the French-born pianist who has developed a volatile trio that plays his episodic originals and radically reconstructed standards. "I studied with Hal Crook, and he said that being in a band should be like a team full of captains. Jean-Michel's trio works that way, and that's how I want my group to work. We all have defined roles but it's in flux and they can change at any time."

Feinberg made a memorable debut as a leader with 2011's With Many Hands, a project that gathered some of his generation's most formidable players, including Humblebrag's Shore and Louis, tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger, and versatile drummer Daniel Platzman (who recently won a Grammy Award with the Las Vegas rock band Imagine Dragons). As a composer and bandleader, he continues to cast a wide net, drawing on his disparate array of experiences and deep pool of exceptional talent. Primarily identified as a jazz musician, Feinberg is often sought out by singer/songwriters and rock combos. His music, passionate, emotionally engaged and unafraid to sound raw or polished, effectively reflects the confluence of sounds and ideas running through New York these days, and that's no humblebrag.

Humblebrag celebrates the release of Live at 800 East with a 10-city US tour May 3 - 18 featuring stops in Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston, Philadelphia, NYC, Washington DC, Miami, Jacksonville, Atlanta and New Orleans.

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