miércoles, 28 de septiembre de 2016

Zach Brock & Phil Markowitz Present 3 Live Shows in NY & PA

3 NIGHTS OF BROCKOWITZ 


-Zach Brock and Phil Markowitz-

9/25 - Easton Piano Loft @ The Lafayette Inn, Easton PA
10/6 - Smalls, New York City (with Jay Anderson & Anthony Pinciotti)
10/9 - The Deer Head Inn, Delaware Water Gap, PA

Brockowitz, made up of respected violinist Zach Brock ("[he] marries the bold with the mannered, bringing a stinging brilliance to the fore during the fiery material and dialing it back a few notches in mellower environs."- All About Jazz) and revered pianist Phil Markowitz ("... a sophisticated composer who thinks up puzzles and solves them." -Jazz Times ), will be performing throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania and New York City this fall. The duo, which has been referred to as "impeccable" by Downbeat Magazine, will kick things off on Sunday, September 25 in Easton, PA at the Easton Piano Loft @ The Lafayette Inn at 5pm. Tickets and information are available by calling (610) 253-4500 or by visiting jameslucemusic.com

On Thursday, October 6, Brockowitz will team up with bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Anthony Pinciotti at Smalls Jazz Club in New York City at 7:30 PM. The duo will then return to Pennsylvania to perform on Sunday, October 9 at the legendary Deer Head Inn at 5pm. Reservations for the Deer Head can be made by calling (570) 424-2000.

Zach Brock and Phil Markowitz have created new repertoire for violin and piano that draws on the traditions of jazz, contemporary classical, and the “roots” music of their respective backgrounds. The first iteration of this new direction appeared on the 2014 release “Perpetuity” and they have been expanding their duo repertoire ever since. While an affinity for American jazz is front­and­center, Brock’s Appalachian roots and Markowitz’s Eastern European ancestry have sown deep threads that run through the new compositions. The audience will hear an unorthodox combination of post­Romantic, serialist, and jazz dialects fused with rhythms from West Africa, South America, and the Balkans.
Heralded as “the pre­eminent improvising violinist of his generation,” Zach Brock is an award-winning jazz violinist and composer whose music draws on the traditions of jazz, classical, world, and popular music. Downbeat Magazine named Zach it’s “Rising Star” Violinist of 2013 and awarded his 2015 release “Serendipity” with four­and­a­half stars. The Chicago Tribune recognized Zach’s recording ”Perpetuity” as one of it’s “top ten jazz recordings of 2014.”
Phil Markowitz, a celebrated veteran of the international jazz scene for more than thirty years, creates music ranging from hard­ cutting chromaticism to the most lyrical post­romantic ballads. His credentials span the traditional to the avant­ garde; from early associations with Chet Baker and Toots Thielemans through his respective twenty and fifteen-­year affiliations with Bob Mintzer and David Liebman. He is currently a professor in the graduate and doctoral divisions at the Manhattan School of Music.
More information can be found at www.zachbrock.com and www.philmarkowitzjazz.com
www.lydialiebman.com
www.jazzglobalbeat.blogspot.com         jazzglobalbeat@gmail.com

lunes, 19 de septiembre de 2016

The path of happiness and jazz brings us this weekend to Aruba: Caribbean Sea Jazz Fest 2016!


Beach, sun, sand, water and terrestrial sports a lot, multiple entertainment, a tasty meal, a picturesque craft a friendly people, definitely tall tourism Add to that a well-organized Festival of Jazz = Aruba.

23 and September 24 of this year is scheduled the realization of the traditional Caribbean Sea Jazz Festival in Oranjestad, Aruba's capital, and the expectation is great for the quality of guest artists.
The organizers of the Caribbean Sea Jazz Festival Aruba 2016 have spared in bringing the "Happy Island" a large contingent of interpreters of Latin and Contemporary Jazz.

Andy Narell with Caribbo, as always, will be a show that fits the island of Aruba. Steel pan the sound from the hands of one of his great performers, will dance the audience and filled the whole atmosphere of joy, just like a carnival. The Caribbean is there. More than twenty albums as a leader or co-leader, has recorded Narell, even -Grammy Awards- Caribbean Jazz Project, but the best has gone around the world several times with the original instrument of Trinidad & Tobago featuring acclaimed concerts. Narell also achieved notoriety with the instruction that conveys to children and young people, workshops and classes. The, Narell, is a hero of Latin Jazz and will be able to enjoy his wise and passionate performance of calypso, rumbas, boleros, etc., has just released a new CD "Dis 1. 4 Rae" and will be accompanied in this Etienne event Stadswijk 'ATN', Harvey Wirth and others.




Saxophonist Cesar Lopez is reaching international sitial justifies his talent and work of many years. Accompanied by Emilio Martin (guitar), David Fayo (bass) and Otto Santana (percussion) make up the quartet Havana Ensemble, which after being awarded in his home Cuba is now receiving praise where they occur. Fridays and Saturdays are presented in Jazz Café and Café Miramar, two major jazz clubs located in Havana, but his tour abroad to been extensive in the coming days will be in Harlem-Havana Music Festival in New York and then JMF Jefu Music Fest in South Korea before arriving in Oranjestad. Lopez has recorded 10 CD and Havana Ensemble recently launched its "Live".

The "Lady of Latin Jazz" Izaline Calister, daughter of the Netherlands Antilles, premiered songs from her new album "Rajo di Lus" in which she collaborated with groups Kuerta I Tambu and Buleria. With a domain scene, sympathy and a vocalization that has won him fans in the world Calister continues to be at the heart of all.

Tony Succar will double prsentacion in the Arubiano Festival. On Friday 23 with its Latin Show and Friday with the Tribute Latin to Michael Jackson on the latter: 2016 Caribbean Sea Jazz Festival will rock your world, with a soul-thumping performance of Latin tribute band 'Unity', featuring Latin pop sensation Jon Secada. Born in Peru and raised in Miami, talented multi-instrumentalist and composer Tony Succar HAD Already developed a great ear for infusing spirit into famous classical Latin jazz.

Randal Corsen one of the best pianists in the Dutch Caribbean that been notable sidemen jazz bands taking major stakes in concerts and festivals will be this time with Levi Silvanie. Corsen came to play with the Jazz Venezolano Gerardo Rosales conga player and bandleader.

The Caribbean Combo in an established ensemble of the Scol di Musica Rufo Wever under the Leadership of Carlos Bislip. The concept of esta ensemble is to familiarize the young student with Rhythms of our region "The Caribbean and South America" ​​and using songs of the "Great American Song Book" as vehicles to Achieve ITS goal.

In scenarios Renaissance Festival Plaza will also be local artists and bands and other regions such as Franklin Jazz Orchestra, Bonnarriba & Croeze, Ben Liebrand, Frankie Yanga, Serghio Jansen and the famous Kool & The Gang.


For those who intend to go to this fantastic festival we recommend that already make their reservations, because the avalanche of fans not only come from the American continent but Europe.

The Aruba Tourism offices with his staff always are ready to give diligent information event in Caracas Venezuela, have an excellent team led by Miriam Dabian and Johana Santiago. Friso Veenman has a whole great organization and we as guests will be at the Marriott Hotel (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/auaar-aruba-marriott-resort-and-stellaris-casino/) and we will emcee ... wow !!

The slogan of Aruba is the On Happy Island = "beach days, jazz concert nights".

In this video multi-instrumentalist Tony Succar with singer Michael Stuart and rumba:



www.caribbeanseajazz.com

www.aruba.com                  j.santiago@aruba.com

www.jazzglobalbeat.blogspot.com

sábado, 17 de septiembre de 2016

Dave Stryker “Eight Track II" September 2, 2016 + Upcoming Live Appearances (today Indianapolis)


Dave Stryker
“Eight Track II"
Dave Stryker –guitar
Steve Nelson - vibraphone
Jared Gold – organ
McClenty Hunter – drums


(Strikezone 8814)
Street Date: September 2, 2016

Listen On Soundcloud
Upcoming Live Appearances


Sat Sept 17 Wes Montgomery Tribute Day IUPUI Campus Center Indianapolis IN http://www.indyjazzfest.net/
Sun Sept 18 Monterey Jazz Fest
Dave Stryker Quartet w Eric Alexander 

http://www.montereyjazzfestival.org/artists/dave-stryker-quartet
Wed Sept 21 Clark University Worchester MA
Dave Stryker and Friends w/ Steve Slagle,
Freddie Hendrix, Carolyn Leonhart 

Fri Sept 23 Hendershots Coffee Athens GA
Dave Stryker Trio
 
www.hendershotscoffee.com
Sat Sept 24 Savannah Jazz Fest -Dave Stryker Trio
 http://savannahjazzfest.com/
Fri Sept 30 Trumpets Montclair NJ -Dave Stryker Quartet
w/ Steve Nelson
 

www.trumpetsjazz.com



Dave Stryker “Eight Track II"
(Strikezone 8814)
Street Date: September 2, 2016
Dave Stryker –guitar,  Steve Nelson-vibraphone, 
Jared Gold – organ, McClenty Hunter – drums

            Guitarist Dave Stryker hit on a ‘groovy’ idea with 2014’s Eight Track, his reimagining of classic pop tunes from the ‘70s with his working trio plus vibes. Their hip renditions of those tunes were eagerly received by audiences and critics alike. Eight Track was the #1 most-played CD on WBGO for the year and reached #3 on JazzWeek Radio chart.  “Styker’s Eight Track is straight up fun,” wrote Dan Bilawsky in All About Jazz while Steve Greenlee declared in Jazz Times: “Forget those Time-Life collectors’ editions sold on late-night infomercials. Buy this.” Downbeat’s Ken Micallef called it ”a stone groove.”
            Stryker put his own personal spin on Eight Track and now continues that successful formula on Eight Track II, his 27th recording as a leader. (His previous CD “Messin’ with Mister T” was #1 on JazzWeek and made many end-of-the-year lists including 4.5 Stars in Downbeat). Returning from Eight Track are Stryker’s longtime right-hand man Jared Gold on B-3 and the exciting McClenty Hunter on drums. Special guest this time out is vibraphonist Steve Nelson, a longtime member of Dave Holland’s quintet and big band who has also played and recorded with such giants as Jackie McLean, Kenny Barron, Johnny Griffin,George  Shearing, and Mulgrew Miller. “Steve is a great cat and a very soulful player,” says Stryker. “I really like what he did on this album.”
           
              “A lot of people like hearing these tunes that they grew up with,” says the guitarist, who remembers playing some of these ‘70s staples on the 8-track console in his ’69 GMC van with shag carpeting back in his youthful days in Omaha, Nebraska. “It brings people in and they’ll go with you when they hear a tune that they recognize. But the challenge, always, is to find tunes that I can do my thing to, improvise and play as creatively and musically as I would on any jazz standard. And I enjoy the challenge.”

            Four years after moving from Omaha to New York in 1980, Stryker began playing on the organ circuit with bluesy Hammond B-3 organ master Jack McDuff, who had seen such great guitarists as George Benson, Pat Martino, Grant Green and Billy Rogers pass through the ranks of his band. So dealing in that earthy B-3 format on Eight Track and Eight Track II is like returning home for Stryker. But 30 years later, the guitarist’s six-string expression has deepened while his blues-and-bop chops remain razor sharp. 
            “I’m very grateful that I had the opportunity to play with masters like McDuff and Stanley Turrentine, guys who played that style and just had it in their blood. There’s nothing like being able to be on the bandstand with guys like that. Now I try to play my own way and stretch things a little bit. It’s still in the pocket but I feel like I’m trying to have my own take on things with this new group.”
             The intrepid quartet kicks off Eight Track II with the Isley Brothers’ anti-war protest song “Harvest for the World,” which they handle as a vibrant shuffle with some hip reharmonizations. Stryker’s warm-toned flow of notes is mirrored by Nelson’s glistening vibes on the catchy head. The guitarist takes his time building an impressive solo, which is brimming with double-timed flurries and blues-soaked lines. 
            Their take on Marvin Gaye’s anthemic “What’s Going On,” title track of his 1971 song cycle addressing drug abuse, poverty and the Vietnam War -- themes that still resonate with relevancy today -- opens with a delicate balladic intro featuring vibes and guitar in unison. As they fall into the familiar theme, rendered here in 6/8, Stryker ‘sings’ the melody through his axe before developing that motif through the course of his probing solo. Nelson explores in introspective fashion on his vibes solo and Gold pushes the envelope on his own dextrous solo as Stryker comps pianistically behind him. The band shifts to a 4/4 groove for the last minute of the piece, giving the listener a little jolt. 
            Another Gaye staple, 1972’s “Trouble Man,” is given an earthy shuffle-swing treatment. Nelson channels his inner Bobby Hutcherson on his envelope-pushing solo here while Stryker remains firmly rooted in a blues ‘n hard bop bag, summoning up some Wes-like octaves along the way.
            A mellow rendition of John Barry’s evocative “Midnight Cowboy,” the Grammy-winning instrumental theme from the 1969 movie of the same name, features nice octaves work and gentle extrapolation by Stryker. Nelson’s luminous solo is underscored by McClenty’s supple brushwork and Gold’s luxurious B-3 cushion. 
            Stretching the rules a bit, Stryker next leaps out of the ‘70s and into the early ‘80s for a killer uptempo swing version of Prince’s 1984 hit, “When Doves Cry,” fueled by McClenty’s rapid-fire ride cymbal work and Gold’s unerring walking basslines. Stryker’s cooking here, while both Nelson and Gold bring some heat of their own with incendiary solos. Hunter adds an exhilarating drum solo to put an exclamation point on this burner.
            A gentle reading of Stevie Wonder’s “Send One Your Love” showcases Stryker’s lyrical side while the quartet digs into The Temptations’ “Can’t Get Next to You” with visceral intensity, spurred on by Hunter’s muscular backbeat. “That’s what I love about McClenty,” says Stryker. “He can swing but he’s got a serious pocket too, and he can slam!” Gold delivers the kind of show-stopping solo here that harkens back to the golden days of the organ lounges. “I played with McDuff, I got to play with Jimmy Smith and Dr. Lonnie Smith, and they were all masters,” says Stryker, “but of the new generation, Jared is my man. His harmony is heavy. His lines are not the typical thing you hear from organ players. I really think he’s special.”
            Their rendition of The Zombie’s “Time of the Season” is handled as a cool shuffle swing number with the guitar-vibes combo upfront and Gold’s hip, syncopated basslines percolating underneath. Stryker lets it rip in his solo here and is followed by Gold and Nelson, who each turn in dazzling solos. The three exchange eights with Hunter at the tag in classic bop fashion.
            A driving rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed Seal Delivered” features one of Stryker’s most inspired solos on the record. From that dynamic number, they slide into the alluring James Ingram ballad “One Hundred Ways,” handled with relaxed soulfulness by the crew.  They close with a tough shuffle-swing rendition of Cream’s ‘Sunshine of Your Love” that sounds like something Stryker might have played with McDuff up at Dude’s Lounge in Harlem back in the day. Everyone gets a taste on this foot-stomping finale. “I have a long history with that song,” says the guitarist. “I actually played it as a solo guitar piece in my 6th grade talent show!"
    
            These nostalgic ‘70s anthems are deeply ingrained in Stryker’s consciousness. And the earthy feel of the organ quartet sound is imbedded deep in his bones after 30 years of playing on the scene. He successfully, joyfully combines the two on Eight Track II.

(condensed from the liner notes by Bill Milkowski)




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miércoles, 14 de septiembre de 2016

Jarrett Cherner releasing new CD EXPANDING HEART 10/21 + touring East Coast

Pianist JARRETT CHERNER Releases Powerful Trio Album
EXPANDING HEART on his BaldHill Music label
[Street Date: 21 October 2016]

Date features (mainly) bassist Jorge Roeder, drummer Jason Burger


Cherner back as a leader after two extraordinary releases with
collaborative jazz quintet Sketches

Baldhill Music proudly presents the October 21 release of ‘Expanding Heart’ presented by pianist and composer Jarrett Cherner. To celebrate the release of ‘Expanding Heart’, Cherner will be performing in New York, Boston, Lancaster, PA, Laconia, NH and Portland, ME.

Brooklyn-based pianist Jarrett Cherner has emerged as one of the most compelling young musicians on the jazz scene, beginning with his fine trio debut Burgeoning (BaldHill) in 2006. In recent years he has devoted the bulk of his composing to the collective jazz quintet Sketches (sketchesmusic.com), which has two critically acclaimed albums to its credit: Sketches Volume One (BaldHill, 2013) and Volume Two (Brooklyn Jazz Underground, 2014). Now, with ‘Expanding Heart’, Cherner returns as leader of his own trio and sets out anew, playing brilliantly on a recording that reflects personal growth and combines original material with covers of wildly disparate songs by Vincent Rose, Otis Redding and Ornette Coleman.

While Cherner is intent on continuing with Sketches (and building up his BaldHill label with releases by himself and other artists), Expanding Heart provides another outlet and taps into the deep relationships that Cherner formed with players he met years ago while studying at New England Conservatory (bassist Jorge Roeder) and Manhattan School of Music (drummer Jason Burger). Two tracks featuring another pair of close musical associates, (bassist Haggai Cohen-Milo and drummer Richie Barshay), are from an earlier 2012 session, and more chamber material from this date is slated for release in 2017.

The pristine-sounding Expanding Heart begins with a short solo piano “Opening.” Then the trio enters with its exploratory reading of Ornette Coleman’s “What Reason Could I Give,” from the classic album Science Fiction. “I love Ornette’s music: bluesy and lyrical, freewheeling yet full of syntax,” Cherner says. “The gravity of the melody and lyrics, particularly the major diatonic line punctuated by a single flat-sixth, has stuck with me. We also play the melody inverted and there’s a nice symmetry in turning the melody on its head. In addition to the emotional pull of darkening/lightening the harmony, the major melody becomes Phrygian (minor), and amid the darker sounding mode, the one non-diatonic note (the flat-sixth) becomes a radiant major 3rd.”


Cherner’s writing, effortlessly lyrical and harmonically astute, has a way of bringing out the trios’ best qualities, starting with the quick-paced minor waltz “Distance” — “a heartbreak-inspired song,” Cherner reveals. “It was written a decade ago but never recorded. I used to play it slower and with more longing, but as Jorge recently commented, it’s now played a bit faster and not as closely connected to the heartache. The title originally referred to the long-distance nature of the relationship, but now also refers to the length of time from it.”

Otis Redding’s “I Got the Will” harks back to Cherner’s Boston days playing with a soul cover band. “This lesser-known tune has lyrics that reference the saying ‘if there’s a will there’s a way’ with regard to getting one’s lover back. The singer claims, ‘I’ve got the will but I can’t find the way.’ Raise your hand if you can relate….”

Cherner’s interest in meditation over the last eight years has loosely inspired the three “Meditation” pieces. “I’m still writing these,” Cherner says of the series. The first takes inspiration from Ravel and Barry Harris. The second is “low and wide with a loose backbeat,” Cherner continues. “It’s mostly diatonic in C and I love playing around with inner voice motion to create interesting textures with mostly, well, in this case, the white notes.” The third “is basically through-composed. Even when it ‘arrives’ it feels like it’s going someplace else. The ground has shifted underfoot. Finding calm amid the unsettled mind.”

“Whispering,” made famous by Paul Whiteman in 1920, also provided Dizzy Gillespie with the chord changes to “Groovin’ High.” Cherner and the 2012 trio highlight the melody lovingly, even as they navigate fast and difficult contrapuntal passages and radically reinvent this trad-jazz chestnut. “Learning Bach’s piano music, particularly some of the Goldberg Variations, opened up two-voice counterpoint for me,” recalls Cherner. “I was intrigued by the idea of mixing two ‘old’ musical styles (1920 and 1741) to make something for the present day.”

“Here We Go Again,” with the 2012 trio, sets up a straight-eighth feel with a funky lilt. The intricate written themes, pointedly staccato, give way to inventive and fiery solos from all three players. This piece came about soon after Cherner’s arrival at MSM in 2008. “It references the feeling of being back in school after a few years away from institutional learning, but over time the feeling of being in a familiar situation (again) gives this song new life.”

“Hoppe” comes from the Japanese “hoppeta,” or “cheek.” “This was a term of endearment,” Cherner says. The slow and soulful ballad, with beautifully shaded dynamics and a standout Roeder bass solo, is to Cherner “a song of affection.”

Ornette Coleman resurfaces with the midtempo blues “Turnaround,” in an unabashedly boogie-based version that makes that famous turnaround stand out all the more. The boogie feel “is not really Ornette’s vibe,” Jarrett acknowledges, “but then again, it’s not so far removed from his early days playing R&B. I also love the way the melody alternates major and minor tonalities, getting directly to the heart of the blues.”

The album closes with the third Meditation, developing the intriguing fragment first heard on “Opening.” Expanding Heart ends, then, with an expansion. It’s as clear a summation of Cherner’s top-tier abilities, musical values and consistently evolving vision as one could wish for.

Cherner will embark on an East Coast tour to promote the release of ‘Expanding Heart’:

10/24 Smalls, NYC
11/4 Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA
11/16 Twins Jazz Club, Washington DC
11/15 Regattabar, Cambridge, MA
11/17 Pitman’s Freight Room, Laconia, NH
11/18 Dimensions In Jazz, Portland, ME

In this latest video we can appreciate Jarrettt Cherner in piano solo:



www.jarrettcherner.com

www.lydialiebman.com

www.jazzglobalbeat.blogspot.com            jazzglobalbeat@gmail.com

viernes, 9 de septiembre de 2016

Virtuoso Violinist Scott Tixier releases his sophomore album Cosmic Adventure Today, September 9, 2016!


“Listening to Scott's playing makes me very happy because the future of modern jazz violin is in very good hands. He displays a musical maturity in this album which is surprising considering his young age, drawing inspiration from deep inside and not rehashing what others have played before him, which makes his style original. He is surrounded by great players, all top musicians who help make this album a strong musical statement.”  Jean Luc Ponty


Sunnyside Records is proud to announce today’s release of Cosmic Adventure, the new album from virtuoso violinist Scott Tixier. To bring this momentous recording to life, Scott enlisted an all-star ensemble of fellow visionaries including Yvonnick Prene (harmonica), Glenn Zaleski (piano), Luques Curtis (bass), Justin Brown (drums) and special guests Pedrito Martinez (congas) and Chris Potter (saxophone).


Cosmic Adventure has garnered early praise from All About Jazz (“...[this] French violinist [...] is taking the world by storm”), Jazz Times (“Cosmic Adventure is a fresh, thoroughly enjoyable recording”), Jazz Quad, Midwest Record and others plus he has been featured in Argonauta Magazine and Black Grooves.


Scott will be touring through the East Coast to celebrate the release of Cosmic Adventure. He’ll kick off in Princeton, NJ at Barnes & Noble on 9/16, perform at the Jazz Gallery in NYC on 9/20, play at Promotory in Chicago on 9/23 and also at The 9th Note in Stamford, CT on 9/24.

Scott Tixier’s new recording, Cosmic Adventure, celebrates the mystical nature of life. There are inconceivably immense and unpredictable experiences that can be realized within one’s lifetime. It is the absorption of material and immaterial influences yielded by these events and relationships that helps one discover new worlds or new ways of navigating in the cosmos of existence. It is about breaking free from the self-imposed isolation of criticism, the pursuit of perfection and the fear of failure. The adventure occurs when you expel the pressures of competition and expectations to truly explore your place in the greater cosmos.


Violinist Scott Tixier has found himself amongst some of the most fantastic individuals and intriguing situations. His journey has been extraordinary, a truly cosmic adventure.


The French born Tixier moved to New York in 2007 with an unparalleled musical pedigree. His violin playing has been lauded by many important and highly respected musicians, including Pat Metheny, Jean Luc Ponty and Mark Feldman. He had already garnered experience in the jazz world playing with Jon Hendricks, Tigran Hamasyan and Lonnie Plaxico. By the age of 15, Tixier had already opened for Maceo Parker, McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones and in 2012, Scott was honored to open for Herbie Hancock alongside his brother, pianist Tony Tixier, at Jazz En Tete.


Since that time, the 30 year-old violinist has found himself in many eclectic musical settings, from Anthony Braxton’s recent opera Trillium J, sideman gigs with Natalie Cole, Christina Aguilera, and Gladys Knight to two years of touring with soul legend Stevie Wonder, not to mention his work in film and television. For the past 10 years, Tixier has been developing a new sound inspired by these collaborations both inside and outside of the jazz world, making him a multidimensional musician with a new voice on jazz violin.


Tixier’s first, well-received, Sunnyside recording Brooklyn Bazaar celebrated his then newly found home. His new recording, Cosmic Adventure, his first as a leader in four years, celebrates the serendipitous nature of life as a spiritual journey, with joy and hope but also sorrow and despair.


It was while appearing at a festival in France in 2012 that Tixier met pianist/composer Donald Brown.  The young violinist hit it off immediately with the Art Blakey Jazz Messenger alum, and highly regarded arranger, during a six hour after hours hang. It was during his preparation to record that Tixier decided that having Brown produce the record would be ideal. Furthermore, Tixier’s partnership with engineer Dave Darlington and Brown ensured a well executed recording session.


The electrifying new band that Tixier showcases on his recording is made up of some of the leading lights of this new jazz generation. Having played with Tixier since he and Tixier were teenagers, harmonica virtuoso Yvonnick Prene is the perfect foil for Tixier’s violin. Pianist Glenn Zaleski is a friend and neighbor, not to mention one of the best emerging pianists in New York. The varied and instinctual playing of bassist Luques Curtis matches his tremendous tone, while the incredible ability and maturity of Justin Brown’s drumming is suited perfectly for the ensemble, because he can deliver energy and dynamics without overpowering the violin.


The compositions on Cosmic Adventure follow a trajectory, all having been written one after another. They are meant to mirror events and moods, both good and bad. The outcome is an eclectic and moving collection of originals and two arrangements of well picked standards.


The recording begins with the stirring “Maze Walker,” written as a study on life’s tendency to make one search for meaning, as if finding the end of a maze. The opening track features conga master Pedrito Martinez, as does the optimistically penned “Dig It,” a tribute to Stevie Wonder, with the sound of his harmonica in mind. The insistent “100,000 Hours” is all about drive and commitment to making oneself a better person (or musician, for that matter).


Django Reinhardt’s classic “Troublant Bolero” is performed beautifully as a ballad and for quite possibly the first time with piano and drums. Tixier commissioned the exuberant and swinging “Mr. Tix” from his longtime friend Prene. Next, Tixier re-arranged the classic Erroll Garner chestnut “Misty,” taking a number of chances to make the piece feel more contemporary.


The bouncy “Nil’s Landing” is for Tixier’s young, guitar-rocking brother, so naturally it is an exciting bebop tune with unique rhythm changes. The moving “King of Sorrow” is for his recently passed grandmother, who never recovered from her husband’s death 30 years prior, though Tixier sees a lesson in her pain: Don’t get consumed in sorrow, take a look at the world around you. The grand finale is the joyful “Beam Me To Mars,” an optimistic piece written for people who dream big. The track features saxophone titan Chris Potter, who Tixier connected with on the streets of Brooklyn during a chance encounter.


Performing on an instrument that has become a rarity in contemporary jazz, violinist Scott Tixier has put his individuality to his advantage. There have been ups and downs on the way to where he is, which is natural on all of life’s paths. Overall, he has enjoyed and wants to share the bounty of his Cosmic Adventure.

Now we want to share with the trailer created for Cosmic Aventure by Scott Tixier and his group of cosmic star:




www.scott-tixier.com                        www.sunnysiderecords.com

www.lydialiebman.com

www.jazzglobalbeat.blogspot.com                 jazzglobalbeat@gmail.com