Trombonist Scott Reeves with his own orchestra launches its first CD, "Portraits and Places" as leader

SCOTT REEVES JAZZ ORCHESTRA Portraits and Places

After years of writing for Dave Liebman's Big Band, the Westchester Jazz Orchestra, Bill Mobley's Smoke Big Band, and the BMI Jazz Composers Orchestra, brassman/composer Scott Reeves launched his own 16-piece jazz orchestra. EARLY REVIEWS:  Already #22 on the CMJ Top 40 Jazz Chart (4 weeks in a row) A sharp and impressive debut for Reeves and his ensemble. Encore? Yes, please, and ASAP. A keen ear for melody, harmony and counterpoint, and Reeves earns high marks here, as his compositions are sophisticated yet accessible, his arrangements scrupulously burnished and invariably engaging. -Jack Bowers, All About Jazz 4/5 Stars Scott Reeves has a keen ear for melody, harmony and counterpoint. Zest, polish and sophistication, this is some of the finest big sound jazz around. A brilliant musician and composer extends his genius to this big band sound. Bravo! -Grady Harp, Amazon.com 5/5 Stars -  Hall of Fame - Top 100 Reviewer - Vine Voice  Jaw dropping stuff throughout.  A flugelhorn player that has earned his spurs as an arranger and conductor while laboring in the vineyards for a long time for cats as disparate as Dave Liebman and Bob Brookmeyer, he knows his jazz and thanks those long gone for the music that inspired him as well as those still around that taught him.   -Chris Spector, Midwest Record

ABOUT After years of writing for Dave Liebman's Big Band, the Westchester Jazz Orchestra, Bill Mobley's Smoke Big Band, and the BMI Jazz Composers Orchestra, brassman/composer Scott Reeves launched his own 16-piece jazz orchestra in 2008. Their 2016 debut release, “Portraits and Places,” features seven Reeves originals, along with his arrangement of Jobim’s, “Waters of March”. He has forged an original compositional style which All About Jazz described as "varied and substantial, ranging from hard bop and Latin oriented themes...to French impressionist influences. His arrangements are restless, full of color, and provide ample solo space...amidst variable underpinnings." The Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra is comprised of some of the best jazz musicians in New York, including saxophonists Steve Wilson (Chick Corea, Mingus Big Band, Dave Holland, Christian McBride), Tim Armacost (Bruce Barth, Billy Hart),Rob Middleton (Birdland Big Band, BMI Jazz Orchestra) and Jay Brandford (Jimmy Heath, Oliver Lake, Dave Liebman, Smithsonian Masterworks Orchestra); trumpeters Seneca Black(lead with Wynton Marsalis’ Lincoln Center Jazz Band & Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra), Andy Gravish (Toshiko Akiyoshi, Buddy Rich), and Bill Mobley (Donald Brown, James Williams, Geoff Keezer); trombonists Tim Sessions (Dave Liebman, Clark Terry & Bob Mintzer big bands) and Matt Haviland (Illinois Jacquet, Vanguard Orchestra, Charlie Persip); pianist Jim Ridl (Pat Martino, Dave Liebman, Woody Herman); bassist Todd Coolman (Horace Silver, Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz & James Moody); and drummer Andy Watson (Jim Hall, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Jon Hendricks). Scott Reeves is a trombonist, alto flugelhornist, composer and educator. He has performed or recorded with groups such as the Dave Liebman Big Band, Bill Mobley’s Smoke Big Band, the Oliver Lake Big Band, the Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, the Vanguard Orchestra, Manhattan Bones and his own big band and quintets. Scott also performed at leading jazz clubs in Italy, Portugal and Japan. In addition to his performing and writing activities, Scott is currently Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Studies at the City College of New York (CUNY) and was also on the faculty of the Juilliard School. His textbooks on jazz improvisation, “Creative Jazz Improvisation” and “Creative Beginnings,” both published by Prentice-Hall, are widely used in leading college jazz curriculums.

TRACKS, TIMES, PLAYERS

The Soulful Mr. Williams 9:51 3 ‘n 2 5:24 Osaka June 9:08 Aguas de Marco 9:52 L & T Suite Movement 1: Who Wants to Dance 5:20 Movement 2: A Trombonist’s Tale 6:10 Movement 3: Hip Kitty) 4:39 Last Call 6:37 PLAYERS:  Scott Reeves: conductor, composer, arranger, alto flugelhorn Seneca Black: trumpet, flugelhorn Nathan Eklund: trumpet, flugelhorn Bill Mobley: trumpet, flugelhorn Andy Gravish: trumpet, flugelhorn Steve Wilson: alto, soprano sax, flute Vito Chiavuzzo: alto sax, flute Rob Middleton: tenor sax, clarinet Tim Armacost: tenor sax, clarinet Jay Brandford: baritone sax, bass clarinet (1, 4) Terry Goss: baritone sax, bass clarinet (2, 3, 5-8) Tim Sessions: trombone; Matt McDonald: trombone Matt Haviland: trombone Max Seigel: bass trombone Jim Ridl: piano; Todd Coolman: bass Andy Watson: drums Sara Serpa: voice (3, 4) Emi Miyajima Nobe, Yuzuki Nobe: Japanese dialogue (3) www.creativejazz.com (Scott Reeves) www.karigaffney.com  Kari-On Productions jazzglobalbeat@gmail.com

Mason Razavi has reason to be happy with two CD "Quartet Plus" and "After You"

The CD:

“Quartet Plus”

Mason Razavi

Tracks: 1. Moonlight Message; 2. Highrise; 3. From Thoughts to Words; 4. Urban Jungle Blues; 5. Prayer for Newtown; 6. Luck has Nothing to do with it; 7. Song for Another Day; 8. Mad Dance

The Musicians:

Mason Razavi (electric, nylon string guitars); Benneth Roth-Newell (piano,  keyboards); Dan Robbins (bass); Cody Rhodes (drums); Justin Smith (trumpet, flugelhorn); on the tracks 1, 5, 6 and 8: Ben Torres (alto saxophone, flute, clarinet); Oscar Pangilinan (tenor saxophone, clarinet); Cory Wright (baritone saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet); Kevin Bryson (trombone)

Guitarist Mason Razavi on this CD "Quartet Plus" makes the mark of your concerns as a composer. The mixes elements of jazz of the past and the present to give us a unique sound in Jazz Contemporaneo.

But there is another fact in "Quartet Plus" Razavi is that not only leads his quartet, but adds several wind instruments melodies that certainly sounds vary album.

Razavi has the virtue of adding improvisations to their original compositions, both in studio and on stage; another good sign of this CD is the continuity and deepening of the work that started together with pianist Benneth Roth-Newell which resulted in his previous production "After You" and in which both musicians duo play their own compositions and look with arrangements such as the famous "Yesterday" Lennon / McCartney). Both belong to the catalog of CDs First Orbit Sounds Music.

Notes of Mason Razavi:

Mason Razavi is a jazz guitarist, composer/arranger, educator, and recording artist living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He leads a quartet and nonet performing his original music and is a frequently requested sideman and accomplished solo guitarist. His albums have earned praise from critics while charting in the U.S. and receiving radio play internationally. Razavi has been described as a "thoughtful player and composer that offers the listener an introspective experience of deeper meaning" by Jazz Times. In addition to countless performances at clubs and theaters, he has performed in concert with San Jose Jazz including the 2015 Summer Fest, the South Bay Guitar Society and other Bay Area concert programs.

Razavi began studying jazz and playing in working rock bands as a teenager before attending the Berklee College of Music to study composition and arranging. He changed directions dramatically and devoted his life to the classical guitar for several years, culminating in numerous solo recitals and an album of original classical guitar music. Razavi has since focused on the electric guitar and writing for his jazz ensembles. Though first and foremost a jazz guitarist/composer, his diverse background has led him to a number of musical settings ranging from classical recitals to show bands to accompanying concert choirs, jazz singers and pop artists. 

An avid educator, Razavi teaches jazz history at De Anza College and jazz guitar for West Valley College and Mission College while also maintaining a busy private teaching studio. He has conducted clinics for San Jose State University, South Bay Guitar Society, and the Vancouver Classic Guitar Society. Razavi holds holds a M.A. in Jazz Studies from San Jose State University and a B.M. from the Berklee College of Music where he studied jazz composition and majored in Contemporary Writing and Production. He has studied in private lessons or masterclasses with Mimi Fox, John Stowell, Tuck Andress, Corey Christiansen, Henry Johnson, Jason Vieaux, John Damien, and Rick Vandivier among others.

Mr. Razavi has recorded three CDs as a leader: People, Places and Monsters (2012), After You (2015) co-leader and Quartet Plus (2014).

The following presentations will Mason Razavi Madera Lounge at Rosewood Sand Hill, California after their successful performances at Cafe Pink House and Hedley Club.

The video you see below is Live at City Lights Theater, San Jose, CA - April 14th, 2013 and the melody is Mad Dance last track CD "Quartet Plus":

www.masonrazavi.com               www.bennettrothnewell.com

www.firstorbitsounds.com

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Doris Duke Charitable Foundation awards to eight jazz musicians

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has announced the 21 recipients of its fifth annual Doris Duke Artists Awards. The awards are bestowed on the artists in recognition of their “creative vitality and ongoing contributions to the fields of dance, jazz and theater.”

This year, the recipients include eight jazz artists. They are trumpeters Dave Douglas and Wadada Leo Smith, pianists Fred Hersch, Wayne Horovitz and Jason Moran, saxophonist and clarinetist Matana Roberts, vocalist and instrumentalist Jen Shyu and saxophonist and flautist Henry Threadgill.

“Given the health struggles that I’ve experienced over the years, it’s remarkable that I’m alive,” said Fred Hersch. “I feel like I’m still getting better at what I do, and that keeps me going. At heart, the thing I love to do is play, but I know that this award is going to open some doors, personally and professionally, in ways I can’t even begin to predict.”

“To receive the prestigious Doris Duke Artist Award is the highest honor,” said Wadada Leo Smith. “It celebrates my achievements as a creative composer and performer in an art form that transcends boundaries. With the support of the Doris Duke Foundation, I now have the unique opportunity to develop a fresh connection to my art and to my community.”

Awardees will each receive $275,000 in flexible, multi-year funding as well as financial and legal counseling, professional development activities and peer-to-peer learning opportunities provided by Creative Capital, the Dorus Duke Charitable Foundation’s primary partner in the awards. With the 2016 class, the Foundation has awarded approximately $27.7 million to 101 artists through the Doris Duke Artist Awards.

DORIS DUKE PERFORMING ARTIST AWARDS:

The Doris Duke Performing Artist Awards was a ten-year program undertaken by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, in partnership with Creative Capital, to empower, invest in and celebrate artists by offering flexible, multi-year funding as a response to financial and funding challenges both unique to the performing arts and to each grantee. Launched in 2011, the Awards program supported individual artists in contemporary dance, theatre, jazz and related interdisciplinary work.

Grants were not tied to any specific project but were intended as deepened investments in the artists’ personal and professional development and future work. Through Creative Capital, the awardees also received the opportunity to take part in professional development activities, financial and legal counseling, and grantee gatherings—all designed to help them maximize the use of their grants.

The Awards program has offered two tiers of support: The Doris Duke Artist Awards and the Doris Duke Impact Awards. Through the Doris Duke Artist Awards, 101 artists received $275,000 each, totaling $27.7 million. In addition, 40 artists received $80,000 each through the Doris Duke Impact Awards.

The Awards program is part of the larger Doris Duke Performing Artists Initiative—a commitment on the part of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to recognize the potential of individual artists and insure their future viability, in the core fields of the performing arts supported by Doris Duke during her lifetime. Through the Performing Artists Initiative, the foundation’s Building Demand for the Arts program also supports at least 50 partnerships between artists and dance companies, theaters, presenting organizations, and/or select service organizations. Creative Capital maintains administrative, fiscal, and legal oversight of the Awards program. The Building Demand component of the Initiative is administered by the Arts Program at Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Ultimately, the Awards program reflected the pioneering spirit and generosity of Doris Duke, who frequently invested in talent or artistic genres, such as jazz, certain forms of modern dance, and traditional Islamic art forms, long before others in the United States recognized the value of such work.

www.ddcf.org                             www.ddpaa.org

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Hristo Vitchev opens new horizons for the Contemporary Jazz, new CD "In Search of Wonders" and next concerts

"Hristo Vitchev continues manifesting his musical talent as a composer, 

musician, bandleader and opens new horizons for the 

Contemporary Jazz ", Luis Raul Montell - Jazz Global Beat

The CD:
"In Search of Wonders"
Hristo Vitchev Quartet

Tracks: Disc 1: The Transitory Nature; It May Backfire; Post Nubes; Fuchsia Brown Eyes; In Search of Wonders; Almost Home (Intro); Almost Home. 
Disc 2: Falling in Orange; Old Theme; It Is Here, Somewhere; Stay (Prelude); Stay; Without Words, As the Full Moon Shines; The Invisible Stairway; We Search for Wonders.

The Musicians: Hristo Vitchev ( guitar); Dan Robbins (bass); Jasnam Dava Singh 'Weber Iago' (piano); Mike Shannon (drums).

The highly anticipated double album by the impressionistic Hristo Vitchev Quartet marks the 7th release as a leader for the internationally acclaimed guitarist.

The new compositions and sonic textures explored here, catalog the evolution of this award winning group over the last decade, and present a sound and style that is completely unique and truly identifiable with the quartet. For the recording of this project the group decided to first take the music on the road all around the world, and let each piece evolve night after night, letting it settle naturally and effortlessly into its final shape and place, which you can now experience on this marvelous release.

The next presentation of Hristo Vitchev Quartet in the Bay Area, San Francisco will be in Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, California, next July 7 and then advance for your tour announced in Japan, to be held in places like Kobe Modern Jazz Club, Izumi Hall, Jazz Club Azul and Day by Day Jazz Club. Here are the corresponding poster:

Notes of Hristo Vitchev:

The Hristo Vitchev Quartet is an impressionistic jazz ensemble lead by Bulgarian modern jazz guitarist Hristo Vitchev. Residing in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1998, Hristo has performed with some of the premier musicians in the region and has toured nationally and internationally with a wide variety of formations. The quartet was formed in late 2008 with the goal of showcasing Hristo Vitchev’s completely unique voice as a composer, featuring Brazilian pianist Weber Iago, drummer Mike Shannon, and one of the most original bassist in Northern California; Dan Robbins. Their debut record “Song for Messambria” presents a unique blend of modern jazz (ECM), classical, and Brazilian textures.

In this video you can enjoy what was the music of Hristo and his Quartet four years ago in

Kuumbwa Jazz Club in Santa Cruz, CA.:

www.hristovitchev.com                        www.firstorbitsounds.com

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Jessica Jones Quartet continuous celebrating "Moxie"

The CD: 

"Moxie"

Jessica Jones Quartet

Tracks: 1. Moxie; 2. In a Sentimental Mood; 3. Haitian Cotillion; 4. Soft Target; 5. Dear Toy; 6. Clapping Game; 7. Tag on a Train; 8. Manhattattan

The Musicians:

Jessica Jones (tenor saxophone, piano); Tony Jones (tenor saxophone); Stomu Takeishi (bass); Kenny Wollesen (drum)

The face of my music for the last 20 years has been my Quartet. It was conceived with my husband Tony Jones, and first came into the world under the name Rhythm Crush, which soon evolved into the Jessica Jones Quartet.Tony and I both compose for the band.  Personnel has changed over the years, but we've always been privileged to play with wonderful creative musicians. The core group is a pianoless quartet of two tenor saxes - myself and Tony - and bass and drums.  We often augment the group with extra horns, voices, and other special guests.  And sometimes I play the piano, which would make Mrs. Runkle proud. THE BAND. The Jessica Jones Quartet is an improvising jazz ensemble which performs original experimental music. .  Their music derives from the jazz tradition using structured original compositions as a framework for freer improvisation. Combining two tenor saxophones with bass and drums, the group creates an exciting, robust new soundscape.  Working with drummers and bassists on the forefront of the experimental jazz scene has allowed the group a level of exploration that gives birth to a unique sound.  The compositions of Jessica Jones and husband and fellow tenor saxist Tony Jones are currently given life by the innovative and energetic rhythm section of drummer Kenny Wollesen and bassist Ken Filiano.  The eclectic musical backgrounds of the band members infuse the music with the energy and creativity of new textures while remaining firmly rooted in the jazz tradition. The Jessica Jones Quartet has played in the Knitting Factory Festival in NYC, and the Eddie Moore Jazz Festival in Oakland, California, where the group headlined with special guest Don Cherry.  The group has been featured in venues on the east and west coasts of the US and released two CDs (Family on Nine Winds, Nod  featuring Connie Crothers and Joseph Jarman on New Artists) to critical acclaim.  Their most recent release, Word (New Artists),  features vocalist Candace Jones, poets Arisa White and Abe Maneri, and french horn player Mark Taylor as well as young lion saxophonist Dayna Stephens holding down the bass chair for much of the CD. Poets, storytellers, and other collaborators from Tristano-lineage pianist Connie Crothers to innovative jazz French horn player Mark Taylor have been augmenting the core quartet as the band continues to explore creative alliances and seek new adventures. Jessica and Tony Jones Cadance Jones, Vocals Vocalist Candace Jones is a superstar waiting to explode on the international scene. Performing since she was four, Candace has an array of awards and accomplishments behind her in classical, jazz and R&B music. She counts among her influences John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and Stevie Wonder among others. Born in New York City and raised in the jazz-rich culture of California's Bay Area, she won local talent competitions and by the age of 11, had secured a seat with the highly heralded, Young Musicians program in the University of California; where she trained as a classical vocalist. By the time she was 18, Candace had garnered a slew of accolades: NAACP® Act-So Regional Competition: first place, classical voice Stanford Jazz Camp: only vocalist in the top combo, awarded scholarship Berklee College of Music: scholarship to summer camp, then awarded scholarship towards college Lead role in FAB, a 6-week professional musical in San Francisco (fulltime, while still attending high school) San Francisco Grammy® Choir member Now based in Brooklyn, New York, Candace has been working at the highest levels in a variety of musical genres over the last five years, including starring in touring companies of Dream Girls, Ain't Misbehavin, Hair and Fame; sang as a weekly headliner at the Cotton Club; collaborates, writes, arranges and records for R&B artists. The next presentation will be on Jessica Jones Quartet Rail Trail Cafe, River Road Extension, Stone Mountain Farm, New Paltz, New York, on May 29, 2016,  but before share this video:

www.jessicajonesmusic.com             www.scottthompsompr.com

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Pianist and composer Roberto Magris celebrates new CD "Need To Bring Out Love"

Roberto Magris words:

Dear Raul,

“…I wanted  to entitle this new CD “Need To Bring Out Love”, as the title track song, to get the listener focused on the need of love that we have in this troubled world, specially in this period when the main issues in the TV news, magazines, media, are about terrorism, killings, social, racial and religion conflicts.

I’m not afraid to point out an old  fashioned motto as “peace and love”…I feel that also musicians need (and shouldn’t forget) to use their  own chances to promote and ask people to remain focused on the need of peace and love in our lives, and to give a positive  message, even if apparently could seem “out of context”. But music is always the right context for this, no matter if it swings, rock or grooves.

The CD cover is based on a photo from the Cava Cairns ancient site in Scotland; from those circles of stones I wish a positive energy would reach everybody has a chance to look and listen to this CD. I try this and I hope to bless in this way all my jazz friends and fans…”

The CD:

“Need To Bring Out Love”

Roberto Magris

Tracks:

1.- Out There Somewhere; 2.- Joyce Girl; 3.- I Want To Talk About You; 4.- Swami Blues; 5.- Candlewood Dreams; 6.- What Love; 7.- Together In Love; 8.- Need To Bring Out Love; 9.- Audio Notebook

The Musicians:

Roberto Magris (acoustic piano); Dominique Sanders (acoustic bass); Brian Steever (drums); special guest: Julia Haile (vocals 3, 8); Monique Danielle (vocals 7)

Edwin H Land an entrepreneur, physicist, scientist and inventor of the 20th century, invented instant picture taking. 

One day, while taking a picture of his 3-year-old daughter, she simply asked” where is the picture?” 

Perplexed but not powerless, Land began endless research and experiments until a solution to what had never happened before was found. 

Instant photography! His cameras and film were soon an instant success! 

We have come a long way since then with digital cameras, cameras on phones and cameras on computers. 

But, one thing remains the same…pictures are still worth a thousand words!

The picture on this CD cover, is from "Clava Cairns located in Scotland. 

“Clava Cairns” has a peaceful and inspiring atmosphere all its own. .Clava Cairns is known for its standing stones in beautiful ring settings. 

A thorough survey of the vertical remains recently discovered, shows an unnoticed connection between the color and texture of the building materials and the architecture of the monuments. 

Like that beautiful setting, this music along with its cover art, encourages us to find peace, beauty and love in all the things we see, hear and feel. 

In other words, to bring out the love in us! We “Need to Bring out Love.” 

So, when faced with powerful perplexing problems or situations in life, find ways to show more love. 

Find ways to show more love for people, places and things in life. 

Notes of Roberto Magris:

Pianist and composer Roberto Magris was born Trieste, Italy, in 1959. Early influences that still resonate with him include Wynton Kelly, Tommy Flannagan, Bill Evans, Kenny Drew, Randy Weston, McCoy Tyner, Andrew Hill and Paul Bley, others.

Mr. Magris began his career in the late ‘70s, since then has recorded  27  albums with his own groups and has played concerts in 41 different countries in the 5 continents, also perfoming at several top jazz festivals and jazz clubs in the world, including Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood, The Blue Room in Kansas City, The Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, Porgy & Bess in Vienna, Nardis in Istanbul, Bennett’s Lane in Melbourne, Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada, Ocho Rios in Jamaica, Ecuador Jazz and more.

In the ’80, Mr. Magris was the leader of a seminal jazz trio named ‘Grupo Jazz Marca’ and recorded 3 LP’s that were reissued 25 years later on CD format, as colector’s items by the English label Arision. In the ‘90s, he increased wider recognition on the European an International jazz scene perfoming and recording CD’s with the ‘Roberto Magris Quartet’, the progressive jazz bands DMA ‘Urban Jazz Funk’ and ‘Alfabeats Nu Jazz’.  

Mr. Magris performed as a sideman with Kai Winding, Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis and Sal Nistico, and as a guest soloist with the Traditional Jazz Studio bands from Prague. In 2003 he collaborated with USA  expatriate alto saxophonist Herb Geller, rec ording his first  major-label CD “Il Bello del Jazz” with his multinational Europlane Quintet. Also collaborated with bassist Art Davis, drummer Jimmy ‘Junebug’ Jackson and  saxophonists Tony Lakatos  and Michael Erian in 2006 and 2007.

However, since 2006, Mr. Magris has mainly focused his musical interest in the USA, where he has become the musical director and leading recording artist for JMood Records, the Kansas City jazz label owned  by Paul Collins. For JMood Records Magris has 12 albums, including this more recent “ Need To Bring Out Love”, performed and recorded with jazz stars  Art Davis,  Albert ‘Tootie’ Heath, Idris Muhammad, Sam Reed, Elisa Pruett, Pablo Sanhueza, Monique Danielle, Julia Haile, Kendall Moore and others.

Magris has performed concerts for jazz piano, orchestra and strings with the Big Band Ritmo Sinfonica from Verona and the Orchestra Giovanile del Veneto.

In the performances and recordings Roberto Magris reveals and makes you feel his love Latin music, so it's no surprise perceive your style, Latin Jazz.

Roberto Magris was recently in the show room WDNA in Miami, Florida-USA where we bring this video:

 

www.jmoodrecords.com              www.jazzitalia.net

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