On March 28 Rob Derke and NYJAZZ Quartet (A. Ortiz, De Rosa C and E Mc Pherson) @ The Kitano held in his album "Blue Divide"

New CD: Rob Derke & The NYJAZZ Quartet "Blue Divide" + CD Release Event @ The Kitano Fri., Mar. 28th Sets at 8PM and 10PM Reservations:  212-885-7119 66 Park Avenue (Enter on East 38th St) New York NY 10016 Featuring Rob Derke-soprano sax Aruán Ortiz-piano Carlo De Rosa-bass Eric McPherson drums (Zoho 201401) Street Date January 14, 2014

Bertolt Brecht famously said that “art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.” With this in mind, the NYJAZZ Quartet takes on a number of pieces heard on Blue Divide that offer a musical discussion or debate on numerous issues from past and present. The improvisations that compliment these tunes tell a story by exploring issues in a way that can only be accomplished by members of an ensemble who have performed together for over two decades. Our first priority is creating and sharing some good music. If our treatment of this music inspires listeners to begin their own debate, then we will successfully hold true to Brecht’s vision for shaping reality, and our own vision for future audiences to experience this music as an evolving art form inspired by the present day while still keeping the traditions of this music alive. Recorded the day after returning to New York City from a West Coast tour, we began the recording session by simply conversing. The short open improvisation that begins the recording, and is aptly named Prelude, is a visceral example of what this music is about - four friends gathering together, exchanging initial ideas with each other and the listener, and tuning themselves up both literally and figuratively for the musical discussion soon to follow. This improvisational section segues into our bassist Carlo De Rosa’s Pasillo Azul, Spanish for "blue hallway". It was inspired by a piece taught to Carlo by guitarist Jim Hall. It captures the essence of a blues but also offers an unsettled feeling through the use of altered chord changes. Davey’s Dreams is a piece I wrote for Davey Schildkraut, a saxophonist most known for his recorded work with Miles Davis on the tune Solar, and as the lead alto player with Stan Kenton. There are many artists who never reach a position of mass acceptance or popularity for any number of reasons. Despite his time spent with Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, and Tito Puente, Davey is one of those artists whose story never really made it into the history books. However, his long lasting influence on the first generation of Bebop musicians and those to follow is beyond measure. I spent countless afternoons with Davey over years of study and friendship that lasted well into the evenings, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to have been able to get inside the music and the mind of this unsung hero and genius of Jazz. Dispossession is a piece I wrote based on travels to the Middle East where I experienced both sides of a conflict that has either simmered or raged for decades. The term dispossession means the act of depriving an indigenous population of their land either by removal or occupation. The conflicts that emerge from these actions can be felt by the unsettling use of varied time signatures used in the beginning of the piece and by the constant trading of ideas between the soprano saxophone and piano during improvised sections. Knowing is another piece written by bassist Carlo De Rosa and it offers us a chance to explore a more introspective space. It was composed to reflect the first time something is deeply known to a person. This can be translated or applied to many circumstances depending on each individual listener. Yet wherever this is felt, it is a universally held truth that is beyond a mere feeling or fleeting thought, and it tells us just as much about ourselves as how it relates to those around us. G’s Waltz was written for my daughter Gabriella and included on this CD as a stark reminder of why we need to examine the issues of the day explored on some of the other pieces on this recording. These issues will have countless repercussions on our future generation, and it is important to recognize that our children will have to face the consequences of our actions. I wrote this piece as a playful waltz that simply reflects a childlike simplicity and curiosity to the world around us. The 1986 film Round Midnight that included Herbie Hancock’s Still Time marked a significant time in my life as a student of Jazz. It was also released in the same year that I first met fellow NYJAZZ Quartet member Eric McPherson. Before the days of YouTube, we either saw our heroes live on stage or on film. Round Midnight provided the definition of how music could be used to tell a story, especially as the wonderful musical performances shared the starring role with the complex challenges experienced by the people who created it. Dexter Gordon, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and all the other artists in Round Midnight made a tremendous impact on many young artists of my generation and on future audience members to follow. Taksim reflects how a park protest in Istanbul quickly grew into a nationwide movement speaking out against government policy. I was in Turkey in 2013 during these protests and had firsthand experience of what defined this movement and how it was misrepresented in local and international media. Out of the many countries I have visited, I have rarely felt so welcomed and connected to a culture as I felt in Turkey, whether among their artistic world or while speaking with the wide cross-section of people I met on Taksim Square and in Gezi Park. Interestingly, the Turkish word Taksim means division, and it can also refer to the Arabic word Taqsim, which means melodic improvisation before a musical composition. The concept that I explore in this piece reflects the universal divide occurring in many parts of the world. This includes the divide between the priorities of the people and their ruling party; the divide between knowledge and ignorance brought on by financial or ideological interests; and how these interests permeate the divide that many are currently experiencing in the economy, in politics, in education policy, and in the arts. - Rob Derke. Jazz Promo Services 845.986.1677 • Fax: 845.986.1699 jazzpromo@earthlink.net • www.jazzpromoservices.com

Paquito D'Rivera invita, como siempre comenzando el nuevo año, a Punta del Este (Uruguay)

Paquito D'Rivera

Guitarist Adam Smale is destined to a great career with "Out of the Blue" ... to Blue Jazz (CE)

New Release: Adam Smale “Out of the Blue” Featuring Adam Smale - guitar Phil Palombi - bass Mathew Fries - piano Kieth Hall - drums   (SBM3-2) Street Date March 4, 2014

One of the key elements of jazz mastery is the ability of the artist to tell stories through music; an art that many feel has been lost amidst too much focus on technical prowess.  The remarkable guitarist Adam Smale indeed has stories to tell, as fully evidenced by his outstanding new CD, Out of the Blue.  Like an anthology of short stories all connected by the vision of its author, Out of the Blue offers nine rich, perfectly plotted tales for the enjoyment and edification of its audience.             To weave his fascinating stories, Adam brings two formidable components to the table – his own virtuosic mastery of his 7-string guitar honed by the influence of a diverse array of brilliant guitarists; and a supporting cast of musicians who not only understand the nature of the narratives they’ve been entrusted to help depict, but also dedicate themselves to the vision of their creative source.             Unequivocally naming the legendary Lenny Breau as his most profound influence, Adam also cites a broad array of other string masters including Chet Atkins, Albert Lee, Eddie Van Halen, Flatt & Scruggs, Pat Metheny, Pat Martino, Tal Farlow, Jim Hall, John Scofield and Kurt Rosenwinkel.  Add in Charlie Parker and Bill Evans…...and a most stimulating brew results.  Applying all of this to his personally designed electric and acoustic 7-string guitars with his fingerstyle technique, and a most unique new talent in the jazz guitar world has emerged.             But jazz is in essence an ensemble form, requiring both a dedicated commitment and a truly sympathetic understanding to achieve the synergy the music demands.  To achieve that goal Adam selected pianist Mathew Fries, bassist Phil Palombi and drummer Keith Hall – a working trio known as Tri-Fi – knowing that their 10-year history together would bring the proper depth and wisdom to his initial CD as a leader.  The empathy and interplay are consistently in focus - punctuating, driving, grooving or simply swinging, the enhancement and projection of Smale’s overall vision is always the driving force.             While there are solo features for everyone – and always delivered beautifully – this is the guitarist’s album. His solos are perfectly constructed, drawing upon his full palette of resources in the most appropriate manner.   Each solo displays this diversity, never in a contrived fashion, but rather blending the various elements into a fully cohesive statement.             Eight of the nine compositions are Smale originals, similarly displaying the range of his musical vision, but connected by his conceptual unity.  The one non-Smale piece is Wayne Shorter’s Yes and No, reharmonized and constructed in a manner that stretches the original version, changing tempos even more daringly to create an ever-shifting environment - from fiery to elegant - for the dynamic improvisational explorations of Smale and Fries.             The quartet tracks are bookended by two pieces featuring Adam accompanied only by bass and drums. New Start opens the album with a call-and-response structure akin to a rapid-fire version of Miles’ classic So What - an ideal setting for Smale’s fluid fingerstyle approach with interval leaps that are almost Dolphy-esque. The album’s closer Original Sin is another scorcher based on the changes of Cole Porter’s What Is This Thing Called Love, displaying Smale’s chord-melody mastery in a vividly exciting solo built on heavily suspended rhythms. Two more pieces are in a similar up-tempo mode.  Autumn Confirmation is a playful take on Bird’s classic Confirmation over the changes to Autumn Leaves.  What was initially conceived as an exercise is transformed into a foray of Bebop urgency with blistering guitar, a surging bass solo, an appropriately Bud Powell-ish turn by Fries, and a boisterous trading of fours between guitar and drums. NYC Love Affair – a tribute to the Canadian-born guitarist’s adopted hometown since 2009 – is an intricately smoking swinger with two-fisted Fries and switchblade edgy articulation by the guitarist. At the other end of the spectrum, She Knows Me is a tender ballad that allows Smale to utilize Breau’s signature bell-like harmonics in a solo of filigreed delicacy. Blues to Yous is an easy loper in angular lyricism with tantalizing, slightly behind-the-beat guitar solo, smoothly swinging piano and warmly grooved bass.             Jazzenco deftly touches on Flamenco stylings, but also develops in a fugue-like construction, with fine solos by all.  Smale explores the full range of his acoustic guitar while touching on the full palette of his stylistic arsenal.             But of all the tales told in this delightful album, the most viscerally visual is Night Drive.  A dramatic, rhythmically insistent and tension-filled piece, it unfolds with the powerful imagery and compelling complexity of a film noir, with Fries’ dynamic piano and Adam’s effective use of distortion stating the narrative, edgily stoked by Palombi and Hall.             Out of the Blue is a brilliant U.S. debut album by an extraordinary guitarist/composer who is destined to take his place in the front ranks of the contemporary jazz scene.   Note: Bill O’Connell & The Latin Jazz All-Stars CD Release Show @ Zinc Bar Thu, Jan. 9th...see more below   jim@jazzpromoservices.com www.jazzpromoservices.com

Michele Rosewoman regresa al futuro del Jazz Afro - Cubano - NPR

Michele Rosewoman ( abajo a la derecha ) se une a los percusionistas batá  de  Nueva Yor- Uba Ensemble en 2013.

Cuando Michele Rosewoman estaba creciendo en el área de la bahía -San Francisco- , que tocaba el piano desde la infancia y congas desde su adolescencia . Después de mudarse a Nueva York a finales de 1970 , comenzó a hacer música en dos áreas: el jazz moderno y la música tradicional cubana. En poco tiempo, ella comenzó combinando las dos en la banda de New Yor- Uba .

 Ritmos cubanos influenciados por el jazz desde el principio . Cuando el viejo Jelly Roll Morton habló de cómo el jazz necesitaba " matices de español", ilustró su punto con un golpe tresillo cubano , una agrupación irregular de tres notas que informa loping oscilación sensación del jazz. El ritmo de habanera retardada segundo latido relacionado hizo " St. Louis Blues ", un éxito , y está detrás de todo, desde el tango al arrancar riffs de saxo rock ' n ' roll . Usted podría mirar la banda de Nueva Yor- Uba de Rosewoman como reunir primos que se habian ido alejando: jazz y música cubana folclórico con sus propios lazos familiares con la costa de los esclavos de África occidental.
El abum doble de Rosewoman New Yor- Uba : Una celebración musical de Cuba en los Estados Unidos viene 30 años después de que ella montó su primera banda de Nueva Yor- Uba . La actual es un octeto de jazz más un trío de cantantes cubanos y tambores batá - bata son los tambores de la mano sagrados, de dos cabezas del pueblo yoruba . Dos charter New Yor - Ubans todavía están alrededor : Oliver Lake en saxos y flauta y Howard Johnson en saxo barítono y tuba. Un típico montones de bandas de jazz latino en alta trompetas. Rosewoman favorece saxofones ricos y latón bajo , y tal vez un fondo cadente - como en " Luz natural ".

                                                   Michele Rosewoman y New Yor-Uba arrancan el 2014 en
                                                                        Bitter End/Winter Jazz Festival

En la mayoría de las piezas, Rosewoman envuelve sus composiciones alrededor yoruba o Dahomey cantos devocionales y patrones de batería . Le dan a la música una resonancia espiritual a través de los siglos y los continentes . Rosewoman trata a aquellos materiales con cuidado - las oraciones cantadas aparecer en el orden prescrito , y tienen su propia integridad en el desempeño de la banda. Vocalista del conjunto es el magnético Pedrito Martínez, con cuyo canto abre una ventana en cada momento.

 Michele Rosewoman es consciente del hecho de que las tradiciones que ella enlaza tienen diferentes objetivos. Jazz es progresiva - que mantiene el desarrollo de su propio idioma. Música religiosa de África Occidental ha sobrevivido durante siglos en Cuba a través de la preservación cuidadosa ya veces encubierta . Rosewoman y su músicos es muy consciente del fraseo del jazz y la armonía sobre los antiguos ritmos y hace justicia a ambas tradiciones. Es como la invención de jazz afro-cubano y conciertos sacros de nuevo. 

Por: Kevin Whitehead

Traducción: Luis Raul Montell

 

 

 

Gail Boyd opens the year showcase some of their star performers on a big show on January 12, 2014

This is the invitation that makes us reach our friends and relatives of Gail Boyd / Artist Management for the exclusive presentation of some of their stars in Jazz.

Of course it is a great opportunity for critics, radio host and journalists specialists in our genre: Jazz to be very close to these great figures of art and music to make your own conclusions.

Approximately three and a half will be of great music and great camaraderie hours!

VibeHeavy Produces Gail Boyd Artist Management 2014 APAP Showcase At Yamaha Artist Services, 689 Fifth Avenue (Entrance on 54th Street) on Sunday, January 12, 2014 from 12:30 to 4:00.  Complementary Refreshments will be served.  Please RSVP to Fulvia Orlando at fulvia@gailboyd.com.  I hope to see you there. Introducing VibeHeavy: Vibe Heavy's Chief Vibe Officer, Arif Gursel, is producing this year's showcase for Gail Boyd Artist Management. Vibe Heavy is a creative collective of entertainment and technology innovators based Seattle. Their creative space is known as the "Curative" and it's where they harness their collective creative super powers to build a better brand for their clients. VIBEHEAVY has deep skill-sets in technology strategy, business development, content creation, and quantitative social media engagement that focuses primarily on entertainment brands and often crosses into art and fashion. They are a team of geeks, business strategists, music industry specialists, technologists, software engineers, fine artists, illustrators, photographers, videographers and social media gurus, essentially creators of all things digital & cool!
J.D. Allen “The Village Voice just named JD Allen’s newest release “Grace” (Savant Records) as one of the 10 best jazz albums of 2013, stating “after an inspired streak of trio albums, tenor saxophonist JD Allen with a new quartet and hit it out of the park.”  “Allen works in a fairly abstract and enormously expressive post-bop mode, outdoing himself with a ballad, “Selah (My Refuge)that lingers in ones ears.”   Hailed by the New York Times as “a tenor saxophonist with an enigmatic, elegant and hard-driving style,” JD Allen is a bright rising light on today’s international jazz scene. His unique and compelling voice on the instrument – the result of a patient and painstaking confrontation with the fundamentals of the art - has recently earned Allen a blaze of critical attention signaling his ascension to the upper ranks of the contemporary jazz world.  Showcase time: 1:00-1:40pm Andy Milne Considered one of the most important and respected voices in jazz today, Milne is a 2013 Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour roster member and a recipient of numerous awards and commissions.   In 2012 he was commissioned by The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts and funded by The Japan Foundation and New Music USA to create Strings and Serpents; a multi-disciplinary project featuring artists from Japan, France, Canada and the US. He recently composed and performed the film score for William Shatner's documentary The Captains, and is composing an orchestral work for The American Composers Orchestra. His highly recognizable group Dapp Theory which lives at the meeting-point of lyrical jazz piano, funkified polyrhythmic exploration, and spoken word poeticism, is currently completing their next CD with Grammy winning producer Jimmy Haslip. Showcase time: 1:45-2:05pm -solo piano   Letizia Gambi (presented by Michelle Taylor and Passion_Music) "Letizia Gambi is a stunning vocalist!” – STING "Lenny White and Letizia Gambi have created the hippest musical address in Naples; at the intersection of Neapolitan music and jazz." -- GIL GOLDSTEIN Born in Naples Italy, singer, songwriter Letizia Gambi, is making a splash on the international music scene, with her debut recording, Introducing Letizia Gambi, produced and co-written by legendary, jazz drummer, producer and Grammy Award winner, Lenny White.  The recording is the synthesis of two apparently distant worlds blended in perfect harmony, creating an authentic sound that combines African American heritage with Mediterranean melodies, it’s a "cultural fusion.  The recording has a stellar line up of musicians, including appearances by Chick Chorea, Ron Carter, Wallace Rooney,Patrice Rushen, Gil Goldstein and Gato Barbieri.   Showcase time: 2:10pm-2:50pm featuring Lenny White, Jon Cowherd, John Benitez, Hector El Curto, Jisoo Ok, Max Ionata   Helen Sung "Anthem for a New Day", Sung's Concord Jazz debut, is set for release January 28, 2014. A mix of original material, a few standards and a few surprises, Anthem for a New Day is a declarative statement that finds Sung at the forefront of a six-piece band, with guest appearances by violinist Regina Carter and clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera.  A native of Houston, Texas, Sung attended Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA). She initially aspired to be a classical pianist but was bitten by the jazz bug while studying at the University of Texas at Austin. Going against both her musical and cultural upbringing, she switched to jazz and was soon after accepted into the inaugural class of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance.    Showcase time: 2:55-3:15pm -solo piano
Lynnie Godfrey Lynnie Godfrey received a Drama Desk Nomination for her Broadway debut in the Musical Revue EUBIE!...She received the Dramalogue and NAACP Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress for her portrayal in "NO PLACE TO BE SOMEBODY". She received the AUDELCO Award for Outstanding performance for her work in "Shuffle Along". For Directing Ms. Godfrey received the Tyrone Guthrie Award. She has received he NAACP Award for Best Producer also the Audio Earphone Award and the Benjamin Franklin Award for her recording of the the title role "Snow Queen " among others...One of her proudest moments in theatre is her work in “LADIES OF SONG” and her Cabaret Performances of Classic Songs by some of the most wonderful composers that spans many eras….from Cole Porter to Stephen Sondheim… Showcase time: 3:20pm-4:00pm Please RSVP to Fulvia Orlando at 646-841-4861 or fulvia@gailboyd.com

Alex Diaz puts pepper to Christmas with Merengue Jazz

This video was a presentation by Alex Diaz and His Merengue Jazz Site Zinc Bar in New York

City, during this year.

The theme is "Yesterdays" Jerome Kern composition, well groomed with a unique rhythm and pace, album belongs to Beyond145th Street where musicians are:
Alex Diaz-Congas
Ivan Renta-Sax
Pedro Bermudez-Piano
Ruben Rodriguez-Bass
Diego Lopez-Drums

 

Alex Diaz is also known as  'Merengue Jazz King'

 

Born in Bani, Dominican Republic, Alex Diaz began playing music at an early age. At age 10 he enrolled at Jose Reyes Music School in his hometown. Soon he was lead snare drum in his town’s Municipal Band under Professor Amable Botello. A couple of years later he found himself performing with local bands such as Nina “ El Gago”, “Yeyen” y su Bajo, “los Antillanos del Sabor” among other popular bands of the region. At age 16 je joined the group “Los Juveniles del Sabor”, whose lead vocalist were Ruby Perez and Aramis Camilo. Both considered among the best in the country. He continued to perform with local acts such as Julita del Rio and “ Sonido Latino.”

In 1980 a young Alex came to the big apple New York City to try out the scene. His first gig was with Victor White, Dominican merengue singer famous with wilfrido Vargas. Then the big break came, a call from Jazz Pianist Hilton Ruiz. Alex will get the job and go on tour for the next two years making a name for himself among NYC finest percussionists. Soon after that his career took off performing with big names such as Tito Puente, Jose Figaro, Chucho Valdez, Mario Bauza and the Afro Cuban Ban, Dizzy Gillespie and the United Nations Orch., Xavier Cougart, Ceila Cruz, Alfredo “ Chocolate” Armenteros, Cachoao, just to name a few.

 

Still in New York, Alex Diaz keeps busy performing with “ Son de la calle” around New York City and the world’s biggest venues. He is considered the pioneer of the merengue-jazz concept, inherited by his mentor the great Mario Rivera” El Comandante”, considered the best Dominican musician ever! His latest project “ The Bebop Bogaloo Kings” is the First of many attempts in combining Jazz and Contemporary music with Santo Dominigo’s folkloric beat “ merengue” His career is just taking of and lots of sounds will be heard from “ The King of the Merengue Jazz”.

 

The pianist and composer Rober Prester launches "Dogtown" after Christmas

 

Jazz Promo Services

 

Robert Prester               “Dogtown”              Featuring Robert Prester piano and synth Nicky Orta bass Ettienne Fuentes Jr. drums Jack Ciano drums Dave Schanzer hand drums and percussion Terezinha Valois vocals Jonathan Sigel trumpet and flugelhorn (Commonwealth Ave. Productions)  Street Date: February 4, 2014

Robert Prester, piano, all tracks except 6, synthesizer, track 9 Nicky Orta, bass, all tracks except 6 Ettienne Fuentes Jr., drums, all tracks except 4,7 Jack Ciano, drums, track 4 Dave Schanzer, hand drums and percussion, tracks 2,5,6,7,9 Terezinha Valois, vocals, tracks 5,7,9 Jonathan Sigel, trumpet and flugelhorn, tracks 2,5,7,9 1. Vincenzo’s Blues !! ! (4:23) 2. Beneath Wind’s Shadow! ! (5:31) 3. Dogtown! ! ! ! ! (5:37) 4. Realm of Possibility ! ! ! (9:31) 5. Toy Soldiers ! ! (5:48) 6. Percussion Interlude! ! ! (0:54) 7. Noches de Sevilla! ! ! (4:35) 8. The Prophecy! ! ! ! (5:06) 9. Sewing Circle! ! ! ! (7:00) 10. Bite Size Steps (Giant Steps)! ! (3:35) All music composed and arranged by Robert Prester, except Giant Steps by John Coltrane

 

www,jazzpromoservices.com

jim@jazzpromoservices.com