Troy Roberts, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Robert Hurst, Silvano Monasterios new CD "Tales & Tones"

Troy Roberts Tales & Tones

Digital Download - Full Album, One Sheet, pics and more

TROY ROBERTS – tenor & soprano saxophones SILVANO MONASTERIOS – piano ROBERT HURST – acoustic bass JEFF ‘TAIN’ WATTS – drums

BIOGRAPHY BRIEF  Hailing from the remote location of Perth, West Australia, saxophonist and composer Troy Roberts has received numerous awards including 3 consecutive DownBeat Jazz Soloist Awards, aGrammy Nomination medal, and was the only Australian semi-finalist in the 2008 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition. Graduating with a Bachelor of Music at the young age of 19, he has performed around Europe and the US extensively with artists such as: James Morrison, Aretha Franklin, Christian McBride, Sammy Figueroa, Dave Douglas, Orrin Evans and Kurt Elling to name a few, and also completed a Masters Degree at The University of Miami. In 2012, he shared the stage in an international septet comprised of jazz giants Wayne Shorter, Richard Bona, Vinnie Colaiuta and Zakir Hussein for Herbie Hancock’s launch of the first ever International Jazz Day at The UN, NYC. More recently he was also part of Hancock’s 2014 International Jazz Day held in Osaka, Japan performing with jazz luminaries such as Gregory Porter, Marcus Miller, Roy Hargrove, Esperanza Spaulding, Sheila E, John Scofield and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Troy is based in New York City and maintains a busy performance and recording schedule around the globe with some of the greatest jazz artists of today. He’s a regular member of The Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts Quartet, The Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts ‘Blue 5’, is also the newest member ofJoey DeFrancesco’s new quartet, ‘The People’, and is currently celebrating his 7th record as a leader, Tales & Tones (Inner Circle Music). . EPK Link

CD Description  Troy Roberts is a New York City based Australian saxophonist who maintains a busy performance and recording schedule with some of the greatest jazz artists of today. He’s a regular member of The Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts Quartet, The Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts ‘Blue 5’, and is also the newest member of Joey DeFrancesco’s new quartet, ‘The People.’ Roberts’ 7th release, Tales & Tones is an acoustic quartet adventure, featuring a powerhouse rhythm section comprised of his long time collaborator, Venezuelan born pianist Silvano Monasterios, along with two of the most important names in jazz today; Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts on the drums and Robert Hurst on acoustic bass – both of whom bring more than just their jazz royalty to Roberts’ original compositions and arrangements. The tone of this record ranges from hard swinging to pensive at times, while casually unwrapping the various tales via musical conversation amongst four great minds.

www.troyroberts.com               www.karigaffney.com

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Update APAP/Jazzconnect Showcase January 8th...Open to the Public!

You Are Cordially Invited Outside in Music is proud to present our first annual showcase, featuring some of the amazing artist's that are part of our label! All attendees will be able to connect with the artist's directly, and secure booking information and availability. 12:40-1pm Act 1  Curtis Stewart 1:10pm-1:30pm Act 2 Nick Finzer Holding his audiences “spellbound” with his “warm, clear sound…sparkling rhythmic energy,” “soulful improvisation” and “prodigious technique,” Curtis has performed as a soloist with the National Repertory Orchestra, in Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. (New Amsterdam Times, The Morning Call, SoundWordSight) He has made chamber music appearances at Zankel Hall, and the Newport Jazz Festival, and received special mention from Jazz Times, and Downbeat Magazines. STRAD Magazine.  His ensembles perform frequently at Carnegie Hall, The Blue Note, National Public Radio, Rochester Jazz Festival, NYC SummerStage, BAM, The PUBLIC Theater, Lincoln Center, Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe View More An award-winning composer, arranger, and trombonist, Finzer is bringing the joy and power of Jazz to both traditional fans and the most modern 21st century audiences. He’s on a mission to be a passionate voice defining the sound of Jazz in this age while also bringing street cred to the trombone with a bold, tight sound.  Finzer has performed at top Jazz clubs and concert halls with Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Lucas Pino’s No Net Nonet, Ryan Truesdell's Gil Evans Project, Bob Stewart’s Double Quartet, Frank Wess, Terrell Stafford, Lewis Nash, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Walt Weiskopf, Slide Hampton, Frank Kimbrough, Carl Allen, Steve Turre View More 1:40pm - 2pm Act 3 Chris Ziemba An avid educator as well as performer, Chris is currently a teaching artist with the New York Jazz Symposium (www.nyjazzed.com), founded by drummer Carl Allen, with whom he has been able to give back to students at regular jazz intensives in Melbourne, Australia and San Jose, CA. He is also a teaching artist with the Institute for Creative Music (www.ifcmusic.org), an organization which specializes in presenting clinics and residencies on jazz and improvised music across the US. Ziemba also holds a teaching position at York College of the City University of New York. Hailing from Buffalo, NY Chris received his Bachelor’s Degrees in Jazz Performance and Music Education as well as his Master’s Degree in Jazz Performance, from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He is a recent graduate of the Juilliard School, where he completed an Artist Diploma in Jazz Studies. View More 2:10pm-230pm Act 4 Jimmy OConnell Originally from the Metro Detroit Area, Jimmy O’Connell has quickly established himself as an in demand trombone player on the NYC jazz scene. Relocated to New York in 2009, O’Connell pursued and attained a Master’s Degree from the Manhattan School of Music, and has since been performing around NYC and the tri-state area. He has performed at some of NYC’s premiere venues such Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note, Smalls, and many others as both a leader and a sideman, and has shared the stage with some of the greatest living jazz musicians like Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Paquito D’Rivera, and Randy Brecker. View More 2:40pm-3pm Act 5  Philippe Lemm Trio Philippe Lemm performs on drum set and percussion alike, covering a broad range of styles reflecting his wide interest in everything music and his natural feel for groove and texture regardless of genre. Renowned stages Philippe performed at include Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center DC, Concert Gebouw, Bimhuis and North Sea Jazz Festival. He appears on over 50 cd’s as a side man and released 6 records with groups that he leads or co-leads. After graduating from Manhattan School of Music Philippe was invited by India’s leading school for contemporary music, True School of Music in Mumbai, to be an Artist in Residence and Head of the Drum Department for 4 months. In india he started to collaborate with Bollywood superstar Shilpa Rao and accompanied he in her “Hard Rock Café India Tour 2013” View More 310pm - 330pm Act 6 Alex Levine Alex Levine is a guitarist, composer and improviser, currently living in New York City. He graduated from the University of Michigan jazz studies program in 2012, where he studied with Geri Allen and Frank Portolese, and is an alumnus of the Banff International Jazz and Creative Music Workshop. In New York, he has continued his studies with Miles Okazaki and Henry Grimes. Alex has played with groups led by Francois Moutin, Geri Allen, Marcus Belgrave, and many others, along with leading his own projects, performing concerts throughout the United States and Europe. Alex is a founding member of Polyfold Musical Arts Collective, whose focus is to support the creation, presentation, and ongoing development of creative music, and to foster artistic expression through education and outreach. View More www.jazzglobalbeat.blogspot.com        jazzglobalbeat@gmail.com

Luis Raul Montell on behalf of Jazz Global Beat thanks all his friends, relatives and allies for the support he has received throughout the year.

I wish you Merry Christmas and Prospero 2017 wishing you every kind of success in your activities.

Isla de Margarita, Venezuela 12/23/2016

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New Book: Bob Porter "Soul Jazz"

Soul Jazz is a history of jazz and its reception in the black community in the period from the end of World War II until the end of the Vietnam War. Previous histories reflect the perspective of an integrated America, yet the United States was a segregated country in 1945. The black audience had a very different take on the music and that is the perception explored in Soul Jazz.   Bob Porter is a record producer, writer and broadcaster in the fields of Jazz and Blues.  He has worked for such prominent record labels a Prestige, Savoy and Atlantic.  He has produced more than 175 albums and several hundred reissues.  He has contributed to DownBeat, JazzTimes, Jazz Journal (London) and currently writes a book review column for the Journal of the International Association of Jazz Record Collectors.  He is a two-time Grammy winner, was awarded the Marion McPartland Award for Excellence in Jazz Broadcasting and is a member of the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.  He currently is the host of three separate radio programs on WBGO Newark. http://bookstore.xlibris.com/Products/CategoryCenter/MUS!025/Jazz.aspx Also Available From Amazon.com

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Attention Media For Review Copies and Bob Porter Interview Requests Contact Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services Ph: 845-986-1677 / jim@jazzpromoservices.com www.jazzpromoservices.com

Big Picture Holiday new CD ¨Shimmer and Melt¨

Saxophonist and bandleader Avram Fefer has been performing and recording internationally since 1990. After spending the decade as a soloist with a number of different groups, his first several recordings as a leader were singled out as among the Best of 2001 and Best of 2002 in publications such as Downbeat Magazine, the Village Voice (New York), Cadence magazine, the Chicago Weekly Standard, and JazzPortugal. Now, in the spring of 2005, Fefer has four new releases to add to his body of recorded work.

The brand new Kindred Spirits and Heavenly Places (both Boxholder Records) document his ever-deepening musical relationship with piano legend Bobby Few. Though both recordings feature the duo of piano and saxophone, they present two very different aspects of the musicians' vocabulary and repertoire. Kindred Spirits presents a couple of originals alongside classics by Monk, Mingus and Ellington---displaying the duo's embrace of melody, whereas Heavenly Spirits catches them letting loose, with more room for development and improvisation. Accompanying the release of these two discs, Bobby Few will be coming to the states in May '05 and will join Avram on a 10-concert tour through the Northeast and Midwest.

Also just released, Painting Breath, Stoking Fire (CIMP) is Fefer's new CD featuring another duo---this time with virtuoso bassist and unsung hero, Michael Bisio. They perform a 58-minute, twelve part suite as a vehicle for improvisation and interaction of varying combinations of woodwinds and contrabass. Fefer plays, in order---alto flute, bass clarinet, clarinet, alto sax, and tenor sax as he accompanies Bisio on an extended, episodic tone poem. Fefer is also featured on Bisio's new quartet release, Connections (CIMP), where he is heard primarily on clarinet.

Avram Fefer was born near San Francisco, but his early years were also spent in Pittsburgh, Stockholm, and Washington D.C. before the family finally settled near Seattle, Washington. He received a liberal arts degree at Harvard University and studied music at Berklee College and New England Conservatory. He then moved to Paris, France (1990-95) where he established himself as a saxophonist, composer, bandleader and teacher.

Paris offered many new sources of inspiration and growth including a vibrant African and Arabic music scene and a wealth of American expatriate jazz musicians. His own bands were featured regularly in many of the city's top jazz clubs and he performed with fellow ex-pats Jack Gregg, Bobby Few, Graham Haynes, Archie Shepp, Kirk Lightsey, Oliver Johnson, John Betsch, Sunny Murray, and Rasul Siddik among others. He played in countries in Europe, Africa and the Mideast and is featured on diverse recordings, including by rap originators, the Last Poets (Scatterap/Home), and with jazz legend Archie Shepp on drummer Steve McCraven's Song of the Forest Boogeraboo [World McC Music]. He was also one of the founding members and featured soloists of the French acid jazz group, Beigels Daisy Toasts, recording two top-selling CD's for Virgin Records in 1994 and 95.

Since moving to New York, Fefer's diverse musical interests have kept him busy. Unlike many musicians who tend to align themselves with one part of the music scene or another, Avram has spent much time developing a unique sound that crosses genres. The influence of Ornette Coleman and Miles Davis-inspired funk was evident in the band The Tone Poets, featuring the instrumental pyrotechnics of Reggie Washington, Dave Fiuczynski, Jonathan Crayford and Marlon Browden. His embrace of electronic, ambient, and drum 'n bass music was brought to bear in the groups Squelch and Auto*Dope, both of which featured extensive improvisation, groove, and the unique tape manipulations of Bruce Grant (Huge Voodoo). His love of world music has been drawn upon in a variety great bands, including those of Cameroonian bassist Francis M'Bappe, ex-Fela drummer Tony Allen, Moroccan singer Abdeljalil Kodssi, and on the 2004 release, New Destiny , by the Afro-Hungarian jazz group, Dallam-Dougou.

As a section player and soloist, Fefer has been featured in a number of large ensembles, including the David Murray Big Band, Butch Morris Orchestra, Joseph Bowie Big Band, Mingus Big Band, Frank Lacy's Vibe Tribe, and the Rob Reddy Octet. His jazz compositions have been played by Roy Campbell, James Zollar, Curtis Fowlkes, Sean Conly, Ben Allison, William Parker, Tomas Ulrich, and Brad Jones, among many. He continues to perform with numerous jazz and new music ensembles as well as his own Afro-Latin band, Free Spirit.

His trio, with Chad Taylor on drums and Eric Revis on bass, was recently featured at the 2003 Montreal Jazz Festival, while his duo with pianist Bobby Few performed at the 2004 Free Music Festival in Antwerp, Belgium, and will be playing at the 2005 Burlington Jazz Festival in Vermont. Past festival performances include the JVC Jazz Festival at Carnegie Hall, the Heineken Jazz Festival, the Verizon Jazz Festival, the Knitting Factory What is Jazz Festival, the Tel-Aviv Jazz Festival, the Casa del Popolo Festival in Montreal, the Willaimsburg Jazz Festival, and several others whose names he can't remember.

In addition to his life as a jazz musician, Avram greatly enjoys teaching music privately in downtown Manhattan and has collaborated on projects with dancers, poets, painters, and actors. He has also performed and/or composed scores for theater, television, film and computer-interactive media.

www.avramfefer.com

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The Marksman Returns: Mark Whitfield is back with his first album in 7 years with sons!

Guitarist Mark Whitfield Releases Long-Awaited New Album ‘GRACE’ 1/24/17

Featuring the Whitfield Family Band

Going for Radio Adds January 3, 2017

Featuring: Mark Whitfield - Guitar; Davis Whitfield - Piano & Keyboards; Yasushi Nakamura - Bass; Mark Whitfield Jr. - Drums; Sy Smith - Vocals on “Grace”

Esteemed guitarist and composer Mark Whitfield proudly announces the January 24 release of “Grace”, his 15th album as a leader. Whitfield’s first release in seven years, “Grace” is a celebration of love and legacy, family and future, as the elder Whitfield ushers in a new era of musical excellence in the form of his descendants: pianist Davis and drummer Mark Jr.

Like father, like sons. Whitfield burst on to the jazz scene with his critically acclaimed 1990 debut “The Marksman” for Warner Bros. Heralded then as “The Best Young Guitarist In the Business” by the New York Times, Whitfield stayed true to the sentiment with a fruitful career spanning over two decades and including tenures with a litany of jazz and pop music greats.

Following in the footsteps of their father, and their uncle (the great jazz drummer Troy Davis), Mark Jr. and Davis have established themselves as “ones to watch” on their respective instruments. Both “grew up on the bandstand” alongside their father and both picked up their instruments at a young age. “I was attached to him by the hip! Anytime I could be there, I’d be there. You know, in all those clubs where I wasn’t supposed to be as a five-year-old — I was there,” recalled Mark Jr in an interview with Revive Music in 2013.

After sharing the stage on so many occasions, Mark brought his sons into the studio along with “honorary Whitfield family member” bassist Yasushi Nakamura and guest vocalist Sy Smith to record “Grace”. “I wanted to share my love of music with my sons, and use this love to forge a bond between the three of us that would enrich our lives, enlighten our consciousness and support us through the toughest of times,” says Mark. The result is “Grace”, a collection of nine personal compositions; each telling a unique story that chronicles the last two decades as a family. 

“Grace” kicks off with the biographical “Afro Samurai”, inspired by Mark’s triage of young curiosities: music, skateboarding and “terrorizing all who dared to come near my garage with my less than stellar kung fu skills!” These three disciplines are represented by the three distinct solo sections. “Blue D.A". which first appeared on Whitfield’s 1994 album “True Blue”, is reimagined here as a tribute to the late, great Kenny Kirkland, who can be heard on the original. The title track presents the first “extended family” collaboration with a special appearance by cousin Sy Smith. “I wrote a song as a reaction to the violence that has plagued our society for years and seems to have worsened severely in recent months and we turned to our cousin... composer, lyricist and songbird extraordinaire, Sy Smith, to bring it to life,” said Whitfield. “Double Trouble” serves as an homage to Mark’s mentor George Benson, who encouraged him to join the Jack McDuff Quartet and is inspired by a tour situation gone wrong.

Whitfield and co. slow things down for “Space Between Us”, a tender ballad where Whitfield’s playing resonates with every stroke, but picks us back up for “Fortress”, another call to Benson and a nod to contemporary Kevin Eubanks. “The 1st guitar record I ever owned was George Benson's Breezin'. I wore the old vinyl LP down to the grooves learning every single note that the aforementioned Benson played,” said Mark, adding, “...then I made the boys listen to over & over so they could clearly understand the genius of the man they refer to as "Uncle George"!

The final third of “Grace” includes “Undiscovered”, a testament to self discovery. Says Mark, “As teacher, bandleader & composer I endeavor to create musical situations that promote the right environment for the group to discover new pathways to reach higher levels of self expression. If nothing else, Davis' piano solo is the embodiment of that which I hoped to create!” The penultimate tune “The Socrates Curse” brews a perfect storm between Davis’ transformative solo and Mark Jr’s volcanic rhythmic explosion. ‘Grace’ reaches its conclusion with “Pulse Pt2”, an easy groove off into the sunset.

ABOUT MARK WHITFIELD:
Mark Whitfield graduated from Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music in the spring of 1987. Shortly thereafter, he returned to his to his native New York to embark on a career as a Jazz Guitarist that afforded him the opportunity to collaborate with legendary artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock, Carmen McRae, Gladys Knight, Burt Bacharach, Jimmy Smith, Clark Terry, Shirley Horn, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Joe Williams, Stanley Turrentine and his greatest teacher and mentor George Benson.

In 1990 the New York Times dubbed Whitfield “The Best Young Guitarist in the Business”. Later that year, Warner Bros. released his debut album “The Marksman”. The success of his debut release led to a recording career that has produced a total of 14 solo recordings and a myriad of collaborative efforts with some of the most important artists in recent years; Sting, Steven Tyler, D’Angelo, Mary J. Blige, John Mayer, Chaka Khan, Jill Scott, Diana Krall, Christian McBride, Chris Botti, Roy Hargrove and Nicholas Payton.

ABOUT THE WHITFIELD FAMILY BAND:

Along the way the “Whitfield Family Band” was born, literally. In 1994 The Mark Whitfield Quartet appeared on the Thanksgiving Day broadcast of Good Morning America. This performance featured a very special guest drummer, 4 year old Mark Whitfield Jr. It was obvious even then that he was destined for greatness. Following in his father’s footsteps he attended the Berklee College of Music and graduated in 2011 with honors. He went on to study for his Masters Degree at the Manhattan School of Music while simultaneously embarking on a career as a drummer extraordinaire. He has quickly earned a reputation as one of the best young drummers in Jazz and was nominated for a Grammy in 2014 as part of the ensemble featured on Kenny Garrett’s 2013 release “Pushing the World Away”. Not to be outdone by his older brother, Davis Whitfield, a prodigious pianist, earned a Presidential Scholarship and graduated from the Berklee College of Music with honors in 2014.

www.markwhitfield.com

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Monty Alexander Harlem Kingston Express Nov. 24-27 - Chicago's Jazz Showcase

-THE LEGENDARY JAMAICAN PIANO MASTER-

MONTY ALEXANDER  

HARLEM KINGSTON EXPRESS

November 24-27
Jazz Showcase - Chicago   

 

 

  

Monty Alexander

     

Monty Alexander elated the audience at this summer's Newport Jazz Festival with his Harlem Kingston Express and promises the same uplifting music soul on November 24-27 at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago!  Windy City get ready! 

Monty moved to Miami from Jamaica in 1961!  He's since traveled the globe with his rhythms and good vibes.  Alexander's two Motema Music Harlem-Kingston Express releases got rave reviews from the press. The New York Times described him as "an effervescent pianist and one of Jamaica's proudest musical exports." The Wall Street Journal has by turns called him "maybe the first-and certainly the most successful-musician to combine Jamaican music with North American jazz" and said that, "Alexander's blend of jazz and reggae makes for an outrageously good time."

Monty has recorded more than 75 albums as a leader and was awarded the title of Commander of Distinction by the Jamaican government in the year 2000. In the summer of 2012 Monty Alexander was awarded the prestigious German Jazz Trophy, "A Life for Jazz" and in November 2012 he received the Caribbean American Heritage Luminary Award from the Institute of Caribbean Studies in Washington, D.C.

 

Musicians
Monty Alexander - piano
with:
Hassan Shakur, acoustic bass
Obed Calvaire, drums
Karl Wright, drums/percussion (Jamaica)
Joshua Thomas, electric bass (Jamaica)
Andy Bassford, guitar (Jamaica)

Jazz Showcase
Hotel Blake
500 S. Dearborn St.
Chicago, IL  60605
November 24-27 - 8pm & 10pm
  

Monty Alexander Bio - click here. 

 

Monty Alexander Harlem-Kingston Express

  MONTY ALEXANDER OFFICIAL WEBSITE 

 

Press Contact: Scott Thompson PR

www.scottthompsonpr.com        scott@scottthompsonpr.com

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