Simcock - Garland - Sirkis - Lighthouse

Garland, Simcock and Sirkis sound out all imaginable possibilities of this unusual instrumentation. A miniature orchestra that unites skillfully interweaving melodies, complexity and groove. Strong, distinctive melodies and bounding folk-tinged rhythms underpin the music, along with many other influences from around the world and some tributes to a few of the great musicians of recent British contemporary music history.

Tim Garland / soprano & tenor sax, bass clarinet
Gwilym Simcock / piano, melodica
Asaf Sirkis / drums, percussion, hang drum

Boris Savoldelli - Biocosmopolitan

“Uno spettacolo sfavillante e musicalmente attraente” (Time Out New York ); “una voce attraente, idee interessanti e soli eccitanti” (Howard Mandel-Presidente della American Jazz Journalists Association ); "ha mestiere, idee e naturalezza…molto piacevole" (Il Manifesto); “una voce che provoca gioia” (Seattle Times); “senza dubbio un genio” (Jaa Ru, Russia); "raro caso di musicista italiano esportabile" (La Repubblica); “uno spettacolo straordinario” (All About Jazz New York); "reinventa gli standard con bulimica frenesia e originalità" (Musica Jazz); “un vocalist prodigioso” (Ezio Guaitamacchi, direttore del mensile Jam); “qualcosa di veramente nuovo e diverso” (Mensieur Dèlire, Francia); “un talento unico” (Vortex Jazz Magazine, UK); “la magia di una caleidoscopica vocalità e musicalità” (Il Mucchio); “semplicemente meraviglioso” (Bad Alchemy, Germania); “una vera rivelazione” (All ABout Jazz New York); "rivelazione. La voce strumento di Boris, rivoluzione jazz rock" (Il Giorno); “un maestro di contorsionismi vocali” (Jazz Review, USA); “un vero musicista della voce” (ProgRock, Polonia); "un acrobata della voce" (Music Reviews, Germania); “una variante moderna di Bobby McFerrin e Al Jarreau” (IO Pages Magazine, Olanda); “uno dei cantanti più intriganti degli ultimi anni” – (Jaa Station Records, New York ); “semplicemente un cantante superbo” (Mark Murphy). Queste sono solo alcune delle parole scritte su Boris Savoldelli dalla stampa musicale di tutto il mondo. Classe 1970, Boris è un vocal performer dotato di una folgorante personalità. Affascinato da sempre dello “strumento voce” e delle sue straordinarie possibilità, con un background prima di studi classici e successivamente, grazie all’amicizia col suo mentore Mark Murphy, di matrice jazz (senza dimenticare le origine come rock singer) è continuamente alla ricerca di nuove forme espressive-vocali. Negli ultimi anni fissa alcune tappe importanti per la sua carriera pubblicando, nel 2008, il cd per sola voce e looper dal titolo INSANOLOGY (che vede il prezioso contributo, in due brani, di Marc Ribot). Il cd rappresenta il suo “light side”, la parte più melodica della sua musica.

Il disco ottiene lusinghiere recensioni in tutto il mondo (Italia, USA, Brasile, Francia, Inghilterra, Olanda, Russia, Germania, Israele) ed alcune importanti conferme come nell'annuale Jazz Poll del produttore e critico Arnaldo DeSouteiro (produttore di Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin e Joao Gilberto) che segnala Insanology tra i 10 migliori album di jazz vocale del 2008 e Boris al terzo posto nella categoria Migliori Cantanti Jazz dopo nomi storici come Tony Bennet e Al Jarreau. Anche nel 2009 Arnaldo DeSouteiro inserisce Boris tra i Migliori Cantanti Jazz, questa volta, al secondo posto e nel 2011 lo colloca al quarto posto come Migliore Cantante Jazz ed inserisce il cd Biocosmopolitan tra le prime 10 migliori produzioni di jazz vocale dell'anno. Nel giugno 2009 pubblica PROTOPLASMIC , disco dalle tinte fortemente free-avanguardistiche che rappresenta appieno il suo “dark side”, la parte più sperimentale e selvaggia della sua musica. Il cd, registrato a NY in duo con Elliott Sharp, è prodotto dalla Newyorkese Moonjune. Anticipato dal video clip del singolo “The Miss Kiss”, il nuovo disco in solo voce di Boris - nuovamente espressione del suo “light side” e intitolato BIOCOSMOPOLITAN- viene prodotto e pubblicato dalla storica etichetta Newyorkese Moonjune il 15 marzo 2011 e segna la preziosa collaborazione, in qualità di ospiti speciali in alcuni brani, di PAOLO FRESU e di JIMMY HASLIP . Numerose le prestigiose esibizioni live, come quella del settembre 2008 allo storico “The Stone” di New York (il cui direttore artistico è John Zorn), i Vocal Solo Tours in Russia ed Ucraina nel 2009, 2010 e 2011 (con circa 50 concerti tra Festival e Jazz Club a Mosca, Ufa, Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Kaliningrad, Tomsk, Novokuznestk, Dubna e per il DoDj Festival di Kiev), l’esibizione alla Chapel Performance Space di Seattle, nuovamente a New York nel 2011 al Garage nel village e allo Shrine ad Harlem, la presenza a Fasano Jazz nel 2009 e la partecipazione all’edizione 2010 dei festival Time in Jazz di Berchidda e Time in Sassari diretti da Paolo Fresu per i quali ha realizzato anche la sigla dedicata all’oggetto dei festival: l’aria.

Reanaud Garcia-Fons - Solo

All sounds you will hear on this CD were generated by Renaud García-Fons on the double bass. Some titles are strict solo bass, some have added loops, pre-recorded electronics and percussive sounds made by finger tapping or slapping. The thematic material oscillates between Orient and Occident, Africa and Latin America and between medieval and modern music. García-Fons lives his dream to present the bass as an instrument with an all-encompassing voca-tion, an instrument of beauty and many-sided possibilities which should be brought to an audible and visible level. The priory of Marcevol situated high up in the French Pyrenees proved to be the perfect spot for such an endeavour. Well balanced acoustics and an inspiring spirituality presented an invitation to take an “imaginary journey through time and space” which touches the Orient (Jey-hounabad), the middle ages (Marcevol), Africa (Kalimbass),South America (Yupanqui) and the baroque period (Hacía Compostela)… “My first encounter with the double bass was at age 16, it was love on first sight. I thought immedi-ately that the bass would offer an approach not just to classical music and jazz but to the universal language of music. After five years of intense learning with Jean-Piere Logerot and the great Francois Rabbath I began to travel, to explore and to investigate other musical cultures building up my own technique out of the experiences I made. I added a high fifth string to perfect the range of the bass without risking the authentic sound.“ Renaud García-Fons has made a spectacular career in the last years. Exposure in his native France was soon followed by concerts tours through Germany, Italy, Turkey, the UK – more or less all over Europe. North America came next where he does his 5th tour this year including again the Montreal Festival in Canada. Just before the US he will play at the four leading Australian fes-tivals and possibly in China. The accompanying DVD is a state-of-the-art production filmed with 5 HD cameras directed by seasoned pro Nicolas Dattilesi. It shows the full concert at Marcevol and an interview with García-Fons in french subtitled in English, Spanish and German and a short bonus film.

Al Di Meola - Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody

La New World Sinfonia è la formazione fondata dalla stesso Di Meola e con cui da qualche anno sta affrontando un impegnativo tour che lo ha visto quest'anno anche in Italia riscuotere un notevole successo. Ed è proprio da questa frequentazione musicale che nasce Radical Raphsody il nuovo lavoro del chitarrista che la critica non ha dubbi nel definire uno dei migliori al mondo. Definire un genere per Meola è praticamente impossibile, nella sua musica si miscelano jazz e avanguardia, world a flamengo pagando sempre tributo a quel grande innovatore del Tango che fu il maestro Piazzolla.

Robert Lynch, storico della chitarra, ha scritto: “Nella storia della chitarra, nessuno ha contribuito in modo così decisivo a far progredire lo strumento nell’approccio tecnico come Al Di Meola. Una tecnica pulita e morbida sulle corde nonostante l’impressionante rapidità di esecuzione. Sicuramente il più veloce chitarrista in assoluto nell’uso del plettro.” Piu' volte premiato da riviste specializzate come miglior chitarrista jazz ( anche se come abbiamo visto questa "etichetta" è molto stretta per il suo genio ) Meola torna oggi a noi con questo nuovo cd tutto da scoprire.

The NY Times and Guitar Player lead the first round of publications praising Al Di Meola’s ‘Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody’ (now available on Telarc Records). Di Meola says the album marks a fresh new era for his World Sinfonia band as the "compositions and interplay take on a more complex and interesting direction then anything I've done before."

And press agree: "The maestro is back and he is killing! Al D throws down beautiful nylon-string parts and blazing electric lines on this tango-riffic collection. The playing is spectacular throughout but tones, particularly on 'Paramour's Lullaby' and 'Full Frontal' are so cool they almost steal the show. Bravo!" – Guitar Player

"Di Meola, a guitarist of dazzling technical prowess, has a new album, 'Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody,' whose title neatly sums up his mission as an artist. World Sinfonia is the acoustic global-fusion outfit featured on the album, which riffs on a range of stylish sources, from tango to gypsy swing." – NY Times

Christian McBride - Conversations With Christian

On his eight CDs that precede Conversations With Christian, bassist Christian McBride has framed himself in ensemble contexts, most recently on the widely lauded 2009 Mack Avenue release Kind of Brown, which showcases the Inside Straight quintet (his return to the acoustic jazz format as a leader) and The Good Feeling, released in September, comprising a suite of well-wrought charts for an A-list 17-piece big band. Although McBride’s leader and sideman c.v. includes no small number of pungent duos with various game-changers—to name two, McCoy Tyner and Jim Hall—he has heretofore refrained from devoting an entire recording to the genre. That discographical gap is now rectified with Conversations with Christian, on which the 39-year-old maestro places himself in the forefront of the flow on a duet apiece with “13 of my closest musical friends and cohorts”—singers Angélique Kidjo, Sting and Dee Dee Bridgewater; pianists George Duke, Eddie Palmieri and Chick Corea, as well as Dr. Billy Taylor and Hank Jones (who both passed away in 2010); violinist Regina Carter; trumpeter Roy Hargrove; guitarist Russell Malone; tenor saxophonist Ron Blake; and actress Gina Gershon. In the process, McBride unleashes the full measure of his already legendary skills, crafting as complete a portrait of his diverse interests—different vibrations of the blues and African-American church experience, bebop, the American Songbook, the Latin Tinge, the Freedom Principle, even comedy—as he has ever presented.

“I love and appreciate so many different styles and cultures,” he remarks. “Changing hats, going from one project to another, from a straight-ahead session to an R&B session to a pop session, has always fueled my activity. I try to put all those different sounds into one pot and make it a coherent, jazz-inflected sound.” McBride first considered a proposal to do a duet project during the latter ‘90s, when he was signed to Verve. “At the time,” he recalls, “I didn’t feel I was ready, or that it was the project I wanted to do. I had other things in mind. But as time progressed, I got to do other projects—putting together the Christian McBride Band and experimenting with a lot of different sounds and layers—and my focus returned to the duets idea.”

This renewed interest coincided with McBride’s involvement with the National Jazz Museum In Harlem (he is co-director), where he launched a still ongoing series of public talks and interviews. “My manager, Andre Guess, and my wife, Melissa Walker, noticed that I had a good rapport with almost everyone I interviewed,” recalls McBride, whose warmth comes through as palpably in conversation as in notes and tones. “They both suggested that it might be time.” In conjunction with the project, McBride conducted videotaped interviews with each participant. Available as discrete podcasts since 2009, this series eventually led to the popular Sirius-XM radio show, The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian. “I think the duet is a logical extension of the nature of the bass itself,” McBride says. “It’s the root. Joe Zawinul once stated that the drums are the father of all music, and the bass is the mother. I had a hard time disagreeing. The bass has the rhythm and the pulse, and also the notes and harmonies. That would seem to make it the ideal instrument for any sort of duet.” If the bass is the ideal instrument to perform the duo function, McBride would seem to be its ideal practitioner. He immersed himself in the genre directly after arriving in New York City from Philadelphia, his hometown, in 1989. Then 17, just out of high school, he entered the rarefied atmosphere of such New York piano saloons as Bradley’s, the Knickerbocker and the Village Gate, learning the tools of the trade on drummer-less gigs with such elder masters as Larry Willis, John Hicks and George Cables. “Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, and Oscar Pettiford were my main favorite bass soloists, plus Jaco Pastorius on the electric side,” McBride says. “Their articulation was so clean and so sharp, and you wondered why all bass players didn’t play with that clarity. It seemed to me that musicians across the board were learning the language of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane and more modern geniuses like Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson, and that as a bassist I should also learn that language. With the exception of a few people, most bass solos I heard seemed a little uncertain and ambiguous, and I didn’t buy that the reason was the instrument’s frequency. I wanted every single, solitary note I was playing on the bass to be as crystal clear, as articulate and precise, as any other instrument, while still keeping the full tone.” Such formative experiences, as well as extended tours with “arena” acts like Pat Metheny, Chick Corea and Sting, many years playing with the drummer-less three-bass unit Super Bass with Ray Brown and John Clayton, and consequential engagements with pop icons like James Brown, Queen Latifah and The Roots, gave McBride the confidence to eschew the original material that he “had ready for almost all of the duets.” He realized that, “since everything is exposed in a duet, my partner should be as comfortable as humanly possible, whether it meant doing a song of theirs or some mutually-agreed upon standard. I knew that I could feel comfortable with just about anything.” McBride transcends the challenge, crafting one eyebrow-raising solo after another, and conjuring a lexicon of apropos, state-of-the-art bass-lines. On Kidjo’s anthemic “Afirika,” which opens the proceedings, he adapts the band arrangement into a surging, metrically complex bass part, rendered with the huge sound that is his trademark, complementing to perfection the Beninoise diva’s over-the-barline phrasing. Later, with Sting on the 1985 hit “Consider Me Gone” from the film Bring on the Night, he sets up a gentle 4/4 vamp to blanket and complement the singer’s keening tenor and self-comping guitar; still later, he signifies with good-humored, “filthy” expertise to Dee Dee Bridgewater’s lusty interpretation of “It’s Your Thing” by the Isley Brothers. Observe the intense, contemplative mood that McBride’s arco introduction sets for “Spiritual,” a late-in-life composition by Dr. Billy Taylor; his comfort zone swinging through the changes on songbook standards “Alone Together” (Hank Jones) and “Baubles, Bangles and Beads” (Roy Hargrove); the soulfulness he imparts to his own “Sister Rosa” (Russell Malone) and up-tempo “McDukey Blues” (George Duke). He surefootedly explores the open spaces with Chick Corea on “Tango Improvisation,” a spur-of-the-moment creation, and finds a path into Eddie Palmieri’s singularly Afro-Caribbean universe on “Guajeo Y Tumbao.” On “Fat Bach and Greens,” he and Regina Carter morph seamlessly from a well-wrought reading of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Double Violin Concerto into extemporaneous highbrow back-and-forth on the blues, while on “Shake ‘n Blake” he engages in informed variations on rhythm changes with tenor saxophonist Ron Blake, his long-time partner. The operative principle throughout is McBride’s dictum, “Most of what I enjoy doing s based in, around, and upon the groove; I want to hold down the fort—but have the ability to visit the roof if I want.” Conversations With Christian will assume its place as a masterpiece of the duo idiom.

Bollani - Chailly : Sound Of The 30'

Parlare di Stefano Bollani è come parlare del mare : mai identico a se stesso, ora impetuoso ora calmo ma sempre affascinante. Eccolo dunque con un nuovo progetto che molto avra' da dire in quella che ormai sempra diventata una "mission" per Stefano : divulgare (  ossia far conoscere, promuovere,  laddove scuola e istituzioni latitano ) La Musica sia che si tratti di "pop" rielaborato in chiave Jazz , di veri e propri standard jazz derivanti dalla tradizione blues di origine Afro Americana, di canzoni Carioca  sia  infine come in questo caso, sia che ci si addentri in quella che i critici chiamano "Musica Colta".

Dopo "Rhapsody in Blue", rimasto per oltre 30 settimane nella classifica "Top 100" GFK-Fimi dei CD più venduti e ormai disco di platino, nasce un nuovo progetto discografico della "strana coppia". Se "Rhapsody in Blue" era un progetto monografico dedicato a George Gershwin, Riccardo Chailly e Stefano Bollani ci sorprendono oggi con una esaltante quanto imprevedibile panoramica del sound classico degli anni ’30.

Qual era il sound degli anni ’30? Quello di Benny Goodman che portava le big band jazz alla Carnegie Hall, o di Ionisation di Varèse? Delle sorelle Andrews o di Bartók? Di Moses und Aron o di "Over the rainbow"? Di Charles Ives o di Erich Korngold? "Sounds of the ’30s" affonda le sue radici tra Europa e America, tra l’arte colta e quella vernacolare, in un esaltante fermento culturale in cui alcuni mostri sacri della classica non esitarono a "contaminarsi" con il jazz, il tango e il fox-trot. Ecco quindi il Concerto in sol di Ravel, il Tango di Stravinsky (presente sia nella versione per pianoforte che in quella – in prima mondiale – per orchestra elaborata da Felix Guenther),il celeberrimo Valzer da "L'Opera da tre soldi" e "Surabaya Johnny" di Weill e la suite dalla sorprendente azione coreografica "Mille e una notte" di De Sabata - un'altra prima mondiale. La critica ha battezzato l'inedita collaborazione fra Riccardo Chailly e Stefano Bollani come "la strana coppia", ma forse sarebbe più giusto definirlo come "il magico trio": non si può non menzionare la presenza della prestigiosissima orchestra del Gewandhaus di Lipsia, la compagine sinfonica più antica d’Europa, capace di garantire una qualità di suono davvero senza pari. Il programma del disco, eseguito dal vivo a Lipsia in un "Augustusplatz" stipato all’inverosimile da oltre 20.000 persone all’inizio di settembre del 2011, è stato registrato nella sala del Gewandhaus e sigilla una serata storica. Negli ultimi due anni Riccardo Chailly e Stefano Bollani hanno totalizzato con le loro incisioni oltre 70 settimane di permanenza nella classifica "Top 100" GFK-Fimi, polverizzando ogni record per artisti classici e jazz: tutto lascia prevedere che con "Sounds of the '30" ci stupiranno ancora.