Sunday Jazz Brunch @ Malarkey's Grill in Long Beach, March 13 & 20

THIS SUNDAY'S AMAZING JAZZ BRUNCH @ MALARKEY'S GRILL, LONG BEACH
(12 noon til 3 pm)

Every weekend 350 of Southern California's greatest jazz and blues fans come together to see the world's best jazz and blues artists presented in Pasadena, Long Beach and Tarzana. We are so honored to spend this time with you!  Please check out this weekend's exciting festivities and we hope to see you there!

March 13: Ron Kobayashi Trio Featuring Debbi Ebert
March 20: Gypsy Jazz with the Hot Club of Los Angeles

Sunday Jazz Brunch at Malarkey's Grill, Long Beach is a huge smashing success!  Come check out Ron Kobayashi Trio with Debbi Ebert (jazz noon 'til 3pm) this Sunday, March 13, 2016!

Carolina Davis Quintet @ FatCat, tomorrow night

This is tonight from 6-8:30pm, hope you'll stop FatCat! 
Very adventure jazz!
75 Christopher St, NY
Ph: 212-675-6056

Arnaldo DeSouteiro Bio / JSR (Jazz Station Records)

Arnaldo DeSouteiro – Biografia ultra-resumida 

Produtor de discos, com cerca de 530 álbuns em sua discografia (incluindo novos CDs, reedições, coletâneas, trilhas sonoras, projetos especiais), conforme consta no All Music Guide, principal e mais acessado website sobre música no mundo. Jornalista e publicitário (formado em Comunicação pela PUC-RJ), tendo escrito para os jornais Tribuna da Imprensa (de 1979 até sua extinção em 2009, com 3.200 artigos publicados), Última Hora, O Globo e O Estado do Paraná, revistas Billboard, Keyboard (USA), Cuadernos de Jazz (Espanha), Swing Journal (Japão), Revista do CD (Brasil) etc. 

Roteirista de shows (João Gilberto, Diana Krall, Ithamara Koorax, Marcos Valle, Eumir Deodato, Bjork etc) e de especiais de TV para as emissoras Globo (Antonio Carlos Jobim & João Gilberto) e Manchete (Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Chuck Mangione, Airto Moreira & Flora Purim etc) no Brasil, BET e PBS nos EUA, NHK no Japão (Diana Krall, João Gilberto, CTI All Stars, Dave Brubeck etc).

Nascido no Rio de Janeiro (Brasil) em 1963, radicado em Los Angeles (EUA) desde 1999. Estudou piano clássico e harmonia com sua mãe, a pianista e maestrina Delza Agricola. É membro da Associação Brasileira de Imprensa (ABI) e da Ordem dos Músicos do Brasil (OMB) desde 1979, membro catedrático titular efetivo da Academia Internacional de Música desde 1985, membro votante do Grammy-Naras (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences) desde 2006, membro votante da Los Angeles Jazz Society (único brasileiro) desde 2007, e também único brasileiro que é membro votante da Jazz Journalists Association (sediada em Nova Iorque) desde 2002. Atua como consultor e parecerista para diversas empresas, centros culturais e festivais de música no Brasil e no exterior.

Também foi membro honorário e primeiro membro brasileiro da Associação Internacional de Educadores de Jazz (IAJE – International Association of Jazz Educators) durante 12 anos, até sua extinção em 2008, tendo realizado palestras e "panel sessions" nas convenções anuais realizadas nos EUA. 

Fundador e Presidente da gravadora JSR (Jazz Station Records), sediada em Los Angeles – EUA desde 2001, uma divisão da Jazz Station Marketing & Consulting. Dirige também a JSR Casting e a LaCalifUSA Pictures, empresa de cinema que produz conteúdo e trilhas sonoras (composição, produção, seleção) para filmes e séries de TV. 

Produziu discos e sessões de gravação com artistas como Luiz Bonfá, João Gilberto, Dom Um Romão, João Donato, Palmyra & Levita, Mario Castro-Neves, Claudio Roditi, Gaudencio Thiago de Mello, Dexter Payne, Bjork, Rodrigo Lima, Don Sebesky, Hubert Laws, Fabio Fonseca, Marcos Ozzellin, Herbie Hancock, Jorge Pescara, Paula Faour, Anna Ly, Pascoal Meirelles, Yana Purim, Carlos Pingarilho, Nelson Angelo, Marcelo Salazar, Ithamara Koorax, Ron Carter, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Steve Swallow, Herbie Hancock, Hugo Fattoruso, Larry Coryell, Sadao Watanabe, Jurgen Friedrich, Claus Ogerman, Gazzara, Eumir Deodato, Azymuth, Marcio Montarroyos, Sivuca, Laudir de Oliveira, Marcos Valle, David Matthews, Gene Bertoncini, John McLaughlin, Raul de Souza, Hermeto Pascoal, Jadir de Castro, Lew Soloff, George Young, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Alphonso Johnson e muitos outros. 

Como compositor e letrista, tem parcerias com Dave Brubeck (“Broadway Bossa Nova”), Francesco Gazzara (“O Passarinho”), Mamoru Morishita (“Hotaru”) e Fabio Fonseca (“Samba da Copa”, executado na cerimônia de abertura da Copa do Mundo de 2006). 

Produziu reedições de discos de Sergio Mendes, Flora Purim, Tamba Trio, Ivan Lins, Carlos Lyra, Miucha, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ron Carter, Idris Muhammad, Hank Crawford, Lonnie Smith, Johnny Hammond, Luiz Bonfá, Phil Upchurch, Tennyson Stephens, Eumir Deodato, Grant Green, Mario Castro-Neves, João Donato, Claus Ogerman, David Matthews, Esther Phillips, Joe Beck, Eric Gale e muitos outros.

Produziu as séries “A Trip To Brazil” (cujo Volume 1 chegou ao primeiro-lugar na parada de world-music na Europa em 1998, superando “Buena Vista Social Club”), “Brazilian Horizons”, “CTI: Acid Jazz Grooves”, “Jazz Club”, e retrospectivas - lançadas mundialmente entre 2006 e 2010 pelo selo Verve – das carreiras de Quincy Jones (“Summer In The City: The Soul-Jazz Groves of Quincy Jones”), Eumir Deodato (“Do It Again: The Fantastic Jazz Funk of Eumir Deodato”) e Chick Corea (“Electric Chick”).

Desde 1981, tem realizado, como free lancer, produção musical para diversas gravadoras, como RCA/BMG, Sony, Verve/PolyGram/Universal, CTI, King, Paddle Wheel, Pausa, Milestone/Fantasy, Warner/WEA, Motor Music, JVC/Victor, Sanyo, Movieplay, Imagem, Eldorado, CID, Alfa, RGE, Mr. Bongo, Terra Música, Blue Moon, Bomba, Cedar Tree, Treasure Trove, Irma, Vivid Sound, Motéma, e Huks Music, no Brasil, Europa, Estados Unidos, Japão, China, Taiwan e Coréia. 

Entre 1982 e 1984, atuou como assessor cultural do Serviço de Comunicação Social da Petrobras. Em 1983, criou, produziu e apresentou o programa "Jazz espetacular", transmitido pela Rádio Tupi FM. Em 1984, assumiu a responsabilidade da programação de bordo (musical e audiovisual) transmitida nos vôos internacionais da Varig, função que exerceu durante 14 anos. Também nesse período (1985 a 1987), participou da comissão de seleção do Free Jazz Festival. 

Escreveu textos de contracapa para discos de diversos artistas, como Toots Thielemans, Ella Fitzgerald, Eliane Elias, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Jeff Kinsky, Paulo Bellinati e Carlos Barbosa Lima, entre outros. Assinou textos para divulgação ("press releases") de artistas como João Gilberto, Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson, Pat Metheny, Bill Evans, Jimmy Smith, Elvin Jones, Stanley Turrentine e Tony Bennett.

Atuou como entrevistador em depoimentos prestados para o Museu da Imagem e do Som (Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo) por João Donato, Stellinha Egg, Maestro Gaya, Eumir Deodato, Airto Moreira, Flora Purim e Carlos Barbosa Lima. Em 2001, recebeu o prêmio de International Man of The Year, concedido pelo International Biographical Centre, de Londres. Foi o primeiro brasileiro a receber essa premiação, oferecida anteriormente a apenas quatro outros produtores: Arif Mardin, Tommy LiPuma, Quincy Jones e Phil Ramone. Ainda nesse ano, a JSR (Jazz Station Records), de sua propriedade, foi considerada uma das cinco melhores gravadoras de jazz do mundo, em relação publicada na edição de dezembro da revista especializada norte-americana "Down Beat", premiação que se repetiu por quatro anos (7º lugar em 2003, 9º lugar em 2004, 5º lugar em 2005 e 6º lugar em 2006).  

Foi entrevistado em vários programas de TV, seriados (incluindo o documentário "Laurindo Almeida, Muito Prazer" exibido pelo canal GNT) e filmes como o premiado documentário "Beyond Ipanema", no qual foi entrevistado ao lado de Creed Taylor, Lalo Schifrin, Wayne Shorter, Gene Lees e Norman Gimbel. Depois de apresentado em diversos festivais de cinema nos Estados Unidos e Europa, "Beyond Ipanema" foi transformado em série de televisão transmitida em território brasileiro pela emissora Canal Brasil em 2014.

Jazz Station Records (JSR), a division of Jazz Station Enterprises
CEO & Founder · Los Angeles 

            (Arnaldo DeSouteiro during a recording session in 2014)

"People are going to talk about you, especially when they envy you and the life you live. Let them. You affected their lives, they didn't affect yours... you will eventually lose someone you love & love someone you never thought you'd find..."

Arnaldo DeSouteiro - Short Bio

Music Producer (with over 530 albums to his credit according to the All Music Guide), Voting Member of NARAS-GRAMMY and Jazz Journalists Association (NY), Member of LAJS (Los Angeles Jazz Society), Musical Philosopher, Journalist, Jazz & Brazilian Music Historian, Publicist, Public Relations, Composer (having written successful jazz & pop songs, some dance hits like "O Passarinho" for the Italian TV reality show "La Pupa e Il Secchione", and "Samba da Copa" for the "2006 World Cup" in Germany, plus many other soundtracks for movies, soap operas & TV series in the USA -- PBS, BET, Universal Cable etc --, Europe and Asia), Lyricist (he wrote lyrics to Dave Brubeck's "Broadway Bossa Nova" at the invitation of Brubeck himself, among other songs), Arranger, Percussionist, Keyboardist, Programmer, Educator (conducting clinics and panel sessions worldwide as the first Brazilian member of IAJE-International Association of Jazz Educators during its existence). He has also acted as consultant for several companies and jazz festivals all over the world.

Founder and CEO of JSR (Jazz Station Records), a Division of Jazz Station Marketing & Consulting - LA, Calif. Most recently, founded LaCalifUSA Pictures and JSR Casting in 2007 for movie & TV productions featuring music & fashion.

Produced the acclaimed CD compilation series "A Trip To Brazil," "CTI Acid Jazz Grooves," "Brazilian Horizons," "Focus on Bossa Nova," "Focus on Brazilian Music Grooves", "Bossa Nova Singers," "Bossa Nova Guitar","Jazz Rock" etc.

Produced special compilations for Quincy Jones ("Summer in the City - The Soul Jazz Grooves of Quincy Jones"), Chick Corea ("Electric Chick") and Deodato ("Do It Again - The Fantastic Jazz-Funk of Eumir Deodato"), all released by Verve/Universal. His latest CD for Verve is "Bossa Nova USA," released last May, featuring Dave Brubeck's title track performed by Quincy Jones.

Supervised and/or Directed TV specials featuring João Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Dizzy Gillespie, Chuck Mangione, Flora Purim & Airto Moreira, Miles Davis, Dom Um Romão, Eliane Elias, Diana Krall, Eumir Deodato, Bjork et al. Worked with producers Creed Taylor, Yoichi Nakao, Susumu Morikawa, Matthias Kunnecke, and photographers Pete Turner, Victor Skrebneski, Robert Mappelthorpe, Duane Michals.

Mr. DeSouteiro has also worked in his native Brazil for TUPI-FM radio station (as musical programmer-DJ as well as hosting his own show, "Jazz Espetacular"), Manchete TV network (anchoring & supervising the "Terça Especial" series for which he interviewed such jazz giants as Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Chuck Mangione, Airto Moreira, Flora Purim etc), Globo TV network (screenplay, coordination and mix for the TV special "João Gilberto & Antonio Carlos Jobim - O Grande Encontro" in 1992, the last time these 2 geniuses performed together, plus the texts and screenplay for the "Minuto da Bossa" series), and as the jazz columnist for the "Tribuna da Imprensa" (Press Tribune) daily newspaper during 29 years (from 1979 to 2008). Before moving to the USA, he also worked as Brazilian correspondent of "Keyboard" magazine (from 1985 to 1994), as a free-lancer to Billboard, Cuadernos de Jazz, Swing Journal and International Music Magazine, and as entertainment-in-flight programmer for several airline companies like Varig Brazilian Airlines (from 1983 to 1998).

Produced over 530 albums and sessions featuring: Luiz Bonfa, João Gilberto, Dom Um Romão, Thiago de Mello, Dexter Payne, João Donato, Palmyra & Levita, Mario Castro-Neves, Jorge Pescara, Paula Faour, Fabio Fonseca, Claudio Roditi, Rodrigo Lima, Hermeto Pascoal, Ithamara Koorax, Don Sebesky, Sammy Figueroa, Bjork, Anna Ly, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Pascoal Meirelles, Yana Purim, Pingarilho, Nelson Angelo, Marcelo Salazar, Ron Carter, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Steve Swallow, Herbie Hancock, Hugo Fattoruso, Larry Coryell, Sadao Watanabe, Jurgen Friedrich, Eloir de Moraes, Gazzara, Deodato, Jadir de Castro, Azymuth, Marcio Montarroyos, Sivuca, Laudir de Oliveira, Marcos Valle, Jay Berliner, George Young, David Matthews, Lew Soloff, Alphonso Johnson, Gene Bertoncini, John McLaughlin, Claus Ogerman, Raul de Souza, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and many others.

Produced and supervised CD reissues of albums by Ron Carter, Hank Crawford, Johnny Hammond, Sergio Mendes, Hubert Laws, Grant Green, Idris Muhammad, Joe Beck, Esther Phillips, Lonnie Smith, David Matthews & Whirlwind, Phil Upchurch, Tennyson Stephens, Miucha, Flora Purim, Carlos Lyra, Tamba Trio, Ivan Lins, Raul de Souza, Trio 3-D and many others. As annotator, he wrote liner notes and press releases for albums by Toots Thielemans, Hank Crawford, Stan Getz, Ella Fitzgerald, Pat Metheny, Eliane Elias, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Jeff Linsky and dozens of others for labels like RCA, CTI, Kudu, Milestone, Fantasy, Verve, Columbia, Irma, Alfa, JVC, Caju, Sonet, Paddle Wheel, JHO, Mercury, Imagem etc.

Mr. DeSouteiro also had the honor to be associated with some of the world's greatest photographers like Pete Turner (who did the cover photos for Rodrigo Lima's "Saga" and Jorge Pescara's "Grooves in the Temple," released on his own JSR label and featured on Turner's new book "The Color of Jazz"), Victor Skrebneski (the CD reissue of "Upchurch/Tennyson"), Bruce Weber (Esther Phillips' "For All We Know"), Robert Mappelthorpe ("Brazilian Horizons"), Alen MacWeeney, William Cadge, and Duane Michals (many of the CTI CDs) and so on. He has appeared in several movies and TV series such as the Award Winning documentary movie "Beyond Ipanema," for which he was interviewed alongside Creed Taylor, Lalo Schifrin, Wayne Shorter, Gene Lees and Norman Gimbel.

Jazz Station Marketing & Consulting, JSR Casting, LaCalifUSA Pictures
CEO & Founder: Arnaldo DeSouteiro

Jazz Station Records (JSR), a division of Jazz Station Enterprises
CEO & Founder · Los Angeles ·

(PLEASE, DO NOT SEND UNSOLICITED MATERIAL; any unsolicited CD or promo packets will be returned. If you wish to submit material, please contact us through comments on this post or through Facebook. Thx!)
https://www.facebook.com/arnie.gilberto

People are going to talk about you, especially when they envy you and the life you live. Let them. You affected their lives, they didn't affect yours... you will eventually lose someone you love & love someone you never thought you'd find... 

Mark Murphy's Memorial in NY, March 14

This next Monday, March 14: Memorial Concert Celebrating the Life and Music of Mark Howe Murphy (March 14, 1932 – October 22, 2015), the world's greatest jazz singer ever and my much missed friend.
To be held in the Sanctuary at St. Peters Church (619 Lexington Avenue, entrance on E 54th St.)

Reception 6PM
Concert 7PM

Just a UNDER a week away! Please share the event with your friends and continue your posts about the event.

A couple of updates:

1. The event will remain free but there will be a suggested donation of $15 dollars. Though not obligatory there are a number of out of pocket expenses that are being paid by the producers to make sure the event is professionally videoed and presented we appreciate any donation that can be made no matter the amount.

2. For those looking to gather after the event we will meet up at Draught 55 an Irish Pub located at 245 E 55th St between 2nd and 3rd Ave. The kitchen serves till 11pm.

3. TUNE IN! Legendary radio DJ Michael Bourne will be paying tribute to Mark Murphy on "Singers Unlimited" on WBGO Jazz 88.3 on Sunday March 13 between 10am-2pm. London, Meader, Pramuk and Ross will join Bourne live in the studio to sing and discuss Mark don't miss it. Bourne will also talk about Mark at the ceremony on the 14th.

Looking forward to seeing you all there.

Event is FREE and open to the public. There are no tickets for the event seating is on a first come first serve basis.

With: Alan Broadbent, Daniel Čačija, Jay Clayton, Richie Cole, Roz Corral, Guy Davis, Kurt Elling, Carol Fredette, Will Friedwald, Giacomo Gates, James Gavin, The Hanky Panky Trio (Alex Minasian, Brandi Disterheft, Itamar Borochov), Sheila Jordan, Nancy Kelly, Mark Edmond Murphy, Annie Ross, The Royal Bopsters (Amy London, Dylan Pramuk, Darmon Meader, Holli Ross), Sean Smith, Tessa Souter, Ronny Whyte and more to be announced.

Co Produced By Ari Silverstein of NYCJazzTour.com and Jean-Pierre Leduc of Lunched Management & Booking
Special thanks to The Jazz Foundation and St. Peter's Church;

Valentina Marino to perform @ Kitano, NY

After her successful appearance @ Zinc Bar last month, the multi-talented Valentina Marino now brings the pre-release celebration of her debut album to Jazz at Kitano (66 Park Ave.) on March 31st. 2 sets at 8pm and 10pm. Reservations are recommended: (212) 885-7119.

Vocalist, songwriter, arranger and lyricist Valentina Marino brings the sensitivity, sophistication and earthiness of her Mediterranean roots to cutting edge jazz. Marino began her musical studies at the University of Music in Rome, continued taking piano and voice lessons in Vienna and later attended the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City, where she received a BFA in Vocal Jazz Performance under the mentor ship of, among others, legendary bass player Reggie Workman, saxophonist David Glasser and vocalists Amy London, La Tania Hall, Julie Hardy and Janet Lawson.

While deeply rooted in Jazz, Marino is a musical gypsy, in constant search for unexplored paths where jazz can meet the energetic vibes and rhythms of Tango and Brazilian music and where pop songs can explore the language of improvisation or land into adventurous arrangements. What would remain of a human being without feelings and sensitivity? What would life be without the truth of human stories, the magic of improvisation, the pulsing rhythms of emotions, the passionate dances of the heart? On her music journey Marino sings these questions and searches in the moment for any possible answer.

Living in New York City, the epicenter of Jazz and world music, she has found the perfect environment to keep nurturing and developing this musical inter fusions through collaborations with artists coming from many different backgrounds. "Jazz is my magnet" – says Marino – "I love to see what happens when I temporarily separate from it and then find myself strongly pulled towards it". The blend of different music possibilities gravitating around jazz is what inspired her debut album, "PhiLOVEsophy" which will be released this Fall in New York City. The album is a selection of her originals, contemporary jazz songs and standards, bossa nova and pop tunes that have been arranged within a jazz realm.

Ms. Marino has performed, recorded and collaborated with various musicians of the European and American Jazz scene, including Cameron Brown, Jay Azzolina, Saul Rubin, Ray Gallon, Hans Salomon. In Vienna she sang at Zwe, Unplugged, Papas in Naschmarkt, Tunnel, Birdcage, Fischer Bräu, to name a few and performed with the Pandora's Box Tango Argentino Ensemble at The Rote Bar in Volkstheater. In Rome she performed at Charity, Flamingo and Bebo do Samba. In New York she sang and appeared among the others, at Somethin' Jazz Club, The Garage, Bar Next Door, The Flatiron Room, Cleopatra's Needle, Kitano, The Cotton Club.

R.I.P.: George Martin (1926-2016)

R.I.P.: Naná Vasconcelos (1944-2016)

(born Juvenal De Holanda Vasconcelos on August 2, 1944 in Recife, State of Pernambuco, Brazil;
died on March 9, 2016 in Recife, State of Pernambuco, Brazil)

One of the world's greatest percussionists, winner of the DownBeat Polls several times, Naná Vasconcelos just passed away in his hometown, after a battle against lung cancer. His last concert was in Salvador, Bahia, on February 28.

But his "home" was the world. The first time I heard him, in the early 70s, was on Gato Barbieri's "Fenix" LP. He remained on Gato's group for some years, and recorded other great albums with him, touring all over Europe, where he also recorded with Agustin Pereyra Lucena, Jean-Luc Ponty, Phil Woods, Rolf Kühn, Joachim Kühn, Oliver Nelson and countless others.

Returning briefly to Brazil, he did his debut album as a leader, "Amazonas," for the Philips label in 1973, and it criminally never appeared on CD. I've tried to reissue it many times, as well as tried at least to include some tracks in some compilations I produced for Universal, but all requests were denied... A typical proceeding in Brazil, something very usual there, a country that hates and envies the Brazilian artists that achieve international fame.

That same year, he also recorded a solo album in France, "Africadeus," for the Saravah label.

After some recordings with Milton Nascimento ("Milagre dos Peixes"), Luiz Bonfa (I had the honor to produce the CD reissue of "The New Face of Bonfá" for BMG), and Joao Donato (the famous track "Cala Boca Menino," later an acid jazz anthem) in Brazil, Nana returned to Europe and did, in 1975, a wonderful album with Novelli and Nelson Angelo, followed by sessions with fellow Brazilian expatriates Manduka and Teca & Ricardo.

A turning point came with the 1977 release of a superb duo album with Egberto Gismonti, "Dança das Cabeças," on the ECM label. Many sessions for ECM followed during the 70s and 80s, not only with Gismonti but also as a member of the Codona trio (that he co-founded with Don Cherry and Collin Walcott) and, many years later, of the Pat Metheny Group (the double-album "Travels" is awesome!)

Back in 1977, he had decided to move to the USA, where he initially became a member of Gaudencio Thiago de Mello's Amazon big band in NY, and later recorded with Lloyd McNeil, Jon Hassell, Terumasa Hino, Brian Eno, Woody Shaw, Jon Lucien, Sergio Mendes & Brasil 88, and even Chaka Khan and B.B. King (some amazing overdubs on "Now Appearing At Ole Miss".)

Another groundbreaking solo album came in 1979, "Saudades" (ECM), which includes the suite "O Berimbau," a masterpiece recorded with the Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart.

During the 80s, there were albums with Ron Carter, Jeremy Steig, Eddie Gomez, Jan Garbarek, Bob Moses, Michael Franks, Chico Freeman, Jim Pepper, Claudio Roditi (his debut album for CTI, "Red on Red") and the Talking Heads, besides the tours and recordings with Metheny.

In the late 80s, Nana signed with Island Records' subsidiary Antilles and released "Bush Dance," which includes collaborations with Mario Toledo, Clive Stevens, Arto Lindsay and with his lesser known brother Erasto Vasconcelos, also a great percussionist. I have included one of its tracks, "Futebol," in the compilation "A Trip To Brazil Vol. 5: Copa do Mundo 2006" that I produced for Verve.

Sessions with Laurie Anderson, John Lurie, Janet Grice, Toninho Horta, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Danny Gottlieb and the Ambitious Lovers followed. Naná also recorded and toured as a special guest with Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition group.

Carly Simon, Caetano Veloso, Eliane Elias, Paul Simon, Badi Assad and Trilok Gurtu were partners in sessions during the 90s. Then, Naná returned to Brazil in the early 2000s, and started to tour extensively thrughout the country with local artists. Rest in Peace.

Chris Klaxton's "Collage" coming out now!

Trumpeter Chris Klaxton, whose “artistry is born from a place that communicated freedom and connection to a universal groove that will beg of you to dance,” according to renowned trumpeter Jason Palmer, presents his sophomore album "Collage", a follow up to his critically acclaimed debut "Starcode".

Where "Starcode" explored both spirituality and science in the wake of a tragic loss, "Collage" is a reflection on release and letting go. Answers to the philosophical questions posed in his debut are, on this effort, explored through hauntingly beautiful melodies, rich harmonies, funky grooves and poignant storytelling.

On "Collage", released last week on March 1st, Klaxton has created a sound that is distinctly his and unique to the current landscape of modern jazz. Besides the leader on trumpet, it features superb singer (or should I say vocal instrumentalist?) Taylor O'Donnell on astonishing wordless vocal performances, Mark Small (tenor sax), Kendall Moore (trombone, shining with a velvet-like sound a la Urbie Green on "Love Gone Wild"), Mike Effenberger (killing on the Fender Rhodes), Tim Jago (guitar), Sam Weber (bass) & Michael Piolet (drums). The last track, "Fictional Friends Remix" is a successful rap adventure in an astounding project.

The album was recorded, mixed & mastered by Chris Chase @ 1130ft Studios (Rollinsford, NH). Art and layout by Roland Lefox.

https://chrisklaxton.bandcamp.com/

A Vida Como Ela É (Plano Macabro)

Alguns anos depois de arquitetar um maquiavélico plano que resultou na morte da própria mãe - visando interesses financeiros, claro - a inescrupulosa, nefasta & malévola atriz planeja agora o assassinato da irmã.

Que já tem data e local marcados: entre os dias 14 e 30 de Julho de 2016 no Uruguai.

Obviamente, rezo para dar errado. Mas é o "crime perfeito", não há como negar. Afastadas de tudo e de todos, sem possibilidade de ajuda da família ou dos amigos da vítima, sem passaporte, sem documentos. Será forjada uma "morte natural" ou "acidente". Ou o corpo simplesmente desaparecerá. Nunca vi algo tão macabro em toda a minha vida.

Nicholas Payton Balances Studio Work With International Touring Schedule

Grammy award-winning Nicholas Payton -- one of the era's definitive artists -- has been quite busy this winter blowing with the all-star Monterey Jazz Festival on a nationwide tour, putting the finishing touches on Textures, his fifth release for his very own label, Paytone Records, as well as producing and arranging Jane Monheit's latest project, The Songbook Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald.

 

As a multi-instrumentalist, improviser, composer, bandleader, producer, arranger, and essayist, the New Orleans-born and -bred Payton will debut his Afro-Caribbean Mixtape, a blazing new quintet featuring bassist Vicente Archer, pianist Kevin Hays, percussionist Daniel Sadownick, and rising New Orleans drummer Joe Dyson, at the 2016 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

 

Set to record this spring, the rhythmically encompassing ensemble explores "how rhythms came from Africa and transmigrated throughout the Caribbean to New Orleans, and affected popular music all over the world," Payton says.

 

His latest album, 2015's Letters on Paytone Records, features his trio with bassist Vicente Archer (an essential Payton collaborator for more than a decade) and veteran drummer Bill Stewart. The two-disc album features 26 original Payton compositions that run from "A" to "Z," a series of distilled motifs on which he moves gracefully from trumpet to piano, Fender Rhodes, organ, and even vocals.

 

"It's largely uncharted territory and the landscape is wide open," Payton says, referring to the unorthodox method of playing both keyboards and trumpet simultaneously. "When I'm playing keys I'm functioning more in the rhythm section and thinking of orchestration. These pieces are springboards to get the creative energy flowing."

 

Payton's creative universe keeps expanding, and with each new ensemble, project, and endeavor, the visionary artist redefines the parameters of #BAM (Black American Music). A whirlwind of activity, he's in the midst of a banner year marked by extraordinary new ensembles, new music, and exquisite new collaborations.

 

In the process of mixing Textures, the latest in a series of conceptual albums geared towards defining a neological lexicon of #BAM, Payton has been composing using the Apple sequencing software Logic while collaborating with New Orleans visual artist Anastasia Pelias. "We both went into the studio not knowing what to expect, her with a blank canvas, and me with a MIDI keyboard controller and a laptop," Payton says. "We played off of each other and that first day I walked away from the studio with a new composition and she with a new painting."

   

Payton is also applying his expertise and creative vision in service of other artists. He produced vocalist Jane Monheit's new album The Songbook Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald (Emerald City Records), a project that revels in her glorious sound while revealing unexpected facets of her musical personality.

 

"I love to hear the creative process, to bear witness to how that manifests and unfolds from artist to artist," Payton says. "For The Songbook Sessions I wanted to make a quintessential Jane Monheit album, to find the timeless DNA of these melodies and lyrics while taking free rein with rhythms and chord changes. I feel my job as producer is to make the artist comfortable, but also uncomfortable, to push them into spaces they might not go."

 

Payton's influence extends far beyond the studio and stage. Payton, the polymath, is the creator of the #BAM movement. The conversation he's leading extends far beyond terminology. Payton's#BAM is a statement about social justice, self-definition, and refusing to allow one's creativity to be bounded by other's rules, language, and expectations.

 

"I'm not the first person to talk about Black music," Payton says. "The information has been there: Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Sidney Bechet said it. So did Charlie Parker, Ahmad Jamal, and the AACM [Association for the Advancement for Creative Musicians, Inc.]. I'm just here to deliver the message at this time. I've evolved and embrace the fact that I do more than one thing. I'd expect the artistic community to be open to that, but it's not always the case."

Born September 26, 1973 in New Orleans, Nicholas Payton is the son of the late bassist and sousaphonist Walter Payton and former operatic singer and pianist Maria Payton. A professional musician before reaching his teens, he joined his first band at age 11 with the All Star Brass Band under the leadership of James Andrews (Trombone Shorty's eldest brother), and landed his first regular gig with legendary New Orleans guitarist/banjoist Danny Barker at The Famous Door on Bourbon Street. Since his debut as a leader on 1994's From This Moment(Verve), Payton has released more than a dozen albums under his own name, including the Grammy Award-winning Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton (Verve).

 

Payton has toured and collaborated with many of the greatest artists in music, including Roy Haynes, Joe Henderson, Dr. John, Elvin Jones, Hank Jones, Stanley Jordan, Daniel Lanois, Zigaboo Modeliste, Marcus Roberts, Jill Scott, Clark Terry, Allen Toussaint, Cassandra Wilson, and Dr. Michael White.

 

Payton continues to maintain a busy touring schedule, with the following dates booked through the summer:

 

March 11: College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL

March 12: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

March 13: City Winery, Chicago

(Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour w/ Ravi Coltrane, Raul Midon, Gerald Clayton Trio)

 

April 7-10: Jazz Showcase, Chicago

(trio w/ Vicente Archer, b; Joe Dyson, d)

 

April 28: One Eye Jack, New Orleans

(w/ Eric Krasnow & Chapter 2)

 

April 29: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

April 30: Prime Example, New Orleans

(Afro-Caribbean Mixtape w/ Vicente Archer, b; Joe Dyson, d; Daniel Sadownick, perc)

 

May 1: New Orleans Jazz Festival

(w/ Trumpet Mafia)

May 6: Motorco Music Hall Art of Cool Festival, Durham, NC

(trio w/ Vicente Archer, b; Joe Dyson, d)

June 19: Miner Auditorium, SFJAZZ, San Francisco

(w/ Stanton Moore)

June 22: Clifford Brown Festival, Wilmington, DE (special guest)

 

June 23-24: Blues Alley, Washington, DC

June 27: Rochester (NY) International Festival

(trio w/ Vicente Archer, b; Joe Dyson, d)

 

Web Site: nicholaspayton.com

Katka Rieckermann @ Vibrato, this Thursday

Don't miss the very talented and soulful sax player Katja Rieckermann live @ Vibrato in LA, this Thursday, March 10, celebrating the release of her new album, "Never Stand Still." Oh, and she also looks gorgeous, as we all already know.
Herb Alpert's Vibrato Grill Jazz
2930 N Beverly Glen Cir, Los Angeles, CA

Katja says: "I had the huge honor to perform at the 58th Grammys with Lady Gaga and Nile Rogers! Being very inspired, now it's time for me - for the first time in 2016 - to perform songs from my latest CD "Never Stand Still" live at Herb Alpert's beautiful Vibrato Grill Jazz featuring some of LA's finest musicians: Randy Cooke on drums, Andreas Geck on bass, Ronny DeJesus on guitar, Marco Luciani on keyboard, Juliane Gralle on trombone, Rashawn Ross on trumpet, Russ Henry on Steel Drum, Lyndsay Haldorson on vocals. My good friend and talented guitarist/singer Mark Anthony Castrilion will do an opening set at 7 and then my band will hit the stage at 8 and do 2 sets. There will be a cover of $20 to help pay for the musicians. I hope you can make it!"

TBT: carteiras da ABI e da UNE

 (Arnaldo DeSouteiro; renovação da carteira social de membro da Associação Brasileira de Imprensa - ABI, em 1987)

 (Arnaldo DeSouteiro; carteira da União Nacional dos Estudantes - UNE, 1983)

Lou Caputo Big Band returns to Gillespie Auditorium, Tues. March 8

Join us for another spectacular evening of swinging jazz you'll never forget this coming Tuesday evening, March 8 at the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium in the New York City Baha'i Center at 53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway), when saxophonist Lou Caputo brings his swingin' Big Band to the stage. There are 2 shows: 8:00 and 9:30 p.m.

Lou Caputo, a native of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, has been a professional musician for over thirty years. He has done almost every kind of job that a musician can be asked to do. A multi-instrumentalist (saxophones, clarinets and flutes) he has performed in show bands with the likes of Lou Rawls, Frankie Valli, Shirley Basey, Jack Jones, Bobby Short, Frankie Avalon, and a host of others. As well as the many of the famous Motown acts like the Temptations and the Four Tops. Aside from this he has performed along side of Salsa legends like Candido, Bobby Sanabria and Lou Perez.

However, playing jazz is really closest to Lou's heart. He has had the opportunity to perform with people like trumpeter Richard Williams, pianists Duke Jordon and Jaki Byard, drummers Walter Perkins and Mousey Alexander (in his short-lived big band), vocalist Joe "BeBop" Carroll and Dakota Staton, bassist Chris White (including a Carnegie Hall appearance). He has spent time in the Glen Miller band under the direction of Clem DeRosa as well as the Harry James Big Band. He has had the good fortune to record with jazz legend Dr. Billy Taylor on guitarist Ray Rivera's album Night Wind.

Lou has had the pleasure of performing in the Richie Cole Octet. Another high point is playing Birdland with the Ellington Band under the direction of Paul Ellington and Jack Jeffers. Through the years Lou has appeared in many of the area's leading jazz clubs as both a leader and side man.
He also played for former President Bill Clinton on the occasion of Clinton's 50th birthday.

Admission is 15.00, 10.00 for students.
Tickets will be sold at the door, or call 212-222-5159 for reservations and information.
For more about the NYSAJE and other acts at "Jazz Tuesdays", check out at  www.jazzbeat.com  and www.facebook.com/JazzTuesdays 

Jazz Tuesdays
in the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium
The New York Baha'i Center
53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway)
Two shows: 8:00 and 9:30 p.m.

Vinyl Reissue of the Month - "Miles Davis: Live Evil"

Vinyl Reissue of the Month
Miles Davis: "Live Evil" (Columbia/Music On Vinyl MOVLP 1483, 2-LP set) 1971/2016

Rating:
***** (musical performance)
**** (sonic quality)

Great reissue of one of Miles' iconic fusion albums from the early 70s, mixing studio and live recordings. There are three tracks written by Brazilian genius Hermeto Pascoal, which were wrongly credited to Miles in the original LP pressing: "Little Church," "Nem Um Talvez" and "Selim," the latter being actually an alternate take of "Nem Um Talvez." Airto, who introduced Hermeto to Miles, shines in most of the tracks, along with John McLaughlin, Michael Henderson, Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette and many others.

Gatefold 180-gram audiophile vinyl 2xLP
Release Date: March 18, 2016
Produced by Teo Macero
Engineers: Russ Payne & Stan Tonkel
Illustration: Abdul Mati Klarwein (back cover image inspired on Hermeto Pascoal)
Liner Photo of Miles Davis: Don Hunstein

Featuring: Miles Davis (trumpet), Hermeto Pascoal (voice, whistle, keyboards, electric piano), Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett & Joe Zawinul (keyboards), Ron Carter, Michael Henderson & Dave Holland (bass), Jack DeJohnette & Billy Cobham (drums), Airto Moreira (percussion, cuica, berimbau), John McLaughlin (electric guitar), Gary Bartz, Steve Grossman & Wayne Shorter (sax), Khalil Balakrishna (sitar)

12" Vinyl Single of the Month - "Angela Bofill"

12" Vinyl Single of the Month
Angela Bofill: "People Make The World Go 'Round / Under The Moon And Over The Sky" (Groove Line, GLR 1200009) 2016

Release Date: March 18, 2016
A very nice reissue with two tracks from different albums by a sensational vocalist, Angela Bofill, who was forced to retire due to two massive strokes in 2006 and 2007 which left both her speech and mobility impaired. Although she lost her ability to sing after her second stroke, in recent years Bofill did return to the stage in "The Angela Bofill Experience." The show consists of Bofill recounting her life and career, joined by Maysa Leak, Phil Perry and Melba Moore, performing Bofill's biggest hits and signature songs.

"Under The Moon..." comes from her debut album, "Angie" (1978), while the Thom Bell-Linda Creed r&b anthem "People Make The World Go Round" (covered by Freddie Hubbard and Milt Jackson during the CTI heyday) was included on her second Arista album, "Angel of the Night" (1979).

Hope she will receive some money from this reissue...

DVD of the Month - "Anna-Lena Laurin: Iphigenia"

DVD of the Month
"Iphigenia - A Composer Portrait of Anna-Lena Laurin" (Vanguard Music Boulevard)

Rating: ***** (musical performance, video & sound quality)

A Film by Lin Laurin & Michael De Pasquale
Contains the world premiere of "Iphigenia," comissioned to acclaimed Swedish composer and pianist Anna-Lena Laurin by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
Featuring: Anders Bergcrantz (trumpet), Richie Beirach (piano) and Thomas Sondergard (conductor)

Produced by Lin Laurin for Loft 910
Directors of Photography: Jonathan King & Michael De Pasquale
Editor: Jonathan Wing

"Iphigenia" is a contemporary orchestral work that integrates jazz soloists and the symphonic world.
Originally produced for national Swedish television, SVT, both the film and the concert itself were received incredibly well. In this DVD you'll hear the entire world premiere performance of "Iphigenia," and get to follow the procedure of creating this project. It's a colorful, cinematic, and intimate composer portrait with masterful music and extraordinary soloists.
The DVD also contains extracts from Laurin's "Concerto For Flute, Srings and Harp," which was one of the four nominees for Swedish Music Publisher Association's Award 2011, performed by Magnus Bage, Terje Tonnesen and Camerata Nordica.

Anna-Lena Laurin is a composer who have had commissions from/worked with orchestras and artists such as Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Norrlandsoperan's Symphony orchestra, Göran Söllscher, Håkan Hardenberger, Andrew Manze, Thomas Søndergaard, Anders Bergcrantz, Richie Beirach and Swedish Radio among many others.

Her music has been performed in USA, China, Hong Kong, Europe etc. Laurin is Composer in residence 2014-2016 by Camerata Nordica and in pipeline are three new concertos in collaboration with them and their leader Terje Tønnesen – for trumpet, guitar and violin. She also worked on a double concerto premiered by the Tokyo Festival Orchestra and a long list of chamber music works are coming up for premieres arround the world. Many distinguished soloists ask for her music and she has commissions planned for a long time ahead.

Laurin started her musical career as a jazz pianist and vocalist and is still working in betweeen her classical commissions in the jazz field – touring with TV, radio and performances on different events and festivals. Swedish Radio appointed Laurin Composer of the Year/Jazzkatten 2013 with the motivation; ”For her ability to create a succesful crossover between the jazz’s and classical music’s language and the courage to write music from her heart without leeking at prevailing musical trends” and her classicla work Concerto for flute strings and harp was nominated to one of the most important works 2011. Acchieving such big apprieciation in two different genres make Laurin very unique.

Fusion CD of the Month - "Peter Horvath: Absolute Reality"

Fusion CD of the Month
Peter Horvath: "Absolute Reality" (Foreign Matter Records 101201) 2016

Produced & Arranged by Peter Horvath
Mixed by Ray Obiedo & Peter Horvath @ Werewolf Recording (Oakland, CA)
Mastered by Bernie Grundman @ Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios (Hollywood, CA)
Cover Photo: Eszter Biro
Art Direction: Fifi Larue

Featuring: Peter Horvath (piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, keyboards), Bob Mintzer (tenor sax), Norbert Stachel (soprano, alto, tenor & baritone sax, flute, alto flute, Bb clarinet, bass clarinet), Randy Brecker (trumpet), Louis Fasman (trumpet, flugelhorn), Marty Wehner (trombone), Dean Brown & Ray Obiedo (guitar), Victor Bailey, Larry Kimpel & Marc Van Wageningen (bass), Ricky Lawson, Lenny White & Walfredo Reyes, Jr. (drums), Michael Spiro, Karl Perazzo & Peter Michael Escovedo (percussion)

Rating:
**** (musical performance)
***** (sonic quality)

CTI meets GRP, Bob James meets David Benoit on "Absolute Reality." What a joy to listen to this album! The second CD by keyboardist/arranger Peter Horvath is an absolutely pleasant effort, full of killer grooves and lovely melodies. Guest stars like Bob Mintzer (shining on "Carla" and "Escape From Oakland") and Randy Brecker (who overdubbed a nice solo on "Foreign Matter") add an extra spice to Horvath's perfectly built tunes, but the disc offers many other pleasures.

The main hero is the leader himself, a terrific soloist, specially on the Rhodes electric piano. Norbert Stachel, a superb reedman who co-wrote six of the ten tunes, sounds like an entire horn section. The album also includes some of the last recordings by late drummer Ricky Lawson (1954-2013). Among them, the title track that mixes a James Brown-like riff with a glamorous melody played by Horvath on the acoustic piano.

Mintzer and Horvath share the spotlight on the funkyfied "Escape From Oakland," while Kenny Washington's wordless vocal effects add a special flavour to the laidback groove of "Nassau Nights," on which Horvath's hands seem to fly on the Rhodes over a lush horn arrangement.

If you like Hancock's late 70s efforts, you'll love "Fake Out," another number with an infectious groove, a dazzling Rhodes solo, and Norbert Stachel playing nothing less than five horn instruments. "Miss You" is a latin-tinged ballad, coloured by Michael Spiro's percussion. "Sardegna," another radio-friendly number evokes memories of Azymuth's Milestone years. The album closes with Horvath's tune for his son, "Braden's Song," a striking, ebb-and-flow solo piano piece a la Bill Evans that provides a tantalizing glimpse at another side of this great artist.
*********

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area since the mid-1980s, keyboardist/ composer Peter Horvath has thrived in the region's highly diverse environment, where various music scenes often overlap. He's played post-bop with Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson, Eddie Henderson, and Charles McPherson, and funk fusion with the Victor Bailey Group, Marcus Miller, Bennie Maupin, and Lenny White. He's played Latin jazz with Arturo Sandoval, Ray Obiedo, and Pete Escovedo, and funk and R&B with Pee Wee Ellis, Lalah Hathaway, Melba Moore, Ledisi, and Rosie Gaines.

But his in-demand status left him little time for his own music. Now, picking up where he left off in 1995, when Lake Street Records released his critically hailed chart-topping debut Foreign Matter, Horvath is following up with Absolute Reality, his second album as a leader. The CD, which will be released by his Foreign Matter Records on March 25, showcases some of most potent improvisers in jazz and Latin music including trumpeter Randy Brecker, saxophonist Bob Mintzer, drummer Lenny White, bassist Victor Bailey, and guitarist Ray Obiedo.

"It's kind of crazy it's been 20 years since my last album," says the Hungarian-born musician. "During that time I was on the road constantly, both nationally and internationally, with artists like Victor Bailey and Lalah Hathaway. When my touring schedule slowed down a bit in 2012, I decided it was time to focus on my own music and get it out there."

Absolute Reality is a highly personal and supremely engaging album by an artist eager to celebrate the musical riches he's experienced in the Bay Area. The opener and title track is both a manifesto and a statement of purpose co-written by saxophonist Norbert Stachel, who provides consistently smart horn arrangements throughout the album. "Carla," featuring a gently insinuating groove from Lenny White and a soulful, lyrical performance by Bob Mintzer, showcases Horvath's gift for crafting yearning melodies.

No tune better captures the singular mélange of styles that came together in the Bay Area than "Fake Out," a funk-driven tune that sounds like a theme for a 1970s street-wise detective show by way of Steely Dan. "Escape from Oakland" marks the first encounter between Victor Bailey and Ricky Lawson, who together "create this ferocious groove," says Horvath.

For pure straight-ahead blowing, Horvath digs in with "Foreign Matter," a treacherous post-bop workout that features Randy Brecker's witty and casually virtuosic trumpet. 

 

Born in Budapest, Peter Horvath grew up behind the Iron Curtain at a time when availability of American jazz recordings was very limited. But as the son of Hungarian pop star Mátrai Zsuzsa, he had access to recordings she brought back from touring outside the country. He also credits his maternal grandfather with introducing him to the infinite possibilities of the piano.

"My mom was the Barbra Streisand of Hungary, but I wanted a normal mom," Horvath recalls. "In hindsight it was a wonderful thing. Through her I got exposed to jazz. She still lives in Budapest and still performs."

Already passionate about the piano, Horvath experienced a jazz epiphany as a young teen when he heard the music of Oscar Peterson. While pursuing his love of jazz, he continued to immerse himself in the European classical tradition, studying at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music. At 17, he won the National Jazz Combo Competition in Gyor, Hungary and a year later he chose to leave his homeland behind.

Horvath went on to study at the Vienna Conservatory of Music, a move that also led to steady jazz work on the Austrian scene. A scholarship to Berklee brought him to the United States in 1983, when he was 22, and by the end of the year he had left Boston to settle in the Bay Area. He arrived in California as a straight-ahead jazz player, but working with funk vocalist Rosie Gaines introduced him to the jazz-steeped Bay Area R&B scene, where he flourished.

All of those influences are readily apparent on his 1995 album Foreign Matter, a highly successful project featuring regular compatriots such as John Pena, Steve Smith, Ray Obiedo, Walfredo Reyes Jr., Benny Rietveld, Santana's Tony Lindsay, and David Garibaldi (with whom he collaborated on a series of widely influential instructive videos for Warner Bros.). He draws on some of the same cast on Absolute Reality, in addition to the great Bob Mintzer, Randy Brecker, Victor Bailey, Lenny White, Dean Brown, and others. It took some time, but Horvath's second album marks the return of a bandleader with a singular and expansive musical vision "that encompasses all the things I've been exposed to," he says. "I wanted to do something that represented all this musical and cultural diversity." 

Peter Horvath "Absolute Reality" Web Site: peterhorvath.com

Vocal Jazz CD of the Month - "Iris Bergcrantz: Different Universe"

Vocal Jazz CD of the Month
Iris Bergcrantz: "Different Universe" (Vanguard Music Boulevard)

Rating: ***** (music performance & sound quality)

Featuring: Iris Bergcrantz (vocals), Anna-Lena Laurin (acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Moog synthesizer), Stefan Bellnäs (acoustic bass), Anders Fjeldsted (acoustic bass & electric bass), Johan Kolsut & Victor Lewis (drums), Anders Bergcrantz (trumpet, percussion), Rebecca Bergcrantz (harmony vocals on track 1)

Produced by Iris Bergcrantz, Anders Bergcrantz, Zakarias Lindhammar & Anna-Lena Laurin
Recorded & Mixed by Zakarias Lindhammar
Mastered by Magnus Lindberg
Photos by Nadja Hallström (cover) & Goran James Djordjevic (booklet)
Artwork: XPR Visual
Recorded By Berno Paulsson (track 1)
Recorded By, Mixed By Zakarias Lindhammar

The fearless & flawless debut solo album by Swedish singer/composer Iris Bergcrantz is one of the most exciting new arrivals in the contemporary jazz scene. She sounds really "contemporary," taking chances and providing extremely intriguing tunes. As a composer, Iris paints musical landscapes of intense beauty and sense of urgency, using her voice to forward the lyrics' messages with complete mastery.

Iris doesn't needs any of the same old standards (used by 99% of the "new" vocalists that want to be the "next Diana Krall") to prove her artistry. Instead, she introduces five original tracks that push the jazz boundaries to new limits. The daughter of trumpeter Anders Bergcrantz (whom I met when touring with the CTI All Stars band in 2009) and pianist Anna-Lena Laurin, Iris sometimes sounds like the missing link between Bjork and Annette Peacock, although completely unique.

"I knew I wanted to become a singer when I was 4 years old, singing in my mother's choir," she remembers. "It was neither a strange nor a naive dream. To create music is something very normal in my family, it's just a part of our daily lives."

"Jazz has always ben very close to my heart," she continues. "I think there is an honesty in improvised music, and to me it's very beautiful that a piece can develop in completely different musical spectrums depending on the mood, the energy and simply the moment it is played."

Her strong conception is showcased throughout the album, also available on vinyl LP format, and on which father Anders appears on trumpet & percussion, while mother Anna-Lena goes electric playing mainly Fender Rhodes and Moog synthesizer, as well as the acoustic piano. Anders Fjeldsted plays both acoustic & electric basses, being replaced by Stefan Bellnäs on the opening track, "If You Fail, I'll Always Stay" (with lyrics by Rebecca Bergcrantz), on which special guest drummer Victor Lewis replaces Johan Kolsut.

"The first time I met Victor Lewis was in 2009, when he was playing in my father's band," Iris comments. "One of the many things I love about Victor is the way he views music. He has both a humble and spiritual way of approaching life as an artist. He meditates before each concert in order to clear his head so that he will be more responsive to energies in the room and play directly from his heart. I'm extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to record this album with such wonderful musicians!"

"Aurora's Anthem" is a short instrumnetal interlude that leads to the third track, "Time Was Spent," a 7-minute piece that impresses by its intensity, with Anna-Lena on Rhodes, and Anders performing a superb trumpet solo.

"They Say..." starts like a ballad with Rhodes and acoustic bass but develops as another number of dense magnetism, very well structured. Iris' etheral vocal effects remind me of Flora Purim's on her heyday. Once again, Anders takes the solo spot, but drummer Kolsut almost steals the scene thanks to his vitality, although there's no space to the word "steal" in the collective musical concept created here.

"If you look very closely into any eye, it almost looks like an entire solar system," Iris says about the album title. "There are scientific theories about the patterns in your iris and how they show personality traits, which would mean they really are windows of the soul. What a beautiful idea! Getting to know somebody by looking deeply into her eyes, and thereby experiencing her own different universe..."

The title track is also the magnum opus. The evolutionary process embodied here makes me think of the Bitches Brew era, full of the early Weather Report energy, specially when Anders plugs his Conn Multi-Vider octave pedal, sometimes sounding like a guitar or a soprano sax (sometimes both simultaneously!) Anna-Lena's Rhodes solo follows, full of imagination, and later becomes a dialogue with the trumpet, till Kolsut emerges for an explosive solo. Like on the best fusion works of the early 70s, the piece returns to a reflexive & dreamy mood in the end. It's a joy to listen to music of this caliber. Iris really succeeded in creating her own solar system. This girl is a force of nature.

Vocalist/composer Iris Bergcrantz grew up in a musical family surrounded by jazz music. She started singing in her mother's choir as a four year old, participated at nine on her first CD and received the third prize in an International song contest in Macedonia – broadcasted in TV at the age of 14.

In 2009, she was appointed Årets Stjärnskott (Upcoming star of the Year) in Sweden. She studied in Dublin at New Park Music Centre for one year. At the time being, she has just finished her studies at Skurups Folkhögskola. Iris is also very interested in classical music as well as folk music, and sings in different groups.

Bergcrantz composes, arranges and performs her own as well as others music in different ensembles. In June she will make her debut as a soloist together with Malmö Opera Orchestra when her own piece "Hur kan jag säga," arranged by Anna-Lena Laurin, will be performed at the Nordiskt Forum @ Malmö Arena.

Vinyl Release of the Month - "João Gilberto & Stan Getz: Getz/Gilberto '76"

12" Vinyl Release of the Month
João Gilberto & Stan Getz: "Getz/Gilberto '76" (Resonance HLP 9021)

Limited gatefold hand-numbered 180 gram vinyl LP with a 4-page insert including an essay by writer James Gavin and rare pics by Tom Copi.
Release Date: February 17, 2016

Side A
1. "Spoken Introduction By Stan Getz" (0:57)
2. "É Preciso Perdoar" (5:48)
3. "Águas De Marco" (5:46)
4. "Retrato Em Branco E Preto" (4:45)
5. "Samba Da Minha Terra" (3:20)
6. "Chega De Saudade" (3:38)
7. "Rosa Morena" (4:26)
Side B
1. "Eu Vim Da Bahia" (4:08)
2. "João Marcelo" (3:20)
3. "Doralice" (3:47)
4. "Morena Boca De Ouro" (3:32)
5. "Um Abraço No Bonfá" (4:35)
6. "E Preciso Perdoar (Encore)" (6:26)

Release Date: April 18, 2015
Recorded live @ Keystone Korner (San Francisco, CA), May 11-16, 1976
Produced by Zev Feldman & Todd Barkan
Executive Producer: George Klabin
Assistant Producers: Heidi Kalison & Sydney B. Lanex
Mixing & Sound Restoration by George Klabin & Fran Gala @ Resonance Records
Mastered by Erika Records (Buena Park, CA)
Art Direction & Design: Burton Yount
Painting: Olga Albizu ("Equilibrium Verde")
Liner Photos: Tom Copi
Liner Notes: James Gavin

After the 10" LP issue "Selections From Getz/Gilberto '76," with only 4 tracks, released on April 18, 2015, to celebrate the Record Store Day, now comes the complete package of a musical miracle. This is not a reissue nor a "new recording", of course, but it's a fantastic new release!

The repertoire includes Gilberto's own instrumental pieces "Um Abraço No Bonfá" (a thrilling tribute to his favorite guitarist and close friend Luiz Bonfá, a much missed genius) and "João Marcelo" (dedicated to his son with Astrud Gilberto), Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Waters of March," three songs by Dorival Caymmi - "Doralice" (recorded by João & Getz in 1963 for the historical "Getz/Gilberto"), "Samba da Minha Terra" and "Rosa Morena" - and Ary Barroso's "Morena Boca de Ouro."

Three songs covered by Gilberto & Getz on "The Best of Two Worlds," recorded for CBS in 1976, complete the program: "É Preciso Perdoar (Alcyvando Luz/Carlos Coqueijo Costa), "Eu Vim da Bahia" (Gilberto Gil), and "Retrato Em Branco E Preto" (Antonio Carlos Jobim/Chico Buarque), the latter also included by Gilberto on another masterpiece, the "Amoroso" album for Warner in 1977.

Backing João Gilberto (acoustic guitar & vocals) and Stan Getz (tenor sax) are Joanne Brackeen on piano, Clint Houston on acoustic bass, and Billy Hart on drums. [Hart and Houston also performed on "The Best Of Two Worlds," on which the late Albert Dailey was the pianist.] One more time, Getz's sax is mixed very loud, creating a constraining contrast with Gilberto's whispers that -- one more time -- appear very low on the mix.

The LP has been eagerly awaited by Getz's and Gilberto's fans since we first posted about it last year, and the stores expect even better sales than another impressive Gilberto album, "Um Encontro No Au Bon Gourmet," released by the Italian label Doxy (specialized in Public Domain recordings) as announced here in February 2015.

Stan Getz and João Gilberto reunite in 1976 with these previously unreleased recordings from a four-night engagement at San Francisco's Keystone Korner. This album commemorates performances that are one of the few times this duo collaborated in the 1970's, after their multiple Grammy award-winning 'Getz/Gilberto" released by Verve in 1964, and soon after their second studio reunion on "The Best Of Two Worlds" in 1976.
​
Resonance acquired the tapes from jazz impresario Todd Barkan, owner of the now-defunct (but very famous in the 70s) Keystone Korner jazz club in SF. They cleared rights with the Stan Getz Estate and the other musicians, including Joao Gilberto.

Puerto Rican abstract expressionist painter, Olga Albizu (1924-2005), graces the cover with her artwork "Equilibrium Verde"; Creed Taylor loved her work and selected Albizu's paintings for other Verve releases in the early 60s by people like Bill Evans ("Trio 64"), Bob Brookmeyer ("Gloomy Mondays And Other Bright Moments"), and the seminal Getz' albums "Jazz Samba" (with Charlie Byrd) and "Getz/Gilberto."

Prior to his work as president and founder of the Resonance label, George Klabin was the owner and chief engineer of the Sound Ideas Studio in NY, where great jazzmen and Brazilian artists -- such as Thiago de Mello ("Amazon"), Eumir Deodato ("Os Catedráticos 73"), João Donato ("Donato/Deodato) and Flora Purim ("Everyday Everynight") -- recorded many nice albums during the 70s.

One of the most important releases of the year.