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New Jazz & Blues – 3/15/2022

New Jazz:

Callum Au & Claire Martin – Songs And Stories (Stunt Records): “Two leading lights of the British jazz scene: composer, arranger and trombonist, Callum Au, and internationally admired singer, Claire Martin, join forces for a new album, ‘Songs and Stories’ on the Copenhagen-based Stunt label. The album, featuring a total of 82 exceptional musicians, from the UK, Europe and the USA, is a stunningly arranged selection of jazz standards and American Songbook classics, given compelling, sensitive, modern orchestral and big band treatments, whilst drawing extensive style and influence from the definitive peaks of this genre in past eras. This is Claire Martin’s first big band or large orchestral recording – and she is thrilled to be working with Callum Au, who she regards as a “major talent”, with many great successes ahead of him. The album features a superb line-up of soloists and lead musicians including Ryan Quigley, Andy Wood, Freddie Gavita, Nadim Teimoori, Sam Mayne, Louis Dowdeswell, Andy Martin, Matt Skelton and John Mills – plus conductor Mark Nightingale.” (https://callumaumusic.com/shop/albums/songs-and-stories/) Click here to listen to an introduction to this release.

Dan Carillo & Common Good – Witness (Self-produced): “Dan Carillo is a guitarist, composer and arranger with extensive international performing experience in major concert halls, jazz clubs and jazz festivals throughout Europe, Asia, North America and South America. He has performed and recorded as a guitarist, featured soloist, and arranger with Tania Maria, Jon Lucien, Lonnie Liston Smith, the Paul Winter Consort, Chico Hamilton, Dianne Reeves, Dave Brubeck, Letta M’Bulu, and Harry Belafonte, and in numerous radio and television jingles, television soundtracks, and feature film soundtracks. Dan served as a Professor of Music and Director of the Jazz Studies Program at the City College of New York from 1989 to 2018 when he retired from teaching and moved from New York to San Antonio.” (https://www.rabox.is/3137946264-dan-carillo-amp-common-good-witness-2022.html) The rhythm section is Aaron Walker (drums) and Andrew Bergmann (bass). Beautiful performance. Click here to listen samples of the songs on this release.

Tetel Di Babuya – Meet Tetel (Arkadia): “Tetel Di Babuya is a Jazz-influenced Brazilian singer-songwriter and violinist. She performs and composes in both English and Portuguese, creating a compelling sound that blends (and stirs) Jazz, Blues, Bossa Nova and Standards, old and new. As an accomplished professional violinist, Tetel Di Babuya has played with some of the most renowned orchestras in Brazil, and in her solo career, audiences are drawn to her passionate and entertaining live performances. Her songwriting is deeply personal, melodically original, and lyrically surprising, displaying a subtle and ironic sense of humor. Her debut album, Meet Tetel, introduces listeners to Tetel’s musical inventiveness and compelling storytelling. Her unique style reflects the influence of Amy Winehouse and Ella Fitzgerald, while tapping into an emotional evocativeness reminiscent of Nina Simone, Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday, and the sensitivity of Melody Gardot, Madeleine Peyroux, and Norah Jones.
Meet Tetel, and discover a distinct and memorable vocalist and songwriter. Click here to see Tetel perform “La Vie En Rose” her way.

Fishblot – Small Talk (Ears & Eyes): “After formative years of music-making in various cities, Danny Fisher-Lochhead and Ryan Blotnick independently found their way to an island in Maine, where they have lived and collaborated since 2015. As with any profoundly seasonal place, their public musical activities tend to proliferate in the warmer months, and then contract again in the colder months, leaving time for imagining, writing, cultivating, and working on the more personal, internal aspects of music. When the winter of 2020/2021 arrived after almost a year of pandemic lockdown of varying degrees, the level of isolation that lay ahead was even more daunting than in other years. Now the small amount of socializing that would normally get a person through the winter in Maine was reduced to even fewer connections. Danny and Ryan, along with their partners and a few friends, decided to pod up for much of the pandemic, and hunker down for what felt like the longest winter in history. In years past, they would normally get together every week or so for art parties, to make music, art, cook, drink wine, and carve out some warmth in the enveloping darkness. During the pandemic, these musical sessions became even more of a lifeline to the world that we all had been so abruptly ejected from, and to the life-giving aspects of music that had become painfully evident in their sudden scarcity. Instead of writing music to play together, Danny and Ryan turned to improvisation, the only method of collaboration that felt relevant to that moment, telling their story directly to the microphone. So the music on small talk was taken from four different hour-long recording sessions from December 2020 to February 2021 that took place in Ryan’s home studio. They decided to set a timer for each session and play for an hour at a time, whether they felt like they had anything to play or not. Often this constraint pushed them past their normal tendencies and inclinations as to when to keep going / when to stop, and fueled the exploration process of unexpected and serendipitous musical textures. What they discovered through these sessions was, among other things, that they could tap into a kind of mind meld where they each had the feeling that they knew exactly what the other would play next. The degree of isolation which surrounded and influenced this project created a singular kind of personal language for the two of them, which felt separate from any particular scene or standards of practice, and aligned more with their sincere desires of what they needed to hear and feel at that moment. Because of this, many of the tracks of small talk bear an uncharacteristically melodic feeling for improvised music, and place it in a stylistically ambiguous zone that feels both straightforward and ecstatic, experimental and grounded, and very personal. After these recording sessions, they took a few months to pore over the material (about four hours worth) and decide how to treat it. The first approach was to cut it into exceedingly small sections that felt alive, then exceedingly long ones to give the sense of flow from one idea to the next, and eventually arrived at some balance between the two approaches. The first two tracks (“Can I Tell You” and “At Sea / Haircuts”) present an un-edited twelve minute excerpt taken from the very beginning of one of the hour-long sessions. The rest of the tracks, then, are more like highlights from the different sessions. During the editing process Ryan described the record a little like a good friend — one who tends to get better the more you get to know them, rather than the other way around. In small talk you will hear a simple and real story of two people’s experience of a singular moment in the world. (https://fishblot.bandcamp.com/album/small-talk) Click here to listen to two pieces on this release.

Jorge Garcia – Dedicated To You (Self-produced): “Gigi Gryce’s turbo-charged “Minority,” which opens Cuban-born guitarist Jorge Garcia’s Dedicated to You, serves as a reminder of how much talent the world lost when alto saxophonist Richie Cole died in May 2020. And if that weren’t enough to persuade any doubters, the vibrant “This One’s for Richie” (based, appropriately, on the standard “There Will Never Be Another You”) readily affirms that opinion. While, alas, those are the only tracks on which Cole performs, they alone make the album well worth the listener’s time. Elsewhere, Garcia teams with harmonica virtuoso Hendrik Meurkens on Garcia’s “With You Always” and with vocalist Wendy Pedersen on a fast-moving version of Harold Arlen/Yip Harburg’s “Over the Rainbow.” Garcia doesn’t command center stage until the last three numbers, Cy Coleman’s “You Fascinate Me So,” the Gershwin brothers’ “S’Wonderful” and his heartfelt finale, “Dedicated to You.” Once there, he shows that the session’s instrumental talents are by no means limited to Cole or Meurkens. Working with smaller groups—including pianist Paul Banman on the groovy “You Fascinate Me”—Garcia shows splendid technique, abundant creative power and an unflagging tendency to swing.
Even so, it is Cole whose electrifying solos lend the album its singular identity, even if only for a couple of numbers. Everything else is admirable but essentially a postscript to Cole’s towering presence. That’s not meant to put anyone down; as noted, Garcia, Meurkens and the others are quite respectable, and Dedicated to You is pleasing from start to finish—even though one can’t hide a wish that there were more to enjoy (the playing time is a meager twenty-eight minutes, something to consider when appraising its over-all merit). High marks, however, for the generally underrated and greatly missed Richie Cole.” (https://www.allaboutjazz.com/dedicated-to-you-jorge-garcia-self-produced) The performers are Jorge Garcia (guitar); Richie Cole (saxophone, alto); Hendrik Meurkens (harmonica); Rick Doll (bass); James Cotmon (drums); Jamie Ousley (bass); Gino Castillo (percussion); John Yarling (drums); Paul Banman (piano); Wendy Pedersen (vocals). Click here to listen “Dedicated To You” for a sample.

Amos Gillespie – Amos Gillespie’s Unstructured Time for Jazz Septet (Self-produced): “Unstructured Time” for jazz septet is an original work about finding introspective peace in a loud world. I started writing it in 2019 and after quite a few delays (including pandemic delays), finished it in 2020 and premiered it April 29th, 2021 at the Fulton Street Collective in Chicago. It was later recorded at Transient Studios with Tyler Rice mixing and mastering. The album features Alexandra Olsavsky, voice; Amos Gillespie, alto sax; Andy Schlinder, tenor sax; Gustavo Cortinas, drums; Paul Bedal, piano; Casey Nielsen, guitar and Dan Thatcher, bass.” (https://www.amosgillespie.com/unstructured-time-for-jazz-septet/) Amos has received special recognition and finalist awards from ASCAP, League of Composers (ISCM), American Prize, Columbia Orchestra, the Macarthur Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council, and has won numerous grants including the 2013, 2016 IAS professional development grant through the Illinois Arts Council, a Lucerne fellowship through the Chicago sister cities program and the Swiss benevolent society, as well as the 2008 Evanston Cultural Arts Grant and several Chicago Community Arts Assistance Program Grants (CAAP). He recently premiered “Unstructured Time” for jazz septet, about finding introspective peace in a loud world….” (https://www.amosgillespie.com/about/) Click here to listen to the songs on this release.

GNP – Codes (Ears & Eyes): “GNP is a jazz trio featuring Tyler Giroux on piano, Matt Niedbalski on drums, and Dylan Perrillo on bass. Tyler, Matt, and Dylan have been playing together for several years. They first began playing together at the Speakeasy 518 in Albany, New York, a cocktail bar known for its prohibition-era ambiance and live jazz. Through countless gigs the trio grew together as a unit, playing as a stand-alone group as well as backing up instrumental soloists and vocalists. In 2020, a shared passion for original music led to the decision to record their debut album as a group, “Codes.” “Codes” is a reference to the band’s musical communication, the unique vocabulary, and cues the group developed over years of playing and growing together. The album consists of 9 original pieces composed by Tyler (4), Matt (4), and Dylan (1), as well as one standard, Gershwin’s “But Not For Me.” Click here to listen to two songs from this release.

Matt Gordy Jazz Tonite Sextet – Be With Me (Self-produced): “Matt Gordy is a drummer/percussionist/arranger/composer who has performed with international orchestras all over the world, including the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and the Maracaibo Symphony, Maracaibo, Venezuela. He has also performed with star attractions such as Joni Mitchell, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Jr.,Aretha Franklin, Peter Frampton, Patti LaBelle, and Donna Summer.” (https://mattgordy.bandcamp.com/album/be-with-me)  “A very fine recording: swinging, sophisticated, varied and most musical. Matt Gordy reminds his listeners that you can have respect for the past, but not be a prisoner of it. The liner notes by Ken Franckling are literate and a pleasure to read as well.” (https://www.allaboutjazz.com/be-with-me-matt-gordy-self-produced) Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this release. 

Ron Jackson – Standards and My Songs (Roni Music): “Guitarist Ron Jackson plays with the sterling technique and measured swing of a Tal Farlow or Bucky Pizzarelli, but it would be a mistake to think of him as a jazz traditionalist. His new album, Standards And Other Songs, contains plenty of unexpected twists and outré moments, despite the title’s anodyne initial impression. First off, he recorded the album on seven-string guitar, an instrument that includes all six traditional guitar strings, plus a second A string, an addition that enriches its harmonic texture. The eclectic mix here is almost as much “other” as it is “standards,” with jazz covers of several r&b hits, including Brian McKnight’s “Anytime,” Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day” and, most notably, Drake’s “Passion Fruit.” Jackson approaches these radio singles in the same spirit as a songbook favorite, with brisk fretwork, hard-to-resist feels and the occasional unorthodox reharmonization. With drummer Darrell Green and bassist Nathan Brown, Jackson holds these tunes in a tight swing format, without sacrificing their original essence as pop tunes. Reworked and refreshed, their consistent appeal comes as something of a revelation. For traditionalists, however, the standards on the recording will not disappoint. Jackson’s arrangements are erudite and smoothly executed: Listen to Brown’s deeply connected solo on the gently swinging ballad “Blame It on My Youth” or Green’s bright Latin clip on Clare Fischer’s bossa classic “Pensitiva.” In Jackson’s hands, these tunes remind us that yesterday’s pop song is today’s standard.” (https://jazzbluesnews.com/2022/03/03/cd-review-ron-jackson-standards-and-my-songs-2022-video-cd-cover/) Click here to listen to the opening song, “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)”.

Eugenie Jones – Players (Self-produced): “Eugenie Jones is described as a performer that makes audiences feel jazz; vocally described as possessing, “A voice that covers words like pieces of silk covering precious stones.” Jones 2013 & 2015 releases earned her ranking in Jazz Week Review top-50, #1 spots on CMJ charts, 3.5 stars in Down Beat, as well NW Recording of the Year and NW Vocalist of the Year.” (https://eugeniejones.bandcamp.com/) The multiple settings and ensembles are not incidental; making music in each region of the United States is the double-disc recording’s central concept. “It was way beyond anything I’d ever done,” Jones says, who produced the album and shared A&R duties with Workman. “And while it was a foreboding prospect, once I make up my mind, I’m very tenacious about doing what it takes to achieve my heart’s desire.”
The diversity of Players extends to its tunes as well. Its Dallas session alone (featuring bassist Lynn Seaton and drummer Quincy Davis along with Martin) includes the Gershwins’ joyous swinger “I Got Rhythm” and two distinctive Jones originals: “There Are Thorns,” an anthem of determination, and the darkly soulful “One More Night to Burn.” Chicago’s output includes two Irving Berlin pieces in contrasting styles; “You Can Have Him” has a late-night lounge feel, while “Blue Skies” has an urgent, funky cast, highlighted in a Fender Rhodes solo by Kevin O’Connell. In Seattle, Jones explores Billy Strayhorn’s moody ballad “Multicolored Blue,” Nina Simone’s blues-drenched “Do I Move You,” and four of her own tunes, using three completely different lineups across the six tracks. Meanwhile, the New York session focuses on Jones’s originals, but these range from a hard-edged Latin groover (“Ultimo Baile En Casa,” featuring Sanabria) to a mellow, Quiet Storm-like ballad (“As Long As”) that trumpeter Marquis Hill underlines in a beautiful solo.The common bond, of course, is Jones. Her full alto voice, impeccable delivery, inventive rhythm, and expressive technique form an indelible stamp on songs of every type, across every city and musician. Imbuing her original compositions with remarkable verve and passion, she also breathes startling new life into the standard repertoire, claiming the familiar tunes as completely her own. (https://soundindepth.com/eugenie-jones-players/2022/01/05/top-jazz-news/admin/) Click here to listen to the songs on this set.

Roberto Magris – Match Point (JMood): ““In order to get to match point and move to the next level, everyone needs to be on the same page, says Paul Collins of JMood Records. Everybody needs to bring their “A” game, artist, musician, engineer, and equipment. You also need a supporting cast of professionals to win at anything. Although, we are not in competition with anyone but ourselves, you can never rest on your laurels or take anything for granted. With this project, we had good material, great musicians and a great recording situation at the Criteria/Hit Factory in Miami, Florida. As a result, we have a great product that our international jazz fans can take to the next level by listening, enjoying, and commenting about our work.
Magris composed (4) of the (8) tracks on the CD. “The Insider,” “Samba for Jade,” “The Magic Blues,” and the title track “MatchPoint.” The other (4) are nice renditions by Richard Kermode, McCoy Tyner, Thelonious Monk, and one of Roberto’s favorite artist Randy Weston. A total of over 75 minutes of musical bliss. The next serve is on you!” (https://www.allaboutjazz.com/news/jmood-records-releases-pianist-roberto-magris-new-album-matchpoint/) This album was recorded in a “live” studio environment before Covid-19. Click here to listen to “Yours  Is The Light”, the opening song on this release.

Scott Silbert Big Band – Introducing The Scott Silbert Big Band: Jump Children (Self-produced): “Scott Silbert, is a multiple woodwind player and arranger, retired chief arranger for the US Navy Band in D.C., has toured internationally, is a member of the prestigious Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, and has composed/arranged more than 200 works for the ensemble. Recently, he has stepped into the role of band leader, with both his own small group and his own big band.” (https://scottsilbertmusic.bandcamp.com/) Click here to listen to the songs on this release.

New Blues:

Bobby Gentilo – Bobby Gentilo (Blue Heart): “Gentilo is an award-winning international record producer and musician who has worked and performed with some of Mississippi’s most acclaimed blues artists over the last 15 years. He is also a member of The Cornlickers, the backing band for the late Big Jack Johnson. More recently, The Cornlickers has been knighted official house band for the world famous juke joint, Red’s Lounge, located in the heart of Clarksdale. Its here where Gentilo performed with and learned from Delta icons like Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Terry “Harmonica” Bean, T-Model Ford, “Cadillac” John Nolden, Robert Bilbo Walker, R.L. Boyce, and countless others. Born and raised in Washington DC, Gentilo was infected by Go-Go – a blend of funk, soul, and blues music unique to the region. “There were few boundaries. The color of your skin didn’t dictate what music you could or couldn’t play,” he explains, “All that matters is – can you groove?” Go-Go and Mississippi Blues both inspire couples to dance close and sweaty. It’s party music. The unique combination of these two genres became the foundation to Gentilo’s style.
Over the past ten years, Gentilo has also collaborated and performed with Colombian (S.A.) rock and blues artist Carlos Elliot, a kindred spirit similarly drawn to Clarksdale, MS and its music. Since 2013, the two have released 5 albums with multiple songs reaching #1 in Colombia, including “Neighbor Neighbor”, created entirely remotely during the pandemic with musicians from around the world. Neighbor Neighbor is a reminder of the common ties that bind us, regardless of race, ethnicity or nationality.” (https://www.bobbygentilo.com/) Click here to listen to “Troublin’” from this set.   https://bobbygentilo.bandcamp.com/
Hurricane Ruth – Live at 3rd And Lindsley (Hurricane Ruth Records): “LaMaster earned her “Hurricane” nickname because people had difficulty believing that her powerhouse vocals could be coming out of such a small woman.  Ruth grew up in Beardstown, IL. Her father’s Glendale Tavern was her music school. “The bar featured live blues, jazz, and all kinds of music. My dad was a drummer. At age three, I was sitting on his lap keeping time on the ride cymbal, while he played, during Sunday jam sessions” LaMaster said. LaMaster has performed with John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Willie Dixon, Taj Mahal, the Ramsey Lewis Trio, Sam & Dave, Fenton Robinson, Maynard Ferguson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Royal Southern Brotherhood, and Ronnie Baker Brooks.  Her vocals are deeply rooted in traditional blues, but she can also rock the house. LaMaster has opened for Heart, Judas Priest, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, and Steppenwolf, to name a few. Blues great, Willie Dixon, once called her “the only hurricane I can appreciate.” She’s got the power of Big Mama Thornton, the fire of Janis Joplin, the boundless stage energy of Tina Turner, and soulfulness of Aretha Franklin all rolled into a petite package.” (https://hurricaneruth.com/press-kit) Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this set.

Mississippi Heat – Madeleine (Van der Linden Recordings): “Madeleine is Mississippi Heat’s 13th album. It was recorded and mixed at the Chicago’s prestigious V.S.O.P studios; and
mastered by Paul Blakemore (Nashville, TN). It is co-produced by Pierre Lacocque and Grammy and Blues Music Award Winner Producer/Engineer Michael Freeman. Freeman was the Blues Foundation’s Chair of the Board of Directors. MADELEINE is Pierre and Michael’s 6th collaborative project. The 12 original songs are written by Pierre Lacocque, with the
exception of 2 penned by Michael Dotson (8,11), and 1 by Inetta Visor (12, arranged by Michael Dangeroux). Lurrie Bell, Carl Weathersby, Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith, NADIMA (background singers who worked with Aretha Franklin, Otis Clay and Stevie Wonder), Marc Franklin’s horn section, Ruben Alvarez and other guests add considerably to the vibrant mix.” (https://mississippiheat.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/madeleine-onesheet-final.pdf) This set is straight-ahead killer blues from the heart of Chicago blues and it is a certified Professor Bebop “Wax Devoid of Cracks”! Click here for a live sample of Mississippi Heat before the title song was released. 

Popa Chubby – Emotional Gangster (Dixie Frog): “Twelve new tracks featuring The Chubbfatha on many instruments and doing all the mixing and recording duties. “This record definitely reflects happier times and good solid dose of classic blues!”, says Popa from his studio full of guitars in the Hudson Valley. “I specifically included covers like Hoochie Coochie Man and Dust My Broom to show respect for the Fathers. Willie Dixon has always been my idol, you know. Twelve new tracks featuring The Chubbfatha on many instruments and doing all the mixing and recording duties. “This record definitely reflects happier times and good solid dose of classic blues!”, says Popa from his studio full of guitars in the Hudson Valley. “I specifically included covers like Hoochie Coochie Man and Dust My Broom to show respect for the Fathers. Willie Dixon has always been my idol, you know.” (Blues Magazine – https://www.bluesmagazine.nl/release-popa-chubby-new-album-emotional-gangster/) Click here to listen to “Equal Opportunity” from this set. 

Duke Robillard Band – They Called It Rhythm & Blues (Stony Plain): “Anyone who knows Duke’s music, will immediately smile at the first few seconds of the opening track “Here I’m Is” from the new album They Call It Rhythm & Blues, available on 180g Black vinyl from Stony Plain Records. It’s that joyous jump-blues shuffle sound that Duke has been perfecting since the late 60s. Indeed, every song on this album is about the groove, master musicianship, great understated taste and a perfect band mix that always complements the pulse and the singer. Duke’s guitar is at the center and brings it all together. For a lifetime Duke Robillard has been playing the jazzy corners of the blues. He was a founder of Roomful of Blues in the early 1970s, and replaced Jimmy Vaughan in the Fabulous Thunderbirds in the 1990s and was a core member of the New Guitar Summit through the 2000s, in addition to releasing an astounding 37 albums on his own. He has won the W.C. Handy Award as Best Blues Guitarist twice, and been nominated for two Best Blues Album Grammy Awards. He is credited with taking the blues to a new level for multiple generations of blues guitarists. Special guests include: John Hammond, Kim Wilson, Sue Foley, Michelle Wilson and Sugar Ray Norcia, among others like the Robillard band with Duke on vocals and guitar and Bruce Bears (piano, organ), Marty Ballou (bass), Mark Teixeira (drums) and Doug James (baritone and tenor sax).” (Liner notes) Click here to listen to the second song on this set playing with Sue Foley and Duke Robillard burning the house done!

Kopesetically,

Professor Bebop