Category Archives: News

JazzWorldQuest 2023: Ilya Dynov (USA)-Album: Bridges

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Ilya Dynov-Bridges

Featuring: Alex Norris: trumpet, Jihee Heo: piano, Lonnie Plaxico: bass, Ilya Dynov: drums

Constellation

With his debut album “Bridges”, New York-based jazz drummer Ilya Dynov reveals himself as an outstanding contender on the jazz scene, boasting credits as a formidable performer, composer, and bandleader. The music, ranging in various jazz styles, combines tradition with virtuosity and maintains a high level of creative freedom while displaying a mature sense of harmony.

The record consists of all original compositions by Dynov and features an array of world class talent out of New York. Joining Ilya Dynov on drums are the legendary bassist Lonnie Plaxico, known for his work with Art Blakey, Jack Dejohnette and Cassandra Wilson, extraordinary trumpeter Alex Norris who regularly performs with the Vanguard and Mingus Big Bands, and the exceptional pianist Jihee Heo, a rising star in the NYC jazz scene.

“Bridges” comprises 9 tracks: four in a piano trio setting, three as a quartet with trumpet, and two flavorful drum solos provide the “Intro” and “Finale” statements.

Some of the greatest highlights can be found in the song entitled “Constellation”. This intense modern jazz tune shines through the virtuosity of Alex Norris and Jihee Heo; as soloists they display an amazingly creative and rhythmically strong character undergirded by Ilya Dynov and Lonnie Plaxico.

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JazzWorldQuest 2023

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023: Manuel Muzzu (Italy)- Album: From T(h)ree to Four

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Manuel Muzzu-From T(h)ree to Four

New bass player Manuel Muzzu‘s album it’s been released and it’s available for digital purchase and for streaming. The album it’s a concentrate of much of music contamination starting fron jazz, fusion jazz, smooth jazz, latin jazz, where the bass guitar have a most important role playing rhythm part and also melodic part. Played with different techniques, with a different sounds colours.

Last One

“Last one” it’s a pretty simple listening track with a great smooth jazz influence and it’s the first song of my last album. The album it’s a concentrate of a different styles of jazz starting from smooth jazz, fusion jazz, Latin jazz, swing and classic jazz. Awesome played by spectaculars musicians, where the bass guitar in all his shapes (4-5-6 strings fretted and fretless) have the dominant part .

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JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023: David Margam feat. Carlos Camilo(Spain) – Album: Immune

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David Margam-Immune

David Margam presents “Immune” single ahead of his debut album. “Immune” is the perfectly sparkling new gem from multitalented guitarist/songwriter David Margam, one of the leading pioneers of the Smooth Jazz and Funk genres in Spain! Delivering an uplifting and refreshing vibe, “Immune” is the new single ahead of from 2023, the eponymous title of his debut album that is in its final mixing phase, scheduled for release in the coming months.

“Immune” is the perfectly sparkling new gem from multi-talented guitarist/songwriter David Margam one of the leading pioneers of the Smooth Jazz and Funk genres in Spain! Delivering an exhilarating and refreshing vibe, “Immune” is the new single for 2023 , the title of his debut album, which is in its final mixing phase, scheduled for release in the coming months.

“Immune” is the new composition by David Margam produced by the Cuban pianist and producer Carlos Camilo who provides some stimulating piano arrangements that raise the level of the song to a higher state with a catchy and seductive melody, the collaboration of the Spanish guitarist Andrés García on Spanish guitar brings great sensitivity to this relaxing and uplifting new piece of music. Without a doubt, a great start to the year for guitarist David Margam who finished last year in the TOP20 of the most listened to guitarists of 2022 through the Smooth Jazz Universe platform.

Guitarist David Margam is a Spanish musician from the new generation of Contemporary Jazz, known as much for his affable personality and generous spirit as for his musical taste. Born in Granada, Spain, he attributes his musical career to having worked with some incredible musicians from around the world.

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JazzWorldQuest 2023

World Music Mix: Strunz and Farah (USA)-Album: Syncretic Strings

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Strunz and Farah-Syncretic Strings

Syncretic Strings
AVAILABLE MARCH 2023
Grammy-nominated acoustic guitar greats Strunz & Farah are releasing their 21st album, Syncretic Strings, in March 2023. Their blend of Latin, Middle Eastern, jazz fusion, and acoustic rock elements has been highly influential among guitarists worldwide.

Recognized for their astounding technical brilliance, melodic eloquence, and colorful and sophisticated compositions, Strunz & Farah have created a new collection of ten studio tracks full of energy and beauty. One cut, “This Could Only Be”, features surprise special guest Al Di Meola on percussion.

As the title suggests, the music offers an exuberant diversity, blending many elements into their unique guitar vision, transcending categories, and further expanding the possibilities of contemporary guitar. A new refreshing feast of color, melody, and driving rhythm from these guitar masters, among their very best yet.

“Jorge Strunz and Ardeshir Farah play with the swiftness of a desert wind and the burning passion of a Gypsy campfire…In addition to being talented arrangers and composers, their technical mastery of the instrument – especially in terms of speed – tests the boundaries of the human capability.” – Guitar Player

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World Music Mix: Fingerless (Australia): single: More To Come

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Fingerless-More to Come
Fingerless (Australia): single: More To Come

Meanjin/Brisbane psych-folk-indie-rock group Fingerless are not ones to stick to any single style. After pulling dungeon/dark synth, psych pop, and an epic ballad (cover) out of the hat last year, they return in 2023 with a cynical take on the rose-coloured glasses “love conquers all” trope.
‘More To Come’ is a love song really, in its broadest sense, but it’s also about life and how we can’t always prepare for everything. Life and love are not fairytales, there are ups and downs the whole way through—there is no happily ever after, there is only now.

The impetus for the song’s themes came from the phrase that you see at the end of a lot of ABC News articles: “More to come.” Like, we know. That’s why we read the news and not the olds. They do make a good point though – there is always more tocome. The world is always changing around us and we have to respond to it. On top of that, as individuals we’re always changing, and we make changes wherever we go. Nothing is static.

Keeping true to this theme, the artwork for the new single was developed using AI image generation – an emerging technology that we don’t really understand. Some of the lyrics and imagery from the song were used as the prompts for creating the original image on Midjourney. What does this kind of technology mean for visual art and (human) artists working in this space? And let’s not forget that AI generated music has been around for a while now, and it’s awesome and terrifying in both its generative and integrated forms.

The band returned to Black Box recording studio (Moorooka) in 2022 to record this new single, as well as a few other tracks including The Pineapples From The Dawn Of Time cover, ‘Charlie’ (featured in 4000 Records’ recent House Keys compilation album). This was the band’s first time working with Jeff Lovejoy (Resin Dogs, Sahara Beck) as producer and recording/mixing engineer.


“We recorded these songs live, with vocal, percussion and acoustic guitar overdubs added later, “says Cheeseman. “We prefer to do it this way because that’s how we write the songs. It feels better, it’s more fun and it just makes sense. One really cool thing that happened during recording was getting to use the same 1950s mic stand that was used in the Baz Luhrmann Elvis film. Jeff worked on the film as a music equipment consultant and had stand!”

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World Music Mix: Plena Libre(Puerto Rico)-Album: Cuatro Esquinas (2023)

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Plena Libre-Cuatro Esquinas-jazzworldquest

Plena Libre celebrates 30 years of bringing the iconic sounds of their Puerto Rican homeland to stages worldwide w/the release of new album Cuatro Esquinas (Four Corners) and worldwide tour dates

Puerto Rico’s multi-Grammy–nominated musical masters, Plena Libre have consistently been enthralling audiences around the globe over the course of their storied 30-year, 16-album career with their original sound — one that infuses the traditional plena and bomba rhythms of Puerto Rico with a fresh spring mix of Afro-Caribbean and jazz styles to create groove-laden dance music that honors their deep sense of the unique indigenous musical traditions, while embracing modern trends.

Now, Plena Libre are celebrating their 30th anniversary in style, unleashing a new wave of awe-inspiring hand drumming, vivacious horns, and soul-soaring three-part vocal harmonies with the release of their new album Cuatro Esquinas (Four Corners), to be released March 31, 2023. The fine-tuned, original band of 12 versatile virtuoso musicians will also be captivating audiences across the map in 2023 with live performances scheduled at festivals in Puerto Rico, the United States, and Europe, including an appearance at the prestigious New Orleans Jazz Festival.

Founder, bandleader, and bassist Gary Nuñez stress the appropriateness of the title, since the group’s music, and especially that of this new album, reflects personal, universal situations, accompanied by the unique sounds of the Puerto Rican rhythms of the bomba and the plena. The album title was inspired by Nuñez’s youth, growing up in a Puerto Rican neighborhood where “Four Corners”, alluded to a local meeting point that sometimes even carried an unfairly bad reputation.

Says Nuñez, “Cuatro Esquinas”, in my adolescence, used to be a meeting point in my neighborhood, with some ‘bad reputation’. It was known as ‘4 Esquinas’ because in each corner there was a bar or bodega. It was the place where people met and all sorts of characters gathered there and replaced their sorrows with some joy, romance, adventure, or consolation. It is the part of our history that does not appear in the “stories” that we were told about who Puerto Ricans are”

Cuatro Esquinas is a representation of some of those experiences, captured in a mix of “traditional” and original songs. Featuring four vocalists singing in lush three-part harmonies – with an aggressive, tight, yet sensitive style, which balances the traditional with the contemporary, the global, and the local – Plena Libre creates a brand of music and live performance that captivates the multicultural audience, invites to dance and to listen to their sound.

The track, “Tu cintura con la mía” was arranged by Luisga Núñez, son of Gary Nuñez who shares with his father a passion for parranda, bajo, and vocal harmonies — bringing a taste of the next generation to the distinctive elements of the group.

“We dedicate this recording to the public and to all those people who have supported Plena Libre, through those 30 years. To all the musicians who are and who have been part of this experience, we are GRATEFUL”, enthused Núñez, who took the opportunity to particularly thank his wife Valerie Cox “for the unconditional, necessary and total support for three decades and to all the musicians that were part of this album, making it possible”.

Apart from Gary Núñez as director and bassist, Plena Libre is made up of: Víctor Vélez (vocals/percussion), Luisga Núñez (vocals/percussion), Rafi Falú (requinto), Miguel A. de Jesús (vocals/percussion), Alex “Callejero” López (vocals/percussion), Rafy Torres, Randy Román and Kevin Ortiz on trombones, Pedro Dominicci (timbales), Manuel Rivera (congas), Karla Martínez on piano and Yarina Torres in charge of choirs.

Cuatro Esquina will be available on all major streaming platforms on March 31, 2023.

Check here for tour updates: https://www.plenalibre.com/tour-dates

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JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2022: Florian Arbenz, Jorge Vistel, Wolfgang Puschnig, Oren Marshall, Michael Arbenz-Conversation #8 – Ablaze

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Arbenz- Vistel- Puschnig- Marshall- M. Arbenz - Conversation #8 - Ablaze

Swiss composer and drummer Florian Arbenz’s Conversations series continues with “Ablaze”, a new album where is joined by British tuba musician Oren Marshall, Austrian saxophonist Wolfgang Puschnig, Swiss pianist Michael Arbenz and Cuban trumpet player Jorge Vistel.

As always his drumming spans a wide spectrum of tonalities and rhythms, ranging from organic, free-flowing beats to strong strokes, which offers this all-star multinational gathering of talents support and vitality.

Right from the start British tuba player Oren Marshall showcases his prowess giving strength and heart to the interaction. On the opening track, “Catch Me If You Can,” the tuba’s rich, resonant tones support Florian Arbenz‘s inventive drumming and the vivacious free discussion between the trumpet and saxophone.

“Rivulets” starts off gently with the tuba soloing an amazing “throat singing”-like intro, followed by saxophone, and trumpet playing in unison, building further into a jazzy blues crescendo with all players dancing gleefully, before making room for exuberant saxophone and trumpet solos.
The lyrical highlight of the set is “Choral,” a gorgeous impressionistic work in which the melodic piano unfolds with all its splendour.

In full force “The Mirror” follows, the entertaining melodic line sustained by tuba introducing thrilling saxophone and trumpet solos. Freedom Dance present on Arbenz’s previous albums, gets new clothes reaching a big band quality full of surprises with Puschnig playing hojok (a Korean wind instrument). On “Wild flower,” a minimalist velvety ballad with moments of brilliance from Vistel’s trumpet, the pianist Michael Arbenz shines once more.

The free-form “Insight Straight” rounds up the seven-piece performance with a creative tour de force in which all the instruments combine their creative forces to produce an amalgam of unexpected sonorities.
Strongly advised for jazz lovers open to a “burning” artistic adventure.

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JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2022: Marco Pacassoni Trio feat. John Patitucci & Antonio Sanchez (Italy): Album: Life

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Marco Pacassoni Trio - Life

Marco Pacassoni Trio feat. John Patitucci & Antonio Sanchez (Italy): Album: Life
Label: Egea Music Giotto Music

Time Vibes

Marco Pacassoni: vibraphone, marimba
John Patitucci: electric and acoustic bass
Antonio Sanchez: drums

Life is a dream told in music. I couldn’t have given it a different title. It is the dream of a life lived intensely every day. Like that of every individual, but in particular that of every musician. A life that never as today must necessarily include diversity to be fully lived. I don’t think an uncontaminated artist has any sense now, if not nostalgic, because as someone said “we are not islands” but the need to merge and not separate in the name of who knows what has ever happened in the past, still remains the goal to reach.

I was born in Fano, a small town famous for its Carnival and for being “The City of Fortune”. In my case, luck in luck was that Fano has hosted an important Jazz Festival for almost thirty years and I had the opportunity to listen to the best musicians in the world in my home from an early age. I have probably also listened to historical concerts that I don’t remember anything about, but what is certain is that that music made everyone breathe a different air, even if at first only for a few days a year. It was almost inevitable that I went to their house as soon as possible to learn and understand.

At Berklee College of Music in Boston I understood what it means to confront and learn from others. It is there that my microcosm broke up to make room for a horizon made up of multiculturalism and inevitable contamination. It goes without saying that in such a school, you enter thinking you are good and if you are lucky, and if you are really good, you come out with something less in terms of self- esteem. Such a badly lived place could also definitively undermine anyone’s aspirations and career because there are more good people in the world than you can imagine. Or perhaps because there is inevitably a greater concentration there …

It is a place where provincialism becomes folklore that can implode and destroy you or explode into a universe of different sounds, tastes, smells, shapes, cultures that gradually become more and more familiar. Contrasting events and emotions transformed into notes that I sang with the voice of my instruments.

And after what has been said so far, I can’t even say what kind of music it is. The initial rhythm is complex, but it’s best to stop counting and let this stream of notes try to excite you. Because in this piece there are no virtuosity and there is no comparison, but only dialogue. They are more or less complex lines that intertwine, almost in a whisper and at times it seems to me, listening to John’s solo, that the notes really become words.

Transmitting the sensations of a dream is difficult, but it becomes possible if you tell your dreams to two great musicians and to two beautiful people like John Patitucci and Antonio Sanchez, whom I will never stop thanking for all this. But this is only the “title track” and so … the best is yet to come. Thank you so much.

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JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2022

World Music Mix: Armagos (Greece)- Album: “7 times in America” (2022)

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Armagos-7 Times in America

“7 times in America,” the latest album by Greek pianist Armagos, is a wonderful display of musicianship and sensitivity. The seven pieces’ minimalist style enables for the compositions’ true beauty to stand out. With emotional depth and that special cinematic quality previously present on his previous albums, the compositions have a softly meditative nature painted with great care and finesse. A beautiful album for listeners who appreciate the inventiveness blessed with grace.

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