Category Archives: Switzerland

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023: Silvan Joray featuring Nadav Erlich & Jeff Ballard(USA)-Updraft

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Silvan Joray-Updraft
For Immediate Release Please
Ubuntu Music Presents

Silvan Joray
featuring Nadav Erlich & Jeff Ballard

Updraft

CD AND DIGITAL FORMATS AVAILABLE ON NOVEMBER 3, 2023.UBUNTU MUSIC – UBU0144 (THE ORCHARD) WWW.UBUNTUMANAGEMENTGROUP.COM | WWW.WEAREUBUNTUMUSIC.COM 
CD RELEASE EVENT
Threes Brewing Gowanus
333 Douglas St., Brooklyn, NY
Wednesday, November 8, 8.30 pm
https://threesbrewing.com/pages/gowanus
Silvan Joray – guitar and compositions
Nadav Erlich – double bass
Jeff Ballard – drums
New York City-based guitarist and composer Silvan Joray is proud to present Updraft, his second album as a leader and first for the Ubuntu Music label. The album showcases his forward-thinking original style characterized by a transparent tone, crispy articulation, creative rhythmic ideas and extended techniques like quarter tones and „tapping“ which are not traditionally associated with jazz guitar playing.
A follow up to his ambitious 2020 trio album, Cluster, Joray’s latest outing features once again Israeli double bass player Nadav Erlich and this time, living legend Jeff Ballard (Brad Mehldau, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny) on drums.

 Born and raised in Switzerland, Joray embraces both the openness of European as well as the rootedness and swing of American jazz. While the music on Updraft is clearly influenced by the American jazz tradition, it doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not and is totally content with being in its own category.
Renowned jazz bassist Larry Grenadier states: “Silvan along with Nadav and Jeff have made a musical statement together that has at its core a sense of history and at the same time moves the music towards the future with bold playing and fresh compositions. Sonically beautiful and captivating music.“
Ballard, Joray, Erlich  © Victor Hege
The recording includes seven original compositions and two short, freely improvised tracks. The serenity of joyful straight eighth grooves, as heard in “Kokodrillo“ or “Kaeppeleview“, complements the swinging energy of pieces like “Updraft” and “Kurtish”. Joray is also passionate about playing jazz standards and pays tribute to two masters of the genre, Cole Porter and Andrew Hill, with “At Long Last Love” and “Subterfuge“. 

Starting in September 2020, the trio had the chance to refine its band sound and interplay over the course of two years before going into the studio. At the same time, humanity faced some new challenges that heavily impacted everyone’s life. Updraft is Joray’s personal way of dealing with these difficult times and presents a collection of compositions that strive to lift our spirits and elevate our perspectives. The title of the album beautifully encapsulates this sentiment, and Joray’s innate gift for melody and lyricism shines through both in his playing and compositions.
TRACKS
1. Kokodrillo 7:09
2. Kaeppeleview 6:33
3. Updraft 6:39
4. Morning Breeze 0:34
5. Very Sweet Stuff, But Nice! 5:43 
6. Subterfuge 5:50
7. The Liar 4:56
8. Kurtish 5:01
9. Something Ahead 4:31
10. Evening Breeze 1:00
11. At Long Last Love 6:25 

All compositions written by Silvan Joray
except for tracks 4 and 10 (improvised)Track 6 (Andrew Hill) and track 11 (Cole Porter)

Produced by Silvan JorayCo-produced by Roman Hošek (SRF2 Kultur)Executive Producer: Martin Hummel

Recorded by Daniel Dettwiler at Idee und Klang Studio Basel on June 11 and 12, 2022Second engineer, tracking and editing by Josua DillierMixed and mastered by Daniel Dettwiler at Idee und Klang Studio Himmelried.

Front cover photo: George Korunov
Designed by Rumney Design
ABOUT SILVAN JORAY
Silvan Joray is currently based in New York City. He has gained recognition in the jazz community, having won special prizes at the UNISA International Strings Competition in South Africa 2022 and the Smietana Jazz Guitar Competition 2019 in Poland. He has performed at prestigious jazz festivals including the Krakow Summer Jazz Festival, Offbeat Jazzfestival Basel, and International Jazz Festival Bern, and has toured in Germany, Norway, Poland, Spain, and Israel. Silvan will be touring throughout the year – please see his website for details: www.silvanjoray.com 

ABOUT UBUNTU MUSIC
Ubuntu Music, a division of Ubuntu Management Group, is a progressive recorded music label that is committed to bringing quality, accessible jazz and related music genres to increasingly wider audiences. Their approach includes collaborative efforts with an array of performing artists who have a passion for jazz and who possess unique and diversified talents. 
www.weareubuntumusic.com 

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023: Florian Arbenz- Greg Osby- Arno Krijger – Conversation #9 – Targeted

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Florian Arbenz- Greg Osby- Arno Krijger - Conversation #9 - Targeted

“Conversation #9 – Targeted” is the latest release of the series of collaborations with like-minded felow musicians initiated by Swiss drummer Florian Arbenz. While the presence of the renowned American saxophonist Greg Osby is not new on these series, Dutch Hammond impressive organist Arno Krijger came on board for the first time, and it must be acknowledged that he succeeds greatly in making his mark.

We hear six pieces nicely integrated into the tapestry of the album, three of them are originals. The three musicians came together to form a solid band that transmits energy and enables their abilities to soar with crystal-clear clarity.

The opener, Eddie Harris’s Freedom Jazz Dance is once more revisited (it was already included on Arbenz’previous Comversations albums) receiving a powerful treatment, breathtaking saxophone and muscular organ solos powered by Arbenz’s solid, imaginative drumming. Sleeping Mountain, composed by Arbenz, takes listeners on a cosmic musical ride with the saxophone weaving intricate lines that glide through the atmosphere, while the organ provides a rich and textured backdrop sustained by Arbenz’s sensitive drumming, building energy just when it’s needed.
Vertical Hold brings forward Greg Osby as a composer while improvising in full swing backed by Arbenz’s galvanic beats. Seven Steps To Heaven by Victor Feldman, takes off with an energetic drum solo into which Arno Krijger‘s organ gradually slips, the fiery duet that follows has jazz-rock qualities. I Loves You Porgy receives a new sonic aesthetic due to Osby’s fluid lyricism to which the organ adds an enigmatic edge. Old Shaman ending the album a hyper thunderous three way improvisation played with the greatest finesse and beauty.

An album that will delight any listener willing to hear three virtuosos unleashing their imagination and skills.

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JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023

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

World Music Mix: Noga(Switzerland/Suisse) Nouvel album: LEV

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Noga
Nouvel album LEV
Sortie le 14/04/2023 2023 chez Evidence Musique

Entre world, jazz, et musique classique, la chanteuse Noga annonce son nouvel album LEV pour le mois d’avril 2023.Avec ce disque, la musicienne suisse nous éblouit et nous démontre le pouvoir transformateur de la voix. Elle nous rappelle à l’épure et à sa beauté comme autant de forces à se réapproprier.

Et nous insuffle cette énergie fédératrice et nourricière telle qu’elle nous l’adresse en concert.  Noga prend appui, en hébreu, sur des poèmes millénaires, pour faire face au chaos de notre époque. Avec son groupe de musiciens complices, elle convoque des sons très actuels et invite à un voyage dessiné à partir de psaumes. Vibrations positives et bienfaisantes.

LEV
 est un album organique, avec des touches d’électronique subtiles qui créent des textures sonores singulières aux émotions libres. Sur fond classique et allures jazz, la musique se teinte de notes tribales, d’éclats moyenâgeux, d’accents méditerranéens, de réminiscences hippies, pop ou fifties… dans un paysage rythmé par la pulse des percussions et la voix bienfaisante de Noga.

On peut découvrir en premier extrait le clip de Shir, qui met en valeur l’incroyable chant de Noga.

 Pour regarder et diffuser le clip de Shir :https://youtu.be/XHwegt1aMFg
“Tout le monde est perdu, tout le monde se cherche… et l’on pense trouver la réponse en soi… et si elle se trouvait dans la connexion aux autres et aux générations précédentes ?” Noga

Chanteuse, auteure, compositrice, Noga est aussi improvisatrice et performeuse. Membre de différents groupe et projets, elle a sorti une dizaine d’albums sur divers labels. LEV est son second disque chanté en hébreu. Quelle que soit la langue, le propos reste le même : utiliser la voix pour canaliser la lumière et se mettre au service de la vie, tout en jouant une musique actuelle, crossover et libre.

Noga est aussi connue pour l’association Catalyse qu’elle a fondée et qu’elle préside, avec à Genève un centre dédié à la voix.  Avec sa musique qui emprunte au jazz, aux musiques du monde et à la musique contemporaine, l’artiste suisse, née de parents émigrés d’Israël, canalise son éducation cosmopolite, les langues qu’elle maîtrise, la diversité des sons, styles, valeurs qui l’ont bercée, pour servir ce qui l’appelle : nourrir notre humanité commune et dissiper nos peurs.

Pour son nouvel album LEV, elle s’est tournée vers des poèmes ancestraux, en explorant leurs sonorités pour élever la fréquence vibratoire et la connexion entre les êtres.Le passé peut-il se conjuguer au présent ? Peut-on revisiter les psaumes et tirer de ces chants millénaires une vibration universelle et positive, qui élève la connexion entre les êtres et permet aux coeurs de battre, collectivement, à contre-peur ?

Face à la montée des courants anxiogènes, Noga s’affirme dans une musicalité qui parle au corps, à l’esprit et à l’âme, et revient à ses racines pour les transposer, aujourd’hui, dans des airs lumineux en équilibre sur un fil de spiritualité reliant passé – présent – futur.

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World Music Mix

World Music Mix: Baiju Bhatt & Red Sun(India/Switzerland)-People of Tomorrow

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Baiju Bhatt & Red Sun-People of Tomorrow

Baiju Bhatt & Red Sun(India/Switzerland)-Ananda
Album: People of Tomorrow
Label: Neuklang

Baiju Bhatt & Red Sun

Nouvel album People of Tomorrow

Sortie le 28/10/2022 chez Neuklang

En concert à Paris au Pan Piper le 28/11/2022

Baiju Bhatt retrouve son groupe Red Sun pour un troisième album, People of Tomorrow, prévu le 28/10/2022 sur le label Neuklang, qui brouille encore davantage les frontières musicales.

Quatre ans après la sortie du singulier Eastern Sonata, qui mélangeait avec beaucoup de malice et de talent les influences d’une Inde fantasmée et du jazz-rock occidental, le violoniste et compositeur indo suisse Baiju Bhatt récidive et enfonce le clou en nous proposant un album encore plus ambitieux et puissant, doté d’une profonde richesse musicale, harmonieuse et subtile.

Un pied en orient, et un pied en occident, le violoniste Baiju Bhatt réalise avec People of Tomorrow un métissage audacieux entre jazz-rock et musique indienne, entre tradition et modernité.

Entouré par le quintet transalpin Red Sun et par le guitariste Nguyên Lê en invité, Baiju Bhatt & Red Sun forment un groupe alchimique où les différentes sonorités de chacun se fondent dans une parfaite harmonie. A eux cinq, ils effacent les frontières et mixent les cultures dans un grand feu d’artifice multicolore, virtuose et harmonieux. Un jeu fougueux au placement rythmique exemplaire, qui sait aussi devenir romantique et aérien.

Ancien élève de Jean Luc Ponty et Didier Lockwood, le violoniste Baiju Bhatt défend avec son groupe Red Sun un projet musical ambitieux plaçant au centre de sa recherche la quête d’identité et la volonté de faire chanter ensemble des mondes musicaux différents, en particulier le jazz et la musique indienne.

Avec People Of Tomorrow, nous voyageons à travers le monde et différents styles musicaux, et nous en ressentons toutes les saveurs, les odeurs et les épices, si bien que la notion de «musique du monde» prend ici sa pleine signification en effaçant toutes les frontières dans un grand feu d’artifice, chatoyant et multicolore.

Baiju Bhatt approfondit son langage musical et il nous épate encore davantage avec ses thèmes prégnants joués à l’unisson (saxophone-violon avec la complicité de Valentin Conus, ou piano-violon avec Mark Priore) et avec sa musique contrastée, faite de breaks et de ruptures rythmiques, qui multiplie les climats et les atmosphères. Une musique riche et complexe, formidablement bien construite et structurée, qui a l’intelligence d’être toujours accessible et fluide.

L’énergie musicale déployée est à la hauteur du lyrisme des différents solistes, parfois teinté de romantisme, à l’image du jeu de violon de Baiju, qui sait comme personne manier virtuosité et élégance et assembler, avec brio, musique classique, traditions du monde, musique indienne, et jazz-rock !

Baiju Bhatt & Red Sun :

Baiju Bhatt – violon, composition, arrangements

Valentin Conus – saxophone ténor, saxophone soprano

Mark Priore – piano

Blaise Hommage – basse électrique

Paul Berne – batterie

  • invité spécial : Nguyên Lê – guitare électrique

Baiju Bhatt is back with his group Red Sun for a third album, People of Tomorrow, scheduled for 10/28/2022 on the Neuklang label, which crosses musical borders even further.

Four years after the release of the singular Eastern Sonata, which mixed with great playfulness and talent the influences of a fantasized India and Western jazz-rock, the Indo Swiss violinist and composer Baiju Bhatt does it again and insists by offering us an album yet more ambitious and powerful, endowed with a deep musical richness, harmonious and subtle.

One foot in the East and one foot in the West, the violinist Baiju Bhatt achieves with People of Tomorrow a daring mix between jazz-rock and Indian music, between tradition and modernity.

Surrounded by the transalpine quintet Red Sun and by guest guitarist Nguyên Lê, Baiju Bhatt & Red Sun form an alchemical group where the different sounds of each blend in perfect harmony. The five of them erase borders and mix cultures in a great multicolored, virtuoso and harmonious fireworks display. A fiery game with exemplary rhythmic placement, which becomes romantic and ethereal.

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World Music Mix