Category Archives: United States

USA: New Digital album Release. BILLIE DAVIES “On Hollywood Boulevard – Live at The Mint in New Orleans”

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“On Hollywood Boulevard – Live at The Mint in New Orleans”
Performed at Music At The Mint in 2017 – brought by The New Orleans Jazz Museum
To be released through ReverbNation and Bandcamp on 08/08/2024.

Album: On Hollywood Boulevard
Album sub title: Live At The Mint in New Orleans
Album Artist: Billie Davies
Lyrics: Billie Davies
Lead sheet melodies: Billie Davies
Musicians: Billie Davies – electronic drums, Evan Oberla – piano/electric keys/synth, Oliver Watkinson – electric bass, Iris P. – vocals.
Genre: Jazz, Nu-jazz, World Jazz Fusion
Recording date: 05/19/2017
Recording place: The Mint at the New Orleans Jazz Museum
Recording engineer: Danny Kadar
Mixing/Mastering: Mike Davies
Author URL: http://www.billiedaviesmusic.com

About “On Hollywood Boulevard – Live at The Mint in New Orleans”

“On Hollywood Boulevard” came about while Billie Davies still lived at 6533 Hollywood Blvd. at The Historic Hillview Hollywood in Hollywood, Los Angeles. She lived there for several years and her many experiences in and impressions of Hollywood Boulevard needed recording. It took from 2012 in Hollywood, the initial conception, to September of 2016 in New Orleans to result in a recorded album of 5 songs that Billie Davies wrote melodies and lyrics for, 1 instrumental improvisation and 1 improvisation with improvised lyrics by IRIS P.

Billie and her husband/recording engineer Mike Davies chose Evan Oberla, with whom she recorded and performed since February of 2015, on keys/synth and trombone and Oliver Watkinson, who became her bass player in the summer of 2015, on electric bass. Billie Davies met Iris P through an introduction by Evan Oberla, during one of their performances at The Dragon’s Den in New Orleans, and was rejoiced to find the perfect vocalist, the perfect chemistry, to record and perform the electric “On Hollywood Boulevard” lyrics and experience.

The Live at The Mint in New Orleans version in 2017 was the third time they performed On Hollywood Boulevard live and according to Billie Davies tradition sounds different from the original recording as nothing can ever be exactly the same every time and needs to be different as it has a different environment, a different audience, a different mood of the day… In Billie’s opinion the best recording and performance of the “On Hollywood Boulevard” album.
This Live recording shows the evolution of the music since the original recording in 2016 … and the music was performed live first at “The Prime Example” in New Orleans during the CD Release Party in December of 2016.

“It is all about life, and my life, on Hollywood Boulevard, and what that boulevard and Hollywood represents to the world, to America. But then again it is also very much about life in general, and how the media has such a big influence on our lives today through the web, TV, movies, magazines, music and its stars.

Whether you call it prostitution or the seduction (touch me, squeeze me, love me) of millions of people every year into the fantasies that are responsible for maintaining one of the biggest brainwash schemes that are basically controlled by Wall Street and Industry & Enterprise, it all lives on Hollywood Boulevard, in Hollywood.
It is a world of Drugs, murder, con artists and thieves.
It is a world of selling the american dream.
It is a world of high end entertainment that most Hollywood Boulevard locals cannot afford or get into, but maybe they work or perform in it.
It is the world of the dream, a last stand of bohemia where poetry is very much alive and where punk rock and rap and hip hop and DJ’s rule.
It is the world where we smell the crack in the hall ways and where thugs and hookers and homeless and hopefuls meet at night…
It is a world of selling the American Dream, selling that fantasy of Disney and Oscars and Grammys. Selling the brainwash of the world.” (Billie Davies)


“All of my music is improvisational… I just evolve into it and with every project comes something different, depending on the subject of the project or album. I do not think of myself playing avant-garde, or avant-jazz or free jazz or nu jazz, I just play what comes naturally to me, in the case of “On Hollywood Boulevard” for example I needed it to sound very electric, almost commercial like because Hollywood Boulevard is a commercial, is very electric and full of neon lights. I wrote lead sheet music and lyrics for that album. It’s all jazz to me.” (Billie Davies).


About Billie Davies

Billie Davies is a drummer and a composer best known for her free, instinctively avant-garde compositions since the mid nineties, and her improvisational drumming techniques she has performed in Europe and in the US. All of her music is improvisational … reminding us sometimes of, as Jerome Wilson put it on AAJ, “the spiritual jazz tradition, as exemplified by John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane and Pharaoh Sanders. Billie Davies’ work reminds you of many different things but in the end, it is its own original beast, as powerful as anything more well-known musicians have created.. Her Music Is It’s Own Original Beast”.

By 1977, when she was 22, Billie was working in the Private Night Club sector as a DJ in Cologne, Germany. That set the stage for a successful DJ career in Belgium a few years later, she remembers “Les Cinq Anneaux” in Knokke, coastal Belgium, where she packed the house every weekend.
Aged 25 Davies started the transition to become a professional musician.
She played and performed in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece for the next 7 years.


At a crossroads in her musical career, in 1984, while living and performing in the South of France (Montpellier, Toulouse, Biarritz, La Rochelle), Billie ended up receiving a grant from Max Roach to study at Berklee College of Music, this was after he heard one of her tapes she laid down with a bass player she met in Montpellier, France. Billie was however having too much fun in the south of France, living the life of a gypsy jazz musician and therefore decided not to take the offer. In Max Roach’s words: “Hearing from your tape, you could learn more fundamental drumming techniques, but I also hear the natural drummer, so my advice is for you not to worry too much about your technical skill, you will develop your own, I can definitely hear that, but just in case that you might want to study in a good program, please accept my invitation in the form of a talent grant to come study at the Berklee College of Music, all you need to worry about is finding a place to live and some money to survive”.


A move to the United States at 32 gave her an opportunity to play all over the west coast. In 1987 in Oregon, she met and played a few times with Leroy Vinegar, and then later in early 1988 she moved to California, San Francisco where she was mostly active in North Beach and in the Lower-Haight district, where she met and ended up playing a few times with John Handy and played frequently with local jazz notables at their unforgiving jams, in her words: the best learning school she ever had.
In the mid-nineties she recorded “Cobra Basemento”, that included “The Man From Tollund”, and “Dreams”, the infamous boombox recordings, with Saul Kaye and Mike Goodwin. They were preserved for the future in 2004 & 2005.


In 2009 she moved to Hollywood, California and released “all about Love.” with Tom Bone Ralls and Oliver Steinberg and “12 VOLT” with Daniel Coffeng and Adam Levy and the 23rd Los Angeles Music Awards awarded her best Jazz Artist in 2013.
In March of 2014 she moved to New Orleans where she released “Hand In Hand In The Hand Of The Moon”, with Evan Oberla, Alex Blaine, Branden Lewis and Ed Strohsahl, “On Hollywood Boulevard” with Evan Oberla, Oliver Watkinson and Iris P and “PERSPECTIVES II” re-distributed as “PERSPECTIVES” with Evan Oberla, Oliver Watkinson, Ari Kohn, Iris P and Allie Porter.
She was nominated “Best Contemporary Jazz Artist” by the 2017 Best Of The Beat Awards, AND in 2019 they nominated her “Best Drummer”.


In 2020 she recorded “Whadeva” with Damani Butler and Maude Caillat
In 2022 she left New Orleans and made a permanent move to West Palm Beach, Florida.

Discography As leader:
2004: “Cobra Basemento”
2005: “Dreams”
2012: “all about Love.”
2013: “12 VOLT”
2015: “Hand In Hand In The Hand Of The Moon”
2016: “On Hollywood Boulevard”
2018: “PERSPECTIVES II”
2024: “On Hollywood Boulevard (Live at The Mint in New Orleans)”

Discography As A Contributor:
2020: “Whadeva” (Live at Dangerous Art Studios, New Orleans, LA, 2/13/2020), a Damani Butler project.

WorldMusicMix

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2024: Encuentro Music to Release Reginald Policard’s Global Jazz Album “Boarding Pass” in Label Debut

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Ron Kadish, Publicist ron@dogranchmusicpr.com

Encuentro Music to Release Reginald Policard’s Global Jazz Album “Boarding Pass” in Label
Debut

Called “the most valued Haitian pianist in the jazz scene”, versatile pianist Reginald Policard has
evolved through decades of playing different styles of music such as konpa, jazz, latin jazz and fusion
to arrive at his personal style. Together with special guests from all over the world, Reginald brings
the musical traditions of Haiti, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and American jazz to Boarding
Pass, an exciting and fresh blend of musical cultures, to be released on May 31, 2024 as the debut
release on the new Encuentro Music label.

Miami-based Encuentro Music is a music label project inspired by the traditions and flavors of the
Caribbean. Encuentro aims to be a melting pot and a musical getaway for all The Caribbean, where
artists and creatives, rhythms and sounds, tastes and colors meet and leave a mark of impactful
culture.

Boarding Pass was inspired by the fundamental idea of what Encuentro Music is – a musical meeting
between artists from different countries who all love and are inspired by the music of Latin America,
the Caribbean, and Miami. With its diverse music encounters, Boarding Pass embodies a statement
of what we can expect from Encuentro Music in the future- a message of bringing people together
through music and encouraging them to share and enjoy inspired collaboration.

Born in Haiti, Reginald Policard was introduced to music at the early age of 10. Starting in 1969,
Reginald played in Sugar Jazz before co-founding and leading the famous Caribbean Sextet, which
dominated the music scene in Haiti for many decades.

Reginald’s discography includes sixteen solo recordings and his participation in numerous projects,
including films. His album Vinn Avem was selected to be in the pool of nominees for the Latin
Grammys in 1994. Reginald enjoys playing for his fans and his mastery in the piano comes alive every
time he performs. Reginald has performed and collaborated with well-known international musicians
such as Nicole Henry, Ed Calle, Jeff Carswell, Nicky Orta, Sammy Figueroa, Leo Quintero, Joel
Widmaïer, Richard Barbot, David Fernandez, Sal Cuevas, JeanCaze, Felipe Lamoglia, David Einhorn
and more.

Boarding Pass’s special guests include Cameroonian bassist Richard Bona, who has played and
recorded with a host of modern jazz luminaries from Joe Zawinul to Pat Metheny; legendary
singer Angélique Kidjo; Sammy Figueroa, long regarded as one of the world’s great percussionists,
who has played with everyone from Miles Davis to David Bowie; Haitian-American trumpeter Jean
Caze; renowned Latin percussionist Edwin Bonilla; longtime Erique Iglesias percussionist Gilmar
Gomes; and Miami Sound Machine trumpeter Teddy Mulet.

The May 31 release of Boarding Pass follows the highly successful releases of two singles. Intense in
emotion, Melancholia expertly weaves Caribbean, African and traditional Jazz influences to highlight
the warmth and texture of this distinctive collaboration. Policard’s compositional gifts shine through
in Encuentro Theme. His catchy melodies are steeped in a deep understanding of jazz’s historical and
cultural contexts, especially its Caribbean influences. Bona’s multifaceted musicianship adds layers of
complexity and emotional depth, creating a resonant backdrop that invites listeners into a world of
rhythmic euphoria.

Boarding Pass will be available everywhere on May 31, 2024. Pre-save it here.
Encuentro Music
Harold Staco – A&R management
Info@encuentromusic.com

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2024

Austin TX, USA Festival: Rich Harney Jazz Festival 2024

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Rich Harney Jazz Festival 2024
Friday June 7/Saturday June 8
7pm

First Presbyterian Church
8001 Mesa Blvd
Austin TX 78731

TICKETS

Join us for a Jazz Festival in memory and celebration of award winning pianist/composer extraordinaire Rich Harney.
Featuring an all star lineup of a few of Rich’s friends and collaborators playing his original music, these 2 evenings are a must for anyone and everyone who remembers Rich or is a fan of swingin’ jazz.

Friday Night, June 7 (Rich’s Birthday!) Features:

THE BEAT DIVAS
with
Mady Kaye, Beth Ullman, and Dianne Donovan /vocals,
Mitch Watkins /guitar, Andy Langham /piano, John Fremgen /bass

The ALEX COKE QUINTET
with
Alex Coke /saxophone and flutes,
Bruce Saunders /guitar, Collin Shook /piano, James Suter / upright bass,
and
Masumi Jones /drums

Saturday Night June 8 Features:

ROBERT ABERG TRIO
with
Robert Aberg /guitar featuring Buddy Mohmed /upright bass, Austin Crawford /drums
and special guest Sarah Aberg /vocals

REDD VOLKAERT BAND
with
Redd Volkaert /guitar, Floyd Domino /piano,
Nate Rowe /bass
and
Vin Mott /drums

A memorable weekend of music and fellowship you won’t want to miss!

Tickets are $20 each evening
or $30 for both Friday and Saturday.

Rich’s books and recordings will be available to peruse and purchase, as well as recordings from the weekend’s bands and musicians

The music will be swingin’…the stories will be flowing. Come out to listen and bring a friend !

Can’t attend?
Consider a donation to The Rich Harney Memorial Fund.
in support of musical performances and scholarships
that honor Rich’s contribution to the jazz and worship communities.

USA/Austin, TX: A Tribute to Carla Bley

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Carla Bley Tribute
February 8, 2024
8:30 pm
Soundspace at Cap’t Quacks
5326 Menchaca Rd
Austin TX 78745

TICKETS:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-carla-bley-tribute-tickets-790291632547

Carl Michel and friends will pay tribute to the late iconic jazz composer/arranger/pianist Carla Bley this February in Austin, Texas.
Bley’s Biographer Amy C. Beal described Bley’s music as “vernacular yet sophisticated, appealing yet cryptic, joyous and mournful, silly and serious at the same time.”
Founder of the Jazz Composers Guild in New York during the 60’s, whose members included Bill Dixon, Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra, Paul Bley and Archie Shepp, by the late 60’s Bley’s music was featured on, “A Genuine Tong Funeral” by Gary Burton and her highly acclaimed “Escalator Over The Hill” won a Grand Prix du Disque, France’s most prestigious award for a musical recording.
In 1972, Bley received a Guggenheim fellowship for composition.
Along with Michael Mantler, Carla formed the record label JCOA, later Watt Works. As a leader, she released over two dozen albums. Ms. Bley was recognized as a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2015.
Carla Bley passed away on October 17, 2023.

Musicians featured in the upcoming tribute include
Carl Michel, guitar
Alex Coke, saxophone and flutes
Ken George, trombone
Carolyn Trowbridge, vibes
Tex Vortexx, bass
and
Masumi Jones, drums

BIOS

With a distinctive sound and an inclination toward experimentation, Alex Coke exemplifies the traditions pioneered by fellow Texas tenors and jazz flutists, while expanding the possibilities of extended technique. Coke’s extensive discography includes his many projects and his work as a featured soloist with The Austin Jazz Workshop, Greezy Wheels, White Denim, Maryann Price, Accra Trane Station, KlezEdge, Reeds and Deeds, and many, many others.

Guitarist/composer/arranger Carl Michel was a co-leader of the Creative Opportunity Orchestra with the innovative vocalist, Tina Marsh. He has released several projects under the Play On Records label including “Food Of Love,” ”The Carl Michel Group,” “The Carl Michel Group (+),” “Music In Motian: (The Compositions Of Paul Motian)” and with the Alex Coke & Carl Michel Sextet, “The Emissary” and “Emergence”

Trombone was always Ken George’s first love musically. (During and) After graduating from the University of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band, Ken played with the greats ; Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Natalie Cole, Ray Charles, Ray Price, and yes, Elvis. Ken was also active in the Dallas recording industry, playing hundreds of jingles and albums over many years.
Even though he had a career in the investment industry, and is today the owner of a digital marketing agency, Ken remains active in the jazz scene, playing with two bands in the DFW area, two more in Austin, and on call for other trombonists in both cities.
Ken lives in Ft Worth with his wife, Angela, and their two dogs, Frazier and Miles.

Carolyn Trowbridge is an Austin-based percussionist who specializes in vibraphone, marimba, steel pan, and world percussion. Carolyn is also an active recording artist and collaborator, performing with live DJs and bands such as Star Parks, Grammy-winning artist Adrian Quesada, Hard Proof, The Azmaris, Simon Says, The Baffles, KP and the Boom Boom, rrunnerrss and The Alex Coke/Carl Michel Sextet. She also leads her own project, Found Memories.

Masumi Jones moved to the US from Japan to study at Berklee College of Music in 1995. In 2008, she settled in Austin TX. Since then she has been playing with many Austin bands such as the Rich Harney Trio, Alex Coke Quartet, Mitch Watkins Trio, Jitterbug Vipers, Sarah Sharp, 35mm, Austin Jazz Workshop, Tapestry Tap Dance Company, and many others.
Masumi’s own group ‘Masumi and the Gentlemen’ had a weekly residency at Lamberts BBQ downtown from 2011 up until 2017 and had live streaming shows weekly at Lunch with Masumi website.
Her Japanese piano trio G.G. (former Groovin’ Girls in 90’s in Boston) was featured in the short documentary film ‘Jazz Abroad’ in 2016, and on the NPR Live Sessions ‘Love Austin Music Profile’ on March 2020.

The Adam Deitch Quartet Releases Sophomore LP ‘Roll The Tape’ ft. Wil Blades, Eric “Benny” Bloom & Ryan Zoidis with Special Guest John Scofield

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The Adam Deitch Quartet Releases Sophomore LP ‘Roll The Tape’ ft. Wil Blades, Eric “Benny” Bloom & Ryan Zoidis with Special Guest John Scofield

Listen to ‘Roll The Tape’ HERE 
EMBARGOED UNTIL 12AM EST NOVEMBER 10, 2023 

 Beyond his sheer virtuosity and versatility, drummer Adam Deitch has proven to be a musician of perpetual motion. In just over a year’s time, he has been the driving force behind psychedelic funk veterans Lettuce’s eighth studio album ‘Unify’, released a hip-hop beats album ‘TAKE YOUR TIME’, and now returns with the second LP release from his soul-jazz project The Adam Deitch Quartet. ‘Roll The Tape’, available on Deitch’s imprint Golden Wolf Records on November 10, 2023, exemplifies his unwavering commitment to producing authentic music from a broad spectrum of styles, all rooted in his tutelage of rhythmic studies & groove, and his upbringing as a drummer from a young age. The album features organist Wil Blades, Lettuce cohorts Eric “Benny” Bloom on trumpet and Ryan Zoidis on saxophone, and a feature from legendary guitarist John Scofield on the leading single “Mushroom Gravy”. 

‘Roll The Tape’ was a 1-2 punch effort coming off the heels of Lettuce recording their next full-length album as Blades flew in to join Deitch, Bloom, and Zoidis for a session at Scanhope Sound. Written on ProTools in his home studio in Denver, Colorado, Deitch composed and arranged all parts for the quartet and provided demos for the band to learn on the spot, much like the quartet’s debut LP 
Egyptian Secrets. “I’d bring the tunes in, play them on the computer, have the guys learn them as fast as possible, and then ‘roll the tape,” Deitch says of the rigor of the back-to-back sessions and marathon studio effort that contrasted the band’s debut effort recorded in two sessions over the course of five years. While the process may seem overwhelming at first glance, Blades speaks to it being a testament to Deitch’s thorough composition process and wholeness as a musician, “I don’t change much of anything at all. All of the harmonies and voicings are spot on. I grew up as a drummer, so the way Adam plays organ is the way I’m already playing organ.” 

The quartet was formed when Deitch and Blades joined forces to play a last-minute late-night show at Boom Boom Room in San Francisco after Lettuce performed at The Fillmore and Tedeschi Truck Band performed at Bill Graham Civic Center in December 2013. The impromptu after-show featured an array of special guests including Zoidis and Bloom along with Eric Krasno (Soulive), Maurice “Mo Betta” Brown (Anderson .Paak), and James Casey (Trey Anastasio Band) and Kofi Burbridge (Tedeschi Trucks Band), both who left this earth all too soon. After additional performances at New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and some one-offs, Deitch knew the project had to continue and took the reigns to get the group in the studio. 

‘Roll The Tape’ features ten brand-new songs that transcend the traditional organ trio format and are accentuated by Deitch’s prowess for funk, breakbeat, hip-hop, and electronic music experiences coupled with highlighting the strengths of every musician in the group. “Wil and I are both basketball fans and homies. He is highly skilled with the organ pedals and lefthand bass and is super smart and easy to work with. Zoidis and Bloom always balance each other out with Zoidis bringing a psychedelic vibe with his effects and Benny bringing his wild, crazy Benny attitude as a great musician with great showmanship,” says Deitch. 
The lead single “Mushroom Gravy” is a tribute to Deitch’s Grandma Betty’s chicken mushroom gravy. He cites that she was pivotal in his development as a drummer as her brother and his Great Uncle Dave was the first drummer in their family and helped his father, Bobby Deitch, become a professional musician. The track features John Scofield on guitar, who has worked with Deitch since the early 00s and has keen insight into his evolution as a musician and bandleader. “It’s tremendous fun to play with the quartet because they fully understand where I’m coming from and hopefully I “get” them the same way. I think Adam and I have very simpatico concepts in music,” says Scofield of their musical chemistry. 

Of their collaborative history and Adam’s inherent impact he imparts with his collaborators, Scofield continues, “When I first played with Adam, I knew he was right for me. This kind of chemistry is hard to come by and I’ve only had it a handful of times in my life. Eric Krasno recommended Adam. When we first played together, I liked it so much that I had to change drummers in the band immediately. The result was Uberjam. This period marked a new direction in my career and without Adam, it wouldn’t have worked as well. I’ve heard him improve and get better – more refined- from that original already great drummer that I met way back when. He’s an excellent musician and one of the very best drummers period. Mad skills.” 

“Have Faith” is a gospel-inspired mutual favorite of all members of the quartet. “It’s a tribute to a life-changing experience I had playing in a gospel church in 9th grade,” says Deitch. “I ended up becoming the drummer in two church bands in Nyack, NY where I grew up. Playing with an amazing choir watching them sway from left to right and clapping on two and 4 was amazing to observe when I was 16 or 17 and the rest of the band was in their 30s-50s. It put me ahead and really made me improve when I got to Berklee in 1994 and was pretty experienced in gospel, funk, and R&B music.” With a stunning organ intro by Blades, he nods to the influence Tower of Power transmits on the tune, “It’s also a Tower of Power kind of thing and Deitch is a huge Tower of Power guy. I’m a huge Chester Thompson fan, so this song is right up my alley.” 

Not to be confused with the Arthur Schwartz jazz standard, “Alone Together” is an original composition written during the pandemic to express the universal sentiments of everyone being simultaneously isolated. It sees Deitch taking a rare direction with one of the first ballads he’s ever released. “I’m not a huge balladeer,” he explains, “It was peaceful and calming to play this big, beautiful piece with brushes contrasting the funky, hyper music I usually write.” Blades chimes in on the tune being a testament to Deitch’s dedication and musical maturity, “He’s constantly writing music at either 3 in the morning or on the tour bus after For a drummer to write that kind of harmony, it’s another example of him having everything completely fleshed out and finished—it has beautiful harmony and nice horn melody.” 
For anyone who has ever had a conversation with Deitch, looked at his social media, or read any press about him, he is one to give credit where credit is due. “Play on Playa” is an example of that as it is a direct tribute to Soulive, longtime friends, and collaborators of the group who were pillars in establishing the modern funk & soul revival in the late 90s/early 00s as East Coast trailblazers. “I owe Soulive so much. They introduced me to organ trio music, helped Lettuce’s career, and molded us into the musicians we are today,” he proclaims. 

Like ‘Egyptian Secrets’, ‘Roll The Tape’ features two “Language Interludes” where Deitch is playing solo drums. They are homages to ancient African traditions of using drums as a language to communicate anything from warning of intruders to calling over different villages to a ceremony. “These interludes communicate freedom without any sort of song form and create full sentences within the drums,” he says, “Most drum solos I play have some kind of horn hits or backgrounds and this was fun to play without anything else to authentically express how I’m feeling.” 
‘Roll The Tape’ epitomizes Deitch’s strength for surrounding himself with the perfect collaborators for any scenario and his ability to make even mature, serious music, resonate with music lovers from all backgrounds and maintain the ability to have fun. “Even with harmonically dense songs, this music is fun and danceable,” says Bloom, “There are lots of crowd-pleasing elements and these tunes are fun to play live—we can go in so many different directions.” 

‘Roll The Tape’ is available to listen to on all streaming platforms HERE. 

For more information and to stay posted on all of Adam Deitch’s endeavors, visit deitchbeatsdontquit.com.
ABOUT ADAM DEITCH 

On the heels of massive successes with his main projects Lettuce and Break Science, celebrated collaborations with jazz guitar luminary John Scofield, and high-profile hip-hop production placements with the likes of 50 Cent, Talib Kweli, and Redman, GRAMMY-nominated drummer/producer Adam Deitch is slated to unveil Roll The Tape, the second LP from his The Adam Deitch Quartet.  A fluid expression of the funkier side of soul-jazz, Deitch and his curated collective hint at the avant-garde, but stay grounded in warm traditions. AD4 adventures through the vibrant forest of late 60’s Verve and Blue Note cool, respectfully mining the essential elements of what makes a great hip-hop break, and then Deitch reimagines them in his own contemporary context. 

Adam Deitch is among the preeminent drummers in contemporary music today, having been featured in Modern Drummer multiple times, among myriad accolades across several genres for nearly 25 years. The only child born to two funk drummers, Deitch grew up just outside New York City in a home that celebrated all genres and eras of music – not the least of which jazz and its numerous subgenres. As such, Deitch was exposed to a plethora of legendary musicians and generational icons throughout his formative years; he studied at the renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston in the late 1990s before joining Average White Band at 19 years old. He credits the development of his jazzier vocabulary and arranging to studying with a collection of influential teachers during his formative years, a brilliance which rears its ambitious, majestic head on Roll The Tape two decades later. 

CONNECT WITH ADAM DEITCH
Facebook // Instagram // YouTube // Twitter 
Photo by Kory Thibeault
JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023

New Album, Greece/USA: Alex Louloudis & Zack Clarke – What We Are – 2023 – ears&eyes records

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Alex Louloudis & Zack Clarke – What We Are – 2023 – ears&eyes records

‘What We Are‘ is the flower that came out of the years-long collaboration between Zack Clarke and Alex Louloudis.
As may be apparent from listening to the album, both Clarke and Louloudis find their aesthetic preferences closer to the free jazz approaches. At the same time, one can understand that the two are heavily rooted into the jazz tradition as well as other important traditions that come from different places in the world. High on their list of influences, both in the composition and improvisation fronts, the two have Ornette Coleman and his innovation of the harmelodic approach.

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

USA: Venerable Jazz Rockers Squirrel Nut Zippers to Take Fans on a Musical Journey to the Birthplace of Jazz with Special Run of “Jazz from the Back O’ Town” Shows

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Iconic Jazz Rockers Squirrel Nut Zippers (SNZ) have announced that they will be taking fans on a magical, musical voyage to the birthplace of Jazz as they present “Jazz from the Back O’ Town” – a four-show love letter to the prodigious New Orleans neighborhood known simply as the “Back O’ Town.”


Kicking off November 8 in Greenwich, RI at the Greenwich Odean and running through November 11 in Woodstock, NY at the legendary Levon Helm Studios, these intimate, yet devilishly-entertaining shows, will explore the late 19th Century through the Roaring 20s NOLA Jazz scene as the Zippers provide a delightful view into this mystical era with reverent, yet exciting, renditions of such seminal classics as Jelly Roll Morton’s “Animule Ball,” Louis Armstrong’s “Back O’ Town Blues,” and many others.

Tickets for the SNZ “Jazz from the Back O’ Town” shows go on sale Friday, August 18 at www.snzippers.com.

During the “Jazz from the Back O’ Town” shows, the Multi-Platinum band will also perform favorites from their own catalog, adapted and arranged to more closely echo the sounds of 1920s New Orleans. Additionally, SNZ founder Jimbo Mathus will lend his humorous, insightful musings on both the musical history of one of America’s most fascinating cities and the stories and inspirations behind many of the Zippers’ most beloved songs.

Official dates for SNZ “Jazz from the Back O’ Town” shows are as follows:

Nov. 8 Greenwich Odean East Greenwich, RI
Nov. 9 Higher Ground Burlington, VT
Nov. 10 Buffalo State Performing Arts Center Buffalo, NY
Nov. 11 Levon Helm Studios Woodstock, NY

“Jazz From The Back O’ Town” will provide a uniquely-historic look at the origins and evolutions of SNZ over the course of their career and the role the music of 1920s New Orleans has played in forming and shaping their sound. Not so much a period piece as a living “peek-behind-the-curtain” of inspiration and celebration. And it makes for a very entertaining evening!

For the most up-to-date information on the band visit:
www.snzippers.com
https://twitter.com/snzippers
https://www.facebook.com/SNZippers
https://www.instagram.com/snzippers/
# # #

About Squirrel Nut Zippers
The Platinum recording artists have sold over three million albums to-date with their watershed album, Hot (1996), making them a household name. Recorded in the heat of New Orleans, fueled by a smoldering mix of booze and a youthful hunger to unlock the secrets of old-world jazz, this pivotal release was just the beginning for the band.

Since then, SNZ has unveiled such hits as Beasts Of Burgundy (2018), which debuted at #4 on the Billboard Jazz Albums Chart, and Christmas Caravan (1998), which went on to sell a quarter of a million copies and reach #12 on the Billboard Holiday Albums chart.

Their most recent record Lost Songs of Doc Souchon debuted in late 2020. It featured 10 tracks – a combination of newly-penned Zippers songs, along with a few tunes from past times – and has received acclaim from fans and critics alike.
Since reactivating in mid-2016, SNZ have been performing to packed houses across the country and around the world. As Mathus has said since the band’s re-launch, “it’s not a reunion, it’s a revival.”

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.

Bandcamp

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023: Pilc Moutin Hoenig-YOU Are The Song (Justin Time Records)

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Pilc Moutin Hoenig - You are the song
Pilc Moutin Hoenig
Nouvel album YOU Are The Song
Sortie le 12/05/2023 chez Justin Time Records
Le pianiste Jean-Michel Pilc, le contrebassiste François Moutin et le batteur Ari Hoenig se retrouvent pour un nouvel album intitulé YOU Are The Song. Cela faisait douze ans que les trois musiciens de jazz n’avaient pas enregistré ensemble. Avec ce disque qui sort le 12/05/2023, ce trio légendaire se reforme et retrouve son interaction musicale miraculeuse.

Pour la petite histoire, l’album YOU Are The Song a été enregistré en une session unique, sans aucune préparation et ne comprend que des premiers jets. On y retrouve des compositions originales et des standards réarrangés comme Impressions de John Coltrane, Dear Old Stockholm magnifié par Miles Davis et John Coltrane ou Straight No Chaser de Thelonious Monk. Moins free que leurs improvisations d’autrefois, les séances de cet album explorent et expérimentent une expressivité nouvelle, témoignant de l’évolution artistique des trois musiciens.

L’idée de réunir le trio Pilc Moutin Hoenig était dans l’air depuis quelques temps et a pu se réaliser au studio Big Orange Sheep, à New York grâce au label Justin Time Records. « C’était une belle occasion de s’associer avec une maison de disque qui comprend notre manière de jouer, c’est-à-dire notre traitement du rythme et notre façon de composer ensemble à travers l’improvisation », a expliqué Jean-Michel Pilc. 

 Pour regarder la vidéo de Dear Old Stockholm :https://youtu.be/5RT1qEACl28

L’ensemble légendaire Pilc Moutin Hoenig émerge à nouveau avec son premier album en douze ans, intitulé YOU Are the Song et produit par Justin Time Records. Le trio, composé du pianiste Jean-Michel Pilc, du contrebassiste François Moutin et du batteur Ari Hoenig, entreprend d’emblée un assemblage dynamique et enivrant de pièces originales (Thin Air, Searing Congress) et d’interprétations au tempo réharmonisé et mouvant de standards tant aimés. Ce n’est pas du free jazz, comme certains auditeurs qui ont suivi les trois décennies de carrière du trio peuvent le supposer. Cet album, au cœur émotif et au fil duquel les trois artistes tiennent rôle de chef, suit des formules mélodiques, s’alimente d’une vitalité rythmique unique, se livre à des cabrioles de terrain de jeux et s’aventure dans des territoires sonores inexplorés.
L’album fut enregistré en direct, sans superposition sonore, au studio Big Orange Sheep, à Brooklyn, le 11 juin 2022. Ce fut un projet spontané, sans préparation. « C’est un album important pour nous », dit Pilc. « Nous avons tant évolué en tant que trio. Aujourd’hui, nous sommes différents de ce que nous étions il y a dix ans. » Il ajoute : « Ce fut la séance en studio la plus facile de ma vie. Nous avons simplement commencé à jouer, sans nous arrêter, pendant presque trois heures. À la fin de la séance, nous avions enregistré assez de musique pour réaliser deux ou trois albums. »
Étant donné le lien qui existait entre Pilc et Jim West, le président de Justin Time, l’idée de reconstituer le trio PMH, plus de dix ans après sa dernière réunion, flottait dans l’air.  « Ce que nous faisons, c’est de l’improvisation pure. Il n’y a aucune résistance dans la musique lorsque nous sommes ensemble, tous les trois. »
Les trois membres s’accordent à dire que YOU Are the Song reflète le dynamisme expressif de leur trio : « Plutôt que de parler de musique, nous laissons la musique parler à travers nous. Plutôt que de jouer de la musique, nous laissons la musique jouer avec nous. Plutôt que de jouer une chanson, nous devenons cette chanson, et nous vous invitons tous à faire de même. »
 
www.jeanmichelpilc.com | Facebook | Twitter

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023