Tag Archives: Drummer

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

WorldMusicMix: Gavin Harrison / Antoine Fafard(UK)-Perpetual Mutations (2024)

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Perpetual Mutations is an original album project released in July 2024, following the first collaboration between Gavin Harrison and Antoine Fafard, entitled Chemical Reactions, which debuted four years prior. Perpetual Mutations showcases an eclectic blend of musical arrangements and includes contributions from nine collaborators representing various nationalities and continents.

As it was in the first effort, all the music on this album is entirely performed and excludes any programmed instruments. The joint instrumental musical effort was put together with the clear intention of not repeating the exact same sonic textures featured in the first album and keep looking for different and original musical possibilities. For instance, Perpetual Mutations introduces classical guitar and piano, instruments absent in the 2020 album. In addition, some of the pieces feature the Rhodes piano, the soprano saxophone (performed by Jean-Pierre Zanella), as well as handpans and log drum instruments. The song Objective Reality is a piece which is led by Rodrigo Escalona on the oboe in an unusual trio format.

Some strings are also featured as lead instruments on the album, with two pieces – Deadpan Euphoria and Pentalogic Structure – where the cello has a dominant presence (performed by Joasia Cieslak and Isodora Filipovic) and on Viral Information 101 where violinist Ally Storch takes the lead. To conclude the list of contributors,

Dale Devoe – an alumni from the Stan Kenton Orchestra – provided some brass ensembles on three tracks, performing all the trombone and trumpet parts.

The pacing of Perpetual Mutations on all nine pieces takes the listener into various moods and atmospheres. Directly related to the eclectic and ever changing instrumentations used from one piece to the next, the album can’t be easily summarized as one identifiable entity. However, the playing of Harrison and Fafard on every piece is the common thread that unifies all the music on the album.

Harrison’s unmistakable sound and personal approach to the drums are evident throughout, while Fafard’s composition and playing style on the bass and guitar contribute to unify the project. Perpetual Mutations offers a fusion of musical styles and sonic textures that complements the first effort Harrison and Fafard put out four years previously.

The intention of this project is to stretch out artistic possibilities and contribute to expanding the musical spectrum. Gavin Harrison’s work with Porcupine Tree, King Crimson and The Pineapple Thief is well known to progressive fans around the world. Harrison has authored several instructional drum books and DVDs and has received multiple awards from various publications.

Fafard has been releasing his music for over 20 years. He has collaborated with some of the world’s most respected and influential players, including Vinnie Colaiuta, Jerry Goodman, Gary Husband, Simon Phillips and Todd Sucherman. Fafard’s music has been praised for its intricacy and originality by his peers.

Released in 2024, Perpetual Mutations is distributed by Amplified Distribution in the US and Code 7 in the UK.

WorldMusicMix

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 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.

Website

JazzWorldQuest 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.

Bandcamp

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2022

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023: The Steve Fidyk Live Wire Broad Band (USA)- Album: Red Beats

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The Steve Fidyk Live Wire Broad Band-Red Beats

The Steve Fidyk Live Wire Broad Band (USA)- Album: Red Beats

Integrating rhythmic power with musical taste, drummer Steve Fidyk returns to his big band roots, distinctly showcasing his dominant performance skills on this unique collection of original music.

His fourth date as a leader features an all-star band of musicians who hail from the ranks of The Buddy Rich Big Band, The Count Basie Orchestra, The Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia, Maynard Ferguson’s Big Bop Nouveau, The Army Blues, The Navy Commodores, and The Airmen of Note.

Featured soloists include some of New York’s finest — guitar legend Jack Wilkins, tenor saxophone titan Walt Weiskopf and contemporary organist Brian Charette. Each soloist is an engaged participant that pushes Fidyk’s polyrhythmic message direct to the battleground.

Release Date:
February 20, 2023

Blue Canteen Music CD Store

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023

Florian Arbenz-Conversation-4-Vulcanized

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2021: Florian Arbenz(Switzerland)- François Moutin(France)- Maikel Vistel(Cuba) Album: Conversation #4 – Vulcanized

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Florian Arbenz(Switzerland)- François Moutin(France)- Maikel Vistel(Cuba) Album: Conversation #4 – Vulcanized
Florian Arbenz’s new Conversation album called Vulcanized reveals to be a fluid interaction of undeniable virtuosity between three well established artists. What a joy to hear Maikel Vistel and François Moutin bright combination of saxophone and bass and Florian Arbenz’s compelling taste and movement.
Besides the five originals we can listen to three inventive fresh takes on well-known compositions of Thelonious Monk, Joe Zawinul and Bill Evans. Last minute changes to the band members makes for a rough-around-the-edges surprise that rejuvenates pumping up the creative juices. The change is exactly what the album needs: to elevate the sound to authentic mastery, the likes of which the jazz fan is looking for. The perfect setting for consuming this music is fireside, with eyes shut, and all senses tuned to the vivid vision that this work imagines. Hackensack is a breakout, powerful piece that entrances the listener with high-energy notes and fast-paced journey through the musician’s mind. The nearly six-minute masterpiece is zany and energetic, and calls the listener to come along for the bumpy ride and enjoy not the destination but the sights along the way. In contrast, Scarlet Woman drags the attention into the piece with a soft intro that quickly becomes a sultry, warm piece filled with musical melodrama.
A special mention of the introspective A Soothing Thrill infused with a range of poetic, mysterious layers. Overall, the arrangements are cohesive yet leaving enough space to all three musicians to showcase their abilities . The feat that was this production by the trio was nothing short of impressive, and creates much promise for Florian Arbenz’s future creative encounters.
Florian Arbenz on Bandcamp

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2021