JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023: Sarah Lancman & Quatuor Hanson (France): Album: Le pouvoir des mots

Sarah Lancman & Quatuor Hanson-Le pouvoir des mots

Sarah Lancman returns with a sixth album, “Le pouvoir des mots” (The Power Of Words) borrowing a majestic sweetness in which she reconnects with her love of the piano by singing on original compositions inspired by the world of Michel Legrand, Charles Aznavour as well as that of the musical comedies of the 60s, thus mixing her love for Jazz & the Chanson tradition on arrangements signed by Philippe Maniez. Accompanied by the prestigious Quatuor Hanson and special guests, Belgian-New Yorker guitarist Jean Francois Prins, as well as the rising jazz star, the saxophonist Louis Billette, this new opus will be released in spring 2023 : MAY 26TH 2023.

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JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023

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

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

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023: Florin Raducanu (Romania)- Fugue Fantasia for Piano

Florin-Raducanu-Classical-Jazz-Fantasia-for-Piano

Florin Raducanu (Romania)- Fugue Fantasia for Piano

Classical-Jazz Fugue Fanstasia #2” is the second Piano Fugue addressed to both classical and jazz pianists.
In any case, the elements of Bachian Instrumental Counterpoint, jazz harmony, or compositional techniques from the developmental work serve as educational elements that show how jazz and classical music share an improvisational language (present in both Bach and Gershwin).


Like the previous “Jazz Fugue #1”, the new “Fuga Fantasia #2” follows the aesthetic path started by George Gershwin, very correctly understood by Maurice Ravel (see Sonata in G for violin and piano), Leonard Bernstein or John Williams in the creation of classical-jazz symbiosis.

Florin Raducanu website Purchase musical score

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023: Jean-Michel Pilc(France)-Album: Symphony (Justin Time Records)

Jean-Michel-Pilc-SYMPHONY
Jean-Michel Pilc
Nouvel album Symphony
Sortie le 17/02/2023 chez Justin Time Records
Le pianiste de jazz Jean-Michel Pilc est de retour avec son nouvel album Symphony qui sort le 17/02/2023 sur le label canadien Justin Time Records. Ce disque est né d’une séance d’improvisation en solo en 2021 au studio OJM au Portugal. Ce jour-là, sur un piano Steinway, Jean-Michel Pilc se laisse porter et emporter par un flux créatif, comme un voyage qui le fait quitter de son propre aveu le monde réel, et qu’il nous fait partager aujourd’hui.
Il n’y a peut-être pas de pianiste de jazz plus diversifié et imprévisible, d’une chanson à l’autre, que Jean-Michel Pilc” a déclaré Thomas Conrad de JazzTimes. 

Célébré depuis déjà de nombreuses années pour la qualité de ses improvisations, le pianiste et compositeur Jean-Michel Pilc s’est produit avec de nombreux géants du jazz. Né à Paris et aujourd’hui citoyen américain, il a joué avec de nombreux géants du jazz tels que Roy Haynes, Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, Jean Toussaint, Marcus Miller, ou John Abercrombie pour n’en citer que quelques-uns. On découvre aujourd’hui un extrait de l’album Symphony avec cette vidéo live enregistrée à Montréal au Crescent.

 Pour regarder la vidéo de Symphony :https://youtu.be/djk4fjCqj-k
This is one of two short excerpts from the The Crescent Inc. – a Montreal based concert live-streaming and content production company catering to artists and musicians. Full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5h5W… “There may be no more diverse, unpredictable jazz piano player, song to song, than Jean-Michel Pilc.” – Thomas Conrad, JazzTimes Born in 1960 in Paris, now an American citizen, self-taught pianist and composer Jean-Michel Pilc has performed with numerous jazz giants such as Roy Haynes, Michael Brecker and Dave Liebman to name a few.

“Jean-Michel Pilc travaille sans filet.  Pianiste-compositeur prolifique et improvisateur étonnant, il excelle par sa constante créativité et nous offre des spectacles en solo à couper le souffle” DownBeat Né à Paris, Jean-Michel Pilc a un talent qui est le fruit d’une grande imagination et d’une sensibilité intrépide dans la découverte musicale. Autodidacte, il joue avec liberté et clarté dans la palette sonore et harmonique. Riche d’une nombreuse discographie solo, Jean-Michel Pilc a également joué avec de nombreux musiciens comme Richard Bona, Aldo Romano, Martial Solal, André Ceccarelli et bien d’autres.

Dans son dernier album Symphony, Jean-Michel Pilc met en avant cette liberté et cette témérité. La naissance du projet remonte à novembre 2021 : “Juste après l’enregistrement de l’album Contradictio du saxophoniste espagnol Xose Miguelez, j’ai été inspiré par les conditions parfaites des studios OJM au Portugal – un magnifique Steinway, une acoustique et des paramètres techniques parfaits. J’ai alors décidé qu’il était temps de faire une session « mémorable » dans le cadre de mon projet solo. Alors Xose et José Trincado, notre ingénieur du son, ont eu la gentillesse de me laisser jouer et improviser librement sur ce piano et de tout enregistrer. Uniquement porté par la musique, j’ai alors commencé. Lorsque l’inspiration s’installe, vous quittez le « monde réel » et la musique vous entraîne dans un nouvel univers totalement unique. C’est exactement ce qui est arrivé, et la dernière note jouée, tout le monde était si enthousiaste qu’ils ont généreusement proposé de le mixer et de le remastériser avec soin pour une sortie ultérieure, qui selon eux, était inévitable.

Improvisateur surdoué, Jean-Michel Pilc a travaillé avec Harry Belafonte en tant que directeur musical et pianiste et a interprété un duo avec la légendaire chanteuse d’opéra Jessye Norman. Interprète solo actif sur la scène internationale, Jean-Michel a sorti quatre disques de piano solo acclamés par la critique. Il se produit régulièrement en trio avec des ensembles montréalais et new-yorkais dans les meilleures salles des deux villes L’album Symphony, né de cette séance miraculeuse d’improvisation en solo sort le sur le label Justin Time Records.


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JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2023

Jazz World Quest Showcase 2022: Örjan Hultén Orion(Sweden) – Shifting Ground

orjan hulten orion - shifting ground

Örjan Hultén Orion(Sweden) – Shifting Ground (Prophone Records)

Örjan Hultén Orion‘s latest album is a collection of eight skillfully crafted tracks that showcase the musical and compositional talents of each band member. Despite the fact that the material has several “parents”, the album maintains a consistent stylistic cohesion that reflects an unifying artistic vision where melodicity embraces improvisation in such a fresh way .

Each track bears the personal touch of the musicians, making the album particularly noteworthy. The title track, composed by Filip Augustson, features an engaging interplay between Hultén’s saxophone and Torbjorn Gulz’s piano, with the melodic dialogue exploring contrasts and harmonies. “Mystique No. 12,” a ballad by drummer Peter Danemo, sees the saxophone moving gracefully over percussion and spacious piano accompaniment. Augustson’s composing skills are also on display in “Bellatrix,” which begins with a textural intro featuring drums, piano, and bass, before giving way to Hultén’s melancholic soprano theme, which is supported by the piano in the second part before transitioning to the next saxophone section.

The album’s only composition by the bandleader, “Las Tres Marias,” is a joyous, tango-inspired track that evokes Nino Rota and his work for Fellini films. “Philomelos” is a unique ballad in which Hultén’s captivating saxophone weaves a narrative through the piano melody, complemented by Augustson’s seamless bowing. Danemo’s “Even in the odds” follows in a playful vein, providing a lively backdrop for the drums, bass, piano, and saxophone to perform with exceptional passion and delicacy. “Rigel” opens with Augustson’s bass line and features the piano setting the stage for the saxophone’s melodic entrance, resulting in a virtuosic piece with entertaining blues accents.

The album concludes with “Nosebleed,” a track rich in rhythmic complexity that allows Hultén to fully show his musicianship.

“Shifting Ground” offers new discoveries with each listen and is well worth multiple plays; it is a deserving reward for the listener.

Musicians: Örjan Hultén – saxophones, Torbjorn Gulz – piano, Filip Augustson – bass, Peter Danemo– drums

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Jazz World Quest Showcase 2022

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2022: Made in Wood(Denmark) – Simplicity

Made in Wood
”Simplicity”

Made in Wood - Simplicity 200
Made in Wood – Wednesday Vibes

Made in Wood tell unique instrumental tales through their simple and elegant music expression, creating time and space for immersion and for the listeners to join the meditative and dreamy universe. You are invited into an intimate and present musical space, where simple means of action create intense atmospheres.

Made in Wood’s musical expression has roots in the Nordic tone with an unmistakable Scandinavian, folk melodic melancholy, and at the same time there is a blend of jazzy minimalism performed at a high technical level by Jonas Berg (Sweden) on piano and Bastian Sjelberg (Denmark) on double bass; both having extensive and broad genre experience, being firmly established on the Danish music scene, playing with major singer/songwriters, pop and jazz artists.

“Simplicity” is the 2nd full album from this duo, consisting of solely original compositions, apart from one cover – the interpretation of a Danish radio hit “I Morgen Er Der Endnu En Dag” (by Andreas Odbjerg), giving it the Made in Wood sound. There are also a handful of featured artists on the album, such as Mathias Heise (harmonica), Peter Fuglsang (bass clarinet and flute), Andreas Bernitt (strings) og Gustaf Ljunggren (pedal steel).

Their first album “Ease” from 2020 entered at #1 on Apple Music’s Jazz chart, and during the last couple of years, their singles have been on rotation on Danish national radio P8 Jazz.

01 – Wednesday Vibes
02 – Careful Thoughts
03 – By The Sea (feat. Mathias Heise)
04 – Bjergstien (feat. Peter Fuglsang)
05 – Skoglåt
06 – The Play
07 – I Morgen Er Der Også En Dag (feat. Gustaf Ljunggren)
08 – Freedom (feat. Andreas Bernitt)
09 – Caring
10 – Vaggvisa

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2022 © Made in Wood / Zack’s MUSIC

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2022

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2022: Stefano Travaglini and Achille Succi-Book of Innocence

Stefano Travaglini & Achille Succi-Book of Innocence

“With their new recording, Book of Innocence, Stefano Travaglini and Achille Succi have released an inspired recording and it is something quite beyond convention.
Stefano came to my attention in 2017 with his extraordinarily wide-ranging solo album Ellipse (Notami Jazz, 2017), his first leader recording. Another outstanding solo outing came in 2020 with Monk – Fifteen Piano Reflections (Notami Jazz). A multi-instrumentalist and composer, Stefano’s primary focus, on his recordings, is the piano. He won first prize at the International Piano Competition for Composers “G. Canciani” and Book of Innocence is Stefano’s fifth album as a leader or co-leader. As on two of his previous releases, The Hungarian Songbook (Terre Sommerse, 2013), and The Long Line (Odradek Records, 2019), Book of Innocence is a duo recording with fellow Italian, Achille Succi. He is a multiple award-winning musician, principally self-taught, on alto, and bass clarinet. Achille has performed with Louis Sclavis, Ab Baars and Ernst Rejiseger, among others.

Stefano Travaglini & Achille Succi- Bauci

Piano/clarinet duos are rare but the Travaglini-Succi duo presents a captivating interchange, based on visual arts, literature, and a myriad of further stimuli. The album opens with “Rothko”, inspired by the Russian-born abstract expressionist Mark Rothko. The artist has been celebrated in music before; most notably with Morton Feldman’s chamber work, “Rothko Chapel” and the dark alternative rock of Peter Gabriel in “Fourteen Black Paintings”. In its context, the Book of Innocence tribute is truer to Rothko’s artistic vision with its surreal churning of direction and timbre.

“Bauci” takes its inspiration from the novel “Invisible Cities” by Italo Calvino. The musical piece more than does justice to the fanciful tale that ponders on notions of recollection and place. Achille, here on bass clarinet, plays a beautiful, unassuming melody over the intricate harmony of the piano. “Silent Moon” and “Turning Tables” each exude a nocturnal serenity without limiting the possibilities of their individual instruments as Stefano and Achille switch places at the forefront. In these pieces, the duo excels in a creative interaction that is both fragile and impervious.

Pat Metheny’s “Travels” is the single cover on an album of Travaglini compositions and improvisations. The duo gives us an inspiring and imaginative take on the guitarist’s 1983 original, retaining Metheny’s evocative feeling while immersing themselves in their heartfelt version of the piece. On “Blues for Days to Come”, the lead is given over to Achille while Stefano supplies circular rhythm. As the piece progresses, Achille’s playing opens up and his excellent improvising puts the “blues” in a more modern context.

Book of Innocence closes with the extended title track, bringing the album to a thematic full circle. “Book of Innocence” has something of a spiritual connection to Henri Matisse’s The Red Studio. That 1911 creation by the French artist was less than universally embraced initially, but went on to influence other great artists including Rothko. It is a survey of some of the artist’s work consisting of paintings sculptures, and ceramics, within a single painting. With great resourcefulness, Stefano and Achille incorporate six of the pianist’s shorter compositions into a single unified grouping. The transition is almost seamless and the music is, by turns, poignant, cerebral, or reflective.

It is no surprise that Book of Innocence finds inspiration, in part, from the works of masters of the visual arts. Stefano and Achille paint vivid pictures with their music establishing a meeting ground for diverse artistic expressions. The duo plunges themselves into the full extent of their imaginations; their playing is neither predictable nor pretentious and not a note is wasted.

The Museum of Modern Art describes the centerpiece of Matisse’s The Red Studio as a grandfather clock with no hands. They suggest that the visual work exists in an environment where time is put on hold. It can be said that this exceptional work of art, Book of Innocence, lies in a similar place. These two virtuoso musicians have given us a collection that warrants repeated and complete attention. It is an exceptionally rewarding listening experience.”

Karl Ackermann All About Jazz.

Recorded, mixed and mastered at Studio Sequenza (Paris)
sound engineer, Thomas Vingtrinier

Cover art “Tactile memory 144” by Natasha Zupan

Photo & video by Vicente Ocho

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JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2022

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2022 : Roberto Magris Duo & Trio Featuring Mark Colby

Roberto Magris Duo & Trio 2022

Roberto Magris(Italy)-Cool World
Composer: Roberto Magris
Album: Roberto Magris Duo & Trio Featuring Mark Colby
Label: JMood Records
Roberto Magris at JMood Records

Italian pianist Roberto Magris has developed his career in synergy with the best of American jazz, the proof is his work of great diversity and inventiveness where experimentation has always played an important role. His collaborations with American jazz personalities have proved to be not only inspiring but also a basis for a creative dialogue that has made its mark on all the albums he has released, his latest album is one of them.

Roberto Magris Duo & Trio brings to the fore the collaboration with late saxophonist Mark Colby present on six of the album’s eleven tracks. It is worth mentioning that the two musicians played together on “Sun Stone” released in 2019.

The other songs are performed by Magris accompanied by a trio with whom the pianist has collaborated many times in the past: Elisa Pruett, bass, acoustic, Brian Steever, drums, Pablo Sanhueza, congas.

Right from the first composition, the mastery of the two performers is evident and the balance of forces is remarkable. We listen to two musicians at the height of their creative powers combining their personalities with a naturalness of great finesse.

The trio gives us superb versions of familiar standards, each filtered through the creative mastery of the pianist.
The album contains four originals in which Magris’s compositional mastery is complimented by Colby’s clear, soulful phrasing.

Considering that Colby passed away two years ago, this album is a historic recording, and here we have to thank both Roberto Magris and his friend Paul Colins at JMood records for giving us the opportunity to listen to such a collection of jazz gems.

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2022

World Music Mix: Ewerton Oliveira & Yatê(Brésil/France) Album: NanÁfrica

Ewerton Oliveira & Yate-NanAfrica

Ewerton Oliveira & Yatê(Brésil/France)- NanÁfrica
Composer : Ewerton Oliveira
Album Name : NanÁfrica
Label : Lira Music Records
Year of release : 08 juillet/July 2022
Website
CD Store
YouTube

NanÁfrica est une composition du pianiste, compositeur, musicologue et pédagogue Ewerton Oliveira, en hommage au grand percussionniste brésilien Naná Vasconcelos. Naná et Ewerton viennent de la même ville : Recife, au Nord-Est du Brésil. Quelques générations séparent ces deux artistes, mais un même regard de la musique les rassemble : créer, dépasser les frontières, croiser les genres musicaux et se réinventer. Les compositions d’Ewerton Oliveira racontent des histoires, proposent des ambiances, rendent hommage, font appel à une mémoire lointaine, des traditions africaines qui sont mélangées au jazz ou à une écriture musicale contemporaine.

NanÁfrica is a composition by pianist, composer, musicologist and pedagogue Ewerton Oliveira, as a tribute to the great Brazilian percussionist Naná Vasconcelos. Naná and Ewerton come from the same city: Recife, in the northeast of Brazil. A few generations separate these two artists, but the same vision of music brings them together: to create, to go beyond borders, to cross musical genres and to re-invent themselves. Ewerton Oliveira’s compositions tell stories, offer atmospheres, pay homage, appeal to distant memories, African traditions that are mixed with jazz or contemporary musical spices.

Ewerton Oliveira & Yate-Yate

Ewerton Oliveira & Yatê(Brésil/France)-Yatê
Composer : Ewerton Oliveira
Album Name : NanÁfrica
Label : Lira Music Records
Year of release : 08 juillet 2022
Website
CD Store
YouTube

Yathê, ou Iatê, qui signifie : « Notre façon d’être, notre façon de parler » ; est une langue indigène parlée par le peuple Fulni-ô, qui vit dans la municipalité d’Águas Belas, au sud-ouest de l’État du Parnambuco. La composition « Yatê », écrite par le pianiste et compositeur brésilien Ewerton Oliveira, est une magnifique manière de rendre hommage à une partie de ses origines. Ce single en version « Live Session », apporte une interprétation qui ouvre un espace à la spontanéité, et un dialogue typique du « live ». Yatê :Notre façon de nous exprimer, notre façon de résoner, notre meilleure façon d’être.

Yathê, or Iatê, which means: “Our way of being, our way of speaking”; is an indigenous language spoken by the Fulni-ô people, who live in the municipality of Águas Belas, in the southwest of the state of Parnambuco. The composition “Yatê”, written by the Brazilian pianist and composer Ewerton Oliveira, is a magnificent way to pay homage to part of his origins. This single in the “Live Session” version, offers an interpretation that opens up a space for spontaneity, and a typical “live” dialogue. Yatê: Our way of expressing ourselves, our way of resonating, our best way of being.

World Music Mix

World Music Mix: d. mark owen(USA) – Respite(Blue Canoe Records 2022)

d. mark owen is a multi-talented recording artist, pianist, composer, arranger, and producer. His debut album titled, “Respite” features nine original compositions with guest appearances from Derek Jones (bass) and Cameron Tyler (drums) on three songs (Anesthetic, Stretched, The Traveller).

D. Mark Owen- Anesthetic

d. mark owen not only composed, performed, and programmed every instrument on “Respite”, he also mixed and mastered this gorgeous album. d. mark owen is a rare breed and his music should be celebrated! Fans of great music will find a home with d. mark’s stunning masterpiece “Respite”.

Blue Canoe Records

World Music Mix