The Digital Side of Newvelle Recoirds

 Over the past year, the vinyl-only, subscription series, record label Newvelle Records has been issuing digital versions of albums from its first four "seasons".  While the digital releases go a long way to capture the impressive "sounds" of the Lps, one does not get the brilliant art work that accompanies each package. Nevertheless, the lesser expensive alternative is a great way for music lovers to learn about the great work that Artistic Director Elan Mehler and engineer Marc Urselli of NYC's East Side Sound are capturing.  

Noah Preminger has two releases on the label including "Some Other Time" released in Season One (2015).  It's a ballads album that features the tenor saxophonist playing alongside guitarist Ben Monder, bassist John Pattitucci, and drummer Billy Hart.  This is not a typical standards collection; yes, there are pieces from Billy Strayhorn "My Little Brown Book"), Duke Ellington ("Melancholia"), Victor Young ("A Ghost of a Chance"), and Jimmy Campbell's "Try a Little Tenderness" but there's also Bob Dylan's "Boot of Spanish Leather", "Porcelain" from The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and "Una Limosnita por Amor de Dios ("An Alm for the Love of God") composed by guitarist Agustín Barrios Mangoré (1885-1944).  Preminger contributes "Semenzato", a piece that is not only quite melodic but features a great bass solo plus the saxophonist's strong give-and-take with Hart. 

There's a touch of Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster in Preminger's tone on pieces such as "Ghost of a Chance" that also features splendid bass playing and smart brushes work. That breathy and bluesy sax sound permeates the Leonard Bernstein piece that gives the album its name.  Here, the interactions of all four musicians stand out with kudos to the wonderful rhythm guitar of Monder plus the high-energy saxophone coda. The guitarist's "atmospheric" sound is a delightful foil to Preminger's attack––note how Monder weaves in and out of the melody on the opening of "Melancholia" as well as his "ringing" chords behind the bass solo.

"Some Other Time" is a timeless set of music. How impressive is this quartet of contemporary musicians that they can take material that is over 70 years old and mix it with much newer works and the results are so ageless. This album is a welcome addition to growing discography of Noah Preminger, a series of fascinating and adventurous musical experiences.  

For more information, go to www.noahpreminger.com. To hear more and to purchase the album, go to  https://noahpreminger.bandcamp.com/album/some-other-time. 

Hear "A Ghost of a Chance":

From Newvelle's Season 3 comes "Half Light", an impressive and imagistic collection of pieces created by tenor saxophonist and composer Andy Zimmerman. Based in Chicago, IL, he doesn't have a big discography but is involved in an on-going project with his father, award-winning storyteller Jack Zimmerman. The saxophonist also appears on the first Newvelle release, Frank Kimbrough's "Meantime".  His release finds him in the company of pianist Kevin Hays, bassist Matt Penman, and trumpeter Dave Douglas.  There are moments throughout the 11-song program when it feels like all four are playing melody. One rarely hears Douglas as a sideman these days but he's an excellent second "voice" in much of this music––he stands out on "Sunset and The Mockingbird" (a Duke Ellington piece from "The Queen's Suite") especially on his interactions with the leader. Although the liner notes calls these pieces "sketches", the music shines.  Zimmerman's pellucid sound has a lightness akin to alto saxophonist Paul Desmond. There are no wasted notes, no need to impress with long, technically amazing solos–the melody, the story, is all.

There are no weak moments on the album. Whether the song is a shimmering musical poem ("The Bay Area"–listen below), an aural painting ("Clearing"–watch below), celebrating a sweet melody with a Latin feel in the rhythm ("Lena's Dance"), or reimagining George Gershwin's soulful ballad ("Bess You Is My Woman Now"), Andy Zimmerman and company play with love, conviction, joy, respect, and an understanding that music can do many things for listeners including offer solace in bitter times. "Half Life" is a gem and will offer you, as it has for me, a creative respite.

For more information, go to www.andyzimmermanmusic.com. To hear more and to purchase the album, go to https://newvellerecords.bandcamp.com/album/half-light.

Here's "The Bay Area":

Watch the quartet in the studio:

   

Pianist Billy Lester is not well-known in the great big music world yet that should stop from checking out "From Scratch" his album that appeared in Newvelle's Season 4. Joining him in this 14-song program are bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Matt Wilson.  The Lp version contains nine songs while the digital release adds four more songs and one alternate take.  All standards, this music is anything but standard.  The piano is front-and-center throughout while Reid offers delightful counterpoint and Wilson is the engine that can and does gleefully swing or gently strolls through the music.  Listen below to the 1917 James F, Hanley classic "Back Home In Indiana"–the piano, bass, and drums lock in from the start and never let go.  The same can be said for Jerome Kern's "Yesterdays" in that the Trio "hits it" from the onset and never lets go.

Photo: Anna Yatskevich

Lester, who studied with Sal Mosca (a Lenny Tristano disciple), has a bright sound as well as witty take on approaching on performing a tune often splintering the original melody and building his solo out of those melodic and/or rhythmic splinters. There's a dollop of Thelonious Monk on the previously unreleased "These Foolish Things" and traces of Duke Ellington in the opening minutes of the piano solo "Darn That Dream" which later has a playful stride section.  That's the joy of this music––Billy Lester can play what he wants when he wants and no two versions of any song in his repertoire can be subtly (or even not-so-subtly) changed each time he sits at a piano.  Check out "From Scratch" for a musical adventure par excellence.

For more information, go to www.billylestermusic.com. To hear more and to purchase the music, go to 

https://newvellerecords.bandcamp.com/album/from-scratch.

Here's the swinging "Back Home in Indiana":

Drums, Reeds, Strings, and more

The trio of Adam Rudolph (percussion, voice, chordal instruments), Ralph M. Jones (reeds, wooden flutes, voice), and Hamid Drake (percussion, voice), have played together for many years in various ensembles. Rudolph and Drake first met in 1969 going on to work with jazz groups in the Mid-West while Jones and Rudolph met in 1974 and had a long relationship/ friendship with reed master/ educator Yusef Lateef.  Jones has been a member of Rudolph's Go: Organic Orchestra since its inception two decades while Drake has played and recorded with the other two musicians as part of Rudolph's Moving Pictures ensemble. They've got history.

Several years ago, the three musicians formed the Karuna Trio. "Karuna" is a Sanskrit word for "compassionate action" and is related to the work of reiki (compassionate healing) –– in Buddhist traditions, the word simply translates to "compassion").  If one approaches the music the Trio makes on its second recording, "Imaginary Archipelago" ( as actions for healing, it may give you a better idea of what the ensemble attempts to do with its music.  Yes, the music can be considered mystical but it's also timeless while, through the use of electronics and editing, quite contemporary.  There are moments throughout the 67-minute program (11 separate tracks) that are cacophonous but the music never erupts into pure noise.  It may remind some of Dr. Lateef's sonic experiments as well as Miles Davis's post "Bitches Brew" period (1970-74).

If you allow the music on "Imaginary Archipelago" to overtake your senses, the experience will serve to help you through these and any frightful times.  The music that Karuna Trio creates is not about technique but has everything to do with interactions, to rhythms, to drones, to creating sounds as prayer, to allowing the imagination free range to express itself. You do need to know the names of songs or who plays what, you just need to surrender to the sound. My favorite time to listen to this album is in the early moments of daylight with the birds outside our windows singing for the sunshine. As the music plays, the bird's songs join in as the chorus to the drums and reeds.  Give this form of peace a chance!

For more information, go to https://metarecords.com/karuna-ensemble.html.  To listen to and purchase this album, go to https://drakejonesrudolphkaruna.bandcamp.com/album/imaginary-archipelago-2.

Here's a sonic glimpse into the Trio's music:

Photo: Vince Segalia

In 2017, saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist Brian Landrus released "Generations" on his own BlueLand Records label –– he wrote all the music and arrangements for a 25-member large ensemble that included am eight-member string section. It was and is a major accomplishment in the now 42-year old musician's career, the ninth recording in his nearly two-decade career which started on 2007 with his debut album "Forward", a self-produced album issued on Cadence Jazz Records.  Since 2010, Landrus has issued all his music on BlueLand and, pretty much, has gone his own way. How does one follow up that highly acclaimed album?

His new recording, "For Now", is the second straight Landrus album co-produced by Robert Livingston Aldridge (the classical composer and Professor at Rutgers University who also helped on arrangements); this time, he's joined by Herschel Garfein who worked with pianist Fred Hersch on "My Coma Dreams" and who is also a composer plus is on the faculty of the Steinhardt School of Music at New York University.

Landrus has organized quite the ensemble to play this 14-song program (11 originals, two from Thelonious Monk, and "Invitation" by Bronislaw Kaper)––the nine musicians include the afore-mentioned Mr. Hersch, Billy Hart (the fourth time the drummer has recorded with the reed player), Drew Gress (bass), Michael Rodriguez (trumpet) plus a four-piece string section composed of violinists Sara Caswell and Joyce Hammann, violist Lois Martin, and cellist Jody Redhage-Ferber.  Instead of a "concept" album, Landrus has put together a program that shows his wide-angle approach to composing and arranging. The date kicks off with a swinger, "The Signs", which has a sharp theme that opens up to delightful solos from Rodriguez, Hersch, and Landrus (baritone sax).  Make sure to pay attention to what the rhythm section brings to the song.  Hart kicks and splashes cymbals, getting deep in the groove while Gress keeps the music together.

There are a number of delightful tracks on the album. "Clarity in Time" is a handsome ballad that features eight of the nine musicians (the trumpeter sits this one out). Landrus's baritone sax leads the way; his tone and attack may remind some of Harry Carney, or even tenor giant Ben Webster, plus the piano solo is rich and endearing.  Hart leads the quintet into "J.J." and Landrus leaps out of the thematic section with a hearty solo followed by a dancing trumpet solo.  The drummer really prods the soloists forward. "For Whom I Imagined" opens with the string quartet before the bass clarinet plus Hart's splendid cymbal and drumset play move the piece forward. Landrus overdubs a second bass clarinet as well a terrific flute solo.  The standard "Invitation" belongs to the strings and baritone sax for the opening prologues before the rhythm section enters and the music jumps forward. Listen closely to the interaction of the strings and sax before the latter steps out for a lively solo. The string arrangement on "Her Smile" adds such a sparkling to the baritone solo; Ms. Caswell steps out for a delightful solo followed by a string quintet break (Gress joins them).  To top it off, Billy Hart kicks the bottom out with glee! His work on the next track, "The Wait", really shines as well (no surprise the veteran drummer is a treat throughout the program).

The two Monk tunes also stand out.  "'Round Midnight" is Landrus alone on bass clarinet.  His breathy tone and circular lines in and around the classic melody as well as the performance is short (2:46) makes the piece sweeter. Hersch joins Landrus (baritone) for "Ruby My Dear" – the two take their time to work through the melody and then their two-way conversation is quite harmonious, closing the program in a introspective blue mood.

Brian Landrus shouldn't and doesn't feel the need to top his previous album.  Because he did not fall victim to the "to this" syndrome, "For Now" strikes this listener as the equal of "Generations", looser, more open, with the airy string arrangements helping this production stand out. Filled with delightful music played by an excellent ensemble, this album will brighten your life!

For more information, go to brianlandrus.com.

Here's a taste:

Braithwaite & Katz · The Miss - Brian Landrus

Hiatus Watching: Give the Drummers Some Space

One of the best of this and any year is "The Broader Picture", the music of drummer-composer Billy Hart performed by Mr. Hart & the WDR Big Band with arrangements by Christophe Schweizer.

Here's one of the great tracks:



Here's the drummer with The Cookers from 2014:




A change of pace now with John Hollenbeck & Claudia Quintet:



Later in August, Palmetto Records releases Matt Wilson's Honey & Salt "Music Inspired by the Poetry of Carl Sandburg" - the blend of music and poetry is a delight and features Mr. Wilson in the company of Jeff Lederer (saxophones, clarinet, piccolo), Ron Miles (cornet), Dawn Thomson (guitars, vocal), and Martin Wind (acoustic bass):

Billy's Brilliance - All Hart Big Band

Billy "Jabali" Hart, drummer and composer extraordinaire, turns 76 this November and remains one of the busiest musicians in the world. He leads his own Quartet, is a member of The Cookers, reunited with Dave Leibman every now and then in Quest, records and plays with numerous artists plus keeps up a busy teaching schedule.  Over the decades, he has toured and recorded with Miles Davis, Eddie Harris, Herbie Hancock, Stan Getz, Shirley Horn, and a host of others musicians famous or on their way up.

Mr. Hart, according to numerous sources, has only recorded with a big band once (Mingus Dynastry) and did record as a member of Lee Konitz's Nonet but never his own music. Until now, that is.

The Swiss-born Christophe Schweizer, trombonist, composer, and arranger, first played with the drummer when he first came to study in New York City in the early 1990s. Schweizer decided it was time that Mr. Hart have his music played with a big band and not just any big band but the WDR Big Band. Based in Köln, Germany, the WDR came into existence in the late 1940s as Germany was beginning to rebuild itself and the radio was the main source of news and entertainment. First as an off-shoot of the NWDR Band based in Hamburg, the Köln band started to as a "dance band" with as many as 35 musicians, including a full string section. It was not until 1982 that the WDR became the jazz big band we know today.  The ensemble keeps a busy performing schedule, hasa very popular Facebook page (replete with live concert footage - go to www.facebook.com/wdrbigband/ - and is one of the most accomplished groups in the world (Album personnel listed below.)

The new album, "The Broader Picture" (ENJA/Yellowbird), is nearly 80 minutes long although it feels like half that length. The program features eight originals chosen from Mr. Hart's growing repertoire played an 18-piece band that includes the composer at the drums.  Schweizer's arrangements often keep the drums front and center while the sections react to and "color" Mr. Hart's contributions.  Surprisingly, the opening track "Teule's Redemption" (first recorded with Quest and then on "Oceans of Time" (1997 - Arabesque Records) and now on the new album by The Cookers, begins with an unaccompanied bass solo (John Goldsby) - he's soon joined by his rhythm section partner and, little by little, the sections come in. The early part of the piece sounds as if the big band is tuning up or, actually, "revving its engines" ready to let loose.

If you do not know the music the drummer has created over the decades, this album is a wonderful overview.  The handsome media-tempoed ballad "Layla-Joy" was first recorded on Mr. Hart's exciting 1977 debut as a leader ("Enhance" on the A&M/Horizon label) while the bouncy "Naaj" and powerful "Reneda" come from his second release, 1988's "Rah" (on the Gramavision label). These versions have a contemporary feel with arrangements that open to fine solos with sectional writing that may remind some of Gil Evans, Bob Brookmeyer, and Jim McNeely.  There is no clutter even when the music "roars" which one hears on the opening track, on "Tolli's Dance", and the afore-mentioned "Reneda."  Echoes of Maria Schneider's atmospheric sound move through the lovely "Lullaby For Imke", especially during the splendid alto flute solo of Johan Hörlen.

There is no need to analyze each and every track. Suffice to say, if you like modern big band music, "The Broader Picture" will satisfy your needs.  If you are a fan of Billy Hart and wonder what his music would sound like if the palette was expanded, you will be quite pleased by how Christophe Schweizer has approached this music and how he employs the WDR Big Band.  In a year of superlative recordings, "The Broader Picture" stands out.  Give this music the time it deserves and demands; enjoyment will ensue!

The musicians on the album: Wim Both, Rob Bruyne, Andy Haderer, Rudd Breuls, and John Marshall (trumpet and flugelhorn); Ludwig Nuss, Andy Hunter, and Raphael Klemm (trombone) with Matthis Cederberg (bass trombone, tuba); Johan Hörlen, Karolina Strassmeyer, Paul Heller, Olivier Peters, and Jens Neufang (saxophones, flute, piccolo, clarinet, bass clarinet, and contra-alto clarinet); the rhythm section consists of Frank Chastenier (piano), Paul Shigihara (guitars), John Goldsby (acoustic bass), and Billy Hart (drums, compositions).  Christophe Schweizer did all the arrangements and conducted the WDR Big Band. The album will be released on September 30, 2016.

Here's the trailer: