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Misha Alperin
Mikhail Alperin was born in the Ukraine in 1956 and grew up in a rural area of Bessarabia, the eastern part of Moldavia. Until 1976 he studied classical piano at music schools and academies in the Ukraine and Moldavia. Since 1977 he has worked as a free-lance arranger, composer and practicing musician. In 1980, along with Simon Shirman, Alperin founded the first Moldavian jazz quartet by developing his idea of linking jazz and folk. Like most of the world's musicians, Alperin was obliged to earn his living with dance and party music. For the young musician, however, this music embodied things old and past. The future and freedom were to be found in music influenced by the West, music like rock and jazz. It was not until he had played in Moscow jazz circles for several years that he discovered the musical sounds of his native country for his own work. In Moscow he found other musicians also interested in integrating the musical traditions of their countries into jazz as an element of equal value, and in drawing from the rich tradition of the music of the peoples of the immense Soviet Union. It was during this period that he made the acquaintance of the brilliant hornist Arkady Shilkloper, a member of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra who nevertheless also belonged to the circle of jazz musicians. In the CD production Prayer Alperin & Shilkloper have expanded their jazz explorations eastward. They not only integrate a genuine singer of traditional Russian music, Sergei Starostin, in their duo, but also risk a spectacular encounter of two very different cultures: that of Mongolia / Southern Siberia, with origins in Buddhism, represented by vocalists from Kyzyl, the capital of small Siberian autonomy Tuva, and the Russian choir tradition. The result is amazing. Our Eurocentric perception is immediately transported into other remote times and spaces. Thanks to Alperin's sense of composition, one cannot help but feel that here jazz meets the Middle Ages. Alperin's contribution to contemporary music is not only the unbiased integration of the most various peoples' musical traditions and the crossing of stylistic boundaries: Free of care, he also fuses music of the past with contemporary elements. In 1989, in a duo with Arkady Shilkloper, Alperin recorded the much-admired CD "Waves of Sorrow" for ECM; then his new production "North Story", recorded with Tore Brumborg, Jon Christensen, Terje Gevelt and Arkady Shilkloper, appeared there in the spring of 1996. With these musicians Alperin has also recorded works of Paul Hindemith and other composers of Classical Modernism. In 1993 Alperin moved to Oslo in order to take on a position as professor of piano at the music academy there. In the late autumn of 1995, Mikhail Alperin had the musical direction of an unusual project uniting two previously unacquainted musical cultures in Sofia, Bulgaria: the women's choir Angelite with its quite uncommon singing techniques and the four-man ensemble Huun Huur Tu from the Southern Siberian region of Tuva, bordering on Mongolia. The latter group, for its part, cultivates a form of overtone and undertone singing which is also quite foreign for the Western ear. A third independent vocal style is added to the production by the Russian singer Sergei Starostin. Alperin, who has composed works for children's choirs, chamber orchestras, and jazz ballet as well as a concert for flugelhorn, piano and symphony orchestra, wrote the arrangements for all of the pieces in this production. from www.mymusicbase.ru |
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I think the problem with a lot of the fusion music is that it's extremely predictable, it's a rock rhythm and the solos all play the same stuff and they play it over and over again ...
Ken Burns |
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Melody Gardot
The story of vocalist Melody Gardot is as remarkable as any who perseveres against abject adversity. Born in New Jersey in 1985, she took up piano and played as a youngster on the nightclub scene of Philadelphia, influenced by jazz, folk, rock and pop musics. At age 19 she was a fashion student at the Community College of Philadelphia. But, on a fateful day, while riding her bicycle, the driver of a Jeep made an illegal turn, hurdling into Gardot and leaving her in the street for dead. Hospitalized for months with multiple head injuries and pelvic fractures, her love for music was the best therapy she could receive. While in her hospital bed, she wrote and recorded songs that would become the EP Some Lessons. Upon her eventual release from intensive care, Gardot found the strength and determination to further her career as an artist. Blessed with a beautiful voice and grand insight as a songwriter, her cognitive powers slowly but surely became pronounced, leading to the independent recording and release of her debut CD, Worrisome Heart, which was reissued in 2007 by Verve records. Her music could be described as a cross between Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, Eva Cassidy, and Shania Twain, but goes deeper than mere pop convention. Gardot is hypersensitive to light and noise, thus she wears dark glasses, and uses a cane to walk. On-stage she requires a special seating unit, and wears a Transcutaneous Electro-Nerve Stimulator, a TENS device, to assist in alleviating her neuralgic muscle pain. As amazing as her story is, what is more evident is that she possesses a blue style and persona that reflects not only her afflictions, but conversely the hope and joy of making personalized music that marks her as an individual and original. Though touring is difficult, she has been performing in major cities on the East Coast to support her recordings. In 2009, working with producer Larry Klein and arranger Vince Mendoza -- both known for their work with Joni Mitchell -- Gardot followed up her Verve debut with My One and Only Thrill Bio by Michael G. Nastos taken from www.starpulse.com |
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I think the problem with a lot of the fusion music is that it's extremely predictable, it's a rock rhythm and the solos all play the same stuff and they play it over and over again ...
Ken Burns |
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Hijaz
Hijaz is a sextet that combines elements of world music with jazz. Hijaz is the name of an Arab musical motif, but the band’s name also holds a clear reference to jazz.The music of the group is based on the dialogue between Tunesian oud player Moufadhel Adhoum and pianist Niko Deman and started with the release of the record Rag Rag by Tunesian singer Zohra Lajnef on which Hijaz also performed. The record was released in 2004 in Tunesia only but laid the basis for further collaboration. The group consist of aforementioned musicians plus Moroccan percussionist Azzedine Jazzouli, bass player Rui Salgado and drummer/percussionist Chryster Aerts, both jazz musicians from Belgium. This rhythm sections uses traditions from Morocco to India as influence for its adventurous and solid basis. Above this, oud and piano interact and create a mysterious athmosphere. Elements from the Maghreb, Middle East and western jazz are very strong in the music and create a European-Mediterranean sound. The band may have met in Belgium but their music instantly transports you to the calm inner courtyard of some shady house a stone's throw from the bustle of the market in some North-African town. In May 2008 Hijaz released the debut Cd Dunes which was very well received in the press (see press section). On it you can also hear renowned Armenian duduk player Vardan Hovanissian who has recently become the sixth member of Hijaz. Bio taken from http://www.zephyrusvzw.be/database/index.php?q=artists/hijaz/biography |
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I think the problem with a lot of the fusion music is that it's extremely predictable, it's a rock rhythm and the solos all play the same stuff and they play it over and over again ...
Ken Burns |
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snobb ![]() Forum Admin Group ![]() ![]() Site Admin Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Location: Vilnius Status: Offline Points: 29003 |
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Richie Beirach
Richard Beirach, 23 May 1947, New York City, New York, USA. As a child, Beirach studied both classical and jazz piano before attending the Berklee College Of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. He graduated from the latter in 1972, promptly joining Stan Getz. Shortly after this, he began a long-term and hugely productive association with Dave Liebman. In order to fulfil the broad-based musical demands of Liebman’s group, Lookout Farm, Beirach also began playing keyboards. Nevertheless, his preferred instrument remained the piano. Although this particular group of Liebman’s was soon disbanded, Beirach later became a member of the saxophonist’s group, Quest. In the meantime, he had formed his own group, Eon, and had worked with John Abercrombie’s quartet. Beirach has played and sometimes recorded as sideman with many other leaders, including Chet Baker, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Konitz and John Scofield. Musicians with whom he has collaborated as leader or co-leader include Abercrombie, George Coleman, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette and Liebman. Throughout the 90s, Beirach had a highly productive working relationship with the French-born saxophonist Henrik Frisk. In his composing and playing, Beirach’s twin musical influences make their presence heard. The classical side is brought out in his compositions through intriguingly mixed echoes of late nineteenth-century romanticism and twentieth-century angularity. Beirach’s playing reflects an array of pianistic influences, notably the dazzling yet diverse styles of Art Tatum, Bud Powell and Bill Evans. Nevertheless, he achieves an exceptionally individualistic sound, partly through a near-classical pastoral impressionism, marking him out as a piano player of consequence. Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin |
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I think the problem with a lot of the fusion music is that it's extremely predictable, it's a rock rhythm and the solos all play the same stuff and they play it over and over again ...
Ken Burns |
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snobb ![]() Forum Admin Group ![]() ![]() Site Admin Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Location: Vilnius Status: Offline Points: 29003 |
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Ambrose Akinmusire
Trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire is a forward-thinking musician with a bent toward atmospheric post-bop. Born in Oakland, California, Akinmusire showed early promise by his teens and gigged professionally while also playing in the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble. Early encounters with such luminaries as saxophonists Joe Henderson and Steve Coleman pushed Akinmusire to focus a keen eye on his own development. He earned his bachelor's degree from the Manhattan School of Music and later his master's from the University of Southern California. Along the way, Akinmusire studied with such trumpet luminaries as master teacher Laurie Frink, Lew Soloff, and Terence Blanchard. Akinmusire has appeared as a sideman on many albums, including works by saxophonist Coleman, pianists Aaron Parks and Vijay Iyer, trombonist Josh Roseman, bassist Esperanza Spalding, and others. In 2007 Akinmusire won the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition and the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. A year later he released his debut solo album, Prelude to Cora, on Fresh Sound New Talent. In 2011 Akinmusire returned with his sophomore album, When the Heart Emerges Glistening, on Blue Note Records. Bio by Matt Collar., Rovi, from www.starpulse.com |
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I think the problem with a lot of the fusion music is that it's extremely predictable, it's a rock rhythm and the solos all play the same stuff and they play it over and over again ...
Ken Burns |
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snobb ![]() Forum Admin Group ![]() ![]() Site Admin Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Location: Vilnius Status: Offline Points: 29003 |
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ASA TRIO
ASA TRIO is an organ/guitar/drums trio based in Iceland. The band is Agnar Már Magnúson on organ, Andrés Thor on guitar and Scott McLemore on drums. The band released their first studio albums, aptly titled "Plays the Music of Thelonius Monk" (as the album is a collection of Monk covers) in 2011, while they also have to live albums, "Live at Domo" from 2008 and "A Love Supreme, Live at Cafe Cultura" from 2009. The band has a multitude of influences, ranging from Monk to Jimi Hendrix. Official website: http://www.asa-trio.com/
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Verneri Pohjola
Verneri Pohjola has established a reputation
as one of Finland's leading -- and busiest -- jazz musicians, but music
is in his blood, as he's the son of Pekka Pohjola, one of the country's
most adventurous bass players who came of age in the prog rock era of
the 1970s. Born in Helsinki, Phojola grew up on movie soundtracks and
rock playing "a little bit of everything" before settling mostly on
trumpet in a school orchestra. His brother introduced him to jazz which
has become his main love. He does still play piano and drums "to fend
off boredom." He's active in five bands, Quintessence, the Don Johnson
Big Band, Silvio, Q-continuum and his main outlet, the Ilmielikki
Quartet, of which he's the leader. The last of these groups came
together in 2002 and released their first album, March of the Alpha
Males, which received a nomination for an Emma -- the Finnish Grammy --
as Best Jazz Album in 2003. The following year Pohjola was chosen Pori
Jazz Festival Young Artist, when he also won Musician of the Year and
Best Trumpet Player in a poll of Finnish jazz critics. The band has
released a second album, Take It With Me. With Silvio, Pohjola has
appeared on Amass All You Can and the EP Silvio, while Quintessence has
issued Talk Less, Listen More and AM. Under his own name he's released
Agatha , Michelin Star and Aurora.
Bio by Chris Nickson, All Music Guide |
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I think the problem with a lot of the fusion music is that it's extremely predictable, it's a rock rhythm and the solos all play the same stuff and they play it over and over again ...
Ken Burns |
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snobb ![]() Forum Admin Group ![]() ![]() Site Admin Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Location: Vilnius Status: Offline Points: 29003 |
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Froy Aagre
Saxophonist and composer Frøy Aagre is a rising Norwegian jazz star. Despite her young age she has developed a highly individual expression and her compositions are both imaginative and original. Reviewers have compared Aagre with saxophone legends such as Jan Garbarek, David Liebman and Wayne Shorter. Frøy Aagres recent album Countryside has received world-wide acclaim from critics and musicians alike. The album was rated as one of the top ten albums in 2007 by the Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen. Born on June 8, 1977 in Tønsberg, Norway, Frøy Aagre began playing saxophone at the age of twelve and later moved to England to study saxophone at Birmingham Conservatoire. Her fascination of tango music, resulted a semester as an exchange student at Conservatoiro Nacional Lopez Bouchardo in Buenos Aires. After receiving Bachelor of Music with Distinction at Birmingham Conservatoire, she moved to London to pursue a Masters degree at Middlesex University. Back in Norway, she studied Twentieth-Century Composition at Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. In 2001, she studied with the world famous saxophonist David Liebman in New York. Besides being leader for Offbeat, Frøy has performed with such musicians as Pee Wee Ellis, Mike and Mark Mondesir, Kris Davis, Jeff Davis, Annette Aguilar, Eivind Opsvik, Michael Bates, Thomas Strønen and Bjørn Kjellemyr. Aagre has toured in Europe, USA and Africa and played at festivals like Copenhagen Jazzfestival, Aarhus Jazz Festival and Prague Jazz Open. She has received numerous prizes and scholarships. In 1999 she received the annual jazz prize from the Norwegian Association of Jazz and in 2005 she received the prestigous 1-year Composition Scholarship from the Norwegian Government. Bio from http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=2268 |
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I think the problem with a lot of the fusion music is that it's extremely predictable, it's a rock rhythm and the solos all play the same stuff and they play it over and over again ...
Ken Burns |
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Nik Bartsch
Keyboardist Nik Bärtsch (at times spelled "Baertsch") is a player, composer, and improviser very much in the European classical-oriented style of jazz, but has created a language that transcends these basic categories. A native and resident of Zurich, Switzerland born in 1971, he began his nine-year piano studies at age nine, and also briefly took up clarinet. Listening to blues, jazz, and string quartets, Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky, and ethnic musics from Japan, Greece, Romania, and Sweden have all shaped his personalized music. Initially influenced by Chick Corea, Bärtsch attended the Zurich Musikhochschule, then studied philosophy, linguistics, and musicology at the University of Zurich. It was then that he was listening to modern 20th century composers John Cage, Morton Feldman, and Steve Reich, thus fusing the multiplicity of disciplines. In 1980 he first met drummer Kaspar Rast, who is a rhythmic fixture in his ensembles, Mobile and Ronin. He performed and toured with the European guitarist Harald Haerter before performing and recording solo and trio efforts, leading to his initial small ensembles for the Swiss based Tonus label. When Mobile evolved into Ronin by 2001, Bärtsch established his distinct and unique ritual groove music, playing every Monday night at the night club Montags in Zurich, and attracting attention and an audience for his spiritual, minimalist, ethnic, rhythm & blues elevated music that has generally been termed "Zen funk". Occasionally Mobile, featuring Rast and marimba player Mats Eser, regroup to perform. As Bärtsch describes his sound, "to me, music is an art of motion, and thus akin to dancing, an ecstatic groove and an ascetic awareness of form and sound in composed music are not mutually exclusive. They can form combinations that take our senses by surprise." Over the years, Bärtsch has retained that regular early week gig while touring greater Europe, reaching Canada and the U.S. in 2007. ECM records owner Manfred Eicher recognized not only Bärtsch's original approach, but its similarity to the music the label has championed since the early '70s, and signed them, beginning with the revelatory CD Stoa. Ronin expanded to a quintet, with stalwart Rast, percussionist Andi Pupato, bassist Björn Meyer, and saxophonist/bass clarinetist Sha. "The band," says Bärtsch, "has simply reached a much higher level of playing, and as an organism is much further developed." bio by Michael G. Nastos on www.allmusic.com |
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I think the problem with a lot of the fusion music is that it's extremely predictable, it's a rock rhythm and the solos all play the same stuff and they play it over and over again ...
Ken Burns |
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snobb ![]() Forum Admin Group ![]() ![]() Site Admin Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Location: Vilnius Status: Offline Points: 29003 |
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Avishai Cohen- trumpet
Avishai Cohen is a leading figure on the international jazz scene and one of the most sought-after players of his generation — “an assertive and accomplished trumpeter with a taste for modernism,” according to Nate Chinen of The New York Times. Though deeply rooted in the bebop and post-bop tradition, Avishai is taking jazz in new directions, making waves as an improviser, composer and bandleader. Originally from Tel Aviv, he began performing at age 10. He toured the world with the Young Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra and went on to become the trumpet player of choice for many leading jazz, rock, pop, studio and television projects. He received a full scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and in 1997 he placed third in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Jazz Trumpet Competition. Avishai came of age as part of the fertile scene at Smalls, the storied New York jazz club, where he developed his artistic vision alongside such friends and colleagues as pianist Jason Lindner, bassist Omer Avital and vocalist Claudia Acuña. Here the imperatives of jazz tradition and innovation were not in conflict, but rather merged into one powerful creative stream. Avishai flourished in an environment where hard-driving swing, open-ended funk, Latin and Middle Eastern rhythms, complex extended forms and free improvisation converged under one roof, drawing enthusiastic audiences. All of Avishai’s diverse work, as a leader, co-leader and sideman, is informed by this broad-minded legacy, which has given jazz new vitality and relevance in the 21st century. Avishai made his debut as a leader in 2003 with The Trumpet Player, a burning straightahead session with bassist John Sullivan (Roy Haynes), drummer Jeff Ballard (Chick Corea, Pat Metheny) and special guest Joel Frahm on tenor. His second album, After The Big Rain, is the last part of “The Big Rain Trilogy,” a series of recordings that is now nearing completion. The trilogy also includes Before The Rain (part one), a large-group outing, and Flood (part two), a trio encounter with Yonatan Avishai on piano and Daniel Freedman on percussion. Avishai’s music is alternately moody and joyous, richly atmospheric yet beat-driven and grooving, suffused with compositional depth, inspired improvisation and a profound world-music influence. Avishai plays open and muted trumpet but also routes his horn through electronic effects that range from the dreamy to the snarling and distorted. He’s been developing these sounds over the course of the last decade. “When I play effects, I play a different instrument,” he says. “The whole concept changes.” Avishai’s other credits range from touring with the celebrated French-American singer-songwriter Keren Ann, to sharing the stage with the great Bobby Hutcherson in the all-star San Francisco Jazz Collective. In addition, Avishai is the co-leader of Third World Love, with Omer Avital, drummer Daniel Freedman and pianist Yonatan Avishai, a group with four recordings to its credit. He also leads a funk-oriented band with bassist Me’shell Ndegeocello and drummer Adam Deitch, and continues to perform extensively with the 3 Cohens, which he formed with his sister Anat and brother Yuval, both gifted reeds players. With his incredible instrumental skill and world-spanning musical interests, Avishai, in the words of critic Ben Ratliff, “has all the power and tenacity he’s going to need. bio taken from artist's site http://www.avishaicohenmusic.com/html/about.php |
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I think the problem with a lot of the fusion music is that it's extremely predictable, it's a rock rhythm and the solos all play the same stuff and they play it over and over again ...
Ken Burns |
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Monty Alexander
In a career spanning five decades, pianist Monty Alexander has built a reputation exploring and bridging the worlds of American jazz, popular song, and the music of his native Jamaica, finding in each a sincere spirit of musical expression. In the process, he has performed and recorded with artists from every corner of the musical universe and entertainment world: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, Quincy Jones, Ernest Ranglin, Barbara Hendricks, Bill Cosby, Bobby McFerrin, Sly Dunbar, and Robbie Shakespeare, among others. Born on D-Day (June 6, 1944) and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, he took his first piano lessons at age six, although he is largely self-taught. As a teenager, he witnessed concerts by Louis Armstrong and Nat “King” Cole at Kingston’s Carib Theater. These artists had a profound effect on Alexander’s aspirations. He formed Monty and the Cyclones in the late 1950s and also recorded on sessions with the musicians who would catapult Jamaican music to international recognition as The Skatalites (Bob Marley’s first backing band). Alexander and his family came to the United States at the end of 1961. Less than two years later, while playing in Las Vegas with Art Mooney’s orchestra, he caught the eye of New York City club owner Jilly Rizzo and his friend, Frank Sinatra. Rizzo hired the young pianist to work in his club, Jilly’s, where he accompanied Sinatra and others. There he met Modern Jazz Quartet vibraphonist Milt Jackson, who hired him and eventually introduced him to former Charlie Parker collaborator and legendary bassist Ray Brown. Alexander recorded and performed with the two jazz giants on many occasions. Jazz’s greatest luminaries welcomed Alexander to their “musical fraternity” in the mid-1960s. Among these earliest enthusiasts for his playing were none other than Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Miles Davis. To this day, Alexander maintains an active touring schedule, from intimate jazz clubs to concert halls and jazz festivals around the globe. His collaborations span multiple genres, styles, and generations. His projects have been as varied as assisting Natalie Cole in her tribute album to her father, Nat “King” Cole in 1991 (the resulting album, Unforgettable, won seven Grammy awards), performing George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” under the direction of Bobby McFerrin at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, and recording the piano track for the film score of Clint Eastwood’s Bird, a movie about the life of jazz titan Charlie Parker. In August 2000, the Jamaican government awarded Monty Alexander the title of Commander in the Order of Distinction for outstanding services to Jamaica as a worldwide music ambassador. In Hal Leonard’s 2005 book The Fifty Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time, Alexander was listed among the top five Jazz pianists of all time. With the invitation and encouragement of Wynton Marsalis, Alexander conceived and directed the acclaimed program Lords of the West Indies at Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2008, broadcast nationally on BETJ. Alexander returns to Jazz at Lincoln Center in the Fall 2009 with a new program Harlem Kingston Express. As a leader, Monty Alexander has recorded over 60 albums to date. His 1976 Montreux (Switzerland) Jazz Festival performance with drummer Jeff Hamilton and bassist John Clayton has become one of the most celebrated live recordings in contemporary jazz. His most recent albums on the Telarc label include trio sessions, such as Impressions in Blue, and the live concert recording Goin’ Yard. In the late summer of 2005, Alexander traveled to Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Studio in Kingston, Jamaica, and teamed up with top Jamaican session players to record Concrete Jungle, a set of twelve Bob Marley compositions reinterpreted through Alexander’s jazz piano-centered arrangements. The resulting union of musical perspectives digs deep into the Marley legend and brings together the two worlds that Alexander most treasures, building the musical bridges that are the very essence of his craft. As a testament to his versatility, The Good Life, on Chesky Records is a collection of songs written and popularized by one of his all time favorite artists and good friends, Tony Bennett. His current release on Chesky is Calypso Blues, a tribute to his hero Nat Cole.Bio taken from artist's site http://montyalexander.com/bio.shtml |
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I think the problem with a lot of the fusion music is that it's extremely predictable, it's a rock rhythm and the solos all play the same stuff and they play it over and over again ...
Ken Burns |
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