GA Russell

EL RUBIO "Modern Latin Woman (Mujer Latina Moderna)" The Impeccable German Jazz / Latin Trumpeter Discovered By “ Beatles” Legendary Promoter Sid Bernstein And John Anthony President/CEO At Banner Records It all began at the age of 15 with a love of the majestic sound of the Spanish trumpet and the Latin rhythms which hypnotized Jeffrey Wallis Vonstenz. After spending years perfecting his unique horn style, Jeffrey decided that it was time to form a top Jazz / Latin group. The magic then began. This band of great musicians included Jorge Vargas of Cuba, Anero Diaz of Panama, Pablo Cintron of Puerto Rico,and Jonas Heinz of Germany a few of the great gifted players. Jeff’s performances with these top musicians rode on top of the super dance rhythms and perfectly combined into a uniquely powerful sound. Vargas called him the ‘Viking’ . This evolved into his current nickname that stuck among the other musicians and how he is referred to today…El Rubio. Anthony and Bernstein took this Great and enthusiastic horn player under their wings and into south side barrio of Brooklyn and performed at some of the hottest spots in the area. El Rubio lived and breathed Jazz / Latin music. Vargas would take him to the top clubs to introduce other great musicians to him. Together, they would create their own original and sensational Jazz / Latin sound. After many performances at some of the top New York City jazz clubs, these super musicians formed their act…The Ceasars Jazz Playboys. After performing at these NYC hot spots, club owners throughout the area learned about this fantastic new sound and the band branched out to Philadelphia.PA to perform at the Five Spot, and transformed this terrific live music venue into a powerhouse Jazz / Latin nightclub. Given their growing fan base and following, The Ceasars Jazz Playboys recorded their sophisticated sound at the famous Sigma Sound Studios (where famous artists including The Jacksons, The Stylistics and The Spinners recorded albums), and not long after their songs were cut, John Anthony, President and CEO at Banner Records and partner Sid Bernstein icon concert promoter started to move forward with Vonstenz with his devotion and the perfection of performance he always gave. Sid Bernstein (responsible for bringing bands to the United States including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, The Moody Blues, and The Kinks, The Rascals,James Brown,Tito Puente),Bernstein and Anthony also had a strong attraction for that big band Jazz / Latin sound. Banner Records began to incorporate El Rubio in the studio on other artist’s projects from the Banner Records label, which led to special projects showcasing the music of El Rubio and his magical horn. El Rubio was signed to Banner Records for his now own project, which will be released in early 2019 to worldwide radio and all music fans of the Jazz /Latin music. Banner Records offices are located in Pittsburgh,PA,New Jersey, New York and Tennesee. The label looks forward to bringing El Rubio & his Orchestra/Singers to Pittsburgh,PA in early March 2019 to the well known Kaufmann Center to kick things off for the great German Trumpeter. El Rubio’s first CD titled Flight to Barcelona is a great musical project that Banner Records is proud to release in 2019. El Rubio and his Orchestra are one of the freshest and exciting powerful Jazz /Latin acts to come along in decades.…Banner Records, evolved back in the 1920”s promoting acts like the Great Duke Ellington Orchestra and so many more.Banner Records is know all over the world for many decades and very highly respected.

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Every time somebody announces the intention to start up a new football league, the Nervous Nellies corner of the Football Reporters of Canada throw up the hands and wail, "The end is near!" They apparently think that no one worth watching will having any interest in competing for the Grey Cup. Much to my surprise, the AAF nearly folded two weeks ago. The reports said that they did not have enough money to pay the players their first game checks. This surprises me, because I had thought that Bill Polian would not become involved with an underfunded outfit. So the new owner of the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team (our local NHL team) contributed $250,000,000 (!!!) to keep the league going. With that he was appointed Chairman of the league's board. https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2019/02/19/canes-owner-puts-250m-into-spring-football-league.html https://3downnation.com/2019/02/19/its-future-in-jeopardy-alliance-of-american-football-gets-cash-infusion/ The first team with an obvious problem is Salt Lake. Only about 800 attended the home opener. https://3downnation.com/2019/02/23/nearly-nobody-at-salt-lake-city-aaf-home-opener-and-the-broadcasters-dont-care-either/ Nevertheless, some CFL players have signed recently with the AAF. Dylan Wynn https://3downnation.com/2019/02/19/former-argos-dl-dylan-wynn-signs-with-aaf-team/ Ciante Evans https://3downnation.com/2019/02/19/former-stampeders-db-ciante-evans-signs-with-aaf-team/ Freddie Bishop https://3downnation.com/2019/02/26/former-stampeders-dl-freddie-bishop-signs-with-aaf-team/

Artist Title Time Kenia On We Go 03:22 Kenia Summertime 05:08 Kenia Que Amor É Esse 05:25 Kenia Melancia 05:48 Kenia Closer To Me 04:55 Kenia Pra Quê Que Inventaram A Bahia 04:44 Kenia Coming Home 04:00 Kenia Pretty World (Sa Marina) 04:53 Kenia For Donato (O Som Do Donato) 04:17 Kenia Illusion 03:56 Kenia Zureta 04:00 Kenia Nowhere Man 02:37 Kenia "On We Go" IMPACTING JANUARY 14 2019 Suggested Tracks are 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 "Once again, the vocalist has bridged jazz, international pop and Brazilian music and done so effortlessly, in one of her best works to date [On We Go]. ~ Jazz Corner It’s hard to believe Kenia approaches any song with any trepidation. On her new album [On We Go] whether it’s the fast-moving, hip-swaying, “Summertime” or the languid ballad, “Melancia,” she’s confident, as if engaged in a natural conversation with friends against a fantastic musical backdrop that refuses to stay down for long. ~ Carol Banks Weber – AXS Kenia, a consummate vocal talent who can deliver a song as well as anyone I’ve heard. Her voice is strong, her phrasing excellent, her delivery totally polished. And she makes you move… ~ David Zych – JazzTimes Kenia returns with her most personal CD release to date. ON WE GO is at it’s heart a collection of songs that Kenia loves, songs that were written for her specifically, and songs for which she wrote lyrics An outstanding line-up of musicians were gathered to bring Kenia’s vision to light – members from her first band Pau-Brasil – Paul Socolow and Mark Soskin are reunited with her and they joined by Sandro Albert on guitar, Adriano Santos on drums, and her son Lucas Ashby on percussion. Guest performances by harmonica virtuoso Hendrik Meurkens and acclaimed guitarist Romero Lubambo bring their own magic to the project. Tracks include renditions of works by renowned Brazilian composers Ivan Lins and Antonio Adolfo as well as original compositions by Luiz Simas, Romero Lubambo, Rique Pantoja and Aloisio Aguiar. Contemporary covers include Gershwin’s Summertime, the Beatles Nowhere Man and the cover track, ON WE GO, by Eric Susoeff with lyrics by Lorraine Feather. Produced by: Kenia Executive Producer: Kenia & Claudio A.B. Lima For: Mooka Records ***** Kenia is the vocalist on Richie Cole's latest new album, Cannonball.

 Michael Whalen "Michael Whalen & The Fire Brigade" Impacting: February 20 2019 Format(s): Jazz, Smooth Jazz Artist Title Time Michael Whalen Benny's Brooklyn Blues 04:26 Michael Whalen Go-Go Bird 04:35 Michael Whalen grew up in Washington DC at a hot time for music of all varieties. Jazz of the fusion variety, Punk, and Go-go all factored into the scene, and Michael was an energetic young man with open ears. School was not his thing, he had already been creating music in the basement before he hit the seemingly sterile educational environment, so it wasn’t long before he was off to New York to intern at a major agency. Immediately in synch with the fast pace of writing for commercials, film, and TV, Michael flourished and moved straight into the limelight as a prolific composer. In his career he has written over 750 TV and Film scores - perhaps the most ubiquitous is the Good Morning America theme song - and he’s taken home two Emmy Awards for his work. Michael Whalen already has a successful career as a musician, with 31 solo and and soundtrack recordings to his credit. One would think this is enough, that he owns his lane and should damn well stick to it. But that would not be very Michael Whalen. As a 14 year old boy he heard Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, and Herbie Hancock and the fire behind their creations. He vowed that he would make that Jazz fusion album one day, and that day has arrived. Recruiting the best - Michael League, Vinnie Colaiuta, Bob Magnuson - Whalen hit the studio to celebrate Jazz and Funk (and Go-Go), with an ear on keeping the melodies and not getting lost in the virtuosity. Michael Whalen & The Fire Brigade’s self titled album is ready for prime time on March 1, 2018. A boy and his dream never forgotten. Let’s celebrate, shall we? “Go-Go Bird” “Go Go” music was invented in Washington DC in the late 60s or early 70s influenced by African rhythms, R&B and funk. The distinctive groove can be heard everywhere in downtown DC and Anacostia through open car windows and shops along Martin Luther King, jr Avenue. As a white teenager living in the suburbs, I had never heard anything like the call and response percussion and funky songs placed on top of the groove. In the Summer of 1982, I had an opportunity to sit-in with Chuck Brown (the “godfather” of Go Go) after he saw me play at a local music store. I have waited nearly 40 years to do a song that was Go-Go inspired… “Go-Go Bird” is hooky, funky, groovy Go Go at its infectious best. “Benny’s Brooklyn Blues” Inspired by my love of the melodic jazz of Steely Dan, Jeff Lorber and Bob James, this groovy song was born from a jam session and then took on a life of its own. Not all jazz needs “burning” solos or hysterical playing. Sometimes, it's the disciplined approach which moves a song forward and lets the song explode its melody all over you. Thats “Benny”… :-)

The Tampa Bay Times is reporting that Marc Trestman (currently recovering from double hip replacement surgery) will be the Tampa XFL head coach. https://3downnation.com/2019/03/02/marc-trestman-to-be-named-head-coach-of-tampa-bay-xfl-franchise/ ***** Former Bomber Jim Zorn will be the Seattle XFL GM and HC. https://www.xfl.com/teams/seattle

New Orleans Jazz Orchestra Returns from 3-Year Recording Hiatus With "Songs: The Music of Allen Toussaint" On Storyville Records 18-Piece Orchestra Celebrates New Orleans Legend Toussaint On Its First Recording Under Artistic Director Adonis Rose, Featuring Guest Appearances by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Philip Manuel, Gerald French Digital Release Set for March 29, Physical Release April 19 CD World Premiere to Take Place on SiriusXM's Mardi Gras Radio, March 2-5 March 1, 2019 The renowned New Orleans Jazz Orchestra reflects on the wide-ranging influence of the Big Easy's own Allen Toussaint, the legendary composer, singer, pianist, and producer, with the March 29 digital release of Songs: The Music of Allen Toussaint on Storyville Records (physical release is set for April 19). The album features six songs by Toussaint and one associated with him, as well as two original tribute pieces. It also marks the NOJO leadership debut of drummer/artistic director Adonis Rose, who assumed the mantle in 2016 to navigate the 18-piece orchestra out of the troubled waters surrounding its now-departed founder. Toussaint, who passed away in 2015, left his deepest footprints in R&B and rock 'n' roll. However, he was also a major figure in the development of New Orleans funk; resonated in country music (by way of Glen Campbell's smash hit cover of "Southern Nights"); and, of course, was steeped in jazz. "[It] was in his blood," Rose says. "There's always some connection to jazz: When you're from New Orleans, there's no way around it." When frequent NOJO collaborator Dee Dee Bridgewater remarked that she'd never heard a big band take on Toussaint's music, Rose was instantly inspired. "I said, 'You know what? Yes. That's a great idea. Let's dig into this and make it happen!'" he says. L. to r.: Khari Lee (front left);1st row: Ricardo Pascal, Adonis Rose, TJ Norris, Victor Atkins.2nd row: Jeronne Ansari, Trevarri Boone, Ashlin Parker, Chris Butcher, Leon Brown, Mitch Butler.3rd row: Ed Peterson, Barney Floyd, Jonathan Bauer, Stephen Glenn.Back row: Ari Teitel (not on recording), Amina Scott (not on recording), Gerald Watkins, Alexi Marti. The results honor not only Toussaint, but the broader musical culture of his hometown. The iconic "Working in the Coal Mine" does not feature a singer, but the band members make New Orleans shouts out of its well-known lyrics. "Southern Nights" takes on a brass-band street groove, while "Java," a Toussaint-penned 1963 instrumental hit for trumpeter Al Hirt, retains and even amplifies the original record's raucous second-line feel. New Orleanian percussionist Gerald French contributes the original "Gert Town," which he flavors with the music of Mardi Gras Indians. Toussaint's ballads get attention, too, with help from a powerhouse set of vocalists. Bridgewater brings her vitality to the beautiful "It's Raining" and "With You in Mind," the latter in a duet performance with New Orleans vocalist Philip Manuel. The rhythm & blues staple "Ruler of My Heart" takes on new majesty at the hands of Nayo Jones, NOJO's house vocalist -- and a newly swinging energy in its second half, thanks to Rose and the orchestra. Adonis Rose was born January 11, 1975, in New Orleans, the scion of a musical family. He began playing drums at 3 years old, following in his father and grandfather's footsteps, and as a teenager became enamored with the music of fellow New Orleanians Wynton and Branford Marsalis -- with whose father, Ellis, Adonis studied at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). Rose won a prestigious presidential scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston; just afterward, however, Terence Blanchard called and invited him to tour. "So two days after my high school graduation I went out on the road with Terence. That was my first gig," he recalls. He continued to get work with Betty Carter, Marlon Jordan, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, ultimately dropping out of Berklee to go on the road and make a home in New Orleans. In 2002, Rose became the founding drummer for the nonprofit, Grammy-winning New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO), the only institution in jazz's birthplace that is committed solely to the music's development. He maintained that position even after moving to Fort Worth, Texas, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, where he taught at the University of Texas at Arlington and established the Fort Worth Jazz Orchestra. Rose moved back to the Crescent City in 2015, by which time NOJO was his steadiest gig -- soon to be his full-time one. For all its uplift of Allen Toussaint and of New Orleans, Songs is also a personal triumph for Rose. Following the controversial departure of founder Irvin Mayfield from NOJO and its subsequent loss of institutional support, he set himself to the fearsome task of rebuilding the orchestra while keeping its sterling musical reputation intact. He succeeded. "Almost all of our shows since we started back have sold out," he says. "All of the band members, every single last one of them, came back. The musicians who built this organization, put it on their backs night after night, those are the ones that are doing it again now, along with me." Songs thus stands as a monument to Rose's accomplishment. The orchestra will be performing a CD release show at its home base, the New Orleans Jazz Market, on Fri. 3/29, with other shows at the same venue to follow on Fri. 5/3 (a tribute to Whitney Houston) and Thurs. 6/6 (a tribute to Prince). NOJO is scheduled to perform at the Exit Zero Jazz Festival, Cape May, NJ, 4/13; the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 4/28; the St. Lucia Jazz Festival 5/8-10 (the NOJO 7,with guest vocalist Ledisi); the Ascona Jazz Festival, Switzerland 6/18-30 (in various configurations); and the Detroit Jazz Festival 9/1 (with guest vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater). NOJO will head to New York later this year for a two-night stand at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Appel Room (12/13-14, with guest vocalist René Marie). Rose, who has also recently been performing with vocalist Kurt Elling's band, is already planning future recording projects with the orchestra, including one with vocalist Ledisi and a Brazilian-themed album. "With a new recording project, touring schedule, and new leadership," says Rose, "the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra is poised for success and committed to spreading our music around the world." Photography: Katie Sikora (orchestra), Chanelle Harris (Adonis Rose). SONGS: The Music of Allen Toussaint Web Site: thenojo.com NOJO: Adonis:

I think that these are the links to every Checking Down column since the Grey Cup. So these alone should provide most of the off-season news till now. 12/06 https://www.cfl.ca/2018/12/06/checking-welcome-off-season-2/ 12/13 https://www.cfl.ca/2018/12/13/checking-stamps-ready-name-claybrooks-replacement/ 12/19 https://www.cfl.ca/2018/12/19/checking-list-pending-fas-narrows/ 1/09 https://www.cfl.ca/2019/01/09/checking-qb-talk-takes-winter-meetings/ 1/16 https://www.cfl.ca/2019/01/16/checking-rumours-swirl-riders-kick-off-coaching-search/ 1/23 https://www.cfl.ca/2019/01/23/checking-benevides-mix-riders/ 1/31 https://www.cfl.ca/2019/01/31/checking-loffler-bombers-drifting-apart/ 2/06 https://www.cfl.ca/2019/02/06/checking-jacques-chapdelaine-argo-bound/ 2/20 https://www.cfl.ca/2019/02/20/checking-news-notes-fa19-winds/ 2/28 https://www.cfl.ca/2019/02/28/checking-redblacks-gavins-calls-career/

That's Bernadette Peters top right, correct? Which one is Joanie Somers? Top center?

Travis Lulay has retired. https://3downnation.com/2019/02/28/travis-lulay-reflections-as-i-retire-from-the-cfl/ https://www.cfl.ca/2019/02/28/travis-lulay-retires-10-cfl-seasons/ https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/lions-qb-travis-lulay-calls-end-to-10-year-career-1.5037918

ECM Focus At Big Ears Festival March 21-24 Knoxville, TN Bill Frisell / Thomas Morgan; Mathias Eick Quintet; David Torn (solo); Shai Maestro; Larry Grenadier; Ralph Towner; Kim Kashkashian; Meredith Monk; Tim Berne’s Snakeoil; Jack DeJohnette / Ravi Coltrane / Matt Garrison; Kim Kashkashian and Robert Levin; Avishai Cohen; Carla Bley / Steve Swallow / Andy Sheppard; Wadada Leo Smith’s NDA – Divine Love; St. John’s Choir – Arvo Parts Passio; Nik Bartsch Ronin; The Art Ensemble of Chicago; David Torn / Tim Berne / Ches Smith Sun of Goldfinger; Vijay Iyer / Craig Taborn Joe Lovano March 1 Tucson, AZ (University of Arizona-Crowder Hall) March 8 Aliso Viejo, CA (Soka University) March 11 Santa Cruz, CA (Kuumbwa Jazz Center) March 12 Albuquerque, NM (Outpost Performance Space) March 14-17 San Francisco, CA (SFJAZZ Center – Miner Auditorium) Andras Schiff March 5 Washington, DC (The Music Center at Strathmore) March 7 New York, NY (Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium) Roscoe Mitchell March 6 New York, NY (Park Ave. Armory Veteran’s Room) Vijay Iyer March 7 San Diego, CA (Prebys Concert Hall UCSD) March 9 San Francisco, CA (SF Jazz – Herbst Theater) March 10 Saratoga, CA (Mondavi Center) Sun of Goldfinger March 12 San Francisco, CA (Freight and Salvage) March 13 Los Angeles, CA (Zebulon) March 14 Portland, OR (Holocene) March 15 Seattle, WA (Earshot / Royal Room) March 17 Denver, CO (Dazzle) March 18 Minneapolis, MN (Icehouse) March 19 Madison, WI (Arts and Literature Laboratory) March 20 Pittsburgh, PA (Spirit) March 21 New York, NY (Nublu) Gidon Kremer March 12 New York, NY (92Y) Vijay Iyer / Craig Taborn March 12 Brooklyn, NY (Roulette) Avishai Cohen March 15-16 Los Angeles, CA (Blue Whale) March 17 San Jose, CA (The Art Boutiki) March 18 Oakland, CA (Yoshi’s – Jack London Square) March 20 St. Paul, MN (Vieux Carre) March 21 Chicago, IL (Constellation) March 22 Cincinnati, OH (Xavier University) March 26 Washington, DC (Blues Alley) March 28 Cambridge, MA (Regattabar) March 29-31 New York, NY (Jazz Standard) Larry Grenadier March 15 New York, NY (Zürcher Gallery) Carla Bley/Andy Sheppard/Steve Swallow March 17 Buffalo, NY (Albright-Knox Gallery) March 19-20 New York, NY (Jazz Standard) March 22 Washington, DC (Atlas PAC – Sprenger Theatre) March 24-25 Denver, CO (Dazzle) March 29-30 Cambridge, MA (Regattabar) Nik Bartsch Ronin March 20 Philadelphia, PA (World Café Live) March 21 Phoenix, AZ (Apache Junction Performance Art Center) March 26 Sarasota, FL (Art Ovation Hotel) Ralph Towner March 20 St. Louis, MO (Graham Chapel) March 24 Chicago, IL (Martyr’s) March 25 New York, NY (DROM - Guitar Summit, Tribute to Ralph Towner) March 26 Cambridge, MD (Regattabar) March 27-28 New York, NY (Jazz Standard) Mathias Eick March 23 Ann Arbor, MI (Blue Llama Jazz Club) Carolin Widmann March 29 Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Museum) © 2019 ECM Records US, A Division of Verve Music Group. All rights reserved.

ECM Vijay Iyer and Craig Taborn The Transitory Poems Vijay Iyer: piano; Craig Taborn: piano Release date: March 15, 2019 ECM 2644 B0029701-02 UPC: 6025 773 0119 3 Vijay Iyer and Craig Taborn in concert March 12 Brooklyn, NY Roulette March 24 Knoxville, TN Big Ears Festival Further dates in preparation… The Transitory Poems, recorded live in the concert hall of the Franz List Academy of Music in Budapest in March 2018, is the first release from the duo of Vijay Iyer and Craig Taborn, two of the most distinctive contemporary improvisers. Each a bandleader in his own right, these highly creative pianists have considerable shared history. They began playing together inside Roscoe Mitchell’s Note Factory in 2002. In Mitchell’s group, Taborn and Iyer were called upon to address complex notated material and to deal, concurrently, with the challenges of instant composing and spontaneous arrangement via collective and individual improvisation. “Our duo formed in the crucible of that band,” Vijay and Craig remark in a performers’ note here, “in pursuit of music unique to its moment of creation.” This has remained the quest throughout their subsequent duo work, shaping music in real time, the project evolving from concert to concert. “Something was born for me in the context of working with Roscoe,” Iyer has said, alluding to “a certain quality of listening: how to navigate, how to give way to each other, how to build together…” Constructive collaboration informs the duo’s music. As Craig Taborn has explained, “part of my practice with improvising is to fully dive in. I become the audience, listening to events and sounds and agency. Whether I’m playing something or not is the first thing I let go of: then I can encounter what is happening.” The musical environment is scanned, details embellished, structures shored up, densities measured, rhythms dovetailed, melodic lines given space to emerge and coalesce. The music is in movement in the fleeting world of The Transitory Poems, transforming and mutating from moment to moment. At times it may acknowledge the vast history of music for two pianos although, as Craig has also pointed out, he and Vijay are “both composers and improvisers and orchestrational pianists - so the question of instrument is just a fact of the context, and not the primary challenge.” Listening back to their recording, the players heard it as “a series of homages” to great artists who had profoundly influenced them, artists who had recently passed away. “Luminous Brew” is dedicated to Cecil Taylor, the pianist whose music, in its intensity, polyrhythmic complexity and sound organization, remains a vital reference for a generation of musicians. The Iyer/Taborn album title derives from a Taylor interview, in which humanity and its endeavors are considered ‘transitory poems’, unfolding against a backdrop of the mountains that are here to stay. “Clear Monolith” is for Muhal Richard Abrams, the visionary pianist, composer and improviser, who lit the paths of the early AACM and opened unexplored routes for the music. The painter and sculptor Jack Whitten, dedicatee of “Sensorium”, described himself - in his log Notes from the Woodshed - as “a quantum expressionist”. Whitten derived much inspiration for his work from jazz, and spoke of translating Coltrane’s sheets of sound into sheets of light. The final track is dedicated to Geri Allen and hints of her theme “When Kabuya Dances” emerge gradually through the improvisation that is “Meshwork”, before the Allen composition, a modern classic, comes to the fore. *** The New York Times has suggested that “there’s probably no frame wide enough to encompass the creative output of Vijay Iyer.” Each of his ECM releases has highlighted another aspect of wide-ranging work. Mutations, with Iyer’s compositions for piano, string quartet and electronics was recorded in 2013 and described by The Guardian as “thoughtful, typically original and very exciting.” It was followed by Radhe Radhe, Rites of Holi a collaboration with director Prashant Bhargava, which DownBeat called “his most challenging and impressive work, the scintillating score to a compelling film.” Break Stuff featured Iyer’s popular trio with Stephan Crump and Marcus Gilmore (“a smashing success” – JazzTimes). A cosmic rhythm with each strokebrought Iyer together with his “hero, friend and teacher” Wadada Leo Smith to play “unique music outside all the categories” (Die Weltwoche), inspired by the art of Nasreen Mohamedi.Far From Over, with the Vijay Iyer Sextet, with Graham Haynes, Steve Lehman, Mark Shim, Stephan Crump and Tyshawn Sorey, was showered with accolades. “If you’re looking for the shape of jazz to come, here it is”, wrote Rolling Stone. Far From Over was voted #1 album in the NPR Critics Poll, with the Iyer Sextet also the band of the year and Vijay musician of the year in the DownBeat Critics Poll 2018. Craig Taborn’s Avenging Angel, recorded 2010, set some new directions for solo piano music. (“As exhilarating as it is serene, and as evocatively melodic as it is unsettlingly recondite, it’s a masterpiece of invention” – All About Jazz). Chants, recorded 2012, brought to a conclusion the group music Taborn had been developing over an eight-year period with drummer Gerald Cleaver and bassist Thomas Morgan. “The songs on ‘Chants’, are positively shimmering, immaculately detailed, prismatic and very improvisational,” noted DownBeat. Daylight Ghostsintroduced a new quartet with some old friends – Dave King, Chris Speed and Chris Lightcap – again to rave reviews. This was the sound, Jazziz opined, “of an already great musician cementing his place in the upper ranks of contemporary pianists and composers.” Vijay Iyer and Craig Taborn first recorded together on Roscoe Mitchell’s Song for My Sister (Pi)in 2002, with their first shared ECM credit being the Mitchell album Far Side (2007), recently reprised in the box set The Art Ensemble of Chicago and Associated Ensembles. Taborn’s ECM debut was also with Roscoe, on 1997’s Nine to Get Ready. Craig appears furthermore on two albums with the Mitchell and Evan Parker-led Transatlantic Art Ensemble –Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3 and Boustrophedon - as well as with Mitchell’s assembled trios on Bells for the South Side. Other Taborn appearances on ECM include Michael Formanek’s The Rub and Spare Change and Small Places, Chris Potter’s Imaginary Cities and The Sirens, Ches Smith’s The Bell and David Torn’s Prezens. Vijay Iyer and Craig Taborn have a number of concerts this season including a performance as part of the focus on ECM at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, March 21-24.

Channel Master CM-3016 VHF, UHF, FM and HDTV Antenna - $39.99 https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-CM-3016-HDTV-Antenna/dp/B000SAKDLS

John, last I heard, she was married to Edu Lobo for a while, and now calls herself Wanda Sa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanda_Sá

That's quite a find, Jim! I am aware of only the El Matador album Brasil '65 recorded for Atlantic (as well as the studio album for Capitol).

Thanks T.D.! Great link! The league ordered the Als to release Manziel, and announced that it would not approve a contract if anyone else signs him. The league says that Manziel violated the terms of his initial agreement with the CFL. But the accusation is not specific, and could concern almost anything. https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/cfl-directs-alouettes-to-terminate-johnny-manziel-s-contract-1.5035959 https://www.cfl.ca/2019/02/27/alouettes-release-johnny-manziel/ https://www.cfl.ca/2019/02/27/oleary-manziel-als-next-steps-centre/ https://www.cfl.ca/2019/02/27/ferguson-pipkin-answer-montreal/ https://www.cfl.ca/2019/02/27/ferguson-pipkin-answer-montreal/ https://www.cfl.ca/2019/02/27/reed-we-took-a-risk-an-educated-risk-it-did-not-work-out/ https://3downnation.com/2019/02/27/alouettes-release-qb-johnny-manziel/ https://3downnation.com/2019/02/27/qa-alouettes-gm-kavis-reed-discusses-the-release-of-johnny-manziel/ https://3downnation.com/2019/02/27/ambrosie-disappointed-manziel-let-cfl-opportunity-slip-through-fingers/

Artist Title Time Thom Rotella Oddball 03:02 Thom Rotella Four On Six 04:00 Thom Rotella Come Together 04:22 Thom Rotella Storyline 04:47 Thom Rotella 'Round Midnight 04:10 Thom Rotella Monkey Bizness 03:52 Thom Rotella When I Falll In Love 07:09 Thom Rotella Besame Mucho 05:03 Thom Rotella Cristo Redento 07:00 Thom Rotella Nuze Bluze 07:25 Thom Rotella Take It With You 04:05 Thom Rotella Dawn Is Here 05:42 Thom Rotella Oddball (Radio Edit) 03:27 Thom Rotella "Storyline" Format(s): Jazz Now the second Most Added release on JazzWeek! AIRPLAY STARTS NOW www.thomrotella.com

Claudia Villela Offers Panoramic Showcase of Her Brilliant Vocal Talent on "Encantada Live," Set for April 12 Release by Taina Music Vocalist-Composer's Live Recording Features Septet, Quartet, Multiple Duos on Original Songs, Works by Brazilian Composers, Full-Length Improvisational Pieces Upcoming Shows in Lisbon, Portugal, 3/9; SFJAZZ, 3/13, 3/27, 4/4, & 6/19; Hillside Club, Berkeley, 4/26; Kuumbwa Jazz, Santa Cruz, 4/29 February 27, 2019 Vocalist-composer Claudia Villela puts her stunning, supple virtuosity on vivid display with the April 12 release of Encantada Live on her own Taina Music label. Drawn from several live performances, the album alternates between performances by a septet, a quartet featuring Villela on piano, and intimate duets with various partners. It also includes three of Villela's originals, three interpretations of key Brazilian composers, and three wholly improvised pieces by Villela and her accompanists. The sweeping panorama of Encantada Live -- only her sixth recording in a 40-year career -- is the direct result of a near-death experience in December 2017. While visiting Rio de Janeiro, Villela escaped from a terrifying electrical fire in her own apartment. Her own injuries were fairly minor, but the fire devastated her home, many keepsakes, and the masters of an album she'd been working on for two years. "It left with me with a deeper recognition of the preciousness of time. It's time to really live in the moment and move on," Villela says. "I want to put everything out. I'm not going to hold it back. This is a cathartic album." Whether by coincidence or fate, it's also an album that showcases everything that she can do. The opening "Cuscus" alone demonstrates Villela's enormous range and imagination, modulating from a guttural growl to a soprano squeak and inventing in the moment both a melody (with guitarist Bruce Dunlap) and a fully developed Portuguese lyric. The same duo creates a warm, introspective ballad on the closing "Em Paz." The nearly 15-minute "Minas" is an exquisite but multifaceted improvisation with Villela's longtime collaborator, pianist Kenny Werner. However, Encantada Live also places her remarkable abilities into the context of compositional form. Villela proffers a beautiful, wordless rendition (with guitarist Peixoto) of 20th-century Brazilian classical composer Heitor Villa-Lobos's "Bachianas #5," as well as rhythmically exciting septet versions of two popular Brazilian songs: Edu Lobo's "Viola Fora de Moda" and Alex Madureira's "Cumeno com Cuentro."In addition, she revisits three of the original pieces from her 1994 debut, Asa Verde: "Negra," with guitarist Jeff Buenz; "Jangada," with a quartet featuring Buenz, bassist Gary Brown, drummer Celso Alberti, and Villela herself on piano; and "Taina," featuring newly improvised lyrics, with the septet (Brown on bass plus Jasnam Daya Singh, piano; Ricardo Peixoto, guitar; Andy Connel, soprano saxophone; Michael Spiro, percussion; and the late drummer Paul van Wageningen). Claudia Villela was born August 27, 1961 in Rio de Janeiro. She grew up surrounded by music in her grandmother's home, beginning to make music herself when she was only a year old. She started singing in college festivals around Rio at age 15, and before long found work as a studio musician. She also started performing around the city, while developing a book of original songs featuring her lyrics and music. Initially planning to enroll in medical school, Villela decided to combine her two passions and earned a B.A. in music therapy from the Brazilian Conservatory of Music. Relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid-1980s, Villela quickly immersed herself in the region's thriving jazz scene, gaining valuable experience with the Down Beat-award winning De Anza College Jazz Singers. She studied with NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan and with John Robert Dunlap of the New York Metropolitan Opera before making her recording debut with 1994's Grammy-nominated Asa Verde. She has since performed and recorded with such major jazz figures as Michael Brecker, Toots Thielemans, Toninho Horta, Hermeto Pascoal, Airto, Guinga, Romero Lubambo, Mario Adnet, Dori Caymmi, and Kenny Werner (with whom she recorded her 2004 fourth album, Dream Tales, as a duo). That same year, she recorded a live performance at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, California, for broadcast on NPR; it was released as Live @ Kuumbwa 2004 in 2013. Encantada Live is her second live album. Claudia Villela will perform at Braço de Prata, Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday 3/9; at SFJAZZ's Joe Henderson Lab, San Francisco, on Wednesday 3/13, Wednesday 3/27, and Thursday 4/4; at the Hillside Club, Berkeley, Friday 4/26; at Kuumbwa Jazz, Santa Cruz, Monday 4/29; and at SFJAZZ's Miner Auditorium, Wednesday 6/19. Photography: Maria Camillo (with Lilu the dog), Aloizio Jordao "Encantada" EPK Web Site: claudiavillela.com

The Tierney Sutton Band "ScreenPlay Act 1: The Bergman Suite" Impacting: February 22 2019 Format(s): Jazz, Non-Commercial, NPR Artist Title Time The Tierney Sutton Band The Windmills of Your Mind 05:31 The Tierney Sutton Band What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life 05:48 The Tierney Sutton Band How Do You Keep The Music Playing 04:20 The Tierney Sutton Band It Might Be You 06:25 The Tierney Sutton Band Ev'ry Now And Then 02:59 After 20-plus years, 8 Grammy nominations and countless performances throughout the world, L.A.-based Tierney Sutton Band has set their sights on the wide-ranging panorama of film music by releasing an ambitious 19-track collection of songs in five parts -- “ScreenPlay.” “ScreenPlay” spans the first century of American film music. The band gained firsthand experience in this idiom in 2016 when they were tapped by legendary director Clint Eastwood to score his box office hit “Sully”. The arrangements and Sutton’s readings of the songs comprising “ScreenPlay” are pure Tierney Sutton Band at the height of its powers, subtly illuminating and revolutionizing each classic, as well as introducing a few lesser-known gems. Wanting to dig ever deeper into the material, the band has chosen to present this creative, new music in a creative, new way. 5 acts, each including 3 to 5 songs, will be released as a digital EP, once a month, beginning in February of 2019. A podcast and other behind-the-scenes material that explore the songs and the films that made them so iconic will accompany each of these acts. In June of 2019, a compilation ScreenPlay CD will be released worldwide. ACT 1: THE BERGMAN SUITE Welcome to The Bergman Suite, the opening Act of “ScreenPlay”, the new project by the Tierney Sutton Band. We thought it fitting to begin our journey into the first century of American film song by sharing 5 songs by perhaps the most influential film lyricists of all time, Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The Bergmans are 3-time Oscar winners and in 1982 3 of 5 Oscar-nominated songs were theirs (they didn’t win). We open here with “The Windmills of Your Mind”, arranged by Tierney Sutton, which provided Alan and Marilyn with their first Academy Award in 1969 for “The Thomas Crowne Affair”. When the film was remade in 1999, wise producers kept the song as the main title, this time sung by Sting. The song was written as a meditation on the roiling anxiety of the film’s main character.“The Windmills of your Mind” features the music of celebrated French composer Michel Legrand as do tracks 2 and 3. “What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?”, the Bergman’s supremely touching marriage-proposal-insong- form, is presented here as a simple piano/vocal. The song needs nothing more. “How Do You Keep The Music Playing”, arranged by Trey Henry, is a vocal duet featuring Tierney Sutton and Alan Bergman himself. Bergman’s sublime vocals are not to be missed, filled with the magic you might expect expect from the 93-year old master story-teller. Tracks 4 and 5 feature music by legendary jazz pianist and composer Dave Grusin. “It Might Be You”, from “Tootsie” and arranged by Trey Henry, appears here as an intimate rumination, thinking out loud. The last track is the least known song in this collection. The theme was written by Grusin and was featured in the 1996 film “Mulholland Falls”. The Bergmans wisely took the stunning melody and created one of the most haunting songs of lost love imaginable, “Every Now and Then.” We hope you enjoy listening to the cinematic poetry of Alan and Marilyn Bergman as much as we have enjoyed spending time with these great songs. Please visit www.tierneysutton.com for supplemental interviews, videos and podcasts. Just press the “ScreenPlay” tab. We’ll see you in March 2019 for ScreenPlay Act 2 Technicolor.

Doug MacDonald Quartet "Organisms" Impacting: February 19 2019 Format(s): Jazz Artist Title Time Doug MacDonald Quartet It's You Or No One 06:49 Doug MacDonald Quartet Jazz For All Occasions 06:22 Doug MacDonald Quartet L&T 06:03 Doug MacDonald Quartet Nina Never Knew_Indian Summer 01:58 Doug MacDonald Quartet Sometime Ago 04:07 Doug MacDonald Quartet Poor Butterfly 02:31 Doug MacDonald Quartet Centerpiece 05:55 Doug MacDonald Quartet Too Late Now 05:30 Doug MacDonald Quartet Hortense 03:56 Doug MacDonald Quartet On The Alamo 07:09 Doug MacDonald - Guitar Bob Sheppard- Tenor Saxophone Carey Frank - Hammond B3 Organ Benjamin Scholz - Drums A long-time resident of Los Angeles, MacDonald was born in Philadelphia and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, leaving in 1982 to pursue the mainland’s broader music opportunities. Since then, he has created a kind of “portable” career for himself, on the West Coast, New York, Las Vegas and, more recently, internationally. He has been well featured as a sideman in live performances with Stan Getz, George Shearing, Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughan, Buddy Rich, Scott Hamilton, Richard Groove Holmes, Ray Charles, Rosemary Clooney among others. He has recorded with a virtual who’s who of jazz, including Jack Sheldon, Hank Jones, Bob Cooper, Snooky Young, Bill Holman and the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Doug's latest release, "Organisms" is a homecoming of sorts. Produced and recorded in LA, this album features a cast of fantastic West Coast musicians including legendary tenor saxophonist Bob Sheppard, B3 organist Carey Frank, and drummer Ben Scholz. Says Doug, "This is the thirteenth album and the third organ project that I have had the privilege to release - not only as a band leader, but as a composer and arranger as well. Each recording project is a unique experience and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to play music with Bob, Carey, and Ben.This material on this album is fresh and the synergy between players is palpable. Thank you also to Talley Sherwood at Tritone Studios, and Robert Vosgien at Capitol Records for your recording expertise. And of course, thank you to my lovely wife Eva and son Doug for your support. I hope you enjoy this latest musical adventure." - Doug MacDonald

ECM Sokratis Sinopoulos Quartet - Metamodal release date: April 5, 2019 Sokratis Sinopoulos: lyra; Yann Keerim: piano; Dimitris Tsekouras: double bass; Dimitris Emmanouil: drums Teaser video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM4NLVintv4&feature=youtu.be Four years after the critically lauded Eight Winds the Athens-based Sokratis Sinopoulos Quartet returns with the aptly-named Metamodal. A unique band, the quartet subtly sifts a vast pool of influence, its music informed by the players' experience of folk forms, Byzantine and classical music, and many modes of improvising. The combination of Sinopoulos's lyra, with its yearning, ancient tones, and the sensitive, modern piano of Yann Keerim is particularly beguiling, and the group as a whole has made giant steps since its debut. Metamodal, featuring new pieces by Sokratis and a concluding collective improvisation, was recorded in July 2018 at Sierra Studios in Athens, and produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM Bill Frisell & Thomas Morgan - Epistrophy release date: April 12, 2019 Bill Frisell: guitar Thomas Morgan: double bass Like their acclaimed ECM release Small Town of 2017 - which The Guardian called "wistful and mesmerizing... tonally ingenious and haunting" - Epistrophy by guitarist Bill Frisell and bassist Thomas Morgan was recorded at New York City's Village Vanguard. The new album once again captures the rare empathy these two players achieve together in this intimate environment. There are further poetic takes on pieces from the duo's beloved Americana songbook ("All in Fun," "Red River Valley," "Save the Last Dance for Me"), as well as another intense version of a composition by Paul Motian ("Mumbo Jumbo"), an artist whom both the guitarist and bassist knew well. Frisell and Morgan communicate the essence of Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life" and the Frank Sinatra hit "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," so much so that the famous words seem to hang in the air even without a singer. At the center of the album is a pair of pieces by Thelonious Monk: the funky, angular "Epistrophy" and the ruminative ballad "Pannonica." And as with "Goldfinger" on Small Town, Frisell and Morgan offer a glowing duo interpretation of a melody-rich John Barry title tune from a James Bond film - "You Only Live Twice," which had an EARLY PREMIERE last Friday via NPR Music.

ECM Dominic Miller Absinthe Dominic Miller: guitar Santiago Arias: bandoneon Mike Lindup: keyboards Nicholas Fiszman: bass Manu Katché: drums Release date: March 1, 2019 ECM 2614 B0029695-02 UPC: 6025 678 8468 2 With Absinthe, guitarist Dominic Miller has created an album colored by a distinct atmosphere. “The first thing that came to me before I wrote any tunes was the title,” he writes in his liner note. “Living in the South of France, I am fascinated by Impressionism. Sharp light and witchy mistrals, combined with strong alcohol and intense hangovers must have driven some of these artists toward insanity. Skies that are green, faces blue, perspective distorted.” While Miller’s ECM debut, Silent Light, emphasized solo and duo settings, Absinthe finds the guitarist fronting a quintet that brings his lyrical compositions to textured life. Miller, switching between nylon- and steel-string acoustic guitars, has found a key harmonic-melodic foil in the bandoneon of Santiago Arias. The vivid presence at the drum kit is Manu Katché, for years a member alongside Miller in the band of Sting. Mike Lindup’s keyboard tones can glow or add a ghostly air (as they do in such highlights as the title track), while bassist Nicholas Fiszman roots the ensemble sound. As for Miller, JazzTimes has described him as a guitarist who “milks every note, thriving on the pauses between them and whispery effects of fingers sliding across strings.” Not only was Absinthe conceived in the South of France, that’s also where Miller and band recorded the album, working with Manfred Eicher in the studio of La Buissonne, in Pernes-les-Fontaines. The ambience was ideal, Miller says: “It’s a great atmosphere in which to work. And I love collaborating with Manfred – he’s a real producer. I think back to the inspiring authenticity of those records he made with Egberto Gismonti. They were so important to me… “For my two ECM albums, and especially this new one, my initial idea of a tune can be like a simple selfie,” Miller explains. “But once we’re done working on it together, the piece becomes this rich photographic still, with all the light and shade of life in it. Manfred helps bring out the essence of the music, often pushing us out of our comfort zones in the process. But I’m up for it – we rethought, redesigned and reinterpreted every tune in the studio. I’ve made about 250 pop and rock records over the years, and that’s often a process about achieving so-called perfection. But Manfred isn’t after this kind of perfection.” Born in Argentina to an American father and Irish mother, Miller was raised in the U.S. from age 10 and then educated there and in England. The guitarist’s international mindset has only been deepened through decades touring the globe, working with the likes of Paul Simon, The Chieftains, Plácido Domingo and, most often, Sting. Miller has long been known as the latter’s right-hand man on guitar – and co-writer of “Shape of My Heart,” among others. “I’ve been influenced by Sting’s lateral sense of harmony and how he forms songs,” the guitarist says. “I try to do the same by creating a narrative with instrumental music, which I treat and arrange as songs, with verses, choruses, bridges. I’ve absorbed a lot from him about concept and arrangement, as well concision in telling a story.” Miller heard Katché’s rhythmic/coloristic touch in his ear for decades, while Fiszman plays in the guitarist’s current live group. The simpatico match of drums and bass here is highlighted by their exchanges in “Ombu,” a track named for a tree in Argentina with vast roots. Miller only recently discovered Arias, having encountered him in Buenos Aires. “I was on tour there and I went out on a night off to see a jam featuring some top local musicians. They were all pointing out this young bandoneon player. Witnessing Santiago play – this acoustic, non-tango indigenous Argentinean music, mixed with European influences – I felt a spark. I wrote the music of Absinthe with the timbre of his instrument and his sense of space in mind.” Arias’s bandoneon plays a vital role throughout the album, whether atmospherically in such pieces as the shadowy “Ténèbres” or as a soloistic voice in “Saint Vincent.” The title of the latter song refers not to Van Gogh but to the late Cameroonian guitarist Vincent Nguini, a long-time collaborator with Paul Simon and something of a mentor figure for Miller. “Vincent had such a special ‘time feel,’ as drummers like to talk about,” he says. “With the way he used time, you could hear that it was him from just a few notes.” The title track of Absinthe begins with Miller’s hands fingering the nylon strings of a small-body guitar with his characteristic “artisanal precision,” as the Irish Times put it. After two minutes of melodic development with just guitar and bandoneon, Katché’s beat comes in strikingly, boosted by Fiszman’s deep bass. The piece immediately takes on the drama of a story, with Lindup’s synthesizer line whirring subtly through the arrangement like a specter, adding something otherworldly to the narrative. “I wanted the synth to add a disrupting element, like an absinthe-induced wooziness,” Miller explains. “I’ve known Mike for years and trust implicitly what he can bring to my music, whether it’s a touch of off-kilter synth or flowing piano, as on ‘Etude’ and ‘Verveine.’ The latter song, by the way, is named for a kind of herbal tea they have in France that I like. It’s supposedly good for hangovers, so I guess the old painters might’ve used it as a calming antidote after the visions of absinthe.” ECM David Torn Sun of Goldfinger David Torn: electric guitar, live-looping, electronics Tim Berne: alto saxophone Ches Smith: drums, electronics, tanbou And – on “Spartan, Before It Hit”: Craig Taborn: electronics, piano Mike Baggetta: guitar Ryan Ferreira: guitar Scorchio String Quartet: Martha Mooke: viola/director Amy Kimball: violin Rachel Golub: violin Leah Coloff: cello ECM 2613 B0029700-02 UPC: 6025 773 2924 2 David Torn, a longstanding ECM artist, has enjoyed a particularly fruitful 21st-century with the label, releasing two albums under his own name – the solo only sky and quartet disc prezens – in addition to producing records by Tim Berne and Michael Formanek. With Sun of Goldfinger, Torn returns in a trio alongside the alto saxophonist Berne and percussionist Ches Smith (a member of Berne’s Snakeoil band who made his ECM leader debut in 2016 with The Bell). The Torn/Berne/Smith trio, also dubbed Sun of Goldfinger, features alone on two of this album’s three intense tracks of 20-plus minutes; the vast sonic tapestries of “Eye Meddle” and “Soften the Blow” – each spontaneous group compositions – belie the fact that only a trio is weaving them, with live electronics by Torn and Smith expanding the aural envelope. The third track, the Torn composition “Spartan, Before It Hit,” showcases an extended ensemble with two extra guitars, keyboards and a string quartet; it’s an otherworldly creation, ranging from hovering atmospherics to dark-hued lyricism to storming, sky-rending grandeur. Sun of Goldfinger first came together in 2010, with an invitation from Berne for Torn to join the saxophonist and a young drummer for a gig in Brooklyn. “It was intriguing from the start,” Torn recalls. “I’ve had a close friendship and deep musical relationship with Tim since the ’90s and playing live with him is always special – we push each other into new territory. And that drummer turned out to be Ches, and I thought he was really something, just burning. We played a lot shows as a trio: from Colorado to Brazil, as well as across New York City – it was a lot of fun. But when we toured Europe in 2017, that’s when it really came together. I’ve never played anything that sounds or feels quite like this.” The nearly 25-minute length of each track on Sun of Goldfinger mirrors the exploratory intensity of the trio live. Torn – who helmed the sessions in multiple New York studios – culled the high-impact tracks “Eye Meddle” and “Soften the Blow” from lengthy group improvisations. These two Sun of Goldfinger pieces saw him using the mixing process as “just a gigantic reveal – the goal being to bring to light for the listener, sonically speaking, all that was going on in the studio with the three of us,” he says. “Between our hands and our feet, Ches and I were creating a lot of sounds. He was burning on the drums, as ever, but he was also employing his own electronics. “All those sounds Ches and I are creating also give Tim something to really play off in his solos, opening a door for him to use his extended techniques, particularly high harmonics, to create sonic effects of his own, even on a purely acoustic instrument,” Torn continues. “Then there’s his ability to drive the rhythmic pulse. He’s almost unique among saxophonists in the way he can drive a rhythm. There are also episodes in ‘Spartan, Before It Hit’ of that lyricism in Tim’s playing that I’ve been trying to accent on the more recent Snakeoil records.” This album centerpiece, “Spartan, Before It Hit,” is a kaleidoscopic epic, one that expands the trio into a tentet – with the addition of two more guitarists, Mike Baggetta and Ryan Ferreira (who performs in the expanded edition of Snakeoil), keyboardist Craig Taborn (who has released several acclaimed albums as a leader on ECM) and a string quartet. This track is a blend of composition and improvisation, with the improv reflecting and extending Torn’s written material. He then used the mix as part of the compositional process, crafting a dream-like whole. Reflecting on Sun of Goldfinger, Torn says: “This isn’t jazz music or rock music. I really can’t put it into any genre classification – it’s just music made by people who care deeply about what we’re expressing and how we’re expressing it, however abstract it may feel on first listen.” *** Across a career as a guitarist, composer, improviser, producer and soundscape artist, David Torn has worked with innovators in jazz (Jan Garbarek, The Bad Plus), film music (Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carter Burwell) and rock (David Bowie, Jeff Beck, David Sylvian). Torn’s association with ECM has included the 1987 album Cloud About Mercury, featuring him alongside trumpeter Mark Isham and the latter-day King Crimson rhythm section of Tony Levin and Bill Bruford. It was the sort of music that led Guitar Player magazine to declare Torn “one of music’s Top 50 guitarists, ever.” Other Torn releases on ECM include Best Laid Plans, with drummer Geoffrey Gordon, and two albums with the Everyman Band; the guitarist also featured on Garbarek’s It’s OK to Listen to the Gray Voice. All About Jazz called Torn’s 2007 album prezens “the most fully realized of his career… boldly adventurous.” Jazzwise described this record – featuring the guitarist alongside saxophonist Tim Berne, keyboardist Craig Taborn and drummer Tom Rainey – as “a vibrating collage full of shimmering sonic shapes, a dark, urban electronic soundscape – a potent mix of jazz, free-form rock and technology that is both demanding and rewarding.” The guitarist’s follow-up to prezenswas the 2015 solo album only sky, which The New York City Jazz Record praised for its rare combination of “realism and surrealism.” Torn has also produced and mixed Berne’s ECM albums Shadow Man (2013), You’ve Been Watching Me (April 2015) and Incidentals (2017), as well as bassist-composer Michael Formanek’s large-ensemble disc, The Distance (2016).

Thanks for that song, Steve!

RIP. I heard a Tork interview on Sirius a few years ago. He stressed that when filming the show, The Monkees were actors first, and had very little free time to record the records.