GA Russell

Christian Artmann Ponders Questions of Life & the World On "The Middle of Life," Set for June 2 Release by Sunnyside Records Album Features Nine Original Compositions & One Standard, Performed by Flutist Artmann with Pianist Laszlo Gardony, Bassist John Lockwood, Drummer Yoron Israel, Guest Vocalist Elena McEntire   April 24, 2023 Christian Artmann contemplates his, and our, moment in time with the June 2 release by Sunnyside Records of the aptly titled The Middle of Life. An introspective but highly emotional affair—with a sensitive quartet featuring pianist Laszlo Gardony, bassist John Lockwood, and drummer Yoron Israel adding their ruminations—the flutist/composer’s fourth album ponders the state of the world, both positive and negative, in both the personal and broad senses. Like most of the world, San Francisco (by way of Germany and NYC)–based Artmann found himself during the Covid lockdowns with empty space to take stock of life as it had been and was becoming. For him, though, that thoughtful aspect has not dimmed even as the world moved on from the pandemic. “In this time period for me, I find myself looking forward and backward,” Artmann says. “I’m very conscious of where I am, and of the value of life.” The addition of regular collaborators (and Berklee College of Music colleagues) Gardony, Lockwood, and Israel—along with vocalist Elena McEntire, who appears on three tunes—brings depth and perspective to Artmann’s wondrous compositions and improvisations. It also creates an absolutely crackling chemistry. This is perhaps paradoxical for an album as mellow and contemplative as The Middle of Life. Nevertheless, the je ne sais quoi that passes between the musicians is unmistakable. It’s also powerful, whether in the artful slow burn of “Turnaround,” the doleful “Twenty Seven,” or the steady-yet-fickle flow of the title track. The players shine as individuals, with Gardony working a fine solo turn on the troubled “Snow River,” both Lockwood and McEntire taking bravura turns on the classic samba standard “Paisagem da Janela,” and Israel doing arresting work on “The Middle of Life.” Artmann is exemplary throughout, as strong a soloist on the stark "Lament for Ukraine" as on the bittersweet “Last Words.” Equally strong, however, is his work as a composer, arranger, and bandleader, leading his collaborators on The Middle of Life in a contemplative direction without sacrificing its deeply human core. Christian Artmann was born May 12, 1975 in what was then Koblenz, West Germany. Although he was a child prodigy on the classical flute, performing at just 15 at the Aspen Music Festival in the United States, his parents tried to dissuade him from a career in music given their families’ struggles in postwar Germany. Artmann continued on anyway, even when he had to keep his obsessive studying and practicing a secret. His clandestine passion for music continued into his years in higher education, with Artmann earning degrees at Princeton University (even as he whiled away his free time in the school orchestra) and Harvard Law School (while also studying composition and jazz performance at the nearby Berklee College of Music). He returned to Europe as accomplished on the flute as he was in academia—but even cosmopolitan Vienna couldn’t hold him for long, and Artmann came back to the States in 2005, moving to New York and beginning careers in both the corporate and creative worlds. Although Artmann made two recordings with pianist Philippine Duchateau (2007’s Good News and 2010’s Living Room, both released in 2017), his own leadership debut came with 2011’s self-released Uneasy Dreams. Fields of Pannonia arrived in 2015, followed by Our Story in 2018. The Middle of Life is his fourth album. Reflecting on the album’s title, Artmann quotes a Buddhist poem: “’The world of dew is just a world of dew. And yet… and yet.’ What an amazingly succinct summary of our life! One fleeting moment in time, and yet so very valuable.” Left to right (above): Yoron Israel, recording engineer Peter Kontrimas, Christian Artmann, Laszlo Gardony, John Lockwood. Photo of Christian Artmann: Chris Drukker   Christian Artmann - "The Middle of Life" EPK  Christian Artmann Web Site  

Ramsey Lewis Autobiography "Gentlemen of Jazz: A Life in Music" Due May 9 On the Heels of His Posthumous CD "The Beatles Songbook" The Book, Co-Written with Aaron Cohen, To Be Published by Blackstone Publishing   April 25, 2023 Gentleman of Jazz: A Life in Music, written by Ramsey Lewis and Aaron Cohen, will be published by Blackstone Publishing on May 9. This new autobiography provides insight into the early life and illustrious career of one of the most popular jazz pianists of all time, beginning with Lewis’s childhood growing up in Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood, his experiences in his parents’ church and his early piano lessons, to eventually establishing the Ramsey Lewis Trio and launching an extraordinary, expansive life in music. Lewis died at his Chicago home in September 2022, at age 87. An NEA Jazz Master, Top 10 hitmaker, and winner of three Grammys, Ramsey Lewis (1935-2022) also hosted popular television and radio shows that honored the history of jazz music. He was not only influential for many modern jazz artists but beats he created decades ago can be heard across R&B and hip-hop. His own musical growth never stopped, even including a foray into symphonic composition and performance. Through it all, Lewis remained grounded, never leaving behind his roots in Chicago. Aaron Cohen teaches humanities at City Colleges of Chicago and writes for numerous publications, including the Chicago Tribune, DownBeat, and Chicago Reader. He is the author of Move on Up: Chicago Soul Music and Black Cultural Power and Amazing Grace. Cohen has been a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar and is a two-time recipient of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for outstanding music writing. Earlier this year, Steele Records released The Beatles Songbook: The Saturday Salon Series, Volume One, created during pandemic-era livestreamed sessions in Lewis’s living room and approved for release by the pianist shortly before his passing. His first ever solo piano recording, the CD contains new interpretations of 12 Lennon-McCartney songs, a body of work that Lewis had previously delved into because it was music that, like his own, had demonstrated universal appeal. Jeff Tamarkin in JazzTimes called the album “a touching, sensitive and intelligently executed tribute... Lewis’ homages never fail to honor the Beatles’ essence, even as he puts his own distinctive stamp on a melody…. A perfect bookend to a long and illustrious career.” Gentleman of Jazz: A Life in Music will be available in hardcover ($25.99), e-book, and audio formats. Concert presented by the City of Chicago: Tribute to Ramsey Lewis: A Gentleman of Jazz, with special surprise guests Thursday, 6/22 • 6:30pm Millennium Park, Jay Pritzker Pavilion Preorder book here.        Ramsey Lewis Web Site   Blackstone Publishing Web Site  

Arizona's Nick Ahmed hits a double on a pitch that bounced in front of the plate. Hitter stuns MLB world by hitting insanely bad pitch (msn.com)

I've just finished Ben Yagoda's The B Side. Very informative for me. For small examples, I did not know that the first artist to record an album of only one composer's work was Lee Wiley. And the first album to use the term "Greatest Hits" in its title was Johnny Mathis' Johnny's Greatest Hits in 1958. https://www.hamiltonbook.com/the-b-side-the-death-of-tin-pan-alley-and-the-rebirth-of-the-great-american-song-hardbound

RIP. I saw him south of Atlanta ca. 1990, and he was great! Ahmad Jamal dies at 92 - Search (bing.com)

New York City has a new (what the press are calling) Rat Czar...The Director of Rodent Migration.

Happy Easter, my friends!

Thanks sg!

Miles - The Bootleg Series Vol. 7: That’s What Happened 1982-1985 - $20.80 prime https://www.amazon.com/Bootleg-Vol-Thats-Happened-1982-1985/dp/B0B3F8S4WJ/

NOW, GRAHAM NASH’S FIRST NEW STUDIO ALBUM IN SEVEN YEARS OUT MAY 19 VIA BMG NEW TRACK “A BETTER LIFE” AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY NOW Format(s): Americana, Classic Hits, Classic Rock, Non-Commercial, NPR, Rock, Triple A SPRING/SUMMER TOUR INCLUDES MULTIPLE NIGHT RESIDENCIES IN NEW YORK, CHICAGO, D.C. AREA AND MORE Two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and founding member of both the Hollies and Crosby, Stills & Nash Graham Nash returns with his first studio album of new material in seven years, titled Now, due May 19 on BMG. The album is produced by Nash and longtime touring keyboardist Todd Caldwell. Of the new record, Nash states “I believe that my new album Now is the most personal one I have ever made. At this point in my life, that's something to say!” The new songs on Now are worthy additions to the canon of a two-time inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, a body of work that American Songwriter magazine calls “just as significant today as they were when written some 50 years ago.” Nash will hit the road in support of Now this spring with a run of performances throughout the U.S. The Sixty Years of Songs and Stories tour - marks the sixtieth anniversary of Nash’s first single with the Hollies, one of the leaders of the British Invasion in the 1960s. Additionally, in June and July Nash will revisit his west coast tour dates recently postponed due to Covid. In addition to his two Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions (with Crosby, Stills & Nash and the Hollies), Nash is a two-time inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame - as a solo artist and with CSN - and a Grammy Award winner. Towering above virtually everything that Graham Nash has accomplished in his multifaceted career stands the litany of songs that he has written and introduced to the soundtrack of the past half century. SIXTY YEARS OF SONGS AND STORIES TOUR APRIL 12 – Colonial Theatre – Phoenixville, PA April 13 – Colonial Theatre – Phoenxville, PA April 15 – Ram’s Head On Stage – Annapolis, MD April 16 – Ram’s Head On Stage – Annapolis, MD April 18 – The Birchmere – Alexandria, VA April 19 – The Birchmere – Alexandria, VA April 21 – Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall – Pittsburgh, PA April 22 – Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall – Pittsburgh, PA April 23 – The Palladium at Center for the Performing Arts – Carmel, IN April 25 – Old Town School of Folk Music – Chicago, IL April 26 – Old Town School of Folk Music – Chicago, IL April 28 – Old Town School of Folk Music – Chicago, IL April 29 – Old Town School of Folk Music – Chicago, IL April 30 – Old Town School of Folk Music – Chicago, IL May 2 – The Dakota – Minneapolis, MN May 4 – The Dakota – Minneapolis, MN May 5 – The Dakota – Minneapolis, MN May 7 – Southern Theatre – Columbus, OH May 8 – Asbury Hall – Buffalo, NY May 10 – Bethel Woods Event Gallery – Bethel Woods, NY May 11 – Cabot Theater – Beverly, MA May 13 – The Music Hall – Portsmouth, NH May 14 – City Winery – New York, NY May 16 – City Winery – New York, NY May 17 – City Winery – New York, NY June 17 – Smothers Theatre – Malibu, CA June 18 – Humphrey’s – San Diego, CA June 20 – Fox Theatre – Tucson, AZ June 21 – Celebrity Theatre – Phoenix, AZ June 24 – Chautauqua Auditorium – Boulder, CO June 25 – Washington’s – Fort Collins, CO June 27 – Strings Music Pavilion – Steamboat Springs, CO June 29 – Riverwalk Center – Breckenridge, CO July 1 – The Egyptian Theatre – Park City, UT July 2 – The Egyptian Theatre – Park City, UT July 3 – The Egyptian Theatre – Park City, UT July 5 – Argyros Performaing Arts Center – Ketchum, ID July 7 – The Panida – Sandpoint, ID July 8 – Pantages Theater – Tacoma, WA July 10 – Freight & Salvage – Berkeley, CA July 11 – Freight & Salvage – Berkeley, CA July 13 – Freight & Salvage – Berkeley, CA July 15 – The Lobero Theatre – Santa Barbara, CA July 16 – The Lobero Theatre – Santa Barbara, CA Find Graham Nash Online: www.GrahamNash.com www.truetonegroup.com/grahamnash

London Brew - New Album Inspired By Miles Davis' Bitches Brew - Out Today Featuring Benji B, Theon Cross, Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings, Dave Okumu, Tom Skinner, Martin Terefe & More London Brew is out today on Concord Jazz, a new album inspired by Miles Davis' Bitches Brew from a crème de la crème collection of UK jazz luminaries, available now on 2CD and digitally, with the 2LP release (available on black vinyl, limited edition opaque blue, and indie-exclusive voodoo maroon vinyl) to follow on April 14. Comprised of a veritable who's who of some of the most important and innovative musicians of the 21st century, London Brew features contributions from Benji B, Theon Cross, Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings, Dave Okumu, Tom Skinner and more, brought together by Producer and guitarist Martin Terefe and Executive Producer Bruce Lampcov. London Brew Trailer Speaking of the album's release, Lampcov offers: "I can hardly contain my excitement now that London Brew is finally ready to be served to the world, after the idea for it was conceived more than three years ago. This record was inspired by Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, shaped by the trials of a global pandemic, and created with the exceptional talents of London's finest musicians. It is a testament to the creative ingenuity and collaborative spirit of these musicians, as well as the support of numerous allies who have helped bring it to fruition." "An eight-song, almost 90-minute LP of genre-hopping experimentation that blurs the lines between rock, jazz and ambient, sometimes within the scope of one song" - NY Times Read The New York Times Feature Here "Brilliant though many of these musicians have been in numerous other contexts, this might be some of their finest work: a thrilling voyage into the outer regions of electric jazz" - Uncut, 9/10 “It’s a kind of jazz - on an ambitious scale, drawing dark beauty from chaos - it would be nice to hear more than twice a century" - MOJO, 4/5 "An epic feat of improvisation" - The Observer "As Wayne Shorter, who played on Bitches Brew, famously said, jazz means 'I dare you.' The players on London Brew have taken the dare, and good for them" - Stereogum "Almost magically, it shrewdly captures an ever-shifting London at a very specific point of time. Davis would be proud" - Loud and Quiet, 8/10 "The success of London Brew isn't in trying to emulate the original Brew but in inspiring the players to live up to the concept. The album feels both of the original vintage in its occasional psychedelic trappings and, masterfully, altogether new... Rarely is retro so now" - The Wire "Capturing the contrary emotions of the pandemic, lockdown, and the easing of restrictions, London Brew relishes in union, and communal creativity" – Clash To tie in with the album's release, a new single from the album also sees release today, "It's One of These": an abstracted, syncopated Afrobeat maelstrom that cooks up a storm at the heart of London Brew's running order and allows Hutchings ample space to shine. Of the track, Terefe explains: "After choosing various pieces of the source material to work on, this is the one I finished mixing first. It’s starts with such a dirty groove and then comes Shabaka’s initial formula one race through and around the inner workings of the ensemble. Then all of a sudden it falls apart, new sections appear as trying to and rev it all up again but it starts and stops in the most magical way. I followed the melodies and loved what I found." London Brew reflects an emotional journey through the period in which it was conceived, having been recorded during the pandemic and after many months of isolation and the inability to collaborate in person. Recorded in December 2020 at Paul Epworth's Church Studios in London, Terefe explains how the resulting music is "sometimes uncomfortable, other times it's familiar and joyous and other times it's like deep meditation." London Brew - Raven Flies Low [Single Edit] (Official Audio) What began as a plan for a live performance at the Barbican in honour of the 50th anniversary of Bitches Brew in early 2020 - an event that was sadly to be scuppered by the pandemic - would eventually blossom into so much more. London Brew is a collection of original recordings rooted in inspiration and celebration - not just a rapturous, moving tribute to one of the most totemic figures in modern music but equally a one-off moment in London's musical history captured forever on four sides of vinyl. As Lampcov writes in the album's liner notes, "London Brew is also inspired by... London. The city, the people, her creativity and her struggles. London Brew is primordial, born out of a year of trying to get to grips with what being human is about. The sounds and melodies cover the gamut of human emotion from delicate and caring to coarse and angry. Nothing is left unsaid." An intelligent, dexterous assault on the senses from a group of artists united in their freewheeling vision, London Brew's eight tracks are unified by an experimental, improvisatory fire. "In all my years of recording, I'd never been involved in an improvisatory process on this scale," offers The Invisible's Dave Okumu. "It's ease and sense of endlessness is surely a testament to the calibre of each musician and the unique manner in which they've taken on the lessons Miles set before us through his recording and performances." Theon Cross highlights how "the possibility of playing with a larger group of people [at the end of a year marked by the pandemic] with such an open and free approach was an incredibly powerful and moving experience," while Shabaka Hutchings comments: "For me, that's what Bitches Brew is. It's a bunch of musicians making music because of the love of making music, as a social force and as a social construct. They are creating something that expresses unity and motion. That's what it is to be alive… you know, you have unity, you have motion, and you have vibration. You don't get any more alive than that. That's Bitches Brew." That's London Brew, too, and you won't have ever heard anything quite like it. London Brew is: Benji B: Decks, Sonic Re-cycling Raven Bush: Violin, Electronics Theon Cross: Tuba Nubya Garcia: Saxophone, Flute Tom Herbert: Electric Bass, Double Bass Shabaka Hutchings: Saxophone, Woodwinds Nikolaj Torp Larsen: Synthesizers, Melodica Dave Okumu: Guitar Nick Ramm: Piano, Synthesizers Dan See: Drums, Percussion Tom Skinner: Drums, Percussion Martin Terefe: Guitar, Electronics Artist Title Time London Brew Miles Chases New Voodoo In The Church (Edit) 03:15 London Brew Raven Flies Low (Edit) 03:38 London Brew London Brew 23:34 London Brew London Brew Pt 2. - Trainlines 15:48 London Brew Miles Chases New Voodoo In The Church 07:28 London Brew Nu Sha Ni Sha Nu Oss Ra 08:55 London Brew It’s One Of These 06:55 London Brew Bassics 02:50 London Brew Mor Ning Prayers 09:52 London Brew Raven Flies Low 12:57

Richard X Bennett & Matt Parker Bring Their All-Encompassing Musical Visions Together with "Parker Plays X," Set for Release May 5 by BYNK Records Pianist & Saxophonist Assimilate Each Other's Sensibilities On a Collection of Bennett's Jazz Compositions, Written with Parker in Mind CD Release Show at BWAC, Brooklyn Saturday, May 13   April 3, 2023 Friends and collaborators Richard X Bennett and Matt Parker heighten their creative relationship with the May 5 release of their album Parker Plays X on BYNK Records (Because You Never Know). The record finds pianist-composer Bennett and saxophonist Parker co-leading a session for the first time as they—along with bassist Adam Armstrong and drummer Julian Edmond—explore a dozen Bennett compositions that range from straightahead bebop to avant-garde freakouts to classic jump blues, among other styles. Both musicians embrace this kind of wide variety, though Bennett is inclined toward music with a groove while Parker prefers free jazz’s boundless experimentation. It was at that confluence of form and freedom that the two came together. “A lot of free players can play wild without actually playing the song,” the pianist recalls of their first meeting. “It was obvious in sixty seconds that Matt had it.” “It’s a unique experience to take on someone else’s sensibility so intensely,” adds Parker of their musical merger. “I tried internalizing Richard’s melodies and took it from there.” It’s not just the saxophonist who takes on someone else’s sensibility. The most atonal and challenging pieces on Parker Plays X are not spontaneous free improvisations but premeditated compositions, with Bennett harnessing some of Parker’s “wild” side to his own ends. The explosive “Countertransference” is actually a three-part suite; the frenetic “No Cigarettes No Coffee No Weed No Sleep” is inspired by Parker’s impassioned speech during a late-night phone call to Bennett. Indisputably, however, Parker also adapts himself to Bennett’s more groove-centered aesthetic. His sonic torrents add momentum to the already rollicking jump blues “Belly First”; his boozy, coarse tenor line gives “Semi Vintage” a dose of appropriately retro swagger; and his melodic soprano improvisation drives home the high-octane waltz rhythm of “Bus 61.” The remarkable contributions of Armstrong and Edmond are not to be dismissed. The rhythm players bring crucial shape and dimension to tunes like “Style V Substance” and the cathartic ballad “Two Years Later.” Even so, it’s the piano-and-tenor duet closer, “Sagebrush,” that makes manifest the two-man chemistry at the heart of Parker Plays X. Richard X Bennett and Matt Parker both made deep connections to jazz in their teenage years. Both made their way to Brooklyn, where they built their careers as wide-ranging improvising musicians. And both are defined by their omnivorous musical appetites and their refusal to be restrained by convention. Their paths to these similar destinations, however, were markedly different. Arriving in New York in the 1990s, Bennett found himself working with an expansive palette, from blues and jazz to funk and rock. The palette became broader still in the 2000s, when he accompanied his girlfriend (now wife) to India and became entranced by the subcontinent’s raga traditions. He recorded several Indo-jazz albums for Indian record labels. It wasn’t until 2017 that he released his first jazz album for a U.S. audience: Experiments With Truth, featuring Parker and Armstrong along with baritone saxophonist Lisa Parrott and drummer Alex Wyatt. Five more albums followed, marrying jazz to Indian music and electronica as well as exploring contemporary jazz in itself with his RXB3 trio. Parker was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he fell in love with jazz after seeing trumpeter Maynard Ferguson in concert. He was mentored by the legendary South Florida saxophonist Jimmy Cavallo and played professionally as a teenager before moving to New York and studying with Jane Ira Bloom, Barry Harris, and Junior Mance. Parker was profoundly influenced by avant-garde players along with straightahead stalwarts, paying tribute to both on his albums Worlds Put Together (2014) and Present Time (2016). His career has been a wildly eclectic one, with highlights ranging from work with Reggie Workman, Pete Fountain, and the Mingus Big Band to performance with Ariana Grande, membership in the viral ensemble Postmodern Jukebox, and appearances (both musical and on-screen) in the hit action film John Wick. The Richard X Bennett/Matt Parker Quartet performs a CD release concert (two sets) at BWAC, 481 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn, on Saturday 5/13, 5pm. Photography: Javier Oddo      "Belly First" (from "Parker Plays X")  Richard X Bennett Web Site   Matt Parker Web Site   BYNK Records Web Site  

Thank you Jim! It's been so great!

Happy Birthday Mimi Jones! (born 1972)

Guitarist/Composer Ryan Meagher Unveils a Unique Blend of Sound and Vision on "AftEarth," Set for May 19 Release by Atroefy Records Project Is a Collaboration with Visual Artist Tina Granzo, Pairing a 62-Page Book of Pen-and-Ink Artwork with 12 Tracks by a Quartet With Saxophonist Tim Willcox, Bassist Andrew Jones, & Drummer Charlie Doggett, Guest Keyboardist Clay Giberson   March 23, 2023 Guitarist/composer Ryan Meagher explores postapocalyptic soundscapes—and imagery—on the scintillating AftEarth, set for a May 19 release on Atroefy Records. On one level a quartet recording—with Portland, Oregon-based saxophonist Tim Willcox, bassist Andrew Jones, and drummer Charlie Doggett delving into 11 Meagher compositions (and a jazz setting of a Felix Mendelssohn composition)—it is also a collaboration with visual artist Tina Granzo, whose lonesome, haunting pen-and-ink images form the album’s packaging. Though largely created in the shadow of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, AftEarth was initially conceived earlier, as a cross-disciplinary project dealing with themes of apathy, inaction, and the devastating effects they could bring to the world. With the advent of the pandemic, alienation and mortality inevitably became major players among those themes. “Tina drew a ‘seed’ drawing for each [theme],” explains Meagher (pronounced Marr). “I wrote music for each theme/seed, and then she drew more art for each tune after hearing the music.” The drawings feature odd juxtapositions of nature and manmade objects, portending the aftermath of ecological and technological disaster. While they unquestionably explore humans’ effects on the world around them, the drawings are empty of humans themselves; while Granzo simply believes that she is “terrible at drawing people,” that emptiness itself is a key component of both the visual and sonic sides of the project. The slow pace and echo effects of “AftEarth,” “End of the Rainbow,” and “The American Scream” suggest vast, lonely landscapes, bereft of companionship, while the melodic shapes of “Refuse, the Redeemer,” “Vanity’s Breath,” and “Scorched Berth” evoke an insular kind of sadness and regret. Art and music are also featured in a series of videos created by Granzo and posted on Meagher’s web site (ryanmeagher.com, password: AmericanScream). “This project was partly inspired by the animated videos Brad Mehldau released alongside his Finding Gabriel album,” says Meagher (pictured below right with Granzo). “Tina’s videos are one of the more compelling aspects of the abstract storytelling we set out to do. We wanted them to unfold slowly while the music develops, and for the viewer to wonder where this whole thing is going next.” Yet for all its melancholy, both the art and the music are singularly beautiful. Meagher’s playing uses a variety of moods and colors to build striking melodies and solos, and locks in beautifully with Willcox’s tenor and soprano saxes and, on three tracks, Clay Giberson’s piano and keyboards. Even more locked in are Jones and Doggett, who share a stark instinct for rhythmic punch. Some of AftEarth’s themes became manifest during its creation. An early version of Meagher’s band fell apart due to their unease at rehearsing during COVID’s reign, and the ultimate recording took place during a freak summer heatwave in Portland. Nevertheless, they persisted, and their efforts paid off handsomely—casting a ray of hope on the dark themes of the project. If these musicians can succeed, the rest of us can, too. Ryan Meagher was born in 1981 in San Jose, California. His childhood was driven by a love of baseball until, in his early teens, the discovery of grunge music led him first to Nirvana, then to the African American traditions of jazz and blues. The new passion carried him through high school and on to San Diego State University, where he was mentored by trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos. Meagher moved in 2003 to New York City, a year later making his debut album Sun Resounding with pianist Bryn Roberts and drummer Greg Ritchie. Fresh Sound New Talent releases Atroefy (2009) and Tone (2012) followed, the latter made during a bicoastal period: Meagher was living in New York but also attending graduate school at the University of Nevada, Reno. That same year, upon completing his MM, he moved to Portland, Oregon full time. Upon arrival, Meagher quickly became a crucial component of the Rose City’s bustling jazz scene. He currently serves as cofounder and programming director of the Montavilla Jazz Festival, artistic director of the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble (and director of its attendant record label, PJCE Records), director of jazz programs at Lower Columbia College, and a teacher of guitar at both Mount Hood Community College and the University of Portland. He also works regularly with Portland luminaries including pianists George Colligan and Andrew Durkin, saxophonist Bryan Smith, and bassist Chris Higgins, in addition to Willcox, Jones, and Doggett. AftEarth is his ninth recording. Photography: Angelica Lammers (Ryan), Douglas Detrick (Ryan & Tina)   Ryan Meagher "AftEarth" (title track)  Ryan Meagher Web Site  

Count me in! Autographed copies?

That's great, Ken! I'll have to pull out the Lennie's CD and re-read your notes.

Live at Lennie's on the Turnpike April 15, 1965 Joe Farrell (ts, ss, fl) Jaki Byard (p) George Tucker (b) Alan Dawson (d)

Me too!

Bobby Caldwell has passed away at 71. RIP. Bobby Caldwell dies - Search (bing.com)

Steve Allen defined a jazz singer to be a singer who either... a) sings jazz, or b) sings in front of a jazz band.

for the first time since 1987. US vinyl overtakes CD sales - Search (bing.com)

Yelena Eckemoff Presses Forward with Her Bold, Conceptual Vision of Jazz on "Lonely Man and His Fish," Releasing April 28 on L&H Production Pianist/Composer Weaves an Inspiring, Deeply Human Narrative With the Superlative Talents of Kirk Knuffke, Masaru Koga, Ben Street, & Eric Harland   March 10, 2023 Pianist-composer Yelena Eckemoff’s body of elaborate, ambitious jazz concept albums reaches a new virtuosic summit with Lonely Man and His Fish, to be released April 28 on her own L&H Production label. A double-CD set, the album is also a long-form parable, a story of deep affection between a human and his beloved pet. An all-star lineup—cornetist Kirk Knuffke, flutist Masaru Koga, bassist Ben Street, and drummer Eric Harland—helps Eckemoff breathe life into the tale. Eckemoff, who is an artist and poet as well as a pianist and composer, typically creates imagery and text to augment her programmatic music. In the case of Lonely Man and His Fish, she outlines the concept as a prose narrative, broken down into short chapter-like sections that correspond to each track on the album, along with paintings that illustrate key moments. Yet, as with all of her multidisciplinary projects, it’s the music that is front and center. “Every album I do is conceptual,” she explains. “At first I get an idea about a project, whether it’s stages of life, colors, smells, or animals. Once I get an idea, I don’t write out the story before the music. I have the story worked out in my head. When I compose, I already know how the story is going to come out.” In a sense, the actual execution of the music brings in an aspect yet another creative discipline: theater. Knuffke and his cornet perform the role of Tim, the “lonely man” of the album title (who is a retired orchestral trumpet player). Koga wields a shakuhachi—a Japanese bamboo flute—to channel the character of Spark, Tim’s fish and companion. Each has impressive solo features, like Knuffke’s on “The Lonely Man” and Koga’s on “Life in the Pond.” But the two musicians also exchange and interact beautifully on tunes like the funky “A Man and His Fish” (on which Yelena plays celeste, the first time she’s recorded on anything but piano in a studio setting) and the warm, fond closer “Dreaming Together.” Not to be dismissed, however, is the strength and empathy of the splendid rhythm section. Eckemoff, Street, and Harland bring remarkable alchemy to “First Evening at Home” and “Into the Wild” and a startling urgency to “Accident,” but also treat “Empty House” and “Survivor” with elegance and sensitivity. Lonely Man and His Fish comes from Eckemoff’s narrative, but ultimately it’s the product of five ingenious storytellers. L. to r.: Ben Street, Eric Harland, Yelena Eckemoff, Kirk Knuffke, Masaru Koga. Yelena Eckemoff was born and raised in Moscow—capital of what was then the Soviet Union—where she started playing by ear and composing music when she was four. She would go on to study classical piano the most prestigious music academies in Russia: the Gnessins School for musically gifted children, where she was a protégée of the great piano pedagogue Anna Pavlovna Kantor, and then the Moscow State Conservatory. Gradually, however, Eckemoff’s ears wandered beyond her classical training; fissures in the Iron Curtain allowed her to discover first rock, then jazz. When she saw Dave Brubeck’s performance in Moscow in 1987, she settled on jazz as her permanent musical path. That path turned out to run through the United States, where Eckemoff immigrated in 1991 and settled in North Carolina. Now ensconced in the country that gave birth to jazz, she went in search of players who could do justice to her intricate ideas. The search was a long and sometimes frustrating one, but it paid off when she was able to work with the likes of bassist Mads Vinding and drummer Peter Erskine on her 2010 album Cold Sun. That project opened the door to Grass Catching the Wind and Flying Steps, collaborations with Vinding and Erskine, respectively; those, in turn, opened the door to a full and prolific career. Subsequent collaborators have included Mark Turner, Joe Locke, Billy Hart, Chris Potter, Ralph Alessi, Drew Gress, and Nasheet Waits along with Knuffke, Koga, Street, and Harland. Her unique, sophisticated, and highly expressive music continues to draw support and creative energy from the finest musicians in the world. Band photo by Sehee Kim   Yelena Eckemoff EPK: "Lonely Man and His Fish"  Yelena Eckemoff Web Site