On this weeks show a truly international selection of brand new releases from around the world of jazz with a focus on Claudio Scolari and Robert Jukič. Also featured are Roger Lewis, Lance Conrad, Shiri Zorn & George Muscatello, Jocelyn Gould, Dante Piccinelli, James Gaiters Soul Revival, Thomas Mitrousis, Chris Beyt, Brian Landrus, John Yao’s Triceratops, Subconscious Trio and kicking things off with Dana Fitzsimons, Bill Graham, and, Brandon Boone.
- Show Intro 00:00
- Dana Fitzsimons with Bill Graham and Brandon Boone “Slant Anagrams” from Fault Lines (Self Released) 00:43
- Roger Lewis “Carrying The Saxophones” from Alright! (Irresistable/Revolutionary Records) 04:35
- Lance Conrad “Tower” from Home (Self Released) 12:08
- Shiri Zorn & George Muscatello “Witch Touch” from Into Another Land (Self Released) 20:23
- Jocelyn Gould “Gemini” from Golden Hour (Self Released) 25:38
- Claudio Scolari Project “Siciliano” from Don’t Know (Principal Records) 32:40
- Dante Piccinelli “AJ” from Uapití (ears&eyes) 39:30
- James Gaiters Soul Revival “Alfies Theme” from Understanding Reimagined (Self Released) 45:51
- Claudio Scolari Project “Binary Code” from Don’t Know (Principal Records) 53:59
- Thomas Mitrousis “Crossing Lines” from The Seed (Self Released) 1:00:21
- Chris Beyt “Scott’s Song” from New Roots (ears&eyes) 1:10:05
- Brian Landrus “The Red List” from Red List (Palmetto Records) 1:17:27
- John Yao’s Triceratops “Labyrinth” from Off-Kilter (See Tao Recordings) 1:28:10
- Robert Jukič “Pada” from Caminos De Gloria (ZKP RTV Slovenia) 1:38:41
- Robert Jukič “Skrunitev Sledi” from Izza (ZKP RTV Slovenia) 1:45:52
- Subconscious Trio “Whale Fell” from Water Shapes (DaVinci Records) 1:55:53
Dana Fitzsimons with Bill Graham and Brandon Boone
Dana Fitzsimons grew up in Connecticut and now lives in Atlanta. He attended Ithaca College
School of Music where he studied trumpet and earned a Bachelor of Music degree. He graduated
from William and Mary Law School a Juris Doctor degree in 2001. Fitzsimons spent years
studying the trumpet, but he switched his focus to the drums while he was in law school. He is a
member of the avant garde trio The Cheap Ensemble, with saxophonist Chris Otts and guitarist
Patrick Arthur, that released its critically acclaimed debut CD in 2017. He has
performed with pianist Harris Simon, legendary New Orleans vocalist Leigh “Little Queenie”
Harris, and 1920s jazz and hot swing group The Hot Club of Atlanta.
This new trio gathered a few times at Fitzsimons house before the lockdown. While the spark was
present from the first notes, the pandemic eliminated any possibility of live performances or
collective development. They didn’t see each other for two years until they went into the studio.
When they reunited, the spark was still there and had a heightened sense of urgency after the long
isolation and incubation – raw, strong, and ready to explode out of its confinement. In this
recording of their too long delayed musical reunion, composition meets free improvisation.
Dana Fitzsimons (drums)
Bill Graham (piano)
Brandon Boone (bass)
Roger Lewis
Dirty Dozen Brass Band Member with his debut as a leader.
- Roger Lewis – saxophones
- Herlin Riley – Drums
- Kirk Joseph – Sousaphone
- Mario Torregana Jr – Keyboards
- Mario Abney Trumpet
Recorded at Rick G. Nelson’s Marigny Studio in New Orleans
Lance Conrad
- Lance Conrad – Guitar
- Barclay Moffitt – Sax
- Peter Gemus – Bass
- Mark Valdes – Drums
“This is an homage to the end of a chapter, but it is a necessary beginning for the next. It is wistful, yet exciting – looking backwards and forwards at the same time. It encompasses both the comfort of the past and the anticipation of a bright future.
This album is a sentimental dedication to all of those who have invested so much time to help me realize my dreams. Home is a place of comfort, discovery, and curiosity. It is now also a launching pad to what’s next.
Features 7 tracks 4 composed and arranged by Lance Conrad. Also includes one composition each from Mark Valdes, Barclay Moffitt and Eddie Heywood.”
http://www.lanceconradmusic.com
Shiri Zorn & George Muscatello
Original, intoxicating, soulful, unexpected, powerful, celestial—this is how audiences have described Shiri Zorn and George Muscatello’s performances. Their nearly decade-long collaboration now culminates with their 2022 album Into Another Land: incubated during lockdown, the album is informed by the spontaneity of their past performance experience around Saratoga NY, and is further augmented by the rhythmic sensibilities of Brazilian percussionist Mauricio Zottarelli. Vocally produced by acclaimed jazz singer Tierney Sutton and mixed and mastered by award-winning studio engineer David Darlington, the album features eight songs, including two original compositions. The first piece recorded during the early months of isolation was the tender How Deep is the Ocean? The arrangement Zorn created features her voice up front and wordless, setting the emotional tone for the entire song. The melody ends with question mark and a shift to the major, reinforcing the album’s theme of the fleeting and elusive nature of life and love.
Many of the musical decisions made on the album were made collaboratively, and sometimes spontaneously. Zorn’s lyrics create back stories for pieces she had long sung wordlessly. Muscatello’s angular and melodically challenging compositions mesh beautifully with Zorn’s past experience in the world of classical voice. Zottarelli’s distinctive percussive voice introduces an unsettled heartbeat on one track and an upbeat celebration on another. Two original songs – the vulnerable Witch Touch and meditative I Wasn’t Ready – are evidence of a deep history of mutual trust and the cultivation of a sacred creative space from which a shared vision has emerged.
Into Another Land was released on Friday, June 10th 2022.
Jocelyn Gould
Golden Hour is guitarist Jocelyn Gould’s sophomore album. A follow up to her 2021 Juno-winning debut Elegant Traveler, Golden Hour further explores her musical character and personal development. It showcases her virtuosic guitar playing and dynamic compositions, and introduces her voice, which is featured on several tracks. Golden Hour features six original compositions and four American songbook standards. The album is steeped in traditional jazz guitar history, paying homage to guitar greats such as Wes Montgomery on Willow Weep for Me and the solo guitar style of Joe Pass on Sweet Lorraine. Her original compositions range from swinging straight ahead blues (Bright Note) to contemporary jazz compositions that include vamps and Coltrane changes (Gemini). She lends her voice to three tracks: Horizons, Serendipity, and A Cottage for Sale. Gould is joined by a group of internationally acclaimed musicians, including world renowned bassist Rodney Whitaker, drummer Quincy Davis, and pianist Will Bonness. This ensemble follows in the footsteps of many of the classic guitar quartet records which have inspired Gould. She rounds out the group with Monk Competition winning saxophonist Jon Gordon on three tracks
Claudio Scolari Project
The Claudio Scolari Project releases its sixth album “Don’t Know”: another journey into jazz experimentation inspired by images and emotions on which the artists create a completely improvised soundtrack.
released on May 10th 2022 – Principal Records
CLAUDIO SCOLARI: drum set 1, synth programming
DANIELE CAVALCA: drum set 2, Live synths, rhodes, piano
SIMONE SCOLARI: trumpet
MICHELE CAVALCA: electric bass
Dante Piccinelli
After making several albums as a sideman and finishing his studies at the Superior Technician in Jazz of the Conservatorio Superior de Musica Manuel de Falla, the young pianist and composer Dante Piccinelli releases his first album as a leader: Uapití. For the recording he called on the double bassist and composer Hernan Cassibba and the drummer Omar Menéndez.
Uapití arises from the idea of composing for a traditional format in jazz such as the piano trio (piano, double bass and drums), taking different styles within the genre and taking them to a current context. One of the objectives is to be able to show how these different styles can coexist forming something new and original and thus recover the value of the tradition of the genre without the need to enter conservative terrains.
James Gaiters Soul Revival
James Gaiters – leader and drums, Eddie Bayard – saxophone, Kevin Turner – guitar, Robert Mason – organ
The Columbus, Ohio native drummer/bandleader James Gaiters is one of the most swinging and rocksteady drummers on the scene today, as evidenced by his high profile gigs with Mulgrew Miller, David Murray, James Carter, and the jazz organ virtuoso Jimmy Smith, to name a select few. Gaiters is a student of the jazz organ trio tradition, and his new CD, Understanding Reimagined is his swinging and soulful 21st century take on the great organ/soul jazz pioneer John Patton’s 1968 Blue Note album Understanding, that featured tenor saxophonist/flutist Harold Alexander and drummer Hugh Walker.
Backed by his group, the James Gaiters Soul Revival, featuring tenor saxophonist Edwin Bayard, guitarist Kevin Turner, and Robert Mason on organ, the leader adds his own syncopated sonic signature to Patton’s original six selections. Alexander’s “Ding Dong,” is rhythmically rendered in a peppery, boogaloo groove. Gaiters reminisces in tempo on the Sam Gary/Mark Nash title track, and puts a nice West Indian beat to the Isaac Hayes-penned, Sam & Dave hit, “Soul Man,” contrasted by his turbo-charged rendition of Sonny Rollins’ “Alfie’s Theme.” Gaiters’ take on Patton’s “Congo Chant” perfectly bookends John Coltrane’s “Africa,” complete with Bayard’s sizzling Coltranesque “sheets of sound,” and Gaiters’ in-the-pocket solo. On Kenny Burrell’s “Chitlins con Carne,” the group slows things down to a soothing, blues-in-the-night mood, equally at home on the jukebox and in the juke joint. Understanding Reimagined is Gaiters’ third CD as a leader. His previous recordings include, Looking Back Ahead, and Exodus—both with his MUV-MeNT ensemble—and he also performs with the Columbus-based Afro-pop, soul-jazz collective, Watu Utungo, which means “Rhythmic People” in Swahili. Gaiters started playing drums at the age of four. His mother played piano, and his father is a pastor. He grew up listening to a wide berth of music that ranged from Wynton Marsalis and Chick Corea, to the Yellowjackets, and Stanley Clarke. He played in local bands, planned to study architecture in college, and in 1994 played in the Ohio State University Jazz Ensemble, where he met Bayard. Gaiters’ big break came when toured with MoJazz recording artist, trumpeter Pharez Whitted. In addition to the aforementioned artists he worked with, Gaiters also performed a with a number of jazz and pop stars including, Frank Foster, Andrew White, Wessell “Warmdaddy” Anderson, Tim Warfield, JD Allen, Terell Stafford, Neena Freelon and James Earl Jones. Gaiters has also toured nationally, and internationally with New York based musician/actor/poet, David Gonzales’ Mytholojazz, an off-Broadway version of the Greek myth of Orpheus, and of the Chilean legend, Delgadina, and was part of trumpeter/composer Hannibal Lokumbe’s opus, African Portraits: a celebration of African American resilience, culture and art. As Dr. Ted McDaniel, Prof. Emeritus of Ohio State University wrote in the liner notes to Understanding Reimagined, “[w]hat the Gaiters band does is remarkable and gives us reason to smile because they have found new and expressive ways to create differences from the previous and/or original versions of this music, with much success.”
Thomas Mitrousis
Thomas Mitrousis was born and grew up in Athens. He started playing the guitar at the age of 12 and after finishing school he decided to study at the Jazz department of Codarts Rotterdam. He has performed and collaborated with various artists in Greece and Netherlands over the years. In March 2022 he released his debut album with his original compositions entitled “The Seed”
Thomas Mitrousis: guitar
Kostas Yaxoglou: piano
Paraskevas Kitsos: double bass
Dimitris Klonis: drums
Recorded in May 2021 at Antart Studios by Nikos Kollias and Yannis Damianos
Chris Beyt
A blend of modern jazz and electronic compositions. With this latest project, Chris Beyt found a comfortable workflow combining live performances with electronic composition and post-production effects. By handling composition, performance, and audio engineering himself, he was able to freely compose and improvise at every level of production. This release marks Chris Beyt’s third release as a leader, and second also functioning recording/ mixing/ mastering engineer.
Chris Beyt – Guitar, electric bass, sampling & sequencing, recording/ mixing/
mastering
Jacob Rodriguez – Tenor Sax
Pavel Wlosok – Piano, Fender Rhodes
Ryan M – Acoustic bass
Jay Sawyer – Drums
Brian Landrus
For his 11th album as a leader and second on Palmetto Records, baritone saxophonist and bass clarinet ace Brian Landrus gathered an all-star crew to help bring awareness to a grave matter of life or death on Red List: Music Dedicated to the Preservation of Our Endangered Species. As he wrote in the liner notes: “I recently began researching the many endangered species on our planet. It broke my heart to learn that there are only eight vaquitas, 67 Javan rhinos and fewer than 850 mountain gorillas left on earth. Spreading awareness of this tragic global situation is part of the impetus for this album.” The album was released on June 17, 2022. Hoping that Red List will help to facilitate “critical yet uncomfortable conversations about changing our global habit of destroying nature for our own gain,” Landrus is collaborating with the organization Save The Elephants to sound the alarm. He is joined by trombonist Ryan Keberle, keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer, guitarist Nir Felder, tenor saxophonist Ron Blake, alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, bassist Lonnie Plaxico, percussionist John Hadfield, trumpeter Steve Roach, drummer Rudy Royston and vocalist Corey King. Together they create entrancing grooves, lush harmonies, evocative interludes and epic crescendos, all in the service of Landrus’ thoughtful compositions that bring attention to the plight of 13 endangered species. (The Red List was compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk of animal, fungus and plant species.)
John Yao’s Triceratops
Musically scratching that prehistoric itch, trombonist/composer John Yao has once again unleashed his three-horn terror Triceratops on unsuspecting listeners with the band’s even more audacious second outing, Off-Kilter. The album title is an apt one, vividly capturing the exhilarating sense of risk-taking and disconcerting invention that make up this boldly unpredictable album.
Released on June 10, 2022 via Yao’s own See Tao Recordings, Off-Kilter reunites the brilliant frontline from Triceratops’ 2019 debut, How We Do – saxophonists Billy Drewes and Jon Irabagon along with Yao himself – and drummer Mark Ferber. This time the chordless quartet is completed by bassist Robert Sabin, a longtime collaborator with Yao’s 17-Piece Instrument big band. While How We Do featured some of Yao’s most envelope-pushing music to date, he deliberately stretched the limits even further on Off-Kilter. The compositions are at once daringly complex yet expansive and open, challenging these gifted players while offering limitless space in which to venture and discover.
Robert Jukič
Slovenian double bass player and composer living in Brussels since the end of 2019.
He has just been to the studio again with his quartet in april and as a result a new CD “Izza” has just been released. They recently presented the music and some music from their previous record Caminos De Gloria (released in september 2021) at the Cerkno Jazz festival. Both releases are featured
The quartet features Boštjan Simon on saxophone, Tomaž Gajšt on trumpet and Kristijan Krajnčan on drums. They have been together since 2018. Robert says” I love playing with these guys, they are great musicians, accomplished instrumentalists and fearless explorers. And they are allways ready to go for it, even when we don’t know the terrain or where we’re going and we have no idea what’s waiting out there. For the quartet I tend to compose a playground with strong melodies over harmonically complex structures which challenge us all and give us the opportunity to walk on the edge as that is the place where we feel most sincere and comfortable. We love the basic idea of freedom and adventure in jazz and we’re also aware of the heritage, possibilities and coexistence of various musical worlds that we have individually. The music resembles individual and collective times and struggles, sounds of despair and hope”.
Skrunitev Sledi translates as Defamation Follows
Subconcious Trio
Debut album
Subconscious Trio was formed in Milan im 2015. The members of the trio are Monique Chao (pianist, vocalist); Victoria Kirilova (upright bassist) and Francesca Remigi (drummer). Their repertoire includes original compositions written and arranged by three musicians. Their music is a unique mixture of a wide variety of musical influences stemming from the different cultural heritages – Taiwan, Bulgaria and Italy.
Bulgarian and Taiwanese traditional music, Indian music, pop and funk , and Jazz are all part of the mix.
Different Noises 