Sparkle
by Rick Anderson
Here is the genius of drummer and composer Jeff Hamilton: in the middle of a program that consists almost entirely of standards like "Laura" and "A Sleepin' Bee" and "Too Marvelous for Words," he takes his trio through a seven-minute version of Stephen Bishop's 1970s schlock-pop hit "On and On." And he turns it into a quiet, softly polished gem of a jazz ballad by doing two things: having pianist Tamir Hendelman keep the melodic elaborations minimal (ensuring that the occasional bluesy flourishes will be all the more effective) and playing almost all of his accompaniment on the tom-toms and on the bells of his ride cymbals. It's the drumming that makes the tune, but unless you pay close attention you won't even notice it. That's what a genius drummer does. Hamilton is also a gifted writer, as the thrilling blues-bop excursion "Red Sparkle" demonstrates, and a very fine interpreter of jazz classics. His arrangement of the Ray Brown composition "I Know You Oh So Well" (which features unusually lovely arco bass playing by Christoph Luty) and a hard-swinging version of "Too Marvelous for Words" are both highlights, and his take on Thelonious Monk's "Bye-Ya" is very interesting: here he simultaneously squares up and dislocates the rhythms of Monk's Carribbean-flavored composition, creating a version that may not be completely successful but is nevertheless lots of fun -- and it's always good to hear someone with the confidence to make a Monk tune his own. Fans of contemporary straight-ahead jazz won't be disappointed.
by Rick Anderson
Here is the genius of drummer and composer Jeff Hamilton: in the middle of a program that consists almost entirely of standards like "Laura" and "A Sleepin' Bee" and "Too Marvelous for Words," he takes his trio through a seven-minute version of Stephen Bishop's 1970s schlock-pop hit "On and On." And he turns it into a quiet, softly polished gem of a jazz ballad by doing two things: having pianist Tamir Hendelman keep the melodic elaborations minimal (ensuring that the occasional bluesy flourishes will be all the more effective) and playing almost all of his accompaniment on the tom-toms and on the bells of his ride cymbals. It's the drumming that makes the tune, but unless you pay close attention you won't even notice it. That's what a genius drummer does. Hamilton is also a gifted writer, as the thrilling blues-bop excursion "Red Sparkle" demonstrates, and a very fine interpreter of jazz classics. His arrangement of the Ray Brown composition "I Know You Oh So Well" (which features unusually lovely arco bass playing by Christoph Luty) and a hard-swinging version of "Too Marvelous for Words" are both highlights, and his take on Thelonious Monk's "Bye-Ya" is very interesting: here he simultaneously squares up and dislocates the rhythms of Monk's Carribbean-flavored composition, creating a version that may not be completely successful but is nevertheless lots of fun -- and it's always good to hear someone with the confidence to make a Monk tune his own. Fans of contemporary straight-ahead jazz won't be disappointed.
Be Good
by Chris Nickson
Gregory Porter's sophomore effort confirms the talent that was so apparent on his debut. He's developed greater technique and subtlety in his impressive singing. The '70s soul is still quite apparent in his voice, with shades of Donny Hathaway and Bill Withers, but he's also the vocal heir to Nat King Cole. He's becoming a major talent, not just as a singer but also as a composer, with a unique, elliptical style, both for melodies and lyrics, which is quite evident when held up against the covers here. Porter is also acutely aware of dynamics, able to move smoothly from the softness of "Imitation of Life" to the almost atonality of the raucous "Bling Bling," which also features some excellent scat singing. His own material isn't immediately memorable, but insinuates itself into the brain after a few hearings, sophisticated and often beautiful. He keeps his soul/blues credentials alive with a version of "Work Song" that allows him to go full-throated against some honking sax. To finish, there's an a cappella version of "God Bless the Child," a song forever associated with Billie Holiday. It's a daring move, and one that works as it showcases the tenderness in his voice, with an almost liquid quality in the singing, the emotions hinted at rather than laid out. It's a superb climax to a disc that should certainly help Porter's star rise even further.
by Chris Nickson
Gregory Porter's sophomore effort confirms the talent that was so apparent on his debut. He's developed greater technique and subtlety in his impressive singing. The '70s soul is still quite apparent in his voice, with shades of Donny Hathaway and Bill Withers, but he's also the vocal heir to Nat King Cole. He's becoming a major talent, not just as a singer but also as a composer, with a unique, elliptical style, both for melodies and lyrics, which is quite evident when held up against the covers here. Porter is also acutely aware of dynamics, able to move smoothly from the softness of "Imitation of Life" to the almost atonality of the raucous "Bling Bling," which also features some excellent scat singing. His own material isn't immediately memorable, but insinuates itself into the brain after a few hearings, sophisticated and often beautiful. He keeps his soul/blues credentials alive with a version of "Work Song" that allows him to go full-throated against some honking sax. To finish, there's an a cappella version of "God Bless the Child," a song forever associated with Billie Holiday. It's a daring move, and one that works as it showcases the tenderness in his voice, with an almost liquid quality in the singing, the emotions hinted at rather than laid out. It's a superb climax to a disc that should certainly help Porter's star rise even further.
Matt Slocum
After The Storm
By Bill Milkowski at JazzTimes
As a followup to his outstanding debut as a leader, Portraits, drummer-composer Matt Slocum settles into a rare telepathy with pianist Gerald Clayton and bassist Massimo Biolcati on this enchanting trio outing. A tastefully polyrhythmic drummer with a penchant for melodicism on the kit (as he demonstrates with mallets on the pensive opener “Jacaranda”), Slocum establishes an intimate, interactive vibe with his mates on these nine tracks. They swing blithely through “The Catalyst,” then turn in walking-on-eggshells renditions of “It’s Easy to Remember” and the elegant title track. “Passaic” is a loose three-way conversation, while their politely swinging take on Cole Porter’s “Everything I Love” is strictly old-school. Other highlights include a brilliant arrangement of Maurice Ravel’s “La Vallee des Cloches” and Slocum’s urgently burning closer, “Pete’s Place.”
Andrea Ferrario Quartet
The Mask
By Blackenin' Alice
Cari ascoltatori di RadioEmiliaRomagna stiamo ascoltando il brano dal titolo Blackenin' tratto dall’ultimo cd del Andrea Ferrario Quartet.
Andrea Ferrario è laureato in filosofia e in discipline musicali a indirizzo jazz con lode. Ha studiato presso la Scuola Civica di Jazz di Milano e ha partecipato ai seminari estivi di Siena Jazz e di Nuoro Jazz. Con la Jazz Band della scuola ha partecipato a innumerevoli concerti con ospiti come Max Roach, Kenny Barron, Eddie Daniels , Paolo Fresu, Enrico Pierannunzi. al quintetto di Enrico Rava.
Inoltre ha seguito i corsi di perfezionamento tenuti da Dave Liebman, Steve Grossman, Bobby Watson, Wes Anderson, Paolo Fresu, Buster Williams e Ben Riley.
Ha fatto parte della sezione sassofoni della Civica Jazz Band di Milano, con cui ha svolto diversi concerti e rassegne in collaborazione con l'Orchestra Sinfonica "G. Verdi" di Milano e numerosi ospiti di fama internazionale( tra cui Max Roach, Kenny Barron, Eddie Daniels, David Murray, Paolo Fresu, Antonio Faraò, Franco Ambrosetti, Enrico Pieranunzi, Franco Cerri, Mauro Negri).
Ha suonato nel Jazz Mirror Saxophone Quartet. Ha collaborato a un progetto con l’Orchestra Sinfonica Fondazione Toscanini di Parma, diretta dal M° Paolo Silvestri, associata al quintetto di Enrico Rava.
Andrea Ferrario Quartet è un progetto con il quale nel 2006 realizza il cd "Volo Notturno" (etichetta J-Digital). Con il quartetto composto da Mauro Gallo, Giannicola Spezzigu e Marcello Molinari ha inciso nel 2011 il Cd "The Mask" per la Caligola Records che porta la prefazione di Paolo Fresu e Piero Odorici.
Dirige e scrive gli arrangiamenti per la Bidibop Big Band, orchestra latin-jazz di 18 elementi, con la quale nel 2009 ha realizzato il cd "Verso Sud".
Dal 2005 fa parte della band di Andrea Mingardi, con cui ha partecipato a molti festival.
Ha partecipato al "Fenice Day 2009" con Andrea Mingardi, Katia Ricciarelli e l'Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice di Venezia.
Ha collaborato con Loretta Goggi e i cantautori Claudio Lolli (cd "La Scoperta dell'America", tour 2006) e Mirco Menna (cd "Ecco").
Durante gli anni 2000 ha suonato nelle fila di diverse formazioni jazz: BLUE MIDNIGHT ORCHESTRA (swing degli anni ’30 e ’40), THE SWINGERS ORCHESTRA (Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald e altri), ORCHESTRA SPAZIALE, VILLAGE BIG BAND e la DAMS JAZZ ORCHESTRA. Collabora con Vincenzo Serra e le Edizioni Musicante in veste di compositore.
Cari ascoltatori di RadioEmiliaRomagna entriamo ora nel vivo della musica del Andrea Ferrario Quartet ascoltando il brano The Mask che da il titolo al cd.
By Blackenin' Alice
Cari ascoltatori di RadioEmiliaRomagna stiamo ascoltando il brano dal titolo Blackenin' tratto dall’ultimo cd del Andrea Ferrario Quartet.
Andrea Ferrario è laureato in filosofia e in discipline musicali a indirizzo jazz con lode. Ha studiato presso la Scuola Civica di Jazz di Milano e ha partecipato ai seminari estivi di Siena Jazz e di Nuoro Jazz. Con la Jazz Band della scuola ha partecipato a innumerevoli concerti con ospiti come Max Roach, Kenny Barron, Eddie Daniels , Paolo Fresu, Enrico Pierannunzi. al quintetto di Enrico Rava.
Inoltre ha seguito i corsi di perfezionamento tenuti da Dave Liebman, Steve Grossman, Bobby Watson, Wes Anderson, Paolo Fresu, Buster Williams e Ben Riley.
Ha fatto parte della sezione sassofoni della Civica Jazz Band di Milano, con cui ha svolto diversi concerti e rassegne in collaborazione con l'Orchestra Sinfonica "G. Verdi" di Milano e numerosi ospiti di fama internazionale( tra cui Max Roach, Kenny Barron, Eddie Daniels, David Murray, Paolo Fresu, Antonio Faraò, Franco Ambrosetti, Enrico Pieranunzi, Franco Cerri, Mauro Negri).
Ha suonato nel Jazz Mirror Saxophone Quartet. Ha collaborato a un progetto con l’Orchestra Sinfonica Fondazione Toscanini di Parma, diretta dal M° Paolo Silvestri, associata al quintetto di Enrico Rava.
Andrea Ferrario Quartet è un progetto con il quale nel 2006 realizza il cd "Volo Notturno" (etichetta J-Digital). Con il quartetto composto da Mauro Gallo, Giannicola Spezzigu e Marcello Molinari ha inciso nel 2011 il Cd "The Mask" per la Caligola Records che porta la prefazione di Paolo Fresu e Piero Odorici.
Dirige e scrive gli arrangiamenti per la Bidibop Big Band, orchestra latin-jazz di 18 elementi, con la quale nel 2009 ha realizzato il cd "Verso Sud".
Dal 2005 fa parte della band di Andrea Mingardi, con cui ha partecipato a molti festival.
Ha partecipato al "Fenice Day 2009" con Andrea Mingardi, Katia Ricciarelli e l'Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice di Venezia.
Ha collaborato con Loretta Goggi e i cantautori Claudio Lolli (cd "La Scoperta dell'America", tour 2006) e Mirco Menna (cd "Ecco").
Durante gli anni 2000 ha suonato nelle fila di diverse formazioni jazz: BLUE MIDNIGHT ORCHESTRA (swing degli anni ’30 e ’40), THE SWINGERS ORCHESTRA (Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald e altri), ORCHESTRA SPAZIALE, VILLAGE BIG BAND e la DAMS JAZZ ORCHESTRA. Collabora con Vincenzo Serra e le Edizioni Musicante in veste di compositore.
Cari ascoltatori di RadioEmiliaRomagna entriamo ora nel vivo della musica del Andrea Ferrario Quartet ascoltando il brano The Mask che da il titolo al cd.
L.Necciari,A.Cohen,M.Addabbo,F.Petreni
Progetto Original
By Jazz&More
Avishai Cohen is a leading figure on the international jazz scene and one of the most sought-after players oh his generation.This CD, titled "original project" shows a collaboration between a close-knit Italian trio and flighty Israeli-American trumpet player. Jazz last frontier, compositions of great originality. this cd is taking jazz in new direction, Though deeply rooted in tradition yet able to interpret and define new horizons. Classic example of brilliant artistic collaboration between new and old world according according to a custom of the italian label Abeat. The evocative power of the compositions, the class of interpreters, the artistic sensibility and the intensity of expression offer a very compelling experience of listening.
Artisti:
Necciari Luca - doublebass
Cohen Avishai - trumpet
Matteo Addabbo - piano
Petreni Francesco - drums
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