Thursday, May 4, 2017

Antonella Chionna Meets Pat Battstone: Rylesonable (KARI-ON PRODUCTIONS) An Italian Collaboration Produces an Avant Garde Adventurism


IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Antonella Chionna Meets Pat Battstone: Rylesonable


Antonella Chionna born November 20, 1990
She’s an italian writer, improviser and singer. 

She has spent the first part of her life training as a classical dancer performing, at very young age, in theathers and developing a deep listening into classical music. She started singing, as a professional singer, at the age of seventeen, performing, recording and collaborating with many artists coming from all over the world.

She started training, as a professional musician, at the age of twelve influenced by opera, classical music and jazz, developing her vocal technique for over fiftheen years: earning a bachelor degree in “Jazz Voice” with the italian soprano Gianna Montecalvo, at the Conservatory “Nino Rota” in Monopoli (IT). During this period, she was also a student of one of the most influential educators in jazz, and a pioneer of vocal jazz education in Europe: Judy Niemack. On this path she released her debut album “Adiafora” (Koinè, Dodicilune) in 2013, at the age of twentytwo. On the same year, Antonella started to study improvisation, composition and repertoire with her mentor, the pianist and composer, Gianni Lenoci: achieving, in 2015, a master’s degree in “Jazz Music” with high onors. Her final master graduation work “Halfway to dawn – a song of Billy Strayhorn” was released the same year, as an exclusive monograph dedicated to the music of Billy Strayhorn in the year of his centenary, by the label Dodicilune and was positively reviewed, getting an entusiastic feedback from one of the leading musicologists of Strayhorn’s music: Walter van de Leur.

Many others Chionna’s vocal works are documented in the following musical anthologies: Hunger and Love – tribute to Billie Holiday (1915 -2015), Dodicilune (2015);  Music Live – I giovani per i giovani, Tips di Steve Lacy – feat. Gianni Lenoci – Vittorio Gallo, live recording - December 2015 at Casa del Jazz – Rome (IT); Ismez Onlus (2016) and now Rylesonable (2017)


Writer and poet, she followed a classical education at the base of her studies, combining highly specialized readings of the literary tradition in search of new forms of expressions: she achieved a high school degree in classical studies, in 2009. Fervent reader, she has carried out the study of contemporary literature as a self – thaught, meeting the prominent members of the Italian poetic literature: Maurizio Cucchi, Valerio Magrelli, Antonio Riccardi, Andrea Leone, Andrea Inglese, Franco Buffoni e Franco Loi. She has published two books of poetry, Epifanie Baritonali (Lupo, 2012) and Poghenos (Lietocolle, 2014).

Many others Chionna’s poetical works are documented and mentioned in the following literary anthologies: Quadernario – almanacco di poesia contemporanea by Maurizio Cucchi (Lietocolle, 2015); Le Gazze disattente by Francesco Paolo del Re (Secop edizioni, 2016).

Antonella Chionna started teaching modern singing at the age of eighteen. Teaching for many years as a vocal trainer, she develop a personal vision of the vocal instrument: strictly connected to her discography, to her work on stage and to her accademic and intellectual background. Showing how an excellent technique and the improvisative knowledges combined with a deep listening are the key to become a valuable artist.

"It’s very beautiful. I can feel the depth, sadness and beauty in it – I’m really looking forward to the release of the CD – as I said, I think it’s very beautiful and felt very affected by it.” -Marilyn Crispell 

Patrick Battstone began performing music professionally at the age of 14, playing in various rock, blues, and R&B bands in South Western Ohio. By the time he was 18, he had received lessons from Stan Kenton and Gary Burton, had been mentored by Oscar Treadwell (Oska T), and had played with James Brown’s recording sidemen as well as members of the musical “Hair.”

In 1973, he attended Berklee College of Music and soon after became a student of both Mme Chaloff and Charlie Banacos. One of his bands, which featured hometown friend Grover Mooney, opened the fabled 1369 Club in Cambridge in 1975. During the 80’s, Patrick studied the works of Scriabin under the renowned Serge Conus. In 1986, he returned to jazz, studying with Joanne Brackeen for a period of 6 years.

In the past 2 decades, he has been involved in various musical activities. Though his focus as an artist is creative improvisation, he certainly is skilled and experienced in any setting where jazz (no matter the style) or groove and R &B is needed. He is fluid in both solo appearances as well as leading ensembles; in both acoustic settings as well as electric. He leads an acoustic trio and quartet and has performed in numerous electric funk/rock groups.

Besides performing, he has been active in producing music, in teaching piano, and has managed and mentored numerous bands and venues. Lately, his main activity has been in the recording studio, having produced and released 10 CDs of his own and collaborated works. His last 4 CDs, Mystic Nights, The Last Taxi, Beyond the Horizon, and From Dream to Dream have all had excellent reviews and have charted into the mid-teens on the CMJ jazz charts. 

His latest adventures has been in collaboration with the musical circles in Puglia Italy, namely those of Gianna Montecalvo in Bari and Gianni Lenoci in Monopoli. Along with his Italian counterpart, Antonella Chionna, they have produced 2 CDs since June 2016 . The first, Rylesonable, is a quartet effort that features poetry, improvisation, quasi-standards and electronica. This is being released on the Italian label, Dodiciluna, in Feb, 2017. The second is a duet that features the poetry of Surrealist Robert Desnos. He is also a member of the TSK TSK orchestra which was recently audio and video recorded. That effort is being post processed into a DVD.

When not performing music, Patrick works as a rocket scientist at Draper Labs in Cambridge.






Human - Fractured Lands (BABEL LABEL 2017)



Once done, around for quite a while longer, different reasons entirely and the name of a band instead of a song, their incomparable music won’t be beamed out from your local coffee shoppe any time soon, Human, drummer-leader Stephen Davis, Django Bates’ brother Dylan Bates on violin, trumpeter/electronicist Alex Bonney and pianist Alexander Hawkins, return this summer with Fractured Lands not that potential CostaBucksNero absence makes any odds.

Listen, above, no background information available at all about the release annoyingly, the story so far... well four years ago the very fine Being Human came along which amounted to the quartet’s debut. Bates impressed most back then. And the good news is he is pretty darn good again, shucks, on the upcoming album too, again to be released by the Babel label. His role is much more integrated now so that makes the band even more convincing. Go to the wayward dirge-like stagger of ‘Lennard Road’ where he comes into his own for a slice of the best Bates bits. Hawkins is more brooding possibly than ever and certainly Humanly before. Listen to his haunting introduction on ‘My Imaginary Friend’, the fragile trumpet line of Bonney following and Davis’ aesthetic use of small bells imbuing the track with a heartrending atmosphere.

It isn’t all stark. Hawkins, lightening up, introduces a touch of son somehow constructed and deconstructed on ‘Circle Knots’. The band thrive on an unofficial uncertainty principle meaning that they are not afraid to ask musical questions and leave them unanswered, delving along the way into unsaid emotions rendered abstract. This track expresses that well. No safety net is provided and no it isn’t just a play-anything-anyhow jam, something you often hear alarmingly bandied about when free improv is being dismissed. These guys are all masters of improvisation and/or spontaneous composition. (Is composition less valid if it is done in real time?)


1. IMPOSTER 06:45
2. MY IMAGINARY FRIEND 07:17
3. BLENHEIM ROAD 01:22
4. CIRCLE KNOTS 03:48
5. LENNARD ROAD 01:11
6. HOUSE OF SEEDS 03:28
7. WRONG CAR 05:57
8. PRINCETOWN ROAD 01:26
9. TAK-HETI-SWAMP 05:09
10. WELLINGTON STREET 01:35


CONCERTOS PORTA-JAZZ: Sábado - Residencial Porta-Jazz 9.0 com Demian Cabaud


Sala Porta-Jazz 
Sábado, 6 maio
19:00 + 22:00
concerto: 5 eur / 3 eur membros *

RESIDENCIAL PORTA-JAZZ 9.0 COM DEMIAN CABAUD

Demian Cabaud (ARG) – contrabaixo, composição
Ricardo Formoso (ES) – trompete
Xan Campos (ES) – piano
Iago Fernandez (ES) – bateria

A “Residencial Porta-Jazz” é um espaço dedicado à exploração e criação musical. Nele dedica-se tempo às obras por fazer, às ideias por realizar, às coisas impossíveis e agrupamentos improváveis.

Nesta semana de residência o músico argentino residente em Portugal, Demian Cabaud, convida três dos mais activo músicos galegos da cena actual para interpretar a sua música.

Entre o sono e o sonho ,
entre mim e o que em mim
É o quem eu me suponho,
Corre um rio sem fim.

Para este concerto juntei um grupo de músicos com os quais gosto muito de tocar e que criam desafios, propõem direções e sugerem diferentes escolhas musicais in situ.

Vamos tocar peças da minha autoria, recentes na sua maioria e escritas pela noite dentro numa procura de explorar um imaginário diferente para mim, inspiradas em acontecimentos marcantes da minha vida.

* (doação sugerida); Membros: https://portajazz.com/about/membros/ - cotas válidas por 1 ano: Membro amigo 40 eur; Membro músico/estudante 25 eur.


PRÓXIMOS CONCERTOS SALA PORTA-JAZZ

13 maio, 19:00 + 22:00
Susana Santos Silva & Torbjörn Zetterberg
Susana Santos Silva & Torbjörn Zetterberg
Susana Santos Silva – Trompete
Torbjörn Zetterberg (SUE) – Contrabaixo
João Pedro Brandão – Sax Alto e Flauta

20 Maio, ESMAE
integrado no Festival ESMAE Rampa-Jazz
19h00José Soares Quarteto
José Soares – Saxofone
Mané Fernandes – Guitarra
Filipe Louro – Contrabaixo
Marcos Cavaleiro – Bateria

22h00Coreto Porta-Jazz
João Pedro Brandão – saxofone alto, flauta
José Pedro Coelho – saxofone tenor
Hugo Ciríaco – saxofone tenor
Rui Teixeira – saxofone barítono, clarinete baixo
Ricardo Formoso – trompete
Susana Santos Silva – trompete
Andreia Santos – trombone
Daniel Dias – trombone
AP – Guitarra
Hugo Raro – piano
José Carlos Barbosa – contrabaixo
José Marrucho – bateria

27 maio, 19:00 + 22:00
Lucia Martinez & Augusti Fernandez
Lucia Martinez (ES) – Bateria
Augusti Fernandez (ES) – Piano

PRÓXIMOS LANÇAMENTOS CARIMBO PORTA-JAZZ
Auditório da FEUP
- entrada livre - 

18 maio, 21:30
AP Quarteto
AP - guitarra
Carlos Azevedo - piano
Filipe Teixeira - contrabaixo
Acácio Salero - bateria

19 junho, 21:30
João Mortágua "AXES"
João Mortágua - saxofone alto e soprano
José Soares - saxofone alto
Hugo Ciríaco - saxofone tenor 
Rui Teixeira - saxofone barítono e clarinete baixo
Pedro Vasconcelos - bateria e percussões
Alex Lázaro - bateria e percussões

CICLO JAZZ DE SANTO TIRSO
Centro Cultural de Vila das Aves
- entrada livre -

16 junho, 21:30 - AP Quarteto
AP - guitarra
Carlos Azevedo - piano
Filipe Teixeira - contrabaixo
Acácio Salero - bateria

1 julho, 21:30 - Rui Filipe Freitas Sexteto
Rui Filipe Freitas - vibrafone
José Pedro Coelho - saxofone tenor e clarinete-baixo  
João Mortágua - saxofone alto e saxofone soprano
Mané Fernandes - guitarra
Filipe Teixeira - contrabaixo
João Martins - bateria


Fraktal - Polarisation of Light (QFTF 2017)



FRAKTAL is a septet founded and led by swiss jazz guitarist Jan Herzog. His music, brought to life by each member‘s strong and individual sound, takes place in between classifications and is looking for the connective elements through the use of a modern jazz language.

From dense nettings to intimate solos and duos, seemingly simple harmonic and rhythmical structures to complex grooves and musical landscapes, FRAKTAL‘s first album „Polarisation Of Light“ explores the area of conflict between light and darkness.


01. Source to Shore (6:18)
02. Polarisation of Light (7:49)
03. Pilgrimage (8:48)
04. Striving (7:43)
05. Mitosis (9:07)
06. Farfalla (7:37)
07. Falena (5:15)
08. Odd (6:33)
09. Binney's Gospel (8:39)
10. Finding Home (6:26)



Sam Kirmayer - Opening Statement (2017)


1. Synecdoche 07:05
2. For All We Know 05:58
3. Jiro's Dream 07:32
4. Resonance After Dark 06:44
5. My Shining Hour 05:30
6. The Night We Called It A Day 08:49
7. One For Pete 08:32
8. Opening Statement 05:14


Sean Fyfe: piano
Mike De Masi: bass
Dave Laing: drums

To put out a successful debut record, today’s jazz artists need to have a strong band, a clear vision for their music and an established voice on their instrument. Montreal-based guitarist Sam Kirmayer’s upcoming release, Opening Statement, demonstrates that he has all this in spades, and lots of entrepreneurial spirit to boot.

Self-produced, funded through a combination of grants and released on the budding Montreal-based label Chromatic Audio, the recording was made at a turning point in the 27-year-old’s quickly developing career.

“I was thinking of doing the record before I finished my undergrad degree in jazz performance at McGill,” Kirmayer explained in a recent interview. “I didn’t want to finish school and then try to find my bearings, but wanted to come out with a trajectory. I saw the record as something to work towards, and once I got out of school I said, ‘OK, let’s do it.’”

“Soon after I started writing some music and decided that I wanted to have a band to play these tunes, this group came to mind," he continued. "Pianist Sean Fyfe and I have been playing together since my second year at McGill, while bassist Mike De Masi and drummer Dave Laing were guys whose playing I really liked and was always trying to get good enough to be able to play with!"


As Kirmayer tells it, the album’s instrumentation was influenced as much by the music he was composing as his concept for the record itself. While writing the tunes, he heard many of the melodies being played by guitar, which lined up with his idea of it acting as the album’s primary melodic voice.

“I really like playing in a lot of different formats, but as a guitarist, there aren’t many opportunities to be in front of the band," he said. "In other types of groups, I mostly end up accompanying other horn players and soloists. Even though I love that, I thought that this album could be an opportunity to be in the front line.”

The music itself is a mix of Kirmayer’s bop-oriented originals and carefully chosen jazz standards, which reflects his musical taste and approach to leading a group. Each track features a memorable melody embedded in a slick arrangement, and provides lots of space for the band members to improvise.

“I like writing music, but I want to write to create space for people to play. I don’t want to tell people what to do too much. I try to compose material that’s challenging, interesting and different enough from the standard repertoire, but still allows the listener to hear the player’s individuality. I don’t want my compositions to be so weighty that they supress the player from expressing themselves.”

For anyone, the record-making process has its challenges, both musical and otherwise. Kirmayer explained that the financial realities of making an album on his own dime made for a lot of stress, especially since there was no chance for a do-over at a later date. However, it turned into a good exercise in staying focused in the moment and offered a chance to get deep into the band’s repertoire.

“As high-pressure as it is, I really loved being in the studio. The recording process turned into a week of focusing ourselves on the music, which isn’t something we often get the chance to do. Even when you’re gigging all the time, you usually do totally different music with different bands for every show. It’s not common that you get to play the same handful of tunes and really bear down on them. We had a gig the night before the recording session, and Sean was staying at my place so we rehearsed for a couple of days before the date. It was great to be in the studio and have this feeling that everything else in your life has cleared away for you to do this."

Opening Statement will be released on April 23; you can pre-order the album here.

New Simplicity Trio - Common Spaces (BABEL LABEL 2017)



Common Spaces by New Simplicity Trio is a powerful statement of musical commitment to groove and melody. These are tunes that will be whistled and hummed. 

Something of a rarity on the contemporary UK and European scene amongst younger players, the trio of Heinen, Jensen and Fusco focus on melodic and harmonic simplicity. That approach has given space for every stroke or touch to stand distinct, achieving a fine balance of tension and grace on Common Spaces and between the 3 players. 

New Simplicity Trio formed in 2014, with the addition of Danish London-based double bassist Henrik Jensen to the long-standing and deep collaboration between Italian drummer Antonio Fusco and the British pianist Bruno Heinen. Their approach is rooted in the ideas initially put forward by the Evans/La Faro/Motion trio of a collective and equally voiced group, but with a contemporary compositional perspective, with contributions from each of the trio. 

The group’s name was inspired by the post serial movement of late 1970’s contemporary classical German composers who rejected the complexity of serialism and other avant-garde practices. They instead composed memorable melodic and harmonic compositions, seeking an immediacy and clarity of communication with their audiences.

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1. GROOVY 05:50
2. ROCCARDO'S ROOM 05:49
3. AROUND MILAN 09:50
4. ACROSS THE POND 07:23
5. FULL FLAT 06:04
6. ORIENT EXPRESS 05:35
7. COMMON SPACES 09:14
8. GOODBYE PORK PIE HAT 06:37
9. DAYDREAMER 05:15
10.THE SEAGULL 06:40
BRUNO HEINEN is a London based contemporary pianist, composer and bandleader. Bruno has released four records on the forward looking Babel Label ('Twinkle Twinkle', 'Tierkries', 'Postcard to Bill Evans' and 'Changing of the Seasons) and a solo CD is due to be released in the coming year. Bruno has performed in festivals including the Shanghai World Music Festival, the London Jazz Festival, the Cork Jazz Festival, Inntöne Festival Austria and the Rest Is Noise. He has had his music played on BBC Radio 3, BBC6 Music, BBC Scotland, in Austria, Canada, and the USA, as well as giving live broadcasts and interviews for the BBC. Bruno has been nominated for the Paul Hamlyn composers’ award and he is currently researching towards a practice-based PhD at the RNCM which is funded by the AHRC. 

HENRIK JENSEN came to London from Denmark in 1997 to study electric bass at The Musicians Institute. He later transitioned to the double bass and became a student at the Royal Academy of Music on the jazz degree. Jensen's rich bass tone has worked all over world from the Blue Note in Tokyo to concert halls in Moscow while still keeping busy on the London jazz scene where he has also been laying the bass lines down with artists including Pete Wareham, Elizabeth Shepherd, Martin Speake and Billy Jenkins. Jensen formed ‘Followed By Thirteen’ in 2010 and has a close working relationship with saxophonist Peter Ehwald from Berlin. He is also a part of The Mauricio Velasierra Group and for the last 9 years has also been working with The Puppini Sisters, with whom he has toured internationally and recorded for major label Verve, UMG. 

ANTONIO FUSCO is one of the most original drummers of the European Jazz scene, currently involved in various European projects including Giovanni Falzone Contemporary Orchestra, Tino Tracanna Acrobats, No Pair, Reem Kelani Band, and Followed by Thirteen. In 2011 he founded the project - Antonio Fusco Sextet- “Suite For Motian” and in the 2014 it was released with the Italian label Auditorium Parco Della Musica Records. He has played with Tim Berne, Paolo Fresu, Tino Tracanna, Paolino Dalla Porta, Francesco Bearzatti Tinissima 4et, Antonio Zambrini, Andrè Canniere, Esben Tjalve and he's part of several projects between Germany, Italy, China and UK. In 2017 he has been engaged to joint the “ALBORAN Trio”, a historic jazz trio, founded from the Italian pianist Paolo Paliaga and the bassist Dino Contenti with whom he is working at the new album.