JAZZXPRESS  FEATURED RELEASES   ON  Q'S JAZZ N' BLUES 

19TH JULY 2010

HEALTHY

Release Date: 9th July 2010

Catalogue: NEW3285.2

Barcode: 9317102328521

"part of the new wave of piano trios, citing influences such as EST, The Necks and Radiohead. Emphasising an ensemble approach, they are more than comfortable cranking up the volume, generating mesmeric and fluid runs, working in tight with each other". - Misinterprotato live review, Wangaratta Jazz Festival - The Age

Misinterprotato & Topology are assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its Arts funding and advisory body and by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.

A JAZZ GREAT IN THE MAKING ?

Unique, crystalline vocals, beautifully woven melodies, precocious live performance and an innate ability for storytelling all combine to make this record something really quite special.

Anyone familiar with Linn's recordings of Claire Martin or Carol Kidd, needs to hear Randi's latest album - Red, which has scaled the jazz charts across Europe.

"...She's a charming lyricist, all in English by the way, who writes about love's joys and difficulties with a clear eye and a poetic ear... Red is vibrantly recorded, and it presents Tytingvaag's voice with startling clarity." Joseph Taylor, GOOD SOUND!

Britain's leading female jazz singer Claire Martin returns with her new album "A Modern Art". The album is a personal reflection of what it takes to be a musician in the 21st century and features two brand new self-penned tracks.

Claire Martin - vocals

Gareth Williams - piano

Laurence Cottle - bass

Nigel Hitchcock - alto sax

Mark Nightingale - trombone

Phil Robson - guitar

James Maddren - drums

Chris Dagley - drums

Sola Akingbola - percussion

CATALOGUE: NEW3284.2

BARCODE: 9317102328422

Release date: 18th June 2010

“........Drums and bass constantly move and morph and the guitar positively soars....... At times the music sounds almost rhythmically symphonic, pulses like rock fusion, or slides into eastern modality, always expertly building tension, then often cutting quickly to tranquility as soprano sax floats over spreading chords ” - John Mcbeath, The Australian

The beginnings of the James Annesley Quartet was conceived in early 2007, where the band started as a trio featuring James Annesley on soprano and tenor saxophones, Tom Lee on double bass and Hugh Harvey on drums. In early 2008 they were joined by guitarist Hugh

Stuckey, finalist in the 2007 National Jazz Awards.

Vicious Cycle is there newest album following the successful release of

‘Idle Hands do the Devil’s Work’.

Featuring NICHAUD FITZGIBBON, GEORGE WASHINGMACHINE & DAN BARNETT 

"...EASILY ONE OF THE TOP JAZZ GROUPS IN AUSTRALIA TODAY..."

Graeme Bell A.O.

Formed in 1984, Chris Ludowyk hand picked the cream of Melbourne's jazz talent to form the "Society Syncopators", now known as "The Syncopators". Within a few short years, the band arrived at the pinnacle of Australian jazz. With their versatility (the guitarist plays banjo, the bassist plays tuba, the clarinettist plays alto and tenor sax and the trombonist plays bass and piano), they cover a wide range of styles and material. The vocal harmonising talent of the front-line also lends itself to the performance of 'popular jazz' material a la 'Mills Brothers' and 'Boswell Sisters'.

'Saturday Night Function' is the latest release from The Syncopators and is now available through Newmarket Music.

www.myspace.com/thesyncopators

www.newmarketmusic.com.au

A major expansion on Mingus Dynasty, beginning in 1991 the Mingus Big Band (which often uses more than 20 musicians) has explored the great bassist's music at least once a week. They played regularly at the Time Spot Café in New York and their series of recordings for Dreyfus are often remarkable. The huge group performs some of Mingus' most complex works with spirit, virtuosity, and plenty of color. Such musicians as Randy Brecker, Ryan Kisor, Lew Soloff, Jack Walrath, Philip Harper, Art Baron, Frank Lacy, Ronnie Cuber, Alex Foster, Craig Handy, Chris Potter, Steve Slagle, John Stubblefield, James Carter, Kenny Drew, Jr., Michael Formanek, and Marvin "Smitty" Smith are among the many involved in this worthy and exciting project.

On A Clear Day (Jamie Oehlers and Paul Grabowsky)

On A Clear Day is the much anticipated album of jazz standards from two of Australiaﾕs most widely recognised jazz exports, Jamie Oehlers and Paul Grabowsky.

These highly esteemed and creative voices use their exceptionally unique approaches to create distinctively original renditions of a familiar standards repertoire, including tunes like “I’ve Never Been in Love Before”, “Soul Eyes” and “I Remember You”.

“The journey of every jazz musician begins with the exploration of standards. Usually songs written for musical theatre or films, they encapsulate the harmonic formula’s which lie behind the improvisational innovations of every master…” Paul Grabowsky

“There are moments along this journey as a musician where you encounter people that will take you along a new path, influence your direction and enhance your musicality. For me, Paul Grabowsky has been one of those peopleﾉ These are tunes that we love, that mean something to us, that have inspired us to create this type of music throughout our lives.ﾓ Jamie Oehlers

On A Clear Day is an innovative collection of stunning compositions performed by the acclaimed talents of Paul Grabowsky (piano), Jamie Oehlers (tenor saxophone), Sam Anning (bass) and Ben Vanderwal (drums).

Galumphing 'Round The Nation is the inspired latest release from the award winning Andrea Keller Quartet. 

Keller composed six remarkable new works for the Quartet with the idea that there be improvising room for an invited guest, the 5th part (thus making a quintet!). Initially this was arranged for the 2009 Collaborations Tour where highly regarded musicians were invited, at each new show, to sit with the Quartet and respond within the compositions.

Creating this kind of musical environment afforded these incredibly dynamic musicians great freedom to contribute their individuality to the sound of the Quartet. With this concept in mind the Quartet collaborated once again in the studio. With the breadth of experience and talent of the Quartet and esteemed guests, incredible results were produced; as though all were part of a long established quintet.

Featured on this extraordinary recording are The Andrea Keller Quartet:

Eugene Ball - Trumpet,

Ian Whitehurst - Tenor Saxophone,

Joe Talia - Drum,

Andrea Keller - Piano

and special guests: Miroslav Bukovsky (ACT) - Trumpet, Phil Slater (NSW) - Trumpet, Bernie McGann (NSW) - Alto Saxophone, Jamie Oehlers (WA) - Tenor Saxophone, John Rodgers (QLD) - Violin, Stephen Magnusson (VIC) - Guitar

This collaborations project is a recording that you must hear to believe. Stunning. 

Odysseys (Ben Winkelman Trio)  

Odysseys is the latest album from the award winning Ben Winkelman Trio.

Following the critically acclaimed The Spanish Tinge (2007 AIR Award winner for Best Independent Jazz Release) and Stomps, Pieces and Variations (2006 Australian Jazz Bell Award nominee for Best Classic Jazz Album), the Ben Winkelman Trio continues to explore new possibilities for the jazz piano trio.

Odysseysﾕ nine original compositions showcase the breadth of Winkelmanﾕs musical interests, including his enthusiasm for Cuban and Brazilian rhythms, resulting in a warm and diverse soundscape. 

The title refers to the two title tracks The Seven Odyssey and The Five Odyssey  - long form compositions based around claves (Cuban rhythmic cells) in seven four and five four time.

The Ben Winkelman Trio are: Ben Winkelman ﾐ piano, Sam Anning – bass, Ben Vanderwal – drums.

Let yourself be immersed in these captivating rhythms and beautiful melodies.

Featuring:

Tom O'Halloran - Piano

Peter Jeavons - Bass

Daniel Susnjar - Drums

Tom OﾕHalloranﾕs Green Hills and White Clouds is a vibrant set of original piano trio jazz which draws on non-jazz elements too. He concludes it with an exquisitely tender piano solo elaboration upon an old song. Otherwise, Tom and two longtime Perth friends - bassist Pete Jeavons and drummer Daniel Susnjar - have a fine, very conversational time with the leader’s compositions. It’s a feast of memorable melodies and nice grooves, with improvisatory spark and superb sound quality. 

"Unlike many contemporary piano trios O’Halloran’s puts great emphasis on strong grooves with improvising intensity: an Oscar Peterson style for the 21st century. All but one of the tracks are originals, with Get Me To The Village perhaps the best up-tempo demonstration of O’Halloran’s masterful technique, driven by smart rhythmic insertions from Perth musicians Pete Jeavons, double bass, and Daniel Susnjar, drums."

John McBeath – The Weekend Australian 

WORLD/JAZZ

The Hour of Separation

Joseph Tawadros

MGM

5 stars

"AUSTRALIAN oud prodigy Joseph Tawadros is no newcomer to jazz. Six years ago, when barely out of his teens, he performed with some of Sydney's finest players at a concert in Italy, which later became the Wanderlust album When In Rome. While only a passenger in that vehicle, the young master of the Arabic lute is in the driving seat here. Tawadros's fellow travellers on The Hour of Separation comprise younger brother James on percussion and, more pertinently, three of America's most distinguished jazzmen: electric guitarist John Abercrombie, bass man John Patitucci and Jack DeJohnette, drummer of choice for Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Keith Jarrett and other giants of the genre. Recorded in New York City, the album is no exercise in tokenism. It offers a genuine dialogue between musicians of comparable ability and is worthy of comparison with some of the most notable oud-jazz collaborations by Anouar Brahem, Rabih Abou-Khalil and Dhafer Youssef. Mutual admiration and respect is evident throughout, epitomised in the exquisite exchanges between lute and guitar on the opening tracks Phoenix and Fly Away, in the bottom-end oud and upright bass duet on Give or Take, and in the astonishing jam between percussion that includes req (a small Egyptian tambourine) and stripped down drumkit on the equally well-named Conversations in Time. A full dynamic range is achieved when all five instrumentalists come together for the pulsating Forbidden Fruit, which brings the set to a natural conclusion. There's plenty to savour along the way, with Tawadros's melodic compositions scoping emotional depth as they alternate between up-tempo flourish with thrilling oud and guitar runs and reflective contemplation with every note carrying gravitas. Rose blossoms into a Mediterranean sun dance after a mellow bass intro. The oud's Middle Eastern inflections provide the dominant mode in solo form for the start of the achingly beautiful Midnight Prayer before being joined by bowed bass and muted electric guitar. One of the most striking features of Tawadros's seventh album is the seamless synthesis of Egyptian influences and jazz. The Hour of Separation is as much a reflection of the artist's extraordinary collaborative vision and his skills as an arranger as the players empathetic appreciation of dynamics, articulation and tone." Tony Hillier The Australian June 05, 2010 

Helen Simons - JAZZXPRESS  FEATURED RELEASES