Ignacio Berroa | Codes

Tags

African American, Afro-Cuban, Drums, Jazz, Percussion

“Ignacio plays with intelligence, taste, fire, and soul. His playing combines the finest aspects of Afro-Cuban and American styles of drumming (…) When you hear him play it just makes you feel good, just like a good hot bowl of gumbo!” – Wynton Marsalis

Ignacio Berroa | Codes – [Blue Records, 2006]

Ignacio Berroa, Codes

Ignacio Berroa has been recognized by many as one of the greatest drummers of our times. His numerous contributions to the American music scene have earned him a place among a very selective group of artists known to have set new musical trends for the 20th century. Jazz Legend Dizzy Gillespie best defined Ignacio as:…”The only Latin drummer in the world, in the history of American music that intimately knows both worlds; his native Afro-Cuban music as well as Jazz…”Highly respected among his peers, Ignacio’s musicianship and versatility have enabled him to build a successful career by gaining the recognition of some of the most important artists in the business.

As an educator he first made his mark by becoming an Adjunct Faculty Instructor at Florida International University from 1991 to 1994. Later in 1995, he released his video “Mastering The Art of Afro-Cuban Drumming” under Warner Bros Publications , deemed by Downbeat magazine as the best instructional video of the year. His books, “Groovin’ In Clave” and “A New Way of Groovin”, distributed by Carl Fischer are great tools to learn independence, Afro-Cuban grooves as well as mixing the Rumba clave with other styles like Rock, Funk and Brazilian. – Biography

Source: www.ignacioberroa.com/

The Manhattan Transfer | The Chick Corea Songbook

Tags

Chick Corea, Jazz, Vocal Group

The Manhattan Transfer | The Chick Corea Songbook – [Four Quarters Entertainment, 2009]

The Manhattan Transfer

ONE OF THE GREATEST VOCAL GROUPS OF ALL TIME, THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER, CELEBRATE THEIR 4OTH ANNIVERSARY WITH THE RELEASE OF THEIR LONG AWAITED STUDIO ALBUM – THE CHICK COREA SONGBOOK THIS GROUNDBREAKING AND AMBITIOUS PROJECT IS SURE TO REKINDLE THE ENTHUSIASM OF THEIR COUNTLESS FANS AND ONCE AGAIN WIN CRITICAL AND POPULAR ACCLAIM WITH A STELLAR PERFORMANCE THAT WILL RE-AFFIRM THE REASON WHY THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER IS AN INSPIRATION AND THE STANDARD BEARER FOR VOCAL GROUPS ALL OVER THE WORLD. THE CHICK COREA SONGBOOK FEATURES FRESH AND EXCITING VOCAL INTERPRETATIONS OF SOME OF THE CLASSIC, POPULAR AND BRILLIANT CHICK COREA COMPOSITIONS, AND INCLUDES A NEW COMPOSITION, “FREE SAMBA” WHICH HAS BEEN WRITTEN SPECIALLY FOR THIS ALBUM BY CHICK COREA. THE ALBUM ALSO FEATURES GUEST APPEARANCES BY SOME OF THE FINEST MUSICIANS IN THE WORLD INCLUDING CHICK COREA, AIRTO, ALEX ACUNA, CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE, FRED HERSCH, EDSEL GOMEZ, LOU MARINI……TO NAME A FEW.

IN THE COURSE OF THEIR LONG AND SUCCESSFUL CAREER MANHATTAN TRANSFER HAS SOLD MILLIONS OF ALBUMS IN NORTH AMERICA ALONE, AND HAVE WON MULTIPLE GRAMMY AND OTHER MAJOR AWARDS.

Source: Amazon.com … go here,to hear samples from this stunning tribute to “The Chick Corea Songbook.”

Jaleel Shaw | Optimism

Tags

African American, Jaleel Shaw, Jazz, Saxophone

Jaleel Shaw is a relatively new yet powerful voice on the modern jazz scene. Get this, once you’ve heard his infallible release titled “Optimism” you will undoubtedly want to hear more from this dynamic performer. Jaleel’s warm and expressive timbre burns passionately from the core of the cold steel of his saxophone. ~ The Urban Flux

Jaleel Shaw, Optimism

Jaleel Shaw | Optimism [Changu Records, 2008]

Jaleel Shaw’s second CD as a leader, the award-winning alto saxophonist and composer further solidifies his position as one of the most distinctive writer/arrangers and imposing instrumentalists on today’s international jazz scene.

Shaw’s nine originals and arrangements of two standards on Optimism, which he produced himself and is the first release on his new label Changu Records, continue to explore the ruggedly individualistic sonic landscapes the saxophonist first featured on his recording debut as a leader – 2005’s Perspective (FS New Talent 222) which was named one of that year’s top CDs by All About Jazz and Jazzwise. Writing in The New York Times, Nate Chinen praised that album as “…a showcase for Mr. Shaw’s stout, self-assured alto saxophone playing and his smartly conceived original compositions.” Chinen added that Shaw’s …”sound [is] brawny and full-bodied, but capable of quicksilver actions – and his improvisational method is surefooted and exploratory.” Shaw, then 27, won his first ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award for “Heavyweight Champion” on Perspective.

Source: CDBaby.com

Steve Khun Trio | Mostly Coltrane

Tags

Jazz, Piano, Saxophone

Steve Khun Trio | Mostly Coltrane [ECM, 2009]

Steve Khan Trio, Mostly

A celebration of the magisterial music of John Coltrane. In 1960 Steve Kuhn was the original pianist in John Coltrane’s quartet, preceding McCoy Tyner. The album is an homage to Coltrane’s music and influence, focusing on music either written by him or strongly associated with him. Particularly fascinating is the scope of material selected, which not only includes tunes Kuhn once played with Coltrane – “Central Park West“, “The Night Has A Thousand Eyes“, “I Want To Talk About You” – but goes right through Coltrane’s life, including pieces from the very final months, such as “Configuration” and “Jimmy’s Mode“…

These tremendous group performances, with Kuhn joined by Joe Lovano, a musician many critics believe to be the world’s premier tenor player right now, effectively retrace Coltrane’s last decade.

Source: Amazon.com

Digging: The Afro-American Soul of American Classical Music

Tags

African American, Amiri Baraka, Classical, Jazz

Digging: The Afro-American Soul of American Classical Music
(Music of the African Diaspora) by Amiri Baraka

Amiri Baraka, Digging

“As lively and compelling as his strongest work of the past.”–The Oregonian

For almost half a century, Amiri Baraka has ranked among the most important commentators on African American music and culture. In this brilliant assemblage of his writings on music, the first such collection in nearly twenty years, Baraka blends autobiography, history, musical analysis, and political commentary to recall the sounds, people, times, and places he’s encountered. As in his earlier classics, Blues People and Black Music, Baraka offers essays on the famous–Max Roach, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane–and on those whose names are known mainly by jazz aficionados–Alan Shorter, Jon Jang, and Malachi Thompson. Baraka’s literary style, with its deep roots in poetry, makes palpable his love and respect for his jazz musician friends. His energy and enthusiasm show us again how much Coltrane, Albert Ayler, and the others he lovingly considers mattered. He brings home to us how music itself matters, and how musicians carry and extend that knowledge from generation to generation, providing us, their listeners, with a sense of meaning and belonging.

Source: Amazon.com