Fresh Sound/New Talent To Release – ‘ALAMEDA’ – From ARUÁN ORTIZ on June 15

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Aruán Ortiz, Jazz, Piano

Aruán Ortiz

Aruán Ortiz -|- Alameda – [Fresh Sound/New Talent, 2010]

“Mr. Ortiz, a young Cuban pianist with a modern jazz pedigree, leads a promising ensemble…” – Nate Chinen, New York Times

Alameda features Aruán Ortiz (piano & Rhodes), Abraham Burton (saxophone – 1,2,4,6,7,8), Antoine Roney (saxophone – 2,4,8), Peter Slavov (bass), Eric McPherson (drums)

Jazz pianist Aruán Ortiz, “the latest Cuban wunderkind to arrive in the United States” (John Murph, BETJazz.com), hit the ground running when he came on the American jazz scene in 2003. A classically trained violist and pianist, this Santiago de Cuba native’s sound is as marked by the influence of the contemporary classical composers such as Schoenberg, Ravel, and Copland, as it is by traditional Afro-Cuban sounds and jazz greats such as Bud Powell, Art Tatum, and Thelonious Monk. A major testament to his massive talent, since setting foot in the States Ortiz was quickly called upon to perform and record with artists such as Terri Lyne Carrington, Greg Osby, Cindy Blackman, Esperanza Spalding, Gary Thomas, Wayne Krantz, Rashied Ali, Stefon Harris, Horacio “el negro” Hernández, Giovanni Hidalgo, Lionel Loueke, Jane Bunnett, Jerry Bergonzi and others. Ortiz is currently a member of jazz legend Wallace Roney’s Quintet, Sound of The Future, and is prominently featured on Roney’s new live recording, If Only For One Night (High Note, 2009).

CONTACT -·- FIVE ON ONE

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Billy Hart, Contact, Dave Liebman, Drew Gress, Jazz, John Abercrombie, Marc Copland

Contact - Five on One

CONTACT -·- FIVE ON ONE – [Pirouet Records, 2010]

Five on the way to one. Five in one. Five on the same wavelength. The group is simply called Contact. But that’s a word with a whole slew of possible meanings. There is certainly contact–but not of the physical sort.
With the very first tones the quintet evinces a striking impression of vibrant unity. Or better yet–of synchronized life-blood. And it remains so until the last note. Five big names. An “All-Star” band. But not just. It’s not just a gathering of five jazz celebrities who get together to churn out a few pieces, and then scatter to the winds in every aesthetic direction in order to land where they better fit in. As the pieces are played, there is a growing sense that these musicians have produced a long overdue set of recordings that are an organic synthesis of their musical beings. Five who together discover a musical spirit that incorporates every individual. The CD is called Five on One, and on it, the musicians develop an intense interplay that is characterized by an intimate warmth.

John Escreet -|- Don’t Fight the Inevitable [Review]

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Jazz, John Escreet, Piano

John Escreet - Don't Fight the Inevitable

John Escreet -|- Don’t Fight the Inevitable – [Mythology Records, 2010] – Review

Pianist John Escreet presents his debut “Don’t Fight the Inevitable” as an open expedition which articulates his heartfelt compositions in the form of an immeasurable marriage of jazz and improvised music on a border-less picture produced by Escreet and David Binney on Mythology Records.

Escreet assembles a superb cast of distinguished players featuring co-producer/alto saxophonist David Binney, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, also with rhythm keepers Matt Brewer on double bass and the cat with the jazzy beats Nasheet Watts plays drums.

Allison Miller -|- Boom Tic Boom

Tags

Allison Miller, Drums, Jazz

Allison Miller - Boom Tic Boom

Allison Miller -|- Boom Tic Boom – [Foxhaven Records, 2010]

NYC-based drummer Allison Miller defies all boundaries bringing her individual sound to diverse types of music while preserving their stylistic authenticity. Allison goes from playing with legendary songwriting vocalists Ani DiFranco, Brandi Carlile and Natalie Merchant, to touring with avant-garde saxophonist Marty Ehrlich and legendary organist Doctor Lonnie Smith. She approaches each of these musical situations with her own stylistic identity and a creative, fresh and energetic approach. Allison was chosen as “Rising Star Drummer” in Downbeat’s 53rd Annual Critics Poll.