Curtis Macdonald (Saxophonist, Sound Artist) Releases Three-Song EP, TWICE THROUGH THE WALL February 12, 2013

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Adam Jackson, Chris Tordini, Composer, Curtis MacDonald, David Virelles, Douglass Street Music Collective, Greenwich House Music School, Jeremy Viner, Saxophonist, Sound Artist

Curtis Macdonald, Twice Through the Wall

Featuring David Virelles (piano), Chris Tordini (bass), Jeremy Viner (saxophone), Adam Jackson (drums)

Canadian-born jazz composer and sound artist Curtis Macdonald’s new EP, Twice Through the Wall, explores the hidden potential of everyday experiences and the way those experiences can be altered and fine-tuned through metaphysical disciplines, such as classical yoga, meditation and lucid dreaming.

David Virelles -][- CONTINUUM – [Pi Recordings, 2012]

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Composer, Cuban, David Virelles, Humber College, Myspace.com, Pi Recordings, Pianist

David Virelles, CONTINUUM

David Virelles -][- CONTINUUM –Mp3– [Pi Recordings, 2012]

Born and raised in Cuba, David Virelles grew up in a musical family, his father being a singer-songwriter and his mother a flautist in the Santiago de Cuba Symphony. He started studying classical music at age seven, as well as being exposed to the large array of musical forms in the island. Eventually, David discovered his grandfather’s Jazz collection and also became interested in that tradition. In 2001, he left for Canada as a protégé of Canadian musician Jane Bunnett, with whom he recorded several albums (two of them Grammy nominated), toured and collaborated with on a number of projects.

PDX Jazz @ Jimmy Mak’s Presents Blue Note Records Recording Artist Ravi Coltrane Wednesday August 8th (One Night Only)

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African American, Blue Note Records, David Virelles, Dezron Douglas, E.J. Strickland, Jimmy Mak's, PDX Jazz, Portland Jazz Festival, Ravi Coltrane, Saxophonist

Two Ticketed Shows at 7:00 and 9:00PM

Ravi Coltrane (Photo Credit..Deborah Feingold)

Listen to Ravi Coltrane on NPR’s “First Listen“

PDX Jazz, the presenting organization of the Portland Jazz Festival in partnership with Jimmy Mak’s, announces saxophonist Ravi Coltrane as part of the continuing PDX Jazz @ Jimmy Mak’s series on Wednesday, August 8th @ 7:00 & 9:00. Coltrane will lead a quartet with pianist David Virelles, bassist Dezron Douglas, and drummer E.J. Strickland in support of his Blue Note debut, Spirit Fiction.

Curtis MacDonald -][- COMMUNITY IMMUNITY

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Andrea Tynic, Becca Stevens, Chris Tordini, Curtis McDonald, David Virelles, Greg Ritchie, Jazz, Jeremy Viner, Michal Vanoucek, Saxophone, Travis Reuter

Curtis MacDonald -][- COMMUNITY IMMUNITY – [Greenleaf Music, 2011] Music Review

Saxophonist Greg Osby said, “Curtis MacDonald is a saxophonist of note, one who is worthy of great recognition.”

From the meeting, it was obvious within a lingering few notes of “COMMUNITY IMMUNITY” Curtis MacDonald was here to solidify his presence as a composer and saxophonist to immediately challenge virtually any new and seasoned jazz enthusiast who dare travel this path with this intriguing, young and inventive artist from Alberta, Canada.

Currently residing in New York, MacDonald debuts with the innovative yet fundamentally sound “COMMUNITY IMMUNITY” on Greenleaf Music. The album title derives from the idea of belonging to a community of talented musicians, this of course is crucial particularly for aspiring musicians.

While listening to this auspicious array of songs by MacDonald, I noticed the selections composed by him are very short in length. Maybe it’s a standard or unwritten rule for artists in this genre to record songs that are decidedly longer. Nonetheless, MacDonald was obviously moved to do otherwise and focus more on substance whether then appearance which is a quite refreshing approach to recording modern jazz and improvised music that boldly reflects the energy of his creative soul.