Joshua Redman Trio Launches Irish Tour; James Farm to Tour Europe in November

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Aaron Parks, Brad Mehldau Trio, Eric Harland, Gregory Hutchinson, Ireland, Joshua Redman, Matt Penman, Nonesuch Records, Reuben Rogers, The Bad Plus, Wigmore Hall Jazz Series

Joshua Redman

Following his recent European tour with The Bad Plus, Joshua Redman has arrived in Ireland with the Joshua Redman Trio, featuring Reuben Rogers on bass and Gregory Hutchinson on drums, to launch its Irish tour with a concert at The Button Factory in Dublin tonight. The five-day, five-city tour includes stops in Limerick, Cork, Dún Laoghaire, as well as a show at The Mac in Belfast, Northern Ireland. See below for all of Redman’s currently scheduled tour dates; for additional details and ticket links, go to nonesuch.com/on-tour.

Zach Brock -][- ALMOST NEVER WAS – [Criss Cross Jazz, 2012] –

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Aaron Goldberg, Criss Cross Jazz, Eric Harland, Matt Penman, Violin, Zach Brock

“I called the great French violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and I said ‘So, who’s the new cat? Who’s got the stuff? And he said Zach Brock.” – Stanley Clarke

Zach Brock, ALMOST NEVER WAS

Zach Brock -][- ALMOST NEVER WAS –Mp3– [Criss Cross Jazz, 2012] –

One of the most virtuosic and emotive voices of contemporary jazz violin, rising star Zach Brock has drawn praise from a wide cohort of fellow musicians and critics for his musical acumen.

Having appeared notably as a sideman with musicians such as Stanley Clarke and Patricia Barber, Brock convenes a world-class rhythm section for his Criss Cross debut (pianist Aaron Goldberg, bassist Matt Penman, and drummer Eric Harland), who inspire him to uncork a series of efflorescent, graceful improvisations on a program of originals and re-imagined standards.

::: SOURCE: CRISS CROSS JAZZ :::

Ravi Coltrane -][- SPIRIT FICTION – [Blue Note, 2012] –

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African American, Composer, Drew Gress, E.J. Strickland, Eric Harland, Geri Allen, James Genus, Luis Perdomo, Ralph Alessi, Ravi Coltrane, Saxophonist

Ravi Coltrane, SPIRIT FICTION

Ravi Coltrane -][- SPIRIT FICTION – [Blue Note, 2012] –

Praised for his music s elusive beauty (DownBeat), and for his style informed by tradition but not encumberedby it (Philadelphia City Paper), saxophonist and composer Ravi Coltrane takes a bold step in his creative journey with Spirit Fiction, his Blue Note Records debut . The 11-track album features two different band lineups, each with a unique expressive urgency. Several tracks feature Coltrane s long-term quartet with pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Drew Gress and drummer E.J. Strickland. Coltrane also enlisted a quintet featuring trumpeter Ralph Alessi, pianist Geri Allen, bassist James Genus and drummer Eric Harland the personnel featured on his sophomore release From the Round Box.

McCoy Tyner -][- LAND OF GIANTS – [Telarc, 2012] –

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African American, Bobby Hutchinson, Charnett Moffet, Eric Harland, McCoy Tyner, Piano

McCoy Tyner, LAND OF GIANTS

McCoy Tyner -][- LAND OF GIANTS –MP3– [Telarc, 2012] –

There is something about the combination of Bobby Hutchinson’s vibes and McCoy Tyner’s piano that gives this music a sound that is unique in jaz. These two musicians have a way of blending their lines so perfectly that it is as if the music is playing them instead of the other way around. The bass playing of Charnett Moffet is equal to the task of keeping up with these two musical geniuses. The first cut Serro De Mar is stunningly beautiful and the latin tinged Manalyuca is driven by a haunting bassline supplied by Moffet.

Jazz Journalists Association Announces Nominees for 16th Annual JJA Jazz Awards

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2012 Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards, African American, Ambrose Akinmusire, Craig Taborn, Eric Harland, Esperanza Spalding, Gary Burton, J.D. Allen, Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, Keith Jarrett, Lee Konitz, Mary Halvorson, Pat Metheny, Ron Carter, Roy Haynes, Sonny Rollins, Warren Wolf

Finalist nominees for the 16th annual Jazz Awards presented by the Jazz Journalists Association have been announced at www.JJAJazzAwards.org. The nominations demonstrate the rich diversity of music that may have been overlooked by mainstream media and other music industry-generated Awards programs.

Iconic veteran instrumentalists including Sonny Rollins, Keith Jarrett, Phil Woods Lee Konitz, Gary Burton, Ron Carter, Roy Haynes, Jack DeJohnette, Pat Metheny and John Scofield are among the nominees who will vie for votes with newly emerged talents such as trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, pianist Craig Taborn, tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen, guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Esperanza Spalding, vibist Warren Wolf and drummer Eric Harland in some of the 40 categories celebrating excellence in jazz and jazz journalism. Winners of the Jazz Awards will be selected from the nearly 200 nominees through voting by the JJA’s international membership of writers, photographers, broadcasters and new media producers professionally involved with jazz. Awards are for accomplishments and productions from calendar year 2011, except in two categories for Lifetime Achievement.

Saxophonist and composer Ravi Coltrane will release his debut album for Blue Note Records, entitled Spirit Fiction, on June 19

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African American, Drew Gress, E.J. Strickland, Eric Harland, Geri Allen, James Genus, Luis Perdomo, Ralph Alessi, Ravi Coltrane

Ravi Coltrane

Saxophonist and composer Ravi Coltrane will release his debut album for Blue Note Records, entitled Spirit Fiction, on June 19. The album features two different band lineups including Coltrane’s long-term quartet with pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Drew Gress and drummer E.J. Strickland as well as a quintet featuring trumpeter Ralph Alessi, pianist Geri Allen, bassist James Genus and drummer Eric Harland.

Coltrane’s label mate and fellow saxophonist Joe Lovano served as co-producer of the album along with Coltrane. “I’ve always produced my own recordings except for the first one, Moving Pictures, which was produced by Steve Coleman,” says Coltrane. “Joe was a truly supportive producer on this project. He has been an important figure in my life for over 20 years.” Lovano also plays alongside Coltrane and Allen on a rendition of Paul Motian’s “Fantasm” as well as a version of Ornette Coleman’s “Check Out Time.” Spirit Fiction also includes six original compositions by Coltrane and three by Alessi. See below for the full track listing.

Charles Lloyd -][- Athens Concert [ECM, 2011]

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Charles Lloyd, Eric Harland, Jason Moran, Jazz, Reuben Rogers, Socratis Sinopoulos, Takis Farazis, Tenor Saxophone

Charles Lloyd, Athens Concert

Charles Lloyd -][- Athens Concert -(MP3)- [ECM, 2011]

Recorded at the foot of the Acropolis, at the open air Odeon of Herodes Atticus, on a summer night last year, “Athens Concert” is an entrancing collaboration between Charles Lloyd, uniquely expressive US saxophonist, and Maria Farantouri, venerable Greece vocalist – the soul of Greece for many listeners. With Lloyd’s exceptional band in impassioned support, the project raises the bar for `trans-cultural’ music-making. The music sweeps the listener along in its swirling river of sound. This is music of many moods and currents – celebratory, yearning, melancholic – embracing suites of traditional Greek music, songs of Theodorakis and Eleni Karaindrou, and Lloyd originals. The Lloyd band and Farantouri perform with a commitment that underscores the essential compatibility of the idioms. The great Greek themes of love, exile, nostalgia, and departure find their correspondences, after all, in the history of jazz. And if Farantouri is not a jazz singer per se, she embodies an emotional power comparable with the greatest vocalists of any genre. Lloyd writes in his liner notes: “From her first notes I felt such a power and depth of humanity; she is a modern wonder rising up from the ruins of civilization. She is Alethea, Athena, Aphrodite, Demeter, Gaia, Phemonoe – Mother of the Universe. The resonance of her voice stirred the memory of my love for Lady Day.”

Flux Jazz Essentials for 2011?

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African American, Ambrose Akinmusire, Bass, Ben Williams, Christian Scott, David Binney, David Sanchez, Drums, Eric Harland, Fabian Almazan, Female Vocalist, Flux Jazz Essentials 2011, Flux Music Essentials, Gerald Clayton, Gretchen Parlato, Hiromi, Itai Kriss, Joshua Redman, Miguel Zenón, Miles Español, Piano, Rez Abbasi, Saxophone, Sean Jones, Stefon Harris, Terri Lyne Carrington, Trumpet, Yellowjackets

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to my fellow jazz enthusiasts, as always it’s great to be with you. Although, it’s been an extremely stressful year economically and politically for so many globally I’m thankful regardless for those of us who are still here despite the mayhem that’s currently causing all this strife and pain. With that said, as a optimist times like this has a tendency to draw us closer to our love ones, make new friends and on the entertainment side of the spectrum expand our music collection to give us a positive outlet to delve into. In this case, as music goes so far this has been an exceptional year jazz wise. Therefore, this among many reasons led me to return and share with you a few of my favorite jazz albums that I stumbled into this year. If you haven’t, I hope that you find time to listen some of these titles (their well worth your effort). If not, please share with us some of your favorite recordings you’ve embraced this year. Thanks in advance, I’ll be delighted to hear from you!

The following selections in no particular order are some of my favorite Jazz albums for 2011!

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In my absence, I appreciate those of you who drop by and followed me on Twitter at your convince. One thing for sure, I plan to return in the near future to continue sharing with you some of the finest jazz, news, and reviews available.

Until then, take care and God bless.

Rob Young |The Urban Flux [… is jazz with abstract xpressions shaped by vibrant and unique voices!]

James Farm [|] Moods – Zurich | 04.02.2010 (Video)

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Aaron Parks, Eric Harland, James Farm, Jazz, Joshua Redman, Matt Penman

Greeting jazz lovers, it’s great to be back with you on this fabulous Monday. Today, I’m going to share with you one of the hottest videos out right now by James Farm featuring Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks, Matt Penman and Eric Harland captured live in Zurich (04.02.2010). Their self-titled debut recording on Nonesuch Records is due tomorrow (4/26/2011), this is definitely one I intend on picking up.

..:: SOURCE: YouTube.com ::..

Nonesuch Releases Jazz Quartet James Farm’s Self-Titled Debut Album on April 26

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Aaron Parks, Eric Harland, Jazz, Joshua Redman, Matt Penman

Pictured from left to right: Matt Penman, Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks and Eric Harland

JAMES FARM

James Farm is a collaborative band featuring saxophonist Joshua Redman, pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Matt Penman, and drummer Eric Harland. The band uses traditional acoustic jazz quartet instrumentation for its song-based approach to jazz and incorporates the members’ myriad of influences: rock, soul, folk, classical, and electronica, among many others. Nonesuch releases the band’s self-titled debut album on April 26, 2011.

Penman says of the group, “James Farm is where we pool our collective knowledge, let run the best of our ideas arising from our varied musical influences, while acknowledging substantial common ground—a love of jazz, a fascination with song and structure, an obsession with groove, and a receptivity to contemporary influences. A band where we can be creative composers and improvisers, in step with the rhythm of the times, constantly evolving.”