Adam Bałdych & The Baltic Gang -][- IMAGINARY ROOM – [ACT Music + Vision, 2012] –

Tags

ACT Music + Vision, Adam Bałdych, Amazon.com, Composer, European Jazz, Jacob Karlzon, Lars Danielsson, Marius Neset, Morten Lund, Nils Landgren, Verneri Pohjola, Violin

Adam Baldych & The Baltic Gang, IMAGINARY ROOM

Adam Bałdych & The Baltic Gang -][- IMAGINARY ROOM –Mp3– [ACT Music + Vision, 2012] –

After a much celebrated appearance by Adam Bałdych at the 2011 Berlin Jazzfest, critic Ulrich Olshausen raved in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper: “He has, without doubt, the greatest technique of any jazz violinist alive today. We can expect everything of him”.

High praise for a musician of just 26 years of age, and at the same time only fitting for a man who has been considered a prodigy in his native Poland for many years already. He discovered the violin at the age of 11, and jazz at 13; the music gave him the freedom of expression he was looking for, and at 16 he started his international career.

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

Tags

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 :::

Mads Tolling Quartet -][- Celebrating Jean-Luc Ponty : Live at Yoshi’s – [Madsman Records, 2012] –

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Mads Tolling, Violin

Mads Tolling Quartet, Celebrating Jean-Luc Ponty (Live at Yoshi’s)

Mads Tolling Quartet -][- Celebrating Jean-Luc Ponty : Live at Yoshi’s –Mp3– [Madsman Records, 2012] –

Mads Tolling, internationally renowned violinist, violist, and composer, is a member of the two time Grammy Award-Winning Turtle Island Quartet. As a soloist, he regularly tours as jazz violinist with the acclaimed bassist Stanley Clarke and his touring band. Since 2007 Mads has lead his own group, Mads Tolling Quartet. His latest recording, “The Playmaker” released in the fall of 09, features bass legend Stanley Clarke and jazz greats Russell Ferrante & Stefon Harris.

Scott Tixier -][- BROOKLYN BAZAAR – [Sunnyside, 2012 | Review] –

Tags

Arthur Vint, Douglas Bradford, Jesse Elder, Massimo Biolcati, Scott Tixier, Violin

Scott Tixier, BROOKLYN BAZAAR

Scott Tixier -][- BROOKLYN BAZAAR –MP3– [Sunnyside, 2012 | Review] –

It’s a new day in music, some agree, some may not. As we move through the axiomatic wave of sonic transitions musically we meet an abundant of charismatic new voices along the way. Born in Montreuil, France this self-taught violinist & composer Scott Tixier debuts with an extraordinary recording fittingly titled “Brooklyn Bazaar” on Sunnyside Records. In the meantime, Tixier is currently residing in what it described as the most livable, challenging and culturally diverse region in the Big Apple in the borough of Brooklyn.

JUST A MEMORY RECORDS RE-RELEASES FRENCH JAZZ VIOLINIST’S INTERPRETATIONS OF JEROME KERN CLASSICS ON MAY 10

Tags

Jazz, Stephane Grappelli, Violin

Stephane Grappelli with Orchestra - Plays Jerome Kern

From any perspective, the playing of Stephane Grappelli and the music of Jerome Kern were a perfect combination. More than anyone else, Kern was the man who brought the full grandeur of traditional classical music to the Great American Songbook, with his soaring melodies and sophisticated harmonies, and Grappelli, more than anyone else, was the musician who showed that the number one implement of classical music – the violin – could work in a jazz context. In their defacto “collaboration,” both Grappelli and Kern mutually found a copasetic midpoint between American jazz and the European classics, and were sublimely suited to each other.

Grappelli (1908-1997) was hitting yet another of his many career high points in the late ’80s. Even as he was turning 80, the venerated violinist was touring and recording constantly, much in demand as a hard-swinging elder statesman of the violin and of European Jazz. He was regularly heard on two or three albums a year at that point, all of them special, none more than this brilliant songbook package.

Michael White -][- X FACTOR & WHITE NIGHT [Elektra/Wounded Bird]

Tags

African American, George Duke, Jazz, Michael White, Patrice Rushen, Violin, Wayne Henderson

The folks at Wound Bird strikes again with two re-issues from the seventies by this fabulous violinist named Michael White! If anyone know’s where I can find “X FACTOR & WHITE NIGHT” via MP3 format for purchase please hit me up in the comments. Thanks in advance! —Rob Young

Michael White - X FACTOR

Michael White -][- X FACTOR – [Elektra/Wounded Bird, 1978]

An overlooked soulful gem from Michael White – one of his smoother albums, but with a tight sound that really makes the whole thing great! The set was produced by George Duke, and it’s got the same feel as some of Duke’s best work of the time – soaring, soulful, with a style that blends fusion and soul – and which often features vocals.

White plays his usual electric violin, and the album also features work by Patrice Rushen, Greg Phillinganes, and Duke himself performing as Dawili Gonga on keyboards. Titles include “Smile In Your Eyes”, “You Are My Heartbeat”, “Love Call”, “The Red Planet”, “Well Do It Then”, and “Let Love Be Your Magic Carpet”. © 1996-2011, Dusty Groove America, Inc.

Michael White - WHITE NIGHT

Michael White -][- WHITE KNIGHT – [Elektra/Wounded Bird, 1979]

An album that’s quite different than Michael White’s early solo work, but also quite nice too – although in a completely different way! On this set, White’s working with jazz funk legend Wayne Henderson – crafting a smooth approach to the groove that’s very much in keeping with the rest of Henderson’s At Home productions of the time. Most tracks have vocals, either lead by Alexandra Brown, or chorus/backing style by singers that include Angela Winbush, Augie Johnson, Jim Gilstrap, and Miki Howard.

White’s still playing violin, but the real appeal is the overall Henderson groove – helped out a bit here by some work by Don Mizell. Titles include “I Was Made To Love Him”, “I Like It”, “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”, “Never Be The Same”, “Of All Reasons”, and “So Good To Me”. © 1996-2011, Dusty Groove America, Inc.

..:: SOURCE: Dusty Groove.com ::..

Sonya Robinson -][- FLY [Sonya Robinson]

Tags

African American, Jazz, Sonya Robinson, Violin

Greeting’s jazz enthusiasts, today I unexpectedly stumbled into the latest recording by an artist I had heard from in years. She plays the violin, her name is Sonya Robinson. Perhaps you’ve heard or maybe not met the music of this sensational artists, but I’m elated to have my heart and soul rejuvenated by this wonderful musician who I considered one of the best of the unsung heroes during that period she debuted with her self-tiled album “Sonya” in 1987. —Rob Young | The Urban Flux

“Jazz violinist Sonya Robinson plays a little like Stuff Smith, a bit like Jean Luc Ponty and a whole lot like herself.”

Sonya Robinson - FLY

Sonya Robinson -][- FLY – [Sonya Robinson, 2008]

The late great jazz trumpeter Miles Davis said Sonya’s playing is reminiscent of Stuff Smith and Ray Nance, two of jazz’s legendary violinist’s. Robinson is a gutsy player with a beautiful sound and a fluidity that displays her technical finesse.

Fans of Sonya have literally jumped out of their seats upon hearing the excitement that Sonya generates with her violin playing. They feel the raw emotion within her music.

Sonya Robinson

Sonya, who has three albums to her name, Fly, Sonya and Sonya Live at Spiral, plays a variety of styles from the baroque, the blues, straight ahead and beyond.

A fluent composer, she writes and performs most of her own music. “Fly” features many old and new compositions. A for Black is a song that features her trio-violin, drum and bass. It is a rollicking piece that moves with grace and speed and features the violin in its favorite key, a minor. Truth and Honesty is a ballad that displays a level of soulfulness that only her violin and her ideas can project. Eleven is a piece written the day after 911. In some ways a tribute to the survivors and in other ways a musical documentation of what many of us saw and went through on that epic day. –BIOGRAPHY | SonyaRobinsonMusic.com

Check out Sonya at Facebook.com …

..:: Source: SonyaRobinsonMusic.com/ ::..

Introducing Violinist Majid Khaliq -][- The Basilisk

Tags

Jazz, Majid Khaliq, Violin

Majid Khaliq - The Basilisk

Majid Khaliq -][- The Basilisk – [Indie, 2010]

Majid Khaliq is a violinist and composer cut from a different cloth. He has been described by legendary musician Wynton Marsalis as having “a unique blend of improvisation, groove and technical sophistication.” Although classically trained, Mr. Khaliq’s passion and musical palette ranges from the roots of American jazz music to the greats of the Progressive jazz scene. He is quickly establishing himself as a rising talent in the world of jazz.

As a young boy growing up in the New York area, Mr. Khaliq demonstrated a serious interest in the recordings of Duke Ellington featuring Ray Nance on violin that he heard his father playing at home. At the age of five, his mother enrolled him in violin lessons. From that point on, music has provided Mr. Khaliq with the opportunity to play in some of the world’s most acclaimed educational institutions and concert halls. In 2002, Mr. Khaliq graduated from the Juilliard School with a Bachelor of Music and in 2010 with a Master of Arts in Jazz Performance from Queens College’s Aaron Copland School of Music. —http://www.majidkhaliq.com/biography

Original Release Date: September 28, 2010

..:: Source: Majid Khaliq.com ::..

Tobias Preisig -||- Flowing Mood [Obliqsound]

Tags

European Jazz, Jazz, Tobias Preisig, Violin

Tobias Preisig - Flowing Mood

Tobias Preisig -||- Flowing Mood [Obliqsound, 2010]

Preisig is far from being unknown in his home country of Switzerland, and is part of a movement coming about on the European jazz scene — a new generation of young musicians coming from Zurich who have been developing a new sound in jazz, including pianist Colin Vallon and ECM recording artist Nik Bärtsch. Tobi Preisig and his outstanding band complete the group of rising stars from Zurich, with “Flowing Mood” highlighting the talents of pianist and Sony Music recording artist Stefan Rusconi, bassist Andre’ Pousatz, and drummer Michi Stultz. Preisig explains.

With “Flowing Mood“, Preisig has formed a flexible body of sound, switching between soothing silence and explosive bursts. Preisig and his violin take us on a journey of dramatic landscapes and cozy ambiances, making us sigh, sing and celebrate.

“The accuracy of chamber music, the agility of jazz and the lightness of pop” – Jazz ‘n’ More
“An exceptional talent” – Neue Zürcher
“Sensational” – Tages-Anzeiger

..:: Source: Obliqsound.com ::..

Violinist Christian Howes Joins with Guitarist Robben Ford On His Followup for Resonance Records, Out of the Blue, To Be Released August 10th

Tags

Christian Howes, Jazz, Resonance Records, Violin

Christian Howes - Out of the Blue

Following a string of self-produced albums through the ’90s, virtuoso violinist and Columbus, Ohio native Christian Howes stepped into a larger arena by moving to New York, where he soon became an in-demand figure on the scene. A classically-trained player, Howes quickly earned a reputation in jazz circles by playing with the likes of trumpeter Randy Brecker, trombonist Steve Turre, guitarist Joel Harrison, pianist D.D. Jackson, saxophonist Greg Osby, drummer Dafnis Prieto, Dave Samuels’ Caribbean Jazz Project, Bill Evans’ Soulgrass, crossover pioneers Spyro Gyra and the legendary guitarist-inventor Les Paul. He made further strides in the jazz world with his 2003 recording Jazz on Sale, then revealed a more romantic side on his 2008 Resonance Records debut, Heartfelt, a lush, orchestral ballads project with jazz veterans Roger Kellaway and Bob Magnusson. Now Howes takes it up a few notches on his fiery followup for Resonance, Out of the Blue.