THE JAZZ CHILL CORNER JOE DEROSE AND AMICI - PEACE STREETS |  |
- JOE DEROSE AND AMICI - PEACE STREETS
- THE PUPPETEERS, DEBUT CD FROM JAIME AFFOUMADO, ARTURO O'FARRILL, ALEX BLAKE, AND BILL WARE DUE MARCH 2014
- TIERNEY SUTTON'S 'AFTER BLUE' HOMAGE TO JONI MITCHELL RECEIVES GRAMMY NOMINATION
- BOBBY WOMACK'S 'LOVE IS GONNA LIFT YOU UP' TOUR CONCLUDES WITH DATES AT NEW YORK'S WINERY
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Posted: 18 Dec 2013 12:48 PM PST
This is the second outing from S.F. bay area's drummer Joe DeRose and his electric fusion formation Amici. Comprised of some of the leading improvisers Northern California has to offer each member brings his signature interpretation of the jazz and world idiom blending a sound that is truly a comfort to the soul.
Blend vibrant Jazz Fusion, ECM harmonies, and soulful melodies and you get Joe De Rose and Amici. A multi-cultural, energetic, and completely unique ensemble that will leave every listener truly amazed. Comprised of some of the leading improvisers Northern California has to offer (Joe DeRose – drums, Hristo Vitchev – guitar, Dann Zinn – sax, Murray Low – keys, and Dan Robbins – bass), each member brings his signature interpretation of the jazz and world idiom blending a sound that is truly a comfort to the soul.
Joe DeRose is a San Jose native Joe DeRose is an alumnus of the Alum Rock Jazz Program and Stanford Jazz Workshop. In 1994, DeRose followed his love for jazz and moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. He graduated in 1998 and began touring with R&B diva Toni Lynn Washington. He also played on jazz singer Robin McKell's debut CD, Never Let Me Go. Some years later DeRose returned to San Jose brimming with experience and enthusiasm. It was about this time he became friends with jazz legend Louie Bellson. DeRose says, "Louie was like a second father to me. He taught me so much about music, friendship and life. It was a true blessing to have Louie in my life."
"We've heard from drummer Joe DeRose before as a member of Bulgarian-American guitarist Hristo Vitchev's excellent Bay Area ensemble. On his first album as leader, DeRose utilizes basically the same group, while augmenting the core with saxophonist Dann Zinn. And as to be expected from a drummer - this group takes things in a slightly more combustible direction than the slightly more atmospheric sounds in Vitchev's writing and moves into more of an uptempo fusion direction that is quite exciting. On the opening "Nick's Legacy," (written for his father) everyone gets into the action with outstanding solos from stellar bassist Dan Robbins, Grammy-nominated pianist Weber Iago, Zinn and Vitchev on a fiery electric guitar over explosive drumming by DeRose. DeRose explains that "Amici" means friends in Italian, and many of the songs are dedicated to people (like Louie Bellson on "Drum Angel") who helped him along the way. He also thanks his fellow musicians for their input and it is clear that these musicians truly enjoy working with each other.
Most of the songs were cowritten with Vitchev and his keen ear for warm harmonization is a solid presence. Saxophonist Zinn is also a welcome addition - often taking the lead on the themes - freeing Vitchev to and bringing the music into new dimensions sonically. Songs like "The Skies Below," "Bros At Play" and "Ancient Prayer" navigate the area between the melodic and the rhythmic with abandon. There is an urgent undercurrent of energy barely restrained from breaking out at any time and this tension results is some enthralling music. Even the beautiful "Tears from Tokyo" refuses to sink into slumber, while the catchy title track is the "hit" and offers great solos, especially from Robbins. The Iago-cowritten "Miracles" ends this wonderful recording - finally succumbing to take a breath and chill out a bit." - Brad Walseth (JazzChicago.net)
Listening to his works will bring us to a conclusion: Joe DeRose is truly a wonderful talent. The drum legend, Louie Bellson, also referred Joe as "a wonderful talent and a wonderful friend." There's a meaningful story in every beat he let out from his stick work. In his hand, drum is not only an instrument to guard a song and a base of rhythm but also as the beat which could speak louder and clearer about many things. Drum becomes alive with him. Joe DeRose was born in San Jose, California. He started finding his passion on drums at the tender age of 5, taught by his elder brother. He became active in school bands including Alum Rock Jazz Band in 1988 soon after. When he reached 14 years old, he began his professional career by series of appearance along the San Fransisco Bay Area. He got the chance to learn from some great drummers such as Louie Bellson, Joe Porcaro, Freddie Grubber, Bryant Mills, John Ramsay, Wally Schnalle, Karl Carter, Lewis Nash, Kenwood Denard, Mike Mangini and many more. He moved to Boston in 1994 and studied at the famous Berklee College of Music. It was a dream coming true for him to attend this prestigious college. He graduated 4 years ago and got a Bachelor in Performance by Magna Cum Laude. Even while he was in Boston he couldn't miss the chance to grace the stage. He went on tour with RnB and Blues diva, Toni Lynn Washington.
In 2006 he got the honor to perform his debut drum clinic for San Jose Pro Drum, as the opening for Tommy Aldridge. Being back to his hometown, San Jose, was a good decision. In October 2008 he went on a Japanese tour with jazz singer Yoshiko Oda and also Hristo Vitchev Quartet. They performed around Japan including a shot at Okazaki Jazz Festival. Recently he has finished two European tours with Kofy Brown and a northern California tour with Italian singer Pasquale Esposito,also a performance at the AT&T San Jose Jazz Festival. Having learned from many iconic drummers, the Berklee period and around the world experience has raised his skill level to the max relatively fast. And now he continued his journey in different role, as the band leader for the very first time for his own band, Joe DeRose and Amici. We can clearly see how proud Joe is to have his dearest friends in his band. Joe explains the using of "Amici" is meant to describe a band, where great friends, great minds and great souls come together to make great music. As they have known each other well both on and off stage, it absolutely makes them easier to connect in perfect chemistry. When you listen to "Sounds for the Soul", his first debut album as the band leader, you will certainly feel it.
Most of the songs were mostly composed by Joe DeRose and Hristo Vitchev. "Sounds for the Soul" shows how drum can appear in the front, as the main meal and not just the side dish. What interesting is, even with the drums on spot, the compositions still give enough room for everyone to go solo bringing their explorations and improvisations. 9 songs contained in the album shows the stylishly vibrant set of fusions with the spirit of ECM style of harmonies and soulful melodies. Most of the songs mean very personal to Joe as he tributes them to some of the most important people in his life, his heroes who have contributed a lot to make him as who he is today. Technically speaking, the compositions were made stylishly with enough room for everyone to show their tasteful skill freely. In this album, you will hear the guitar maestro Hristo Vitchev showing his rocking side through some seriously cool riffs besides being the showcase of Joe's accent in stunning stick work. Weber Iago once again shows that the name "Amazonian" given to him by his friends refers to the unique hand-movements wildly; dancing on the piano is not for nothing. Again he shows his ability to play fast, explorative and wild, just like Weber we used to love. Dan Robbins grooves with his bass on the low end, and Dan Zinn's blows on his sax giving melodic and soulful sounds in between Coltrane's approach and smooth jazz patterns. It's a wonderful combination, it's magical ingredients.
They create series of sounds to splash our soul with. "Nick's Legacy" opens up the album wonderfully. This is a song dedicated to Joe's father, Nicholas DeRose, whom Joe feels blessed to have. "He touched my life and so many others with his love, warm heart and passion for life." says Joe. "He left so many legacies with us: family values, great food, antipastos, music, laugh.. but the most important one to me is the love he left in people's heart." Joe continues. "The composition carries on every detail" said Joe. It has warm melody projecting a thankful heart of a son to his father. This song also delivers the combination of skills among friends in strong chemistry. Joe's cool drum beating and splashing cymbals fills up the song including a part where Hristo rocks really did well with his electric guitar just like the way a rocker does. The landscapic song follows, "The Skies Below". It's a composition enabling you to fly to the high altitude and watch the skies below. Zinn's saxophone and Vitchev's roaring guitar act like the wings to bring you fly in the multi-colored sky. "Tal's Dream" is next. It's a composition dedicated to Talmadge Hicks, an amazing musician and composer that was very important in Joe's life.
While he was the mentor and great friend, as well as introducing jazz to Joe at an early age, it was the soulful melodies he sang to Joe when he grew up that became the source of inspiration for making this composition together with Hristo. Within the composition you could feel that Joe wants to tell many things in colorful lines about his feeling towards Tal. The next track "Bros at Play" is dedicated to his brothers, Gino, Nick and his nephews, Gino Jr and Michael. The teasing and playful drum beats are followed by the same way by the rest of the band. The song should also mean to the brothers who play with him in the band, as you will sense the harmonious interaction between them, the word Joe says in the beginning of the song tells it all: "Okay bro, let's play."
The 9 minutes track "Ancient Prayer" comes right after. This is a nice melodious piece that will completely satisfy you especially with the long enough duration. "Drum Angel" is another exceptional composition tributing to Louie Bellson, another mentor to Joe's life. Louie is not only his musical inspiration but also the one who taught him how to conduct himself as a human being. It's obvious that musical pattern for this song is beautiful; you will love every single line of it. A nice composition again comes from "Tears from Tokyo", a melancholic song referring to the time when he missed his mom, Mary DeRose, the most while he was unable to reach her from Tokyo. The melody appeared in Joe's head, and then Hristo went on harmonizing it. That was the beginning of their collaboration that carries on until now. Then comes the title track, "Sounds for the Soul." served in groovy and funky rhythm, this song carries on a lot of soulful feeling inside, transferring them from soul to soul. Simply put, it's the composition that sends the sound to reach our soul elegantly.
The last track speaks about "Miracles". Joe believes that if every person on the planet helped one another on a daily basis, if we all were kind to one another and took care of one another, that would be the sign of a wonderful world, and that's the time when miracle can happen through us. With that in mind, this composition made together with Weber Iago sounds very inspiring and optimist. As this is the last song, everyone join hands giving up their last touch of togetherness for this album. And for us, that is also a miracle indeed. When you want to have a showcase of elegant drum beating in excellent collaboration with fully connected team work, when you want to see how chemistry among real friends can make a difference, when you want to feel the creativity of composition and playing by real talented group, this is the album you should have. It's a brilliant free-for-all fusion served in many textures.
You get the satisfaction for the love of jazz from many eras, the Coltrane's, the ECM's, the smooth jazz heyday to the present day's jazz, also a visit to the roaring-rocking style as well. Joe DeRose and Amici's "Sounds for the Soul" is a soul transferring album, starting from the circle of friends in the band to the soul of us as the listeners. It's a breathtaking album brilliantly made that marks the first step of Joe DeRose in his new role as a leader. Through this album we can clearly see there will be more creative ideas come from this wonderful talent in the future. Are you ready to fill up your soul? You can always have it from this.
Hristo Vitchev is a Bulgarian Impressionistic chamber-jazz guitarist/composer Hristo Vitchev is referred by the international media as one of the newest and most innovative voices in modern jazz guitar. Hristo's music has been captivating audiences all across the globe an at only age 33 he has already released 6 critically acclaimed albums as a leader plus two more releases as a co-leader with Joe DeRose and Amici.
Dann Zinn is a world class musician, known for his brilliant saxophone and flute playing, stunning compositions, and contribution to music education in and around the San Francisco Bay Area. Hailed as a "guru," Zinn finds beauty in making music comes from constant reinventing and searching. Zinn's work has developed into a unique style. Having a sound of his own is tantamount to his creativity. By blending diverse influences, Zinn has made his music accessible, melodic, textured, and emotional in both intense and beautiful ways.
Dan Robbins is one of the most in demand and virtuosic bass players in the Western part of the continent, Dan Robbins's completely unique approach and voice on the instrument have led him to performances and recordings with international jazz stars Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Danilo Perez, Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, Benny Green, Giovanni Hidalgo, Peter Martin, Cedar Walton and many more.
Murray Low is a veteran pianist of the Bay Area jazz scene and has been playing, composing, arranging, recording and teaching professionally for over thirty years. His fluency in all forms of jazz and its blending with other idioms has led to a multi-faceted career spanning a wide variety of musical contexts. Murray is perhaps best known for his contributions to Latin Jazz, Salsa and Afro-Cuban musical landscape.
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Posted: 18 Dec 2013 12:34 PM PST
 Coming out on March 18, 2014 is The Puppeteers, the debut CD by the group of the same name featuring drummer Jaime Affoumado, pianist Arturo O'Farrill, bassist Alex Blake and vibraphonist Bill Ware. Spawned at the much-missed Brooklyn club Puppet's Jazz, the band assimilates the diverse influences that each band member brings to the table - the heady fragrance of hard bop, Latin, Afro-Caribbean and funk.
Puppet's Jazz, the much-missed Brooklyn club, may have completed its six-year existence in May of 2011, but its afterlife has spawned both a substantial jazz quartet and a promising new record label. The Puppeteers reunites drummer and club founder Jaime Affoumado, pianist Arturo O'Farrill, bassist Alex Blake and vibraphonist Bill Ware, respected veteran musicians who logged in more hours together than they can remember on the compact bandstand of the former club. Now, officially known as the Puppeteers, the foursome have pooled their instrumental and compositional talents for a project that brims with the cohesion that sprouts from familiarity yet also bursts with the excitement of renewed commitment. The band's self titled debut will be released on March 18, 2014.
The Puppeteers, as author Howard Mandel aptly states in his liner notes, deal in "fresh-jazz," music that: "sounds like it just happened - not as "look-at-the-past" but as "here's what-we-play-now." It's a group sound that assimilates the diverse influences that each of the band members willingly brings to the table; if the heady fragrance of hard bop, Latin, Afro-Caribbean and funk idioms can be detected, then the Puppeteers have done their job. The formative music that made each of these players who they are is honored before it is transformed into the new. Make no mistake; although the instrumentation of the two ensembles may be similar, this is not your father's Modern Jazz Quartet. Drawing nourishment from the roots, yet grounding their sound firmly in the present, is the credo of The Puppeteers.
Individually, each member of the Puppeteers has a rich musical history. Bill Ware, an original member of the influential Downtown band, The Jazz Passengers also co-founded The Groove Collective and toured with Steely Dan for the Alive in America tour, 1993-1995. Alex Blake, who mans both acoustic and electric bass on the album, has long been associated with pianist Randy Weston, and has worked with such diverse artists as The Manhattan Transfer, Sun Ra, and the late saxophone master Stan Getz. Arturo O'Farrill, the leader of the acclaimed Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, has also collaborated with a wide swath of important figures including Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis Carla Bley and Harry Belafonte. Jaime Affoumado has played with Jaco Pastorious, Arthur Blythe, and The Jazz Passengers, and, as the house drummer for Puppet's Jazz, provided the groove for innumerable players who graced the club's potent stage.
Each member of the cooperative contributes compositions, which range from percolating romps (Affoumado's "Dreams of Dad," O'Farrill's "To Whom," and Ware's "Lonely Days Are Gone," which borrows its chord progression from "The Letter," the 1968 Box Top's hit.) to easy grooving tunes (Blake's "Peaceful Moments"). The only non-original tune, "Not Now Right Now," introduced to the project by O'Farrill, is from the pen of trombonist Papo Vazquez, a former member of O'Farrill's Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. "Having every band member contribute tunes is important," says Affoumado, "We are separate entities coming together. There's a magic that comes from feeding off each other's creativity -- I call it a calm shark fest."
The album is being released on Puppet's Records, a new label that also takes its name from the fondly remembered club. The brainchild of Affoumado (the driving force behind both Brooklyn incarnations of the club) and attorney Dana Hall (manager of Bill Ware and the Jazz Passengers), Puppet's Records intends to create a resource for the work of the four featured players, and then expand to include up-and-coming artists from the worlds of new jazz, funk, and hip hop. "We've called it "Puppet's Records" not "Puppet's Jazz Records," states Affoumado, "We want to be open to all kinds of great music."
Although Affoumado acknowledges that the energy of the quartet is an outgrowth of the vitality that sprang from the club, he dismisses any talk of a fabled "Brooklyn Vibe." For him, "a vibe is brought to a musical situation by a person - not a place." However the magic arose, let's be thankful that the inspired atmosphere of a treasured club continues to live on in a fresh and vibrant band and an auspicious record label.
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Posted: 18 Dec 2013 12:13 PM PST
Jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton has earned a Grammy nomination for her latest release, homage to revered pop singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, "After Blue." Including her nine CDs over 20 years with Tierney Sutton Band, this projects Tierney as an acclaimed six-time Grammy-nominated artist. With After Blue, her most daring and revealing project to date, Sutton puts her own unique stamp on familiar Mitchell tunes going back to 1969's "Both Sides Now" and 1970's "Big Yellow Taxi" and including more recent numbers like 1979's "The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines" and 1982's jivey "Be Cool," along with Joni's haunting take on the standard "Don't Go to Strangers" from her 2000 orchestral album, Both Sides Now. "That album with orchestral arrangements by Vince Mendoza was my doorway into 'Joni-land,'" Sutton writes in the liner notes to After Blue. "It is the vocal album that I have listened to more than any other in the years since its release. I consider it to be on par with Sinatra's Wee Small Hours and Billie Holiday's Lady in Satin."
Having come up as a Jazz singer with an intimate knowledge of the Great American Songbook, Sutton wasn't all that familiar with Mitchell's work prior to hearing Both Sides Now in 2000. But that tour de force recording sparked her interest and sent her on a journey of investigating Mitchell's earlier masterworks like Blue, Ladies of the Canyon and Court and Spark. But it would be years before she started performing any of that material in concerts. "I knew that Mitchell's music was not something I could glance at and then perform," she writes in the liner notes. "I had to live with it---for years—like her fans who had absorbed the music in their youth. I wanted to 'marinate' in Joni Mitchell." Eventually, Sutton incorporated "Big Yellow Taxi" into her sets with her working band (pianist Christian Jacob, bassists Trey Henry and Kevin Axt, drummer Ray Brinker) and by 2011 she was performing "All I Want" and "Little Green" on tour with the Turtle Island Quartet.
When the time seemed right to do her own Joni Mitchell tribute recording, Sutton's regular pianist Jacob was immersed in his own solo project and her longtime drummer Brinker had just gotten married and was preparing for life as a first-time father. So she recruited pianist-organist Larry Goldings, whose longstanding tenure with James Taylor gave him a greater understanding of pop forms and the decidedly non-jazzy accompaniment required of a pop gig. Next she recruited friend and former Weather Report drummer Peter Erskine, who had actually played on "The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines" from Mitchell's 1979 Mingus album. Cellist and Turtle Island Quartet founder Mark Summer came on board for a frisky duet with Sutton on "All I Want" and a stark, stirring duet rendition of "Both Sides Now," while the full TIQ backed Tierney on intricate arrangements of "Blue" and the delicate "Little Green." Parisian guitar master Serge Merlaud turned in a beautiful straight ahead reading of the melancholy jazz standard "Don't Go To Strangers," which also features Tierney Sutton Band bassist Kevin Axt chording, a la Freddie Green, on acoustic bass guitar. Merlaud also played nylon string acoustic guitar in an intimate, classically influenced duet with Sutton on "Answer Me, My Love," which Mitchell performed on 2000's Both Sides Now.
Elsewhere on After Blue, Goldings supplies the Hammond B-3 bass lines and bluesy-churchy organ work on "The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines" and "Be Cool," then switches gears for wonderfully evocative piano-voice duet readings of "Court and Spark" and "Woodstock," along with a moving medley of "April in Paris" that morphs back and forth into Joni's "A Free Man in Paris." "What I love about Larry is that he is all about the sound and the beauty of the simple line," says Sutton. "And I'm sure that comes from all of his years with James Taylor. All the albums I've done up until now have been about these really amazing, crazy arrangements with all this stuff going on with reharmonization and all the rest of it. But I really wanted to be simple on this project. Of course, I'm a Jazz singer so there has to be some sensibility with a couple of tensions in there. And Larry is the perfect balance of those things. He's really special and I feel lucky to have him on this session."
Ralph Humphrey, the longtime in-demand West Coast studio drummer and one-time member of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, adds a deft touch with brushes on an inventive 5/4 drums-voice duet rendition of "Big Yellow Taxi." Flute legend Hubert Laws appears on "The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines"" and "Be Cool," the latter also featuring the great Al Jarreau in a soulful and scintillating vocal duet with Tierney. Says Sutton on how she came to recruit fellow Milwaukeean Jarreau for this tribute project: "I was listening to Travelogue, the other Vince Mendoza record with Joni Mitchell, and all of a sudden 'Be Cool' comes on. And I remember I was walking around my house, doing stuff while listening to this record, and I did like a double take in my kitchen and said to myself, 'This sounds like an Al Jarreau tune, it doesn't sound like a Joni Mitchell tune.' And I decided that was it. That was the tune for him to sing on this album. I suggested it to his manager and they ran it by him and the next thing I knew, we were in the studio together. It was really propitious…a very fun, lucky thing."
Sutton's last musical tribute was her 2001 Bill Evans homage, Blue in Green. With After Blue, she pays tribute to an artist whom she holds in equal esteem. "Joni's phrasing is so signature and influential, and as a lyricist and as a poet she stands alone. She has deep Jazz credentials and there is a legitimate respect that Jazz musicians and jazz lyricists have for her.
This album means many things to me," Sutton writes in the liner notes to After Blue. "It comes after my 30 years of concentrating on the 'Blue In Green' tones of Miles and Bill Evans and Coltrane and Sinatra. And after spending time with the many hues of Joni's own repertoire, I hope this record represents a coming together of those hues, those colors of music. Thank you Joni Mitchell for your inspiration, your excellence. All I can hope for here is to scratch the surface of your deep legacy…to paint a little multi-colored portrait inspired by you."
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Posted: 18 Dec 2013 12:09 PM PST
2009 Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame inductee, R&B legend and Grammy-nominated musician Bobby Womack will be ending 2013 with three nights of live performances at Manhattan's City Winery. Tickets for the concerts are available on http://www.citywinery.com.
Bobby has played a string of international dates throughout this year, beginning in May and including a headlining performance at Glastonbury in June. Bobby also played in Australia, Japan, South America and Sweden. Womack is touring in support of his 2012 album release, "The Bravest Man in the Universe", which was co-produced by Richard Russell, owner of XL Recordings and Damon Albarn, singer-songwriter known for his success with Blur and Gorillaz. "I hope people hear Bobby, get excited by Bobby, realize how great he is and check out his old records. A lot more people should be aware of him…" Russell said.
Bobby Womack's career spans over 50 years in the music industry and 27 studio albums. "The Bravest Man in the Universe" is Womack's first release of original material in 18 years, including the single "Love is Gonna Lift You Up". Esquire Magazine interviewed Bobby in November, and he was recently in studio with American rap artist, Rick Ross, to record a yet-unreleased song.
The final three shows of the year will be in New York, New York at City Winery. The venue combines live music and entertainment with Manhattan's only winery. Bobby Womack is playing December 20th, 21st, and 22nd. VIP Meet & Greet Packages are available before all three shows. Tickets for the concerts, as well as, tickets for the VIP Meet & Greet are available on http://www.citywinery.com.
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