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Oct 15
Endangered Blood is a dynamic NYC band comprised
of Chris Speed, Jim Black, Trevor Dunn and Oscar Noriega.
Performing a mix of original compositions and jazz classics,
they create a new sound that integrates swing, free jazz,
and rock,
while maintaining the experimental energy that all these
musicians are known for. Their debut recording was released
to rave
reviews in March 2011 on Skirl records, a label mining the
fertile new music scene of Brooklyn.
“We are a neighborhood band, all living within three
blocks of each other. Initially we played for an ailing
friends' benefit concert and by
demand we continued to perform together, developing a book
of music built around the bands' sound and dynamic energy.
We're not
afraid to get our hands dirty with the music and
have a great time making fun of each other.”
"High-energy, melody-driven themes exploded into all-out
jams, hammered home by Jim Black's aggressive drumming."
Time Out NY - June, 2010
"Endangered Blood. This was some of the tightest, most
sophisticated chordless quartet playing I've heard in this
festival or otherwise.
The writing was hip but not overly complex and emphasized
melody in conjunction with harmony instead of vice versa.
There were
elements of bebop, Mariachi, free jazz and post-bop all
seamlessly strung together. Noriega is an alto player I
NEED to hear more of,
plain and simple."
All About Jazz - June, 2010
Oct 20
Avram Fefer/Michael Bisio Duo
“Fefer's varied experience, be it playing hypnotic
West African traditional music or electro-acoustic trip-hop,
informs his highly developed sense of swing. His coiled
phrasing lends these propulsive excursions an infectious,
groove-oriented focus.”
“extended techniques are commonplace in Fefer's spiritually-charged
post-Coltrane language”
“Fefer's mastery of thematic abstraction, fueled by
Revis and Taylor's empathetic interplay.”
“Complemented by a congenial rhythm section, Fefer's
burly timbre, pithy phrasing and taut lyricism make Ritual
a stellar example of the trio tradition.”
Troy Collins
Oct 27
Jerry Granelli Trio
Let go of what you want it to be. let go of how you think
it to should be. even let go of your vision.
and so we began by bringing in compositions and tearing
them apart to find out what worked.
This recording is a crystallization of that process.
In January of 2011 Jerry Granelli called it. The material
was ready. The recording could begin. After almost a year
of tearing the music apart and pulling it back together;
communications over long distances and intimate rehearsals;
playing the pieces live and hidden away in Jerry’s
studio—the trio and the music were ready. This would
be their debut recording. It was always about letting go.
But the title came later. Everyone had to pack away any
preconceptions and allow the power of the music and the
trio, as a living-breathing unit, to guide the sessions.
Jerry Granelli cut his teeth on some of the best trios
in the business; Vince Guaraldi, Denny Zeitland and Mose
Allison, to name a few. Yes, Jerry has led and directed
small and large ensembles over the years but this is the
first time that he has stepped up to lead his own trio.
Granelli looks at the concept of the trio and is amazed.
Everything fits together perfectly. No one gets a free ride.
Jerry has known Danny Oore and Simon Fisk for years. A
little over a year ago when he began to think about the
trio form for his next project it was their artistry and
their sound that seemed to fit what he heard. Jerry had
been toying with how to create using the structure of the
trio but without it sounding like a trio. The two musicians
bring something new to the trio palate, Simon: bass and
cello, Danny: tenor, soprano and baritone saxophone. The
result is effortless and multi layered. There is also one
anomaly: Jerry met Mary Jane Lamond a few years ago. Her
use of the Gaelic language kept haunting him. In some small
way he knew she had to play a part in his new recording.
She lent her voice to two tracks on Let Go.
This recording captures the beginning of a new direction,
a new sound and a new partnership in music. Live, it will
grow and move forward. The trio will follow the music to
where it leads.
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