© St. Mathieut

Eric Moore website

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Like most Armenian musicians, Artyom Manukyan is a full-time musician, in the true sense of the word. Music isn’t just something he does on the side, or in between part-time jobs – it’s his livelihood, his sole source of income, and his lifelong passion. “I think in musical terms,” says the young musician. “I see everything through music.” His latest project is a jazz quartet called Nooz, where he presents the cello, classically used in chamber music, as a modern instrument. I recently went to a Nooz show and was absolutely in awe of the sounds that the talented artist was able to produce from an instrument I always associated with Bach and Brahms.

From baroque to hip hop, Artyom Manukyan’s musical flair seems to have no limits. Somehow, between practices and gigs with three different bands, the multi-talented artist has found time to nurture yet another one of his musical passions, hip hop. He and a friend from Los Angeles are starting a productions company called New People in Yerevan. They have created arrangements for some of Armenia’s biggest hip hop and pop stars, like Hay Tgheq and Inga & Anush. It may seem a bit unusual for a classically trained cellist to branch into hip hop, but hip hop has been a driving force in Manukyan’s life for as far back as he can remember. Now that he is actually creating and working in the field, it’s like his childhood dreams are coming true. “Hip hop is my second life,” he says with a smile.

At 25, Manukyan still has a long career ahead of him, and considering he started playing cello almost by chance, who knows what exciting twists and turns the future will bring. Cello is one of those instruments that sort of got left behind with the classical era. With the rise of jazz and rock, it just didn’t make the cool list. There’s no shortage of drummers and guitarists out there, but when was the last time someone told you they played the cello? Manukyan, who started playing when he was nine, is something of an advocate for the versatility and modern relevance of the antiquated instrument, but his love affair with music and with the cello had a not so glamorous start.

Artyom Manukyan website

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My name is Mahesh Balasooriya. I am 22 years old and I attended University of Southern California. I am a jazz and classical pianist,; Was broadcasted on the disney channel where i performed the Schumann Concerto with the Hamilton Symphony, selected for the Student Latin All-Star band, selected as one of two pianists worldwide entering the Henry Mancini Institute program; won most outstanding rhythm player at Monterey Jazz Festival, selected to tour with All Star band in Japan; first place Rotary Club competition; best jazz musician awards Fullerton Jazz Festival; first place Charles Dolo Coker competition; Won first place in the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts talent search, Won first place in the John Coltrane competition,Won first place in the Omega Psy Phi competition, Finalist in the Emerging Young Artists, finalist in the 2002 Music Center Spotlight awards, Won performer of the year 3 years in a row at Hamiton Music Academy, I recently performed with the 2003 Stan Getz/Clifford Brown Fellowship in Miami and in Canada for the IAJE conference where I one an outstanding achievement award with an introduction by Billy Taylor. I have played and worked with so many jazz greats including Christian Mc Bride, Larry Goldings, Roy Hargrove, John Clayton, Eddie Daniels, Johnny Mandel, Randy Brecker, Eric Reed, Hubert Laws, Patti Austin; I’ve been quoted by jazz radio sponsor Chuck Niles as “The Charlie Parker of Sri Lanka”; I’ve also been opening acts for Elvin Jones, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Oscar De La Hoya, Phil Ramone, President Clinton, Hilary Clinton, Richard Riordin, and Several appearances at the Hollywood Bowl. Got selected to do major recording projects at Paramount studios, Universal music productions, and Sony studios. I’ve been composing a lot, including my big 15 minute piano concerto with orchestra and piano. Much of my thanks is to my family, teachers: Shelly Berg, Buddy Collete, and classical teacher Jeff Lavener at the Colburn school of music. If you’d like to find out more info about me, you can always google my full name. Thank you very much for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.

Mahesh Balasooriya website

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Adrián Terrazas-González (Born on October 17, 1975) and raised in Chihuahua, Chih. México, grew up surrounded by the traditional music of Central-America, from Danzón, Boleros and Rumba to Son and Mambo. Terrazas-González began developing his musical ability starting at the age of 10. He was inclined to play the the Tenor Saxophone and the Flute with an understanding of classical music and a peculiar attraction to Jazz music. Five years later he took on the Clarinet. His grandmother, a “Danzón Nut” according to Terrazas-González, urged her grandson in that direction, but the young player had already picked out a model for himself – John W. Coltrane.

2001 was a year that would profoundly impact Terrazas-González music. While pursuing his sociological and musical studies at The University of Texas at El Paso he learned more about the transmission of these ideas and theories through music. In an effort to track the development of certain philosophical and spiritual traditions observed by ancient cultures, Terrazas-González arranged to meet, learn and creatively collaborate with musicians involved with traditions originating from West Africa. One of his main interests was the Yoruba tradition (predominantly out of western Nigeria), the ancient African religion underlying Santeria (Cuba and Puerto Rico), Candombl (Baha, Brazil), Vodun (Haiti) and Cu Taan (México).

The Mars Volta

In 2004, Terrazas-González joined The Mars Volta recording the studio album Frances the Mute and continues to work with the band (as full flesh member) on subsequent albums (Live Scabdates 2005, Amputechture 2006) and all of The Mars Volta side projects (movie scores, DVD‘s etc). The group includes guitarist Omar A. Rodriguez-Lopez, lyricist/vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, bassist John Alderete, guitarist Paul Hinojos-González, drummer Thomas Pridgen, percussionist Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez and keyboardist Isaiah Ikey Owens. Through his work with The Mars Volta, Terrazas-González went on to earn his first Grammy Award in 2008 on the Best Rock Performance category with the song “Wax Simulacra.” Working with The Mars Volta has helped Terrazas-González gain further exposure as an multi-Intrumentalist particularly in Europe. TV performances of The Mars Volta include: The Henry Rollins Show, The Tonight Show (with David Letterman) and The BBC just to mention a few.

T.R.A.M.

It’s extremely rare to come across a new band that just flips the script of conventionality throwing caution to the wind, but the debut effort from T.R.A.M. does just that while blazing a trail of creativity that will quickly turn heads across the world. This unit will be referred to by many as a “supergroup,” however the members of this dynamic unit aren’t in this for any reason but to use it as a platform to further express their art without limitations or any preconceived notions.

T.R.A.M. is comprised of such renowned musically proficient artists as Adrián Terrazas-González Terrazas-González The Mars Volta on saxophone, flute, bass clarinet and percussion, Javier Reyes Animals As Leaders on guitars, Tosin Abasi Animals As Leaders on guitars and Eric Moore II Suicidal Tendencies on drums. This is a group of likeminded individuals that are naturally gifted and the collaboration of their unique talents results in something truly amazing. Their much anticipated debut album, Lingua Franca, is set for a May release through Sumerian Records and expect a new song to be posted within the coming weeks.

Terrazas-González states: “Tosin Abasi and I were originally introduced by a mutual friend, Raanen Bozzio, last summer. This meeting also served as my first introduction to Animals As Leaders and Javier Reyes. Since then, Abasi, Reyes and I have developed a great relationship. We got together almost every day to try out ideas and after a month we had already formulated a majority of the record. At this point we contacted Eric Moore, an incredible drummer and the most joyful person to be around, and soon everything we had envisioned rhythmically came together on our fist meeting/recording session (at the Farias productions studios) on what is now T.R.A.M.

“I never know how people will respond to our music, I just never know! My goal is to try to instill a strong feeling or energy in people and I feel that collectively we achieved this goal tenfold with this new project. We all have a great enthusiasm and desire to perform this material live and see this band further develop. We look forward to hearing what you all think of it.”

- Adrián Terrazas-González .”

Adrien Terrazas-Gonzales website

Tim Berne: alto saxophone
Oscar Noriega: clarinet + bass clarinet
Matt Mitchell: piano
Ches Smith: drums + percussion

After compelling contributions to ECM discs by David Torn and Michael Formanek, here is Tim Berne’s first leader date for the label. “Snakeoil” introduces a fascinating ensemble, a “chamber-like group” in Berne’s words, albeit one that packs some power. Tim’s tough alto is heard with Oscar Noriega’s earthy clarinets, Matt Mitchell’s cryptic piano, and Ches Smith’s tone-conscious drums, tympani, gongs and congas. Berne: “I’d decided on this very transparent instrumentation to try and avoid obvious stylistic references and to focus the listener on the musical ideas being presented.” Two years of wood-shedding preceded the recording of “Snakeoil” at New York’s Avatar Studios early in 2011, and the band was ready to roar. The disc is issued on the eve of a tour that takes in dates on both sides of the Atlantic.

Tim Berne was recently ranked in the Top 10 of Time Out New York’s “Essential NYC Jazz Icons”, an honour he will likely take with a pinch of salt, but also a reminder of the persistence of his endeavours: “Based on the recorded evidence, it may very well have been Tim Berne who was the definitive genius of NYC’s downtown 1980s jazz scene,” Time Out opined. “In the intervening years, he has remained committed to exploring the small group jazz idiom with a series of gritty, head-turning bands that have helped propel younger players such as Jim Black, Craig Taborn and Ches Smith into alt-jazz stardom”.

Since 1996, the primary outlet for Berne’s recordings has been his own label Screwgun, which has presented his bands, mostly in concert recordings. For the new quartet, he sought a larger platform. Accordingly, “Snakeoil” was recorded for ECM at Avatar Studios in New York in January 2011, with Manfred Eicher producing.

Berne met drummer Ches Smith through guitarist Mary Halvorson, all three part of NYC’s shifting pool of improvisers. “I liked Ches’s whole vibe, including the seriousness with which he approaches rehearsal, whether or not there’s a gig in sight. That was a big point for me. When I had these three players who were both original improvisers and great readers, it was really a motivation to write a lot of new material…” Smith extends his drum kit on “Snakeoil”, adding tympani, congas and gongs. His frame of reference is unique, his own background tracing an arc from early experiences in metal and punk bands, to jazz and free improvisation, contemporary composition and Haitian vodou drumming. His CV includes gigs with everyone from rock band Mr Bungle to Terry Riley, via Wadada Leo Smith, Iggy Pop, John Tchicai, Fred Frith, and Marc Robot’s Ceramic Dog. Smith’s own band These Arches currently includes Tim Berne, as well as Tony Malaby, Mary Halvorson and Andrea Parkins.

Matt Mitchell is a pianist and composer interested in the intersections of various strains of acoustic, electric, composed, and improvised new music. His sextet, Central Chain includes fellow Snakeoil members Tim Berne and Oscar Noriega, as well as Mary Halvorson, John Hebert, and Tomas Fujiwara. He also plays in trio with Berne and Ches Smith, and in duo with Smith. Other affiliations include groups with John Hollenbeck, Darius Jones, Rudresh Mahanthappa/Bunky Green and others. He is also active as an educator at the Brooklyn Center for Improvisational Music.

Oscar Noriega has previously worked with Lee Konitz, Anthony Braxton, Dewey Redman and Paul Motian, and been a member of the band Sideshow, who specialized in free approaches to the music of Charles Ives. Current activities include the ‘Mexico-inspired’ Banda De Los Muertos, which Noriega co-leads, and the group Endangered Blood with Chris Speed, Jim Black and Trevor Dunn. Since Fall 2010, he has curated The Palimpsestic Series, a weekly music event at Barbes, Brooklyn.

Snakeoil website

“Dave has long been one of my favorite musicians. This may be the most complete example yet of his incredible talent as a composer and bandleader. Exceptional writing and playing all around.” - Pat Metheny

“Dave Binney possesses one of the most original minds in contemporary music.“- Stereophile

“Add Dave Binney’s dynamic voice on saxophone and his great writing to the chorus of creators re-invigorating jazz.“- The Montreal Gazette

“…a strikingly original composer, leader, conceptualist.” - DownBeat

Acclaimed as a considerable and highly individual compositional talent, saxophonist David Binney is one of the most prolific young jazz musicians on the scene today.Winning praise from critics and colleagues alike, David was recently singled out by Jazz Times as one of a handful of “young players who have created an alternative jazzscene… all of whom are playing adventurous, original music.”Known for his performances with such prestigious groups as the big bands of Gil Evans and Maria Schneider, as well as with Jim Hall, Bobby Previte and the Cecil McBee quintet. David was also a co-founder of the hard-edged quintet “Lost Tribe” and the open-form collective quartet ”Lan Xang.”  With these groups and on his own, he has recorded a dozen albums as leader or co-leader.David was born in Miami, Florida and raised in Southern California.His love of jazz dates back to his childhood, when the music of Coltrane, Miles, Bobby Hutcherson,Wayne Shorter and many others was introduced to him by his parents [along with that of Milton Nascimento, Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, of course]. He began to study the saxophone and at the age of 19 moved to New York City to play gigs and to study with Phil Woods, David Liebman and George Coleman.In 1989 David was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to record his first album. “Point Game”, which was released on the French label Owl Records, featuring Marvin “Smitty”Smith, Edward Simon, Adam Rogers and Lonnie Plaxico.Since then, David’s distinctive saxophone sound and innovative compositions have been heard from basement clubs in New York to jazz festivals in Europe. In addition to David’s extensive work as a leader, he has been sought after as a sideman, appearing on record with Medeski, Martin & Wood and Uri Caine’s Mahler Project. David has also appeared on stage with Aretha Franklin, at Carnegie Hall, and with Maceo Parker, to name a few. He has produced all of his own albums,in addition to two of the Lost Tribe releases. David started his record label, Mythology Records, in 1998.

David Binney website

Now twenty-three years-old, Zach Harmon was born into a musical family in Wisconsin.  He began studying classical piano at the age of four and continued for twelve years.  He was principal chair percussionist for most of his five-year stay with the Oshkosh Youth Symphony Orchestra before becoming a member of the Wisconsin State Honors Orchestra in 2002.  Zach received a drum set as a gift at age fifteen, thus beginning his lifelong pursuit on the instrument.  In 2003, Zach became a member of the Clifford Brown/Stan Getz All-Stars with whom he toured Japan and performed at the 2003 Monterey Jazz Festival.  Also in 2003, Zach enrolled in the Thornton School of Music at USC where he studied with the great Terri Lyne Carrington for two years.  After his sophomore year, he transferred to the Masters program at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz where he studied under the tutelage of many of the great masters of Jazz including Ron Carter, Jimmy Heath, and Benny Golson.  In 2005, as a member of the Monk Institute, he toured with Jazz legends Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock performing in a cultural mission through Vietnam.  In 2007, he toured again with Mr. Shorter and Mr. Hancock, this time throughout India.  Zach has been studying tabla with Abhiman Kaushal for two years and recently recorded tabla on Terence Blanchard’s A Tale of God’s Will for Blue Note Records; he is now a Grammy award-winner for contributing to this album dedicated to the events of Hurricane Katrina.

Zach Harmon website

The Rhythm Chowder Quartet with Bevin Manson – piano, Tom Rizzo – guitar, Brad Dutz – percussion,
and Dave Robaire – bass, will take their place.

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Brad started to study music at age seven. After high school he studied at the University of North Texas and Berklee college of music. In 1982 he moved to Los Angeles and began free-lancing untill 1984 when he joined Maynard Ferguson and toured around the country. Beside his ten solo c.d.s – NINE NEDS, KRIN, CAMELS, RAILROADS, GRILL, MAKING ICE, OBLITERATION quartet, MY BONGO, JOHN HOLMES- BRAD DUTZ duos and the first BRAD DUTZ c.d. he has co-produced twelve others and played as a sideman for 210 titles.

In 1995 Warner Brothers and Interworld selected Brad to do eight video tapes for beginners entitled HAVE FUN PLAYING HAND DRUMS. He can be heard on TV shows KING OF THE HILL, FAMILY GUY, AMERICAN DAD, ENTERPRISE and FIREFLY. Some of the movies that Brad has played on are PRINCE OF EGYPT, SYRIANA, HILDAGO, RUGRATS GO WILD,STAR TREK 5, OCEAN’S ELEVEN , ANCHORMAN, HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE ,TRANSFORMERS, RUSH HOUR 3, RUN DOWN and I SPY. IMAX films : MYSTERIES OF EGYPT, MT. KILAMANJARO , AMAZON, and ISLAND of SHARKS.

In addition to playing mallets, hand percussion is his specialty. He has studied many instruments; congas, berimbau, bata, bodhran, bones, pandiero, djembe, tabla, kanjira, doumbec, riq, and others.

While recording CDs for artists like ALANIS MORRISETTE, KISS, WILLIE NELSON, MICHAEL WOLFF, TRIBAL TECH, DAVID BENOIT,RICK BRAUN, VINNY GOLIA, LEE ANN RYHMES, MITCH FORMAN, TERENCE TRENT DARBY, RICKIE LEE JONES, HANDS’ONSEMBLE and even actors JEFF BRIDGES and RONNY COX, Brad tries to bring the strangest percussion instruments he has to the session to create a unique sound . Every year he travels to colleges and stores to do clinics and concerts on hand percussion and mallets. His endorsements include VIC FIRTH, REMO,YAMAHA, PAISTE, ROLAND and MOUNTAIN RYTHYM . Since becoming a member of the part-time faculty of Cal State Long Beach eight years ago Brad has finished three books, “Practicing music on hand percussion”, “Manipulations in time”and “Duos,Trios,and Quartets for percussion”. In 2002 his Obliteration quartet was the subject of a documentary film.

Brad Dutz website

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Los Angeles composer and jazz pianist Bevan Manson lives in many worlds, balancing them without seemingly “crossing-over.” He is a jazz pianist, a classical composer, and has written the scores for several independent films. His work in the L.A. studios includes frequent on-camera appearances as a pianist in TV and film (“JAG,” “My Boys,” “House,” “Walk Hard,” and many others.) He has also been composer of additional music, pianist and arranger for several recent films, and an occasional pianist for the popular cartoon show “Family Guy”.

His compositions have been remarked on for their engaging tonal melodies and rhythmic complexity. In an interview for “The Inner Voice,” the newsletter of the Southern California Viola Society, Polish/American violist Piotr Jandula was asked about solo pieces for viola that he favored. He mentioned only one: “I’m looking forward to learning Bevan Manson’s Concerto for Viola. I think it’s a fantastic piece … This piece holds a beautiful promise to all violists.” An early viola-piano version was performed by Joanna Mendoza of the Arianna String Quartet.

Bevan’s “Quartet for Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano” was recently performed by the resident ensemble Arco Voce at the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C.. The Washington Post called the work “powerfully polyrhythmic”. The American Music Center awarded Bevan a CAP grant for this composition in 2008.

Other recent performances of his music include; “Irony Untold” performed by members of the San Francisco Symphony at the Stern Grove Festival, and “Hotel Viola,” which had its first performance at the 2008 International Viola Congress by the Southern California Viola Choir, and was later featured in New York City by the Varsity Violas.

Bevan has worked with Darol Anger, Ron Jones’ L.A. Big Band, the Turtle Island String Quartet, Gunther Schuller, Dave Liebman, George Garzone, Jerry Bergonzi, Paul McCandless, Cecil McBee, and Bob Sheppard. He has recorded for the Iris, Flying Fish, and Challenge labels, and has been featured at the Montreux, North Sea, San Francisco, Boston, and Tirano jazz festivals.

He has been commissioned to write music for Sierra Chamber Music, L.A. Chamber Orchestra associate principal violist Victoria Miskolczy and for the Southern California Viola Choir.

Formerly Director of UC Jazz at Cal Berkeley, Bevan served on the faculty of the New England Conservatory for ten years, taught at Berklee College and the Thelonious Monk Institute, and is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music.

Bevan Manson website

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With a style of playing influenced by such diverse musicians as Wes Montgomery, Pat Metheny, Jim Hall, Pat Martino, John McLaughlin, Eric Clapton, Gene Bertoncini, Steve Khan, Mike Stern and others, LA based guitarist and composer Tom Rizzo plays music from Gregorian Chant to BeBop, as well as pop, funk, folk, and world music. Originally a member of Doc Severinsen’s fusion group Xebron, Tom was also a regular member of the Tonight Show Band, and he composed much of the music heard on the show during his tenure.

His first album as a leader, “A Secret Garden,” features Peter Erskine, Bob Sheppard and Dave Carpenter. The second album, “Guitar Plus Eight,” features Joe LaBarbera, Tom Warrington, Bob Sheppard, and Rich Eames, plus a “Birth of the Cool” horn section consisting of Tuba, French Horn, Trombone, Trumpet, and Soprano Sax, arranged by long time collaborator Nick Lane. The resulting juxtaposition of the guitar with this instrumentation makes for a very unique and modern recording.

Tom has also recorded three albums with Maynard Ferguson, two with Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Band, and one with Doc and Xebron, which he also produced and composed the music for. His latest quintet features Tom Brechtlien on drums, Jason Flatley on piano, Scott Breadman on percussion, and Sam Minaie on bass. Tom writes the group’s material and the band performs regulalry around the Los Angeles area and frequently features artists such as Pete Chritslieb and Steve Huffsteter.

Of the group, Tom says: “The band is very strong, and it gets stronger every time we play. We find ourselves evolving into uncharted territory that has its basis in bebop, but is beginning to incorporate elements of other types of music that we love. We listen to people like Miles, Scofield, Larry Goldings, Wes Montgomery, Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau, Chick Corea, John Abercrombie, Gary Burton, Peter Bernstein, and the Beatles. All of these influences come out in the playing and the writing. We like to think we pay attention to the past and to the future.”

The band also plays fresh treatments of tunes by Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Kenny Barron, Bill Evans, Joe Zawinul, Benny Golson, Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, and others, plus many original compositions.

Tom Rizzo website

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Dave Robaire grew up in southern California, just outside of Los Angeles. He moved to New York City in 2004 to attend the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and to begin his career in New York. During this time, Dave had the opprtuinity to perform with Pat Martino, Wynton Marsalis, David Binney, Dave Glasser, and Andy Milne among many others. Dave recently moved back to Los Angeles to continue his career there and to be closer to his family.

Dave Robaire website

One of the most accomplished drummers of his generation, Ben Perowsky’s notable career has placed him among a small vanguard of players able to move between jazz, experimental music and cutting edge pop and rock. Starting at a very young age, Ben has worked with list of artists that form a who’s who in the music world. A few are: jazz legend James Moody, pop songstress Rickie Lee Jones, R&B star Roy Ayers, Miles Davis’ sidemen Bob Berg, Mike Stern and later John Scofield, Elysian Fields, Joan as Policewoman, Uri Caine, Steven Bernstein, John Zorn, Michael Brecker, Don Byron, Dave Douglas, Walter Becker, John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards, Lou Reed and Loudon Wainwright among others.
Ben has been prolific as a leader all the while, with many releases as producer including Lost Tribe records in ’92, ’93 and ‘98.

Ben Perowsky Trio ‘99 from which the title Segment was used for the movie Talegega Nights.
Camp Songs in 2003, John Zorn’s Tzadik label.
El Destructo: Volume I, 2006, El Destructo Records
Moodswing Orchestra, 2009, El Destructo Records/Red
Esopus Opus, 2009, Skirl records.
He also recently formed the band RedCred with Chris Speed, John Medeski and Larry Grenadier, played beats on the disco hit song “Blind” by Hercules and Love Affair, toured with Canadian popstars Tegan and Sara and continues to record and produce tracks with many artists while residing in NYC.

Ben Perowsky website

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Chris Speed is a composer, clarinetist and saxophonist living in Brooklyn, NY. His bands include Human Feel, yeah NO, Trio Iffy , Pachora and The Clarinets. He is a member of Jim Black’s Alas No Axis and John Hollenbeck’s Claudia Quintet.

Speed was born in Seattle in 1967 and graduated from the New England Conservatory in 1990. In 1992 he moved to NYC where he joined Tim Berne’s Bloodcount. Throughout the nineties Speed worked with many pioneering bands in the creative new music/downtown scene including the Dave Douglas Sextet, Myra Melford’s Same River Twice, Erik Freidlander’s Chimera, John Zorn’s Bar Kokhba and Mark Dresser’s trio with Anthony Coleman. During this time he also began pursuing his interest in East European folk music, forming Pachora in 1992, and traveling throughout Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Syria, and Macedonia. Speed is considered one of the leading NYC musicians linking jazz and creative improvisation with Eastern European and Middle Eastern folk music. Currently, he works with Uri Caine’s Bach, Mahler, and Mozart projects, as well as Ben Perowsky’s quartet.

Chris was named the rising star clarinetist in Downbeat magazine for 2004 and 2005. In July 2004 he was the special guest at the Copenhagen International Jazz Festival, working with ten different cutting edge Danish groups. In April 2006, he launched Skirl Records, a label dedicated to Brooklyn based creative music.

What happens when an artist fuses the harmonic beauty of jazz with the lyrical power of Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell?  The answer is found in the music of Kathleen Grace.  Hailed as one of the most exciting newcomers on the scene today, Grace is blessed with a sound as pure as a bell ringing. Her storytelling captivates her audience whether she is singing an American classic or an award-winning original.

After two successful releases, Grace and her band are set to dive into to new territory. Their upcoming release, Mirror, features almost exclusively original material that embraces the language of rock, folk and jazz as a democratic music all its own. The sound critics describe as “indie jazz” has taken the group of inspired young players from rock festivals to performing art centers across the country.

Based in Los Angeles, the Kathleen Grace Band (KGB) was born out of a desire to fuse the musical language of jazz with the storytelling of the American folk tradition.  Grace in her capacity as singer, songwriter and producer draws the listener in with vocal harmonies, grooves and textures inspired by her stories of love, power and loss. Each selection from the new project has a modern day fable at its center and lessons learned and unlearned color their meaning. The title track “Mirror” takes inspiration from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale of Snow White. In her tale Grace blurs the lines between good and evil as she fuses witch with princess.  In her song “Penny” she uses a pauper’s plea to question contemporary myths of history and control. The song “Elijah” is an homage to her hometown of Tucson, Arizona and the summer storms that filled her imagination as a girl.  And the CD’s hit “Am I Enough Yet” embraces the power found in imperfection.
A product of the fertile LA music scene, Grace borrows from several genres in her writing and producing. With Mirror, Grace combines the real-time recording tradition of jazz with the experimentation found in post-production indie folk/rock. The result is music played at the highest level and enhanced by eclectic instrumentation and vocal harmonies.

Grace credits the jazz legend Nancy Wilson with encouraging her to explore beyond the genre of standards. In an interview with Jim Newsom Grace related the story of their fateful meeting:”I had a chance to attend an open rehearsal at USC. Nancy said, ‘Do you have any questions for me?’ And of course, all I can ask is possibly the most inane question I could ask, ‘Well, what’s your favorite song?’ She looked at me and said, ‘Darlin’ I’ve recorded about 450 songs, and I can’t really have a favorite.’ She gave me a hard time and teased me about it, but then she named of a few songs. One of them was ‘Suzanne’ by Leonard Cohen. That song changed my life.” – Interview with by Jim Newsom, Portfolio Weekly

Once Grace began writing her own music, a whole new voice emerged, playful and empowered.   From that simple beginning Grace has earned honors for her work as a composer and performer. She was awarded a spot at the 2004 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead residency for young composers at the Kennedy Center and was a finalist in the Montreux Jazz Festival International Vocal Competition. The title track of her second release, Songbird, was a finalist for the 2007 International Songwriting Competition.  Grace was also recently invited to join the faculty at her alma mater, the USC Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles.

With the release of Mirror the Kathleen Grace Band is now poised to bring their new brand of music to the wider world of pop and jazz as the band begins regional and national tour dates in November 2008.

Kathleen Grace website

photo by John Rudoff

WORLD PREMIERE of “ORPHIC MACHINE”
performed by the expanded BEN GOLDBERG ENSEMBLE

featuring:

CARLA KIHLSTEDT  violin and voice
GREG COHEN  bass
KENNY WOLLESON  vibraphone
RON MILES  trumpet
CHES SMITH drums
JEFF PARKER guitar
ROB SUDDUTH tenor saxophone
MYRA MELFORD piano
BEN GOLDBERG  clarinets

When I was in college I took some literature courses with an amazing poet and thinker named Allen Grossman — he had a way of reading books in order to find the story of the historical development of human culture.  The impact was very strong.

A few years ago I went back to his work, mainly by way of a book called Summa Lyrica: A Primer of the Commonplaces in Speculative Poetics.  This book contains the foundations of his poetical thought, presented as a group if interrelated aphorisms.  It examines some basic elements of civilization – the impulse toward song, the relation of self and other – in view of their place in the development of human consciousness, with a text whose structure itself replicates and illuminates the ideas being discussed.

When I proposed my project to Chamber Music America I stated that I intended to write a work which somehow related to the philosophical structures contained in the book, but I really didn’t know how I would approach this task.  In the interim, Tin Hat got involved in a project of writing songs based upon the poetry of e e cummings, and I started thinking about songs with words (especially when a singer like Carla Kihlstedt is involved!).  So when I came back to Allen Grossman, the impermeability of the sayings in the book, even though they are not “poems,” suddenly presented themselves as lyrics.  Now I find myself writing songs with words like

“The function of poetry is to obtain for everybody one kind of success at the limits of the autonomy of the will.” Mr. Grossman writes: “this is a text for use, intended like a poem to give rise to thoughts about something else.” This has certainly been true for me – the unlikeliness of this type of lyric is leading to all kinds of new ideas in my writing!  – Ben Goldberg

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Clarinetist / Composer Ben Goldberg grew up in Denver, Colorado.  He received his undergraduate music degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Master of Arts in Composition from Mills College.  He was a pupil of the eminent clarinetist Rosario Mazzeo, and studied with Steve Lacy and Joe Lovano.

In addition to composing for and playing in the Ben Goldberg Quintet, he currently performs in the following groups: Tin Hat; plays monk, a trio with Scott Amendola and Devin Hoff; Myra Melford’s Be Bread; Nels Cline’s New Monastery; Go Home with Charlie Hunter, Ron Miles, and Scott Amendola, “a wondrous new vehicle for combining (Goldberg’s) grounded desire with his far-ranging imagination.” (Metro Santa Cruz); and Afterlife Music Radio, an electro-acoustic quartet.  The 11- piece Ben Goldberg’s Brainchild performs Ben’s on-the-spot compositions.

Ben’s group New Klezmer Trio “kicked open the door for radical experiments with Ashkenazi roots music.” (San Francisco Chronicle) Their CD Masks and Faces was listed as one of the ten best recordings of 1992 by Cadence magazine, which called it “great free improvisation.” The group made two more cds, Melt Zonk Rewire and Short for Something (all on Tzadik).

A CD by Ben’s group Go Home is now available on BAG Production Records.  Other recent recordings include the door, the hat, the chair, the fact (Cryptogramophone), a record of compositions dedicated to Steve Lacy; The Sad Machinery of Spring (Rykodisc) with Tin Hat; Plays Monk (Long Song) with Amendola and Hoff; Nels Cline’s New Monastery: a view into the music of Andrew Hill (Cryptogramophone); Light at the Crossroads (Songlines) with Marty Ehrlich; two records by Junk Genius (with John Schott, Trevor Dunn, and Wollesen): Junk Genius (Knitting Factory Works), an examination of bebop, and Ghost of Electricity (Songlines), dealing with American folk music; and What Comes Before (Tzadik), reflections on post-tonal harmonic structures with John Schott and Michael Sarin.

Upcoming releases include Subatomic Particle Homesick Blues, recent compositions featuring Joshua Redman and Ron Miles; and  Nine Pound Hammer by the Ben Goldberg Quintet.

Recent commissions include awards from San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music, Chamber Music America / French American Cultural Exchange, the de Young Museum of Art in San Francisco, and the Aaron Copland Fund for Music.

In 1993 Ben received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to present a series featuring the work of important American composers, allowing him to work with Andrew Hill and Bobby Bradford in concerts of their compositions, as well as presenting the music of Steve Lacy, Herbie Nichols, and Thelonious Monk.  In 1996 the NEA funded a concert series of Ben’s own music.

Along with the musicians mentioned above, Ben has had the honor of working with John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Roswell Rudd, Wayne Horvitz, Don Byron, Mark Feldman, Ellery Eskelin, Zeena Parkins,  Mark Dresser, Vijay Iyer, Miya Masaoka, Jenny Scheinman, Steven Bernstein, Cuong Vu, Larry Ochs, and Adam Levy.

Ben Goldberg website

Commissioned by Chamber Music America / New Jazz Works and the Jewish Music Festival, with support from the East Bay Community Foundation and JMF

Drummer and composer Kevin Yokota grew up on his family’s 50 acre raisin and stone fruit farm in the small San Joaquin Valley town of Kingsburg, CA.  As a child, Kevin dedicated much time to picking and eating fresh fruit, collecting insects, fishing, hiking, and letting his imagination run wild.

Now at the age of 23, this recent University of Southern California graduate resides in Los Angeles where he performs regularly with some of Southern California’s finest musicians.  Since graduating, Yokota has had the honor of performing with a wide spectrum of artists including Eric Reed, Shelly Berg, Otmaro Ruiz, Russell Ferrante, and Randy Newman.

Kevin currently leads his own group, “The Kevin Yokota Quartet”.

 ”Insightful and uncompromisingly honest, Kevin’s music is a well-crafted reflection of a beautiful soul.” -- John Daversa

 ”I love Kevin’s feel. There’s a looseness that doesn’t feel lackadaisical and an edge that isn’t overwhelming; a comfortable combination of swing and creativity.” --Eric Reed 

 ”Kevin is a joy to work with. His playing is always in support of the music and his fellow bandmates. He’s an imaginative writer and arranger as well and I’m sure this informs his beautiful and sensitive ensemble playing.” – Russell Ferrante (Yellow Jackets)

Kevin Yokota website

One of the most accomplished drummers of his generation, Ben Perowsky’s notable career has placed him among a small vanguard of players able to move between jazz, experimental music and cutting edge pop and rock. Starting at a very young age, Ben has worked with list of artists that form a who’s who in the music world. A few are: jazz legend James Moody, pop songstress Rickie Lee Jones, R&B star Roy Ayers, Miles Davis’ sidemen Bob Berg, Mike Stern and later John Scofield, Elysian Fields, Joan as Policewoman, Uri Caine, Steven Bernstein, John Zorn, Michael Brecker, Don Byron, Dave Douglas, Walter Becker, John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards, Lou Reed and Loudon Wainwright among others.
Ben has been prolific as a leader all the while, with many releases as producer including Lost Tribe records in ’92, ’93 and ‘98.

Ben Perowsky Trio ‘99 from which the title Segment was used for the movie Talegega Nights.
Camp Songs in 2003, John Zorn’s Tzadik label.
El Destructo: Volume I, 2006, El Destructo Records
Moodswing Orchestra, 2009, El Destructo Records/Red
Esopus Opus, 2009, Skirl records.
He also recently formed the band RedCred with Chris Speed, John Medeski and Larry Grenadier, played beats on the disco hit song “Blind” by Hercules and Love Affair, toured with Canadian popstars Tegan and Sara and continues to record and produce tracks with many artists while residing in NYC.

Ben Perowsky website

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Chris Speed is a composer, clarinetist and saxophonist living in Brooklyn, NY. His bands include Human Feel, yeah NO, Trio Iffy , Pachora and The Clarinets. He is a member of Jim Black’s Alas No Axis and John Hollenbeck’s Claudia Quintet.

Speed was born in Seattle in 1967 and graduated from the New England Conservatory in 1990. In 1992 he moved to NYC where he joined Tim Berne’s Bloodcount. Throughout the nineties Speed worked with many pioneering bands in the creative new music/downtown scene including the Dave Douglas Sextet, Myra Melford’s Same River Twice, Erik Freidlander’s Chimera, John Zorn’s Bar Kokhba and Mark Dresser’s trio with Anthony Coleman. During this time he also began pursuing his interest in East European folk music, forming Pachora in 1992, and traveling throughout Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Syria, and Macedonia. Speed is considered one of the leading NYC musicians linking jazz and creative improvisation with Eastern European and Middle Eastern folk music. Currently, he works with Uri Caine’s Bach, Mahler, and Mozart projects, as well as Ben Perowsky’s quartet.

Chris was named the rising star clarinetist in Downbeat magazine for 2004 and 2005. In July 2004 he was the special guest at the Copenhagen International Jazz Festival, working with ten different cutting edge Danish groups. In April 2006, he launched Skirl Records, a label dedicated to Brooklyn based creative music.

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Due to illness, Glenn Ferris and Mark Dresser will not be performing Wednesday February 22nd
at the Blue Whale.

The Rhythm Chowder Quartet with Bevin Manson – piano, Tom Rizzo – guitar, Brad Dutz – percussion,
and Dave Robaire – bass, will take their place.

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Brad started to study music at age seven. After high school he studied at the University of North Texas and Berklee college of music. In 1982 he moved to Los Angeles and began free-lancing untill 1984 when he joined Maynard Ferguson and toured around the country. Beside his ten solo c.d.s – NINE NEDS, KRIN, CAMELS, RAILROADS, GRILL, MAKING ICE, OBLITERATION quartet, MY BONGO, JOHN HOLMES- BRAD DUTZ duos and the first BRAD DUTZ c.d. he has co-produced twelve others and played as a sideman for 210 titles.

In 1995 Warner Brothers and Interworld selected Brad to do eight video tapes for beginners entitled HAVE FUN PLAYING HAND DRUMS. He can be heard on TV shows KING OF THE HILL, FAMILY GUY, AMERICAN DAD, ENTERPRISE and FIREFLY. Some of the movies that Brad has played on are PRINCE OF EGYPT, SYRIANA, HILDAGO, RUGRATS GO WILD,STAR TREK 5, OCEAN’S ELEVEN , ANCHORMAN, HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE ,TRANSFORMERS, RUSH HOUR 3, RUN DOWN and I SPY. IMAX films : MYSTERIES OF EGYPT, MT. KILAMANJARO , AMAZON, and ISLAND of SHARKS.

In addition to playing mallets, hand percussion is his specialty. He has studied many instruments; congas, berimbau, bata, bodhran, bones, pandiero, djembe, tabla, kanjira, doumbec, riq, and others.

While recording CDs for artists like ALANIS MORRISETTE, KISS, WILLIE NELSON, MICHAEL WOLFF, TRIBAL TECH, DAVID BENOIT,RICK BRAUN, VINNY GOLIA, LEE ANN RYHMES, MITCH FORMAN, TERENCE TRENT DARBY, RICKIE LEE JONES, HANDS’ONSEMBLE and even actors JEFF BRIDGES and RONNY COX, Brad tries to bring the strangest percussion instruments he has to the session to create a unique sound . Every year he travels to colleges and stores to do clinics and concerts on hand percussion and mallets. His endorsements include VIC FIRTH, REMO,YAMAHA, PAISTE, ROLAND and MOUNTAIN RYTHYM . Since becoming a member of the part-time faculty of Cal State Long Beach eight years ago Brad has finished three books, “Practicing music on hand percussion”, “Manipulations in time”and “Duos,Trios,and Quartets for percussion”. In 2002 his Obliteration quartet was the subject of a documentary film.

Brad Dutz website

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Los Angeles composer and jazz pianist Bevan Manson lives in many worlds, balancing them without seemingly “crossing-over.” He is a jazz pianist, a classical composer, and has written the scores for several independent films. His work in the L.A. studios includes frequent on-camera appearances as a pianist in TV and film (“JAG,” “My Boys,” “House,” “Walk Hard,” and many others.) He has also been composer of additional music, pianist and arranger for several recent films, and an occasional pianist for the popular cartoon show “Family Guy”.

His compositions have been remarked on for their engaging tonal melodies and rhythmic complexity. In an interview for “The Inner Voice,” the newsletter of the Southern California Viola Society, Polish/American violist Piotr Jandula was asked about solo pieces for viola that he favored. He mentioned only one: “I’m looking forward to learning Bevan Manson’s Concerto for Viola. I think it’s a fantastic piece … This piece holds a beautiful promise to all violists.” An early viola-piano version was performed by Joanna Mendoza of the Arianna String Quartet.

Bevan’s “Quartet for Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano” was recently performed by the resident ensemble Arco Voce at the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C.. The Washington Post called the work “powerfully polyrhythmic”. The American Music Center awarded Bevan a CAP grant for this composition in 2008.

Other recent performances of his music include; “Irony Untold” performed by members of the San Francisco Symphony at the Stern Grove Festival, and “Hotel Viola,” which had its first performance at the 2008 International Viola Congress by the Southern California Viola Choir, and was later featured in New York City by the Varsity Violas.

Bevan has worked with Darol Anger, Ron Jones’ L.A. Big Band, the Turtle Island String Quartet, Gunther Schuller, Dave Liebman, George Garzone, Jerry Bergonzi, Paul McCandless, Cecil McBee, and Bob Sheppard. He has recorded for the Iris, Flying Fish, and Challenge labels, and has been featured at the Montreux, North Sea, San Francisco, Boston, and Tirano jazz festivals.

He has been commissioned to write music for Sierra Chamber Music, L.A. Chamber Orchestra associate principal violist Victoria Miskolczy and for the Southern California Viola Choir.

Formerly Director of UC Jazz at Cal Berkeley, Bevan served on the faculty of the New England Conservatory for ten years, taught at Berklee College and the Thelonious Monk Institute, and is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music.

Bevan Manson website

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With a style of playing influenced by such diverse musicians as Wes Montgomery, Pat Metheny, Jim Hall, Pat Martino, John McLaughlin, Eric Clapton, Gene Bertoncini, Steve Khan, Mike Stern and others, LA based guitarist and composer Tom Rizzo plays music from Gregorian Chant to BeBop, as well as pop, funk, folk, and world music. Originally a member of Doc Severinsen’s fusion group Xebron, Tom was also a regular member of the Tonight Show Band, and he composed much of the music heard on the show during his tenure.

His first album as a leader, “A Secret Garden,” features Peter Erskine, Bob Sheppard and Dave Carpenter. The second album, “Guitar Plus Eight,” features Joe LaBarbera, Tom Warrington, Bob Sheppard, and Rich Eames, plus a “Birth of the Cool” horn section consisting of Tuba, French Horn, Trombone, Trumpet, and Soprano Sax, arranged by long time collaborator Nick Lane. The resulting juxtaposition of the guitar with this instrumentation makes for a very unique and modern recording.

Tom has also recorded three albums with Maynard Ferguson, two with Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Band, and one with Doc and Xebron, which he also produced and composed the music for. His latest quintet features Tom Brechtlien on drums, Jason Flatley on piano, Scott Breadman on percussion, and Sam Minaie on bass. Tom writes the group’s material and the band performs regulalry around the Los Angeles area and frequently features artists such as Pete Chritslieb and Steve Huffsteter.

Of the group, Tom says: “The band is very strong, and it gets stronger every time we play. We find ourselves evolving into uncharted territory that has its basis in bebop, but is beginning to incorporate elements of other types of music that we love. We listen to people like Miles, Scofield, Larry Goldings, Wes Montgomery, Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau, Chick Corea, John Abercrombie, Gary Burton, Peter Bernstein, and the Beatles. All of these influences come out in the playing and the writing. We like to think we pay attention to the past and to the future.”

The band also plays fresh treatments of tunes by Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Kenny Barron, Bill Evans, Joe Zawinul, Benny Golson, Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, and others, plus many original compositions.

Tom Rizzo website

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Dave Robaire grew up in southern California, just outside of Los Angeles. He moved to New York City in 2004 to attend the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and to begin his career in New York. During this time, Dave had the opprtuinity to perform with Pat Martino, Wynton Marsalis, David Binney, Dave Glasser, and Andy Milne among many others. Dave recently moved back to Los Angeles to continue his career there and to be closer to his family.

Dave Robaire website

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Now twenty-three years-old, Zach Harmon was born into a musical family in Wisconsin.  He began studying classical piano at the age of four and continued for twelve years.  He was principal chair percussionist for most of his five-year stay with the Oshkosh Youth Symphony Orchestra before becoming a member of the Wisconsin State Honors Orchestra in 2002.  Zach received a drum set as a gift at age fifteen, thus beginning his lifelong pursuit on the instrument.  In 2003, Zach became a member of the Clifford Brown/Stan Getz All-Stars with whom he toured Japan and performed at the 2003 Monterey Jazz Festival.  Also in 2003, Zach enrolled in the Thornton School of Music at USC where he studied with the great Terri Lyne Carrington for two years.  After his sophomore year, he transferred to the Masters program at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz where he studied under the tutelage of many of the great masters of Jazz including Ron Carter, Jimmy Heath, and Benny Golson.  In 2005, as a member of the Monk Institute, he toured with Jazz legends Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock performing in a cultural mission through Vietnam.  In 2007, he toured again with Mr. Shorter and Mr. Hancock, this time throughout India.  Zach has been studying tabla with Abhiman Kaushal for two years and recently recorded tabla on Terence Blanchard’s A Tale of God’s Will for Blue Note Records; he is now a Grammy award-winner for contributing to this album dedicated to the events of Hurricane Katrina.

Zach Harmon website

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“Dave has long been one of my favorite musicians. This may be the most complete example yet of his incredible talent as a composer and bandleader. Exceptional writing and playing all around.” - Pat Metheny

“Dave Binney possesses one of the most original minds in contemporary music.“- Stereophile

“Add Dave Binney’s dynamic voice on saxophone and his great writing to the chorus of creators re-invigorating jazz.“- The Montreal Gazette

“…a strikingly original composer, leader, conceptualist.” - DownBeat

Acclaimed as a considerable and highly individual compositional talent, saxophonist David Binney is one of the most prolific young jazz musicians on the scene today.Winning praise from critics and colleagues alike, David was recently singled out by Jazz Times as one of a handful of “young players who have created an alternative jazzscene… all of whom are playing adventurous, original music.”Known for his performances with such prestigious groups as the big bands of Gil Evans and Maria Schneider, as well as with Jim Hall, Bobby Previte and the Cecil McBee quintet. David was also a co-founder of the hard-edged quintet “Lost Tribe” and the open-form collective quartet ”Lan Xang.”  With these groups and on his own, he has recorded a dozen albums as leader or co-leader.David was born in Miami, Florida and raised in Southern California.His love of jazz dates back to his childhood, when the music of Coltrane, Miles, Bobby Hutcherson,Wayne Shorter and many others was introduced to him by his parents [along with that of Milton Nascimento, Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, of course]. He began to study the saxophone and at the age of 19 moved to New York City to play gigs and to study with Phil Woods, David Liebman and George Coleman.In 1989 David was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to record his first album. “Point Game”, which was released on the French label Owl Records, featuring Marvin “Smitty”Smith, Edward Simon, Adam Rogers and Lonnie Plaxico.Since then, David’s distinctive saxophone sound and innovative compositions have been heard from basement clubs in New York to jazz festivals in Europe. In addition to David’s extensive work as a leader, he has been sought after as a sideman, appearing on record with Medeski, Martin & Wood and Uri Caine’s Mahler Project. David has also appeared on stage with Aretha Franklin, at Carnegie Hall, and with Maceo Parker, to name a few. He has produced all of his own albums,in addition to two of the Lost Tribe releases. David started his record label, Mythology Records, in 1998.

David Binney website

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Tim Berne: alto saxophone
Oscar Noriega: clarinet + bass clarinet
Matt Mitchell: piano
Ches Smith: drums + percussion

After compelling contributions to ECM discs by David Torn and Michael Formanek, here is Tim Berne’s first leader date for the label. “Snakeoil” introduces a fascinating ensemble, a “chamber-like group” in Berne’s words, albeit one that packs some power. Tim’s tough alto is heard with Oscar Noriega’s earthy clarinets, Matt Mitchell’s cryptic piano, and Ches Smith’s tone-conscious drums, tympani, gongs and congas. Berne: “I’d decided on this very transparent instrumentation to try and avoid obvious stylistic references and to focus the listener on the musical ideas being presented.” Two years of wood-shedding preceded the recording of “Snakeoil” at New York’s Avatar Studios early in 2011, and the band was ready to roar. The disc is issued on the eve of a tour that takes in dates on both sides of the Atlantic.

Tim Berne was recently ranked in the Top 10 of Time Out New York’s “Essential NYC Jazz Icons”, an honour he will likely take with a pinch of salt, but also a reminder of the persistence of his endeavours: “Based on the recorded evidence, it may very well have been Tim Berne who was the definitive genius of NYC’s downtown 1980s jazz scene,” Time Out opined. “In the intervening years, he has remained committed to exploring the small group jazz idiom with a series of gritty, head-turning bands that have helped propel younger players such as Jim Black, Craig Taborn and Ches Smith into alt-jazz stardom”.

Since 1996, the primary outlet for Berne’s recordings has been his own label Screwgun, which has presented his bands, mostly in concert recordings. For the new quartet, he sought a larger platform. Accordingly, “Snakeoil” was recorded for ECM at Avatar Studios in New York in January 2011, with Manfred Eicher producing.

Berne met drummer Ches Smith through guitarist Mary Halvorson, all three part of NYC’s shifting pool of improvisers. “I liked Ches’s whole vibe, including the seriousness with which he approaches rehearsal, whether or not there’s a gig in sight. That was a big point for me. When I had these three players who were both original improvisers and great readers, it was really a motivation to write a lot of new material…” Smith extends his drum kit on “Snakeoil”, adding tympani, congas and gongs. His frame of reference is unique, his own background tracing an arc from early experiences in metal and punk bands, to jazz and free improvisation, contemporary composition and Haitian vodou drumming. His CV includes gigs with everyone from rock band Mr Bungle to Terry Riley, via Wadada Leo Smith, Iggy Pop, John Tchicai, Fred Frith, and Marc Robot’s Ceramic Dog. Smith’s own band These Arches currently includes Tim Berne, as well as Tony Malaby, Mary Halvorson and Andrea Parkins.

Matt Mitchell is a pianist and composer interested in the intersections of various strains of acoustic, electric, composed, and improvised new music. His sextet, Central Chain includes fellow Snakeoil members Tim Berne and Oscar Noriega, as well as Mary Halvorson, John Hebert, and Tomas Fujiwara. He also plays in trio with Berne and Ches Smith, and in duo with Smith. Other affiliations include groups with John Hollenbeck, Darius Jones, Rudresh Mahanthappa/Bunky Green and others. He is also active as an educator at the Brooklyn Center for Improvisational Music.

Oscar Noriega has previously worked with Lee Konitz, Anthony Braxton, Dewey Redman and Paul Motian, and been a member of the band Sideshow, who specialized in free approaches to the music of Charles Ives. Current activities include the ‘Mexico-inspired’ Banda De Los Muertos, which Noriega co-leads, and the group Endangered Blood with Chris Speed, Jim Black and Trevor Dunn. Since Fall 2010, he has curated The Palimpsestic Series, a weekly music event at Barbes, Brooklyn.

Snakeoil website

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Eric Moore website

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Like most Armenian musicians, Artyom Manukyan is a full-time musician, in the true sense of the word. Music isn’t just something he does on the side, or in between part-time jobs – it’s his livelihood, his sole source of income, and his lifelong passion. “I think in musical terms,” says the young musician. “I see everything through music.” His latest project is a jazz quartet called Nooz, where he presents the cello, classically used in chamber music, as a modern instrument. I recently went to a Nooz show and was absolutely in awe of the sounds that the talented artist was able to produce from an instrument I always associated with Bach and Brahms.

From baroque to hip hop, Artyom Manukyan’s musical flair seems to have no limits. Somehow, between practices and gigs with three different bands, the multi-talented artist has found time to nurture yet another one of his musical passions, hip hop. He and a friend from Los Angeles are starting a productions company called New People in Yerevan. They have created arrangements for some of Armenia’s biggest hip hop and pop stars, like Hay Tgheq and Inga & Anush. It may seem a bit unusual for a classically trained cellist to branch into hip hop, but hip hop has been a driving force in Manukyan’s life for as far back as he can remember. Now that he is actually creating and working in the field, it’s like his childhood dreams are coming true. “Hip hop is my second life,” he says with a smile.

At 25, Manukyan still has a long career ahead of him, and considering he started playing cello almost by chance, who knows what exciting twists and turns the future will bring. Cello is one of those instruments that sort of got left behind with the classical era. With the rise of jazz and rock, it just didn’t make the cool list. There’s no shortage of drummers and guitarists out there, but when was the last time someone told you they played the cello? Manukyan, who started playing when he was nine, is something of an advocate for the versatility and modern relevance of the antiquated instrument, but his love affair with music and with the cello had a not so glamorous start.

Artyom Manukyan website

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My name is Mahesh Balasooriya. I am 22 years old and I attended University of Southern California. I am a jazz and classical pianist,; Was broadcasted on the disney channel where i performed the Schumann Concerto with the Hamilton Symphony, selected for the Student Latin All-Star band, selected as one of two pianists worldwide entering the Henry Mancini Institute program; won most outstanding rhythm player at Monterey Jazz Festival, selected to tour with All Star band in Japan; first place Rotary Club competition; best jazz musician awards Fullerton Jazz Festival; first place Charles Dolo Coker competition; Won first place in the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts talent search, Won first place in the John Coltrane competition,Won first place in the Omega Psy Phi competition, Finalist in the Emerging Young Artists, finalist in the 2002 Music Center Spotlight awards, Won performer of the year 3 years in a row at Hamiton Music Academy, I recently performed with the 2003 Stan Getz/Clifford Brown Fellowship in Miami and in Canada for the IAJE conference where I one an outstanding achievement award with an introduction by Billy Taylor. I have played and worked with so many jazz greats including Christian Mc Bride, Larry Goldings, Roy Hargrove, John Clayton, Eddie Daniels, Johnny Mandel, Randy Brecker, Eric Reed, Hubert Laws, Patti Austin; I’ve been quoted by jazz radio sponsor Chuck Niles as “The Charlie Parker of Sri Lanka”; I’ve also been opening acts for Elvin Jones, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Oscar De La Hoya, Phil Ramone, President Clinton, Hilary Clinton, Richard Riordin, and Several appearances at the Hollywood Bowl. Got selected to do major recording projects at Paramount studios, Universal music productions, and Sony studios. I’ve been composing a lot, including my big 15 minute piano concerto with orchestra and piano. Much of my thanks is to my family, teachers: Shelly Berg, Buddy Collete, and classical teacher Jeff Lavener at the Colburn school of music. If you’d like to find out more info about me, you can always google my full name. Thank you very much for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.

Mahesh Balasooriya website

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Adrián Terrazas-González (Born on October 17, 1975) and raised in Chihuahua, Chih. México, grew up surrounded by the traditional music of Central-America, from Danzón, Boleros and Rumba to Son and Mambo. Terrazas-González began developing his musical ability starting at the age of 10. He was inclined to play the the Tenor Saxophone and the Flute with an understanding of classical music and a peculiar attraction to Jazz music. Five years later he took on the Clarinet. His grandmother, a “Danzón Nut” according to Terrazas-González, urged her grandson in that direction, but the young player had already picked out a model for himself – John W. Coltrane.

2001 was a year that would profoundly impact Terrazas-González music. While pursuing his sociological and musical studies at The University of Texas at El Paso he learned more about the transmission of these ideas and theories through music. In an effort to track the development of certain philosophical and spiritual traditions observed by ancient cultures, Terrazas-González arranged to meet, learn and creatively collaborate with musicians involved with traditions originating from West Africa. One of his main interests was the Yoruba tradition (predominantly out of western Nigeria), the ancient African religion underlying Santeria (Cuba and Puerto Rico), Candombl (Baha, Brazil), Vodun (Haiti) and Cu Taan (México).

The Mars Volta

In 2004, Terrazas-González joined The Mars Volta recording the studio album Frances the Mute and continues to work with the band (as full flesh member) on subsequent albums (Live Scabdates 2005, Amputechture 2006) and all of The Mars Volta side projects (movie scores, DVD‘s etc). The group includes guitarist Omar A. Rodriguez-Lopez, lyricist/vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, bassist John Alderete, guitarist Paul Hinojos-González, drummer Thomas Pridgen, percussionist Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez and keyboardist Isaiah Ikey Owens. Through his work with The Mars Volta, Terrazas-González went on to earn his first Grammy Award in 2008 on the Best Rock Performance category with the song “Wax Simulacra.” Working with The Mars Volta has helped Terrazas-González gain further exposure as an multi-Intrumentalist particularly in Europe. TV performances of The Mars Volta include: The Henry Rollins Show, The Tonight Show (with David Letterman) and The BBC just to mention a few.

T.R.A.M.

It’s extremely rare to come across a new band that just flips the script of conventionality throwing caution to the wind, but the debut effort from T.R.A.M. does just that while blazing a trail of creativity that will quickly turn heads across the world. This unit will be referred to by many as a “supergroup,” however the members of this dynamic unit aren’t in this for any reason but to use it as a platform to further express their art without limitations or any preconceived notions.

T.R.A.M. is comprised of such renowned musically proficient artists as Adrián Terrazas-González Terrazas-González The Mars Volta on saxophone, flute, bass clarinet and percussion, Javier Reyes Animals As Leaders on guitars, Tosin Abasi Animals As Leaders on guitars and Eric Moore II Suicidal Tendencies on drums. This is a group of likeminded individuals that are naturally gifted and the collaboration of their unique talents results in something truly amazing. Their much anticipated debut album, Lingua Franca, is set for a May release through Sumerian Records and expect a new song to be posted within the coming weeks.

Terrazas-González states: “Tosin Abasi and I were originally introduced by a mutual friend, Raanen Bozzio, last summer. This meeting also served as my first introduction to Animals As Leaders and Javier Reyes. Since then, Abasi, Reyes and I have developed a great relationship. We got together almost every day to try out ideas and after a month we had already formulated a majority of the record. At this point we contacted Eric Moore, an incredible drummer and the most joyful person to be around, and soon everything we had envisioned rhythmically came together on our fist meeting/recording session (at the Farias productions studios) on what is now T.R.A.M.

“I never know how people will respond to our music, I just never know! My goal is to try to instill a strong feeling or energy in people and I feel that collectively we achieved this goal tenfold with this new project. We all have a great enthusiasm and desire to perform this material live and see this band further develop. We look forward to hearing what you all think of it.”

- Adrián Terrazas-González .”

Adrien Terrazas-Gonzales website

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2.28.12   Claudia Quintet [John Hollenbeck + Drew Gress + Matt Moran + Red Wierenga + Chris Speed]
and featuring Theo Bleckmann

JOHN HOLLENBECK drums + composition

DREW GRESS bass

MATT MORAN vibraphone

RED WIERENGA  accordion

CHRIS SPEED clarinet + tenor saxophone

featuring THEO BLECKMANN vocals

The Claudia Quintet brings together the acclaimed compositional approach of leader John Hollenbeck with two of the most important male singers in improvised music, Kurt Elling and Theo Bleckmann. Elling and Bleckmann recite and sing the poems of avant-garde/proto-beat American poet, Kenneth Patchen, an innovator in his time.

“Claudia with vocals?” Yes, Claudia with vocals, and it will probably not surprise anyone who has followed this much-loved, one-of-a-kind ensemble that that it still sounds completely like Claudia…but different! Kurt Elling, probably the most popular male jazz vocalist today, brings to these words – words which are, by turns, funny or poignant or thought-provoking – a hipster swagger somewhere between Ken Nordine and Tom Waits. Theo Bleckmann is, as always, Theo Bleckmann; one of the truly singular and distinctive singers in jazz today. Having both vocalists on board, with their radically different styles, was a brilliant move and gives What is the Beautiful? an tremendously wide sweep.

Formed by composer / drummer / arranger John Hollenbeck in 1997, this NYC ensemble’s sound explores the edge without alienating the mainstream, proving that genre-defying music can be for everyone. Over the past decade, the group has released CDs that are critically acclaimed world wide and whose appeal extends well beyond, as well as including traditional jazz audiences. The Claudia Quintet has amazed audiences from Alabama to the Amazon. Their unique sound has inspired dancing hippie girls at a New Mexico noise festival, the avant-garde cognoscenti in the concert halls of Vienna and Sao Paolo, and a generation of young musicians worldwide. In the course of the thousands of miles they have traveled together and hundreds of concerts they’ve played, the Claudia Quintet has evolved and grown, developing a dynamic live sound based on trust and spontaneity. They bring this powerful energy into the studio, where they record the old-fashioned way, live, playing as a band.

As on their previous CD, Royal Toast, the Claudia Quintet is again supplemented by a +1, in this case Philadelphia-based pianist Matt Mitchell. His virtuosity and spontaneity make him a perfect fit with the long-running core group – Hollenbeck on drums, Drew Gress on bass, Matt Moran on vibraphone, Ted Reichman on accordion, and Chris Speed on clarinet and tenor sax.

“Throughout the decade of the 2000s, The Claudia Quintet recorded, toured, and became one of the top five progressive jazz units in the U.S. and the world. For 2010 they continue with Royal Toast, implying elegance and a golden brown, perfectly prepared, even buttery music. …Versace’s role is that of shading or propping up these melodies, and one should listen closely to his contributions here. It’s another extraordinary musical experience from the Claudia Quintet, who deserve all the high marks they receive as an innovative, thought-provoking, singularly unique contemporary ensemble.” – All Music Guide

“…one of the most characterful small jazz groups of recent times.” – The Guardian

“The references span from surf rock, to chamber jazz to hyperarticulate “acoustica” club beats, all rendered with exquisite precision and heedless abandon…there are too many moments of brilliance to list here…” – JazzTimes

“…a chamber band that has tickled the ears of adventurous listeners for a decade with its deft blend of improvised jazz solos, run-on, minimalist figures that gradually shift shape and color, and unusual instrumentation.” – Downbeat

Royal Toast is the long-awaited fifth release by this wonderful and undefinable ensemble. Led by twice Grammy-nominated drummer/composer John Hollenbeck, who The Village Voice called, “…superb, technically ingenious… passionate and serious, but also playful and funny…”, the band features four other versatile and acclaimed players: Drew Gress (bass), Matt Moran (vibes), Ted Reichman (accordion) and Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet), all of whom are bandleaders in their own right in addition to their work with Claudia. The quintet is here supplemented by pianist Gary Versace, a longtime collaborator of Hollenbeck’s. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the addition of piano to the group’s now quite well known ‘standard’ sound is actually just how naturally it fits in! It’s not a shocking thing at all to the long-time listener; the piano just becomes one more voice in the multi-musical-line stew. The addition of Versace means that half of the band is now essentially playing percussive instruments, giving Hollenbeck more opportunity than ever to follow his polyrhythmic muse; it absolutely and dinstinctly still sounds like Claudia, but now there’s even more to love!

“John Hollenbeck’s New York based ensemble, founded in 1997, continues to trace an original route through contemporary jazz.” – The Wire

When it comes to making Royal Toast, there are lots of tasty ingredients. John Hollenbeck, the drummer-composer who leads the Claudia Quintet, blends the complexities of prog rock with the sonorities and refinement of chamber music, not to mention minimalism à la Steve Reich and jazz’s improvisatory spark. The resulting compositions are unpredictable, engrossing and richly detailed. In a word, Royal Toast is mind-expanding, and unless you would prefer to pass on some mind expansion, it will reward your attention many times over.” – The Ottawa Citizen

“This is a true ensemble from top to bottom, a sonic equivalent to a hand-woven tapestry…. Impressive.” - Downbeat

“Fantastically ‘new’ compositions executed flawlessly, yet dangerously, by master players.” - Jazzhouse

Since their founding in the late 1990s, The Claudia Quintet has walked a unique path in contemporary jazz. Unlike most jazz ensembles where the particular musicians may come and go, drummer, composer and leader John Hollenbeck always wanted Claudia to be a ‘band’ with a sound not only determined by the compositions and the instrumentation, but with the actual players who perform the music. This conception is why Claudia has had an immediately identifiable sound since its inception and why I am taking the time to name the other musicians in the group who are able to both play the intricate compositions that John hands them but to also improvise within and around these compositions and give them life. Drew Gress-acoustic bass, Matt Moran-vibes, Ted Reichman-accordion and Chris Speed-clarinet and tenor sax all make Claudia the fantastic band that it is. Since Cuneiform started working with Claudia on their second album in 2004, the band has met with tremendous and growing acclaim and success, both for their records and their live shows, which has pleased me immensely, as they are pursuing a completely singular path in ‘jazz’ music and while they completely deserve to have an audience for their singular music, it was by no means assured. An astonishing band with a huge range of emotional depth and range and with appeal far beyond strictly ‘jazz’ listeners. For this, their fourth album, they’ve released an album of dedications. My cornering John after a show in 2002 and basically badgering him about why he needed to sign with Cuneiform may be the smartest thing I’ve done this decade.

“They don’t really sound like anyone but themselves….Brilliant.” - bbc.co.uk

Claudia Quintet website

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