August 30th, 2009 by groundswell

Read this interesting interview with Wayne Shorter.

August 30th, 2009 by groundswell

short but sweet.

August 28th, 2009 by groundswell

Much like Sonny Rollins before him, the gifted saxophonist Myron Walden has taken a sabbatical from recording to master the tenor saxophone, woodshed, and compose; this winter will see his reemergence, with the release of three albums of original material.Demi Sound Records will release ‘Momentum’ on November 17 with ‘In This World’ and ‘Countrified’ following in January, 2010.  ’Momentum’ consists of original compositions inspired by the works of Miles Davis’ 1960s aggregations.  Joining Walden are Darren Barrett (Roy Hargrove, Elvin Jones) on trumpet, David Bryant on piano, Yasushi Nakamura on bass, and Kendrick Scott (The Crusaders, Terrance Blanchard) on drums.

All Music Guide has called Walden “one of jazz’s most powerful young alto players,” characterizing his 2005 album ‘This Way’ as “unyielding, brash and really good.” That album was named one of the ten best releases of 2005 by both All About Jazz and the Jazz Journalists Association. All About Jazz described Walden as the “most original player on his instrument to come along since Kenny Garrett,” calling his compositions “fearless, compelling and stimulating.”

Walden will mount a September residency at New York’s Jazz Gallery on Wednesday nights. He plans to vary the themes and lineups for each concert, including a tribute to Stanley Turrentine, his introspective project ‘In This World,’ his driving music of ‘Momentum,’ revisiting the saxophone interplay of ‘Higher Ground,’ and his minimalist trio Apex. These sets serve as benefit concerts for the Jazz Gallery.

Walden has performed alongside Wynton Marsalis, Ray Barretto, Nat Adderley,
Freddie Hubbard, and Brian Blade. He has appeared at the Jazz Standard, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, The Blue Note, Iridium, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Village Vanguard, living in New York and Miami.

Momentum Track Listing

1. Of Three Worlds
2. The Road Ahead
3. Pulse
4. Vision of a Visionary
5. Miles
6. When Time Stood Still
7. What Goes Up Must Come Down
8. Longing
9. Like a Flower Seeking the Sun
10. Memories
11. Carnage
12. When Time Stood Still

August 25th, 2009 by groundswell

Found this nice blog post.

“Do you ever pick up an album, think it’s so-so at first, and thenreally get into it? That’s what happened to me with Brian Blade’s Mama Rosa. I’ve had it since June and I’ve listened to it a ton since then, so I thought I’d write about it here.
If you don’t know who Brian Blade is, you should really slap an address on that rock you’ve been living under. Ha ha—that was a joke. But my guess is you might not know who he is, and that’s cool. A brief primer: he’s a drummer who often plays in jazz settings, but not exclusively. He’s recorded and toured with saxophonists Joshua Redman, Kenny Garrett, and Wayne Shorter (to name a few among many, many others), and also with pop/rock luminaries Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. He’s recorded three excellent albums with his group, The Brian Blade Fellowship (thought I believe it’s just called “The Fellowship” these days). He also plays guitar and sings. That brings us to Mama Rosa.

Blade knows how to put a song together. He has a nice voice and knows his way around a guitar. He appears to be a fairly devout Christian, and that comes across in his lyrics, but never cloyingly. Rather, you get the impression that he’s just a good, honest, nice guy who takes his faith seriously and wants to sing about it without bludgeoning you. That’s cool by me.

My favorite songs are all of them, including the final two, which are basically just soft ambient noise, but which I’ve really taken a liking to for some reason. I could go on and on about the music itself, but will instead recommend it solely on the fact that when my wife, son and I were on a road trip to California a couple of months ago, Mama Rosawas the perfect accompaniment to our 1:00 am I-5 night drive. I’m a big fan of music that resonates strongly with nature, and this one has that in spades. Check it out if you have a chance.”

August 18th, 2009 by groundswell

August 17th, 2009 by groundswell

Brian will be at the Monterey Jazz Festival once again.  This time with The John Patitucci Trio and with The with Hank Jones and Joe Lovano Quartet.  Find the schedule here.

August 17th, 2009 by groundswell

“Brian Blade, a balletically nimble drummer whose nuanced touch goes back to Max Roach rather than Kenny Clarke or Art Blakey, completes the core trio, soloing infrequently in the conventional sense but in constant invigorating dialog with the saxophone and bass.”

Read the full entry by following this link.

August 17th, 2009 by groundswell

“Yes. It happened tonight at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola. John Pattitucci, Brian Blade and Joe Lovano played a trio set in the spirit of Sonny at the Vanguard or Joe Henderson at the same place years later. Brian Blade is the most exciting thing happening in drumming period and not just jazz because he is the sound behind all of Daniel Lanois’ forward-thinking music. But to bring me to the point of tears means you have to have “something else happening”…something that gets me face to face with my Creator and then melting at the thought of grace allowing us to be so creative.”

Read all fo Joseph Henry Cortese Jr’s piece here.

August 14th, 2009 by groundswell

Brian Blade is “the most imaginatively supple drummer in jazz” (New York Times).  He learned his trade hitting rhythm at Shreveport’s Zion Baptist, where his father — the spine-shaking Pastor Brady Blade, Sr. — presides.  In New Orleans, Brian partnered with Lanois (producer of U2 & Bob Dylan) to devise a gospel project that culminates here.
In this once-in-a-lifetime event, the drummer, the producer, and the drummer’s father convene in Durham to cut a live album driven by Pastor Blade.  They’re joined by bus-fulls of churchgoers from Shreveport and the sharpest sidemen in the business.
On Saturday night there’s a live recording; on Sunday morning a sermon by Pastor Blade; and on Sunday evening, another live performance. All of it unfolds at Hayti, once an A.M.E church and now a deconsecrated chapel whose Jim Crow-era walls create acoustics better than any studio’s.
Organized by Duke to happen in Durham, this landmark event in music unearths the rapture at the core of modern art, two days of hands-in-the-air music that, on wax, will never die.
Residency runs October 8 – October 13, 2009.

More info here.

August 13th, 2009 by groundswell