Saturday, June 27, 2020

FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DE JAZZ DE MONTRÉAL PRESENTED BY TD BANK GROUP IN COLLABORATION WITH RIO TINTO IS BACK THIS SUMMER WITH A SPECIAL ALL DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 27-30, 2020!

FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DE JAZZ DE MONTRÉAL PRESENTED BY TD BANK GROUP IN COLLABORATION WITH RIO TINTO IS BACK THIS SUMMER WITH A SPECIAL ALL DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 27-30, 2020! 

A VARIETY OF LOCAL LUMINARIES TO PERFORM AT L’ASTRAL FOR A VIRTUAL EDITION… LET’S #JAZZTOGETHER!

IT’S ALL HAPPENING AT MONTREALJAZZFEST.COM 


The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal presented by TD Bank Group in collaboration with Rio Tinto is pleased to announce some very good and welcome news: This summer, there will be live music! From June 27th to 30th, 2020, the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal presents a special edition of the Festival on our digital platforms.

As an exclusive treat for music fans from all over the world this summer, the Festival will be taking digital platforms by storm, offering unique and dynamic musical content featuring many of the Festival’s favorite local artists performing live, filmed with extremely high-quality production value, worthy of the Festival standard. With invaluable support from TD Bank Group and Rio Tinto and our public partners the Government of Canada, the Government of Québec and the city of Montreal, this special edition of the Festival aims to create unique and memorable moments for loyal Festival goers, accessible via montrealjazzfest.com.  The digital shift for 2020 allows the Festival to maintain its role as a prominent platform for jazz music by continuing to reach more communities while adhering to the government's safety guidelines during the Covid-19 crisis.  


This special edition of the Festival is a gift for Montreal fans, the jazz community, the Festival team, partners, and to all the passionate music lovers all over the world who revel in the opportunity to be moved by something as magical as live music. 

The digital edition of the Festival includes a takeover of Montreal’s iconic L’Astral, on the ground floor of La Maison des Festivals in the heart of Quartier des Spectacles (home of the Festival), which has been transformed into a bespoke broadcast studio for this unique series of performances. For 4 days, some of the Festival’s favourite local artists will perform special sets that will be available for FREE online, which can be viewed by fans from the comfort of their own homes! 

Starting June 27th, on Canadian Multicultural Day, and for the duration of this special edition, the Festival will be celebrating once again this year with a dynamic lineup of artists showcasing the diverse talents and cultures that make up our country. Performances will take place every evening starting with the Apéros SAQ - a series of unique performances courtesy of some of the Festival's favourite artists, broadcast LIVE from L'Astral. There will then be exclusive sets, the Sessions TD and the Rythmes Rio Tinto, which are sure to please music fans of all ages, also filmed at L'Astral. This will be followed by a gem from the Festival archives of legendary concerts from past editions of the Festival. What’s more, the opening night will wrap up with a party, the Fin de soirée Loto-Québec, which everyone is invited to join. This special edition of the Festival on our digital platforms will feature the same high standard of production quality that attendees of the Festival have come to expect with a multi camera setup, helmed by director Maxime Théoret-Bissonnette (Bonsoir, Bonsoir -- Radio-Canada). Of course, all of this will be done while respecting all the public health guidelines established by the government for everyone working in the venue. 

The lineup of talent participating in the digital Festival is a veritable who’s who of local luminaries and some of the best artists the city has to offer. Fans will be wowed by unique performances from the likes of Quebec superstar Charlotte Cardin; piano wiz Jean-Michel Blais; Indie rock and blues champs The Barr Brothers; JUNO and Polaris Music prize-nominated singer-songwriter Dominique Fils-Aimée; Inuk singer, the soulful Elisapie; fan and Festival favourite Jordan Officer, as well as Pierre Kwenders; Alain Caron trio avec Paul Brochu et John Roney; Jeremy Dutcher; Jack Broadbent; Fredy V. & The Foundation; Clerel; Malika Tirolien; Jacques Kuba Séguin; Bïa; Rafael Zaldivar; Marianne Trudel; Naya Ali; Djely Tapa; Carl Mayotte; and Mateo. The full schedule will be announced in the coming days.

“It is of the utmost importance for us to continue to bring the jazz Festival to the people”, says the Festival’s General Manager Jacques K. Primeau, “and despite the challenging circumstances this year, we are thrilled to be able to offer an innovative solution to get the music out to the fans! We are also extremely proud to offer artists a chance to do what they do best, perform for all of us!” 

All the exclusive live performances will also be available on demand separately on all the Jazz fest digital platforms right after the live broadcast each night. 

The Festival would like to extend a huge thank you to its collaborators, TD Bank GroupRio Tinto, the Government of Canada, the Government of Québec and the city of Montreal for believing in the project and for making this digital version of the Festival possible. 

‘It’s because of collaborators like TD Bank Group, Rio Tinto and the support of our public partners that we’re able to bring this special edition to Festival goers from across the globe… #JazzTogether is truly a community and a family affair! It’s incredible to see it all come together!” added Jacques K. Primeau.

''Music brings us together and reminds us that we are all connected through shared passions and ideas even when we’re apart, mentions Sylvie Demers, Chair, Quebec Market, TD Bank Group.  That is why we are proud to support this special and unique edition of the Montreal International Jazz Festival''

The Festival would also like to extend its gratitude to all public and private partners and collaborators for supporting the Festival over the past 40 years:  

Thanks to the Festival’s presenting sponsor TD Bank Group and our co-presenting sponsor Rio Tinto for their renewed trust. As well as, Loto-Québec, la Société des Alcools du QuébecHeinekenHyundaiLes Producteurs de lait du Québec and other collaborators.

The Festival would also like to thank the three levels of government and to the organizations for their constant support: the Government of Canada — Canada Economic Development, the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Musicaction Foundation —, the Government of Québec — the Secrétariat à la région métropolitaine and the SODEC —, as well as the city of Montréal and Tourisme Montréal.

The Festival would also like to highlight the support of its media partners: Radio-CanadaLa Press & 98.5.

A warm and big THANK YOU to the entire Festival team under the leadership of Jacques K. Primeau and Laurent Saulnier for contributing to the production of this special edition of the Festival on our digital platforms and who work all year round to bring the magic of the Festival to life! To the artists whose collaboration in making this Festival so unique is tremendously appreciated, and above all, thanks to the fans, who will help the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal presented by TD Bank Group in collaboration with Rio Tinto with to shine again in 2021 and for many years to come. 

We are thrilled that the power of music is there to unite us once again! From June 27th to 30th 2020, Le Festival International de Jazz de Montréal’s special edition on our digital platforms is coming! 

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Visionary vocalist/songwriter Esperanza Spalding and renowned pianist/composer Fred Hersch announce a 5-song duo EP to benefit musicians impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic

Visionary vocalist/songwriter Esperanza Spalding and renowned pianist/composer Fred Hersch announce a 5-song duo EP to benefit musicians impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic

Released to raise funds for the Jazz Foundation of America, Live at the Village Vanguard will be available exclusively at Bandcamp ONLY throughout the month of June


The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating effect on the jazz community, leaving countless musicians to face an uncertain future. Visionary vocalist, bassist and songwriter Esperanza Spalding and iconic pianist/ composer Fred Hersch have committed to do their part to help fellow musicians in need with the limited release of Esperanza Spalding & Fred Hersch: Live at the Village Vanguard - Rough Mix EP, a five-song EP captured during the duo’s 2018 run at the iconic New York City nightclub. The EP is a live rough mix with no edits. 

The EP will be offered exclusively for download through Bandcamp, with all proceeds benefitting the Jazz Foundation of America and the organization’s efforts to assist members of the jazz community impacted by this ongoing crisis. Released on May 29, the scintillating performance will be available only through the month of June for a minimum of $17, with additional donations encouraged on a pay-what-you-wish basis.  Purchase the album here: https://esperanzaspaldingfredhersch.bandcamp.com

“All of my musician friends are in the same boat,” Hersch laments. “People who rely on gigs to make ends meet have seen entire tours cancelled. What opportunities may come – and when – remains a huge question mark.”

Besides raising much-needed funds for a vital cause, Live at the Village Vanguard provides a rare opportunity for listeners to enjoy this singular and thrilling collaboration. Spalding and Hersch have convened for only a handful of NYC performances since their first meeting during Hersch’s annual duo series at the Jazz Standard in 2013. In that limited time the pair has developed a wholly unique approach, not only in the annals of piano-voice duets but in their own already distinctive practices.

“This recording feels like you’ve got the best seat in the house for a very live experience,” Hersch says. “You can really feel the energy of the room, of the audience, and of our interplay, and I think it’ll make people feel really good to hear it.”

“I think there’s a lot of joy and beauty in this music that Fred and I made,” adds Spalding. “Beyond collecting money for musicians in need, sharing the beauty in our hearts can have a healing effect as well.”

The five pieces included on Live at the Village Vanguard span a vast spectrum of repertoire, from original compositions to a Brazilian classic to familiar standards offered with a stunningly fresh perspective. A determined original in her own music, Spalding rarely sings standards, and her approach here is unique to her partnership with Hersch. Her improvisation on the Gershwins’ “But Not For Me” becomes a witty, poetic extemporization on the lyric itself, examining the changes in language represented by the original’s sometimes archaic terminology. Neal Hefti and Bobby Troup’s chauvinistic ditty “Girl Talk” comes under barbed scrutiny from not only a feminist but also an eco-conscious perspective.

Hersch’s “Dream of Monk” has been a staple of the duo’s sets since the beginning. With lyrics penned by the pianist himself, the tune is a dedication to one of Hersch’s most indelible influences. “Some Other Time” is a Sammy Cahn/Jule Styne song, less well known than the Leonard Bernstein classic of the same name but a favorite of Hersch, who weaves an elegant and vivid tapestry during his mesmerizing solo. The set closes with Egberto Gismonti’s “Loro,” launched by Spalding’s unconventional scatting, which she eventually uses to engage in a nimble dance with Hersch’s jaunty piano.

“Playing with Fred feels like we’re in a sandbox,” Spalding says. “He takes his devotion to the music as serious as life and death, but once we start playing, it’s just fun. I like to live on the edge in my music, but I find myself trying things that I usually wouldn’t when I play with him, finding new spaces to explore in the realm of improvised lyrics.”

“I don’t think anybody’s heard Esperanza sing like this,” Hersch says, returning the compliments. “She’s fearless, and is one of the smartest people I know. She’s got a huge reach in her intellectual knowledge and is a big thinker in her projects and in her outlook.”

This particular music, recorded October 19-21, 2018, has already made a restorative impact on the two dauntless artists who created it. Though it’s hard to believe given the buoyant spirits and playful interaction of the performances, both Spalding and Hersch were working through pain that weekend. Although the stint ended on a celebratory note with the occasion of Hersch’s 63rd birthday, he was also scheduled to enter the hospital the very next day for hip replacement surgery.

“I was in a lot of pain and walking with a crutch,” he recalls. “Just getting down the famous stairs to the Vanguard was an ordeal.”

Spalding, meanwhile, was struggling with family issues while juggling an intense schedule that included writing an opera with the legendary Wayne Shorter and beginning a teaching position at Harvard University. “I was going through a very difficult time in my life,” she admits. “I was miserable every day when I got to the Vanguard, so I had to decide to plug into the capacity for this music to heal. I wanted to emanate something positive even though I was feeling so horrible. Neither of us were feeling well in our lives outside of the music, so the stage of the Vanguard became an alchemizing place for both of us, and I think you can feel that in the music.”

Esperanza Spalding
Four-time Grammy Award-winning visionary Esperanza Spalding aims to ignite and portray various hues of vital human energies through composition, singing, bass playing and live performance. A lover of all music, especially improvisation-based musics emerging from black American culture, Spalding’s musical aesthetic is prismatic. With projects like Radio Music Society, Chamber Music SocietyEmily’s D+ Evolution and her latest album, 12 Little Spells, she has inventively combined and reimagined influences from jazz, funk, rock, musical theater and beyond. She has taught at Berklee College of Music and Harvard University, and is in the process of writing an opera in collaboration with Wayne Shorter.

Fred Hersch
A select member of jazz’s piano pantheon, Fred Hersch is an influential creative force who has shaped the music’s course over more than three decades. A fifteen-time Grammy nominee, Hersch has long set the standard for expressive interpretation and inventive creativity. A revered improviser, composer, educator, bandleader, collaborator and recording artist, Hersch has been proclaimed “the most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade” by Vanity Fair, “an elegant force of musical invention” by The L.A. Times, and “a living legend” by The New Yorker. For decades Hersch has been firmly entrenched as one of the most acclaimed and captivating pianists in modern jazz, whether through his exquisite solo performances, as the leader of one of jazz’s era-defining trios, or in eloquent dialogue with his deeply attuned duo partners. His brilliant 2017 memoir, Good Things Happen Slowly, was named one of 2017’s Five Best Memoirs by the Washington Post and The New York Times.

Esperanza Spalding & Fred Hersch:
Live at the Village Vanguard – Rough Mix EP
Recorded Oct. 19-21, 2018
Release date May 29, 2020
Available exclusively for download via Bandcamp only through June 2020

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Dutch street named after Rosetta Reitz

Dutch street named after Rosetta Reitz

Rosetta Reitz, jazz historian, author and record producer has been honored with a street dedicated to her in Leiden, Netherlands.



We heard the news from her daughter, Rebecca. A group of community activists in Leiden, Netherlands live in or near a street called ReitzStraat (Reitz Street) that was named for a leader in the Boer War, Francis W. Reitz.

They decided to change the dedication of the street for two reasons:
1) To rethink the role the Boers played as colonists and their link to rise of apartheid.
2) There are not enough streets named after women.




In their research to find a woman named Reitz, the Dutch activists quickly discovered Rosetta and were impressed with her all accomplishments.  They especially loved Rosetta Records, 
https://rosettatribute.weebly.com/rosetta-records.html the label she established in 1980 where she retrieved lost women’s blues and jazz. The double fold albums were lavishly illustrated with photos of the women.  Rosetta wrote about the historical context of the music in liner notes that presented a new view from a woman's perspective.

This thoughtful group found the tribute website
https://rosettatribute.weebly.com/ that her daughter Rebecca created and also discovered her book on Menopause and other meaningful achievements. They went ahead and created a new street sign that they placed over the old one.  They will also go through the official Council channels.

“To replace an imperialist warrior with a feminist historian is EXACTLY the kind of grassroots effort that my mother, Rosetta, would have loved,” said Rebecca. “Rosetta spent her life and creative energy correcting wrongs and giving women the chance to be heard. And now, this group has acknowledged her efforts in a most delightful and important manner.”


Source: Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

2020 JJA Jazz Awards winners!

2020 JJA Jazz Awards winners!

May 18th, 2020 | By 
Carla Bley, composer-arranger-bandleader and pianist, has won the 2020 JJA Jazz Award for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz in the 25th annual honors for excellence in music and music journalism.
Stanley Crouch, author, essayist, novelist, advisor to Jazz at Lincoln Center and president of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, is winner of Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism. 
This year’s Awards for instrumentalists advance a multi-year trend by the JJA’s voting members to recognize accomplished women among the multiple nominated finalists. Drummer and educator Terri Lyne Carrington (Musician of the Year), pianist-composer Kris Davis (Composer and Pianist of the Year), saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin (Up & Coming Musician of the Year), drummer-composer Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom (for Mid-Size Ensemble of the Year), baritone saxophonist Lauren Sevian and harpist Brandee Younger (Player of Instruments Rare in Jazz), and several other women were voted Best of the Year for their achievements in 2019. For the first time, women won half the instrumentalists’ categories.
Not that men are ignored in this year’s Jazz Awards. Miguel Zenón won Arranger of the Year and Alto Saxophonist of the year, Branford Marsalis’ quartet won Record of the Year for The Secret Between the Shadow and the SoulChristian Scott aTundé Adjuah was named Trumpeter of the Year and Joel Ross was Mallet Player of the Year, both for the first time. Mark Stryker’s Jazz From Detroit (University of Michigan Press) was voted Best Book About Jazz, San Francisco Bay Area radio show host Richard Hadlock and New York-based photographer Richard Conde won, respectively, the Marian McPartland-Willis Conover Award for Lifetime Achievement in Broadcasting, and the Lona Foote-Bob Parent Award for Lifetime Achievement in Photography.
“The JJA is pleased to congratulate these winners, and indeed all the musicians nominated in our two-stage voting process,” said Howard Mandel, president of the JJA. “Especially with listeners largely confined to home, it’s important to let artists know they’re being heard, and to advise music fans about the best current jazz creativity, as jazz journalists do.”
The Jazz Awards was initiated in 1996, and follows on the JJA’s Jazz Heroes Awards for “activists, advocates altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz (which are being promoted via interactive broadcasts featuring Boston hero Ran Blake on May 23, and Los Angeles Hero Billy Mitchell on May 28 (see details elsewhere on JJANews.org). Since mid-March, the JJA has also published international reports, JazzOnLockdown, about responses to the coronavirus.
Winners of JJA Jazz Awards have previously been presented with engraved statuettes before audiences at summer performances. This year’s winners will receive hand-printed scrolls certifying their Awards.

2020 Winners

Congratulations to all the winners of the 25th annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards, listed below. Professional journalist members of the JJA made open nominations in a first-selection round; those who received the most nominations advanced to the finalists' ballot, and JJA's professional members voted on them to arrive at these honorees.

Our congratulations, of course, to all the 2020 Nominees in all categories. And please click the photos to expand them -- some wonderful images here reward much larger presentation.


2020 WINNERS FOR JAZZ PERFORMANCE & RECORDINGS


Lifetime Achievement
Award in Jazz

CARLA BLEY

    CARLA BLEY
Photo by Mark Marnie


Musician of the Year

TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON

TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON


Up and Coming
Musician of the Year

LAKECIA BENJAMIN



Composer of the Year

KRIS DAVIS



Arranger of the Year

MIGUEL ZENÓN

MIGUEL ZENÓN
Photo by Jimmy Katz

Record of the Year

THE SECRET BETWEEN THE SHADOW AND THE SOUL

Branford Marsalis Quartet (OKeh)
THE SECRET BETWEEN THE SHADOW AND THE SOUL


Historical Record of the Year

MUSICAL PROPHET: THE EXPANDED 1963 NEW YORK STUDIO SESSIONS

Eric Dolphy (Resonance Records)

MUSICAL PROPHET: THE EXPANDED 196 NEW YORK STUDIO SESSION


Record Label of the Year

ECM



Male Vocalist of the Year

KURT ELLING

KURT ELLING
Photo by Anna Webber

Female Vocalist of the Year

CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT

CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT
Photo by Hector Perez

Large Ensemble of the Year

THE ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Photo by Marc PoKempner


Mid-Size Ensemble of the Year

ALLISON MILLER'S BOOM TIC BOOM

Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom; from left,
Jeff Lederer, bass clarinet; Kirk Knufke, trumpet; Jenny Scheinman, violin;
Myra Melford, piano; Todd Sickafoose, bass; Miller, drums.
Photo by Marc PoKempner

Trumpeter of the Year

CHRISTIAN SCOTT ATUNDÉ ADJUAH



Trombonist of the Year

WYCLIFFE GORDON

WYCLIFFE GORDON


Multiple Reeds Player of the Year

JOE LOVANO

JOE LOVANO
Photo by Jimmy Katz

Alto Saxophonist of the Year

MIGUEL ZENÓN

MIGUEL ZENÓN
Photo by Jimmy Katz

Tenor Saxophonist of the Year

CHRIS POTTER

Photo by Dave Stapleton


Baritone Saxophonist of the Year

LAUREN SEVIAN

Photo by Guinara Khamatova


Soprano Saxophonist of the Year

JANE IRA BLOOM



Flutist of the Year

NICOLE MITCHELL



Clarinetist of the Year

ANAT COHEN

ANAT COHEN
Photo by Jimmy Katz


Guitarist of the Year

BILL FRISELL

BILL FRISELL


Pianist of the Year

KRIS DAVIS

KRIS DAVIS


Keyboardist of the Year

HERBIE HANCOCK

HERBIE HANCOCK
Photo by Douglas Kirkland


Bassist of the Year

LINDA MAY HAN OH

LINDA MAY HAN OH


Strings Player of the Year

TOMEKA REID

TOMEKA REID
Photo by Tony Smith


Percussionist of the Year

ZAKIR HUSSAIN

ZAKIR HUSSAIN
Photo by Jim McGuire


Mallet Player of the Year

JOEL ROSS

JOEL ROSS
Photo by Lauren Desberg


Drummer of the Year

TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON

TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON


Player of Instruments Rare in Jazz

BRANDEE YOUNGER, Harp

BRANDEE YOUNGER


2020 WINNERS IN JAZZ JOURNALISM

Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism

STANLEY CROUCH

STANLEY CROUCH
Photo by Zack Zook


Stanley Crouch is a cultural critic, author, curator and recreational drummer. Based in New York City since 1975, he booked avant-garde jazz for the Tin Palace, wrote for the Village Voice from 1980-88, and became artistic consultant to Wynton Marsalis at Jazz at Lincoln Center. He's been a columnist for the New York Daily News, syndicated and commissioned by many periodicals, including a column for JazzTimes. His books include Notes of a Hanging Judge: Essays and Reviews, 1979-1989; The All-American Skin Game, or, The Decoy of Race: The Long and the Short of It, 1990-1994; Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker; The Artificial White Man: Essays on Authenticity;andConsidering Genius: Writings on Jazz.He speaks in Ken Burns' Jazz and other documentaries, and has been President of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation.


Publication of the Year

JAZZTIMES

JAZZTIMES


Blog of the Year

WBGO.org

Nate Chinen, Director of Editorial Content

WBGO.org Nate Chinen, Director of Editorial Content


Robert Palmer-Helen Oakley Dance Award for Excellence in Writing in 2019

NATE CHINEN

NATE CHINEN
Photo by Michael Lionstar


Marian McPartland-Willis Conover Award for Lifetime Achievement in Broadcasting

RICHARD HADLOCK



Book of the Year About Jazz

JAZZ FROM DETROIT (University of Michigan Press) by Mark Stryker


Jazz From Detroit


Lona Foote-Bob Parent Awards for Lifetime Achievement in Photography

RICHARD CONDE

Photo by Jerry Lacay


Photo of the Year

JAZZMEIA HORN, BELGRADE JAZZ FESTIVAL
BY NEDICI DRAGOSLAV

JAZZMEIA HORN, BELGRADE JAZZ FESTIVAL BY NEDICI DRAGOSLAV


Album Art of the Year

YASHUA KLOS

for A Wall Becomes of Bridge
(by Kendrick Scott Oracle, Blue Note)

A Wall Becomes of Bridge (Kendrick Scott Oracle, Blue Note)


Sunday, May 17, 2020

Brian Landrus – an essential voice on low woodwinds – explores heartbreak, longing and romance on intimate new recording For Now


Brian Landrus – an essential voice on low woodwinds – explores heartbreak, longing and romance on intimate new recording For Now

Album features jazz masters Fred Hersch, Drew Gress and Billy Hart
plus Michael Rodriguez, Sara Caswell and a string quartet

For Now includes ten Landrus compositions, plus “Invitation,” “’Round Midnight”
and a milestone Landrus & Hersch duo flight on “Ruby, My Dear”

“Tonal nuance, melodic sense and instrumental command that set him apart from his peers.”
– Ed Enright, DownBeat

Available May 15, 2020 via BlueLand Records



For Now has a lot to say about romance, and it says it with quiet conviction and passionate declaration. Ace multi-reedist and composer Brian Landrus whose groundbreaking 2017 large-ensemble album Generations “takes the jazz big band tradition into the mesosphere” (Giovanni Russonello, New York Times), turns here to inner pathways, bringing together a remarkable quartet: pianist Fred Hersch bassist Drew Gress and drummer Billy Hart. Rounding out the musical equation are the brilliant young players Michael Rodriguez (trumpet) and Sara Caswell (violin), plus inventive and elegant string quartet arrangements by Landrus and the distinguished opera composer Robert Aldridge featuring Caswell and Joyce Hamman (violin), Lois Martin (viola) and Jody Redhage-Ferber (cello). The album is produced by Aldridge and composer/writer Herschel Garfein, both Grammy winners.

“A composer of great strength and substance,” (All About Jazz), Brian Landrus, has emerged from his 30s with elation, heartache, delight and disenchantment, and he brings all that experience to the album’s ten original compositions and three standards. “As I was writing For Now, I could feel it coming from a very deep place, directly from some truly difficult and some unforgettably beautiful life experiences,” Landrus says. “I felt, at every moment, ‘I need to do this.’” In compositions like “The Second Time,” “ JJ” and “Clarity in Time,” that need stirs just beneath the elegant surface of the music. In the title track, “For Now,” it pours out as an unaffected love ballad. Often, Landrus sets a forthright and open-hearted tune over deceptively complex harmonies, as in the tender “Her Smile,” and in his waltzes, which can be searching and impetuous (“The Night of Change”), sun-splashed melancholy (“The Miss”) or noonday cool (“The Wait”). His compositional voice confidently ranges from tunes that have the poise and assurance of standards-you’ve-never-heard, such as “The Signs” and “JJ,” to abstract romantic dreamscapes like “The Night of Change.”

Throughout these varied compositions, Landrus plays with infinite shadings and suppleness on instruments often associated with thundering harshness or compromised tone. On the baritone saxophone he sings out tenderly and with deep feeling on “Ruby, My Dear” and “The Second Time,” spins sweet roulades light as air on “Her Smile” and “The Miss,” stays low for a crushed-velvet sound on “JJ,” and plays with a dusky burnish that seems to linger after each phrase on “The Signs,” “Invitation,” and “Clarity in Time.” Landrus reserves the bass clarinet for intimate and lyrical musings (“For Now,” “The Wait,” “For Whom I Imagined”), but then sets free its full palette of colors for his astonishing solo version of Monk’s masterpiece “’Round Midnight.” The Night of Change” features Landrus soloing with glowing angularity on alto flute.
-over-


A perfect team of collaborators are at the heart of For Now. “I have wanted to play with Fred Hersch since first hearing him twenty years ago,” Landrus recounts. “I love how he finds the deepest color and beauty in everything he plays. From the moment we began recording, he played my original compositions as if he had written them.”  

As Landrus worked on the music for the album, another inspiration struck. “In certain compositions, the harmonies I was hearing could only be properly realized with a string quartet,” he says. “A longstanding inspiration from Harry Carney with Strings and Stan Getz’s Focus came back to fill my head with lush string sonorities.” He and Robert Aldridge added string arrangements that are clean, inventive and vibrant.

Rounding out this album of ten original Landrus compositions are three very special performances of standards, including Thelonious Monk’s “‘Round Midnight” featuring Landrus on solo bass-clarinet, Bronislaw Kaper’s “Invitation” featuring fresh, effortless swing from the whole ensemble in Landrus’s own arrangement, and an exhilarating duet performance featuring Landrus and Hersch on Monk’s “Ruby, My Dear.”

“I consider Fred to be the foremost Monk interpreter of our time,” says Landrus. “So I was astounded when he told me that he had never publicly played ‘Ruby, My Dear,’ What floored me was his freedom with it; most pianists don’t dare diverge from what Monk played. Fred made it his own in a deeply reverential way.”

“Ruby, My Dear” is the capstone to this masterfully assured and variegated album; an interpretation for now and for the ages.


Brian Landrus
Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist and composer Brian Landrus has established himself as one of the world’s leading voices on low woodwinds. He has been voted #1 Rising Star Baritone Saxophonist in DownBeat Magazine’s 63rd Annual Critics Poll, and voted the #3 Baritone Saxophonist in the world in the 2020 JazzTimes Readers Poll. 

In addition to leading his own groups, Landrus has toured internationally with Esperanza Spalding and performed with Bob Brookmeyer, Lewis Nash, John Lockwood, Nicholas Payton, Nir Felder, Marcus Strickland, Jerry Bergonzi, Danilo Perez, Gary Smulyan, Maria Schneider, The Temptations, Feist, The Four Tops, George Garzone, The Drifters, Jason Palmer,  Rufus Reid, and Ralph Alessi, among others.

Landrus has released ten albums as a leader, including six on his BlueLand Records label. Born in 1978 and raised in Nevada, Landrus began playing saxophone at 12 and was performing professionally by 15. He earned his bachelor’s degree from University of Nevada-Reno and two Master of Music degrees from New England Conservatory, and a PhD in classical composition from Rutgers University. Landrus is on faculty at Rutgers University.