Фирма Whirlwind Recordings

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Saxophonist and composer Quinsin Nachoff’s career to date has delivered a boundary-crossing body of work that’s consistently unpredictable, fearlessly innovative, breathtakingly accomplished, and full of creative passion, constantly increasing its scope to encompass ever greater horizons. His new album Pivotal Arc presents his most ambitious project yet: bringing together virtuoso violin soloist Nathalie Bonin with a jazz-inflected unit comprising two established giants of the NY scene, bassist Mark Helias and drummer Satoshi Takeishi, and the stunning young vibraphone player Michael Davidson, and adding a wind and string ensemble conducted by JC Sanford for a concerto that boldly mixes written and improvised sections. A contemporary string quartet performed by the renowned Molinari String Quartet and the extended title piece round out the album. The result is three diverse long-form works that flow naturally together, demonstrating Nachoff’s equally heartfelt facility with the free-flowing language of jazz improvisation, the depth and rigour of classical composition and the direct melodicism of folk forms. The three-part violin concerto is built around Nachoff’s long-standing creative partnership with Nathalie Bonin and showcases her extraordinary range and versatility. “Nathalie’s drive is very intense, her musical interests are really diverse, and she dives into whatever challenge and works at it until she masters it!” The first movement is an imaginary deconstructed and reconstructed Tango that sets the tone, intensity and sound palette for the entire work. After the improvised violin solo, the orchestra ferociously returns with nearly a concerto for orchestra section that gradually winds down to a dream-like cadenza, setting up the second movement. “I love Astor Piazolla and I’d heard Nathalie improvise brilliantly in that setting - Stravinsky also looms large and Weill and Ligeti were very inspiring as well, but the tango was the main focus, twisted and deconstructed in different ways” The second movement is a haunting ballad that sweeps through several tonal landscapes “Where Berg meets Ellington!” A gorgeous improvised violin solo leads into both a written and improvised cadenza that connects to the final movement. It is Balkan-infused and showcases the violinist's virtuosic range and rhythmic strength. The String Quartet represents some of Nachoff’s most intricate writing to date, allowing him to explore his deep attachment to the tradition and his engagement with contemporary iterations. “I like to keep up with what’s happening now in quartet writing and this gave me the opportunity to explore some of those ideas – pitch axis, using quarter tones, etc., but still keeping a jazz influence because that’s a large part of my background” Each of the four movements is a miniature concerto for each member of the quartet. The first movement features Violin II, the probing second movement showcases the Viola, the vacillating third movement is for the Cello and the intense final movement is for Violin I. “It felt like it was improvised, it had this really alive, vibrant feeling to it that is a testament to the Molinari’s exceptional work as an ensemble” The final, titular piece, ‘Pivotal Arc’ is Nachoff’s extended reflection on the critical position we currently find ourselves regarding climate change. It features opening and closing solos from bassist Mark Helias, inspired contributions throughout from Michael Davidson, a call and response solo section between the orchestra and drummer Satoshi Takeishi and an improvisation section moving through a variety of moods for Nachoff’s tenor saxophone. “Mark is so accomplished and so individual, always able to add an element of surprise in any setting! Satoshi is similarly unique: he adds so much energy and always sees the big picture. Michael was phenomenal on both the improvisations and the written sections and JC Sanford was essential to realize the project and get the blend right" With a sonic palette that ranges across the spectrum from Strayhorn and Mancini to Bartok and Berg, this is a stunningly original set of pieces that will cement Nachoff's reputation as a major cross-genre musical force.

The sociopolitical and environmental focus on our world seems to be stronger than ever, predominantly for all the wrong reasons. But consequential calls for action can also summon a positive uprising of both energy and creativity - something particularly evident in the story behind 'Broken Circles' from New York-based saxophonist/composer Jure Pukl, with new music that reflects empathy and respect.Previous Whirlwind releases 'Hybrid' (2017) and 'Doubtless' (2018) featured more spatial quartet and dual-tenor environments. But Pukl has also been honing this quite different quintet sound with the arresting line-up of guitarist Charles Altura, vibraphonist Joel Ross, bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Kweku Sumbry.Apparent from the opening bars of "Sustained Optimism" is the fluidity of this quintet, where Pukl's constant stream of tenor invention is echoed in the rapid elegance of guitar and vibes, supported by electrifying rhythm section; and the title track's similar determination chimes with scintillating shared phrases and improvisation. While "Separation" (a favourite of Pukl's) echoes themes of broken communities and relationships repeated across the globe, its mellow beauty serves to remind us of our responsibilities to one another; and a Chilean kalimba - "the sound of love, positivity and compassion" - announces a sublime quintet arrangement of previously recorded "Compassion".Buoyant "Triumph of Society" - an anthem for change that starts with us all - trades tenor against vibes, also featuring remarkable guitar and drum solos, towards an almost symphonic conclusion; and Pukl's pensive bass clarinet in "Gloomy Sunday" - a 1930s Hungarian tune with dark associations - also finds the light. Elsewhere, busy 11/8 "Half Past Five" swirls with abandon; "Kids" (charmingly introduced by two young sax students) is a contemplative falling-phrase paean to the next generation; and sprightly soprano conclusion "Sky is the Limit" confirms the overarching joy in this album

"The exciting cross-pollination of music, especially discernable around the sphere of contemporary instrumental and vocal jazz, has become a strong, progressive feature of today’s fresh, creative outputs. Keyboardist and composer Rebecca Nash is becoming

High quality, 180 gram purple vinyl, 12' 2x Gatefold LP, comes with download code containing the digital album in multiple formats. Aged 82 at the time this live recording was made at the Pizza Express Jazz Club in London in 2010, the legendary improvisi

Following the breadth of 2015s live and post-processed electro-acoustic release Paradigm Shift, bassist Michael Janisch launches new project Worlds Collide with a band featuring saxophonist John OGallagher, trumpeter Jason Palmer, guitarist Rez Abb

Jazz

Jazz

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