The Bad Plus Meets Django Bates live at London Jazz Festival 2010

Ethan Iverson (piano)
Reid Anderson (bass)
Dave King (drums)
Django Bates (Eb horn, electric piano, vocals and effects)
Recorded at Kings Place during the London Jazz Festival 2010,  November 20, 2010

Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV a and b

Here we present a special collaboration between US alt-jazz trio The Bad Plus and UK maverick composer and bandleader Django Bates. Known for their deconstructions of pop hits, The Bad Plus have developed a fresh approach to the piano trio line up over the last decade. One of their musical inspirations is the UK musician Django Bates, particularly his work with the English big band Loose Tubes and his own group Delightful Precipice. This concert brings them together for the first time. Recorded at Kings Place during the London Jazz Festival 2010.
NEVER STOP is the first album by The Bad Plus to consist entirely of originals. Recorded in Minnesota with a live, stripped-down sound, NEVER STOP showcases the band's range as well as its three distinct personalities. From gentle and melodic to fierce and abstract, from swing to 80's techno, NEVER STOP is tied together by a group sound that embraces diversity as strength. Ten years in, The Bad Plus is here to stay.

Nils Petter Molvaer Trio live at Punktfestival Kristiansand 2010

Nils Petter Molvaer - Trumpet
Stian Westerhus - Guitar
Audun Kleive - Drums

recorded live at Punktfestival Kristiansand/Norway, September 4, 2010

Improvised Set, Part 1
Improvised Set, Part 2

Since entering the music scene in the late 90ies Nils Petter Molvaer has been one of the innovators of European jazz melting jazz influences with electronic, ambient and house, and creating unique and dramatic soundscapes of deep intensity – one of the reasons why he has also been very much sought after to compose for film, movies and advertising.

Hamada is Nils Petter Molvaer´s most angry and darkest album up to date with climaxes in the songs “Friction” and “Cruel Altitude” where he and his fellow musicians, Eivind Aarset (g) and Audun Kleive (dr), leave the paths of ambient, electronica and improvisation and get the axe out to poach in the fields of indie- and 70ies-prog-rock, before they cool it down to end the album on a more conciliatory note.

Jan Bang "...And Poppies From Kandahar" live at Punktfestival Kristiansand 2010

Jan Bang, Erik Honoré - Electronics, Samples
Jon Hassell, Arve Henriksen - Trumpets, Electronics
Lars Danielsson - Bass
Sidsel Endresen - Voclas
recorded live at Punktfestival Kristiansand/Norway, September 3, 2010

1. The Drug Mule/ Self Injury (Jan Bang/ Arve Henriksen)
2. ...and Poppies from Kandahar Suite (The Midwive´s Dilemma/ Who Grooms The Child?/ Passport Control) (Jan Bang)

…And Poppies From Kandahar, Jan Bang’s first album under his own name, evokes a powerful sense of place – but it’s not a place you would recognize, or ever expect to find.  A descendent of Jon Hassell’s “fourth world” concept, it sketches scenes of struggle and malice, in locales both primitive and urbane.   As a producer, Bang stitches it together like a patchwork atlas and then makes the seams disappear: live recordings and studio constructions, old samples and new solos come together to form an exquisite whole.
Bang recruits a cast of collaborators from Norway and beyond, who will be familiar to anyone who’s followed his recent productions: trumpeter and vocalist Arve Henriksen, whose albums Cartography and Chiaroscuro were co-produced by Bang; the stunning vocalist Sidsel Endresen, whose captivating turn on “The Midwife’s Dilemma” grows out of a moan and a half-croak; and samadhisound founder David Sylvian, who wrote the titles for each piece and the album as a whole, setting these abstract scenes in a disruptive context.
This is music of the world, but it’s rooted in Kristiansand, Norway, Bang’s home and workplace.  His musical career began in the late ‘80s, when he cut his first albums in a synth-and-vocals duo with Erik  Honoré.  By the ‘90s he was a producer of Norwegian pop acts, when pianist Bugge Wesseltoft invited him on stage with an improvising ensemble.  “I had the idea of using musicians as ‘input’ to my sampler instead of vinyl,” recalls Bang.  “We called it ‘live sampling.’ I found it appealing to work in a live situation with improvised music where things change at the blink of an eye …  .  I was able to work in past, present and future, according to what the other musicians were doing and how they reacted to what I was throwing back into the mix.”

Joshua Redman Trio live in Memmingen 2011

Joshua Redman, Tenor and Soprano Saxophones

Reuben Rogers, Bass

Gregory Hutchinson, Drums

recorded live at Kaminwerk, Memmingen, February 15, 2011

1. Blackbird / Bye bye blackbird (John Lennon/Paul McCartney/Ray Henderson)

2. Allegretto, 2. Satz, Sinfonie Nr. 7 (Ludwig van Beethoven)

3. Zarafah (Joshua Redman)

4. God put a smile upon your face (Guy Berryman/Jon Buckland/Will Champion/Chris Martin)

5. Trinkle Tinkle (Thelonious Monk)

On Compass, Joshua Redman takes the concept of “playing trio” in surprising new directions. The title of his third Nonesuch disc evokes navigation, travel, a desire to find one’s bearings. Redman confirms, “This album was a journey for me, a further exploration of the trio format. Musically, it’s an expansion on, and extension of, Back East,” his acclaimed 2007 set and his first studio recording with an acoustic trio.

The saxophonist recorded Compass during three days in March ‘08 at Avatar Studio in New York City, and it was a bracing leap into the unknown for him. As Redman admits, with a laugh, “Sometimes I’m guilty, with my recordings, of having too clear a plan. This time I said, ‘Hey, I just have to let go.’ If I try to plan it, it’s not going to work, so I’ll just think about some tunes that we could do with everybody together, we’ll get in the studio and see how it goes. There was a real kind of release for me with this project, an embrace of the unfamiliar.”

Kurt Elling live in Burghausen 2011 - UPDATE!

Kurt Elling, Vocals
John McLean, Guitar
Laurence Hobgood, Piano
Harish Raghavan, Bass
Ulysses Owens, Drums

Recorded live at Wackerhalle Burghausen, March 26, 2011


1. Stepping Out
2. Dedicated to you (Saul Chaplin/Sammy Cahn/Hyman Zaret)
3. Samurai Cowboy (Mark Johnson/Kurt Elling)
4. Norwegian Wood (John Lennon/Paul McCartney)
5. Matte Kudasai (Adrian Belew/Bill Bruford/Robert Fripp/Tony Levin)
6. The Waking (Rob Amster/Kurt Elling /Theodore Roethke)
7. After the love has gone (David Foster/Jay Graydon/Bill Champlin)
8. Golden lady (Stevie Wonder)
9. Nicht wandle, mein Licht (Johannes Brahms)

The New York Times is one of numerous publications to declare that Kurt Elling is the “standout male vocalist of our time,” and The Gate, Elling’s follow-up to his Grammy-winning Dedicated to You, is among his strongest albums—and perhaps the finest of his career.
Produced by Don Was (Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan), The Gate is a musical collection in which boundaries cease to exist, a sensibility enhanced by producer Don Was, who had expressed the desire to work with Elling—an opportunity which Elling found irresistible.
“I first heard Kurt on the local jazz station and was knocked out by his exotic blend of soul, technique, intelligence and charismatic hipness,” Was recalls. “He made this diverse collection of songs his own—and we had a blast.”
"What Don brought to this project," said Elling, "was his love of music and musicians, and a confidence that liberated us from all concern. He is the consummate producer and this was an extraordinary experience—my favorite in a studio.”
The Gate points Elling in a new and satisfyingly emotional direction. He has somehow found a way to make a deeply personal statement out of the music of King Crimson, Joe Jackson, Stevie Wonder and the Beatles—in addition to providing a new and vibrant understanding of Miles Davis, Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock.

Anderson-Bennink-Möbus-Glerum-van Kemenade live at Jazzfest Berlin 2010

Paul van Kemenade alto sax
Ray Anderson trombone
Frank Möbus guitar
Ernst Glerum bass
Han Bennink drums
recorded live at Jazzclub Quasimodo, November 6, 2010

1. Who is in charge? (Paul van Kemenade)
2. Petshop (Frank Möbus)
3. Silver Nichols (Ernst Glerum)
4. Close Enough (Paul van Kemenade)
5. As Yet
6. Tune for N (Paul van Kemanade; Ray Anderson)
7. Song for Che (Charlie Haden)
8. Funkalific (Ray Anderson)

Alto saxophonist Paul van Kemenade, a major contributor to Dutch Jazz since the early 80s, doesn’t give a damn about formats or conventions. For 25 years, he has been a free-thinker, suspending the divisions between classical music, pop and folklore with his regular quintet.
With Ray Anderson, Frank Möbus, Ernst Glerum und Han Bennink he renders these intentions into a global framework in which American and European influences, modern traditions and legacy avant-gardisms are bundled into a power pack. The expressive fire and the individualism of both his groups promise pure adrenaline.

Chick Corea Akoustic Band live in Stuttgart 1988

Chick Corea, piano

John Patitucci, bass

Tom Brechtlein, drums

recorded live at Liederhalle Stuttgart during Jazzgipfel 1988, July 13, 1988

1. Summer Night

2. Quartet No.1

3. Quartet No.3

4. Quartet No.2 Part I and II

A logical next step in light of the tremendous worldwide response to the Elektric Band's innovative and forward-thinking compositions, the Akoustic Band was an acoustic trio including Chick on piano, John Patitucci on upright bass, and Dave Weckl on drums.
During the height of the Elektric Band's early years, Chick was encouraged by fans and promoters to form a touring acoustic group. In the late '90s, it had been quite some time since Chick played in a trio. The band recorded two records - 1989's Akoustic Band and 1991's Alive, both on GRP.
The Grammy Award winning Akoustic Band was the ensemble's only studio record. A combination of standards and original music, it brought the Elektric Band's modern and precise executions to the acoustic trio concept - but with plenty of chemistry and a high degree of improvisation.

Chick Corea & Gary Burton live at Berliner Jazztage 1979

Chick Corea (p)

Gary Burton (vib)

Recorded live at Berliner Jazztage, Philharmonie Berlin, November 2, 1979

1. Falling Grace (Steve Swallow) 04:56

2. Mirror Mirror (Chick Corea)  05:36

3. Song to Gayle (Chick Corea) 07:24

4. Children's Song Nr. 1 (Chick Corea) 01:43

5. Children's Song Nr. 2 (Chick Corea) 00:47

6. Children's Song Nr. 15 (Chick Corea) 01:03

7. Children's Song Nr. 5 (Chick Corea) 01:02

8. Children's Song Nr. 6 (Chick Corea) 01:48

9. Señor Mouse (Chick Corea) 10:01

10. Duet Suite (Chick Corea) 12:00

Vibraphonist Gary Burton and pianist Chick Corea had first recorded together in 1972 for Crystal Silence (released under Corea's name). Six years later, they teamed up for renditions of two Steve Swallow tunes, plus Corea's lengthy "Duet Suite," four of his sketchy "Children's Songs," "Song to Gayle" and his classic "La Fiesta", released on the 1979 ECM album "Duet". This subtle set finds Burton and Corea consistently inspiring each other through melodic and very spontaneous improvising. Well worth a close listen.

Omar Hakim live at Leverkusener Jazztage 2010

Chieli Minnucci (guitar)

Jerry Brooks (bass)

Bobby Francheschini (sax)

Scott Tibbs (keys)

Omar Hakim (drums)

recorded live at Forum, Leverkusen, November 11, 2010

1. Amethyst Secrets

2. Sita´s Dance

3. Molasses Run

4. In The Arms Of Dhyan

5. Listen Up!

6. Constructive Criticism

Widely acclaimed for his versatility, technological prowess and groove, Omar Hakim is one of the most successful drummers and session men of the past thirty-five years. He has collaborated with artists ranging from Miles Davis to Madonna, and has left his imprint on hundreds recordings including several under his own name.
Born in New York City to a musical family, Omar began playing the drums at age 5. At the age of ten, he was performing publicly with his father Hasan Hakim, a trombone veteran of the Duke Ellington and Count Basie bands. This period formulated Omar’s traditional and improvisational jazz drumming techniques, and built a strong foundation for his unique drumming style. His father’s friendship with John Coltrane enabled young Omar spend time with Elvin Jones and Art Blakey.
After seeing Omar’s versatility, Mike Manieri hired him to play in his band Steps Ahead in 1980. He went on to record and tour with Gil Evans Big Band, David Sanborn, Patti Labelle and many others. Soon after, he filled in for a tour of the groundbreaking fusion band “Weather Report”, a job he would keep permanently until the band’s breakup in 1985. In addition to the three albums he recorded with Weather Report, he also landed a gig playing on David Bowie's 1983 return to the American pop charts, “Let's Dance”.
His early successes led to many more high profile engagements and by the end of the 1980s, Omar had performed on landmark recordings with artists such as Miles Davis (Tutu, Music from Siesta), Dire Straits (Brother in Arms, Money for Nothing) and Sting (Dream of the Blue Turtles, and the popular “Rockumentary” movie Bring on the Night). 

Building on these successes, in 1989 he even found time to produce and release his first solo album, Rhythm Deep, which earned him his first Grammy nomination. He was also a founding member of the Jazz Super Band “Urban Knights” along with Ramsey Lewis, Grover Washington Jr. and bassist Victor Bailey. The band featured his songwriting and vocal skills.

Check out Omar’s new project “The Trio of OZ” w/Rachel Z on Piano!

Victor Bailey Band live at Leverkusener Jazztage 2010

Victor Bailey, bass, vocals

Poogie Bell, drums

Peter Horvath, keyboards

Casey Benjamin, soprano, alto and tenor saxophones, keyboards, vocals

recorded live at Forum Leverkusen, November 13, 2010

1. Graham Cracker

2. Low Blow

3. Introduction of the band/ Quiet Afternoon (Stanley Clarke, arr. Poogie Bell)

4. Kid Logic

5. How Deep Is Your Love

Victor Bailey, already hailed as one of the world's greatest bass players as a teenager, stormed the music scene back in the early eighties when, as a nineteen year old fresh out of school he joined the innovative jazz fusion giants, Weather Report. He immediately became a major player on the world music scene.

He was also a member of another jazz fusion innovator, the legendary band Steps Ahead. As a studio musician he has appeared on over one thousand recordings. Those recordings range from Joe Zawinul to LL Cool J to Mary J Blige. As a bassist he has appeared with an astounding array of artists from all genres, such as Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Micheal Brecker and The Joe Zawinul Syndicate. During the nineties he took a huge leap into the pop world as bassist for megastar Madonna.

He has now released three highly acclaimed solo records "Low Blow", "That's Right" and "Bottom's Up" which one major music magazine called arguably the best solo record ever by a bass guitarist. He is currently residing in Brooklyn New York. He is touring as a leader, working with the trio CBW, which features Larry Coryell on guitar and Lenny White drums. And he is constantly busy writing for various movie and television projects.