Jason Palmer - Wondaland

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 63:49
Size: 102,7 MB
Art: Front

( 6:40)  1. Sir Greendown
( 9:34)  2. Neon Valley Street
(10:36)  3. 58321
( 8:43)  4. Babopbyeya
( 5:30)  5. Look Into My Eyes
( 8:31)  6. Oh, Maker
( 6:08)  7. Say You'll Go
( 8:04)  8. Wondaland

Trumpeter Jason Palmer’s intriguing new release is the second in his planned “series of homages to singers who have produced powerful music,” which began three years ago with his Minnie Riperton tribute, Take a Little Trip. Wondaland is more contemporary, celebrating the artistry of Janelle Monáe via jazzed-up arrangements of her songs, all but one drawn from the eclectic R&B star’s much-lauded 2010 album, The ArchAndroid. Palmer isn’t alone among his jazz contemporaries in admiring Monáe. She featured Esperanza Spalding on the track “Dorothy Dandridge Eyes,” from her The Electric Lady, and the theatricality of Spalding’s new Emily’s D+Evolution project, as well as her singing, both suggest Monáe’s influence. But Palmer’s album makes his admiration overt, and he’s joined by an impressive young crew of mostly current or former members of his working band at the venerable Boston club Wally’s Cafe, located just up Massachusetts Avenue from his and their alma mater, Berklee College of Music.  Luke Marantz, Dan Carpel and Lee Fish make an able rhythm section on Fender Rhodes, bass and drums, respectively, with Marantz chipping in solid solos along with deft comping. Guitarist Greg Duncan’s soloing brings to mind Kurt Rosenwinkel on “Neon Valley Street,” “BaBopByeYa” and “Look Into My Eyes.” Rising-star alto saxophonist Godwin Louis shines on uptempo tunes (“Sir Greendown,” “Neon Valley Street,” the set-ending title track) and slower ones (“57821,” “Look Into My Eyes”). Palmer’s trumpet excellence is getting to be old news, and it’s on display plenty here. But he skips taking a solo turn on “Look Into My Eyes,” and overall seems more interested in building on the beauty of Monáe’s music with his arrangements than in flashing his chops. Which keeps this charming album a bona fide homage. ~ Bill Beuttler http://jazztimes.com/articles/171187-wondaland-jason-palmer-plays-janelle-monae-jason-palmer

Personnel: Jason Palmer (trumpet), Godwin Louis (alto saxophone), Greg Duncan (guitar), Luke Marantz (Fender Rhodes), Dan Carpel (bass), Lee Fish (drums).

Wondaland

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Sofia Rei Koutsovitis - Ojalá

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:29
Size: 114,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:49)  1. Ojala
(4:21)  2. Gatito E Las Penas
(4:37)  3. Gris
(4:32)  4. Dança Da Solidão
(4:20)  5. Silence 1
(3:51)  6. Silence 2
(5:49)  7. La Nostalgiosa
(3:07)  8. Alma Del Pueblo
(5:50)  9. El Suicida
(5:21) 10. You Don't Know What Love Is
(4:45) 11. El Silbador

On her debut recording Ojalá, Argentinean singer Sofia Koutsovitis fuses several Latin American rhythms with a post-bop aesthetic to create a fresh and innovative sound. Koutsovitis belongs to a new generation of Latin musicians who in the last fifteen years or so, have created diverse blends of jazz styles with several South American musicians  enriching their language as they integrate different musical traditions. Despite the long relationship between jazz and Latin music (some scholars trace the “Latin tinge to early expressions); Argentinean, Peruvian and other Latin rhythms are relatively new to the jazz vocabulary, since musicians have focused primarily on Afro-Caribbean and Brazilian styles.On this record, Koutsovitis, a skillful singer in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, is knowledgeable of many folkloric musical traditions as well as jazz and experimental music idioms. She presents a balanced feel and leads an octet that performs sophisticated arrangements of her own compositions and songs by Argentinean, Brazilian and Cuban composers.Eclectic, exciting, and aesthetically coherent, the recording shows the many faces of Koutsovitis’ influences. The opening track “Ojalá”, (a song by Cuban Nueva trova icon Silvio Rodriguez), features an arrangement with a Peruvian festejo rhythm. Other rhythms include “Gatito e la penas” (gato), and “Alma del pueblo” (chacarera) in duo with bassist Jorge Roeder, and “La Nostalgiosa”, which has a strong Argentinean feel. “Gris”, “Danca da Solidao”, “You Don’t Know What Love Is”, and “El Silbador” feature Koutsovitis as a more straight-ahead singer, with the swing incorporating ethnic rhythms. “Silence 1”, “Silence 2”, and “El Suicida” (based on the words by Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges) are more jazz oriented tracks featuring Koutsovitis as a more adventurous composer and singer playing with dissonances, rhythm changes, and her voice as an additional instrument of the ensemble. Ojalá exemplifies the recent trends in Latin Jazz and Latin American music in general, and proves why Sofia Koutsovitis is one of the most versatile and in-demand singers in the New York music scene. http://sofiamusic.com/2007/06/sofia-koutsovitis-ojala/

Personnel: Sofia Koutsovitis: vocals, arranger; Jason Palmer: trumper; Adam Schneit: alto saxophone, clarinet; Daniel Blake: tenor,soprano saxophone; Leo Genovese: piano; Jorge Roeder: bass; Richie Barshay: drums; Jorge Perez Albela: percussion; guests: Jamey Haddad: percussion; Reynaldo de Jesus: percussion; Felipe Salles: soprano saxophone.

Ojalá

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Grace Kelly - Mood Changes

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:07
Size: 118,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:36)  1. Happy Theme Song
(5:57)  2. Comes Love
(4:28)  3. Tender Madness
(6:15)  4. 101
(4:03)  5. But Life Goes On
(6:15)  6. Ain't No Sunshine
(5:01)  7. Here, There, And Everywhere
(3:20)  8. I'll Remember April
(5:41)  9. It Might As Well Be Spring
(4:26) 10. I Want To Be Happy

Grace Kelly has surprised the jazz world with her immense talent, even though she is still only in her teens. She has already received high praise from Phil Woods and Lee Konitz (the latter of whom appeared on her last CD). Kelly's fifth CD under her own name features her on alto, tenor, and soprano saxophone plus vocals, while she composed four songs and wrote all of the arrangements. Her enticing approach to the standard "Comes Love" utilizes a catchy vamp with overdubbed alto and soprano, producing a fresh approach to a standard that is often played with little imagination. "I'll Remember April" is mandatory for every bopper's repertoire and Kelly doesn't disappoint with her inspired workout in her breezy chart. Her bossa nova scoring of "It Might as Well Be Spring" showcases her delightful vocals. Trombonist Hal Crook is added for Kelly's demanding chart of "I Want to Be Happy," which changes keys in unexpected places and showcases the three horns in engaging interplay. The teenager's chops as a songwriter are also considerable, especially given her age. Her cheerful opener, "Happy Theme Song," bursts with joy in an upbeat setting, while she wails over her rhythm section with confidence and a touch of humor by working in a lick from "If I Only Had a Brain." "Tender Madness" is a bittersweet, touching ballad with moving solos by the leader on tenor sax, trumpeter Jason Palmer, and pianist Doug Johnson. Guitarist Adam Rogers guests on two selections. Kelly's setting of the Beatles' "Here, There and Everywhere" reveals new facets to one of their lesser-known gems, though Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" remains a rather monotonous tune that Kelly manages to salvage with her surprisingly funky yet intricate alto lead. Grace Kelly is no mere flash in the pan, and her considerable gifts are blossoming with every new recording. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/mood-changes-mw0001930695

Personnel:  Grace Kelly - Alto/Soprano/Tenor Saxophones and vocals;  Jason Palmer- Trumpet;  Doug Johnson- Piano;  John Lockwood- Bass, Electric Bass;  Jordan Perlson- Drums;  Terri Lyne Carrington- Drums;  Adam Rogers- Guitar; Hal Crook- Trombone

Mood Changes

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Jason Palmer - Places

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:23
Size: 166,3 MB
Art: Front

( 9:48)  1. Urban Renewal (For High Point)
( 9:22)  2. Falling In (For Guimaraes)
( 8:49)  3. Berlin
(10:51)  4. Bern
( 9:01)  5. Rising Sign (For Paris)
( 2:10)  6. Silver (For Xalapa)
( 7:55)  7. American Deceptionalism Part I (For DC)
( 8:49)  8. Sprit Song (For Rozzy)
( 5:34)  9. American Deceptionalism Part II

Apart from Mark Turner, none of the musicians on this recording, including the leader, are known to me but I am more than happy to make their acquaintance through the medium of what is another fine release from Steeplechase Records. And what a superb record it is; one that will caress the discerning ear and repay hours of repeated listening being a refined post-modern extension of timeless hard-bop conventions that will stimulate the palate, jaded by too much exposure to so called `cutting edge` eclecticism. Palmer, if you don’t already know, is a top drawer trumpeter whose plangent clarion call is an elegant summation of much that has gone before but whose fervent chromaticism pushes at the boundaries of conventional expression, marking out new territory  without risking the listeners’ alienation. His middle register lyricism occasionally boils over into a higher register but without ever sounding strident or histrionic.

In this recording he has assembled a band of contemporaries, some of whom he first encountered at college and others during subsequent assignments, to perform a suite of pieces that take their inspiration from various cities he has visited during the course of his career. They aren’t strictly jazz impressions in the Brubeck sense of being musical tone poems but rather more personal visions that unite a place and time with the feelings they engender. Many open with extended cadenzas either for solo instrument or two part counterpoint before segueing into either a knotty hard –bop theme or a legato wistfulness reminiscent of `Birth of the Cool` introspection. Ensemble writing is carefully balanced with solo interpretatation and in this context the contribution made by Mark Turner is particularly valuable; his rigorous and sinuous variations recall the almost academic dedication of the Tristano alumni, Warne Marsh and Lee Konitz, but couched in expressive, personal and more contemporary terms All involved ensure music making of the highest quality: there is some superlative bass playing; guitar that moves between scintillating arpeggios and dense vamping and what drumming! Kendrick Scott’s cymbal work is pure sonic poetry almost stealing the show in the way he makes his entries behind the respective soloists, building and releasing tension, judiciously applying accents to gather and drive the forward momentum. If you are a true believer in the power of jazz to renew and build upon its deeply ingrained conventions in a way that doesn’t compromise its core values then this is a record you will what to hear and own. ~ Euan Dixon http://www.jazzviews.net/jason-palmer-sextet---places.html

Personnel: Jason Palmer (trumpet) Godwin Louis (alto sax) Mark Turner (tenor sax) Mike Moreno (guitar) Edward Perez (bass) Kendrick Scott (drums)

Places

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Jason Palmer - Here Today

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:47
Size: 70,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:03)  1. Here Today, Gone Yesterday
(5:24)  2. Abu Abed
(2:59)  3. 3rd Shift
(4:20)  4. Takes Courage To Be Happy
(3:40)  5. Skylark/I Can't Help It
(4:26)  6. 3 Point Turn
(3:51)  7. Capricorn

Thank you all for supporting this project and this label! I’m excited to present this project of mostly original material with this NY based band (with all the members having musical ties to Boston/Cambridge). It’s indeed an all-star cast and I don’t think I could have picked a better group for the tunes that I selected for the session. It was one of the smoothest sessions that I’ve ever been a part of music wise, but at the same time, it was one that I was extremely nervous about because we didn’t rehearse and I was worried that everyone on the session would not have had time to check out the music ahead of time. As it turned out, they played the tunes like they wrote them themselves. Every song was recorded in two takes and in most cases we kept the first one. I’m really thankful for that. ~ Jason Palmer https://jasonpalmerjazz.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/here-today-liners-for-all-of-you-that-purchase-digitally/

Personnel:  Jason Palmer, trumpet;  Mark Turner, tenor saxophone;  Nir Felder, guitar;  Edward Perez, bass;  Kendrick Scott, drums

Here Today

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Jason Palmer - Songbook

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:29
Size: 130,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:40)  1. Priest Lake
(5:59)  2. Found It
(6:57)  3. Laid Up
(7:03)  4. Checkmate
(4:15)  5. One For J Mac
(6:00)  6. In A Certain Way
(7:14)  7. The Shadowboxer
(6:05)  8. Hoop-Ti-Du
(6:11)  9. Will There Ever Be Employment For The Exonerated People

Trumpeter and composer Jason Palmer cares intensely about jazz and his place within its musical world. He's working hard to find his own voice, and represents one of the young players who has gone through the mentoring process, in this case, with saxophonist Greg Osby. Songbook's pieces are all written by Palmer, and played by Osby (alto saxophone), Ravi Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Warren Wolfe (vibes), Leo Genovese (piano, Fender Rhodes), Matt Brewer (bass) and Tommy Crane (drums). The arrangements are adventurous and balance the needs of structure versus improvisation. The music would have to be called mainstream, particularly from the rhythmic and harmonic viewpoint. However, while the connection to traditional jazz is perfectly clear (more so in some pieces than others), the feeling is more of acknowledgment rather than obeisance. The term "mainstream" describes the playing of Swing Era, big band musicians in the bebop era. For whatever reason, they could or would not jump on the bandwagon of the "new thing," (primarily meaning the rhythmic and harmonic innovations) but rather took what they wanted from bebop as extensions to their basic swing style. The more original players, like Lester Young, remained original, and influenced many later players.

It is in this manner that Songbook can be heard. Palmer has a gift for melody and he's very sure of his playing, which gives the sense of improvisation-that the notes he's currently playing formed in his mind only a moment before. The interest comes in how his lines evolve, rather than guessing his next move. Both Osby and Coltrane are of the generation prior to Palmer's and it shows in their playing. While respecting the vibe and harmonic conception of Palmer's music, their experience is displayed by their rhythmic freedom and unconventional phrasing. Of the players of Palmer's generation, Genovese stands out. He makes the Rhodes sound natural as he pushes the musical envelope, sounding fresh and exciting on both piano and keyboards. The musical unpredictability of the opening tune, "Priest Lake" originally written as a suite and presented here in compressed form offers a hint of where Palmer might be heading, while only parts of the rhythmically complex "Checkmate" follow suit. The ballad, "One For J Mac" (dedicated to Jackie McLean) is flat out beautiful. Other tunes fall back on the tried-and-true unison-head/solo(s)/recap format of the hard bop era, pulling the music backwards. With the release of Songbook, Palmer presents himself as a talented and ambitious player who is well worth watching. ~ Budd Kopman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/songbook-jason-palmer-ayva-musica-review-by-budd-kopman.php
 

Personnel: Jason Palmer: trumpet; Greg Osby: alto saxophone; Ravi Coltrane: tenor saxophone; Warren Wolf: vibes; Leo Genovese: Fender Rhodes, piano; Matt Brewer: bass; Tommy Crane: drums.

Songbook

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Jason Palmer - Nothing To Hide

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 69:04
Size: 127,2 MB
Art: Front

( 7:57)  1. Fly Little Bird Fly
(12:37)  2. Nothing To Hide
( 6:55)  3. LaRue
(11:41)  4. The Gigolo
( 7:12)  5. Strength And Sanity
( 6:20)  6. Here And Now
( 7:47)  7. Luana
( 8:31)  8. Half Nelson

Jazz trumpeter Jason Palmer is a forward-thinking musician with a bent toward adventurous and cerebral post-bop. A native of High Point, North Carolina, Palmer studied his craft at the New England Conservatory in Boston. While there, Palmer was also a regular at the highly regarded Boston club Wally's Cafe, where he first sat in on jam sessions and later joined the house band. Since graduating from college, Palmer has performed with a variety of name musicians including drummer Roy Haynes; saxophonists Benny Golson, Greg Osby, and Ravi Coltrane; guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel; and many others. In 2007 Down Beat magazine named him one of the Top 25 Trumpeters of the Future. A year later, Palmer released his debut solo album, Songbook, on Ayva Music. In 2009 Palmer won first prize in the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition. That same year, he starred in the independent musical film Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, in which he played a jazz trumpeter. In 2010 he released his sophomore effort, Nothing to Hide, on SteepleChase Records. A year later, he returned with the album Here Today, featuring saxophonist Mark Turner. In 2012 Palmer delivered his fourth studio album, Take a Little Trip, featuring reworkings of songs by legendary soul singer Minnie Riperton. ~ Matt Collar https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/jason-palmer/id274301941#fullText

Personnel:  Jason Palmer trumpet;  Mike Thomas alto saxophone;  Greg Duncan guitar;  Lim Yang bass;  Lee Fish drums

Nothing To Hide

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