The Royal Bopsters - The Royal Bopsters Project

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:22
Size: 144,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:36) 1. Music in the Air - Wildwood' as an instrumental
(5:33) 2. On the Red Clay - 'Red Clay' as an instrumental
(4:57) 3. Peace
(5:58) 4. Basheer, the Snake and the Mirror
(4:54) 5. Señor Blues
(6:22) 6. Invitation
(4:15) 7. Bird Chasin' - Chasin' The Bird as an instrumental
(6:21) 8. Music Is Forever
(4:59) 9. Bebop Lives - 'Boplicity' as an instrumental
(6:12) 10. Just Set Right Up
(4:24) 11. Nothing Like You Has Ever Been Seen Before
(3:45) 12. Let's Fly

New York’s The Royal Bopsters, formed in 2012, bring a new and refreshing approach to the art of vocal jazz. Vocalists Amy London, Holli Ross, Pete McGuinness, and Dylan Pramuk pay tribute to their jazz heroes through intricate harmonies and energetic delivery, bringing jazz classics and bebop style to the next generation and beyond. Their debut recording, The Royal Bopsters Project (Motéma, 2015), featuring vocal jazz legend Mark Murphy and NEA Jazz Masters Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, Sheila Jordan, and Bob Dorough, garnered accolades from DownBeat Magazine (4.5 stars), JazzTimes (top 2015 releases), All About Jazz (top picks) and The New York Times (weekend picks) as well as rave reviews from Europe and the UK. The Royal Bopsters soon began performing at major festivals and notable clubs across the U.S. and Europe. Their sophomore release, Party of Four, celebrates both the proud history and the bright future of vocal jazz. A hard-swinging amalgam of vocal virtuosity, electrifying group chemistry, and masterful arranging, Party of Four displays the group’s stunning facility to swing deeply and sing passionately while navigating incredibly precise four-part harmonies. The album is dedicated to Bopster Holli Wasser Ross, o who sadly passed away in the late spring of 2020.

Cited as “expert practitioners of vocalese” in The New Yorker, The Royal Bopsters’ performances are masterclasses in the art of vocal jazz and vocalese, demonstrating the dazzling possibilities of four voices coming together as one. NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan - who began her career singing with Charlie Parker, and who now, with the passing of Annie Ross this July, has become the reigning Queen Matriarch of Vocal Bop, has commented “The Bopsters are my favorite vocal group.” The love is mutual, and The Bopsters include Sheila as a guest in their live shows wherever possible. Bob Dorough, who is most famous for writing Schoolhouse Rock, also guested frequently until his sudden death in 2018. He, Annie, vocalese master Jon Hendricks, and the inimitable Mark Murphy are all much loved and sorely missed by the Bopsters. Amy London, Pete McGuinness, and Dylan Pramuk are all renowned jazz educators, and collectively they instruct at the entire gamut of excellent jazz programs in the NYC area: The New School (London was a founder of the program), NYU, William Paterson, Manhattan School of Music, Montclair State, City College, Hofstra, and Jazz House Kids. The group’s vast collective knowledge of the history and technique of the art form of vocal jazz shines through on every note. http://royalbopsters.com/bios-2

Singers: Amy London, Holli Ross, Dylan Pramuk, Darmon Meader (on recording and has since been replaced by) Pete McGuinness.

Featured singers: Mark Murphy, Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, Sheila Jordan, Bob Dorough. Band: Steve Schmidt, Sean Smith, Steve Williams, Steve Croon, Cameron Brown

The Royal Bopsters Project

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The Royal Bopsters - Party of Four

Styles: Vocal, Big Band
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:41
Size: 135,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:21) 1. But Not for Me
(5:10) 2. On a Misty Night/Gipsy
(6:20) 3. How I Love You (Let Me Count the Reasons)
(4:38) 4. Lucky to Be Me
(4:51) 5. Why'd You Do Me the Way You Did?
(3:54) 6. Day Dream
(5:09) 7. Cuando Te Vea (When I See You)
(4:27) 8. Baby, You Should Know It
(4:39) 9. Our Spring Song
(3:26) 10. Rusty Dusty Blues
(7:35) 11. Infant Eyes
(4:07) 12. My Shining Hour

At a quick glance, the Royal Bopsters’ new recording, Party of Four (Motéma), appears to be a straightforward continuation of their 2015 debut, The Royal Bopsters Project. The group remains a quartet carrying the torch of vocalese from Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, the Manhattan Transfer, and New York Voices. Like their debut, the new album is highlighted by contributions from vocal legends Bob Dorough and Sheila Jordan. It also features a guest appearance by the great bassist Christian McBride, who shares the Bopsters’ fondness for soulful vibes and a sense of bebop cool. But look closer; a lot has changed. Darmon Meader, a co-founder of NY Voices who sang tenor on the first recording, has been replaced by Pete McGuinness. The new recording presents the quartet less as a “project” than as a working group. Dig a little deeper and that’s fraught too: The group suffered tragedy this spring when founding member Holli Ross passed away after a three-year battle with cancer. Thus, the Royal Bopsters circa autumn 2020 are in a vastly different place from where they were five years ago. One late September morning, McGuinness, soprano Amy London, and bass Dylan Pramuk jumped on a Zoom call to discuss jazz singing past, present, and future and their group’s role in it.

“The first record was really created as a celebration of these legendary heroes of ours,” Pramuk said. “We’re still celebrating them now, but we’ve come into our own as a group.” Pramuk has played an important role in this evolution, having written the arrangements for eight of the 12 new tracks. McGuinness, also a noted arranger, contributed the other four. “Swing-oriented, bebop-oriented, vocalese-oriented music that’s still at the heart and soul of what we do,” he said. But don’t mistake the Royal Bopsters for revivalists; that music is certainly at their root, but they’re seeking to branch out further. London said it goes beyond musical innovation: “I think the whole bebop movement represented freedom for the people that were involved in it. It’s a frame of mind; it’s a way of living.”

She continued, “Pete is a composer and he brought an original called ‘Spring Song,’ and I wrote a lyric for it. It still employs the concepts of bebop a shout chorus and a scat four-part harmony chorus, which is kind of a small-band, Tadd Dameron concept but it’s brand new.”Pramuk cited McGuinness’ arrangement of Wayne Shorter’s “Infant Eyes” as a prime example of their modernism: “We wanted to tackle more pushing-the-envelope compositions. Pete’s very adept at modern arranging techniques; that song is very intricately arranged.” McGuinness added, “A lot of groups have covered swing stuff and then some have covered pop music New York Voices have with Paul Simon. But most vocal groups don’t touch someone like Wayne Shorter. That’s a little too abstract.”

The road ahead for the Bopsters has become more complicated in the wake of Ross’ death; her lithe alto was a cornerstone of the group’s harmonies. “We were not in a rush to replace Holli’s chair in the current climate, but we’re discussing it,” Pramuk said. “We’re working with some friends, and we will be ready when touring resumes.” In discussing their search, London described the sort of singer that could become a Royal Bopster. “We’re looking at altos that have been in groups before because it’s a specific skill,” she said. “Singing in a vocal jazz group is not so easy. The four of us are what I call choral geeks. Dylan and I started in choir in third grade in America, it seems like third grade is the year where you join the choir and then there are those that stick with choir all the way through high school. We love it, and we’re good at it. We can memorize, we can set harmonies, and then you hear jazz and you’re like, ‘Oh, vocal jazz choir.’ So it’s a certain kind of singer that does that.” Going forward, the group wants to refine its style. “Our four personalities have come together as one,” Pramuk said. “And I see that that is going to continue to happen as we bring another member into the group and further develop. We’re already getting excited about creating the next set of material!” ~ Martin Johnson https://jazztimes.com/features/profiles/the-royal-bopsters-keep-their-group-identity-alive/

All four singers pull their weight — Amy London, Dylan Pramuk, Pete McGuinness, and the late Holli Ross. The band does a good job backing the singers: Steve Schmidt (piano), Cameron Brown (bass), Steve Williams (drums), and Steven Kroon (percussion).

Party of Four

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