News of Past Guests, Summer 2019 Edition

As we first put fingers to keyboard, it was the day after Memorial Day, and that's the unofficial start of summer, right?  Besides, our Spring post was getting so packed that Blogger told us we'd exceeded the limit on "tags." So put on your shorts and sandals, grab a gin & tonic, and let's go:

At the Jazz Gallery's Jazz Speaks blog, saxophonist Tony Malaby (Chris Lightcap's Bigmouth) talks about his new collective trio with guitarist Ben Monder (Theo Bleckmann) and drummer Nasheet Waits (Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy).

Jazz Speaks also spoke with saxophonist Melissa Aldana, as did Burning Ambulance:



In the August issue of DownBeat you'll find this year's installment of the magazine's prestigious Critics Poll--which, like similar polls by Jazz Times critics and the Jazz Journalists Association (see our Spring Update), lauds plenty of RJA veterans.  For instance?  Cécile McLorin Salvant (whom we presented in 2014 in collaboration with Center Arts) took both Female Vocalist and Jazz Artist of the Year.  The Fred Hersch Trio: Jazz Group of the Year.  Ambrose Akinmusire: trumpet. Miguel  Zénon: alto sax.  Anat Cohen: clarinet.  Regina Carter: violin.  Brian Blade (Joel Harrison and Spirit House): drums.  Adam O'Farrill (Rudresh Mahanthappa's Bird Calls): rising star trumpet.  Dayna Stephens: rising star tenor sax.  Allison Miller: rising star drums.

The July DownBeat had feature articles on Melissa Aldana and clarinetist Anat Cohen, a four-star "Hot Box" featured review of Fabian Almazan's This Land Abounds with Life, and a profile of vocalist and guitarist Camila Meza (Ryan Keberle & Catharsis).  Not to be outdone, the July Jazz Times includes a cover story on saxophonist Chris Potter, a feature on multi-reedist Marty Ehrlich, an interview with multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson, and a "Before and After" listening session with saxophonist Dayna Stephens.

On May 31, Meza released her fifth album as a leader and her first on Sony Masterworks, Ámbar.  In April, DownBeat previewed a tune from the album as part of its online "First Listen" series, while back in 2018 The Pace Report interviewed Meza (and recorded her in performance) when she debuted her Nectar Orchestra at the APAP conference in New York:

The Chilean-born guitarist-vocalist-composer-bandleader also came in for special praise from NPR's "Alt.Latino" recently, after she appeared with her new project on NPR's Jazz Night in America:

Meza also continues her work with Keberle's Catharsis on The Hope I Hold, due out June 28. Here's a video of the album's first single, "Despite the Dream":

Elsewhere in print: in the July/August Jazz Times, Andrew Gilbert writes about vocalist Claudia Villela's recent travails and her latest album ("Into the Fire, and Out Again").  And in the June DownBeat, Suzanne Lorge had a short feature ("Sanchez's Borderless Music") on drummer Antonio Sánchez and Migration's Lines in the Sand, a timely album about border issues, as well as a long profile ("Seeking Unity") of bassist Linda May Han Oh (about whom Steve Futterman also said nice things in a recent issue of the New Yorker), while Bill Milkowski highlighted guitarist Ben Monder's Day After Day, a double album (one solo, one trio) of imaginative covers.



More drummer news: Johnathan Blake (Omer Avital Quintet), featured on the Straight No Chaser podcast, just released his third album as a leader, Trion, a double live set with two other RJA alums, tenor saxophonist Chris Potter and bassist Linda May Han Oh (each of whom has recent new releases of their own; see our Spring 2019 update):




And drummer Allison Miller was interviewed for both Burning Ambulance, and DownBeat, where she spoke (among other things) about "Parlour Games," her quartet co-led with Jenny Scheinman.  (See our previous update).  And drummer--well, multi-instrumentalist--Tyshawn Sorey (Myra Melford's Snowy Egret) was recetnly the object of praise (Steve Smith, "Composer Portrait") and the subject of a profile (Alex Ross, "The Shape-Shifting Music of Tyshawn Sorey") in The New Yorker.

Miscellaneous new releases:

• The Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra, Transitions
• David Berkman Sextet, Six of One:

News of Past Guests, February 2016 Edition

Ryan Keberle & Catharsis have a new album on Greenleaf, Azul Infinito (buy it on Bandcamp). Here's a lovely video of the opening track, "I Thought I Knew":

And a key member of Catharsis, vocalist/guitarist Camila Meza, has an album of her own, Traces. Pre-order from the Sunnyside Records Bandcamp store and stream three tracks below:

In other news: pianist Vijay Iyer is the subject of a profile by Alec Wilkinson in the February 1st issue of The New Yorker. It's called "Time Is a Ghost: Vijay Iyer's Jazz Vision."

March 1-6, Myra Melford becomes the latest RJA veteran to be honored with a weeklong run at New York's storied Village Vanguard (with her band Snowy Egret, which opened our current season last September.) In a preview for the Times, Nate Chinen calls Melford "a pianist-composer of restless imagination and rigorous execution," leading an ensemble whose "ranks consist of improvisers with a keen ear for textural interplay." If by some chance you'll be in New York the first week of March, then go see Myra (and Ron Miles, and Liberty Ellman, and Stomu Takeishi, and Tyshawn Sorey) there and say hello...

More new releases: Allison Miller's new album with Boom Tic Boom, Otis Was a Polar Bear, comes out in April, just days before she shows up in Arcata, BTB in tow. Pre-order it from Royal Potato Family Records, and watch Allison sitting in with the 8G Band on Late Night with Seth Meyers all week long, the week of February 22d (photo here). Here's the album's title track:



Also out in April: Parallax, a new one from Phronesis. Preview/pre-order:



Drummer Dan Weiss's album Sixteen: Drummers Suite honors six legendary jazz drummers. You can buy it on Bandcamp (stream two tracks below), read Nate Chinen's exegesis in Jazz Times, and get Dan's annotations of every track at the Jazz Gallery's website.

Sunnyside Records has reissued (and remastered) a terrific 1987 trio date from Fred Hersch called Sarabande with the late, great Charlie Haden and drummer Joey Baron. The re-release is dedicated to Haden:

And finally, Noah Preminger has a new one dropping soon: Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground. You can pre-order it at his spiffy new website, and get a taste of it right here:

News of Future Guests II

On a recent episode of WBGO's The Checkout, we hear Miguel Zenón (November 12th) play the suite that forms the centerpiece of his forthcoming album Identities Are Changeable, recorded live at this year's Newport Jazz Festival.  Zenón, who's on the cover of this month's DownBeat magazine, was also on All Things Considered recently, talking about the piece:


On November 5th, one week before Zenón arrives in Arcata, his Newport performance will be featured on NPR's brand-new jazz showcase, Jazz Night In America. (Read more about Jazz Night, a weekly radio show and video webcast, here, and find out more about Identities Are Changeable on the project's Kickstarter page, from a short YouTube teaser, or in the full EPK below:)




Melissa Aldana (February 3, 2015) is an admirer, onetime student, and former labelmate of Greg Osby. Aldana's latest record with her Crash Trio has been out on Concord Jazz for a few months already, and back in August, Kevin Whitehead reviewed it on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross:



Finally, trombonist Ryan Keberle's new album with Catharsis (April 13th, 2015), Zone, is out and available for purchase on Bandcamp. (And it's getting great reviews!)

News of Future Guests

Our upcoming season's performers are making news. To wit:

The Cookers (September 30th) have a new album, Time and Time Again, out on Motema on September 16th, just two weeks before they arrive:



Meanwhile, a new album on Greenleaf Music by Ryan Keberle and Catharsis (April 13th, 2015), Into the Zone, appears September 30th, the very day that The Cookers touch down in Arcata:


Greg Osby (October 19th) has made a new record with Dutch alto saxophonist Tineke Postma (and RJA alumni Matt Mitchell on piano, Linda Oh on bass, and Dan Weiss on drums) called Sonic Halo. Released on Challenge Records, it was funded on Kickstarter.  You can hear Postma and Osby preview the project here:


Melissa Aldana (February 3, 2015) is an admirer, onetime student, and former labelmate of Osby's. Aldana's latest record with her Crash Trio has been out on Concord Jazz for a few months already, but Kevin Whitehead reviewed it recently on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross:


And on WBGO's The Checkout, we hear Miguel Zenón (November 12th) play the suite that forms the centerpiece of his forthcoming album "Identities Are Changeable," recorded live at this year's Newport Jazz Festival.